“Or when they’re asked if they are willing to sell and say no then are harassed until they have no choice but to give in to the pressure,” Bax says angrily.
“That happens?” I ask, because that seems like something that only takes place in movies.
“Not often, but it does go down on occasion,” Talon tells me gently.
“Even if it only occurs on occasion, it sucks,” I murmur, and he leans in to kiss my forehead.
When he pulls away, I hear the sizzle of fajitas and find Tita standing at the side of the table with a cast-iron pan in her hand that she places in front of me. She turns and helps a young man place the rest of our food on the table, including Bax’s nachos, which he must have ordered at some point when I was preoccupied.
“This smells delicious,” I tell her, and she gives me a wide smile.
“Do you need anything else?”
I look at both men, and when they shake their heads, I turn back to Tita. “I think we’re good for now. Thank you.”
“Then please enjoy.” She does a half bow as she backs away with a smile on her face. I dig in with abandon, hoping that putting something in my stomach will help dilute the alcohol, and every bite is so delicious that I almost smack Talon’s hand when he reaches into my plate but refrain, because I did tell him I’d share.
When we finish eating, Talon pulls out his wallet and drops a twenty-dollar bill on the table before helping me out of the booth.
“Let me get your keys, baby,” Talon says when we reach the parking lot, and I hand them over to him, and he tosses them to Bax. “We’ll meet you at the house.”
With a lift of his chin, Bax heads for my car while Talon walks me to his Jeep and opens the door for me to get in.
“Are Mercury and Retro at your house?” I ask as he starts the engine.
“There at my parents’. Mom needed some help getting the tables and chairs set up, so that’s where Bax and I were when you called.”
“I’m sorry I pulled you away from that.”
“We were pretty much done, and my sisters all showed up, so Mom has help.” He covers my hand with his.
“Well, thank you for coming to meet me.”
“I still don’t know what the hell you were thinking, agreeing to have lunch with him.”
“Honestly, I don’t know what I was thinking either. He put me on the spot, and Ken insisted I go. Then I thought maybe I could use that time with him to my advantage and find out a little about him. Not that it worked,” I groan, dropping my head back to the headrest.
“How about we both agree that there will be no more Colombo fishing expeditions.”
“Agreed.” I laugh then turn my head toward him to watch as he lifts my hand to kiss my fingers. “Do you want us to go to your parents’ to help out and get my pups?”
“I was thinking I’d drop you at home. You can take a nap while I run Bax to my parents’, since his truck is still there. I’ll see if Mom needs anymore help and pick up the girls.”
“Are you going to be pissed at me if I agree to that plan, even though you’re the one who suggested it?”
“I’m not your dad or any of the assholes you dated, Mia. I don’t say shit I don’t mean, and I’ve never played any kind of fucked-up mind games with you,” he says quietly, but still the statement is roared in my head and guilt fills the pit of my stomach, because he’s right. He’s never once said anything he didn’t mean, and from the beginning, he’s been honest and has always tried to protect me. Which I know he’s doing now by allowing me time to sober up, so I won’t feel more stressed than I already will be when I meet his family.
“You’re right. I’m sorry,” I say through the tightness in my throat, and he brings my hand to his lips, kissing it before giving it a squeeze. As he rests our hands on his thigh, I know we’re good. I also know I need to figure out how to deal with my personal issues. As scary as it is, I’m falling in love with him, and it’s not fair for me to keep painting him with the same brush I’ve used to define every other man in my life who’s let me down and disappointed me, when he is nothing like any of them.
CHAPTER 14
Talon
“IF YOU’RE GOOD, I’m gonna grab the girls and head home to shower then come back with Mia,” I say, stopping in the doorway to the kitchen where my mom and sisters are working on getting food ready before everyone starts showing up.