It’s not long before our plates are set in front of us. I’d ordered the pig on mac. It was diced-up pork belly burnt ends sauced to perfection like candy. It tops the best mac and cheese I’ve ever had. All gooey and cheesy. I love it. It’s served with a side of crispy garlic green beans. One thing I love about the dinners here is nothing is small. Customers aren’t cheated in portions. For the price you pay for a meal here, it’s awesome.
Cerberus went in another direction with his dinner. He ordered a pork chop that I was sure was seasoned to perfection. Fried and juicy. He’d gotten mash garlicy potatoes, gravy, and crispy green beans. It looks good. Considering I’ve had it twice before, I knew it was good.
I knew they also had everything you could imagine regarding pork, but they also had some chicken dishes, a couple beef dishes, and even vegan ones. They cater to all, but it was definitely a BBQ joint. The best in town, maybe in all of East Texas.
What makes it even better is the sauce. Now that I know the menu was done up by Cerberus’s mom, itmakes sense. She’s from North Carolina and the queen of making her own BBQ sauces.
Literally. Her sauces won awards, according to what I remember from my and Cerberus’s time together dating. His dad would brag more than she did about how good it was.
Cerberus switches the conversation to something light, asking me about the dispatch center and my cousin Bethany in Virginia. We talked. Even laughed. I was starting to feel comfortable, not thinking of anything heavy while we talked.
By the time he finished his dinner, I’d already given up on mine. I was stuffed, not able to eat anymore. Means I’ll have lunch for tomorrow, so long as no one eats it at the clubhouse before then. Sometimes, even if you label something off limits, it still gets eaten.
Cerberus sets his fork down and slides the plate away, eyes on me. “You good?”
“Yeah, just need a box and a prayer,” I quip, nodding to my food.
He glances at my plate, a smirk playing on his lips. “We’ll store your food in my room. I’ve got a mini fridge in there. It’ll be safe from the scavengers.”
“I appreciate it,” I tell him as he waves toward the waitress. Within minutes, I have my food boxed up,and he’s paying the tab, which I don’t understand. “Why are you paying when you own the place?”
“Might own it, but still gonna pay to keep the books straight and the staff gets their tip. I don’t keep cash on me, and it’s only fair to them.”
That is a nice thing for him to do.
The two of us step out of the booth. Cerberus goes first, his hand coming out to take my hand. Didn’t wait for me to give it to him. Just took it and helped me the rest of the way.
We make our way out of the restaurant, him speaking to the staff as we go. Outside at his bike, we do as we did earlier, him getting on, me following. I wrap my arms around his waist and hold tight while he takes us back to the clubhouse.
The ride was nice. The air is cool and crisp, but not cold. It’ll soon be cold, and I’ll have to dig out my coat. Thankfully, though, winter here is nothing like winter in Montana. I don’t have to worry about the freezing temps here as I did there.
By the time we get to the clubhouse, I’m back to overthinking and not sure of what I should do about any of what he shared. He did tell me the other night, after I woke up from my nightmare, that he was there to listen if I wanted to talk about it. Not that I want to talk about it. But Reaper told me I needed to find someone to talk to. Maybe if I tell Cerberus aboutwhat happened to me, he’ll understand me a little better.
Only do I really want him to understand me at all?
If I share, it means I’m letting him in. Does the fact of what he shared during dinner change things? It shouldn’t, but he is the first man I’ve ever loved.
Say I do share, what happens when he finds out just how damaged I truly am?
All the questions swirl around in my head. After we are both off his bike and I’m able to tilt my head back to look at him, I find myself blurting out to Cerberus what happened.
“I was raped Halloween night while I was at school. You wanted to know what my nightmare was about. That’s what it was about. It’s always about that night. It was horrible and one I’ll never forget. My scars marking my body, they’re a daily reminder that the bastard who attacked me got what he wanted.”
Spinning on my heels, I rush away from Cerberus, not realizing he is right behind me. But where I was running, like my life depended on it, he was walking, following me.
For what, I don’t know.
CHAPTER 9
CERBERUS
Ember’s words fill my head with a rage I thought impossible. I’ve felt anger, even fury, but nothing ever like this. The way she just says what she said pisses me off. I’ve got a feeling she said it as a way of pushing me away, but that shit isn’t gonna happen.
It’s a good thing Reaper had given me a heads up, still, it wasn’t enough to fully prepare me for what she shared. I want to find the motherfucker who attacked her and kill him for what he’s done. He scarred her in more ways than one.
Throughout the entire day, I’ve done nothing but think of what I’m going to do with Ember. How to get her in my bed where I want her. Taking her toMad Pigs was a good way to break through her walls. No matter how marginally the cracks really were, I got in there. During dinner, we’d talked. I’d gotten to tell her some of what I wanted to share with her and seen the crack when it happened.
Ember hadn’t expected me to remember the details of our first date. She didn’t expect my answer about the club either. I meant what I told her.
