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Chapter Fourteen

ARIEL

I t’s been three days since that creepy stranger showed up outside my bedroom window and Chomp busted down the door to save me. Every night since he’s been sleeping in my bed with me, holding me close, and I’ve never felt safer. But still, lingering in the back of my mind, is the thought that this man will show up again. Maybe he’s waiting for me to be alone, or he’s looking for the right moment to terrorize me again. I keep looking over my shoulder, and I know it worries my gator protector.

Since Chomp had a tour this morning, I stayed at Chelle’s so I could get my laundry done and clean my room. Peanut and Kong, two of the club’s enforcers, are outside keeping watch over the house. I giggle because when Peanut introduced himself, he had a huge five-pound bag of peanuts cradled in his arms. Kong yelled at him because he said that anyone with a lick of sense in their head would know the house was being watched since Peanut tends to toss the shells wherever he wants. So now, he has a plastic bag around his wrist, and he’s been throwing the trash in the bag.

“They’re so silly,” I mutter as I put on a clean fitted sheet. I’m glad Callie talked me into buying two sets of sheets. While one is washing, I can make the bed and take care of one of the chores on my list. “Who makes this shit?” I ask out loud when I realize the sheet isn’t correct; I have the short sides on the long end. Sighing, I fix it then quickly put it on, grab the flat sheet and get it just so, before I add the blanket and the comforter. “Hmm, maybe no blanket this time.”

Chomp’s animal may be a gator, but he’s remarkably hot-blooded, and I typically wake up sweaty. Tossing the blanket to the side, I arrange the comforter then add the shams and the pillows. Satisfied that the bed is now done, I fold the blanket and put it in the bottom drawer of the hutch.

“Now the plants.” I nod to myself as I grab the watering can that the guys remembered to bring, head to the bathroom and fill it up with water before I start that task. As I fill the planters, I remove any dead leaves. “Hmm, looks like you’re going to be blooming soon,” I tell the spider plant that hangs in the corner.

While I’m not a fan of living spiders, I love the plant. Seeing all the blooms that pop up makes me happy; it was one of my mom’s favorite plants which is why I have several of them. I notice that Chomp put up one of those hooks that don’t leave marks when they’re removed from surfaces so that my ivy can start trailing up the wall. He’s so considerate toward me and I find myself falling a little more in like with him every day.

I refuse to even think about the other ‘L’ word right now. Yep. Not happening. Once all the plants have been taken care of, I look at my phone and see I’ve only got an hour or so before Chomp gets here. Our plans today include eating, which has me snickering out loud because it feels like we’re always eating, then going to the grocery store to ‘restock’ as Chomp says since he has a high metabolism. I have noticed that I’ve started to gain some of the weight that I lost due to Perry’s mistreatment of me, so I’m not going to complain too much.

Not only is Chomp easy on the eyes, but he’s a dream in the kitchen. He takes ordinary meals and makes them extraordinary. I wish he was able to have his dream of owning a restaurant come to fruition. Or at least being a part of it in some way. I’ll have to think on it since I want to repay him for his kindness.

“I’ll just swap the laundry really quick, then grab a shower so I’m ready to go when he gets here.” Since Chelle is working, I’m by myself so talking out loud keeps me from freaking out too much. It’s an old habit I developed after my mom’s passing since it makes me feel less alone. Although, lately, I don’t do it as often. That has everything to do with a certain gator shifter. “Chomp is so sweet and cuddly for a toothy beast.”

I finish my chores and once everything is just how I like it, I go take a shower. For some reason, I debate what I’m going to wear and nervous butterflies flutter in my belly. I don’t linger on the reason, but stand in my bra and panties, sifting through my closet. My hair and makeup are all done, and I smile, hoping Chomp appreciates my effort.

Choosing a long maxi style dress in a pale green with a light pattern of ivy in the background, I slip on a pair of sandals and glance at my reflection. There’s just something about the color green. “Trees. Plants. Nature,” I whisper. Alligators , I mentally add. They’re all reasons I love it.

You’d think the scary, scaly chomper would make me afraid, but not for a long time now. Not since the night when Chomp’s gator rescued me. Now, I’ve become used to the creature and the man, and I’m growing fond of my protectors.

I’m just fluffing my hair and applying lip gloss when I hear the doorbell ring. A bright smile curls my lips because Chomp insists on being a gentleman, even if he’s sleeping here every night. I nearly skip to the door, unable to hold back my grin when I open it.

Chomp’s eyes widen as he takes me in, dragging his gaze from my feet, slowly upward, caressing every inch of my body before they finally settle on my face. There’s a sweet smile but no denying the hunger he’s trying to hold back. We might never be more than anything besides friends, and since I don’t want to entertain taking things to the next level yet, it’s still undetermined, but I like knowing that he’s attracted to me. If nothing else, it makes me feel good since compliments are something I never heard from Perry.

“Wow,” Chomp finally gushes, “You look beautiful, Ariel.”

“Thanks.” I pause, taking in his clean clothes and damp hair. He went home and showered first before meeting up with me. It looks like I’m not the only one entertaining the idea of a real date.

Chomp holds out his arm. “Ready? It’s a lovely walk to the restaurant.”

I step outside and lock up the house, tossing the key inside the little cross body purse I’m wearing before I slip my hand around Chomp’s bicep. He’s right. It’s a gorgeous evening and the fading sunlight is the perfect backdrop to the mountains in the distance.

“You feel like anything in particular for dinner?”

“Not really. I’m just hungry,” I admit. I should have eaten something, but I was too busy with picking up the house and keeping it clean while I had the time. Plus, I feel obligated to show I’m a good roommate to Chelle, so she’ll want to keep me around. Not that she’s really home all that much; she spends most of her time either at work or with her boyfriend. It’s almost like I live alone, and the occasional solitude is helping me to slowly heal.

“Want to go to the diner then?” he asks. “The club just became silent partners with Maggie in order to keep it open.”

I’m not sure if he should be telling me something that sounds like club business. Callie told me that stuff like that is usually only known to the brothers. Still, she did admit that Kodiak shares a lot with her, so I suspect it might be a mate thing.

“Really? I can’t believe they almost closed down. The food is really good and plentiful,” I reply.

“Apparently, some of Maggie’s suppliers were raking her over the coals with their prices,” he tells me, a snarl on his handsome face. That’s something I’ve noticed about all of the brothers I’ve met so far. They are very protective of females, even if they’re not their mates. It makes me feel cared for and included, something I haven’t experienced since my mom died. “We’ve found new suppliers for her fresh produce and vegetables, as well as the meats.”

“I’m sure that’ll help.”

“We believe so. Maggie’s place has been around since her grandmother opened it nearly sixty years ago. We’re not going to let it close down. Spike says we just need to think of new ways to get customers inside besides the dinner and breakfast rushes. Lunch is somewhat steady but it’s the weekends things are a little slow.”

“What if you did something special on the weekends? Like a Saturday buffet and Sunday brunch? Draw in those customers with the idea of a theme like down home cookin’?” I ask, remembering how my mom used to say that comfort food is the way to anyone’s heart, not just men. Everyone likes a good hearty meal.

Chomp blinks in surprise. “Wow, that’s an amazing idea. I’ll run it by Spike and see if he wants to speak to Maggie about it.”

We arrive at the diner, and we’re seated, soon eating those comfort foods I thought about earlier. The waitress sets down a plate of country fried steak, gravy, and mashed potatoes in front of me in addition to the salad I ordered. All that’s missing is my mother’s homemade green beans with bacon and onions. She used to cook them in the crockpot for hours in chicken broth and seasonings until they were tender and full of flavor. I still miss them. Luckily, I have her recipe. Actually, I’ve got her cookbook. She jotted down every recipe she loved by hand and added pictures, so it was more like a photo album than a cookbook. It’s one of the things Chomp brought back. They managed to find it on a shelf in an old closet. Perry took it away six months ago when we had a fight. I thought he burned or threw it away. I’m so happy to be wrong.

Chomp is chowing on meatloaf, macaroni and cheese, warm rolls with butter, and corn on the cob. He seems to enjoy every bite. I’m still amazed at how much he can eat. Heck, how much all of his brothers eat! Callie and I eat normal portions while the men pile on the protein then eat the sides, almost as an afterthought.

I dab at my mouth with a napkin, pushing the plate toward him. “I’m full. Want the rest?”

He grins at me then pulls my plate closer before he finishes what I didn’t eat. When he raises his hand for the waitress, I assume he’s wanting our check. Nope. He proceeds to order dessert as I roll my eyes, which causes him to laugh.

“I’m a growing boy, what can I say?” he teases, smirking at me. “Besides, whatever we can’t eat, we’ll run by the house because we’re going to need the truck to get groceries.”

He’s not wrong about that one at all. The waitress grins as she takes his dessert order to the kitchen. I know there’s absolutely no way I’ll be able to eat any of it, but when she comes out with the tray, and I see there’s a piece of chocolate cake I look at him and grin. “There’s always room for chocolate, Chomp.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” We eat what we can then he looks at me and says, “I’ll be right back. I’ll get our server to bring over some to-go boxes.”

“Okay,” I reply, stacking the empty plates by size, then putting what’s left of the desserts on one plate. I’m not so picky that my food can’t touch, and so far, I haven’t seen Chomp push any food away, so it really doesn’t matter that the pie is touching the cake.

While he’s gone, I feel the hair on the nape of my neck stand up straight, as if someone’s watching me. Carefully, I turn my head like I used to do when I lived with Perry and glance around the room with my peripheral vision. Seeing someone glaring at me through the window of the diner who is a dead ringer for Perry has sweat breaking out all over my body as my breath stutters in my chest.

How is this possible?