Sacrifice by M.G. Morgan Page A

but they cooked the best food in the city. Their breakfasts were worth the dingy surroundings. He climbed out and watched as Natasha followed suit. She stared around at her surroundings, her expression sceptical.
    “I promise you’ll love the food.” Sam said, making his way around to her side. Part of him wanted to take her hand in his. Reassurance, or was it something more, something he wasn’t particularly ready to admit to himself yet.
    She nodded but didn’t say a word. It had been like that for the entire drive. He wanted to know what she was thinking, where her mind went when she fell into silence. He knew she was probably thinking about the night before. Trying to put the pieces back together. She was lucky she remembered as much as she did. Sam knew of others who couldn’t recall anything… Maybe they were the lucky ones. Was it easier to remember snippets, have a sense of what happened but not fully know for sure. Or in cases like this was ignorance bliss.
    He held the door of the food place open for Natasha. She made her way inside, choosing a booth against the far wall. Sam smiled more to himself than anything else. Every time he came here it was that exact booth he sat in. It gave him the best view of people coming and going. Plus having your back to a wall meant no one could sneak up on you. But he had a feeling that Natasha had chosen it for a very different reason.
    He slid into the seat opposite her, his hands automatically scooping one of the menus that lay across the vinyl top table. Natasha hesitated for a moment before following his example. He watched her over the top of the menu. Taking in every detail of her face, the curve of her lips, the fullness of her lashes as they lay against her cheek when she closed her eyes.
    When she put the menu down abruptly and faced him he buried his nose back in the menu.
    “Why do you stare at me like that?”
    “Like what?” He set the menu down and leaned back against the booth.
    “Like you’re committing my face to memory?”
    Sam smiled, a lazy grin. “Maybe I am.” He shrugged his shoulders and lifted his hands until he could fold them behind his head.
    Her face flushed with colour again. She dropped her gaze and began to fidget with the curled edge on the paper napkin. “I don’t get why you’re doing all of this.” She gestured suddenly to her surroundings. “Why are you taking such a sudden interest in me?”
    Sam felt confused. What did she mean by sudden interest? Didn’t she have other guys express interest in getting to know her. Didn’t other guys check her out? Or was she so wrapped up in her own thoughts the entire time she didn’t notice when others stared at her?
    “I wouldn’t call it a sudden interest. I like you… I want to get to know you…”
    Natasha shook her head and started to stand but the sudden appearance of the waitress forced her back into her seat.
    “Are you ready to order?”
    The girls name tag read Kimberly. Sam smiled up at her, the widest most charming smile he could manage. He watched as she melted, her hand automatically going to her red hair as she tried to make sure it was perfectly in place. She wore a little too much make-up but she was pretty.
    “Kimberly, is it?” He asked her.
    “Yeah, that’s me.” She fiddled with the name tag on her chest and flushed a deep red. It almost matched her hair.
    “Can we get a coke, two cokes?” He glanced over at Natasha and waited for her to approve or deny the drink. She shrugged and he took that as a yes. “Two colas and two breakfasts, the full works.” He winked at her and Kimberly practically turned into a puddle in front of him.
    “No problem, right away.” 
    She turned and skipped away, the roll of her hips deliberately intensified to try and lure him in.
    Sam turned back to Natasha again, his expression softening as he dimmed his smile and laid his hands on the table.
    “What the hell was that? Am I supposed to sit here and watch as you flirt