“I thought about getting a decent coffee this morning, but then I’d have to get up and thought better of it. You?” I pulled the covers under my chin.
He wrinkled his nose, ignoring my question. “You’ve got two choices. One: get dressed, and we’ll grab decent coffee on the way. Two: I drag you, kicking and screaming, and whatever you’ve got on is it. Go with option two.”
“You’d like that way too much.” I rolled my eyes, knowing I had a T-shirt and a pair of pajama shorts on. It wasn’t like he was going to get skin. He stood up from the chair and made his way over to my suitcase. “Don’t touch my underwear. We’ve gone over this.”
“What underwear? There are barely any clean clothes in here.” He shuffled my stuff around. I could have told him it was a waste of time. “Why don’t you come stay with me? This place isn’t really that safe for you, and we have a washer and dryer. I’ll even buy the fancy detergent.”
I searched his face, looking for the punchline, but all I saw was worry in his brown eyes. His mustache ticked, as if he was giving me time to think this over,but he’d already decided what was best. “Fuck, no. You live in the clubhouse.”
“My room is larger than this one.” He looked around before staring at me down the bridge of his nose. “It’s also cleaner.”
“Your room might be, but I’m having visions of a frat house crossed with a sex dungeon. No, thanks. I’ll stay here.”
He said nothing, and I must have been closer to the truth than I realized.
Cactus dropped a pair of shorts and a T-shirt onto my leg. “Get dressed. Please, sweetheart.”
I sighed, sinking into the mattress. It was the please that softened me. “What’s so important?” I asked him.
“You’re off. I’m off…today. Figured you would want to do the historical thing.” Cactus shrugged, and it made him look younger for a second.
I threw the covers off. The clothes fell to the floor as I stood on top of the bed. “I’ve never done the historical thing,” I said excitedly. This was going to be a fun day, nothing more.
“You won’t be now if you crack your head open. Come here.” He held out his arms to me, and I let him lift me from the bed until my feet touched the floor. Neither of us moved, but we held onto each other a beat. “Go. Time’s ticking.” He reached down and swatted my ass.
I shook my head and smiled. I was ready in under ten minutes.
***
We made small talk, heading towards the main street, but before we turned the corner, he stopped. “Don’t laugh,” he said.
My laughter was already bubbling to the surface, but it died when I noticed how hesitant he was. His fingers flexed as if he wanted to bolt, but something held him in place. I went to grab his arm for comfort, unsure how else to help. He wouldn’t look directly at me.
“The only original building on the main drag is the theatre,” he rushed. “The tourism volunteers will add the saloon to that, but I’m not sure if that’s actuallytrue. Mixed accounts.” His shoulders hunched as if he were afraid of revealing a secret.
I didn’t understand what was happening, but I wouldn’t leave him. This date…Could I even call it one?His face was blank, but his eyes danced back and forth, staring straight ahead. “You don’t have to shrink to talk about something you love,” I whispered. “There’s nothing wrong with liking pieces of history.” I reached for his hand, locking our fingers together. “Come on, tour guide, you promised me a historical day and a good cup of coffee.”
His lips tipped up at the corners, moving with me. We turned the corner, but when we reached the Blue Angel, he bypassed it. Continuing up the street, Cactus turned into a small bakery that was squeezed between two trinket shops. “Don’t tell my sister or Lulu, but they make better coffee here,” he said as he held the door open for me.
“Your secret is safe with me.” I squeezed his hand in solidarity.
We ordered, and when the little old lady with her pink apron handed us our cups, she said we looked like a cute couple and hoped we had fun today. She moved towards the back of the coffee shop as we took a seat at a table.
He let his guard slip for a minute. I’d never been greedy, knowing what it was like to go without, but I wanted as many pieces as I could get of him for myself. Cactus, the biker, was as safe for me as Grant, the man. I doubted he knew his niece had revealed that part of him. “How did you get here?”
This was the first relationship I’d ever had where I cared to look beyond the surface. Caring hadn’t been part of the plan. Staying, even less so, but here I was, digging for the emotional parts of him no one had touched.
“My mother used to bring us here when we were kids for day trips. It holds a lot of good memories for me, so when I didn’t have a plan, I found myself here.” Before he said anything else, his phone rang. Pulling it out, he checked the screen before answering. “What?” He listened, making a face at me over whatever the person on the other line was saying. “I’m not on club business, so I don’t need a babysitter.” He swallowed the rest of the coffee before returning to the conversation. “Get off my dick.”
There’s the prick.I smiled behind my cup as I finished my coffee.
“Don’t even think about it.” Cactus ended the call before turning his phone off. “The brothers are bored, and their favorite pastime is to be as fucking annoying as possible,” he said to me.
I smiled, tossing my cup. He held the door for me, but as soon as I stepped onto the walkway, I heard the cowboys up the street starting their routine.
“Do you want to stay and watch them?” Cactus bent down and whispered in my ear.
“I’ve seen this part a few times,” I teased, standing close to the railing so that I could see the show.
