came out of the downstairs bathroom, her eyes lit up. “Wow. What a great color on you.” She carefully touched the edge of the sleeve with her fingertips. Electrifying.
“What, this old thing?’ He grinned, and she laughed. “You look great, too. But I think you could wear a potato sack and look good.”
Her cheeks pinked slightly at the compliment. It was true. Granted, she really did look great. Dark jeans, low cut black shirt, and worn cowboy boots. Those were the kind of boots that made him picture stripping her slowly and then putting those back on. Just those. Hell the fuck yeah .
He enjoyed the ride back to the bar this time. Now that they’d spent a few hours together, they had both relaxed towards each other, and she seemed to be the touchy-feely sort, casually touching him in places that shouldn’t have been erotic but suddenly were. Could a man come from a touch on the hand? He wouldn’t have thought so, but perhaps it was just a culmination of things with Shyne. Her scent, her presence, her voice. Everything about her seemed tailor-made for him alone.
When they got to the bar, he offered to buy her a drink. “I, uh, don’t drink. I mean, I do, but not when I have to drive. But I’ll take a soda, if you’d like to hang out some more?” She sounded painfully shy suddenly, as if she thought he would say no. Not gonna happen.
“A soda sounds great. I’ve been meaning to drink more of them. They’re one of the food groups, right?”
Her lush mouth split into a wide smile. “Yeah, right up there with potato chips and ice cream.”
He couldn’t have picked a better mate for himself. She was just so perfect. She fit right in with the pack, engaging Cadence in a lengthy conversation about pregnancy workouts and massage, which clearly thrilled Jason. They had all been worried after the fiasco with Callie’s wedding in May. She had been part of the pack and Cadence’s best friend since elementary school. When she left the pack to find herself, it nearly destroyed Cadence. Linus’ wife Karly had helped her come back from the edge, but she had a baby to deal with and was looking into opening up the old Lonestar restaurant in town. Cadence was kind of drifting right now and really needed a friend.
Michael looked at Shyne as she spoke passionately about fitness to Cadence who took it all in enthusiastically. This was heaven for him. Yes, it would be even more heavenly to be in bed making love to her and marking her as his forever, but this was a piece of his life that he’d been pining over for a long time. A mate. Someone to share his life with.
Cadence didn’t want to dance, but Karly did, and Michael and Linus watched their women act like old friends as they danced to the new band. For a guy that hadn’t had a ton of breaks in his life, suddenly things were looking way up.
When it drew close to one a.m., Michael walked Shyne out to her car. “If you’re too tired to drive, I have a lumpy couch,” he offered.
“I’m good. It’s not that bad of a drive anyway.”
“Do me a favor?” She opened the door of her car and tossed in the small duffel.
“Sure.” Straightening, she looked up at him.
“Would you text me or call me when you get home? So I know you’re safe?”
She looked utterly awed at the request. He wondered how old she was when her parents died, and who took care of her in their place. Maybe no one had cared about her welfare in a long time. He would change that.
“I will, Michael.”
He stared down at her as his body grew more tense by slow degrees, while his mind played ping pong with the most important question he’d ever needed to answer to-date: kiss her or not?
Her lips parted slightly, and he lost the ability to think any further, answering the question with action. Kiss her? Hell yes.
He brushed her mouth lightly with his own first to give her a chance to pull
“What, this old thing?’ He grinned, and she laughed. “You look great, too. But I think you could wear a potato sack and look good.”
Her cheeks pinked slightly at the compliment. It was true. Granted, she really did look great. Dark jeans, low cut black shirt, and worn cowboy boots. Those were the kind of boots that made him picture stripping her slowly and then putting those back on. Just those. Hell the fuck yeah .
He enjoyed the ride back to the bar this time. Now that they’d spent a few hours together, they had both relaxed towards each other, and she seemed to be the touchy-feely sort, casually touching him in places that shouldn’t have been erotic but suddenly were. Could a man come from a touch on the hand? He wouldn’t have thought so, but perhaps it was just a culmination of things with Shyne. Her scent, her presence, her voice. Everything about her seemed tailor-made for him alone.
When they got to the bar, he offered to buy her a drink. “I, uh, don’t drink. I mean, I do, but not when I have to drive. But I’ll take a soda, if you’d like to hang out some more?” She sounded painfully shy suddenly, as if she thought he would say no. Not gonna happen.
“A soda sounds great. I’ve been meaning to drink more of them. They’re one of the food groups, right?”
Her lush mouth split into a wide smile. “Yeah, right up there with potato chips and ice cream.”
He couldn’t have picked a better mate for himself. She was just so perfect. She fit right in with the pack, engaging Cadence in a lengthy conversation about pregnancy workouts and massage, which clearly thrilled Jason. They had all been worried after the fiasco with Callie’s wedding in May. She had been part of the pack and Cadence’s best friend since elementary school. When she left the pack to find herself, it nearly destroyed Cadence. Linus’ wife Karly had helped her come back from the edge, but she had a baby to deal with and was looking into opening up the old Lonestar restaurant in town. Cadence was kind of drifting right now and really needed a friend.
Michael looked at Shyne as she spoke passionately about fitness to Cadence who took it all in enthusiastically. This was heaven for him. Yes, it would be even more heavenly to be in bed making love to her and marking her as his forever, but this was a piece of his life that he’d been pining over for a long time. A mate. Someone to share his life with.
Cadence didn’t want to dance, but Karly did, and Michael and Linus watched their women act like old friends as they danced to the new band. For a guy that hadn’t had a ton of breaks in his life, suddenly things were looking way up.
When it drew close to one a.m., Michael walked Shyne out to her car. “If you’re too tired to drive, I have a lumpy couch,” he offered.
“I’m good. It’s not that bad of a drive anyway.”
“Do me a favor?” She opened the door of her car and tossed in the small duffel.
“Sure.” Straightening, she looked up at him.
“Would you text me or call me when you get home? So I know you’re safe?”
She looked utterly awed at the request. He wondered how old she was when her parents died, and who took care of her in their place. Maybe no one had cared about her welfare in a long time. He would change that.
“I will, Michael.”
He stared down at her as his body grew more tense by slow degrees, while his mind played ping pong with the most important question he’d ever needed to answer to-date: kiss her or not?
Her lips parted slightly, and he lost the ability to think any further, answering the question with action. Kiss her? Hell yes.
He brushed her mouth lightly with his own first to give her a chance to pull
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