Page 41 of Eagle

We drove in silence on the highway. By the time he took the exit, I looked down and realized my ankles were crossed and my foot was wiggling out of control. Trying to keep it still, I slammed my feet to the floorboard and straightened in my seat.

“You alright?” he asked as he shifted gears.

My eyes drifted back to his hand on the gearshift. Such strong, yet nimble hands. A large tattoo covered his arm and parts of it traveled just past his wrist. I loved his tattoos. I loved his body. I–dammit.

“Lacy? Are you alright?”

“Yeah, just…long day.”

Staring out the window, I bit my lip. Being so close to him was hard. Why did he have this pull on me?

As we got closer to the little town, he turned down a different road. Looking around, I recognized some things from when Jeannie took me to the grocery store. Then, he pulled into a parking lot of a restaurant.

“Eagle, I thought we were just going to Jeannie’s?”

“We are, but I’m getting food.” He turned off the engine and hopped out, pulling his cut on as he walked around the truck. Instead of heading inside, he came around and opened my door.

For the first time since he picked me up, I looked at his face.

Gasping, I said, “Eagle, geezus.” I slipped from the truck and my hand flew to his face to inspect the wounds, but then I stepped back.

He grabbed my hand and put it back to his cheek. “You can touch me, Lacy.”

Sparks of electricity traveled from his skin to my chest. I should’ve pulled away, but I couldn’t. “Eagle,” I practically whispered.

His dark eyes drooped as he looked down at me. “Fuck, I miss your touch so much, Lacy.”

My heart thrummed in my chest. He licked his lips as he looked down at mine. But as he dropped his head closer, I finally snapped out of it and stepped back, pulling my hand away. “Maybe we should get the food.”

He ran his hands through his dark locks, then tucked it behind his ears, nodding in agreement.

He spun his keys on the key ring as we walked, and my eyes were still drawn to his hand. I wondered what I would do if he grabbed mine. Would I pull away, or let him take it? So much in a simple gesture. Yet, it was something I craved from him so badly. The small but intimate gesture of a hand hold.

Trying to get my mind off his perfectly sculpted paws, I asked, “Wait, why did I have to come with you to get carryout? I look like garbage.”

His face swung to mine and that boyish grin I adored so much flashed across his features. “If that’s garbage, then call me the fucking me trash man, baby.” His eyes lingered another second before he continued. “After what happened to Daisy, I’d never leave you in the cage alone.”

And like he could read my mind, his hand reached out. My willpower was shit, and mine reached out, fitting perfectly into his.

He squeezed but we kept walking inside after he opened the door for me.

The rich smell of hickory filled my nose as we stepped inside. It could be smelled outside, but it was potent in the restaurant.

Still holding my hand, he walked to the counter and pulled a menu out to look. An older woman with a silver bun on her head greeted us at the register. “Just two?”

“We need a to-go order actually, ma’am.” He looked up from the menu and smiled at her. “How about the family dinner and can we get some extra sweet sauce?”

The woman grinned. “Sure thing, hon. I’ll get that in. Give me about ten minutes.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

This seemed more like the Eagle I fell for. Charming and polite. But the reminder of who he was had me wondering what was going on. So he picked me up from work and held my hand? I had to stop letting my heart and lady bits keep running the show. But I told him we could talk, so I’d follow through.

We waited in the front. He didn’t let my hand go and stayed close to my side.

“Standing in here is making me hungry,” I said, hating the silence between us.

“We’ll fix that soon.” His thumb rubbed over the back of my hand, creating invisible sparks with each stroke.

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