As She Fades(39)

“In case you were wondering, you taste as good as you look,” he added, slipping a hand under my shirt, then down to cup my still-bare bottom.

Giggling, I buried my face in his neck again.

“God, you’re cute, too. I’m completely sunk.”

I was glad he was sunk. I didn’t want him going anywhere.

*

GOING TO SLEEP that night was hard. The smile on my face as I stared at the ceiling thinking about all he’d said and our good-night kiss felt right. Even with Everly coming in at two in the morning stumbling drunk and cursing at me, even though she thought I was sleeping. I hid my smile from her.

I wanted to tell Mae, but I hadn’t wanted to wake her up. She was already figuring out my feelings for Slate. That I wanted more than the friendship that I had claimed. Admitting this to her was going to be fun and make it seem real. I felt as if I were in a dream at times. Especially now with Slate.





CHAPTER THIRTY

SLATE WAS AT one of my tables watching football the next night when Knox walked in and went straight to him. I hurried and got the drink order out to the new table I had, then went directly to them. I hadn’t talked to Knox about things with me and Slate in a week. But with Slate missing the party last night to be with me and then sitting at one of my tables while I worked, it was obvious that things were different. We were a couple.

Slate was listening as Knox talked. The serious expression on my brother’s face made me get a little panicked. He didn’t need to step into my business. I knew what he thought of Slate. And I knew how wrong he was.

“Why are you here, Knox?” I asked, not even trying to hide my irritation.

“Talking to Slate is all” was his easy response. He was full of crap.

“Yeah, right. You planning on eating or you about done?” I asked him.

He held up a hand. “Calm down, sis. I’m just chatting with him.”

I hated it when he talked to me like I was a child. “And I’m asking why?”

He leaned back in his seat. “Because rumor has it y’all are in a relationship and I’ve never seen Slate in a relationship. It’s all you’ve ever known. I don’t want you hurt.”

I started to open my mouth when Slate beat me to it. “I’d never hurt her. I couldn’t. She means too much to me.”

Just like when he kissed me and when he said the sweet things to me last night, my knees felt weak and my heart did a pitter-patter thing.

Knox turned his attention to Slate. “Is that so?”

“Swear it,” Slate said with no question in his tone.

Knox looked back at me. “You want this? With him?” I knew what he was saying. He was asking me about Crawford. My entire life I’d been with Crawford. It was what my family expected. How did I explain this to him?

“Yes. People change. Life changes.”

Knox stared at me as he turned over my words. I knew he understood what I was telling him. Finally he nodded. “Fine. If this is what you want.”

“It is.”

“Then bring me twelve hot wings with a Coke.”

That was it. We were done. And he was staying to eat with Slate. Letting out a relieved sigh, I nodded and turned to get his order in and check on my other tables.

That was a confrontation I had dreaded, and I was glad it was over. I didn’t want to have to defend this thing with Slate to anyone. Especially my family.

A couple of the other waitresses noticed Slate not leaving my section and asked me about him. Some knew him and others wanted to. Mae kept looking at me knowingly as we passed and I knew I had to tell her. She was my friend.

When Knox parked himself beside Slate for the evening, Mae finally came over to me and put her hands on her hips and raised both her red eyebrows. “Well?”

“We’re dating. Exclusively,” I told her, not needing more than the “well” to know what she was talking about.

Her eyes went wide and she glanced back at him. “Slate Allen is exclusive? For real?”

“Yep.”

“Holy shit,” she muttered. “I thought maybe you were going to sleep with him tonight or something stupid like that.”

“We decided on the exclusive thing last night. It’s … we’re different.”

She let out a bark of laughter. “You’re telling me. Slate Allen doesn’t date exclusively. Y’all are definitely different.”

I nodded, unable not to grin.

“So that’s why Knox is here. I was worried we were going to have a fight over your virtue or something.”

“Just doing the annoying big-brother thing.”

“Charlie is going to be so bummed.”

I hadn’t talked to Charlie in a week. He knew I was interested in Slate. It had been hard to hide. We had actually discussed it when we had met up for lunch two weeks ago.

“Uh-oh. You got trouble,” Mae whispered, staring back at Slate’s table. I turned to see Everly and one of her friends sliding in beside Knox and Slate.

Slate’s eyes lifted and met mine immediately. I knew he hadn’t encouraged this, but I hoped he’d handle it. I saw him talking to Everly sternly while looking at me.

She leaned into him and put her hands on his chest and Slate was up and out of his seat fast. He said something about her being desperate and walked off, leaving my brother there with the two girls. Knox was grinning.