“You’reokay, I guess,” I reply coyly.
His face falls. “Okay?” He raises his brows, sounding offended. “Justokay?”
“I’m only there for the comfortable bed,” I joke, amused at his reaction.
He leans forward and squeezes my thigh under the table, making me jolt. With a smile, he answers, “I think you’re a little liar.”
I smile widely back at him as the server appears at our table, putting the drinks in front of us.
“Can I order a rare steak to go as well? The biggest that you’ve got,” I ask.
“I’m sorry,” she asks, looking confused. “Can you repeat that?”
“I want to take a steak home for the dog.”
She giggles as she writes it down on her notepad. “I’m sure we can organize that for you.”
Reaper shakes his head. “You want to hope Viper and Rage will take your dog for a run because if you feed him the way you’re going, he may struggle to walk.”
I like the way he doesn’t mention the cost but mentions the health of my dog, when I’m sure he doesn’t even like him. Just puts up with him because of me.
“The steak is for you to give to Conan.”
He blinks in disbelief. “Why would I do that?”
“Me and Elena were talking about it. Conan is food motivated. It could be a peace offering.”
He snorts. “I guess anything is worth a try to stop him pissing on my leg.”
I burst out laughing, holding my stomach as I remember the wet patches on his leg and Conan sprinting away. Once I have controlled myself, I say, “Next question! Have you been married or had a longtime girlfriend?”
“No,” he responds swiftly.
“Why?” When I look around, a group of ladies is watching us—well... watching him. “You have plenty of admirers. I’m sure it would be easy for you to get a woman.”
He shrugs. “It was never a priority. I was overseas all the time, and I saw men who struggled to be apart from their wives and children. I didn’t think it would be fair, and I didn’t want the distraction, either.”
“But you’ve been home for a while now. Haven’t you been in any relationships?”
His deep frown twists my gut. “We were all messed up for a while when we came back, and then I put all my time and energy into the club to make it what it is today. I’m president, and the men rely on me and trust that I make the best decisions for the club, and I wanted nothing to interfere with that.”
A lump in my throat makes it hard to keep my cool. “And how do you feel now?”
Reaper’s hand comes out, reaching across the table and putting it on mine, and it settles some of the unease. “Seeing Axle and Elena together opened my eyes that it is possible to have a partner while still managing club responsibilities. Then I saw you at the wedding, and I had never wanted someone else so bad.”
“So it was love at first sight,” I tease.
“No doubt about it, beautiful.”
Our lunch arrives, and during the meal we are engrossed in conversation, but every time I glance at the women’s table, at least one is blatantly staring at Reaper. I get it—he’s sexy and hard not to gawk at, but I’m uncomfortable.
After our meal, the server passes me the steak in a container and gives us the bill before picking up our plates and cutlery.
I open my purse, but Reaper pulls cash out of his wallet and places the money down next to the receipt. “I’ll pay for mine.” I reach for the receipt to see the cost, but he takes the receipt and cash and slides it over to his side.
“You don’t pay when you’re with me.”
My mouth opens, but from the confident look on his face, I don’t think I’ll win this battle, so I slam my mouth shut. When we stand, he slides his hand in mine.
