I loved the way he laughed, as if he was tickled to his core. His laughter was the kind that made you want to snicker, too.
When we got to our stop, he gave me his hand to help me up from my seat. Then he turned to pizza lady. “Sorry she was going to eat you,” he stated, making me swat his arm.
Pizza lady replied, “It’s because she’s a psychopath.” Then she went back to her mindless muttering.
Only in New York.
Once we were off the subway, he dropped my hand and looked at me with so much concern. “Why were you going to eat that woman, Red? Is it because you hung out with the bad wolf a little too much? Eating people seems more of his avenue of choice. Also, if you are thinking of taking me to your favorite spot to eat right now just as a way to fatten me up, I need you to know I’m pretty lean on fat. All muscle.”
He flexed like a nerd, and I blushed like a schoolgirl.
Sure, he was being silly and dramatic, but my gosh, his biceps on biceps pretty much proved his point about him being all muscle.
I rolled my eyes. “If I were going to eat a Marvel character, it definitely wouldn’t be you.”
His eyes narrowed. “Wait, what? You wouldn’t pick me?” he asked, seemingly offended.
“You’re upset that I wouldn’t eat you?”
He grimaced a bit and nodded as we walked down the street. “Well, kind of. I mean, what the hell? Who would you eat first?”
“Are we really having a conversation about me being a cannibal?”
“We absolutely are. Now, come on, fess up—who would you be eating?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Thanos, probably.”
“Thanos?!” he shouted, causing a few bystanders to look our way. Of course, they quickly looked away because New York.
“Don’t shout. People are looking!” I whispered, nudging him in the side.
“They should be looking!” he kept hollering. “You just said you would eat Thanos!”
“I did, and I stand by that. Sure, he’s a super villain who tried to kill half of the planet, but he’s a bigger guy, which means more meat to consume. Plus, I like darker meat.”
“He’s not dark meat, Red. He’s freaking purple.”
“I’m just saying he’s my choice. I don’t have to explain my cannibalism to you.”
He released a hot breath of air, shaking his head back and forth. “It disgusts me that you would choose the world’s most hated villain over the best superhero.”
I laughed out loud. “The world’s best hero? Don’t flatter yourself.”
“What?!” He gasped again, still loud as day. “Are you kidding me? I’m Captain America! Doer of good!”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t make you the best. Your moral compass often gets in your way. You can’t be good all the time. But don’t worry—you are at least in the top ten of best superheroes.”
“I hear what you’re saying, but it doesn’t soothe my bruised heart.”
“I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings by claiming I wouldn’t eat you.”
“It’s okay. I forgive you. Not everyone in life makes good choices, but I just want you to know one thing before we continue this walk.” He placed his hands on my shoulders, pausing my steps, locking his beautiful blue eyes with mine as he gave me the most serious tone he’d delivered all evening. “I would eat the hell out of you.”
A pool of heat filled me up as his words simmered in my head and in my lower region. “Is that a sexual reference?”
“What? No. All I’m saying is that I would willingly eat you.” He cocked a brow with a smug smirk. “I would eat you…all…night…long.”
I shoved him away from me and continued walking. “You’re annoying.”
“Maybe you should eat me to shut me up.”
“No, I’m going to feed you to shut you up,” I explained right as we stopped in front of Grant’s Wings. “Welcome to Grant’s. This, my friend, is where all dreams come true.” I gestured toward the small restaurant as if we’d just found our way to Disney World.
Captain got a goofy look on his face, and I was learning fast that whenever he got a goofy stare, his mind was thinking something ridiculous.
I sighed. “What is it?”
“Nothing, nothing. It’s just that you called me friend.”
“Oh gosh. Don’t let it go to your head.”
“I’m not. I mean, I am, but I’m not. All I’m saying is that we’ve already progressed from perfect strangers to friends.” He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and gave me a tight squeeze. “And everyone knows every great love story begins with friendship. Ask Harry and Sally.”
He ordered three different types of wings, and I was deeply offended when he got boneless. ‘Boneless wings’ was just a code word for chicken nuggets. He watched me as I taught him how to successfully remove all the meat from the bone of a wing, and then I sucked it down, cleaning the bone completely with one swipe.
Captain’s eyes were wide with amazement as he witnessed me taking care of the bone. “I know that wasn’t supposed to be a sexual experience for me, but holy shit, that was quite the sexual experience.”
I smirked and shrugged, grabbing another wing and pushing the meat down the bones. “What can I say? I’m good with my mouth.”
His eyes widened with intrigue. “Is that a sexual reference?” he asked, using the question I’d asked him before we walked into the restaurant.
“What? No. All I’m saying is I’m good at sucking.” After my words, I sucked the chicken wing clean then slowly licked my fingertips, one at a time, very, very slowly because I knew he was watching.
“You’re a damn tease,” he said, shaking his head in disbelief.
“Says the man who talked about eating me all night long.”
“Touché, Red. Touché.”
He slightly readjusted his superhero suit below his waist, and I couldn’t help but think that my small actions might’ve actually awakened something in him. I didn’t know why, but that idea kind of made me smile. I liked the idea I was able to turn him on, even if it was from just eating a freaking chicken wing.
He went back to eating his wings, clearly not wanting to push the sexual comments too far, and asked, “When did you find this place?”
“Oh gosh, it’s been years. I think I was like fifteen years old when I ran away and came here.”
“I’m sorry, what? Ran away?”
“Yeah. I was placed in a bad home for a while. I wasn’t the easiest kid to deal with, but they were cruel. So after a night of them belittling me, I ran away. I didn’t want to go back to a group home, either. I didn’t know where I was going and I didn’t know what I was doing, but I packed up the few belongings I had in a backpack, and I left. I wandered the streets for a while. I spent one night sleeping under a fire escape behind a building.
“The following day, I walked up and down this street, feeling scared and alone. Then I ran into Grant, who was standing outside the shop. He asked me if I was hungry. I was starving, so he took me in and fed me. He did the same the following week and he allowed me to sleep in that booth right over there. He brought me blankets, pillows, and everything. He never even talked to me after the first night I showed up for food. It was like an unspoken connection.”