Accidental Knight: A Marriage Mistake Romance(56)

“Annabelle,” her mother snaps, flashing her teeth just a second too long.

But Bella’s eyes linger. Goddamn, she’s an incredible actor.

It’s not just my eyes falling for this wild prank. She’s so alluring, so determined, so damn good at this.

The more Bella manages to twist old Molly into bitter little knots, the more I want to haul her out of there, slam her into the nearest wall, and show her how fucking much I can up the ante with the realest kiss of her life.

Smiling, I lean in, shifting into my role. “Nothing’s too good for you, Bella.” I whisper. “Jonah wanted the very best, and so did I. He showed me pictures long before you came, said a pretty lady expected pretty places to be. I agreed. Told him you were plenty sweet, and you needed a sweet ass kitchen for making sweet stuff. Next time we bet on food, it’s payback for the enchiladas.”

She bursts out laughing, not acting at all. A spark flares in her eyes before she leans forward and plants a quick kiss on my lips.

Shit.

“Annabelle Amelia Reed.” Molly’s voice is like a thunderclap.

I don’t even know what the fuck just hit me.

The kiss was just a split second, so quick it may not have happened at all.

Except I know it did because my lips burn to give it back. Return fire hard and real and hot, my tongue chasing hers, my teeth in her soft little lip, my hands up under her shirt, going straight for those –

“Bella, please,” Gary whispers, leaning in, shifting his eyes to his side. “Enough. You’re upsetting your mother.”

“Sorry, Dad. I hadn’t noticed.” Bella’s grin grows as she pulls her eyes off me, lowering her face and turning her gaze toward the table. “Oh, here comes our food,” she says. “I’m starving.”

It’s no joke. They don’t tell you round after round of awkward insanity works up one hell of an appetite.

I have a new reason to smile when two salads appear in front of her parents. Gary’s looks okay, but Erin must’ve hand-picked each piece of lettuce for Molly. Hers is older, slightly wilted, slathered in oily vinaigrette.

Molly stabs her fork through a piece, holds it up, and sneers.

Erin just grins oh-so-politely. “Your burgers are being taken off the grill right now. I’ll go get ’em while they’re still sizzling hot.”

The burgers aren’t the only thing sizzling. Neither is Molly Reed’s fuse drawing shorter every second she spends glaring at that dressing drenched lettuce, trying to set it on fire.

This game with Bella has gotten too real. Too dangerous, maybe.

Making her parents have a conniption fit is one thing. But if we keep this going, the other people in the diner will talk. Gossip gets around Dallas so fast it might as well be transmitted telepathically rather than by word of mouth.

I’ll pull Molly’s tail all day, but the town? It’s too risky. All too possible the wrong thing could make it back to the wrong ears, opening new vulnerabilities that’ll only detract from my mission.

Bella’s shoulder gently bumps mine. She’s gnawing on her bottom lip as she stares at her mother.

Molly’s face is beet red as she glares across the room to the spot where Erin pulls two plates off the serving shelf attached to the open window joining the kitchen.

Erin’s smile is as bright as ever as she carries the plates over and sets them down in front of me and Bella. “Two big, juicy Mack burgers! You folks need anything else?” she asks.

“Yes, actually,” Molly says. “I’d love a word with the manag—”

“No,” Gary interrupts. “This is fine. Thank you.” He slides his salad to Molly and takes hers.

My own balls want to crawl up my guts. Talk about sad, watching a grown man reduced to a peacemaker fucking puppet on a string.

Molly throws her napkin on the table the second Erin walks away. “You know what? I’m not eating this crap, and neither are you, Gary. I’ve had just about enough of this hideous diner and it’s entertainment.”

“Molly—” Gary raises his hands, imploring.

She shoves his shoulder angrily with both hands. “Now, Gary. Get your ass up. We’re going.”

With a heavy sigh, he stands.

Satisfied, she turns her death glare our way while sliding out of the booth. “Annabelle?”

Bella pauses mid-ketchup squirt, her hands poised over her burger. “Um, now? But we just got our food.”

I take the top bun off and nod at her when she holds the ketchup bottle over my burger.

“No point in wasting good food,” I say, pulling a fry off the plate and popping it into my mouth. “I’ve got a better idea, Molly. How ’bout you take a nice long drink of water, swallow whatever bug crawled up your ass, and have lunch with us like civilized people?”

Bella jerks the ketchup back just in time before I’ve got a ketchup massacre on my burger, her eyes bigger than the moon.

Molly’s jaw damn near hits the floor. She stands there like that, mouth hanging open, while I take a big bite off my Mack burger, chew, savor, and swallow.

Bitch doesn’t say it, but she’s hoping I’ll choke.

Snarling, she grabs the billfold Gary started pulling out of his pocket, nervously flipping through credit cards. “We aren’t paying for this trash, or the trashy company.”