Page 8 of Royal's Reign
Damn it. Never mind worrying about scaring her. The fuck! I shouldn’t be walking around like that in the first place, at least not while she’s here. Although I don’t deny that having her eyes on me, perusing my half-naked body, was hotter than hell.
I hear the swoosh of the door opening and, with a quick glance up from what I’m doing, I find her looking perfect in a pair of tight faded jeans, a bright pink tank and a soft pink hoodie over the top.
“Perfect timing. I’m just plating up.” A thought quickly bounces into my head. “Shit, you’re not a veggie, are you?”
“No,” she smiles, and I can’t help but smile right back at her.
“Thank fuck for that,” I sigh, placing an extra slice of crispy bacon along with the three already on her plate, next to two sausage patties, a mountain of scrambled eggs and two rounds of toast. “Sit,” I gesture to the stool on the other side of the counter. A knife and fork already waiting, so I slide the plate between the cutlery ready for when she takes her seat.
“Tell me this is for us to share?” She gasps at the full plate in front of her.
“Hell no, I’ve got my own plate. One thing I don’t do with food is share.” I warn with a light-hearted snigger. “Coffee or tea?”
“Whatever you’re having’s fine.”
“Black tea, okay? Sweetener, milk?”
“Do you have creamer?”
“In tea? Are you crazy?” I rebuke.
“To be honest, I don’t drink tea that often,” she confesses. “But on the occasions I have, then yes, creamer.”
“Do you trust me?” I ask her, and she instantly nods in response. “Milk in tea is so much more palatable. Creamer just makes it well… Yuk! Save that stuff for the coffee.”
When I bring around the China teapot from the other counter and place it and two cups and saucers beside it that would look perfectly in place in an English tea shop, but out of place in a biker’s kitchen, she raises a brow, her mouth dropping open in shock. “What?”
“Nothing,” she coughs, trying to hide the giggle that’s forming in her chest.
“I’m trusting you to keep this between you and me. If any of the brothers got wind of this, any respect given to me as their president would quickly go to shit.”
No longer able to hold her laughter in check, she lets it all go, and fuck, it sounds like a choir of angels have dropped in to join us.
“I promise I’ll keep your little secret.” Her face is alight with humor, and guilt hits me like a hammer to the chest knowing that I’m about to rake up the painful events from yesterday.
“Eat up,” I order, pouring the tea and then tucking into my own plate of food. At least I’ll let her enjoy her food before we talk.
“Seriously,I can’t eat another thing,” she groans when I tease her for not clearing her plate. Although to be honest, she’s eaten most of it. A rogue piece of bacon and half a slice of toast are all that’s left behind. My girl has one hell of an appetite.
My girl? Fuck off.
“I’ll clean up,” she says, getting to her feet.
“No need.” I grab her plate and move it over to the sink. “They can wait. We need to talk.”
“About what?” she shuffles in her seat and avoids eye contact.
“Don’t fuck with me, Gio. You know exactly what the topic of conversation is.” With my elbows planted firmly on the counter surface, I lean in towards her. “Start from the beginning, step by step from when you left the bar. What exactly happened.
The deep sigh that she makes tells me she’s resigned herself to the fact she’s going to have to tell me every detail of the event that had her running to the Saint’s Outlaws clubhouse for safety.
Giorgia
By the time I get to the part where I’d made it through the clubhouse doors, not even sure at this point whether seeking help from the Saints is a huge mistake or not, I’m sobbing like a baby wanting their pacifier. Though my eyes are bleary, I can’t miss the pain and concern that’s clear in Noah’s eyes. He seems to be fighting to control his emotions, his brow crunched together, jaw clenched. The muscle in his cheek pulses, then as if something has snapped within him, he makes quick work of coming around to me. Lifting me from the stool, he brings me firmly to his chest. His strong arms cocooning me in warmth and sincerity.
“I’m scared,” I voice my fear into his chest while simultaneously soaking up the comfort that being in his arms offers me.
“You have nothing to be scared of. You’re here with me, and that’s where you’ll stay until any threat to you is removed. We’ll work this out. Find out who these fuckers are, don’t you worry.”
