“Yeah, he didn’t go into details or anything,” Jesse explains. “Jase and I are somewhat close, so I know you two have history.”
“You do?” Now, this is news to me.
“During the time you guys were seeing each other, I was in Florida going to school. I came back after that and found out about you.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you knew who I was when I first started working here?” I find myself asking without meaning to.
“I try not to, butt into anyone’s business. The way Isee it, what happened between the two of you, that’s between you two, no one else, plus you’re good at being a dispatcher and actually like it. Some people who work here just don’t get it. They come to work, do their jobs, but don’t appreciate what they’ve done or do.”
“I can understand that,” I agree. There were a few that worked the same shift as me that just came in to do it as a job and not really care about helping the person who’s on the other end of the phone.
“What I’m trying to get at is that I’m not going to pry into what’s going on with you and my cousin. You want to talk, I’m here,” Jesse states with a smile sliding into place. “I’m also here if you wanna hear embarrassing stories about him when he was a kid and not some hot badass.”
“You realize you just called your cousin hot, don’t you?”
Jesse grins bigger. “Yeah, it’s totally gross, but I’m not blind. I know a hottie when I see one. He and all the guys at that club of his are hot.”
“I’m just gonna take your word on that, considering I’ve lived with most of them since I was a kid and they’re all family to me.” There’s no way I was going to admit that any of them were hot. It makes me want to cringe at the very thought.
Jesse giggles and jerks her head toward the elevator. “Let’s get out of here. I’m sure my cousin is sick of being here all day.”
“And just think he’ll have to do it all again tomorrow.” I laugh. Maybe he’ll decide to put someone else on me after being here all day. He’s probably been bored as shit.
Jesse laughs as the two of us make our way toward the elevator. The moment we step into it and the door closes, sealing us in, my heart begins to race. I know once the doors open again, Cerberus is going to be there waiting for me.
Thoughts of this morning’s conversation filter in my head, and I don’t know what to do with them. I managed to not think about it throughout the day, but now . . . it’s all I can think about.
He wants to know things that I’m not willing to share.
The doors open before I can finish going down the rabbit hole of my thoughts, and there he is waiting, eyes meeting mine.
“Ready?” he asks.
“Yeah,” I lie. I was definitely not ready to go anywhere with him unless it was to the clubhouse where I could hide away in my room.
Cerberus takes my hand and guides me out of the building, straight to his bike. He lets my hand go long enough to climb on his bike. He offers me hishand to help me on, but I don’t need it. I swing my leg over and settle in behind him. My arms immediately go around his waist, holding on tight.
Being this close to him, smelling the scent of leather and sandalwood, makes a part of me quiver in a way it hasn’t in so long. Not even when I was with Dex did I feel this.
Shoving the thoughts away the best I can, I yell at myself inside my head. I can’t be thinking these thoughts. After what happened years ago, I should be over it. Even more so when I came home, and he’d been at the clubhouse. Worse had been there and looked right through me.
Now he’s expecting me to go sit down and talk to him.
I can’t do that.
CHAPTER 8
EMBER
“Hey, Cerberus.” The hostess all but throws herself at Cerberus the moment we step into Mad Pigs.
The name doesn’t do justice to the restaurant. It’s one of the best places to eat since it opened, from what I’ve heard. Since I’ve been in town, I’ve had dinner here several times. I do know that it’s locally owned.
“Hey, Riss,” Cerberus greets the woman. She can’t be more than nineteen. I mean, Cerberus and I aren’t much older than that. Okay, so he’s older than me by a year and a half. I started seeing him when I was seventeen. We broke up right after I turned eighteen.
“Your table’s already available,” Riss remarks, smiling brightly.
“Good.” Cerberus smiles and guides me past the woman, who finally looks at me and loses her smile.
