Chapter 15
Seek
“Thank you,” I told Hush as I sat.
He was busy scowling at the entire room, but grunted in acknowledgment. I was already beginning to differentiate the different sounds he made instead of using actual words.
He settled down and I cocked my head at him. “Why do you do that?”
One thick eyebrow rose in question. Again his eyes scanned the room, only he wasn’t glaring at anyone anymore because they’d all gone back to what they were doing.
“Sit with your back to the wall like that?” This wasn’t the first time he’d arranged it so he was sitting that way. “And it seems like you’re constantly scanning the room. What are you looking for?”
“Old habit,” he admitted. “I like to see a threat comin’, so I make sure my back is against the wall. Hard habit to break.”
“So you make it so I won’t see the threat coming?
” I teased. I didn’t actually care. The thought had never even crossed my mind that there would be a threat to guard against. It should probably worry me that he did, but the opposite was true.
The fact that he was so alert made me feel even more at ease.
Nothing seemed to be a big enough red flag for my interest to wane in this man.
He snorted. “Baby, if a threat is comin’ after you, they won’t make it more than a step. I’ll make sure of that. You’re safe puttin’ your back to the room with me around.”
My heart turned to mush at the same time that my belly fired up. That was hot. And sweet. And how was a girl supposed to respond to that? To a man who was willing to do violence on your behalf? “Thank you.” It seemed woefully inadequate, but it worked.
“Welcome, Trouble,” he grunted, picking up the menu.
“Have you eaten here?” I asked, ignoring the nickname.
Eye contact and a nod was all I got before he looked down at the menu again.
Blowing out a breath, I looked at my own even though I knew it like the back of my hand.
I had to remind myself that he seemed to hardly speak to anyone.
It was the only thing that kept me from being insecure about the fact that I was doing most of the talking.
It’s not just you. He really is this quiet.
The waitress came, took our order, and left us sitting staring at each other.
Well, I was staring at him. He was devouring me with his eyes.
I pressed my thighs together below the table.
How was I supposed to concentrate on acceptable first date conversation while he was watching me with that hungry look?
The one that said he’d rather spread me out on this table and eat me instead of the food?
Clear the table off and let him? Just a thought.
Heat rushed into my cheeks as I thought about his mouth and where he could put it. My clit thumped along with my heartbeat at the thought. He may not talk much, but I knew from our kisses he knew what to do with his tongue.
“Why you blushin’?”
I glared at him. It was one thing to cause this reaction inside of me, making all of my nerve endings tingle. It was quite another to call me out on it. In public. “No reason,” I muttered.
His chuckle was smooth and deep, like a nice aged Scotch. Mom was a bit of an alcohol snob. Not wine like you’d expect, no, she liked the hard stuff. The expensive, hard stuff.
Since he was making me uncomfortable—especially the ache he was firing up within my body—I decided to return the favor. I fanned myself, giving him a sly look. “Is it just me, or is it hot in here?”
His brows drew together and he opened his mouth to answer. I didn’t give him the chance. Plucking an ice cube from my water glass, I rubbed it over my chest, just above my breasts. He sat there, silent, mouth hanging open.
Sliding the melting cube up my neck, I ended by bringing it to my lips. Rubbing it over my bottom lip, I smiled at him then sucked it into my mouth.
The sound Hush made low in his throat only stoked the flames scorching my insides.
This was fun. I’d never had an instant attraction like this before.
With old boyfriends it had built up over time, but I’d never wanted to throw caution to the wind and jump into bed with them. That wasn’t the case with Hush.
I’d known getting ready tonight that it was probably going to go that way.
We couldn’t keep our hands off each other when we were nearby.
You wouldn’t have agreed to go out tonight if you didn’t want to have his hands all over you.
My inner voice was on a roll tonight, keeping me honest, if only to myself.
Indecision was easy to read in Hush’s eyes. He wanted to leave, but we’d already ordered food. I was actually starving so I decided to quit tormenting him. At least for now.
“Tell me about your time in the Marines,” I requested, trying to steer the conversation to a non-spicy subject.
His eyes went cold and flat so quickly it was like a bucket of ice water had been thrown over us both. I blinked in shock, unable to understand what had just happened. “I-I’m sorry. I-”
He reached over and grabbed my hand, holding it on top of the table. “No reason to be sorry. I don’t know much about you,” he prompted.
I let him steer the conversation away from himself just to get that look out of his eyes.
I didn’t know many veterans—or whether they all react that way or if it was just Hush—but obviously there was something there he preferred not to speak about.
At least not with an almost stranger. Our physical connection didn’t mean I had the right to pry into something so emotional or troubling for him.
That’s why I began telling him about myself instead of asking more questions, like what had happened yesterday morning. Something told me Hush was a guy with a lot of layers and it would take a lot to get him to open up.
“My dad died when Jo was young-”
“How young?”
“Two.” I gave him a small smile when empathy flashed over his face.
“That would have made you, what…nine?”
“Ten,” I corrected.
“That’s tough.”
“It was. She doesn’t remember him, but I do. I’m not sure if that makes it easier or harder on me? At least I have memories with him. She never even got that.”
His hand squeezed mine. I liked the fact that he was still holding it, as though he was reluctant to break contact.
“Mom raised us. She’s the toughest woman I know,” I said with a smile.
“How did you get into Search and Rescue?”
“We had a Cocker Spaniel when I was a kid. His name was Joey.” The memory made my heart ache.
“My dad had gotten him for me for my eighth birthday. Mom kept getting mad because he didn’t listen.
So, I started training him. After I got the usual sit, lay down, shake things down, I built an obstacle course in my front yard.
He learned to jump through a tire and pretty much anything else I could find for him to do.
He was a smart dog. That’s when I fell in love with dog training. ”
Hush’s smile took my breath away. It was so rare to see, but it was genuine. Never forced. He was so handsome and his attention was focused on me. It made me feel special.
Our food came and we continued chatting while we ate. I noticed him watching me with an unreadable expression on his face. “What?”
He shook his head. “Love a woman with an appetite.”
I laughed and continued cutting up my steak. It wasn’t as big as his portion, but was still sizable. “I’m not big on salads.”
“Rabbit food,” he grumbled.
It didn’t surprise me that once he tucked into his food it disappeared with efficiency and speed. Every move he made was calculated and smooth. He didn’t waste any energy.
“Tell me something about you,” I requested.
“What?”
“Anything,” I said with a laugh.
“Born and raised in Alabama.” He watched me steadily. When I raised my brows and gave him a tentative smile, he sighed. “My parents managed to make it fifty-five years before my dad died. My mom followed not long after.”
“Sorry,” I told him, reaching over to squeeze his knee under the little table.
“It was a while ago,” he deflected.
“Siblings?”
“Two sisters. We’re not close.”
I nodded and leaned back in my seat, stomach comfortably full. Waiting while the waitress dropped off the check, I watched his strong hands pull a wallet out of his back pocket and hand over a pile of cash.
“Thank you for dinner.”
The corner of his lips kicked up into a grin. “Welcome.”
I’d thought about offering to help pay, but he seemed like the kind of man who’d take offense to that. He finished paying and walked me out to his bike.
He’d fallen back into silence again until we got out to the gorgeous black and chrome beast he drove around. It was a beautiful bike. There was something about a man riding a motorcycle that was just inherently sexy.
“I had a good-” He cut me off with a kiss. Moaning, I leaned into him, hands resting on his chest. His heart pounded a smooth and steady rhythm beneath my palm.
Our lips brushed together, sparking up that smoldering ember that’d been simmering in my belly all evening. He didn’t grab me like he had before, though. His hands were on my hips, but it was very clear that he was behaving himself.
“I want you,” he rumbled against my lips. He pulled back before I could say anything. “I’m not going to force you into anythin’, though. This whole situation is bad enough without-”
Putting my fingers over his lips, I stopped him. I’d already made up my mind. I wanted him, too. “Isn’t your place close by?” I asked.
His eyes narrowed on my face. “Yeah.”
I patted the seat of his bike. That hungry look was back on his face. Maybe this was a mistake, but if it was, I’d own it. Besides, I knew a night with Hush was going to be worth it.
* * *
He parked in the lot and linked his fingers with mine to bring me over to the door to the clubhouse. Opening it, he gave me a smoldering look over his shoulder.
I stepped inside and froze in my tracks.
No less than ten sets of male eyes settled on me.
I sucked in a breath as Hush was pulled to a stop when I froze inside the room where his MC brothers were sitting.
They were watching a movie, drinking beers, and looked like they were enjoying their night in.
At least they had been until we’d come through the door.
Another man—making it eleven—walked in from a door off to our right and gave us a considering look.
“Think I just found out who Jamie is,” he said with a taunting grin at Hush.
“Shut the fuck up, Butcher. Who let him come back from New Mexico?” Hush asked the room. A chorus of laughs sounded and the guy he was insulting just grinned and shrugged.
I opened my mouth to say hi—since he seemed to know my name—but swallowed the words when Hush tugged on my hand. I tried not to feel self-conscious as they all watched us cross the room to a set of stairs.
My skin felt tingly and too tight. All the male interest was making me uncomfortable.
The thing was, I didn’t get the feeling that it was a sexual interest so much as a curiosity about me.
That made it even more uncomfortable. I got the feeling that Hush didn’t bring home too many women.
Even though he said he didn’t date, I’d still assumed a man who looked like him wouldn’t hurt for female companionship.
The stares from around the room quickly proved that theory wrong.
As soon as Hush’s boot hit the first step another man came barreling down the stairs, nearly crashing into us.
“Sorry, Hush,” he said. His eyes drifted over to me and his grin lit up like a Christmas Tree in December. “Hi again. Jamie…wasn’t it?”
He was the man I’d met in the bar. The one Hush had sat me next to while he’d kicked my sister and her friends out.
“Hi,” I echoed.
“Smoke,” Hush snarled at him.
“Just being polite to your girl, Hush.”
“Just bein’ a pain in my ass. Git.”
Hush moved out of the way—forcing me to take a step back as well—so Smokehouse could get past us.
“Good seeing you again, Jamie,” Smokehouse said with a mischievous smile.
“You too,” I said, cutting a quick glance over my shoulder. They were all still staring.
Hush pulled me along behind him and I tried to remind myself that I was a confident woman who was secure in her sexuality.
It didn’t work. I was embarrassed that every one of them knew I was going upstairs to have sex with Hush.
If I’d known they were all going to be here I’d have insisted he bring me to my house, the longer drive be damned.
“Sorry ‘bout them,” Hush said as nudged me inside his room.
Stepping inside, I looked around. It was a decent sized room, and had its own private bathroom.
There was a Queen-sized bed and a dresser in here and that was all.
The blanket on his bed was tucked tight and neat on the bed.
I went and sat on it while he shut the door.
Nerves were dancing in my belly now that we were alone, but they were the good kind.
The kind that had my breathing speeding up as he turned toward me and speared me with that intense gaze that was filled with hunger.
He didn’t offer me any reassurances as he came and stood in front of me, looking down.
He didn’t need to. I knew all I had to do was tell him to stop and he would.
As soon as he knelt down in front of me and those large hands slid up my thighs, below my dress, all doubt fell aside. I knew I didn’t want to stop.