Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
M oon didn’t hesitate to rush toward the woman who was choking. He jerked her out of the seat, and his hands went into position for the Heimlich maneuver. At least she was smart enough not to fight him as he applied quick thrusts between her bellybutton and ribcage.
At the third thrusts, the bite of steak she had taken came out to land on her table.
He released her and stepped around her so he could make sure she was breathing freely. “Are you okay?”
The woman shook her head. “I’m all right.” Giving Evie, King, and him embarrassed glances, she sat back down. “Thank you for your help.”
Moon tried to return to his chair, but Evie blocked his way.
“Are you sure? Can I get you anything?”
“I’m fine,” the woman assured her. “Other than dying of embarrassment.”
Evie’s serious expression lightened. “Don’t be. There isn’t anyone in this restaurant who hasn’t been embarrassed at one time or another.” Evie held out her hand. “I’m Evie, and this is my husband, King.”
The woman reached out to take Evie’s hand then took the one King had extended.
“I can see why the pork chop was so important to you, if you react like that to steak.”
Laughter bubbled from the woman at King’s humorous remark. “My mother did warn me to chew each bite twenty times before I swallow. Thankfully, she’s not here, so I don’t have to hear I told you so ,” she said wryly. “It’s nice to meet you both. I’m Larissa.”
“It’s nice to meet you, too,” Evie responded smilingly then turned to Moon. “I forgot to introduce you to Moon. He’s a friend of ours.”
Moon extended his hand at the introduction.
Larissa stared at it for several seconds before lifting hers to shake his. No sooner had his palm met hers than she was pulling it away.
The unusual way she shook his hand drew his notice. Until then, he really hadn’t paid any attention to her, his mind too occupied with trying to find out who had slipped into his room the night he got drunk. It wasn’t like there was anything about her that would have diverted his attention. Her brown hair was shoulder-length, her eyes almost the same shade as her hair, and with an average figure, there was nothing about her which would have given him a wow factor.
His interest in her piqued at her unusual behavior, then waned.
“Perhaps we should let her finish her meal before it gets cold,” he suggested. “It’s nice to meet you.” He gave her a nod before he moved around Evie and King to resume his seat at the table. Picking up his knife and fork, he went back to eating his food, his mind once again on who had slipped into his room.
He hadn’t taken Echo’s word that Ember didn’t wear underwear and had gone to her room to check out her drawers. She didn’t own one pair of underwear he could find.
“That was rude,” Evie said as she and King sat back down.
“I saved her life, didn’t I? You expect us to become BFFs now?”
Evie gave him a killing glare. “Lower your voice. Why are you being such an ass?”
Moon sighed then set his fork and knife on the plate. “I didn’t mean to be. I just have something on my mind that’s driving me nuts.”
Evie raised her brows at him. “Anything I can help with?”
“Nope, I’ll figure it out.”
“Let me know. I might not live at the club anymore, but I still count you as a friend.”
“Same.” Moon smiled at Evie, ignoring King’s watchful gaze.
His lips quirked up in a smile. Regardless of how long King and Evie had been married, he never let her eat alone with him when he stopped by to catch up with her.
Putting his plaguing thoughts behind him, he relaxed to enjoy their lunch.
They were still chatting when the woman who had been choking rose from the table. Her wince caught his attention, and when she would have passed by their table, Moon stood up to block her.
“Did I hurt you when I did the Heimlich?”
“I’m just a little sore. I’m sure it will go away.”
Moon frowned when Larissa took a step away so fast she bumped into a chair someone was sitting in.
“Excuse me,” she apologized then turned back to him.
“Maybe you should go by the ER and get checked out,” he suggested, staring at her.
Why was she acting so jumpy? Her reaction to him made no sense. He might have acted like an ass at the DMV, but he couldn’t understand why she had jumped back when he moved close to her. Did she think he was going to examine her?
“I’m good. Thank you. It’s only natural I’d be a little sore.”
Inexplicitly, Moon felt a spurt of concern for her. “You should be checked by your doctor. I could have hurt you.”
“I would know if you damaged anything.”
“Not unless you get checked out by a doctor. You may need an X-ray—”
“I don’t need an X-ray. I’m breathing fine.”
“I’d feel better if you saw a doctor,” he insisted. Next time, he would mind his own business. What if she sued? “I’d be willing to pay for you to be checked out by a professional.”
Moon knew he had fucked up when the woman’s eyes narrowed on him. He had just talked himself into a lawsuit if he had hurt her.
Before he could retract the offer, Larissa set her to-go container down on the table and pressed her fingers to each side of her ribcage. Then she took deep, strong breaths.
“There you go. All done.” She picked up her container again. “I’m good to go. Nothing is harmed. I’ll probably have some bruising, but nothing that will keep me from performing my normal activities.”
Moon gaped at her then started to get angry. Was she making fun of his concern for her?
“Now you have your medical opinion, free of charge. May I please get past you?”
Moon sat back down, his hands itching to turn her over his lap to administer a spanking he reserved only for women who had had been intimately involved with him and who had the wherewithal to know they had pushed him to give them the punishment.
Thankfully, the woman moved away while he was still debating whether it would be worth it to be arrested for assault.
Evie’s soft laughter drew his gaze.
“What are you laughing at?”
“You.” Evie used a napkin to wipe the corner of her eyes. “You’re dying to spank her, aren’t you?” She nodded to his hands on the table, where his fingers were rubbing the underside of his palms. “That’s always a dead giveaway.”
Flattening his hands on the table, he glanced toward King, who he could see wasn’t appreciating the turn in conversation. “You can quit giving me the death glare. I’ve never spanked Evie. Give your wife some credit. Evie is smart enough not to bring it up if I had.”
King’s clenched jaw loosened when Moon saw her hand move under the table to rest on King’s thigh.
“I was only an observer when Moon handed his punishments out, never a recipient,” she told her husband. “My question is: what got you upset?”
“She was mocking me,” he ground out.
“Ah … and you didn’t like that.”
“I was concerned for her.”
Evie tilted her head curiously. “Why?”
“People are getting sued for everything; if she had gone to the doctor, it would be documented that I didn’t hurt her. She could say some crazy shit, like that I attacked her for no reason.”
“I see.” Evie shrugged. “You have nothing to worry about if she does.” Evie’s free hand came up to gesture toward the cameras on the wall. “What you did was caught on tape, from two different angles.”
“I still don’t appreciate her mocking me.”
Evie laughed. “That’s the part I don’t get. Usually, you just blow off someone showing you attitude.”
Moon sighed. “You’re right.” Raking a hand through his hair, he told himself to get a grip. “I’ve been uptight lately. Once I’m confronted with a problem, only solving it will take that weight off my mind.”
King’s lips curved into smile. “Maybe, or maybe not. From the way you’re acting, your problem involves a woman. Solving the problem could entail more than you bargained for. I didn’t bargain on falling for Evie.”
“Aw …” Evie leaned over to kiss King.
Moon rolled his eyes at the PDA.
“I need to head out.” He took out his wallet despite Evie shaking her head. “It’s my turn to pay. You haven’t let me pay the last three times I’ve come to eat.” Hell, the only times they had let him pay was when he managed to catch them gone from the restaurant.
“We don’t want your money.” King pushed the money back to him.
The way he said it made him glance at Evie.
“You told him.”
“King’s my husband; he deserves to know.”
“I would have never told him.”
“I still owe you.”
“You don’t owe me jack shit. I’ve told you—”
“It doesn’t matter what you told me; you won’t let me give the money back to you. At least let me pay you back with a meal every now and then. Okay?”
Moon pressed his lips together. “Give Valorie the money as a tip, then.”
Evie didn’t argue.
Telling them goodbye, he strode out of the restaurant. The downcast day didn’t lighten his dark mood.
On his bike, he drove to the convenience store around the block. He parked and went inside, returning in less than three minutes to sit on his bike and open a pack of cigarettes, something he had quit six months ago. He tore the package open, pulled out a cigarette, and flicked the new lighter he had purchased. Drawing the poison into his lungs, he let loose a vicious curse, startling a man walking into the store.
When he waved that he was good, the man continued inside.
“You’ve got to get your shit together,” he muttered to himself. Moon knew what was bugging the piss out of him was the only alternative to the women who lived in the club—those who had been there the night he got drunk were the wives. Had one of the brothers’ wives been the one he fucked? How was he going to find out if he had?
After smoking the cigarette to the nub, he stomped the butt out.
That’s going to be me if I did.