Page 41 of Romania
Turning, I found Quake already staring at me from where he leaned against the counter with his arms crossed.
He smirked. “I could hear you thinking.”
Smiling, I brought my plate over to the counter and started piling on food. “Dad always says he can see the wheels turning before I start to speak.” Laughing lightly, I shrugged. “At least whoever I’m going to talk to can prepare themselves.”
“Is what you’re going to say bad?” he asked as he went to pick up a plate too.
Placing my dish down, I shook my head. “No, no. Not bad.” How did I say this? What was I going to say? “I-I, hell, I don’t want to put my foot in it, but I think you need to know that Eve does like you. Anyone can read it. I think she’s a bit in love with you, but she has struggles. I won’t say what. That’s for her to tell you.”
“About her parents?”
“Yes. Has she told you anything?”
He shook his head. “Not really, and neither has Tech. They’re both tight-lipped about it, but I’ve gathered being around their parents was a shitty time for them.”
“It plays on her mind a lot, and I think adds to her… not being herself, if that makes sense? I’ve heard some of the club girls talk about Eve, and they’re all scared of her. I know she takes care of matters for the brothers when it comes to the women, but I don’t think that’s who she really wants to be. Oh my God, I probably shouldn’t be saying any of this. I suck. I’m not a good friend at all, but I hate seeing her struggle. And it seems I can’t shut up either. Please ignore everything I’ve just said. She’ll kill me for this.”
I buried my face in my hands.
It was wrong. I made the wrong choice and now?—
“Do you know you bring out a side to her that she keeps close to her heart? A side I’ve only seen glimpses of.”
Dropping my hands, I cocked my head to the side. “Huh?”
He chuckled.
God, that sounded nice. Like Eve’s laugh did.
It was such a pity that neither of them looked at me with heat in their eyes.
It actually made my heart hurt.
But I couldn’t be too upset because they were so into each other, and I loved that for them.
“Last night Eve was… Christ, this is gonna sound weird, but it was like she glowed when she was around you. Like you made everything bad disappear and had her smiling and laughing as if she didn’t have a care in the world.”
I waved him off. “She’s like that with her posse.”
His brows rose, and amusement shone in his gaze. “Posse?”
“Oh, Julian always calls the old ladies of the club the pussy posse.”
His laugh was loud, and my grin was instant.
“I get it.” But the look he gave me made me think he wished he didn’t get it. “And in a way, you’re right about Eve with her posse. Although, I think, even with them that she’s kept them at a distance. Not you, though.”
“I’m easy to talk to,” I offered.
For the first time, his gaze swept over my body, but he did it so quickly I nearly missed it before he was eyeing the food. “I won’t give up on her,’ he said quietly.
And that was exactly what I wanted.
Beaming, I clapped. “Perfect.”
He studied me and scrubbed a hand over his head. “You really think she loves me?”
“Without a doubt. But it’s hidden deep, and she’s scared— Fuck. I shouldn’t have said that. Ignore what I said. I can hit you over the head to give you a concussion and hopefully amnesia. Just a short case of it to forget this moment.”
