Page 3 of Fire

“Jesus, since you guys hooked up with your old ladies, you’re boring as hell.”

I frown, because that would mean Mr. Sexy is off the market while semi flirting with me.Asshole.

“Hey, Joe?”

“Yeah, Gracie?” he calls, stepping out of the kitchen door to stand behind the counter.

“Can we switch places for a bit?”

He stares at me as his gaze moves over the bikers. He frowns. Normally, the bikers we get in here are fine. We’ve had trouble out of the Feral Kings. These guys aren’t them, but I’m not comfortable, so I want Joe’s help. It’s something we’ve done before. He knows enough of my past to understand I get overwhelmed easily with men. He doesn’t mind because I can work the kitchen almost as good as him.

“Leg bothering you again?”

“Yeah,” I mutter, wishing he hadn’t brought that up.

“Go ahead, I got you covered.”

“Thanks, Joe,” I murmur, handing him my pad and pen.

I go to the kitchen, not looking back at the bikers. I’m going to concentrate on the orders I need to prepare. As I get to the kitchen, I pull the stool I use sometimes and set it in front of the griddle. I push all thoughts of Mr. Sexy away. He’s nothing but a player. That’s the last thing I need or want.

The very last thing.

2

FORD

I watch the waitress leave as a man comes over to finish taking our order. My men are around me talking, but I’m not really tuning in. My mind is on the woman who just disappeared into the kitchen area of the diner.

No, not woman.

Gracie. That doesn’t really fit her, though.Grace.She’s the epitome of that. Hell, she seems almost regal. She’s definitely too good for this place.Southern Gals Family Restaurant.It’s nice, with a quaint atmosphere, but my Grace shouldn’t be waiting tables.

Wait. My?Where the hell did that come from? I’ve been flying solo my whole life. I’ve never even had the urge to claim a woman. They only have one purpose, and I’m good with that. I have my daughter, Lyla, and now my grandbaby, Tamsin. Life is good. There’s no need to fuck it up now and with my experience, women always fuck shit up and make it complicated.

There’s something about her though. Something in her eyes that makes me feel protective. I have the strangest urge to take her in my arms and tell her she doesn’t need to worry anymore. I shake my head, trying to clear those thoughts. I sound insane.I don’t even know this woman. She’d probably call the law on me if I tried to hold her. That doesn’t change the urge to do so, however.

“You okay, Ford?”

I turn around to look at King. I have a feeling I’m going to lose him. He’s not totally decided, but I’m almost positive he’s planning on staying with the Saints. I think even that’s temporary, though. He’s drifting right now. I know he needs something different after the mess with his old lady, Shelby. I can’t blame him. King is a good man and hasn’t had the best of luck in life. Hell, life kicks us all in the balls at one point or another. King’s definitely had more than his fair share, though.

“Yeah, fine,” I lie. Squirrely is still being annoying, but he’s quietened down. I wanted to punch him in the fucking face for acting like a horny teen around Grace. The man can be stupid as shit sometimes. There’s a reason he’s been overlooked as an officer when one came open within the club. It’s frustrating as hell. He’s younger, but I’m beginning to wonder if he’ll ever grow up. Losing King will be a big hit. I have Grunt—who is sitting beside me—I trust him, but other than T, King is the only other one in the club. That’s kind of fucked up. I need to move our prospects up and find more good men to put around me. It was on my list, but then all hell broke loose with King and T’s family. I’ve found myself working with Dragon and the Savage Brothers MC once again. I used to not be able to stand the man, but the damn asshole is starting to grow on me.

We’re halfway through our meal before Grace comes back. I sense her right away—which sounds insane, but still true. She’s laughing and talking to some women in the corner. Her laugh is sweet to the ear and calming. This woman does things to me I’ve never experienced before. It’s so surprising that I find myself reluctant to leave. Watching as she walks back over to talk with the man in the kitchen, I decide to try to approach her one lasttime. I pick up my coffee cup and head over to the counter, without telling my men.

Grace turns around and I hate the guarded look on her face. I give her a smile trying to cajole her into relaxing. I’m pretty sure it has the opposite effect. “Can I get a refill?” I ask.

She wipes her hands against her black-and-white checkered apron and nods. “Sure thing,” she mumbles, reaching over for the coffeepot that’s on the burner of a double stacked unit. I slide my cup closer to her and she pours it in. “Sorry about that. I should have checked in on your table. I?—”

“You don’t have to apologize. Squirrely is an idiot. Some days, the boy makes me wonder why I let him be a member.”

Grace surprises me by smiling. “Maybe he’s just living up to his road name. It might change if you give him a better name.”

“I could change it to idiot. That fits better.”

“Maybe try Einstein,” she suggests.

“Now, that’s funny. You know, a lot of clubs do pick road names that are completely opposite from the man. When my dad ran the club, his vice president was a big motherfucker. I’m talking this son of a bitch could block out the sun when he stood in front of you.”

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