14. Screamer
SCREAMER
So am I, sweetheart.
I keep sneaking glances at Roxie as I drive her home.
She’s leaning her head against the glass, staring out the window at the scenery we pass.
When I opened the passenger door to the truck, she seemed shocked that I wasn’t taking her on my bike.
I may be an idiot, but I’m not stupid. Putting her on the back of my Harley would have sent a message I’m not ready to send, and she’s not ready to receive.
“You hungry?” I ask, desperate to fill the silence.
She stiffens at the sound of my voice, and I watch as she takes a deep breath, forcing her shoulders to relax.
“I could eat,” she admits as she slowly turns to face me.
I’m surprised by her response but pleased. “Good because I’m starving.”
She drags her eyes from my face to my chest to my stomach and then lower before raising it again. “You hardly look like you’re starving.”
My cock throbs behind my jeans. Not just at the double meaning in her comment, but also at the sass in her voice. I much prefer my women with a bit of attitude.
“Like what you see?” I tease. A blush stains her cheeks, and I grin. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
Roxie twists to stare out the window again. “I’ll eat at home.”
“Aw, c’mon,” I plead. “I didn’t mean anything by it.”
She huffs out a laugh. “Right. You’re all the same.”
“All?”
“Bikers,” she responds simply. “Men.”
It’s my turn to stiffen. “Not all men are the same,” I say quietly.
She whips her head in my direction, staring at me as if silently willing me to explain, but I don’t. If she wants to know something, she’s going to have to use her words and ask me.
“Is the diner still on the other side of town?” Roxie asks after a beat.
Flexing my fingers on the steering wheel, I nod. “Yep. That sound good to you?”
“Yes.”
I pull a U-turn at the next traffic light. If Roxie wants diner food, she’ll get diner food. Five minutes later, I’m parking, and she’s hopping out of the truck.
“Next time, let me get your door,” I state when I walk around the front of the vehicle.
“Next time?”
Rather than answer, I reach for her hand without thinking, and she jerks away from me. I put a little space between us, not wanting to spook her. I might not have seen the signs with my sister, but they’re flashing in bright neon with Roxie.
A waitress leads us to a table tucked into a corner, but after we sit, she doesn’t retreat. Instead, she stands next to my chair and stares at me with appreciation.
“Seriously?” Roxie snaps. “You do see me here, right?”
The waitress clears her throat and looks at my dining partner. “Yeah, I see you. Sorry. I, um… I’m Jenny, and I’ll be taking care of you today.”
“Respectfully, no, you won’t,” I tell her, and her eyes widen. “Is Kate working today?”
“Kate?”
“Did I stutter?”
“N-no, sir,” Jenny babbles. “I’ll, uh… I’ll go get Kate, and she can take care of you.”
“Thank you, Jenny.”
“You didn’t have to do that,” Roxie hisses when Jenny walks away.
“I beg to differ.”
“But… why?”
“Because she was disrespectful to you, and I’m here with you.”
“But we’re not together.”
Shrugging, I reply, “Maybe not, but I’m still here with you, sweetheart. And Jenny doesn’t know that we’re not a couple.”
Roxie leans back in her chair. “You’re?—”
“Not like all other men.” I grab two menus from the holder and hand her one. “Any clue what you want?”
Returning the menu to its rightful place, she nods. “Burger, fries, and a milkshake.”
I clap my own menu closed. “That sounds good. I think I’ll have the same.”
Kate comes to the table and takes our orders. We exchange polite chit chat for a few minutes, and she includes Roxie. Once we’re alone again, Roxie glances around the diner as if to make sure she knows exactly what’s going on around her.
The door opens, and a man walks in. He hesitates at the entrance for a moment before Jenny escorts him to a table on the other side of the restaurant.
The guy is wearing a white Polo shirt with black trousers, and his shoes alone would give him away as an outsider, but it’s the way he carries himself that rubs me the wrong way.
I shift my eyes from them to Roxie, and her face is pale as she looks at me.
That’s not good.
For a brief moment, I wonder if that’s the guy who hurt her, but I dismiss it. No way a guy would be stupid enough to show his face in Marble Falls. Shuffle would kill him… if he knows what happened.
“Everything okay?” I ask. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
She’s quiet for a second, and then she stands. “I gotta go.”
I jump to my feet and grab her arm, ignoring the way she struggles against my hold. “Wait a sec,” I demand, my eyes darting to the man who entered and back again. “Do you know him?”
She frantically shakes her head. “N-no. He, uh, reminds me of someone, that’s all.”
“Okay.” I try to urge her back into her chair, but she stands firm. “Can I at least get our food to go?” I ask.
“I don’t care. I just have to get out of here.”
“Okay, okay. Then we’ll get out of here.” We move through the diner to the front counter. “Hey, Kate,” I say. “Can you make our orders to go?”
“Sure thing, Ben.”
Roxie tips her head back and arches a brow. “Ben?”
I smirk. “What? Did you really think Screamer is my real name?”
“Well, no, of course not. I know it’s a road name.”
“Look, not many people can get away with calling me Ben,” I admit. “Not since…”
“Not since what?” she prompts, seemingly having forgotten the man who scared her.
“Nothing.” I don’t want to talk about Ally, about my parents.
Just then Kate sets a bag of food on the counter. I pay the tab, and we walk outside to the truck.
“I’ll show you mine if you show me yours,” Roxie says as she puts her seatbelt on.
I choke on the sip of milkshake I’m taking. “W-what?” I sputter.
She rolls her eyes. “Not like that.”
“I’m afraid you’re gonna have to clarify because now all I can think about is us showing each other our naughty parts.”
“Naughty parts? What are you, eight?” she asks, then takes a sip of her milkshake.
“Eight inches, yeah.”
It’s her turn to choke, and it takes several minutes for her to gain her composure. “Jesus, are you always this way?”
“Does it matter? You seem to have forgotten whatever it was that spooked you.”
Instantly, her good mood vanishes, and she becomes rigid in the passenger seat. “I’d like to go home now.”
“What about your proposition?”
“Dammit, Screamer, be serious. I’m done joking around.”
“So am I, sweetheart. So am I.”