Page 54 of Eagle

I drove us to a steakhouse closer to our side of town and helped her out. Grabbing her hand, I stopped and stepped in front of her. Raking my eyes over her, I licked my lips. “You really look beautiful, Lacy.” She was wearing a blue sundress with white polka dots and spaghetti straps. The dress hugged her breasts and waist then flared out, flowing from the breeze coming off the road.

She did a little pose with her free hand on her hip. “You like it?”

I stared at her like an idiot, taking in her perfection.

“Eagle? You alright?”

“I am now. Let’s go inside, doll.”

The restaurant was dimly lit with plenty of booths with backs that went to the ceiling. I hadn’t been here in a long time but remembered it to be a private dining experience, thanks to the setup of the dining room and tables.

The host sat us quickly in a booth near the back. A server was there almost immediately to take our drink orders. “Just sweet tea for me,” I answered.

“Diet soda for me.”

The man with a black dress pants and a black vest over awhite button up smiled and hustled off.

“I noticed the sodas in the truck. You drinking those now?” she asked.

“No. Your fridge seemed a little low.”

“I noticed other things, too,” she said with a smirk.

“Once wasn’t enough.”

I was watching her as her chest started to pinken, loving the way I affected her, when the server came back with our drinks and some bread. I dismissed him since we hadn’t looked at the menus. She grabbed hers so I picked up mine and looked it over.

We quietly decided on our meal and I waved over our server. He collected our orders, both ribeyes cooked medium with loaded potatoes and salad, then rushed away again.

I put my hand on the table, palm up, and she put hers into it. I brushed my thumb over the back of her hand, then looked up at her. “Lacy, I know you’re still sorting out feelings, but I need to talk to you.”

She straightened in her seat but didn’t pull her hand away. “Well that doesn’t sound good.”

“It’s just…we still got a lot going on with the club and I can’t always be there, even if I want to be.”

Her brow creased. “Okayyy…”

“I need to know if you’re okay with that. That you understand.”

She gave a humorless laugh. “Eagle, I never had a problem with club business. I had a little knowledge of club life, but not firsthand. And I learned a lot from Mama Hen and the bunnies. That was never an issue.”

“I’m glad. But I still need to know you understand how important you are to me. And I’d always be there if I could.Especially now.”

She squeezed my hand. “I’m not going to bolt just because you take off at weird hours and come back in a questionable state.”

“Then why won’t you come back to the clubhouse?”

She sat up straighter, her grip loosening but I squeezed so she couldn’t let my hand go. She let out a heavy sigh. “I appreciate the effort you’re putting in, but it’s only been a few days, Eagle. You can’t expect me to forget everything.”

“I get it. I just can’t be with you all the time and you’d be safer there.”

“I’m perfectly safe at Jeannie’s.”

My jaw ticked for a beat then I said, “Nothing is safer than the clubhouse. And I want you there.” I didn’t want to scare her, and there was some stuff I couldn’t tell her.

“I’d be lying if I didn’t say I missed it, but I’m scared I’ll go back too soon and things will be just like they were.”

“I can’t go back to that, Lacy. I’ll never take you for granted again. I won’t be able to ignore you or shut you out. Once I admitted to myself you were everything, you’ve consumed me fully. It’s probably selfish. You deserve better than me but I can’t live that way. I can’t live without you.”

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