“Just looking for a little adventure. Decided to stop in for a drink with my friend here. I hope that’s all right,” I said, pretending to act tough, even though my heart was pounding loudly in my chest.
“Nothing wrong with that. You two ladies have a nice night.” He raised his eyebrow while someone whispered something to him. I began to worry that we’d been found out, but they all walked off, and everyone resumed their conversations.
“What the hell was that about?” asked Mona.
“It seems that this place runs in much smaller circles than I originally thought. I don’t know if we’re aware of what we’re dealing with here, but whatever you do, Mona, please be careful. I don’t know how I’m going to get any of them to talk to me.”
“You just have to join the party, Lacey. Have a little fun, get a little drunk, and it won’t be long before a handsome sexy biker is fawning all over you.” She held up her hand to get the barman’s attention. “Two more shots when you’re ready.”
We downed the shots and Mona told me she needed the bathroom. I watched her head across the room, squeezing between two bikers, who engaged her in conversation. One was obviously checking her out. For Mona it seemed so easy. I wasn’t that confident—I was just scared something was going to go wrong, that I would be found out, and despite the alcohol, I found it hard to relax.
As soon as Mona returned I decided this was my time. I had to make a move, so I told her to watch our seats while I went to the bathroom. That would give me the space to think, compose myself, and make something happen.
I didn’t know what I was thinking, or if this was even going to work, but I knew I had to try if I wanted more information. Just as I exited the bathroom, I glanced over at the door to see a familiar face walk in. Our eyes locked for a moment, and I took in his leather jacket, the tattoos peeking through his shirt, and then I remembered where I had seen them before.Is that Moves?
Eleven
Moves
I needed a night off from all of this. After talking to my brother, I didn’t really feel like doing anything apart from drowning my feelings and hoping some of this would start to sort itself out.
I couldn’t help but be overwhelmed after my little visit to Keith’s, because he was a walking reminder of the family I had lost, and even though I had gained a new one, it didn’t take away the pain I felt inside. I entered the Blue Dog with the intention of drinking myself stupid, hoping that for one night I didn’t have to be on high alert, that I could enjoy a few drinks and take my mind off of everything that was stressing me out.
I entered, locking eyes with a woman that I had seen before, and for a moment I was trying to remember where I knew her from, while she held my gaze.Ah, Lacey,I thought, remembering her from Lily and Bailey’s. I wondered what she was doing in a place like this. I watched her walk back over to her friend after shooting me a smile, and I felt the urge to go over and talk to her.
I was staring for quite a while before Ryder started to approach me, and I knew I had to snap out of the little fantasy I was having and join some of the Outlaw Souls for a few drinks.
“Hey, Moves. Come, sit. Have a few drinks, because you look like hell,” he said, and I chuckled.
“I’m going to need something very strong to get my mind off of everything that’s going on,” I agreed.
He handed me a glass of whiskey, which I downed without blinking. Another one swiftly followed.
“I see you were checking out the beautiful girl over there,” Ryder said.
“Lacey,” I told him. “I met her at a party, but I still can’t figure out what she’s doing here. She’s got company tonight, but she’s not half the looker Lacey is.”
I felt the need to go right over to her, flirt with her, and let her know that I found her incredibly attractive. I wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol that was coursing through me, or just trying to get away from all the stress I’d been feeling, but I was getting a hard-on at the thought of what I might do to her.
I glanced over at her a couple of times from behind my glass, taking in how absolutely stunning she was, and I was holding myself back from heading over there when I knew I was probably going to say something stupid. I made up my mind right then that I wanted her, and I had a feeling that she might’ve felt the same way. I put my glass down, heading over to her, and she pretended not to see me when I finally approached.
“Now, this is not a face I expected to see here tonight,” I said, and she smiled.
“Like I told your friends over there, Mona and I just wanted to come out, have a little fun. I didn’t know that the circles were so tight-knit around here, otherwise I probably would’ve chosen a different spot,” she said with that familiar glimmer in her eyes, the same one that I had seen the night we met.
“You are certainly welcome anytime, Lacey. I’m surprised that you would even be in this part of town.”
“Where I come from, there just isn’t a place like this,” she said, smiling at me, while I sat down next to her. Her friend was starting to take the hint, but she didn’t go very far, and I was happy to see that Lacey had such protective people on her side.
A girl that beautiful needs someone around to protect her.
The more I looked at her, the more I found myself wanting to get to know her, to kiss her. We sat there having a rather normal conversation, but my eyes averted to her lips, focusing on the way she spoke, how beautiful her smile was, and I could see her cheeks start to blush.
I remembered the way she’d been stumbling around at Lily and Bailey’s house, looking for the bathroom, nearly falling down the stairs. That wasn’t what I was seeing this time, because I could feel the tension between us grow, and I thought my mind was playing tricks on me watching her eyes start to glance down at my lips.
We were just about to move on to do something that I’d been wanting to do from the time I’d laid eyes on her, but she quickly broke the conversation, trying to sober us both up, and it was probably for the best. I was trying to snap out of it, but I couldn’t help but take in how captivating she was, and I was hanging off every word she said, fighting the urge to bring her close and kiss her.
I didn’t quite understand the feeling that had overtaken me, and for the first time in a while, I wasn’t caught up in worrying about all of my responsibilities. I finally had the opportunity to let loose and enjoy myself without my pain creeping back in reminding me that I needed to stay focused, otherwise I could potentially break.
