Page 19 of Grind
After he leaves,I lean back against the tired booth and sip my coffee. Every few minutes Ava’s gaze meets mine briefly and she graces me with a smile. An old man bustles out of the back, and the other waitress talks to him in low tones. They both cast several nervous glances in my direction and then he approaches Ava.
“You can leavea little early if you want.”
She does quick math, reaching the same conclusion that I do. The diner is dead. She won't miss any tips by cutting out a little early. Or maybe, just maybe, I’m sweetening that deal a little.
Moments later,she grabs her stuff and stands next to my table. Then we're on the street. At first, I start moving back to the club as though I’ll grab my car, but she shakes her head and points in a slightly different direction. “Actually, I just live a few streets over.”
She's looking around uncomfortably.
I can't help myself.I reach down and grab her hand. “Ava, you’re totally safe with me.”
She looks up at me,and it's hard to read her expression. But then she squeezes my hand, leans a little into me, and whispers, “I know.”
I let her point us in the right direction and set the pace. My mouth’s a little dry, and I pull her close. My cock stirs just being next to her, no matter how hard I shove thoughts of the other night in my apartment down.
“Connor,” she says evenly, “how do you know Herbert?”
Her eyes are on my face, wary. “Herbert?”
Who the fuck is Herbert?
One eyebrow quirks. “Big guy. Tattoo. Chains. He doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy that would go to Intrigue?” Not the kind of guy that could afford to go to Intrigue – or get in if he tried - goes unspoken.
There’s silence as I weigh my answer. “Bull, you mean? I didn’t know his name was Herbert. He does some work for my family.”
“What kind of work?” She’s not asking me what kind of work he does. She’s asking me what kind of work I do.
“Manual labor.”
Seconds pass. I’m not unwilling to talk about what I do, but I’m just not anxious to do it tonight. As if sensing it, she leans into my arm and wraps her hand a little tighter around my bicep. It’s hard not to flex just for good measure.
“Thank you for coming.”
The next few moments pass silently, and I let myself enjoy her being there. Her walk slows, imperceptibly at first and then more deliberately.
“This is me.”
She points at a nondescript building. It’s nicer than I expected. That’s good. A few people stream past us, but the street’s mostly empty. No sign of Stacy or any other trouble. But I’m still glad I walked her home.
My eyes roam her face. Goddamn, she’s beautiful. I’m uncomfortably aware of how tired she looks. I want to get her into bed – and the fact that I’m mostly thinking about letting her get some sleep? That’s a new one for me.
“Thank you for a lovely evening, Connor.” Jesus. Part of me aches to give her night out that’s so amazing she won’t forget it.
Should I even ask? That familiar stab: My life is complicated. Her life is complicated. And I’m not certain that our two lives intertwine. She’s a law student tangled up with the Stacy family. However indirectly. However not her fault.
And me? I’m the fourth son of one of Boston’s most notorious old mobsters. It doesn’t matter if my father’s clean now. If our business is mostly clean. The key word there is mostly, and the difference? That might be more than Ava can handle. Never mind how little time I even have to go out on a date, between my work at the club and my family obligations.
In fact, I can’t remember the last time I went out on an actual date.
But somehow, looking down her beautiful face – the wide green eyes, the tumble of dark hair, the faint curve of her lips – that’s all far away.
“Do you want to come up?” her voice is tentative, tired, as her eyes search my face.
Does she think I expect that? Probably. It’s not like many people have given a shit or taken what she needs into consideration.
I turn to face her, a wicked grin spreading almost involuntarily. “There’s nothing I’d like better, Ava. But someone has a big exam in the morning and needs all the sleep she can get. Rain check?”
Surprise registers, before her face clears and she meets my grin with her own soft smile.
