Page 15 of The Healing Touch (Manwhore #3)

“I should really learn how to do that shit myself, shouldn’t I?”

“I would say yes, but I know you’ll never do it.” She slapped his arm playfully. “Besides, then what would you need me for?”

He grabbed her, draping an arm around her waist. “Bite your tongue, babe. You’re the one person I’ll always need. Now, ready to go eat?”

She shook her head, collected her purse, and let him lead her out of the room, relishing how it felt when he was wrapped around her.

Her panic at going outside almost disappeared when he held her.

He was her safety blanket, so to speak. Besides, she wasn’t so worried about having to chat with anyone if Dimitri had her full attention.

Dimitri hummed to himself as they rode the elevator down.

She hadn’t mentioned their morning foray, and neither did he.

They’d get into that later. Right now, he just wanted food and good company.

He had a bottomless pit of a stomach, and the only person he’d met who could come close to keeping up with him was Kade’s wife, Angel.

That girl could pack away some food and not gain a single pound.

Dimitri was completely jealous. His food habits put him in the gym for a good hour or two each day.

He still managed upper body exercises even with his legs in the shape they were.

The elevator stopped on the third floor, and two women entered. One had blue hair and the other was a little tamer, her blonde hair only highlighted with pink streaks.

“Ladies,” he murmured and moved back, hauling Becca with him. She’d tensed up the minute the two women entered the elevator with them. He pulled her closer and tucked her against him.

Blondie looked up, and her eyes widened. He groaned to himself. She knew him. He’d bet money on it.

“You’re Dimitri Kincaid, aren’t you?”

Damn, he knew it.

He flashed her a smile. “Yes.”

“Oh, wow!” She almost jumped up and down, causing her friend to glance up from her phone. “I can’t believe it’s you! I came specifically to meet you at the book signing! I love your shifter series. Kyle and Emma are my favorites. Oh, my gosh!”

Dimitri wasn’t sure what to say. He’d never had to actually deal with readers outside of a book signing at Barnes & Noble, and the staff kept it pretty well contained. This was new. Someone freaking out over his books.

Becca pinched him. Hard. He glared down at her, but she was grinning. Dammit. There was no denying the girl was more excited about his books than him. Round one to Becca.

“I’m glad you liked the books…” Hell, he forgot to ask her name.

“I’m Abby, and this is my friend Shelly. She’s here to meet Jessica Darrow.”

He nodded toward Shelly, who was looking at him like most women did. Appreciative, calculating, and full of lust. She was pretty, but she did nothing for him.

The elevator dinged open, revealing the ground floor. They all spilled out, and Abby turned to him before they left. “It was so nice to meet you! I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Nice to meet you too.” He watched as they walked away, bemused. This was a novel experience.

“Don’t say a word,” he warned when he saw Becca about to gloat. “Not one word.”

She hugged him instead. He laughed, and they walked over to the front desk to have the Jeep brought around.

His laughter died when she asked if there were any rooms available.

The desk clerk ignored his scowl and checked.

Thank fuck, there were none. He understood her need to not end up all tangled up with him in bed again, but he took perverse satisfaction in the fact fate thwarted her.

The old girl had always been on his side when it came to women.

The desk clerk recommended a local restaurant, the Tattooed Moose, over on Morrison Drive. The trip there was uneventful aside from Becca threatening to break his fingers over the radio. Dimitri would never have guessed she was a radio Nazi. It was cute, though.

As soon as she saw the place, Becca’s entire face lit up, and excitement shone in her eyes. “Do you realize what this place is?”

“Uh, a seafood place?”

“No, it’s not a seafood place.” She bounced in her seat, and he couldn’t stop from smiling at her antics. “It’s the place from Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives . The duck place!”

“Uh…I’m not a big duck person, Becca. I thought we were eating seafood?” Duck did not sit well on his stomach. Not at all.

“They have other things. Please, Dimitri, can we eat here? Pleeeease?”

Well, fuck. There she went with those puppy dog eyes. How could he say no? “Sure, sweetheart. We can eat here.”

She even forgot her anxiety. She was so intent upon looking at everything, she didn’t notice how crowded the place was. Granted, she had his hand in an iron grip, but she was chatting up a storm with the hostess as they were seated.

“Ohmygod…” The words left her mouth in a rush when she saw the menu. So many choices! She’d wanted to try this place since she’d seen it on TV, but never thought she’d actually get here. For that, she’d have to thank Dimitri and his high-handed tactics.

Dimitri, she noticed, was looking at the menu in consternation. He was worried about his stomach. For a man who could eat like there was no tomorrow, he had severe digestive issues. “You can try the Thanksgiving sandwich. It’s turkey and stuffing. That won’t hurt you.”

“What are you getting?”

She took her time and studied the menu, wanting it all but settling on the duck fries and the duck club sandwich. Dimitri’s face screwed up so fiercely it set her to giggling. He was such a wuss with food.

The waitress came back with their drinks and took the order, Dimitri getting the turkey sandwich with some trepidation. She rolled her eyes. He ate like a horse at Thanksgiving. He could handle one tiny sandwich.

“It is not funny.” He shot her a disgruntled look. “If I end up sick and in the bathroom, you can explain to everyone why I’m not there.”

“That, I can do. ‘Dear fans and fellow authors, I must apologize for bowing out of the signing because I’m sitting on the toilet shitting my brains out.’”

The first taste of his draft beer spewed out of his mouth. “You would not!”

“Try me. You hauled my ass down here, and you aren’t getting out of this signing.”

“You’re an evil woman, you know that?”

She tossed him a grin. “Only when I have to deal with your obnoxious ass.”

He stuck his tongue out at her, and it set her off giggling again, something she’d never done in her life. Becca was not the kind of girl to giggle. It always seemed immature, but she found it was impossible to be the mature adult around this man. He was incorrigible.

“Viktor is going to be jealous.” He picked up the paper from her straw and started to ball it up. “He’s always looking for places he sees on that damn show. I am going to gleefully lord it over him that we were here first.”

“Food is a huge thing for you boys, isn’t it?” It was something she’d always found curious. All six of the Kincaid brothers were fascinated by food.

He nodded, his fingers rolling the paper.

“I guess it’s because our mom instilled a love of food in us.

Food was something we associated with family, with get-togethers, with sadness.

Every emotion you can have, every event you celebrate or mourn, there is always food.

Dad’s the one who taught us if we are going to eat like horses, then we need to make sure to stay in shape.

He’s the reason we all push ourselves so much, physically. It’s what we know.”

Becca appreciated food for an entirely different purpose.

It had been hard to come by in her household.

Not because there wasn’t enough money, but because her mother typically spent it all on her drug habit.

She and Jackson lived off mac and cheese for three whole months.

Her dad usually ate at his clubhouse before he stumbled home too drunk to care there wasn’t any real food in the house.

She learned to value each meal, to savor every bite.

She tended to cook exactly what she needed, no more, no less.

There was always food in her house, but she ate like a person on a strict rationing diet.

Only what she needed. Sure, she cooked things that tasted great, but she didn’t overindulge just to make sure she’d always have enough.

“What’s going on in that head of yours?” Dimitri’s voice interrupted her about the same time the wadded-up ball of paper hit her in the face.

“Really?”

His grin was more wolfish than the devil. “You went somewhere in that pretty head. What were you thinking about?”

She told him about the food situation in her house growing up and how it affected her and her brother as adults.

The sadness that swept through his eyes made her look away.

She probably shouldn’t have told him, but Dimitri knew her better than anyone.

He deserved to know these things because he’d trusted her with everything over the years.

“Don’t be sad, D. I have more than enough to eat now, and I appreciate food a lot more than some people do. It’s given me a unique perspective and drives me to try so many different things.”

“You know what we’re going to do?” His face brightened.

“What?”

“Every city we go to this summer, we’re going to track down at least one restaurant from that show and eat there.”

“You’re going to eat at places sure to send you into squirt gun mode?”

“Well, I’ll watch you eat while I starve with my glass of water and tiny slice of bread, but it’ll be fun. Something else to showcase on the social media pages. Speaking of which…” He pulled out his phone and leaned into Becca. “Smile, sweetheart!”