“Are we going to go to the police department today?” I question as he pulls into a chain restaurant. I grin seeing it’s Cracker Barrel; I love this place with all the neat little things they have in their store. Not to mention, they’ve got some of the best chicken and dumplings I’ve ever tasted.
He parks the truck then turns it off before turning to face me. “No, I think you’ve had enough excitement for the day. We’ll go talk to them and make the report tomorrow, okay? Then, we’ll do some shopping so that we can get you some clothes. Then, when we get back from taking care of that, I want you to call your lawyer and let him know our suspicions.” I nod in agreement with his wishes and wait as he gets out of the truck to come around and get me out.
“Thank you,” I say as he holds out his hand and helps me get down out of his monster sized truck. I notice that he doesn’t let go of my hand; instead, he laces our fingers together. Anson wasn’t big on public displays of affection so the fact that when Jesse is with me and he can’t seem to help himself from touching me in some manner or another, it sends an elated thrill shooting through my body.
When we walk into the restaurant, the hostess advises us that we have a short wait so Jesse puts our name on the list and we start meandering through the store. There are so many unique things available that I want; it’s hard for me to resist touching stuff. Everything is unique and fascinating, I can envision it on a curio cabinet, hanging on the wall or decorating my living space sporadically throughout my house. “We can get that if you want,” Jesse says when I put a cute knick-knack back on the shelf.
“I need to wait until I have more space,” I reply, even though I want to purchase all sorts of knick-knacks. I’ve got countless ideas forming in my mind of how I want to decorate when I do get a place of my own, however, and right now, I’m thinking farmhouse because the damn chickens and cows are fucking adorable.
He pulls me away from the ear shot of several other customers who are browsing. “I know you might not understand, but we’re together now. Get what you want to decorate the suite. Eventually, we’re going to have our own place, Lilli, and it’ll be yours as much as mine.” Well alrighty then. I pick the figurine I was admiring back up and take it to the counter.
When I gently place it on the counter the woman behind it looks up at me. “We can hold that for you until you’re done eating and shopping,” the clerk advises. “We do it all the time.”
“Okay, thanks. Give me a few more minutes and I’m sure I’ll have more to add to the pile,” I state, giggling.
“It happens more than you know,” she teasingly replies. Jesse and I both continue to add things to the pile until they call our names for the dining area.
Once we’re seated and the waitress leaves us with menus after taking our drink orders, I start my normal perusal. Normally, I love eating breakfast any time of the day, but right now I’m debating between the sampler meal and some good old-fashioned chicken and dumplings. The sampler has them on it, but I’m not sure I can eat that much yet. “What has that look on your face?” he asks me. I tell him, and I may or may not have expounded on the benefits of each dish because he starts chuckling. “How about if I order the sampler and you order the chicken and dumplings. We’ll each order different sides and both the biscuits and cornbread muffins. Then, we’ll share.”
“You’d share with me?” Dad used to do that with Mom all the time and while it sometimes drove me crazy how in-tune they were with each other, it was something I craved. Anson definitely didn’t like to share and the one time I brought it up, I thought his head was going to explode. They’re two different men, Lilli! That thought resonates deep inside as I wait for him to respond. Nothing in my life has prepared me for a man like Jesse Malone, that’s for damn sure. Suddenly, I want the shit hanging over my head finished so that I can explore what I’m feeling for him.
“Why not? That way we get the best of what we both want, right?” he questions.
I decide not to bring up Anson because quite frankly, thinking about him is somewhat exhausting and as soon as I see his lying, wannabe murdering self, I plan to break it off with him so his thoughts and opinions on shit no longer matter. “Okay, I’m good with that if you are, Jesse.” He grins at me then and when the waitress returns with our drinks, he proceeds to order for both of us. It’s not done in one of those ‘I’m superior and the man’ kind of ways that I hate either. He jokes with the waitress while doing it and when she tells us she’ll get it put in right away, she does it while giggling. Surprisingly, I don’t feel jealous because he certainly isn’t flirting with her; it’s because he treated her as more than ‘just’ a waitress.
“So, what else are we doing today?” I question. I feel at loose ends since we’re not going to the police department. I’m still a bit tired thanks to the dialysis, but I don’t plan to spend the rest of the day sleeping. I’m too mentally and emotionally on edge to find peace in my dreams.
“Guess that depends on how you’re feeling when we get back to the clubhouse. You probably missed it, but the doctor wants you to rest for a bit today.”
“I suspected as much, but I mean, after that? Can you show me the rest of the clubhouse? Can I meet your brothers?” Can I have your babies? Okay, that last one was definitely not shared out loud but the thought alone has my cheeks flushing.
“What has you blushing over there?” he questions with the corner of his mouth tilted up in a side smirk. I want to lick the dimple that’s protruding from his cheek on that side.
“Um, nothing,” I squeak out. I know based on how hot my face feels that my blush is darker than it was originally. No poker for me, that’s for damn sure.
“Lilli.”
“What?” I studiously avoid his knowing gaze, my eyes bouncing off of all the old signs from yesteryear.
“Fine, keep your secrets, sweetheart. Someday, you’ll trust me enough to share. As far as meeting the rest of my brothers, I’m sure most will be there this evening after work, so you can meet them at dinner. I’ll show you the rest of the clubhouse when we get back before you rest if you’re up to it. If not, then when you get back up.”
“Okay.” Silence stretches between us; it’s not uncomfortable, so I’m content to just sit and relax.
“I need to tell you something,” he says, breaking into my mental to-do list I’m compiling.
“That sounds kind of ominous, Jesse,” I reply.
He takes my hand in his and while he strokes my palm in an almost soothing manner, he starts talking. “When I was a kid, I lived next door to my best friend. She was a few years younger than me, but at that age, it wasn’t something I paid particular attention to, y’know? Anyhow, Winnie, that was her name, started slipping into my room whenever her stepfather would start on her mother. They fought every time he drank, which got worse as time went by. The first time it happened, my mother nearly had a heart attack the next morning when she came in to wake me up for school and found Winnie curled up next to me, on top of the covers, sound asleep. Once she saw that there was nothing between us, other than platonic friendship, she made sure to always have things for Winnie to use the next morning if we had school and shit. Anyhow, the stepfather, Bart, he was a fucking piece of shit. Whenever he was drinking, which was pretty much all the time, he would beat on the nearest person. Sometimes it was her mother. Sometimes, it was Winnie. One night…”
I watch as pain fills his eyes before he closes them. His grip on my hand is almost painful, but I don’t say anything because whatever is coming next, he needs a minute or two to catch his breath and gather his bearings. Instead, I lay my other hand over his and softly stroke it compassionately. He takes a deep shuddering breath then opens his eyes to look at me. I can see a haunted, devastated look in them and immediately know that this girl doesn’t have a happy ending where it pertains to her life’s story.
“One night, or actually, it was early in the morning, I woke up and she was there, but she was freezing cold, Lilli. So fucking c
old. When I turned on the light, I saw she had been badly beaten so I ran and got my mom and she had me call for help. I told you my mom was a traveling nurse, right? Well, she carried this bag around that had just about anything you could think of and trust me, over the years, she put the two of us back together more than once when we got hurt. Anyhow, we both were trying to help Winnie, but she was gone before the paramedics ever got to my house.” The last few words are said in a whisper and my heart clenches in sympathy at the pain he still feels over her loss.
“I’m so sorry, Jesse. She sounds like she was someone very special.” Platitudes. There are no words I can say that will take away the fact that she’s gone.
“She was something, Lilli. Fearless, adventurous, funny, smart. I loved her, y’know? It may not have grown into anything when we got older, but she was my Winnie and it killed me that I wasn’t able to protect her from that fucker.” Hearing him say he loved her doesn’t bother me. Is it because she’s no longer here in a physical sense? Or because I instinctively know that he’s not telling me this to hurt me, but to share a little more of himself?
“What happened to her stepfather?” I inquire. I personally hope that he was killed in a shoot-out with the police, because it kills me to see the pain written all over the face of the man sitting in front of me.
“He went to prison. He’s still there as a matter of fact, but I think he’s coming up for parole soon. Every time he’s come up, my mom and I have gone and testified. She took pictures of what he did to her that night. I honestly didn’t know why at the time, but later, when we had a chance to talk, she told me that she knew we would need to fight for Winnie and that the pictures would help. They have, too. The only thing that would make me feel better is if he were to get killed, but I think I’d rather he suffers every fucking day living behind bars in an eight by ten cell.”
“Does he? Suffer that is?” I’m secretly praying that he is ‘taken advantage of’ every single night.
The grin that crosses Jesse’s face is chilling. “He does. I know people who know people and that man doesn’t get a moment’s peace.”
“Good. Because whether or not the two of you would’ve been ‘something’ when you grew up, she didn’t deserve that at all. Neither did you, Jesse. I cannot imagine how you felt seeing her like that and my heart breaks for what you suffered seeing her that way.”
“You’re not jealous?” he bids.
“Why should I be?” I innocently shrug my shoulders, the innocence between children who are friends is different from the intimacy between two consenting adults. “Obviously, she was someone who was very important to you and while you were young, probably barely teenagers if that, it’s likely that what happened to her shaped who you are today. From what I can tell and also what I’ve experienced, that’s a man who is protective and caring. Me being jealous of your Winnie is ridiculous. I hate it happened because no one should ever live in that kind of fear and that man took her away from what could’ve been a beautiful life.”
“Do you believe in ghosts? That they’re real?” he questions. The switch in subject has my head spinning but before I can answer, our food arrives.
I wait until they set the plates down in front of us, including all of the side dishes, as well as refilling drinks, before I answer him. “I’m not really sure. There’ve been a few times since my parents died that I felt like they were with me, but I don’t know if that’s wishful thinking or reality. Why do you ask?”
“Because over the years, I’ve heard Winnie in my head. It’s usually whenever something bad is coming my way, which has saved not only me but my brothers, especially when we were still in active duty. Sometimes it’s when she wants me to realize that someone or something is important to me and my future and I need to pay attention.”
Somehow, I know he’s talking about me and my entry into his otherwise orderly life. Don’t ask me how I know; it’s just a sixth sense I am experiencing right now. “Okay. Are you worried I’ll think you’re crazy or something? Because I definitely think we all have a gut instinct or whatever you want to call it.”
He grins at me then blows my mind. “I know I told you that you’re mine, Lilli, but Winnie confirmed it the other day.”
Once again, I’ve got nothing. “She did?” Lame, Lilli, so fucking lame!
“Yeah, although I didn’t need any confirmation from her.” His grin instantly settles me. There is something about this man and the dimples that pop out when he smiles that puts me at ease.
I watch as he takes some of his sampler and puts it on my plate, then proceeds to divvy up the sides. “As bad as this sounds, I suspect I’ll eat all of this,” I state, looking at my overflowing plate.
“You need to, pretty girl. You lost weight at the cabin since you were barely eating anything,” he gently scolds me. Since I know it’s coming from a good place in his heart, I don’t take his words as a bad thing.
“True. But just to say, I typically don’t have a problem eating.” There have been instances where I’ve been known to put a medium pizza away all by myself. I like food, I just wish it liked me more and I didn’t have to work so hard to maintain a healthy weight.
He nods at me, then picks up his fork and starts to eat. I grab a biscuit and slather it with butter before placing it on his plate. He says nothing, merely raises his brow at me and continues to eat. I do the same thing for myself, then as that first bite of chicken and dumplings crosses my taste buds, I close my eyes and moan. “Jesus,” he hisses out. I gaze over at him to see a pained look on his face.
“You okay?” I ask once I’ve chewed and swallowed.
“If you sound like that enjoying something as simple as food, I can’t fucking wait to have you in my bed,” he admits. Great, now I’m blushing again. Peeking around, I see that no one near us is paying any attention, which is good.
“Jesse, you can’t say stuff like that in public!” I whisper-shout, leaning across the table. At this point, I’m praying that my cheeks are not as brightly red as a tomato. I tend to blush easily, especially when there are public talks concerning sexual proclivities.
Poseidon
I grin at her, totally unrepentant. “Why the fuck not?” I mischievously question while the corner of my mouth quirks up in a grin. “No secret that I’m attracted to you, Lilli.” I reach down and adjust myself in my jeans, which have grown tight from the pink-tinted highlights of her cheeks. There’s just something sexy about it when it comes to her. “You’re far from stupid and I know you’ve felt the evidence pressed against you when you wake up.” She nods at me but doesn’t say anything, causing my grin to widen further.
“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” The voice coming from my left doesn’t totally surprise me. I clocked the guy and the woman who was with him when they walked into the restaurant. The two of them were pointedly staring at our table with an intensity that sent warning bells off in my head. I had an uneasy feeling settle over me. With only one look in their direction, their venomous glares alarmed me enough that I picked up my phone and shot off a quick text to my men. I did all of this while Lilli was looking over the dessert menu as we were waiting for our food to arrive. Somehow, I feel like shit is going to hit the fan and I want to be as prepared as possible.
“Anson? Kassidy? What are you two doing here? Aren’t you a bit far from home?” Lilli deadpans, her face a blank mask. Her faraway look has my hackles rising and my protective instincts begin strumming through my system. Despite the fact that her pulse has accelerated, she sounds almost bored, and I am reminded once again that she’s going to be a fantastic old lady. She doesn’t look at them, she stares right through them, a task that takes some individuals years to perfect.
“We were out looking for you,” the woman says. To some it would appear she was worried, but I can see underneath her facade. She’s a venomous snake whose head needs to be chopped off. Immediately. Even if I didn’t know what I do about the two, her attitude toward Lilli, who she’s supp
osed to be best friends with, sends searing alarms to ring out through my mind. This chick is jealous of the woman sitting across from me. She has probably always been that way, or maybe it didn’t show up until the fucker posturing next to me came on the scene. Regardless, she doesn’t have Lilli’s best interests at heart, and I won’t rest until the two of them are far fucking away from her. I suspiciously take them in, learning their quirks and ticks. I need to know what sets them off and how they react. So I patiently sit back and watch their mouths as they spew bullshit and pay attention to their body language.
“Looking for me? Why? I’m not lost,” Lilli somberly replies. I nudge her foot underneath the table with mine and when she glances over at me, I give her an imperceptible shake of my head. Her eyes widen slightly then she slowly closes them and I know that she understands what I want her to do.
“Well, where the hell have you been for the past few weeks? We’ve been worried sick about you,” Anson states. Even I can tell there’s no worry for her well-being laced in his words. “You went to go grab something, even though I told you I’d get it since you’d been sick, and never came home. In fact, you should probably come with me since I filed a missing person report when you didn’t answer your phone.” He’s laying it on thick, it nearly amuses me. Any other time it would, but this is my woman he’s fucking with, and that is unfuckingacceptable. I grit my teeth and clamp my mouth shut, knowing that right now, is not my time to strike...yet.
“A missing person report? That’s kind of drastic, isn’t it, Anson?” she interjects, and I can see that she’s not annoyed. “As far as my phone, I dropped it in the toilet and am having to order a new one.”
Poseidon's Lady (Poseidon's Warriors MC) Page 8
