Chapter 15 #2
I glanced at his profile. He hadn’t shaved today, and I loved how his sandy-blond stubble made his jawline more pronounced. “Twenty-five. You sound surprised.”
“Didn’t realize you’re almost two years older than me.”
I laughed. “That explains so much.”
“Whatever, Trouble.”
“Trouble?”
“Yeah, you’ve been causing trouble since I met you.”
I scoffed. “Puh-lease. I could say the same thing about you. Trouble like this never found me until I met you.”
He squeezed my thigh. “Nope. I know how to spot a troublemaker and you’re just like Mickayla.”
His hand on my leg did things to me. To be fair, his hands on me anywhere did things to me. “We could go back to my place and I’ll cook. I don’t need you to take me out.”
His gaze cut to me and back to the Interstate. “You need me to take you out. When we get back to your place, it’ll be the opposite of anticlimactic.”
“So, you’re promising me the climax I missed this morning.”
He moved his hand on my thigh higher toward the juncture of my hip. “I’m promising you multiple climaxes, baby.”
I struggled against putting his hand where I really wanted it, but it wouldn’t be safe for him to touch me like that while driving.
He chuckled. “There you go earning your nickname. Can see the thoughts on your face. You’re pure trouble, Ivy.”
I picked up his hand and moved it to his thigh. “Pretty sure you’re the troublemaker here, Nickel.”
I slid into my side of the booth at Poe’s Tavern across from Ryan, and set my bag of books next to me on the bench seat. “You are going out of your way to earn brownie points with a woman who has explicitly told you it isn’t necessary.”
His lips spread with a sly grin. “Not all those books are for you, Ivy.”
“Possession is nine-tenths of the law, Nickel. I’ll be reading them even if I’ve never heard of this Eighty-Seventh Precinct series.”
“Good thing I know where you live then. I’ll be able to get my books when you’re finished with them.”
“Breaking into my home to wait for me is one thing, but breaking in to steal books is a bridge too far, mister.”
“Don’t be cute when I’m too far away to kiss you,” he ordered.
A man with his hair in man-bun sauntered up to our table and put down two cardboard coasters. “What can I get you to drink?”
“You trust me?” Nickel asked.
I nodded.
He turned to our server. “Two gimlets with Grey Goose, make mine a double. And two waters.”
“You got it,” he said, and left.
“Why isn’t mine a double?” I asked.
“Safety first, Trouble. Besides, you can have more than one. That’s the only drink I’ll have until we get back to your place.”
“Have you been here before?” I asked.
“Yeah. Their burgers can’t be beat, and Mickayala says their tacos are great, too.”
I nodded and took in the extensive menu, every item gave a nod to an Edgar Allen Poe work.
“You got a few things you need to handle tonight,” he murmured and I glanced up at him.
“Like what?”
“I’m going out on a limb here, but does your mom know you found Lark? And you need to tell your buddy that tomorrow night is off.”
This man was entirely too smart. It wasn’t going to be easy telling Mom I’d found my biological dad.
She’d been rather ambivalent about me seeking him out.
In fact, that led to me trying to hide my trip to Memphis from her, but Chad goofed and let our side trip slip.
When Mom asked why we’d go to Memphis, he’d fibbed about us wanting to see that place too.
“Yeah. Mom doesn’t know that I found him here in town, so you’re right.
I need to let her know, but I’m not doing it tonight.
That feels like something I should do in person.
And that’s not me procrastinating,” I added when I saw the look on his face.
“She’s probably going to be miffed that I didn’t tell her he was actually in the Jacksonville area. ”
He nodded. “I can see that, but your man, Chad, needs to be reined in.”
I threw my head back and laughed. “Don’t ever let him hear you say that.”
Ryan’s eyes were bright and steady on me. “Fuck,” he whispered.
“What?” I whispered back.
“You’re a fucking stunner when you laugh, Ivy.”
I felt my cheeks heat. “Thanks,” I muttered.
“Can you text Chad, so he isn’t planning to bring other friends of yours to the bar.”
“Oh, my friend Kristen was going to come with him, but yeah. I can text him now.” I wagged a finger in the air.
“It’s funny, Lark told me to make sure Chad doesn’t tell anyone about why I’ve been looking for him.
He seems to think that would make me a target.
Like the reason they took you had everything to do with him, but he can’t really know that yet, can he? ”
He hesitated a moment. “We don’t really know what the motivation was for those assholes, but that’s the first I’ve heard of Lark saying he thinks they were really targeting him. Wish he’d have said something about that earlier.”
“You mean at your meeting?” I asked.
“Church, yeah.”
“Why is it called ‘church’?”
Our server came to the table and put down our drinks. “Two Gray Goose Gimlets. Are y’all ready to order?”
Ryan shot me a questioning look and I nodded. “You first, though.”
He ordered a crab cake sandwich, and I wound up ordering a Chicken Amontillado.
“Excellent choices,” our server said, taking our menus and scurrying away.
I pulled out my phone and asked, “Are you sure you don’t mind me texting right now?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Sooner is better than later, and this way if he’s going to call you, he can interrupt dinner, and not what’s happening afterward.”
I pressed my lips together to hold back my smirk. “Got it.”
Once I sent Chad a text, I set my phone on the table, face down. It vibrated seconds later.
Ryan held up a hand. “Check it. I may not know him well, but he damn sure cares about you. It’s been my experience that people like that can be hard to come by, and I’d rather you put him at ease.”
I didn’t expect that, and I really wanted to dive into that statement from him because between his siblings and all the MC brothers he had, there were plenty of people who cared about him.
No sooner had I picked up my cell again, than it rang in my hand, Chad’s name on the screen. “Hi, there. I can’t talk for very long.”
“You cannot send me that text and then cut this convo short,” Chad said, his tone indignant.
“I’m sitting with Ryan at Poe’s Tavern and this is after he just took me to the indie bookstore at the beach and bought me like five books. My friend, I can’t talk for very long.”
He inhaled sharply. “That’s a strong move. Did he know you love books?”
My head tilted as I considered it. “He sat in my townhouse today waiting for me, so I’m guessing he saw my bookshelves and put it together. Are you gonna keep quiet about Lark and why I was hanging outside there so much?”
“Yes, but sweetie, you need to talk to Lark.”
I pressed my lips together. “I did, and I’ll tell you all about it later.”
“Later, when? Because I’m guessing it won’t be later tonight.”
No, I didn’t expect that either.
“If you can swing it, we’ll do lunch again tomorrow.”
“Fine, but we’re going to Okinawa.”
I shook my head. “We can’t go there. It’s community tables and no privacy.”
“You are not helping here, Brummis. It’s more of a hike for you, but we’ll do Kickbacks.”
It wasn’t really more of a hike for me, but I’d let him think so. “Deal. I’ll text you when I know my schedule.”
“Have fun, and do that man every way you can.”
“Chad!” I cried.
“Girlie. He is fine, and you know you want to. Live it up. You deserve it.”