Page 48 of What He Wants

“Coffee?” She set the menus down.

“Two,” I said, holding up my fingers. She gave me a wink and spun around to go back in the direction of the kitchen. Daisy opened her menu and I put my hand over hers to get her attention. “You like omelets?” She nodded. “Willy makes a good spinach and mushroom omelet.”

“That sounds good.” She closed her menu. “You come here often?”

“Once in a while, I like their breakfast. So, what’s your ex’s name?” I asked casually, settling my arm over the back of the booth.

Her expression revealed that I hadn’t fooled her. “Oh, no, Big John. I’m done talking about me. It’s your turn.” She crossed her arms.

I shrugged. “What do you want to know?”

“Have you ever been married?”

“Fuck no! I’m not the marrying kind, baby. No girlfriends, sweethearts, no kids. I like my life just the way it is.” Who was I trying to convince?

She frowned at that. “So what am I to you?” she asked point blank. “I know what we’re doing, but what are we? Friends with benefits? Kissing cousins? Casual fuck buddies?”

I leaned over the table and said in a low voice, “We’ll never be friends, babe. And I wouldn’t touch you with a ten-foot pole if we were related. Casual fuck buddies? We fuck, but there’s nothing casual about it.” I could tell that my words were affecting her when her cheeks colored and the green of her eyes turned smoky, but when her pretty mouth parted and she ran her tongue over her lips, I was the one undone.

I sat back as the waitress had returned with our coffees, but I didn’t take my eyes off Daisy. “We’ll each have the spinach and mushroom omelet,” I ordered without looking at her. My lips quirked when I heard her huff as she turned away.

Daisy must have heard her indignant huff at being ignored, too. “Isn’t she a little young for you?”

“She’s jailbait, and I haven’t touched her.”

Her gaze followed the waitress. “She doesn’t look like jailbait.” She began to fix her coffee. “What about your family, do you have anyone?”

I set my cup down after taking a cautious sip. “I did, once. A drunk driver took them away from me.”

“Oh, Big John, I’m so sorry.” There was genuine sadness in her eyes.

I shrugged. “It was a long time ago. I got over it.” I knew that I sounded like a hard, uncaring prick, but I didn’t want Daisy’s sympathy. I couldn’t stand for her to look at me with sorrow and pity in her eyes. The fact is that I had got over it. It didn’t mean that I didn’t miss my parents and younger brother every fucking day of my life, though.

“So you’ve been all alone since?”

“Nope. I have my club, my brothers. Their families are my family.”

“That doesn’t keep your bed warm at night,” she said mistakenly, catching her blunder as soon as the words came out of her mouth.

I gave her a crooked grin. “I’ve never had to worry about a cold bed, baby. There’s always a willing female around who wants to get laid by a bad ass biker.”

“I bet.”

The waitress returned, setting a plate down in front of each of us. “Can I get you anything else?” Her question was meant for both of us, but I was the one she was staring at.

“I think we’re good for now.”

“I’ll check back later,” she responded, her tone still a little bitchy.

I ignored her and watched Daisy take a first bite.

“Oh, my goodness, this is really good!”

“I’m glad you like it. Willy makes it with smoked gouda.” I shoveled in a mouthful, looking around us as I chewed. When my gaze landed on two bikers who were sitting in a booth across the room from us, it hit me that I’d been too wrapped up in Daisy to notice them before. I was fucking sure that they hadn’t been sitting there when we’d entered the diner. I didn’t know who they were, but I knew their club.

The Sentinels were good guys. I’d heard of them, they were a neighborhood watch kind of club that patrolled the streets and neighborhoods of their town after dark. Chapters were springing up all over the country. They worked on the side of the law, most of the time. They were a long way away from home. One of them glanced over and gave me a chin lift. I returned it and went back to eating. I had no problem with them being in Solon.

“Are those dudes part of Phantom Riders?”

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