“I won’t lie. Tonight was amazing. Thank you for this.”
He squeezes my hand slightly, and I fight the urge to lean into him. I hardly know him; I can’t be this comfortable with him already.
“We could do it again.”
My stomach does a little flip as I think about that. Maybe dating won’t be so difficult after all. Not if Shark is so willing to be part of this—of all of this. Of my life. But isn’t this all a little too much, too fast?
“Look, I’m not opposed to having a friend or having fun or more nights like this. But… I can’t do more. I don’t have time. I have responsibilities, and no room in my life to add another responsibility. You can’t have expectations.”
He holds his hands up, and I miss his holding mine. “My only expectation is you taking care of yourself. If that means I come here every night for dinner and a movie, I’ll do it.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “Why? What are you getting out of this?”
“Other than the company of you? The most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen?” My cheeks heat and I duck my head again, but not for long. His hand is on my chin, making me look at him. It’s intense but… I don’t hate it. “I really like it when you look at me,” he says softly.
“Okay.” The word comes out a whisper.
“You are the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen. I mean that with everything in me, Cora. I’ve been wanting to ask you out for months.”
“Why didn’t you?” I ask, fighting to keep my breathing even.
He smirks, dropping his hand, but linking our fingers again.
“The club is busy. There was a lot going on over the last few months.”
Licking my lips, I take a second to catch my breath before speaking.
“I don’t know a thing about any of that. How does it all work? What’s the point?” His brow furrows. “I’m sorry, was that rude? I didn’t mean to be rude.”
He chuckles. “Not rude, just surprised. Most of the town knows who we are.”
“I mean, I knowwhoyou are. I’ve heard of the club, but that’s about all I know.” I gesture to the house. “I kind of live in a bubble over here.”
He smiles as he settles into the swing. The crickets chirp all around us, and a coyote howls off in the far distance. It’s a beautiful night. Don’t remember the last time I spent time out here, either. Not even by myself. Usually, when it’s quiet like this, I just want to sleep.
“Back in the 70s, a rival MC was causing problems for the townspeople, and our grandfathers rallied together to start the club and stand up for everyone in Pinehaven.”
“So that’s it? You just do it out of the goodness of your heart? Sorry, but that’s not exactly the image an MC has.”
He laughs at that, and I smile back. I’m glad he isn’t offended by my ignorance over it all.
“We all do it for our own reasons. Some out of obligation, some because they want to help the community. There’s brotherhood, loyalty, pride. There are so many reasons.”
“So why do you do it?”
“Pride, mostly. My father and I were close. This club was my dad’s life, and he raised me in it, taught me all the good things it can do. I’ve seen it through the years and kept it up. This town is home, and I want my home safe. Want the people to be happy.”
“Sounds noble.”
He shrugs. “I guess so. Don’t look at it that way, though.”
It falls silent for a few moments, and he kicks his feet off the porch, causing us to swing a little.
“So, Shark? Where did that come from?”
He groans. “Not sure you wanna know that.”
“Oh, I definitely want to know that,” I say excitedly.