“This is not your boss talking, darlin’.” I wink and she rolls her eyes before laughing slightly. She flips her hair over her shoulder and goes back to her food, letting my question hang in the air, killing me.
She wipes the syrup off her bottom lip with her tongue. “Well, if you must know, I’m single.”
Chrystal
The second he hears that I’m single, he smiles widely, showing perfectly straight teeth. He takes our garbage and places it in the trash can. I’m confused. Why did he want to know that, and why isn’t he saying a word now? He turns to the door. “Wait. Why do you want to know?” I ask him.
He stops and looks at me over his shoulder. “Because you won’t be single long.” He walks into the garage, leaving his words hanging in the air, throwing me completely off. I stare at the space where he was just standing, completely floored. Did he just say that? I laugh to myself because I kind of liked his attention and it was sweet that he brought me breakfast.
I go back to work, checking to see who I need to call to pick up their vehicles, but the smile doesn’t leave my face.
Chapter Two
Chrystal
Later That Night
I wave to all the guys filing out the door to go home, “See you tomorrow!” Torch calls and waves over his shoulder to me.
Just as I’m about to lock the door, Kyle gets off his bike and walks over to me. “Let’s go get dinner.” He holds out his hand.
I study him. What does he want with me?
“I won’t bite,” he teases and wiggles his fingers, giving me the choice whether to take his hand.
I shut the door behind me and lock it, and I take his hand. He walks me over to a truck parked at the side of the building. He opens the door for me and I climb inside.
“Maybe I want you to bite.”
His mouth opens, his eyes shining with mirth. “Well, darlin’, that’s good to know.” He shuts the door, and I grin at the sight of him walking around the front of his truck.
One part of me realizes I should be nervous because I just met this man and here I am letting him drive me wherever he wants to take me. But I can’t bring myself to be scared. Kyle doesn’t seem like the type of man that gets off on beating on defenseless women. He is way too fucking badass for that.
It has not slipped past me that he’s huge, scary, and covered head to toe in tattoos, but I have a weakness for bad boys. I just need to learn to decipher which ones are douchebags.
“So where are you from?” he asks.
I push my hair over my shoulder. Should I tell him where exactly? I don’t see why not. “Maryland.”
His eyebrows rise. “Shit, darlin’. Long-ass drive.”
That is an understatement.
I loved Texas the second I crossed the state line, but I kept on driving until I got to this cute little town, and I felt safer here than I’d felt anywhere else. This is where I wanted to have my baby.
I roll down the window and let the evening air move through the cab. I close my eyes and rest my head against the seat, relaxing. I rub my belly and just enjoy the moment of being carefree. I need more moments like this.
I’m not even sure how I have hair at this point; I’ve been so stressed for the last few years of my life. It’s just gotten worse since I’ve been on my own without one single person on this earth who cares about me or loves me.
Kyle pulls up in front of a diner the Devil Souls own. They own almost the whole town. I open my door, and before I can even get out, he takes my hand so I don't fall. “Thank you.”
He winks and puts his hand on the small of my back, holding the door open for me.
We get seated away from everyone else. I sit in front of Kyle, and he’s facing the room behind me. He hands me a menu off the table, and I take it from him.
Kyle
The way she looks, the way she smiles—she is so effortlessly beautiful.
Right now she thinks all the guys have left work, but that’s not the case at all. Torch and some other members of the club are driving her car to her new apartment, which I spent the fucking day setting up for her. Since this town is small, I converted my basement into an apartment for her. She’ll have her privacy and her own keys, but she can come upstairs if she wants to.
She may get pissed at me, but I can’t stomach the thought of her sleeping in her vehicle—that I can’t handle. She’s pregnant, and I know deep down no woman would sleep in her vehicle and drive all the way from fucking Maryland to a middle-of-nowhere town for no reason. She’s running from something, and it’s not fucking safe for her to live in the garage. A window can easily be broken. Hell, so much can go wrong.
“I think I’m going to get a steak.” I put the menu on the table, and she closes hers.
“I think I’m just going to get a kid’s meal burger.”
The fuck?
Ahhh, she thinks she’s paying. “Baby, you’re not buying. Get a steak, buy everything on the menu, I don’t give a fuck.” I push her menu back in front of her.
She rolls her eyes. “Whatever you say,” she sasses, and I love that shit. I know that deep down she has a whole bunch of attitude waiting to come out.
I chuckle and sit back, looking at her as she studies the menu once again. I know she can feel me staring at her, because I can see the blush covering her cheekbones.
Chrystal
Our food comes, and it takes everything in me not to shove it in my mouth. I ordered a ribeye, a baked potato, fries, and a milkshake. I haven’t eaten like this in a very long time. A hamburger from a fast food place has been my meal of choice for the past couple of months. I’m not sure I’ll be able to eat another one.
A woman and her toddler are walking toward the restroom. I smile at the baby, who is grinning and trying to run but his little legs are unsteady. My eyes widen when the baby’s legs fold under him and he starts to fall face-first onto the ground. I reach out to catch him, but Kyle beats me to it. He scoops the baby up with one arm and hands him to his mother. She thanks him and walks into the bathroom.
I smile at Kyle. “What?” He doesn’t look up from his meal. I don’t say a word. I want him to look at me. He puts his fork down, his eyebrows arched, finally looking at me.
“You’re a hero.”
He laughs and shakes his head at me.
We finish our meal, stealing glances at each other. I’m just trying to figure him out, because I’m kind of confused. Is this a date? Okay, that’s stupid. I’m pregnant. What man wants a pregnant woman? No one, that’s for sure. Plus I’m hiding a shit-ton of stuff. I come with baggage on top of baggage, and not even the strongest man in the world can handle that.
“Ready to go?” he asks and throws down cash for the food.
“Yeah.” I slide to the edge of the booth, and he takes my hand and helps me out of the seat. “Thank you. Has anyone ever told you you’re a perfect gentleman, Kyle?”
He gives me a little side grin “Our secret, yeah?” he whispers like it’s the biggest secret in the world.