Page 8 of Mac
"Sounds good.I'll meet you there."She slid out of the booth and turned for the bathroom, wondering again if he could read her mind or if she was just that obvious.
CHAPTER7
Elyse sat astride the motorcycle, her arms loosely wrapped around her neighbor as he maneuvered through traffic, which had picked up since their first trip.He drove the two wheeled vehicle with as much ease and comfort as she drove her own four-wheeled car.She didn't know if she'd be as capable.Either way, she had no trouble enjoying the ride and the feel of the wind on her face as they quickly approached their homes.
He pulled into his driveway and killed the engine.She stepped off the bike, surprising herself that she didn't stumble or fall flat on her face.
"Thanks again," she said as she slipped the borrowed helmet off her head."Like I said before, that was really good.I'm glad you invited me."
"Me too."He slipped the helmet off his own head then stepped off the bike, leaving it sitting in the driveway.He put the helmet on the seat like he always did then took hers and put it beside his."I'm glad you had time to come out with me this morning.The food is good, but it always tastes better when I share it with someone I like."He watched her to see how she reacted to that little bombshell.
Her eyes widened slightly but she didn't step away or worse, run far and fast.
She glanced up at the sun, then checked her watch."I'm sorry to have to do this, but I've got to run.I've got chores and I have to go into work and deal with a staff member on top of it."She sighed and shook her head."Not how I wanted to spend my Saturday but when duty calls, someone has to answer."
Mac grinned."I get it.I've had to do it too, more than once."He shook his head then nodded toward her house."Go ahead, do what you've got to do.You know where I live when you want someone to talk to."He winked at her and watched as she headed inside.He couldn't resist the urge to watch her ass sway as she walked away.It made him want to grab it and hold on tight.He fisted his hands and turned and went inside.The last thing she needed was a dirty, grouchy old mechanic chasing after her.
Mac took care of some household chores.Some of it he didn't mind but he hated doing dishes.Laundry wasn't his favorite thing, but it was better than dishes, which was a big part of why he ate out so often and when he did eat at home, he used paper plates, just to keep from having to was them.He couldn't totally eliminate dishes though.As much as he hated dishes, he hated plastic utensils more.
By three that afternoon he'd finished everything he could think of doing at the house and was going out of his mind with boredom.Damn.He'd wanted to spend a weekend on his own.A weekend without having to run some errand or pull guard duty for some bit of scum the club was dealing with this week.Now he realized that his brothers were the only family he had.They were more than just his family, they were his friends and without them, he was bored.
Damn.He needed something more than just the club and his brothers in his life.Maybe like that hot little woman next door.She made him want more out of life than he'd wanted for most of his life.Or maybe that had come from watching his brothers as they'd started finding women who accepted them for who they were, and the Souls for what they appeared to be.Maybe that was what had made him question his life and what was waiting at home for him — nothing.
Maybe what he really needed was a pet.Someone, or something, waiting for him at home.Mac tilted his head as he thought about what kind of pet he would like to have.A dog?Someone all happy to see him every time he walked in the door?The idea of a puppy that needed training and an abundance of attention.The idea didn't appeal to him.
He could get a cat...he liked the idea of a cat.they were independent and if he played his cards right, he could have one that went outside to do his business and Mac wouldn't get stuck cleaning a litter box.Because the last thing he wanted from a pet was to have to scoop his shit all the time.The idea of a cat, especially one that went out on its own was appealing but he'd have to give the idea more thought.He didn't do anything on a whim.No.He was one of those that had to think and re-think everything.
Mac stepped out on his back porch and looked around.The grass back here didn't need cutting, but the flowers were looking a little sad, so he grabbed a hose and watered them, wondering for a moment what his brothers would say if they saw him here, now.Babying his yard, or when he'd been down in the dirt planting these same flowers.Would they rib him?Sure.But some of them would understand.He had no doubt most of them, at least the brothers who had been around more than a handful of years, had things of their own.Gizmo was a gamer, he knew.Ruger had Drifters, and Ghost was all about the guns.Mac shook his head.He wouldn't be surprised if their sergeant at arms slept with at least one pistol in arm’s length at all times, more likely three or four.
No, they all had their own things and while his might get him a little ribbing, it would all be in fun and not too serious.Because they wouldn't want anyone, not even him, picking too hard about the things they did.The things they enjoyed.
Mac took his time with the watering, letting his mind roam as he did.Watering the plants and flowers was good thinking time.He thought about the Souls and what they meant him.His brothers weren't just friends, they were brothers.Family.The only family he had left.And that wasn't accidental.Not having outside ties was one of the stipulations before joining the Souls.He moved from one bed to another still thinking.He hadn't had any family left, not after his parents had died in a plane crash.He'd been in the middle of his freshman year at Wash U, in St.Louis when his parents had decided to take an impromptu trip to visit his father's homeland, Scotland.He'd been at class when his mother had called, but she'd left a message saying they were getting ready to board the plane and they'd see him soon.Then they'd been gone.Wiped off the planet in an instant by a bomb planted by someone who wanted to make a point.
Mac sighed and shook his head as he moved to the next bed and showered the plants there with plenty of water.Less than a month after the funeral, a dual funeral with two empty caskets, he'd joined the military and by the time he'd done his stint with the army he'd been old enough and joined the US Marshalls service.They'd given him even more training than the Army had, and then had gotten him into the Souls.It wasn't until he'd been patched in that Mac felt like he'd really found his home.His family.Now, he couldn't imagine being anywhere else.
He finished his watering and put away the hose, before settling into one of the rockers on the back porch to watch the sunset.As the sun sank below the horizon, he marveled at the myriad of colors that came from seemingly nowhere.How were the sunsets so brilliant here?They'd been pretty while he'd been growing up in Missouri, but he didn't remember them like this.He'd been too young to pay attention to the sunsets before they'd left Scotland, so he couldn't compare those.Kids had way more interesting things to think about than sunsets.Though now, he couldn't remember any of them.
"Hey stranger," Elyse's voice came from the other side of the brick privacy fence, "you don't happen to be out here, do you?"
"You talking to me?"he asked, not moving from his seat, just in case.
"I was hoping I was, and not just talking to the empty yard."Her head poked up over the wall, making him wonder what she was standing on, as the wall was six feet tall and she was maybe five foot six."I was wondering if you've had dinner yet?"She watched him with her head tilted to one side.
"Not yet.I was going to have to start thinking about that before too long."
She lifted one brow and watched him for a few seconds.He could almost read her thoughts in that look.Start thinking about it?It was almost time to eat.This was part of why he did so much eating out.
"Well, I've got a couple steaks.I was getting ready to fire up the grill and thought you might be interested.Want to come over and have one with me?"
That sounded better than another meal alone, or even heading over to the clubhouse and having whoever was manning the bar whip him up something.
"Sounds amazing.Can I bring anything?"
"Just yourself.I'm lighting the grill now, so come on over when you're ready."Her head dropped below the edge of the wall and he had to fight the urge to run over there and hop over the wall to join her right now.Instead he went inside and looked to see if he had anything worth sharing.
Ten minutes later, he'd changed into something a little less comfortable and now knocked on her door.He only waited a few seconds before the door swept open, revealing Elyse in a tank top, shorts and some kind of strappy sandals showing off nearly all of her and making his mouth water.
"You didn't have to change."She looked down at herself."Now you've made me feel guilty about my lounge around the house clothes."
