Page 23 of Big Red

“Now, why did you order a salad? You were looking at that menu the same way you look at me, and I know a salad wasn’t the cause of that.”

“And exactly how do I look at you?”

“Like you want to devour me.”

My mouth drops open, and he releases a big belly laugh. “Don’t worry, baby. The feeling is mutual.” He waves Maria over. She approaches with her pen and pad in hand.

“I’ll take a sweet tea with the Western Cowboy Burger. Can they grill the jalapeños and mushrooms with the onions?”

“Sure, that’s no problem. Would you like the single or double and fries or onion rings with that?”

“Single and the onion rings.”

When I’m done, Red nods his head with approval. “I’ll take the same thing, Maria, but make mine a double.”

Maria collects the menus and walks away. It’s not long before our food arrives, and we eat in comfortable silence. Red couldn’t get me to talk even if he wanted to. This burger is everything that I thought it would be.

After we finish our meal, I pull out a pack of gum. I hate that after-onion taste. Plus, Red has a habit of being in my personal space, and I don’t need my breathing reeking. I offer one to Red and he takes it. We get up to leave, and Red places two twenties on the table. We’re walking hand in hand across the parking lot when I hear a voice that makes my blood run cold.

“Alice.”

Red quickly turns around, placing me behind him. I peek around Red and gulp. Declan looks possessed. Even with his broken arm that is still in a cast and sling, he looks ready to kill me right here and now. Red never takes his eyes off Declan. When he takes a step toward us, Red speaks up.

“Careful. Don’t forget the cameras. Be glad she’s here because if she wasn’t, I would be sending you to meet yourmaker. I don’t know why you’re here and I don’t care. If you don’t want to take another trip to the hospital, then you had better wise up and leave this one alone. Fucking with her ain’t good for your health.”

My heart is doing somersaults, hearing him defend me. The tone in his voice left no doubt he meant every word.

“That’s my wife!” Declan snaps, causing me to jump. I latch onto Red’s arm, seeking comfort. When Declan sees that, he loses it. “Bitch, you just wait till I get my hands on you. You think this filthy fucking biker really wants your fat ass. He’s going to use you up and toss your ass to the side just like they did Savannah. And when they do, your ass is going to pay. I’ll make sure you remember who the fuck you belong to.”

When Red moves toward him, he quickly turns around and speed walks to his car. As soon as he’s inside his vehicle, he burns rubber out of the lot. As strong as I have been, the panic sets in. What if he’s right? I heard Declan and Vincent talk about Savannah hundreds of times. She was sleeping with Viper the day Declan caught her. When Declan told Savannah they were leaving, she told him no, that she was in love with Viper, and they were going to be together. Apparently, they were on two different pages because Viper made her get dressed, leave the clubhouse, and banned her.

My chest is rising and falling so fast. I’m finding it harder and harder to breathe. My vision is blurring, and I feel lightheaded. Red’s hands frame my face, bringing my blurry sight to him.

“Breathe, kitten. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

I hear him, but my brain has been scrambled and I don’t know if I believe him. I’m on the verge of a panic attack. My hands shake as I try and pull from his grasp.

“Kitten. Look at me. Baby, you have to calm down. You’re about to?—”

Red abruptly stops speaking, and the next thing I know, his lips are on mine.

Wait. What?

Anything that was on my mind two seconds ago isn’t even a factor right now. I can’t focus on anything other than his incredibly soft lips. Whatever IthoughtI knew about kissing has been blown to pieces.

He runs his tongue across my lips, causing me to gasp, and then he goes in for the kill. Twirling his tongue with mine, a tiny moan slips from me. I clutch his shirt in my hands, holding on for the ride he takes me on. Wrapping a hand around my neck, he angles my head to kiss me deeper. Groaning into the kiss, he brings my body against his, and I melt right there in the middle of this parking lot.

I don’t know how we manage kissing like this with gum in our mouths, but I don’t want it to stop. I could sit here all day, feeling his lips on mine. Red gives my lip a nibble before pulling away. We’re both panting, breathing each other in.

“Listen to me. You are not Savannah. You are two completely different people with different situations. I don’t know what’s happening between us, but I can tell you I have no plans on letting you go. You hear me?”

I nod my head, and he pulls away from me. Grabbing my hand, he leads me to the truck. Once Red pulls away from the diner, he calls Chains and lets him know we won’t be returning for the day. I don’t argue. After everything that just happened, I want to go home.

As we head back to the clubhouse, I wonder if I made a mistake putting all my eggs in one basket. Maybe I need a backup plan. I don’t know if the club would really leave me out defenseless against Declan. I don’t know if the help is only for a certain amount of time. The only thing I do know is hell will freeze over before I ever find myself in Declan's hands again.

Chapter Ten

BIG RED

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