Chapter Nine #2
Barry gave her a bored stare. She understood. He basically had to jump through hoops only for her to order the most popular item on the menu. She offered a smile, which wasn’t returned.
Barry turned to Wraith. “Usual? Cheesesteak and onion rings?”
Onion rings? She hadn’t seen that on the menu.
Wraith nodded.
When Barry started walking again, Cleo lifted her hand in hopes of getting his attention, but his back was already turned. Too late.
“Barry,” Wraith snapped, then lifted his hand, waving one finger.
“What do you need?”
Wraith lifted his chin toward Cleo.
“Would it be possible to change my fries to onion rings?”
“Anything is possible.” Barry rolled his eyes and walked away.
Cleo peered around the room. There were two older men sitting on the opposite side of the bar.
Neither was looking in their direction. It was extremely quiet, making her wonder how they survived without patrons.
Then her eyes caught the black curtain. That’s how.
She wasn’t exactly sure, and there wasn’t a sign.
But if she had to guess, that led to the strip club.
“Do you come here a lot?”
“Sometimes.”
It was on the tip of her tongue to ask if he was referring to the bar or strip club. She didn’t. It was none of her business.
“It’s got a warm vibe. It reminds me of my Aunt Anita’s house.” She turned in her seat, knocking her knees into his thigh. When she looked up, Wraith was staring down at her. “I think it has the same wood paneling she had in their living room.”
Wraith scowled. “Knox said you guys didn’t have family except your mother.”
Cleo lifted her brows. “Oh, well, she wasn’t really my aunt.
She was our neighbor when I was little. She used to have her niece, Mandy, come stay with her for the summer, and we became really good friends.
We played a lot at her house, and she called her Aunt Anita, so I got into the habit of doing it too.
After Mandy went back home, Anita told me I could still call her aunt. So I did.”
His gaze softened. “You still tight with your friend?”
A pang stabbed her heart, and she ducked her head. “No, Anita moved two years later, so no more Mandy. I didn’t know her phone number, so there was no way to keep in touch.”
Barry placed the drinks in front of them. Cleo clamped her lips when she saw her soda with ice filled to the rim. It wasn’t a big deal. She could drink it with ice. She reached for the glass, and Wraith shot out his arm, blocking her.
“She said no ice.”
“Shit!” Barry grabbed the glass. “That’s right. Gimme a sec, sweetheart.”
Sweetheart? That was quite the change from her walking in and him thinking she was a potential stripper.
He grabbed her glass, and a minute later he placed her cola with no ice in front of her.
“Thank you.”
“Food should be out in a minute.” He eyed her face, slightly smiling when he looked down at her wrist. “You must be Ghost’s girl.”
“She’s not,” Wraith snapped, and he furrowed his brows, glancing back at Cleo.
“Alright, Wraith.” He held up his hand then pointed to Cleo’s arm. “Just figured she was since he bought those here.”
He did? Barry must’ve read her confusion. He hooked his thumb over his shoulder, gesturing to the counter behind the bar. There was a small rack with similar beaded bracelets.
“Oh, Ghost gave them to me for my birthday. It was a few days ago. But we’re just friends.”
Barry flattened his lips and nodded, side-eyeing Wraith. Then he left to retrieve their order. It may not have been anything fancy but it was the perfect hangover remedy. She didn’t realize how hungry she was until she started eating. She barely took a breath.
Cleo expected Wraith to take her home once they finished eating. Instead, he ordered another beer and was focused on the game on the large screen TV.
“Who are you rooting for? The blue or the green team?”
His lips twitched. “The blue or the green?”
“I don’t know their names. Sports isn’t my thing.”
The corner of his mouth curled. “No shit.”
This was a first. Wraith teasing her. I like it.
“I’ve only been to high school football games.
” She paused, twisting her lips. “Actually, only one game. I’m pretty sure I was banned from the rest after I made the mistake of cheering for the rival team.
But in my defense, both teams were wearing red and white.
Being my first game, I couldn’t really tell them apart. ”
“No wonder you got your ass banned.”
“It was awful. At first I was just going along with the crowd. When they cheered, I cheered. But toward the end, I thought I had the basics of the game nailed down. The teams were tied, and in the last part they kicked a field goal.” Her face heated.
“I jumped up and started screaming while everyone else groaned.”
It was easier to find the humor in the scene years later.
“It was a good game though.” Cleo laughed, reaching out and grasping his leg.
They were sitting so close she hadn’t even realized she was doing it until she felt the denim against her palm.
Wraith glanced down at his leg, and she pulled her hand onto her own lap, fighting against the rising heat from her chest to her cheeks.
They were having such a great time, and she’d ruined it, taking liberties with him. Wraith wasn’t hers.
He looked up at the TV, grabbed his beer in one hand, and slipped his other over her thigh.
Warm heat spread throughout her body, zoning straight down to her core.
He was the epitome of calm while she was nearing a panic attack.
As if he sensed it, his hand massaged over her thigh.
She grabbed her glass, chugging the remainder of her cola in hopes it would cool her down.
It wasn’t until the game ended that Wraith called over Barry for the bill.
Cleo offered to pay half, but Wraith ignored her.
The ride back to Killcreek wasn’t eventful.
In fact, she spent the majority of time mulling over everything from lunch.
Wraith hadn’t mentioned her attempt at a kiss the other night.
But he was different. A little softer. For Wraith.
He’d touched her twice which had never happened in the past. Neither had the two of them spending any time alone.
When they pulled up to the clubhouse driveway, disappointment set in. She’d had such a good time with him, Cleo didn’t want it to end.
He parked between Cross’s and Cue’s bikes and shut down the engine. She grabbed his shoulders and got off the bike, taking her helmet off and shaking her hair. It was always a mess after a ride.
“Thanks for taking me out.” She smiled. “It kind of felt like a date.”
The second the words slipped from her mouth, nervous energy raced through her blood.
“I mean, I know it wasn’t. That you wouldn’t take me out on a date.”
Wraith hooked his helmet over his handlebar and rested his arm on his leg. “Why wouldn’t I?”
What? “I just mean, you taking me out isn’t a date, and I know that. I don’t want you to think that treating me to lunch after I tried to kiss you is giving me any weird ideas about us.” She paused, cringing slightly. “Not that I think there’s an us. We’re just friends. I know that.”
Cleo was a rambling mess. She brushed her hair away from her face, prepared to make a quick getaway.
His gaze darkened. “You kiss all your friends like that?”
She swallowed the lump in her throat.
“You said you’d been wanting to do that since you met me.”
Cleo gasped, and heat instantly rose to her cheeks. Jesus, how drunk was I? It was the truth but never meant to be spoken in public. Especially to Wraith.
“I said that?”
Wraith cocked his brow and gave a curt nod.
Dammit!
This was progressively getting worse by the second. How could one day start out in such a low spot, spike to one of the best days of her life, then essentially plummet to the earth, crash, and burn? All in the span of six hours.
“I’m so sorry. I don’t even remember, and I don’t know why I did that, and I promise it’ll never happen again.”
Wraith seemingly ignored her statement, staring out into the woods.
“Don’t remember what?”
“The kiss. I don’t have a lot of experience, so I’m sure it wasn’t great on your end.”
Wraith shook his head and smiled. Was that confirmation?
“Come here,” Wraith said in a rumbling tone.
She inched closer, and his hand slid around her neck, threading through her hair.
“It was like this.” His lips came over hers, gliding softly.
Cleo gasped for a breath, but Wraith tightened his hold, and she moved closer.
His lips brushed over hers lightly seconds before he slipped his tongue inside her mouth, tasting her.
She gripped the helmet in one hand, but the other was itching to touch him.
She slowly lifted her palm and gingerly rested it on his arm.
Cleo was cautiously testing his boundaries, sliding her fingers across his bicep while trying to wrap her head around kissing Wraith.
Again.
His fingers dug into her scalp, and she moaned softly. His tongue tangled with hers, slow and methodical. Wraith was taking his time, and in the process, sending her heart level to an unnatural rate. The bristling of his beard against her skin only intensified her desire.
He slowed the kiss, and she was sure it was ending, but she wasn’t ready.
She slipped her hand up to his neck, pulling him closer.
His chest rumbled against hers, and his growl vibrated against her breasts as his teeth grazed over her bottom lip.
Heat shot down to her core, and she rubbed against his thigh.
A spark of heat accelerated her heartbeat and labored her breath.
This kiss wasn’t enough. She just wanted more. And in the worst timing, his phone pinged. Wraith broke away from the kiss and pulled out his phone. There was no missing the heat in his stare. He seemed equally annoyed by the interruption.
His jaw squared, and he stood.
“I gotta see Ace.”
As quick as it started, it ended.