Page 26 of Unbound

“So, she finally gave up on you since Blondie came into the picture, huh?”

My stomach cramps.

So, Layla liked Sterling. I knew I was keeping him from actually dating women he might like.

Sterling ignores Duke, walking up to a taco stand. “I’ll take a mixed taco plate with pork carnitas and carne asada.” He turns to me. “You want tacos or something else? I’ve had these, and they’re really good. They’re served with corn salsa.”

“This is fine. I only want two, please.”

He completes the order and pays for it. Duke wanders off to get something else, returning with a jumbo corn dog, a turkey leg, and roasted corn. He can barely hold it all.

He hands me the corn. “Try this. So damn good.”

I take a bite, the sweet and spicy flavors bursting on my tongue. “Oh wow, that is good.”

“Right?”

He grins at me, and it’s not flirty at all now, only friendly. Sterling’s jaw is set in a hard line. He grabs our order when they call his name up to the window.

“Let’s go sit at the picnic tables over there.”

I follow him over to the area, and we take one of the available wooden tables with an attached bench. A brisk wind flows through, making me shiver despite my sweater dress and the leather jacket.

Sterling frowns. “Are you cold? I have another jacket in the truck.”

I shake my head. “I’m fine.”

“She’s definitely cold,” Duke muses, taking a massive bite of his corn dog as he sits across from me.

Sterling glares at him, setting the to-go boxes of tacos on the table. “I’ll go grab the jacket. Start eating so you don’t get sick. Yours is the top one.”

He turns and heads for the parking lot.

“So, are you into him or what? You’re hard to read, and I can always read women.”

I blink at him and open up the box of food. “Um, he’s been really generous with me, despite my situation.”

“Yeah, but do you like him? He’s really into you—I can tell. Sterling has hardly ever dated anyone. He’s picky as hell.”

I stare at him, slowly taking a bite of the pork carnitas taco. “How can you tell?”

He gestures to the food. “Take your pick, sweetheart. He married you, for crying out loud. You clearly don’t know my brother as well as I do. He hasn’t been in a committed relationship since the seventh grade. Sterling doesn’t do the girlfriend thing. I mean, sure, he’s a generous person and a nice guy, but that’s a bit much, even for him.

“He’s married to the Marines. He won’t even come home for the holidays if it interferes with training, and he took time off to take you to the doctor. You’re sleeping in his bed every night. He never lets anyone in his bed. He almost punched me in the face earlier, and getting Sterling riled up is usually fucking impossible, trust me. I’ve tried my whole life to push his buttons. Shit just doesn’t affect him.”

I can’t even taste the taco anymore. Duke raises a brow.

“Do I need to keep going? I just wanna know where your head is at. You have a lot on your plate with the baby and all. I just don’t want him to get his hopes up if you’re not about it.”

I slowly feel myself nodding. This is a lot of information, a lot of things I didn’t know or even suspect.

Sterling likes me.

Butterflies erupt in my stomach.

“I … I didn’t know about the bed or the past relationship history, any of it. He said he wanted to get married so I could watch over his house while he was deployed.”

“And that’s all true, I’m sure. He doesn’t have ulterior motives or anything. He’s the best of the best, a true good guy. Much more than I am, to be honest. I’d have already kissed you seven ways to Sunday by now. He’s got the self-control of a damn monk.”