Page 47 of Q: Satan's Fury MC

“Thought we might hike out to Marymere Falls. It’s a cool spot, and the weather’s supposed to be nice.”

“Yeah, that sounds like a lot of fun.”

“Then, that’s what we’ll do.”

When the movie was over, I took Jules back to her car, and the following day, I picked her up at her place and we headed to the falls. The next day it was dinner down by the water, and then the next, it was another night of watching movies at my place. One night Jules made pasta, and one night I grilled burgers.

In a blink, the week was over, and the fact that we’d spent every night together hadn’t gone unnoticed. “So, what’s going on with you and Smokey’s girl?”

“She works at Smokey’s.” Cotton was a man who knew how to press buttons, and he'd just pressed one of mine. "She's not his girl."

"That good, huh?” A knowing smirk crossed his face as he said, "Guess that means you finally got through to her.”

“Or she got through to me. Either way, things seem to be going in the right direction. We’ve spent a lot of time together this week, and she’s finally started opening up to me.”

“Things as bad as you thought?”

“She didn’t share the full story, but I got the impression that her ex was a grade-A asshole with a short fuse.”

“You think he took things too far?”

“Yeah, he gave her a real time of it. Her ol’ man, too. They’re the reason why she ended up here. She needed a fresh start.”

“And what about you?” Cotton cocked his brow. “She knows what she needs to know?”

“She knows enough.” I’d told her more about the club and how certain things worked. There were some things she struggled with, but I was able to make her understand. I’d also opened up a little more about Lauren and how she’d ended up with Flynn. “I gotta tell ya, Prez. I have a good feeling about this girl.”

Even as I said the words, I knew it was more than just a hunch. There was something about Jules that got to me in a way no other woman had, and I couldn’t get enough of her. Cotton, being Cotton, understood exactly what I meant. “Then, you best do what you can to hold onto her.”

“I’m planning on it.”

The words had barely left my mouth when Rooster showed up at the door and announced, “Hey, brother. Your girl’s here.”

“Thanks, man.” I got up and started out of the bar as I told Cotton, “I’ll catch up with you later.”

“I’m gonna hold you to that.”

When I got to the parking lot, Jules was already out of her car and was talking to Hayes. The second she spotted me coming in their direction, Jules smiled and said, “There you are.”

As soon as I saw that light in her eyes, I wanted to scoop her up in my arms and kiss the hell out of her, but I’d been doing my best to take things slow. It wasn’t easy. Jules was smoking fucking hot and I wanted her more than I cared to admit, but she’d been through a lot. I didn’t want to scare her off by expecting too much too soon. “You ready?”

She nodded, then turned to Hayes and said, “I’ll see you later.”

“Later!”

I reached for her hand, then led her inside. Jules had mentioned that no one had ever taught her how to play pool, so I invited her out to the clubhouse so I could give her a few lessons. I took her back to the family room, where we’d have a little more privacy. As soon as I had the ball set up, I went over some of the basics with her. Showed her things like how to position her hips and how to use the hook of her thumb to guide the pool stick—all of which took hands-on instruction.

I knew it was a cheap ploy to get close to her, but fuck. A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do. When she started getting the hang of it, I decided it was time for her to test her skills. “You up for a quick game?”

“I don’t know.” She raked her teeth across her bottom lip. “I don’t think I’m anywhere close to good enough to win against an expert like you.”

“An expert, huh?” I racked the balls as I told her, “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were fucking with me.”

Her mouth dropped open, and with a dramatic flutter of her eyelashes, she teased, “Who me? Never.”

“Um-hmm.” I racked the balls, then motioned her over to break them. “Okay, let’s see what you can do.”

“Okay, but don’t expect too much.” Jules looked nervous as she stepped over to the table and leaned into position. I stepped up behind her and was about to give her another pointer when she looked back at me with furrowed brows. “I’ve got it.”

---