Chapter Twenty-Two
Malcolm
I pulled out my phone to check the address Gunner had texted to me and make sure I was in the right spot. While I was there, I scrolled back quickly to a sexy pic he had sent me and felt a warm flush come up my neck.
Damn.
Right address, anyway. And I wasn’t surprised to see a row of motorcycles lined up outside the diner. Probably Maddox’s choice. Hopping out of the car, I wondered if my button-up shirt was going to look too formal inside and then a saw a woman push her way through the front door. In a bright red dress and with tattoos covering her arms, she looked stunning.
“Come on in, sweetie,” she said. “Everything is good except for the meatloaf.”
I smiled. “Thanks!” I said, then walked into the restaurant.
The place was so spacious, it didn’t look crowded once I was inside. Most people kept to themselves, and a few older waitresses flew around the room, cracking jokes and chatting with the diners. I quickly found Gunner and Maddox, across from each other at a booth in the back.
As I approached, the vision of Maddox standing above us the week before came rushing back to mind. It was like I could feel the rhythmic strokes of his fist up and down his shaft, beating as steadily as my heartbeat.
Shaking my head, I slid into the booth beside Gunner. We smiled to each other. Then he leaned forward, kissing me quickly and giving me a nibble on the lip.
“Hi,” I said softly, suddenly very aware of the other people in the diner. Although neither Maddox or Gunner seemed to mind. I would have thought the kind of customers in the diner were a little less friendly to gay people, but if that were the case, Maddox and Gunner weren’t bowing to the pressure any.
Maddox pointed at the menu. “Best chicken and waffles in the city,” he said. “It’s a biker secret.”
I turned to Gunner, who shrugged. “I mentioned that you said you liked chicken and waffles.”
It felt good just to imagine them talking about me, and I immediately relaxed a little. Even when a very large man sat at the table right next to us, I still didn’t tense up. Knowing both Maddox and Gunner were looking out for me made me feel protected.
The waitress came and took our orders and brought the guys each a beer. I knew that we were there to talk about the business with my landlord, but I still enjoyed pretending Maddox was actually taking Gunner and me on a date.
“Did you figure out whatever you needed to figure out this afternoon?” I asked.
Maddox nodded. “It all looked set. I’ll keep the story short, but by next week, we should have a stack of files proving my uncle’s been using illegal tactics to pressure you. That will be enough to keep your apartment and to cause him one massive headache.” He fished a piece of paper out of his pocket, then slid it to me. “I do want you to glance at these names. Let me know if you remember talking to any of those people, getting mail from them, stuff like that.”
“Anything to worry about?” I asked, folding the paper and placing it in my pocket so I could check it against my mail later.
He shook his head. “Just due diligence. Keeping tabs on who might be around.”
“Well, thanks again for doing all that for me,” I said, feeling warm from their attention. “And sorry that your uncle is awful.”
“Don’t get me started,” Maddox said, his voice rumbling in his chest. I remembered how he had avoided talking about his family when I asked about his house and wondered if there might be some connection between it all.
Gunner told me about the scouting trip they had been on, and Maddox sat across the booth, a grin pulling up the corner of his mouth when Gunner got excited or started bragging. In no time, the waitress was sliding big plates of food onto the table. While Gunner grabbed the little bottles of condiments, I spread a pat of butter around on the waffles. I felt ravenous, and as soon as I started eating, I was practically groaning, the food was so good.
“You like it?” Maddox asked, cutting up his own waffle.
“Amazing,” I answered.
Gunner threw his arm over my shoulder. “You’ll probably want to lick the syrup off his lips later,” he said to Maddox. I squirmed beneath him a little, laughing despite myself, but kept my eyes on Maddox.
His gaze was like hot coals, and when he looked straight into Gunner’s eyes, I took in a sharp breath of air. Blood rushed to my cock as Gunner traced his finger along my arm.
Maddox leaned forward a little, resting his elbows on the table. “You keep promising things,” he said, “one of these times, I’m going to cash in on it.”
I felt like I was about to explode and turn into a hundred horny butterflies, all flying through the diner.
Gunner kept his arm hanging loosely across my shoulders while we ate. “I’m just glad to have a chance to stick it to some scumbag who really deserves it,” he said. “I don’t even mind that I’m stuck being lookout. Most people who do shit like that just get away with it. I see it all the time on the demolition crew. My boss is good, but there are some real assholes up the ladder.”
Maddox turned to look at me. “I’m guessing you don’t have too much of that at the library.”
