Mouse: A Steel Paragons MC Novel (The Coast: Book 7)

by Hart, Eve R.

  “It just wasn’t right,” I said in hopes of ending the conversation. It became awkward as hell all of a sudden. “Well, I’m gonna go. Leave you all to keep gabbin’ like chicks.”

  I stood and luckily, they laughed at my joke.

  Yeah, I needed some alone time for sure. I definitely needed to process the subtle things that Ky had said tonight. It seemed like things were turning around a little bit. At least Ky didn’t look like he wanted to beat my ass too much tonight. Maybe in time, he would relax about me wanting to be with his sister.

  Back in my room, the thoughts wouldn’t stop. In fact, my brain seemed to be working overtime as I stared up at my ceiling. What would it be like to spend time with Ingram just the two of us? More importantly, could we do that? Would it be pushing this whole friends thing we were working on?

  I hated that I felt so unsure about it all. I didn’t want to say that I had been walking around on eggshells, but I kind of was.

  There had to be something we could do that would be relaxed enough that she didn’t feel like I was trying to make it a date. I could wish all I wanted, but I’d never push her into something she wasn’t ready for. And I wasn’t trying to be manipulative. That wasn’t me. But maybe, I wanted her to see how we could be without the buffer of Chry. That I could be as good for her as I was for him.

  After all, that was all I really wanted.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Ingram

  “Oh, girl,” Tricia said as she practically ran down the aisle to where I’d been stocking the cereal. “You have got to see this guy.” Her voice was hushed but not quite a whisper.

  I giggled and shook my head at her.

  She was nice to me, maybe even almost a friend while I was at work. She’d told me once that she liked me because I wasn’t competition. I didn’t know what she meant by that but I had a feeling that I didn’t want to compete in the things that she did. So I was alright with that.

  I’d learned by now that she liked to catch the attention of men. I’d watched her flirt with two customers already today.

  She was a couple of years older than me. Tall and had long blonde hair. She was beautiful and the complete opposite of me. She had taken to me from the first shift that I’d worked with her and she often kept things fun around here.

  I didn’t think anything about her words because she thought just about every guy that walked through the doors was attractive.

  “Don’t give me that look,” she said her eyes dancing with humor. She knew she was a big flirt and she wasn’t offended when anyone said anything about it. “He’s really yummy. Not like the usual types we get in here.”

  “We get all types of people in here,” I said with a tiny eye roll.

  “No, I mean it. We never get bikers in here. He’s even got one of those vest things with all the patches.” She dramatically fanned herself.

  That got my attention right away and had my back going stick straight. And then the hairs on my arms were standing on end.

  “Oh,” she whispered, her head closer to mine now. “Don’t look, he’s right behind you.”

  I didn’t have to turn around to know it was him. A shiver slithered down my body as I heard the booted steps pound closer. Then there was a smile that overtook my lips and I couldn’t hide it if I wanted to.

  I turned, Tricia swatting at my arm as she harshly whispered that she told me not to look.

  “Hi,” he said with one of his smiles that made me feel warm inside as he came to stop just inches in front of me.

  “Hi,” I breathed out and yes, I was aware that I sounded a little breathless.

  This caught me off guard.

  Sure I was used to seeing Mouse now. And I had gotten good at hiding the way I felt around him, or so I thought. However, this I wasn’t prepared for. He was at my work and it was very unexpected.

  “What are you doing here?” I rushed to ask.

  “Oh, uh.” His hand came up as he rubbed the back of his neck like he might have been nervous. “I ran out of those snack things you get. The ones for Chry. I might have tried one earlier and ended up eating the last half of the box.”

  “The banana ones?” I asked with a hint of excitement. He gave me a nod followed by a shrug. “They are good.”

  I might have had a handful here and there when I gave Chry some.

  He let out a short laugh and seemed to relax.

  “You could have just sent me a text message. I would have grabbed some more,” I told him.

  Tricia snorted behind me but I didn’t turn to look at her.

  “Not going to introduce me to your friend?” she asked when I didn’t acknowledge her.

  There was this strange feeling that came over me. I didn’t know what it was but I was sure I didn’t like it at all.

  “I’m Mouse,” he clipped out and his lips went flat as he gave her a tiny nod of his head.

  Then his eyes were back on mine, causing the uneasy feeling to flee as fast as it had overtaken me.

  “I-I’ll show you where they are,” I said and tried to shake myself out of my daze.

  I led the way, taking him two aisles over and pulling the box off the shelf before handing it over to him.

  “Thanks,” he said as he took the box and warmth flooded my body as his fingers brushed against mine.

  The last few months flashed in my mind. He’d been perfect. He’d been there for me and had respectfully kept his distance while still being a true friend.

  The girls had put things in my mind when we were shopping and I couldn’t seem to get them out.

  Only I wasn’t sure how to take the next step with him. I wasn’t sure how to tell him that I was ready. Sure there was a part of me that worried that he might have changed his mind about me. That maybe he didn’t feel this thing between us anymore.

  It was hard for me to put myself out there. I could admit that much.

  “Hey, Ingram,” Donnie, my manager, said from behind me. I jumped and turned to face him. “Is this guy bothering you?”

  “Oh, no,” I said and I felt that Mouse was suddenly closer. Like right behind me. I could feel the heat radiating off of his body and seeping into my back.

  Donnie’s eyes weren’t on mine, they were looking over my head at Mouse.

  “This is my Mouse— I mean, my friend Mouse.” Though, I kind of felt like I had it right the first time.

  “Those snacks are a big seller for kids. You have a kid?” Donnie asked Mouse.

  I was picking up on some strangeness right now.

  “Something like that,” Mouse answered and there was something is his tone that was on the verge of being deadly.

  “Well, is there anything else I can help you find? If not, they will be able to ring you up in the front,” Donnie said with a tight smile.

  “Donnie,” I cut in. “It’s time for me to clock out. Do you need me to do anything else?”

  “No,” he replied, his eyes moving down to look into mine. “You’ve done real good today, Ingram. I knew you’d fit in here.”

  “Thank you. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I gave him a smile.

  I don’t know why I did it, but I grabbed Mouse’s hand to lead him away with me. He reached out and grabbed another box before letting me drag him away.

  Mouse muttered something under his breath but I couldn’t make out what it was.

  “Well, you can check out there. It was nice to see you,” I said as I pointed to one of the registers that were open.

  I maybe wasn’t ready for him to go but I wasn’t sure how to let him know that. Sure, he’d come in to get more snacks, but maybe he’d come in to see me too. I had no clue and it made me feel a little shaky inside.

  “Go get your stuff,” he told me. “I’ll wait for you.”

  I gave him a nod and darted off to the back. Once I clocked out and hung my green apron in my locker, I grabbed my stuff and headed back to the front. There was Mouse standing next to the front doors with a bag hanging from his fingers. He was
waiting for me like he’d said.

  Yes, there were butterflies in my stomach right now.

  “Oh,” he said once we started to walk out side-by-side. “Laurel said that she was taking Chry to the park. So, she wanted me to tell you that she’s keeping him for a little bit longer in case you needed to do anything… or something.”

  “Oh, um, okay,” I said wondering what I was going to do with the free time.

  “Have you eaten?”

  “No.”

  “Would you like to…” He scratched the back of his neck with his free hand. “Get something with me?”

  I stopped in my steps and looked at him.

  This was… unexpected.

  The thought didn’t make me tense up.

  Actually, I thought that it sounded really nice.

  But then it also sounded like it was bordering on date-like.

  Yes, I wanted that but was I ready for it?

  “I heard that sandwich shop across the street is good. I haven’t tried it yet, though,” he said, his eyes looking into mine almost as if they were unsure.

  Sandwiches didn’t sound too date-like. Right? More of a casual friends hanging out sort of thing. I often ate with Laurel and Cami, so this wasn’t much different.

  But I knew it was, even if I was trying hard to deny it.

  “I would like that,” I told him with a smile.

  The relief washed over him the moment the words left my mouth. I could admit that I was happy to see it.

  He put his bag away in one of the compartments on his bike, then we walked across the street.

  The place was cute. There weren’t a lot of tables and since we were seated in the back, it almost had an intimate feel to it. I couldn’t say I hated it.

  He ordered the roast beef sandwich with swiss cheese and mushroom gravy. I had trouble deciding and since I was already a bit nervous, I ended up just pointing to something on the menu. It was a good thing I liked turkey.

  “Is it good?” I asked with a giggle as I watched his eyes roll back in his head at the first bite.

  “So good.” He tried his hardest to tell me without showing me the mouthful of food he was working on.

  I giggled some more.

  Next thing I knew, he was shoving it in my face and telling me to try it. I didn’t hesitate to do so and I had the same reaction as him the moment the flavors hit my tongue.

  I had a feeling that turkey wasn’t going to cut it after that.

  “Here, you want to switch half?” he asked and he was already picking up the untouched half of his sandwich and moving it toward me.

  “Thank you,” I told him after he took half of my boring one away. “So… Mouse…”

  I didn’t know what to do at this point. Talking should have been easy. I knew him, he knew me. We’d had many conversations before. So why was this so different?

  Then I got it in my head that I should maybe try to… flirt? I’d seen Tricia do it enough times, I should be able to copy some of it. I wasn’t saying I would go all crazy with the arm touching and stuff like she did.

  His eyes were on mine, so intensely waiting for me to say something. I realized that I had kind of left my last sentence hanging.

  My mind was blank and I scrambled for something quick to say.

  “How is your day going?” Even as the words came out of my mouth I wanted to roll my eyes.

  If I seemed stupid, he didn’t let it show.

  “Really good so far. Actually, one of the best I’ve had in a long time.”

  Wow, the way he was looking at me was as if he was telling those words to my soul. The deep penetrating stare was almost too much and I instantly caught onto what he meant. I was the reason it was one of the best that he’d had in a long time. This special time, right here, was the reason he seemed much lighter now.

  Okay, I was going to do this. I knew it now. This was not just two friends hanging out. So, I decided to try playing with my hair because I’d seen Tricia do that often.

  Running my fingers along my scalp, I flipped my hair to the other side. But then I quickly remembered how thick my hair was and cringed as the strands became tangled around my fingers. I deflated as I not-so-smoothly freed my hand.

  Mouse’s brows pinched together but he said nothing.

  I struggled to think of something else to do since that didn’t work. I’d seen her bite her lips, but I felt like that might be an advanced move and a little too sexy for me. So I quickly moved on from the idea.

  I thought back to all the romantic movies I’d watched over the last two years. It had been quite a few. I discovered that I loved those types of movies and would watch them whenever I got the chance to.

  I’d seen women do this fast blink thing in some of them when they were talking to the man they were interested in.

  I could do that. I knew how to blink so all I had to do was tilt my chin down a little and flutter my lids quickly.

  “How about your day?” he asked me.

  “Well, work wasn’t all that exciting. Which I guess is not such a bad thing.” I let out a little laugh which made his lips tip up at the edges. “But this part is nice,” I told him as I smiled and tilted my chin down to make my move.

  “Are you okay? Do you have something in your eye?” There was a huge ring of concern in his tone as he started to rise so he could get closer to me like he could help me in some way.

  “Oh. No, I am fine,” I said and ducked my head to hide my embarrassment. “I was…”

  “Ingram… are you nervous?”

  Clearly, I wasn’t playing this off well.

  And because this was my Malcolm, I felt safe enough to be completely honest.

  “Yes. Though I’m not sure why. I mean… this is kind of like a date, right?” I asked and for some reason felt the need to lean forward and whisper the last part.

  His smile was beautiful.

  “No, Ingram,” he told me and made my face fall as I blinked at him. Yes, his words hurt a little. “If this were a date, I would have picked you up. I’d be wearing something a little nicer and we’d be sitting in some place… that isn’t a sandwich shop.”

  “Oh,” I said and my feelings were torn. This clearly wasn’t even close to a date in his mind. But I also had to admit that the picture that he painted of one made my insides feel all fluttery. Could it have been that he had thought about it too?

  “This is you and me, spending some time as… us,” he went on, making the smile come alive on my lips.

  He didn’t say as friends. I may have been a little naïve about a lot of things, but I didn’t miss that. He said us like it was something more. And oh, how I wanted it to be.

  “I like that.” The pure happiness was clear as day in my tone.

  “Me, too,” he whispered and I could see the truth in his eyes.

  My body was humming all over and my heart felt like it was beating so loudly that anyone around could hear it.

  “And for the record,” he said and then cleared his throat. His eyes shifted away for a second like he was hesitant to say what he was about it. “You are beautiful and sexy just the way you are. You don’t even have to try.”

  Now it was his chin that was tilted down as his eyes peered up at me through his thick lashes. But I knew he wasn’t trying to be sexy himself. But he was… he was so very sexy in his tentative nervousness.

  I bit my lip as I smiled. I wasn’t even really aware that I was doing it. The heat hit my cheeks and though I wanted to duck my head and hide it, I forced myself to hold his eyes.

  The happiness dancing there in his warm brown eyes was something I never wanted to lose. I needed that in my life, so very much. And I realized how sad I had been without it.

  There was more between us. The special thing that I’d felt was there for a long time was still there. I wondered how much longer it would need to grow. I felt ready to blossom at this very moment and I didn’t know how much longer I could hold out.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

/>   Mouse

  “Ready for this?” B-ry asked me with a slap on the back.

  “Of course,” I told him as I tossed my long range rifle in the back of the SUV that would soon be headed to the container yard where we were meeting with the Irish.

  Shit had gotten all mixed up this week. The hand-off was supposed to take place three days ago, but for some fucking reason, the Irish called and moved it pretty much at the last minute. We had no clue what was going on there but we agreed to keep the peace.

  Half the table was out on the run and B-ry had stayed behind after finding out about the switch. I guessed it was a good thing I wasn’t scheduled for the run now, it would have thrown things way off.

  “See you over there,” he said as he mounted his bike. I gave him a chin jerk as I closed up the SUV.

  The prospect climbed in behind the wheel. Knight headed out first, B-ry and Fire Beard behind him. The SUV rolled out in the middle. Then Dade, Blade, and I followed suit.

  It might have seemed like overkill for a simple hand-off like this but with the odd last minute day switch, we felt the need to add a few extra eyes and ears.

  We were fifteen minutes early, as planned. I rolled my bike behind some shipping containers so it would be out of sight. I wasn’t trying to be shady, in fact, I had a good idea that the Irish knew I’d be there. It just made me feel a little better for some reason.

  I wanted to get this over with and I let out a deep breath as I jogged over to the SUV to get my gear.

  Looking up at the sky, I found the midday sun hanging pretty much overhead. This wasn’t all that great for me. While night was the best time of day to stay hidden, it wasn’t always necessary. However, I preferred a more angled sun-line. If I could put it to my back it would have been a hell of a lot better. I knew it would be hell trying to hide the light from flickering off my scope as I breathed. It was pretty much unavoidable at this time of day. Oh, well, not shit I could do about it now.