“Go ahead.” Under Shade’s mocking gaze, Reaper reluctantly forced the words out.
“Thanks. I need to tell Ginny to make a few extra jars next time. She brought four, and this is the last one.” Picking up the jar, Lily started backing away from the table, keeping him within her eyeline until she was safely seated by Shade.
Lowering his head, Reaper forced down a bite of the waffle smeared with the jam, desperately trying not to overhear the conversation going on at the table just a few inches away.
“I think he growled at me.”
Not even her whispered voice could keep him from making out Lily’s words.
“He must like the jam as much as John and you do.”
“Apparently.”
Shade’s sardonic reply had Reaper grabbing his plate to leave, only to find his ass glued to the chair when Ginny entered the room. A rush of relief hit him when he saw Lily wave at her. It was short-lived, however. Other than a small wave in Lily’s direction, Ginny kept walking toward his table.
“I just wanted to tell you good-bye before I left.”
He drew a blank at what to say to the woman; he needed to shut down the attraction surrounding them whenever they were near each other. Unable to force his vocal cords to work, he became aware of the others in the room listening. The brothers were easy to decipher, waiting for him to tell Ginny that he didn’t give a fuck, tautly preparing themselves to intervene. The women members expected him to give her a cold shoulder, sympathy pouring out of them in waves.
Reaper wanted to do both. The only thing stopping him was Ginny’s undaunted strength. She was unlike any other woman he had ever met. There was no fear of him in her expression; it was the exact opposite. Ginny familiarly greeted him as if he were a long-lost lover and she had just been reunited with him. It was crazy as fuck. What was even more alarming was a part of him felt the same.
Alarms sounded shrilly in his head at her behavior and at his own. When she had touched his cheek, it were as if Ginny had touched him a million times before, yet he knew she hadn’t. The most confusing part was it had felt so fucking right.
Unable to talk with the alarm blaring in his head, Reaper sat there like an infatuated dumb fuck.
“Lucky and Willa have been kind enough to put me up at the church. If you decide to come to town, we could grab a coffee at the diner. I leave in the morning.” With her hand at her side, she tugged down the bottom of her top. The tell-tale sign of her being nervous struck him like lightening making him forget about the set down he was about to give. That was ... if he could ever get his fucking tongue to work again.
“Well ...” She trailed off when he remained silent. “I hope to see you again.” Watching her turn and composedly leave, a flash on the edge of his memory tried to click in place, then was gone just as quick.
Confused, Reaper was still staring at the empty doorway when he became aware of the voices around him.
“Did Ginny just make a move on Reaper?” Lily asked Shade.
“Yes.” Shade didn’t try to hide his amused expression.
“Are you sure? I’ve never known her to do that before.”
“Pretty sure.” Shade’s amusement deepened. “That’s not the best part,” he told Lily.
“What’s the best part?”
“Watching Reaper unable to get a word out. He had the same problem when I saw them in the parking lot.”
“He did?” Lily looked away from Shade to give Reaper a heartening smile, as if he were a thirteen-year-old boy who needed her help to pursue his crush. “You should go have coffee with her. She wouldn’t have asked you for coffee if she didn’t like you.”
“Maybe you could give Reaper a few pointers so he won’t be so nervous around her.” Egging his wife on wasn’t Shade’s best move when Reaper was in a I-want-to-kick-someone’s-ass mood.
“I’d be happy to.”
Lily’s encouraging nod toward him had Reaper seeing red at Shade’s smug satisfaction. The brother plainly wanted to rattle him. What Reaper couldn’t understand was: Why?
Reaper picked up his dishes, and as he passed in front of Shade and Lily’s table he stopped to glower down at them. “You’re lucky Lily and your kids are here.”
Shade’s smile disappeared in a split second. “No. You are.” Picking up a butter knife, Shade dipped it into the jelly jar, slathering a large amount onto his toast.
Fuck. He realized too late why Shade was trying to irritate him; it was payback for the waffles and jelly.
The son of a bitch couldn’t stand anyone getting the better of him. Shade was a dominate personality inside and out of the bedroom. In another lifetime Reaper would let it slide, not caring enough to insert his own dominance. Those days were long gone.