Hoping they'd all stop staring at her if she consumed the food in front of her, she took a bite of potatoes before using her fork to tear the meat off the chicken breast.
The flavors exploded on her tongue. Everyone was right. Whatever Burt used in the breading or oil made the fried chicken better than normal.
"What's your schedule like tomorrow?" asked Romeo.
She shook her head, looking for a napkin to wipe her lips while she finished chewing. Sander ripped off a paper towel and tossed it across the table.
Timber wiped her mouth and then folded the paper in half, sliding it under the Styrofoam container. "I'm not due to work until Friday. I have the morning shift that day. I only work part-time while I'm on probation."
While Willow had admitted needing a full-time waitress, Timber only worked a twenty-hour week. She'd start part-time to prove her worth.
But in three months, after her probation period ended, she could always ask for more hours or work somewhere else. It was never her plan to stay around the Killere Motorcycle Club.
She wanted to be long gone before her dad showed up.
"That's good. You have tomorrow off. You can go out with me tonight." Romeo carried his empty plate to the sink and ran it under the faucet before putting his dish in the washer.
She wanted to ask where he planned to take her. All she wanted to do was stay in the bedroom.
But she wouldn't ask to stay at the house in front of his brothers. They were all watching her, waiting for her to mess up.
She'd seen the look before on her father's face. A curiosity that would backfire on him when she moved wrong or said something, her dad would storm out of the house and not be back for months.
While she was free from her dad's unspoken opinion of her, Timber's mom never let a day go by without telling her she was why her dad wouldn't stay home.
Of course, the Muel brothers wouldn't leave her. They'd make her leave the house, and then she wouldn't have anywhere to stay.
She closed the lid of the Styrofoam container and carried it into the kitchen to throw away. Romeo stepped into her path, blocking her from the garbage underneath the sink that she'd witnessed him using. Instead, she opened the fridge and set the leftovers on the bottom shelf.
Her appetite was gone despite how much she enjoyed the fried chicken.
She hurried out of the room before Romeo could force her to leave again and shut herself in the bedroom. Collapsing face first on the bed, she groaned as relief came to her aching legs and feet.
Chapter Six
Two hours after dinner, Romeo walked into the bedroom and found Timber asleep on the bed. He walked around the mattress, closer to her head, and nudged her shoulder.
She continued to sleep.
Using the tips of his fingers, he scratched her upper back. "Timber? Wake up."
She sighed and stretched, bringing her arms up under her head, but her eyes remained closed. He sprawled his hand on her back, shaking her more vigorously.
She moaned in protest and wiggled her ass, wanting him to go back to scratching her back. His cock hardened. She wasn't even conscious or had any idea it was him, touching her.
Curiosity grabbed him, and he scratched her back, moving down her spine to where the waist of her skirt sat. She arched like a damn cat under his touch.
He cleared his throat and pulled his hand back. "Timber."
His gruffer voice woke her up. He stepped away from the bed. "Get up. We're going to the clubhouse."
"I don't want to go." She lowered her head back to the bed. "Let me sleep."
Dice needed to know his daughter was near. He wasn't going to keep her hidden away inside his house. Whatever trouble Dice got himself into, he needed to clear himself and take care of Timber.
At least find her a place to live.
She couldn't remain in his house much longer. His brothers would find some way to get into her panties. It wasn't like they could ignore her living here. Not the way she looked.
His gaze roamed over the curve of her hip and the swollen slope of her ass, inviting him down on the bed.
He slapped her ass, startling her into a sitting position. "Your dad arrived in town. He's at the clubhouse."
She blinked blankly up at him. He raised his brows, waiting for the questions to come. But she remained silent.
"Did you hear me?" he asked.
"What does that have to do with me?"
"He's your dad."
One slim shoulder came up as she shook her head, unconcerned about the news. Her reaction was the opposite of what he'd expected. Hadn't she ended up at Killere Truck Stop, looking for her dad?
Timber yawned. Perplexed over her lack of concern, maybe she needed to know more about Dice.
"Someone beat the hell out of him. He's recuperating at the clubhouse. I got an update on him a half-hour ago. Prez mentioned he had stitches, a concussion, and a possible dislocated shoulder." He paused. "You need to go see him."
"Did he ask for me?" She stood and rubbed her bare arms.
He hadn't mentioned to Onyx that he was bringing Timber to the clubhouse to see her dad. Considering her young age, he assumed she'd want to go to him whether he was hurt or not.
"Unless someone else mentioned you're staying with me, he doesn't know you're here."
"Good." She raised her gaze. "He doesn't need to know."
"You don't want to see him?" It was his turn to cross his arms and study her. "Isn't he why you came to Spokane and showed up at the clubhouse?"
"I came here because I wanted to move out of Seattle. It was a stroke of luck that I hitched a ride this far. I had no idea when Clyde stopped here for the night, Killere owned the place until I read the patch on your vest. My dad always told me if something happened to him to contact Onyx and he would make sure I had somewhere to live if my mom wasn't around." She yawned. "As for my dad, I haven't seen him for nine months. I only mentioned my father's name to Onyx and Willow because I needed a job for a few months. By then, I hope to be on my feet and out of Killere's hair." She raised her chin. "My plan never included reuniting with a father that wants nothing to do with me."
He pursed his lips to whistle in astonishment but stopped the sound from coming out. The way Dice had talked on the occasional visits to the clubhouse showed Romeo a different side to Timber's dad.
He was a loner but not cruel. A rider who hated staying in one place. A wanderer.
Dice stayed loyal to Killere while on the road and had proven his worth many times over the years.
Romeo cupped Timber's cheek. He'd finally gotten her to talk, but it'd cost her. She visibly shook, and he regretted pushing her.
Timber wrapped her arms around her middle, cupping her elbows, trying to hide how she reacted to her dad's news. He wanted to know why she was here if she wanted nothing to do with Dice.
"Killere took responsibility for you when you claimed Dice as your dad. Onyx hired you at the diner. I'm letting you stay at the house." He softened his voice. "I'll go with you to see Dice."
She opened her mouth to argue, and he covered her lips with the pad of his thumb. "Let him know where you are. If he doesn't object to you staying with me, I'll bring you back here."