Page 26 of Forever Mine

“Their food is excellent, but if you want to play it safe, you can stick with a hamburger.”

“What are you having?”

“The oxtail is good. It’s what I have most times when I eat here.”

“I think I’ll try that.”

“It’s a little spicy,” she warned.

“Not a problem.” I chuckled while setting the menu aside. “Remember my friend from college?”

“Yeah, what’s his name?”

“Ty. He turned me on to your jerk. If I can stomach that fiery chicken, pork, and sausage, I can eat anything.”

She laughed, a melodious tinkle that made me want to join her. “I guess we’ll see.”

The food was served on huge plates, but was arranged so it pleased the eye. I tucked right in, enjoying the tender meat and rice and peas that Ty had introduced me to as part of my initiation into his culture. I'd taken him home with me more than once during the holidays, and he'd also given my family a taste of Jamaica. Ty had more talent for cooking in his thumb than I had in my entire body.

“You like?” Vaughn asked after a few minutes.

I swallowed and then bobbed my head. “Yeah, it's good.”

We ate in silence and when we were done, Vaughn requested a slice of carrot cake. I shook my head. “I'm not much into sweet things.”

My mouth opened to add everything except her, but I didn't. It would have been over the top, and she'd have thought I was being corny. I didn't think of her as sweet anyway—she was more of a tangy-spicy mix that I liked very much.

While she sucked whipped cream off her fork, I watched. It was all I could do not to leave my side of the table and cover her mouth with mine. When she licked the cream off her bottom lip and met my gaze, a frown flickered across her face. Then, understanding dawned in her eyes. She held the fork poised in the air as a seductive smile played with her lips. “You need to get that look off your face.”

I raised both eyebrows. “Or what?”

“I'm going to assume I know what you're thinking.”

“And would that be such a bad thing?”

Vaughn pressed the napkin to her lips while her exotic eyes danced with mischief. “It might not be a good idea to look at me that way, given where we're sitting.”

“And what's so wrong with what I'm doing?”

She raised one of her eyebrows and leaned closer. “It's not like you can do anything about it now, can you?”

“You have a point,” I murmured, as a couple went past our table.

“Mmm-hmm. I know I do.”

She ate another piece of cake, pulling it slowly off the fork. Vaughn met my eyes with a teasing glint in hers.

I was about to warn her to beware of possible consequences when my phone vibrated, alerting me to an incoming call. I didn't have to pick it up from where it lay on the table to know who was trying to reach me.

Lucy.

My mouth tightened and heat flushed my face. Didn’t she ever plan to give up?

When I looked up, Vaughn asked, “Everything okay?”

I let my attention wander to the older couple two tables away, who were about to place their order. Then, I lied. “Yes, it’s all good.”

The phone stopped ringing. A momentary reprieve, because Lucy would either ring back right away or later in the evening. Since our break up, her calls had gone from a half dozen each day to one or two attempts. I didn't see the point, or why she thought I'd want to talk to her after finding out she was cheating on me. What she did on top of that made me despise her. She knew that, so her persistence didn't make sense. The room came back into focus when the clang of cutlery interrupted my thoughts.