He reaches across the table and takes my free hand, giving it a squeeze. My heart skips a beat and I meet his eyes again. “I can’t say that I understand what you’re going through but I’m so sorry.”
“Thank you,” I whisper and he nods.
“I don’t want you to worry about a thing, okay? I’ll get you back home safely and… just, you don’t have to feel alone, either. I know I just met you last night but if you ever need anything, you’ve got me. Okay?”
I suck in a breath, my heart pounding in my chest as I nod. Just like before, the rest of the world falls away as I stare into his eyes and I can’t help but feel like there’s something more going on between us. Beneath the seemingly normal conversation and heated looks, lies so much more and if I shut out all the noise, turn off my mind, and just listen to my heart like Mercedes told me to do, I have to admit I’m excited to find out what it is.
Chapter Ten
Sawyer
“Good morning, sleepyhead,” I call to Juliette as she begins to stir in the passenger seat. She groans and throws her arms over her head to stretch, huffing in annoyance when they hit the roof of the truck. Bending her body, she finds a new position and her shirt rides up her belly, showing off soft, tan skin and my grip on the wheel tightens as I suck in a breath and turn back to the front door of the little burger joint right off the interstate I’m parked in front of. As soon as we climbed in the truck after breakfast, she was out like a light. In fact, I don’t even think I made it on the interstate before her cute little snores were filling the cab. Not that I mind all that much. Turns out she talks in her sleep and that combined with the faces she was making as she dreamed kept me pretty entertained. “Hungry?”
She perks up and looks around. “Yeah, I could eat.”
“I’ve been staring at billboards of this place for the past ten miles. That sound good?” I ask, peeking over at her. She inspects the front of the building and nods.
“Yeah,” she answers around a yawn before flashing me a smile. God, she’s fucking gorgeous. I mean, I knew that as soon as I laid eyes on her in that diner parking lot last night but the more time I spend with her, the more beautiful she becomes. Not to mention, that her unwillingness to talk about herself and her past is driving me up a fucking wall. Most girls I meet can’t wait to tell me all about themselves and their past and it’s cliché as fuck but the air of mystery surrounding her turns me on.
“God, I can’t believe I slept so long.”
I smirk. “To be fair, you did warn me that you weren’t an early bird.”
“Actually, I haven’t been sleeping all that well lately and I think it all just caught up with me.” Her eyes are full of pain as she turns away from me to stare out of the window and my heart seizes in my chest. I hate that sadness in her eyes.
“What’s keeping you up at night?”
She shakes her head. “Just can’t get my head to shut up some nights.”
I study her for a second before nodding and turning the truck off. As much as I want to ask about her comment, if our breakfast conversation taught me anything this morning, it’s that she has her secrets and she has no intention on revealing them to me. Fuck. That just intrigues me even more though. I know it hasn’t even been twenty-four hours since I met her but the urge to help her and keep her safe is stronger than I’ve ever felt and I can’t do that if she won’t open up to me.
My phone rings and I sigh as I dig it out of my pocket. Blaze’s name pops up on the screen and I show it to Juliette.
“Why don’t you run inside and grab us a table? I’ve got to take this.”
She nods as she grabs her bag and opens the door of the truck. “Sure. Want me to order you something to drink?”
“I’ll take a Coke,” I answer and she nods again before hopping out of the truck. As soon as she closes the door, I accept the call. “What’s up, boss?”
“Just checkin’ in. How’s the drive?” he asks as I watch Juliette walk around the truck to the front door of the restaurant, my gaze glued to her ass as it sways with each step she takes and I imagine gripping her hips and pulling her into me.
“Good. We’re just outside Gainesville now and stopping for lunch.”
“Everything go well with Cora yesterday?”
I nod as she slips into the restaurant. “Yep. She’s safe and sound with her sister. We still got an eye on Freddie?”
“Oh, yeah.” Blaze laughs. “Boy is straight up losing his shit over Cora.”
“Has he made any moves?”
Blaze scoffs. “Besides sitting outside her old apartment and talking to a few of her neighbors, no.”
“I guess it’s good we moved her stuff out in the middle of the night then.”
“Yeah,” he agrees. Juliette meets my gaze through the window as a waitress leads her to one of the booths along the windows and I nod to let her know I’m almost done.
“What do you know about Juliette?”
“Mercedes’ friend?” he asks. “Nothing more than I’ve already told you. Why?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. Just get the feeling that she’s running from something.”
“We talked about this, Moose. You gotta stop searching for danger in every scenario and live sometimes. I appreciate your dedication to the club’s mission but I don’t want it taking over your life.”
“Yeah,” I sigh. “I hear you, boss.”
“Hold on.” His voice drifts away from the phone for a second. “Oh, for the love of God… Streak wants me to ask you if she’s as hot as she looks online.”
“He looked her up?” I growl, my chest burning. I swear to God, I’ll rip that little fucker limb from limb if he tries anything with her. “Tell him…”
“Goddamn it,” Blaze says, his voice fading. “I’m not a goddamn secretary.”
“So,” Streak cuts in. “Is she hot?”
“None of your fucking business,” I snap and his laughter fills the line.
“I’m gonna take that as a yes, Moosey-boy,” Streak says and I shake my head. “Maybe I should introduce myself once y’all get to town.”
“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?”