Page 24 of Those Who Are Bound

Elliott

ThedrivetotheWeston town center only took about five minutes.Jonah found a spot in front of the diner despite the popular hour and the old-timers hanging out. He walked to the front of the Jeep and waited for her. She was taking her time, looking around the quaint downtown strip. Or rather, up the incline where the shops and hotel were situated, the diner being located toward the bottom of the street.

A couple of bikers were hanging outside the corner tavern having a cigarette; they noticed her immediately, their postures changing as they took in her yoga pants, and the tight tank top and sports bra accentuating her breasts, her dark hair back in a ponytail. Elliott merely looked past them, but Jonah stared directly at them as he lifted an arm toward her. She stepped easily into the space he indicated. Placing a hand at the small of her back, he guided her toward the café. It was a possessive signal:This one’s mine, and it was noted. The men relaxed back into their lounging stances, even though their gazes swept her body until Jonah had escorted her inside.

It was hard not to toss them a triumphant look. Being claimed by him was… weird. Fun. Exciting.

The waitress seated them by the window. Elliott ordered coffee before the woman could walk away.

As Jonah settled across from her, Elliott asked, “Will you be surprised by how much I can eat?”

He let out a short laugh. “I’d be disappointed and suspicious if you only ordered oatmeal.”

“Suspicious?”

“I’d assume it was for show and you’d go home and tear into a bag of Oreos.”

Elliott grinned. “Oh, have no doubts. The Oreos are there regardless.”

True to her word, she ordered the country-fried steak with two eggs over medium along with biscuits and gravy.Jonah ordered similarly, but added hash browns. When the waitress walked away, he gave her a comical once-over. “Where do you put it?”

Elliott fired back, “Where do you?”

“Well, I’m a man.”

She let out a mock gasp of indignation. “That is so sexist.”

“Pardon me,” he acknowledged with a tip of his head.

Elliott bowed her head in acceptance, but added, “Boxing burns a lot of calories; the Oreos aren’t a joke.”

“Is boxing all you do?”

She raised her shoulder and said cheekily, “Today, I hiked.”

He snatched up his coffee, lips quirking. He surveyed the diner before landing on her again. “Any other outlets?”

Letting out another mock gasp of surprise, she tilted her head, her eyes wide. With a sexy lift to her lips in a devilish smile, she mouthed, “Jonah!”

He blushed, but he was smiling. “Damn it, Elliott.”

She giggled and gave him a break. “Oh, you mean exercise.”

He gave her a look.

“Not really. I ran track as a teenager; I did okay, but it wasn’t a passion. It was something to do to fit in. Army brat, you know, moving around. And it was a team, but not. I liked individual sports.” She shrugged. “Nothing in college. When I moved back to KC, I was at the property a lot; Gage and I would do a few things together, but nothing ever…” Shrugging again, she finished, “Boxing is the first thing I’ve picked up that I’ve stuck with. Long answer to a short question.” She dropped her gaze.

College was when she’d lost her parents. Boxing was picked up when she’d lost her brother. Talking about either wasn’t something she wanted to do.

Again, he was watching her so closely that he picked up on her nonverbal cues, or maybe he was just that intuitive. He diverted, asking, “Would you be open to something else?”

Her look was wary. “Like what? More hiking?”

“More anything.”

Elliott thought about it. Lucy had said he was an outdoor geek. And he did own an outdoor adventure store. “I’d never give up boxing.”

He shook his head. “That’s not what I meant, but you could add to it. Like today.”

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