Page 34
“Over my dead body.”
“Streak, get the fuck out of here,” Blaze snaps and Streak’s laughter fades away as Blaze sighs. “Is this what I think it is?”
I scowl as I watch her look over the menu. “What are you talking about?”
“Well, you sound pretty damn possessive…”
“It’s not like that.”
“Mmhmm, that’s becoming a real common phrase around here and you see how it all worked out for them.” I’m reminded of what Cora said yesterday as we finished our trip into Miami and the more I think about it, the more I know she’s right. I do want something real like what my brothers have found but I’ve been burned before and I’m not sure how to let someone else in. Except since meeting Juliette, I keep thinking that I could try. Shit. It’s crazy to think about since it hasn’t even been twenty-four hours since we met but I’ve seen how fast some of the other guys in the club have fallen so I know it’s not impossible. “How long has it been?”
“How long has what been?”
He sighs. “Since Molly.”
“A while,” I answer, gritting my teeth. Just the mention of her name and it feels like the clouds have filled the sky and blocked out all the light. It’s been a while since I thought of Molly and now I wish I hadn’t. “Listen, I’ve got to get going but I’ll keep you updated.”
He reluctantly agrees before saying good-bye and as I hang up, I open my door and step out of the truck, trying desperately to shake off thoughts of a darker time. It has been six years since Molly walked out of my life but the pain and destruction she left behind still haunts me.
Shaking my head, I walk into the restaurant and my gaze lands on Juliette. The last thing I want to be thinking about when I'm with her is my ex. She glances up and our eyes lock as she smiles and waves me over. Like magic, as I close the distance between us, the sun begins to shine again, peeking through the dark clouds and banishing my issues with a flash of brilliant light.
“I was about to eat without you,” she teases as I slide into the booth across from her.
“I'm sorry that took so long. Blaze wanted updates on the drive and the girl I dropped off yesterday.”
She shakes her head. “I was just teasing. She hasn’t even come to take our drink order yet.”
As soon as the words are out of her mouth, the waitress walks up and stops chomping on her gum long enough to flash me a flirty smile. “Hey there, darlin’. Can I get you something to drink?”
“We’ll both have a Coke,” Juliette snaps before I can say anything and I turn to her, biting back a grin as she glares at the waitress. I can feel the waitress’s gaze trained on me as I keep my eyes locked on Juliette, waiting for her to get the hint but she seems a bit slow to catch on. Juliette glances at me before turning her attention back to the waitress and clearing her throat. “Two…Cokes… please.”
“Be right back,” she mutters as she rolls her eyes and walks away. When she’s out of earshot, Juliette makes a noise of frustration and slaps her hand against the table.
“So fucking annoying.”
“You seem jealous,” I say, fighting back a grin at the fire dancing in her eyes. Fuck. Why does the thought of her being jealous over me make me want to beat my chest like some kind of goddamn caveman? She scoffs.
“No, it’s nothing like that.” She glances away for just a second but it’s long enough to tell me that she’s lying. “I just hate it when people are rude.”
I nod. “Mmhmm.”
“So, this girl you were helping yesterday,” she says, playing with the frayed corner of the menu. “Why was she coming down to Florida?”
“This guy started stalking her back in Baton Rouge and she needed to skip town before things got too intense.”
She narrows her eyes, studying me. “Do you guys deal with things like that a lot?”
“I guess, yeah. More than we’d like to and definitely more than we should need to but we’ve been on a mission to help those who can’t help themselves.”
“Why, though?” she asks, shaking her head. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I think it’s amazing but it’s a lot to handle and y’all don’t have to do this.”
“It is a lot but we all have our reasons for why we do this. Each one of us has experienced the horrors of domestic violence in one way or another and now we just want to do our part to help.”
She stares at me for a second before looking at the table and shaking her head. “Do you wanna hear something crazy?”
“Sure.”
“I have to keep reminding myself that we haven't even known each other for twenty-four hours because when I'm around you it just feels so easy. I feel like I could talk to you about anything.”
