Page 149 of Bred

“The date isn’t over yet, babe,” I grin. “We still need dessert.”

“I thought I was dessert,” she teases, falling into step beside me.

“Oh, don’t worry. You’re going to be my midnight snack.”

I lead her across the street to my favorite ice cream shop, thankful that the first part of my plan goes off without difficulty. The nights have been hot lately, so there’s a fair amount of people already in line.

I order for us when it’s our turn.

“One scoop of mint chip on a sugar cone, and one strawberry in a waffle cone, please.” My lips twitch when her eyes round in surprise at my knowing her order.

Or rather,rememberingher order.

The kid behind the counter can’t be more than sixteen. The same age she was the first time we got ice cream here, the night we first met.

Cones in hand, I lead Brinley out of the ice cream parlor and to one of the yellow metal tables situated outside the store. She gives me another suspicious look when I move so that she’s forced to sit in the chair that would have her back to the store front, instead of the one she originally went to sit in.

“This one is closest to the street. You know my rule, babe.”

Her eyes narrow with playful, undisguised suspicion. “Riiiight.”

A comfortable silence settles over us, both of us enjoying our ice cream and me enjoying the sight of her licking on a strawberry ice cream cone in person after so many years looking at a photograph.

So far, I think I’m doing a pretty good job at not fucking this up, but that could always change.

“Do you remember when the Halloween carnival came here years ago?”

“Of course,” she says with an easy smile. “Bristol was so scared in the haunted house, I thought she was going to swing at the chainsaw guy. She was so mad we’d lied to her about how scary it was, she wouldn’t even sit with me and Hailey when we grabbed food afterward. She sat alone two tables over, eating her sliders and simmering with rage. Hailey was laughing so hard I thought she was going to pee herself.”

Her pink tongue darts out, lapping at the mound of strawberry soft serve. I zero in on the drop of cream at the corner of her lip and how her tongue cleans it up dutifully. It makes me think of last night, and how that pretty mouth and tongue dutifully cleaned up my—

“Lucas?”

My gaze snaps back to hers.

Oh, right. We were talking about the carnival.

Later, buddy,I tell my aching cock, which wholeheartedly agreed that I should take Brinley home and fuck her senseless.

Fuck, it’s been months, but my need for her hasn’t mellowed out in the slightest. I shake my head, chasing the sinful thoughts away so I can focus.

“This was where I knew you were special.”

She gives me a flat stare.

“Thisis where you knew I was special?” she says, skeptical.

“Yes.” I hold her stare. “It was after we got done with the carnival. We came here to get ice cream, all of us. But I couldn’t keep my eyes off you.”

She glances down at the table we sat at, then twists around to stare at the ice cream shop window. It’s not October yet, so it doesn’t have the drawing of the green ice cream with the sugar cone witch hat on display, but I can tell she’s remembering when it did. Slowly, she turns back to me, a soft smile on her pretty face.

“That was the night we met.”

Holding her gaze, I reach into my pocket and pull out the familiar photograph, sliding it over to her. It’s folded and creased in a way that only happens when a photo’s well-loved. She picks the picture up with trembling fingers. It takes only seconds for her to open it, but it feels like hours.

She looks down and freezes. When she meets my eyes again, tears shimmer like stars in hers.

“I took that picture that night. I’ve treasured it every night since. But it became my lifeline when I was away from you.”