Page 10

Chapter ten

Mia

“S o basically, you’re telling me all your teenage fantasies have come to life, and I’m going home to make Colby mac and cheese with a side of carrots because his favorite color is orange, so naturally, he only wants to eat orange things,” Maizie says as we’re having a cup of late afternoon coffee.

“Tell him he’ll turn orange if he doesn’t eat anything else,” I suggest.

“If that were a deterrent, believe me, I’d do it.”

I met Maizie at Cool Beans after her day shift at the bar. She had a couple minutes, and I needed a friendly face. I got squeezed in for a last-minute wax and had a little extra time for a manicure and pedicure. And I’ve been freaking the hell out all day.

“It’s ridiculous for me to be nervous, right? It’s not like this is some blind date. I know Knox. I’ve kissed Knox.” And I’m getting warm in certain places just thinking about it. For how rough his hands were against my skin, his lips were incredibly soft and tasted better than anything I could have imagined.

“I get it, hon. It’s not every day you get asked out by your high school crush who has aged like a fine whiskey.”

“True. I’m probably making too big of a deal out of this, though. It’s only our first date. We may have nothing to talk about and realize the only thing we have in common is this insane attraction.”

Maizie arches her brow. “Do you honestly believe that?”

“No. I think I’m trying to talk it down a little so I don’t get my hopes up to be let down.”

“And I think you must have had some really shitty luck with men if that’s how you psych yourself up for a date.”

“You wouldn’t be wrong.”

“Listen up, my gorgeous friend who wears a red polish like no one’s business. Knox is beyond lucky that you agreed to go out with him. You’re putting up walls before anything even happens. Believe me, I get the disappointment that can come from falling for your high school crush’s charm, but that doesn’t mean you should be talking yourself out of something great before you give it a chance.”

“I guess I’m scared to go all in if this turns out to be nothing more than a nice dinner.”

“Somehow, I very much doubt that’s all it will be.”

When I get home, there’s something sitting on my front porch. I get out of my car and walk up the little walkway, bending down to pick up the gorgeous flower arrangement of white tulips. There’s no card, but I can only imagine one person who would be sending me flowers today. A broad smile stretches across my face as I walk in my front door and set the flowers on my kitchen counter. Now I wonder if the flowers I found on my car were actually meant for me. Maybe Knox has been slowly dipping his toe into this whole dating thing, but he wasn’t ready to come out and say anything. I kind of like the idea that he’s been my secret admirer or something silly and cute like that.

Wow, cute and Knox aren’t two words I’d ever thought would be used in the same sentence.

“You aren’t half-bad with the whole wooing thing. I’ll give you that,” I say in an empty room. If Knox wants to spoil me with flowers and dinners, who am I to say no?

Looking at the time, I realize there’re only about thirty minutes left before Knox is supposed to be here. As I rush around doing a little picking up, touching up my makeup, and getting dressed, I blast one of my favorite bands through the Bluetooth speaker I have set up in my living room. It’s still chilly when the sun goes down, so I’ve paired my tight leather pants that I’ve always been hesitant to wear with a longer off-the-shoulder sweater.

It’s not often I get dressed up to do much. If I’m having drinks with the girls, I’m usually coming from work. Every once in a while, I’ll wear something cute to a party at the clubhouse, but I rarely go to those. Nope, my days are usually spent in what Lucy likes to call my librarian uniform, but I think it makes me look a little more, I don’t know…grown-up? Being on the shorter side and still looking like I can pass as a college student would be great—if I weren’t working around teenagers. I remember being terrified of the old librarian, but we all knew no shenanigans were going to happen with her around. I don’t exactly have the same intimidating presence, so I have to use whatever I can to my advantage.

I walk out of my bedroom, belting out the lyrics to the song that’s playing, and shriek when I see a tall man standing in my doorway.

“Sorry, I tried to knock,” Knox hollers over the loud music.

I run over to the speaker and turn the music down so neither of us has to yell as heat envelops my entire body. I’m pretty sure that when I turn around, my face is the color of the bright-red nail polish I had done this morning.

“You look beautiful,” Knox says, his eyes trailing over my body.

“So do you.” He smirks, and now it’s not only embarrassment running through my body. “I mean handsome. You look very handsome.”

Knox is freshly shaved and wearing a midnight-blue plaid flannel, which makes his eyes even brighter than usual, and he’s paired it with a heavy leather jacket and black jeans. God, the way his pants mold to his strong, long legs is the best jean porn out there—if that’s actually a thing. And if it’s not, it should be. Having him in my house and ready to take me on a date is so surreal and something I never thought would happen. A very girlish giggle threatens to erupt from my throat, but I keep myself contained. Barely.

“What's in the bag?” I ask, walking into the kitchen to grab my purse.

“Something you’re going to be getting some use out of,” Knox says, walking over to the small counter and placing the bag next to the flowers. “These are pretty.”

I smile in his direction. “They are. I love fresh flowers.”

When Knox bends to swipe an innocent kiss over my lips, it’s all I can do not to throw myself at him. Screw the dinner. I want more of this.

He pulls away all too soon and nods toward the bag. “Open it.”

A shy smile spreads across my face. I’ve never had someone bring me gifts, or even flowers, on a first date. For supposedly never having a serious relationship before, this man is knocking it out of the park.

“Lucy helped me pick it out,” he says as I pull a black leather moto jacket from the bag. It’s a simple design with a band collar and brass-colored snaps, but the leather feels buttery soft as I run my fingertips over it.

“Figured you’d prefer this over borrowing my mom’s every time we go on a ride.”

“I love it,” I say, unzipping the jacket to try it on. When I slide the jacket on and zip it up, I place my hands on my hips and give Knox a bright smile. “How do I look?”

“Like I waited too damn long to take you out on my bike,” he says, his appreciative gaze once again sliding over me. Considering two days ago I felt awkward over any sort of attention this man gave me, I’ve certainly become comfortable under his appraisal. I guess a drunken night of confessions is all I needed.

“Come on,” he says. “Let’s get going. I have another gift for you on my bike.”

“I didn’t take you for the whole spoiling-your-date type,” I joke as I grab my purse and keys and lead us to the front door.

“Trust me, no one’s more surprised than me,” he says in that growly voice that makes my damn knees weak.

After locking my door, we head toward his bike that’s parked next to my car. There’s something about seeing his motorcycle there that warms me. For so long I’ve wanted to be the girl who he came to pick up. I used to fantasize about it when I was a teenager and would see him riding around town. I was desperate to know what it would be like to have my arms wrapped around his waist as we sped through the streets of Shine. Now I know, and I’d be lying if I didn’t say it was just as good, if not better, than any fantasy I conjured.

He takes my purse from me and puts it in his saddlebag, then hands me a different helmet than the one I was wearing yesterday.

“Figured if you were going to be on my bike, you should have a helmet of your own, too.”

He’s wearing a smile, but there’s a touch of nerves in his blue eyes.

I put on the black helmet with a bit of sparkle that reflects off the light from my porch. “I love it. Seriously, if you keep spoiling me like this, you’re going to make it impossible for anyone else to rise to the bar you’ve set so far tonight.”

He chuckles and helps me with the strap. That’s something I noticed yesterday, Knox’s attention to detail and making sure I’m comfortable and safe.

“Well, that’s kind of the point, sweetheart.”

“Big words for a first date,” I tease.

“I want to make sure we’re on the same page here, Mia. This may be the first, but it’s not the last. Not by a long shot.”

He bends and kisses me again before lowering the visor on the helmet.

Damn him and his sweet words in that deep voice that has always made tingles shoot through me.

He gets on his bike, and I use his shoulders to keep me steady as I climb on behind him.

When he eases away from my car and gets to the road in front of the property, he opens up the throttle like he did yesterday. And just like yesterday, another excited giggle escapes. I feel his chest vibrate with laughter as his hand strokes over mine that are connected at his waist, squeezing for a moment before settling. Though I'm pressed against him from my chest to my thighs, that one caress of our hands feels more intimate than anything else. His touch is reassuring and thrilling at the same time. Like he plucked one of my girlish imaginings from my head and is making it a reality. And I really fucking like it.

We pull into the parking lot of a restaurant about twenty minutes from Shine. I love my little town, but the options for a romantic dinner date are limited to one restaurant. Thankfully, there are plenty of places around us in neighboring towns that aren’t far. And if we can get there on his bike, I’m all for it.

Knox parks, and I slide off while he removes his helmet. When I lift mine from my head, my smile is beaming with excitement.

“I think I’m addicted to riding,” I tell him as he stands from his bike and takes my helmet from me, setting both on the seat.

“Yeah?” His fingers swipe a few strands of hair from my forehead that came loose from the helmet. “So my master plan is working.”

“Master plan?”

“Yes, it’s very devious. Get you addicted to riding, then to me. And I’m already halfway there.”

He tosses me a wink, then bends, giving me a quick kiss on the mouth before grabbing my hand and leading me inside the dimly lit restaurant. Knox gives the hostess his name, and she leads us to a table toward the back. The man made reservations. I repeat, the man made reservations. Knox thought ahead, didn’t depend on me to take care of where we were going to eat dinner, basically took the control out of my hands so all I had to do was show up. Either the bar has been set ridiculously low in my head or he’s just really good at this wooing thing, Probably a little bit of both.

“I’ve never been here before,” I say, looking around the room. Each table is topped with low candles in thick white glass holders sitting on black tablecloths. The dark gray walls with wood beams running along the high ceilings and the large hanging industrial lights give the restaurant a cool but elevated feel.

“First for me, too,” he says. “But I figured it was a step up from the diner.”

“I happen to like that little diner.”

Knox smiles. “That’ll be our second date, then,” he says as the waiter comes to get our drink order. Knox orders me a glass of red wine and himself a beer.

“How did you know that’s what I wanted?”

“I’ve seen the bottles you and the girls toss back, so I figured it was a good guess. If you want something else, just say the word.”

I shake my head and don’t even try to hide my smile. “No. It’s nice to have someone take care of things for me. That happens all of never in my life. And I really like the idea that you’ve been paying attention.” My nose scrunches when I worry that I’ve said too much.

Knox has made it clear that he’s all in on…whatever this is, but I’m not quite ready to trust it. It’s almost too good to be true, and the last thing I want is to be let down. I have a feeling if that ever happened with the man sitting across from me, it would hurt more than all of my past relationships combined.

“Sweetheart, I've been paying attention since you came back to town. If we hadn’t had the shit going on this last year that we did, I would have asked you out a lot sooner.”

“I’m no expert on motorcycle clubs, but doesn’t it stand to reason that whatever happened last year could happen again? What changed your mind?” And are you going to change it back? I think to myself, but don’t have the courage to ask out loud.

The waiter comes back with our drinks and sets them in front of us. “Are you ready to order, or would you like a few minutes to look over the menus?”

Knox’s gaze doesn’t leave mine as he answers that we need a little more time.

“There was shit I had to work through in my head, Mia. It was a dangerous time, and I was scared because it seemed like the women were in the cross fire too much. But if you want full honesty, I was scared that you would look at me like all the other girls from high school. Or that I would be tarnishing you somehow. I’m not an accountant or a banker who comes home at six o’clock on the dot. That’s not the life I lead, and it never will be. Sometimes I worry that you’re too clean, too sweet for this life.” Knox exhales a deep breath and the urge to somehow comfort him is strong. Instead, I sit quietly and let him continue because he needs to get this out. “I’m not clean, Mia. Being in the club, it means I’m a criminal, and I never want that to touch you. Honestly, I don’t know how my brothers don’t keep their women under lock and key.”

Laughter bubbles from me. “Yeah, I don’t really see that working with Lucy. Or Charlie or Freya, now that I think about it,” I say, tilting my head to the side.

He laughs with me and leans back in his chair. “Yeah, you’re probably right about that.”

“Knox, if I wanted an accountant or lawyer or banker, I’m sure there are plenty of men my parents could set me up with. Hell, I’ve dated a couple, and I can tell you one thing”—I take a fortifying sip of my wine—“not a single one of them made me feel half the things I do when I’m around you. I never felt nervous around them because I wasn't excited to be around them. Imagine going your entire adult life without ever being as excited as you are with the man you’ve had a crush on since you were old enough to fantasize about kissing a boy. You barely knew who I was in high school, but I felt more for you than I ever did with any of those other guys.” Jesus Mia, for being cautious about going all in, you sure are giving him a lot of information he never asked for.

Knox gets up from his seat, walks to my side of the table, and sits next to me. His hand gently cups the side of my neck before he leans in for a soft but firm kiss.

I'm breathless when he finally pulls away. “What was that for?”

Knox smiles and leans his forehead against mine. “Just something I needed to do.”

He gets up and walks back over to his chair, and the waiter comes back again. God, this guy is probably getting so annoyed with us.

“Have you made your selections?” the waiter asks.

Knox chuckles, his mind probably going to the same place as mine. “I’ll have a medium-rare steak.” He looks at me, waiting for me to order.

“Sounds delicious.”

He looks back at the waiter and tells him I’ll have the same, letting the poor guy do his job.

“You want to know what I think?” I ask.

“All the time,” he says without any hesitation.

I smile at his answer. “I think you’re so focused on taking care of everyone else you haven’t let yourself be taken care of. Or even allowed yourself to want to be taken care of.”

“I don’t need you to do that for me, sweetheart.”

“No, you don’t need it. But you spent so much time being the dirty secret of the girls in school, you never had someone on your arm who was proud to be there. I think you may have decided to hide behind that and decided it wasn’t something you needed.”

Knox arches his brow. “You seem to be speaking from experience a little there.”

My head tilts back and forth as I consider what he said. “A little. Or a lot.” I release a light laugh. “I’ve never had someone make reservations for dinner, buy me a jacket because they wanted me to ride with them, or order me my favorite red wine. No one has ever paid enough attention to those details except for me. It’s nice being the one who doesn't have to plan and be in control at every turn. I think that’s why I like riding with you so much. You have control, and I know I’m safe.”

“You always will be with me.”

“And I actually believe you when you say that. So, believe me when I say this, I’m so damn proud to be here with you. I’m fucking thrilled you asked me out even after the puke incident of the century, and there’s nowhere else I’d rather be than on your arm.”

A look crosses his face that I've never seen before, but if I had to guess, I’d say he looks impressed, maybe even a little awed.

“Goddamn, Mia.” His eyes fall to the table for a moment before he meets my gaze again, holding it with intention, as though he needs me to really hear him. “You fucking amaze me.”

“Right back at you.” I smile and clink my wineglass against his beer bottle, throwing in a little wink for good measure. The laughter that erupts from him brings a wide smile to my face.

“What am I going to do with you?” he asks while shaking his head, his smile beaming toward me from across the table.

I can think of a few things.