“Stop right there. Forgiveness isn’t like magical fairy dust that is sprinkled from the sky. It’s his choice what to do about his parents.”
She nods, taking a sip of her drink and sitting back on her stool. “I’ve said my piece. And you have customers trying to get your attention.”
“Crap!” I turn to see the three men with bills in their hands and scramble to them.
“Sorry,” I tell Steve, who’s been a regular since Jewls and I started. “You want the usual?”
“Sure.”
“What can I get you two?”
The other guys order beer and I pop the caps off, handing them over.
“Is that your mom?” Steve asks.
“It is.”
“She’s as beautiful as you.” He’s always been flirtatious.
“I’ll tell her you said that.” I pour his usual, and when I hand it to him, his eyes are wide and geared over my shoulder.
Without looking, I know who he’s staring at.
“You guys staying a while?”
Steve nods, pulling his attention to me.
“I’ll start a tab.”
I step into a wall of steel, losing my balance. Arms wrap around me to keep me upright. “Careful.”
The warmth of his breath sends a shiver down my spine, and I link our fingers, dragging him to the end of the bar where Tom is smirking.
“You have ten minutes.” He tosses his hand dismissively.
“Ten minutes for what?”
“Ten-minute break.”
“You never give breaks.”
“Your boyfriend seems to think you need one. And since you saved my ass with that large party, I agree. Jewls and I can handle this for a few minutes.”
“Are you feeling alright?” I reach to his forehead.
“Don’t be a pain in the ass.” He swats the air.
“Babe, you hungry?” Achilles squeezes lightly.
“Kinda, I usually scarf down something when things slow.”
“I ordered you something.”
“What did you order?”
“Grilled cheese.”
I burst into giggles. Last night, I attempted to make grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner, which ended up charred. It was his fault for distracting me.
“Sounds great.”
We walk to the crowd, and Jewls pushes a plate my way. “Where’s the other half?”
“I was starving.” She licks her lips.
“You want more, I’ll order it.” Achilles settles his arms around my hips and props his chin on my shoulder.
“This will be fine.” I offer him a bite and he nibbles a corner.
“Is it better than last night’s version?”
“Nothing is better than last night, except for maybe the shower.”
Heat creeps up my cheeks, remembering the endless hours we spent making out yesterday. We also talked—about everything. Once Achilles unloaded his reasoning for his distant attitude, a new man took his place. He shared stories from his time in the Marines, places he’d traveled, different missions and assignments they all had. I realized early that he’d given me only tidbits all those years in order to keep me from worrying. For hours, we reacquainted on anything and everything about each other.
Mistakenly, I let it slip about the only guy I dated seriously in college. Well, as serious as it could be with only one party in the relationship that was faithful. Achilles’ eyes went scary dark, his jaw ticking as he held me tighter. Possessive vibes radiated from him. I changed the subject quickly to lighter stories from over the years.
It was one of the best days of my life. But the shower will always be a fond memory. That first look at Achilles naked is forever seared into my brain. So strong, so built, so incredibly sexy. And discovering he had a penis piercing… my insides heat thinking about the desire and hunger in his eyes as I backed out of the room.
The noise grows quiet, and I look to find everyone watching us. My mom is beaming so brightly I wonder if she’s about to burst into song and dance. I glance at my dad, who’s also smiling approvingly. My bit of erotic bliss shatters when I remember his part in Achilles’ ruse all that time.
“You and I are having a talk.” I point to him.
His grin grows wider, and he tips his beer. “I expect we are.”
“Wait a minute… is little Harley the…?” Hal trails off, staring at us.
“She sure is. You can’t miss the twinkle,” Talon chimes in, holding out his hand in waiting.
Ace grumbles low at the same time I ask, “Twinkle?”
“Shit, I totally see it now,” Ford adds, digging out his wallet and handing Talon a twenty-dollar bill.
“Fuck, me too.” Major does the same.
“Do I want to know what they’re betting on and why Hal is looking at me funny?” I semi-whisper.
“Got that one, too.”
I glance at Talon, whose phone is geared in my direction, and Ford is grinning at the screen.
“Did you take a picture of us?” Achilles’ voice is low and angry.
“Yes, the guys in MARSOC are loving this. I tried to get a few last time, but there was too much happening. They turned out blurry.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
“What’s MARSOC?” I break in to help ease the irritation coming off of Achilles.