Unstoppable (Fierce) by Ginger Voight

back down.
    “You have to try this, Jordi,” she said as she scooped up a big spoonful for me. “They could just hook this up to an IV for me and I’d be in heaven for the rest of my life.”
    I tried to shake my head, to ward off the demon known as sugar, but even Eddie encouraged me to give it a try. “One bite isn’t going to kill you,” was a familiar refrain – little did people understand one bite was never going to be enough.
    If I could stop at one bite, I wouldn’t weigh over two hundred pounds.
    Even worse, it was hard enough for me to avoid the dessert tray in the first place. I wanted every dish on that cart, it took every bit of strength I had to decline the first time. I couldn’t repeatedly say no when others insisted I join in the fun.
    So naturally I didn’t. I hadn’t ordered a dessert of my own, after all. It was just a bite, and that one bite wouldn’t kill me. But the minute that chocolate sauce slid across my tongue, I knew I was in trouble.
    Because it did feel better – it did make me happier, almost instantly. That warm, sweet mouthful was a loving hug from a lifelong comforter. When Shelby offered me an extra spoon, claiming she couldn’t possibly eat the whole dessert by herself, I made every excuse I could in my head to justify each bite thereafter.
    I watched Maggie out of my peripheral vision, to see if she would judge me by the way I indulged myself on the dessert. There was, as always, no judgment there. But when she placed her spoon in the plate, indicating she had had enough, I mirrored it quickly.
    The long minutes we all sat chatting afterwards were torture. All I could think about were the various plates around the table and all the half-eaten treats. If I had been by myself, each plate would be clean, starting with the divine chocolate creation in front of me. I tried not to look at it, I even scooted it away. Instead I cradled my water glass in my hand, refilling it three times before we all parted ways for the night.
    Eddie said nothing as I resumed my spot on the makeshift pallet on the hardwood floor. It was uncomfortable, but I sort of felt I deserved it after caving at the restaurant. I was up and down at least four times from all the water I drank during dinner, which made the hard wood even more unforgiving as I tried to go back to sleep.
    By the time dawn peeked through the blinds, I had given up on sleep entirely. Eddie was asleep on the bed, and I considered momentarily balancing on the available edge to get some more sleep. But I could tell he was naked and it made me sick to think of being that close to him. You might as well have asked me to sleep in a pit full of snakes.
    So I showered and got dressed for the day. It was just as well I was up early. We had a radio interview that morning and dress rehearsal that afternoon. I puttered around the kitchen to scare up a suitable breakfast, but Eddie’s diet was very Midwest. He had lots of higher-fat protein items like eggs, bacon, sausages, meats and dairy, with very little fruit or grain to round out his starchy vegetable selection.
    The breakfast that finally roused the other occupants of my house ended up being much higher in fat than I had allowed myself in months past, but everyone seemed overjoyed by the fried eggs and bacon that I served alongside French toast.
    “This is so yummy,” Shelby gushed as she plowed through her plate, matching Eddie’s hungry-man appetite bite for bite. “I didn’t know you could cook.”
    “My Jordi’s a great cook,” Eddie responded. His eyes slid over me as he added, “Obviously.”
    I bit back any retort. It wasn’t worth it. With my busy schedule for the day , the sooner I could shake Eddie free, the sooner I could finally spend time with Jace.
    I so needed to spend time with Jace.
    But Eddie had other ideas. He insisted that he tag along with us. “I’ve missed you so much,” he’d croon as he wrapped his arms around me. “I want to make up for lost time