Page 5 of Craving Her

As if on cue, I jerk up to see Izzy walking out of the kitchen and toward us. Izzy is a little younger than my mother and is definitely not a waitress. She bought this place about ten years ago, saying she needed something to keep her busy because herson was going off to college. Her husband works as a cook and is very good at it. It’s probably one of the main reasons the place is so popular.

“Hey, Izzy. What’s good tonight?” I ask as she comes over. I stand up and hug her, stretching across the counter.

“Frank has made open faced roast beef sandwiches for tonight’s special. They’re so good, you’d die for them. Probably his best to date.”

“Yum! Get me one and a sweet tea for the drink,” I practically purr.

“I guess I’ll have the same but give me a beer to drink. Whatever you have is fine,” Torin adds.

“Sure thing,” Izzy says and heads back to the kitchen. We’re the only ones here tonight, which is nice.

“Nice to know you’re a woman who will order real food and not a salad.”

I practically snort. “I like salads, too. I just usually like a steak after them.”

“My kind of woman,” he flirts.

“I aim to please,” I answer. It’s probably being silly, but as I stare into his eyes, I find myself hoping tonight never ends. I feel comfortable around Torin in a way that I’ve never felt in my life. I’m responding to him in ways that I don’t truly understand. I just know it feels …right.

“Trust me, Peaches. You’re doing that in spades.”

“What made you pledge for the Savage Brothers?” I ask him, truly interested. “Are you from around here?”

While I wait for his answer, I take a moment to really study him. Torin is so hot. He’s covered in ink. I can see it on his arms and his neck. They’re a mixture of words, tribal tatts, and symbols. They disappear under his T-shirt. I wish I could see them. He’s got dark brown eyes that seem to stare into my soul. His black hair is cut short, full of waves and curls. My fingersitch to run my fingers through it. His beard is a mixed salt and pepper. I don’t know why I find that sexy, but God, I do.

“I’m from Kentucky, but not here. I’m from Owensboro. I don’t have the best of stories, I guess. Traveled down south and stopped at the truck stop here in London. Met Dom and we seemed to hit it off. Even though I was older than the other prospects, I decided to give it a try. Dom seemed to think I was made for the life. Everything I’d been doing didn’t feel right. So, I stayed.”

“Now?” I ask, doing my best not to curl my nose at the mention of Dom. I don’t really like the man. I’d hate to have something to be grateful to him for. Still, if he’s the reason I met Torin, I guess I have no choice.

“I feel at home here. The brotherhood I’ve found is something I never knew I’d have. They’re my family.”

I nod. His words are similar to the ones that I’ve heard from Raze, one of Mattie’s closer friends in the club. “I’m glad you have that,” I tell him. I’m not lying, I mean it, but I can’t help but wish he wasn’t part of my father’s club. It would make things easier. I’m not stupid. I know that if Dad finds out about me seeing Torin, he will go nuts. I’ll have to handle this very carefully, I suppose. It will definitely be complicated. I need to keep who I am hidden—at least for a little while. I need time to get to know Torin and make sure what we’re feeling is real. Then, I can try to explain things to Torin. In the meantime, I need to make sure he won’t let Dad’s reaction scare him off. That’s going to take time. I let out a sigh. I’ll have to find some way to make sure he doesn’t hate me when he finds out that I’ve been hiding some big secrets from him …

Jesus, sometimes I wish I just had a normal family.

“Right now, I’m thinking my luck has turned around here in Kentucky,” Torin says, interrupting my thoughts.

“What do you mean?”

“Because I’ve met you,” he practically purrs as Izzy brings our food in.

“Thanks, Izzy,” I respond, clearing my throat because Torin is making me want to jump in his lap and claim him here and now.

“No worries. Is your mom doing better? Her office called, and she had to cancel her appointments last week.” Izzy blows her bangs out of her eyes and rubs her back while she stares at me. She mostly ignores Torin. I’m hoping that means she hasn’t listened to our private conversation. I don’t want her letting things slip to Mom.

“She’s fine. She’s getting over a nasty battle with covid. She goes back to work tomorrow,” I explain.

“That’s good. She’s one of the best doctors around. Told me you were going to follow in her footsteps.”

Joker turns to look at me and I can feel myself blush. While I enjoy being the focus of all his attention, I don’t necessarily like it because he’s learned something about me I wasn’t quite ready to share just yet.

“I’m planning on it,” I murmur.

“She’s very proud of you,” Izzy says, and I feel warmth spread through me. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. “You tell her I miss her. We never have ladies night anymore. We need to fix that.”

“I’ll tell her,” I answer, breathing a sigh of relief when she finally goes back into the kitchen.

“A doctor, huh? You sure you aren’t too good for me, Peaches?”

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