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15
Topaz wondered what Onyx was thinking. Sure, they claimed each other, just not publicly. The shift from Hoez to Ol’ Lady wasn’t as seamless as people might think. It’s done, but rarely so abruptly. Here he was kissing her in front of the whole club before the meeting. Then he not only searched her out, but took her hand and demanded she get on his bike with him. The whole alpha brute wasn’t a bad thing. And him taking her to dinner that meant something.
Throwing the confused thoughts from her brain, she settled in she hugged tight to him. It was nice having him between her legs this way. The freedom of the ride was upon them and she intended to enjoy it, even when she saw a few other Steels in his mirrors. He must have seen them too, because he shook his head and revved the engine to get to town faster.
All too soon, they reached the restaurant. Parking, Onyx leaned forward and she used his shoulder to get off the bike. When she leaned down on him, he groaned in pain. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” His hand stroked her cheek. “You know if you come to my place there’s a tub, big enough for two.”
Warmth flooded her heart and she wondered if a little massage could follow a soak with the man. Lord knows her body could use a little Epsom salt and some bubbles. Fuck dinner, couldn’t they be naked right now instead? She steadied her hormones, even in her room where she had condoms the two of them tended to be in the moment. Not wanting to stop and really at this point, what did it matter? She’d been safe with all the others and Red gave her a clean bill of health before her last round of Depo shots. Why not be with Onyx raw and when they wanted?
Onyx put his hands in the middle of her back, his lips finding the notch at the lower part of her neck. The brush making her skin rise as he gently pushed her toward the door. The right hand slipped from her hip and reached out to pull open the large wooden door to the restaurant as he guided her in. It was sweet what he was trying to do. Topaz liked this side of him. She thought he was being a bit of an ass, but now she realized it was just his way. Or maybe it had been so long since a man wanted to take care ofhershe’d forgotten how it felt.
The men in the Steels were dangerous. They were a breed apart from other men. She knew by staying in the club life, she’d opened herself to a whole world apart from the norm. At the same time, there was a sense of strength and calm being in their arms. Onyx was no different than the rest of them, except on one very important part. She was his. The men of Steel would protect any member, or adjacent person like a Hoez. But the men would kill without hesitation or approval for only two, a patched member and their woman. A shiver tore through her body realizing there was a new threat, Glen and Stimpy calling out for the children. The thought sickened her in so many ways as she didn’t want to believe a person could look at little Murphy Coe and think about hurting her and still… There were three they would kill for, even if the last was unthinkable.
She walked toward a table in the corner. There was no reason to be out in the open for all to see.
Onyx wasn’t wanting privacy as he guided her to the center of the large room and took a table in the middle. He pulled out a chair and instead of arguing, she took a seat and he sat across from her.
Reaching across the table, he flipped his hands palm side up and waited for her to put her hands in his.
The feel of warm skin and a rough palm had her pressing her thighs together.
Michele walked up to them and smiled. “Can I get you two anything to drink?”
“Ladies first, what will you have?” He winked at Topaz.
Now, she tried to remember how to speak as her fingers curled with his on the table top. “Um, I’m in the mood for something sweet, how about you have them bust out the blender and make me a strawberry daiquiri.” Topaz lightly laughed as Michele’s eyes widened at her order. It was such a girly drink and she wasn’t known for drinking anything but shots and beer. It was a warm summery evening and she wasn’t pushing through a hard night. Instead, she was on a real date and the drink sounded good to her tonight.
“You’re making me wish we had a patio,” Michele said. “Onyx?”
“I’ll have a beer, in a bottle thanks, Michele.” Onyx smiled, lighting up his face.
Topaz enjoyed seeing him this way. It reminded her that there was something between the two of them. They had built a bond over the past few days.
“What do you have on your mind tonight?” he asked her.
“It just sounded good to me, strawberry sweetness, that’s all.” Topaz felt heat rising in her face and knew she was blushing. Now she felt like a silly teenager on her first date. This was something she wasn’t used to. Too many years of a man tapping her on the shoulder or taking her hand and she considered then went with or passed. No discussion, mutual attraction and a need for temporary pleasure. Men knew her, but didn’t know her.
“I want to thank you Topaz, for being there for me over the past few days. It was a horrible thing that happened to us and you were strong through it all.”
“It didn’t feel that way. I have to admit I was scared. What happened, when it was happening I should have—”
He held up his hand to silence her.
Topaz worked on the thought replacement she talked to Doc about that afternoon. How she tended to either explode or shutdown, neither done at the right times. Swallowing back the negative, she closed her eyes and then reopened to see the softer features on Onyx. The beard he was letting grow because she like it, but she’d done her best to shave his head around the healing cuts. Although his hair was coarse at first, now smoother like a feather when he brushed kisses along her thighs. The silver a deep contrast to his deep black skin. Onyx was a perfect name for this precious stone of a man. “But we didn’t give up and we were able to escape and make our way back here.” She plastered on a smile, knowing the right place would be with Doc to process this all out. “Can you tell me what they are planning on doing about ACT UP?”
“The club is handling it Topaz.” His thumb absently stroked the life line cutting across her palm, then across her love line.
Having lived in Albuquerque with the Steels, there were many attuned with the world and finding a palm reader was almost as easy as finding one at a Renaissance fair. It was silly to think he knew about such things, as she did. Having had her palm read on a lark with a few of the women from New Mexico had been a joke at first until the woman, in place filled of scents that made her mellower than any weed, spoke.
“Your love lineand marriage line are joined,” the woman said as she outlined the long line cutting across Topaz’s palm. “You’ve lost a love, but he was not the one. The one who captures your heart fully will claim you.”
“Claim?” Topaz questioned, because the women were all in in leather so maybe the woman telling fortunes understood this phrase.
“You will marry for life, a long one, but do you see how deep this line is?” she asked once again, stroking the line in her palm. “A man who loves this deeply claims the woman on a level deeper than a piece of paper from the government. His love will come hard and fast, scaring you, but not to the point you run. Not this time. You will have run enough before then.”
“Nothing for you to worry about,”Onyx said pulling her from her memory and the woman’s words.
