When I stop at their table, he lifts his gaze. His eyes are green, like a forest. Beneath the start of a beard, his mouth forms a flat line. He doesn’t look old, but he’s got some gray hairs already decorating his temples. Strange.
He smells like cigarettes. On his back, he’s got the image of a terrifying skull, tree roots spilling from its open mouth and eye sockets. Steelwood MC is spelled out across his shoulders. He’s a biker.
Where we came from, bikers weren’t common. These two are nothing like what I’ve seen before.
The other male stops talking, his brows furrowing together at me. He’s upset, I’m interrupting their meal, or what looks like what’s left over of it.
“Samuel?” Asking just to be sure, my voice betrays me, wavering.
“Judge,” the other man corrects, almost like it’s an insult. He doesn’t come off too friendly, despite keeping a smile on his face. Talk about unsettling. He gets silenced with a wave of a hand, this guy calling him Ripper. Strange nicknames. They don’t like their real identities. I kind of understand.
“Penelope.” My name leaves me as an introduction, and I know Raven will scold me for telling them. The less we reveal, the longer we can stay. My toes curl in my sneakers as I stir. “Just Penelope.”
The corners of his eyes crinkle, giving away the only sign that he’s feeling anything. Without warning, he’s shifting in his seat, making room in the booth. He’s a big guy, built like he has the strength to fend off ten men.
I sit without asking. The other guy grunts, surprisingly keeping his mouth closed.
“Thank you for the food.” Getting that out of the way, I fight to keep my jaw from trembling. “But… why?”
A simple question seems far more complicated with the way he looks at me. It’s not in some perverted way like Raven’s thinking. His gaze is soft, his frown natural.
“Looked like you two needed it.” He answers honestly, but it doesn’t feel like an insult.
The smell of cinnamon and apple reaches my nose as Eva makes her appearance. I’m not expecting the ice cream paired with it, and I can’t help the groan that leaves me.
Ice cream.
“How long are you staying in town?” His next question leaves me surprised. Is it that obvious?
“However long we want,” Raven answers for me, sliding next to Ripper, much to his dismay. She’s clutching her pie in one hand and her coffee in the other. Her grip on that coffee is tight enough to make me think she plans on using it as a weapon.
“Polar fucking opposites, I see.” Ripper curls his lips as his smile turns into more of a snarl. “Aren’t twins supposed to be identical?”
While my sister corrects him with bared teeth, I realize Judge is still waiting for me to answer.
Why is my heart still pounding? Is it nerves? I can still feel the flutters happening in my stomach. The butterflies are going on a rampage, now.
“Could be a couple of days. A week or two, if we’re lucky. Depends if…”If people start asking too many questions. “If we can find a place or not.”
The lie feels silly, but he accepts it, not pushing.
“Well, while you enjoy your dessert,” he leans in, his voice softening into a rumble that makes me dizzy. “Can I ask for something in return?”
My sister growls, and I’m nodding.
I’d give this man anything he wants right about now.
The corners of his eyes crinkle in amusement, and he signals Eva down for the check. I don’t want to imagine what he’s going to have to pay, but after requesting a pen, I watch as he scribbles down words on the extra copy. An address.
“A place to crash, if you need it.” Grabbing my hand ever so softly, he presses it to my palm. “A place where you can be whoever you want to be, Penelope.”
Saying my name so sweetly, my body does the strangest thing. It warms. From my cheeks, down to the tips of my toes, I feel heat travel through my veins.
For a few seconds, I’m speechless. Then, he declares that they’ve got to move on.
Ripper immediately gets up, demanding my sister let him out, but he looks like he wouldn’t mind stepping on her.
“Sorry about him.” He forces out a chuckle. “He’s working on himself.”
