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“Not gonna make out with you in a parkin’ lot of a diner. You want things to be private and that’s okay. I don’t want anyone else to see you when you’re even close to naked, hear you moan or scream in pleasure, or know anythin’ about you. I wanted to kiss you, so I did. Everythin’ with you is different, Bronwan and I’ll spend my days showin’ you what I mean until you get it,” he says, helping me with the helmet before taking my hand and leading me into the diner.
When we enter, all conversation stops, and everyone stares at us. I lead Talon to a booth toward the back and let him take the seat against the wall so he knows what’s coming at him. I’ve seen the guys do it more than once. Even in their own clubhouse. Not to mention, Austin kept his back to the wall at my house and continuously looked around any room he was in at all times. These men want to be prepared for anything to happen and I have no problem giving that to Talon. Especially in a town where he knows absolutely nothing and no one around him.
“What’s good to eat here?” he asks me while looking at the menu they keep in little stands on the tables and booths.
“Anything really. They serve mainly comfort food. We could have gone somewhere else if you wanted to,” I tell him, completely unsure of myself.
“You like this place?” he questions me, putting his menu down and staring at me.
“Yeah, I do. They make the best burgers, and their fries are cut and cooked for each order. Their pies are the best though,” I tell him, a small smile on my face.
“What are you havin’?”
“I don’t know. Maybe just a cup of coffee or glass of water,” I tell him, looking down at the table in front of me.
“What’s wrong, Red? You need to eat somethin’. Even with the baggy clothes, I can see how much weight you’ve lost and it’s not a good thing. I love the curves you had before and want to see them back again. Not that I’m dictatin’ to you what you need to do. Your life, your decisions,” he assures me, his voice low as he reaches across the table to run a finger down the side of my face.
“I don’t feel good. With everything that’s happened and all the stress, I haven’t been feeling good for a while now. I’ll be okay, Talon.”
He looks at me as if he’s trying to find something else going on. I’m not sure exactly what he’s looking for, but there’s nothing to find. It’s the truth about the stress and not having an appetite. My mom didn’t eat for days and she’s okay now. I have no doubt in a few days I’ll be back to normal and eating the way I did before. I’m the girl who enjoys eating and having dessert. Not the one who’s going to eat salad and drink water to look good in front of a man I’m with.
When the waitress comes over, staring at Talon as if he’s her next meal, an overpowering feeling of jealousy washes over me. It’s the first time I’ve ever had this feeling, and I don’t like it one bit. I’m not the girl who ever gets the hot, rough, sexy guy and yet the man sitting on the opposite side of the table is all of that and so much more. He’s everything a woman could ever want if he would only open himself up and let them in. I’m not sure Talon lets very many in, even those he’s in the club with. He seems as if he tends to keep his personal business private and doesn’t share too many details with anyone.
“What can I get you? We have more things not on the menu too,” she offers him, not sparing me a glance while she flirts with him.
“Tonya, he doesn’t want anything off the menu,” I snark out, my voice coming out harder than I intended it to. “Talon, do you know what you want?”
“I’m not sure why you’re with the whale over here, but I can give you so much more than she’d ever be willing to do for you. I get off in an hour if you want to see what I mean,” Tonya says, completely ignoring me and making me feel horrible by using one of the many nicknames I was called in school.
“I’d like another waitress over here. And your manager,” Talon says, sliding out of his side of the booth and moving over to sit right next to me.
He wraps me in his arms and turns his back to Tonya as she continues to stand there and stare at the man in question. A glare covers her face as she remains exactly where she is as if she’s grown roots and can’t move a muscle. Not a single man has ever turned down what Tonya was offering him. This is definitely a first for her as Talon whispers words in my ear I can barely hear and understand even less.
“Why are you still here? I want another waitress and your manager. Now,” Talon barks out, not moving to get back in his seat.
Tonya finally stomps away from our table and Laura makes her way over with a bright smile on her face. She’s loving the knowledge of Talon turning down Tonya as much as I am. Laura and I were treated the same in school; we were invisible until it was time for one of the popular kids to put on a show. Then we were the brunt of their jokes, bullied, called names, and anything else the jocks and popular kids could think to do to humiliate and torture us.
It’s also not long before the manager, Dan, comes over and listens to Talon’s complaint. When he tells Dan to handle the situation or he’ll do everything in his power to ensure neither Tonya nor he have a job, Dan’s face pales as he rushes away to drag Tonya in the back office with him. It’s great from my point of view, but I don’t gloat or say a word about what happened.
The rest of our night goes a lot better. Talon eats his burger and fries while offering me small bites here and there. It turns my stomach with every bite I take, but I’m not going to push the food away. My only concern is getting sick on him and not having enough time to get to the bathroom or it happening when we’re on the bike. That would be completely humiliating.
“Are you ready to head out?” Talon asks me, giving my shoulder and affectionate squeeze.
“Yeah. I’m exhausted and should probably get home. Is that okay?”
“Yeah, Red. How is your mom doin’? How are you doin’ with everythin’?” he questions as he leaves a generous tip on the table in front of us.
“My mom seems to be doing better with each new day. She still cries in her room every single night, but she gets out of bed in the morning and has been going to her counseling appointments every day. She’s hoping they turn into once a week soon. Once a week, she’s also going to be attending a grief group thing where they all share their stories and help one another heal from the tragedy. I think it’s worse for her, us, because we had to make the decision to pull the plug on the machines keeping my dad alive. There was nothing the doctors could do to save my dad at the end,” I tell him, not adding in anything about myself.
“What about you, Red? I want to know everythin’. I told you that and I mean it. Wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t give a shit.”
“I’m doing as good as can be expected I guess. It hasn’t even been two weeks since we lost him, and I miss him so much. My heart aches and I can’t imagine leaving my mom alone to deal with this on her own. I’m having a hard time sleeping, I have no appetite at all, and I think it’s just the stress of everything I’ve been dealing with. Or not dealing with depending on how you look at the situation.”
“Okay. I’m gonna take you home and I want you to get some rest. Take a long hot bath or whatever else you do to relax. Tomorrow mornin’ I’m gonna come over and meet your mom. I want to spend time with both of you and figure out what I can do to help you out. I can stay here a few more days before I have to head back. I’ll call Lash tonight and let him know what’s goin’ on when I get back to my hotel. If you need anythin’ I want you to call me. Let me see your phone,” he orders me, his voice gentle and soft despite being so commanding.
Pulling it from my pocket, I hand it over as Talon puts his number in my contact list before sending himself a message, so he has my number. I’m trying not to get my hopes up at all right now, but Talon makes it so damn hard as he hands me back my phone before helping me put the helmet back on my head. When we get to my house, he doesn’t get off the bike even though he pulls me in close and gives me a soft, sweet kiss. We’re not making out, but the feelings flowing through me make me want to drag him inside with me so he can remind me exactly what happened the one and only time we had sex.
“Good night, Red,” Talon whispers as he rests his forehead against mine. “Get some sleep.”
