Page 48 of Bullseye
“Dr. Holly, huh?”
Seth glares at me good-naturedly. It’s a relief to have Seneca safely in the hands of the Knights’ clubhouse, and I can relax for the first time in I don’t know how long.
“More importantly, you guys okay?” Nick nods to us.
“Yeah, thanks, Nick.”
“Sen, darlin’, the way you ran back there…”
Nodding, she smiles. “I know. Sorry. I just had some things to work out.”
“Well, maybe we can help. Take a load off.” Harry pulls two more chairs up to the table.
Whoa. That’s some gesture coming from Harry. Maybe all those conversations he’s had with Seneca over the past month are paying off. He seems almost… human toward her.
Thanking him, we plop down into the chairs. Pulling her oversized bag onto her lap, she sits stiffly, and her eyes shift from person to person. This is not the Sen I know. Something’s really bothering her.
“Sen, baby.” Leaning forward, I take her hand and rub the back of it, gently. Hell, who cares if the guys see? This will just prove that she’s mine, and when I’m gone, which will be as soon as she’s settled, she’ll be taken care of.
Maybe if I can get rid of Mikey and Tony and handle Ironclad without too much drama, I’ll be able to come back here, to Hoppa, pull her into my arms, and make little hot-headed, punk-rock babies with Sen. Shit. Just the thought of it makes me grin.
“All right, beers all around because you two definitely look like you need it.” Nick slams bottles of our house beers on the table.
“Thanks, Nick.” Placing a bottle in front of Sen, I take a long drink from the other. Yeah, the damned Arizona nights are cold, but the cold beer still hits the spot. Especially after the stress we’ve been under today.
“You drinking, Dynamite?” I ask him with my eyebrows raised.
Elbowing his good arm, Harry jokes, “He’s trying to get sick enough to go back to the hospital and see Dr. Holly again.”
“We can stab you in your other arm, no problem,” Nick offers, laughing.
Seth glares at him but holds his temper. Who knows? Maybe Dr. Holly will make the difference. Yeah, right. As if he has a chance with a woman like that. But who knows? Maybe they’ll find something in each other they both need. It’s amazing what the love of a good woman will do.
I’m living proof of that.
Shit! What am I thinking?
Glancing at Seneca, I noticed she hasn’t touched her beer, and she’s chewing the corner of her lip. And the way she’s going at it, it looks like she won’t quit until she draws blood.
“Sen? Baby?”
Turning to me, her eyes flash with something I just can’t read…
“Well, speak of the devil,” Nick whispers, nodding toward the front entrance.
Turning to the door, we all murmur and shift in our seats.
There she is, an apparition of a woman—beautiful, with her hair pulled back, large diamond earrings flashing, and a floor-length camel-colored coat.
“I’m sorry,” she says, thumbing the door behind her. “Are you closed?”
“Never for you, Doc.” Nick’s out of his seat and to her side in no time. “Can I take your coat?”
“Thank you.” Unbuttoning her coat, she slides out of it. Beneath, she’s wearing a simple V-neck sweater that hangs over a pair of black dress pants.
She’s absolute class.
Taking her coat, Nick walks to the bar and lays it gingerly over a couple of the stools. Putting a fist to my mouth, I hold back a chuckle. I have to admit, Nick sure knows how to be a gentleman when he wants to be.
