“I don’t plan on ever being anyone’s old lady, so my nightgowns work just fine.” I grinned up at him. His fingertips left a trail of warmth as he brushed my hair from my eyes. For a moment, he just stared at me in silence. Like he wanted to say something but wasn't’ sure if he should or not. In the end, he kissed my forehead.
“Plans change, babe.” He muttered as he stood up. “I’m going to get to the bottom of this Jayson thing with you, and if I don't like what I find, there’s gonna be hell to pay.” It sounded like a wonderful promise, but I knew I could never let it become anything more than just words.
“Good night, Mason.” I closed my eyes. He didn’t need to see the defeat in my expression, and I wanted him gone before I started to cry.
“Night, Lucy.” He clicked off my light and then was gone. I heard the lock click before he shut it, and I sighed with some content. At least, I’d get a decent night’s sleep.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Tick’s face scrunched up as the waitress brought us our breakfast. His plate of scrambled eggs had more liquid on it than the bowl of grits he ordered on the side. I shook my head and dug into my pancakes.
“What’s with you lately, not getting enough tail?” I asked between bites. He pushed the eggs out of the way and dug into his bacon.
“Plenty. She never wants off this cock.” He grinned as a piece of bacon fell out of his mouth.
“Classy.” I shook my head.
“Nah. I think I’m gonna make her my old lady. Hell, I might even marry her, make an honest woman outta her.” I tried not to choke on my coffee.
“Marry?”
He eyed me for a minute and took a deep breath. “She’s pregnant.” A wide grin split his face and for a second, I thought he would burst.
“Fuck! Really?” I laughed. “A kid?” I grinned back at him. “That’s great.” I meant it, too. Just because we walked the tightrope of the law, didn’t mean we didn’t want the simpler pursuits of life. Too many times I caught myself daydreaming about having a woman, pregnant with my kid and having another rug rat climbing all over me. Dangerous dreams. I tried to keep that shit to a minimum. I didn’t have time for that, I told myself over and over again. Here Tick was, getting ready to be a dad and a husband, and damn if I didn’t feel a tinge of jealousy in my chest.
“Yeah,” He nodded. He tried to hide it, but I could see the excitement in his eyes. He’d wanted a family, a stable woman, kids, yard, everything he never had growing up after his pops ran off with some waitress.
“Great. It’ll be great.” I said again as I eyed a pixie-haired beauty enter the diner. Tick started talking. I watched Lucy enter the restaurant and head for the counter. She was back in her cotton sundress and white gym shoes. The woman looked like she belonged in a Sunday school job, not playing the whore for a bunch of dirty MC members. The Disciples weren’t easy riders either, yet she didn’t look as though she’d been worn out by them. If the tightness of her pussy told him anything, it was that if she really was a mc whore she didn’t mess around too often.
The waitress with wild red hair spiked in every direction jotted down Lucy’s order and pointed to the stools at the counter for her to wait. She hadn’t noticed me yet, so I kept watching while Tick rambled on about how he was gonna to propose to his girl. When Lucy sat on the stool, she leaned on the counter, the short sleeve of her dress crept further up her arm and that’s when I saw it. A dark purple bruise. My gut twisted, and I shoved away from our booth, ignoring Tick’s questions.
“What happened?” I demanded before she even saw me coming.
She jumped and looked at me with confusion. “Mason. Hey.” She quickly scanned the restaurant before giving me a small smile.
“What happened?” I asked again, placing one hand on the counter and the other on the back of her stool, trapping her right in front of me.
“What are you talking about?”
“Your arm.” I yanked up the sleeve further and saw the bruise went up her arm all the way to her shoulder. “This.”
Her face paled when she looked at the marking on her arm. Not because she hadn’t already seen it, but probably because of the anger she saw in my face at noticing it. “Who did this to you?”
She yanked her arm away and looked around. “No one.” Pulling her sleeve back down, she shot me a glare. “An accident. I’m fine. Go back to your friend.”
“Who did that to you?” I asked again, moving my face closer to hers. I wouldn’t’ let her get away without an answer. Someone put hands on her, hurt her.