Chapter 21
Roishin
D on’t bother cooking tonight . Mr . Bossy’s text message caught me mid-rise of a tender batch of brioche. I was tempted to flatten it and toss it in the trash. Instead , I stuck to the recipe and the plan for it to be coming out of the oven when he pulled into the garage.
And that magic of chemistry and discipline worked out perfectly.
He froze mid-step, his keys still in hand and not tossed carelessly into a little ceramic bowl I’d found at the second-hand store. “ Is that bread?”
I set the pans on their racks to cool. “ Yes .”
He visibly deflated. “ I told you not to cook.”
“ I’d already proofed the dough.” With a sweep of my arm, I included the rest of the kitchen. “ And I didn’t make anything else.”
The conflict on his face was evident. He breathed in deeply through his nose, then confessed, “ I’m an idiot.”
Since he was a bossy jerk sometimes, I didn’t argue with him.
He noticed. “ Witch .”
“ Grumpy Bear .”
We’d taken to calling each other those nicknames in private. Public displays were an entirely different story.
He chewed his lip. “ Black dress with that lace up shit.” He crossed his arms over his chest.
“ The long one or the short one?”
His grin deepened. “ Short .”
I was going to freeze. “ Are we going out or…?”
“ We’re going out. Oh , hang on… Betty Jo sent something up.” He disappeared into the garage and returned with a garment bag.
This man and his presents. I’d never be able to pay him back for everything.
Luckily , Skinner gave me my laptop back.
I’d applied for four jobs in the last two days alone.
And Regina hooked me up with an interview at a clinic.
It was only part time, but work was work.
I wouldn’t turn any offer down at this point.
I took the bag from him and the unexpected weight almost tore my arm off. “ What in the hell?” I unzipped it as Bear rocked in place with giddy impatience.
As soon as I saw the embossed knot-work and scrolling dragon heads, I gasped.
“ You really shouldn’t have.” This was the coat Betty Jo tried to thrust upon me that first week.
I’d snuck a peek at the price tag as she dug out a corset.
It started with a two and had three more numbers behind it. “ I can’t accept this.”
“ Too bad. I already did. Black dress, lace up thing that makes your tits rock harder than a heavy metal concert, and this. Five minutes.”
“ I can’t get ready in five minutes.”
“ Woman .”
I glared at him but ran up the stairs with a huff or twenty. “ Bossy son of b?—”
“ I can hear you, witch!”
The laces were difficult to get even in such a short time. I struggled to tug each one into place. “ A toad. I will turn him into a toad.”
He snuck up behind me. “ I’d be a well-hung toad. You know, the horny kind.” He moved my hair and kissed my neck.
“ Do you really want me ready in five minutes?” I glanced at him through the mirror we stood in front of.
He met my eyes. The hunger in them made me smile and quirk an eyebrow at him.
His fingers squeezed my waist. “ I made reservations.”
“ Eight . And no more neck.”
Bear growled as I slipped out of his grasp. After tying the dress on, I rushed through applying mascara, nearly blinding myself in the process, and barely swept on some lip gloss before he handed me a pair of sky-high heels that were better suited for starring in an adult film than a night out.
“ I can’t walk in those.”
He grinned. “ Try . Please ?”
“ I’ll put them on downstairs. You don’t want me breaking my ankle on the stairs, do you?”
He was too busy ogling my ass to understand the question I’d lobbed at him.
I rushed down the steps to avoid his grabby hands and quickly slipped the shoes on. Then grabbed the wall because, holy shit they were too fucking steep. “ Who’d you get these from, a stripper?”
“ Naw , Shauna loaned ’em to me.”
“ Who’s Shauna ?” I’d met a few of the old ladies by this point, and even fewer of the strippers his brothers collected like trophies. I had a sneaking suspicion she was one of the hookers who rotated through the three rooms upstairs.
“ The dark-haired one with big eyes.” He held his hand out to indicate her height.
Oh yeah. I knew which hooker she was.
“ A friend of yours?”
He snorted. “ She’s everyone’s friend.”
“ If you have a dick,” I muttered.
“ What’s that?” He held the coat out so I could slip into it.
“ Nothing .”
“ It sounded like jealousy.”
I tipped my head at him. “ Aren’t we late?”
He shrugged, but opened the garage door so I could teeter down the measly two steps to the concrete. “ I’m going to break my neck. That was her evil plan, wasn’t it?”
Bear didn’t answer, opting to open the passenger door to his SUV . We were taking the motorcade monster. That’s what Kate and Zoe jokingly called it. “ Need help?” He held out a hand.
Unfortunately , I did. “ You’re going to have to carry me.”
Already my feet hurt. I kicked the shoes off and worked my toes to get the blood flowing to them again.
A few minutes later, he backed into the parking space behind his tattoo shop.
The strung lights along the river walk glowed like tiny stars, and the street bustled with people of all types.
His shop was still lit, a couple of artists working late, and assisting walk-in traffic should the light and the busy night entice someone in.
Bear dragged me through there instead of walking around the buildings.
I barely caught names before he hustled me into the cold again.
“ You should be nicer to your employees.”
“ We’re late. Ain’t got time to be nice.”
I tripped on a crack. He caught me, then swung me up in his arms to go the meager fifty feet between his shop and the restaurant.
“ Put me down!”
The brave few who sat at the tables outside the restaurant turned their heads to gape at my distress.
“ Please ?” I whispered. We were in public. I stroked his beard so he’d stop being such a caveman and work with me at my pace. Which was seriously hobbled by the damn shoes.
He kissed me before setting me on my feet.
Of course, I wobbled. He slipped an arm around my waist. “ Lean on me if you have to.”
Oh , I would.
Like any restaurant, they barely noticed we were five minutes late. Luckily , our table wasn’t given away and we were seated before my toes could start screaming at me again. I slipped the shoes off and dug my toes into the carpet.
Bear smiled across the table as the waiter handed out menus and explained the special. His hand groped under the table until he found my knee.
Two could play that game. I slipped my free foot between his legs and rested my toes against his crotch.
He straightened and covered my foot with his warm palm. I almost groaned aloud as he gave it a squeeze. My eyes did blur a little as the bliss washed through my body. And I missed the waiter’s question.
“ Wine , red,” Bear ordered. He motioned to me then back. “ Leave the bottle.”
Once the waiter left, I leaned in a little so we wouldn’t be overheard. “ This is a date?”
“ Of course, woman.”
I fought the urge to scowl. Instead , I pressed a little against his dick, warning him that he shouldn’t call me that.
The bastard smiled.
Then we had to pretend again while the waiter fussed over our glasses and let Mr . Bossy pick my food.
No foot for you . I tucked both bare feet around the chair legs so he’d have to stretch all the way under the table to find my knees. He tried, but coming up short, he decided on a different strategy to drive me nuts.
“ So , Fish says Carl’s cutting back. No one’s been able to score for a week.”
The buzz of the restaurant around us drowned his casual discussion of drug dealing with its banality.
“ Ask me if I care?” I smiled, pretending we were flirting instead of talking about the Devil Incarnate .
His finger tapped on the table, a sure sign he was agitated. “ I have to wonder, where has he been?”
That was worrisome. I’d kept up with regular calls to John .
Beth’s blood counts still hadn’t reacted to the donation.
And he had his hands full with the kids and his parents.
“ Has he been to the church?” During my brief stint with him, he’d made noise about going back.
The whole prodigal son thing had been a heady delusion he regularly fantasized about.
“ Some . But not nearly enough to account for all his absences. Or the string of false alarms we’ve been having.
” He reached across and took my hand, fondling my fingers as he continued to talk about the one topic guaranteed to ruin my night.
“ I’m going to put up more trail cams and motion sensors.
Skinner’s coming by tomorrow to reset the alarm zones.
You’re going to have to stick around to get the new codes. ”
Great . I’d planned on going to a placement agency to apply.
He tugged my hand to his lips, forcing me to lean forward. “ Where’s the money, Rose ? Maybe he’ll back off if you hand it over.”
That was my leverage. I couldn’t just hand it over.
I pulled my hand away too quickly and his fist thunked on the table. The couple next to us noticed and their whispers increased.
Bear hadn’t changed from his usual uniform of dark jeans and motorcycle vest and jacket. With his tattoos and piercings, I was shocked they even let us in the door. But apparently, flashing money around made those dirty looks quiet and the ripple of hastily whispered distrust less noticeable.
Except , like cancer, it spread.
Table after table began to shoot guarded glances our direction.
I fiddled with my napkin to disguise the anger that made me drop his hand like a hot pan.
Then I leaned in to caress his arm. Convincingly willing , in public.
My vow was biting me in the ass. I couldn’t even get angry with him.
Maybe that’s why he’d waited to spring the accusations and his follow up questions on me until now.
“ When you’re the underdog, how would you posture yourself to make people believe you’re winning?”