by Hart, Eve R.
Iron tended to let others do the talking, most of the time choosing to stay in the background and keep watch. He probably knew more about us than we knew about ourselves. Because he watched. He observed. He studied.
But who cared about him like that?
Who watched him? Knew what was going on with him even if he didn’t? Could see the storm coming before he even knew it?
No one.
Not one single fucking person.
And as I realized all of this, I thought that it was really shitty.
It was one thing to be there to have someone’s back, but did it matter if they didn’t know that you cared about them? Did it really do any good if they thought your life mattered more than theirs?
“You doin’ okay?” I asked, blinking myself out of my daze as my eyes shifted up to look at him.
He lifted his head up for a second and looked at me with a slightly startled expression. Then his head fell heavily back against the chair.
He looked as if he was having to think really hard on how to answer that.
Which worried me a little.
“Told you, don’t have an answer for that,” he said with a hint of laughter in his tone.
“You know I’m here if you need anything, right? We all are. You don’t have to take on the world all on your own.”
“Yeah,” he breathed out. “What if it’s more than the world?”
What the fuck was that supposed to mean?
“Not sure I follow, Prez.”
“Club stuff, it’s not easy, but I can do it. It doesn’t feel like a burden to me. I love it here. And most of the time I feel like I know what I’m doing.”
There was a pause and I just sat there and waited. When he didn’t go on, I opened my mouth.
“So, it’s something else then?”
“What’s going on with you?” he asked sitting up straight. “Haven’t seen you around the bar much the last few months.”
He was deflecting. I wasn’t really sure how hard I should press him so I decided to let it slide for now. Maybe if I got to talking, he would open up a little.
“Yeah,” I said with a nod as I thought about Claire.
“Reason for that?” He raised a brow at me as if he already knew the answer.
“Yeah,” I said with a smirk.
“When did it all sink in for you?” It was like he just knew. Knew what was going on with me. Even knew who the hell we were talking about. He always just fucking knew.
“In that house. When I saw her. Told myself that she was mine in the back of that SUV.”
“And how’s that working out for you?” he asked.
“Workin’ on it,” I said with a laugh.
Yeah, I was workin’ real hard on it. So hard that I was sitting here naked in my room reading a book and hanging out with my almost depressed looking Prez.
“Cable?” her voice filtered through the door right before I heard her knock.
Did she know we were talking about her?
That was weird, right?
“You don’t have to get dressed for me. And if this is a bad time, you can tell me,” she called out sweetly.
Iron shot me a smirk as he got out of the chair and made his way to the door.
“Hi, Claire,” he said all smooth-like and it made me want to throw something at him.
“Hi,” she said brightly back to him.
“I’m Iron. I’ve heard a lot about you. It’s good to see you smiling.”
“Oh, thank you. And it’s nice to meet you. Sketch has ‘mad respect’ for you, as he puts it.”
Iron barked out a laugh.
“That sounds about right for him,” he said as he stepped to the side and let her in. “This one has been sitting there like a big lump. Maybe you can get him to be a little more lively.”
She laughed and I found myself smiling.
He gave me one last nod then walked out of the room.
“Iron,” Claire said, stopping him from getting too far. He turned to face her again. “Thank you for taking care of him. And thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”
“That’s what family’s for,” he said simply, then headed on his way.
She closed the door then turned to face me.
This was maybe a bit awkward. The only thing I was wearing at the moment was an open book over my nether regions.
“Should I get dressed?” I asked. I didn’t want her to feel uncomfortable.
“No. No. Not if you’d rather be like this…” She waved her hand in the air. If I wasn’t mistaken, she sounded a little nervous. And maybe breathless. “I mean, I’ve already seen it all, right?” She let out a short laugh.
“That is true,” I said with a chuckle.
It was a good thing I was reading a big hardback book. Some tiny paperback wouldn’t hide much of what she was doing to me right now. I needed my crab pillow for this situation. Shame it was across the damn room. Yeah, clothes were probably a really good idea right about now.
“Can you toss me those pants,” I said and cleared my throat.
“Really, it’s okay. This is your space and there is a warning on the door after all.”
“Claire,” I said pinning her with a soft stare. “I need some pants.”
“Okay,” she said sounding confused. I raised a brow at her trying to get her to understand without having to say it. “Oh. Oh, okay. Yeah. Pants.”
She found them on the floor and tossed them over.
“Wait,” she said and her eyes were on the corner of the bed. I couldn’t tell if she was trying to give me a bit of privacy or lost in thought. “Is that because of me?”
“Yeah,” I said but still hadn’t moved to put on my pants.
“Does that happen a lot?”
“For you, yeah,” I answered honestly.
“Oh. I, uh, don’t really know what to say,” she replied but I could see the smile on her lips and the pink in her cheeks. “Well, I already know about it so it’s fine. You can stay as you are.”
“Claire,” I said trying to get her to look at me. When she met my eyes I continued. “Either we both are going to be wearing clothes or we’re both not.”
There was a look that fell over her face and I hated that I’d done that. It was sad and terrified at the same time. I hadn’t really thought about it before I said it and now I realized what I’d done. I didn’t give a shit about the scars she might have but I imagined she did. I was sure she was super self-conscious about them. I needed to tread lightly here, but also let her know in a soft way that I didn’t give a shit about all of that.
I jumped off the bed and pulled up my pants with lightning speed. Then I was in front of her and wrapping my arms around her tiny frame.
“I’m ugly, Cable,” she said so softly that I barely heard her.
“I don’t think that.”
“I am. You saw what happened to me that night. It’s all still there. It will never go away.”
“I know,” I said calmly. It was something that she would live with for a lifetime and there was no sense in trying to lie to her. “But this is the woman I want to know. This is the woman that does things to me that I can’t control.”
She lifted her head and looked up at me.
“This is the you that I want. I want to know your past if you want to share it with me. But this,” I touched my finger to her heart, “is the woman I can’t stop thinking about.”
I hoped that made sense.
I definitely wasn’t as smooth as some of my brothers. I spoke from the heart but it didn’t always come out so great.
“You’re crazy, you know that, right?”
“Good crazy or bad crazy?” I asked because I honestly couldn’t tell.
“Good crazy. Definitely good crazy.”
I smiled and so did she.
We stayed frozen there for a few minutes lost in each other’s gaze.
“Will you kiss me now, Cable?” she asked with a slight shakiness in her tone.
“Please,” she whispered as she lifted up onto her toes, bringing her lips closer to mine.
My hands framed her face as I brought my lips to hers.
It was hard not to smile right then but hell, the moment I felt her soft, sweet lips against mine, I was a goner.
It was heaven here on damn earth.
I easily got lost just bouncing off them and I could have done that all day. But then she opened up, inviting me in, and, well…
I took.
I gave.
I owned.
“Cable,” she softly moaned as I slowly slid my tongue away from hers.
“I know,” I said resting my forehead against hers and staring into her dazed eyes. “I want this. I want you. But I’m okay with taking it slow.”
She nodded against my head as if she understood.
I could tell that in the moment she was ready to take the next step, to keep going, but I didn’t want her to regret it later.
I would be here, however long she needed me to be.
“Not that I’m not happy to see you, but was there a reason you stopped by?” I asked trying to break the trance we were in.
“Oh, yeah!” She pulled away from me with excitement. “I opened it. I didn’t do anything other than open the box and look at it. But I thought you’d be proud I did that much. I was hoping you might have some time to help me get it set up. Show me some stuff. And all that.”
She laughed as she pulled the laptop, cellophane free but still in the box, out of the messenger bag that was resting on her hip.
I barked out a laugh. She was just so fucking cute.
“Yes, I’m very proud of you,” I said with a smile, taking the box from her and sitting on the edge of the bed.
I spent the next few hours hanging out with her like the kiss hadn’t even happened and it was perfect. I got her all set up and ready to go. I did my best to show her how to navigate everything. By the time we were done, I think she pretty much got the hang of it.
It was a perfect afternoon.
But I was starting to see that every moment spent with her was pretty damn perfect.
I let her walk away with only a hug and a sweet kiss placed lightly on her cheek. Just enough to let her know that I meant what I’d said.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Claire
“Well, aren’t you floating around on a cloud today,” Lavinia said halfway through my shift.
I loved it when we worked together. Yeah, we saw each other like all the time but it didn’t matter.
“Well, maybe I had a good afternoon yesterday,” I said with a wide smile.
I hadn’t seen her since I’d left Cable’s. She worked the late shift last night and then I was here bright and early this morning. She came in at rush about an hour ago and it had been too crazy then to stop and chat even for a second.
“You are so falling for this guy,” she said with a playful roll of her eyes.
“I think I am.”
I hadn’t meant to say that out loud but it didn’t make it any less true.
Cable was…
Too many things to even count.
I almost wanted to say perfect.
But no one was perfect.
I guess Cable was as close to perfect as anyone could get.
I kept that part to myself because it sounded stupid. And it could have been that I was a little worried that I didn’t really know him all that well. There was just something about the man that felt like I did know him. Like, as silly as it might sound, he was in my soul.
So was he like a soulmate?
I couldn’t answer that.
I wasn’t even sure that I bought into the whole soulmates thing.
But… maybe I was starting to believe.
“Whoa,” she said snapping me out of my thoughts. “Really?”
I hummed and nodded as I grabbed the bin of salt so I could refill the shakers.
One thing I’d learned, people here liked their salt. And it was the end of the world if one of the shakers ended up empty. So I always made sure to fill them during the down times.
“I’m happy for you,” she said as she followed me out to the dining area.
“Yeah?” I asked because I wasn’t sure how I felt about it myself. And the last thing I wanted was for her to feel like I was going to abandon her because I had someone new in my life.
“Hell, yeah. You deserve someone that gives you the sun and more.” She paused which made me turn and look at her. “He does give you the sun right? Because if he doesn’t, I’m gonna have to go give him a lesson.”
My head fell back as I laughed. I looked around and was glad there were only a handful of people in the dining area. None of them seemed to be bothered by my outburst.
“I think he would if I asked for it,” I said with a little shrug.
“Well good. We should have him and Sketch over one night for dinner.”
I cocked my head at my friend.
“Do you have a thing for Sketch?” I asked.
“No,” she said with a shake of her head while she checked the ketchup at the table we were at. “Don’t get me wrong, he’s great and all. But I don’t feel fireworks and crap around him.”
She paused mid-movement and took in a deep breath.
“I want that,” she said with a shrug. “You know, sparks and fire and can’t keep your hands off of each other. I like Sketch. But he kind of feels more like a brother. You know?”
I giggled. Poor Sketch. I was pretty sure he’d tried to hit on her a few times. Then again, he had kind of turned into a huge flirt.
“Oh, I know. Sketch has always kind of seemed like a big brother to me. Even now he tries to take care of me. It lets me know I’m loved, though. I honestly don’t know if I would be alive if it wasn’t for him.”
The past was hard to think about but I tried to remember the good times. He had been a part of most of them. Hell, he had helped make most of them.
“He’s actually a pretty great guy under all that… whatever he has going on,” I said with a laugh.
“Yeah, I can see it. But sorry to say, he doesn’t do it for me. I’ll hang out with him any day of the week, though.”
I nodded in agreement.
“So, you guys never…” she let the unsaid question hang there.
“No,” I said with a shake of my head. “Never.”
I had never thought of him that way and I guessed it was the same for him. He never once tried to make a move on me or tell me he felt differently than what he showed. I didn’t think there was anything more than the deep friendship that we had.
“Oh, shit,” she whispered in my ear causing me to stand up straight. “Yumminess at nine o’clock.”
As if I knew it was him, my head turned and instantly met his eyes.
The smile he flashed me was blinding.
“Uh, yeah. That dude so has it bad for you,” she said and lightly shoved my shoulder. “Go. I’ll take over your obsession with making sure all the salt shakers are full.”
I laughed as I tried my hardest to send her a glaring look. I was pretty sure I failed.
As I turned back to him, he pointed to the long counter that had stool seating. I gave him a nod like I knew what he was asking even though he hadn’t really said it.
I tried to calm my nerves as I rounded the counter and walked over to him.
So we had kissed. Yeah, there was that. And, oh my fucking God had it been amazing. I resisted the urge to touch my tingling lips. I swear I could still feel it.
“Hi,” I said a little breathlessly.
“Hi,” he parroted with a sweet smile.
“What can I get you to drink?”
“Water will be fine,” he replied, playing along.
“Do you know what you want to eat yet, or do you need another minute to look over the menu?”
“What do you recommend?” he asked, his eyes locked onto mine. He didn’t even have a damn menu i
n front of him.
“Most people get the WTF burger. But if it were me, I’d go with the meatloaf today. And keep the mashed potatoes.” I leaned in a little and lowered my voice. “But I’d add cheese. Today we have a cheddar-asiago blend that is to die for.”
“That sounds perfect. I’ll take that. Thank you, Claire.” And his eyes darted down to look at my name tag.
I died. Again. Because… holy hell balls, this guy was so close to perfect it hurt.
“I’ll put that in for you. And be right back with your water. Oh, did you want lemon?”
“I’m good without the lemon,” he replied and I was instantly pulled into that little twinkle in his eyes.
“Okay, then. Be right back.”
It wasn’t until I was in the kitchen that I felt like I could breathe again. Damn him. He was doing things to me that I only dreamed about.
A part of me was still hesitant. Or maybe a little bit shy. I’d been fooled by men the last few years of my life. And while I didn’t think Cable was like any of those other guys, I still couldn’t help but to think that I was falling way too fucking fast.
“Here you go,” I said as I set the cup of water down in front of him. I didn’t bother with the straw since I’d noticed the last time he was here that he didn’t even touch it. “Shouldn’t be much longer.”
“Thank you.”
I wasn’t really sure what to do now. I didn’t have any other tables at the moment and Lavinia was taking care of the salt. But I also didn’t want to stand here and hover if he’d really come in just to eat.
“I want to take you out,” he said pretty much out of nowhere.
“Okay,” I said with a smile. “I’d like that.” And yeah, I did notice how he hadn’t really asked.
Cable seemed to know the perfect balance between demanding and requesting. He pushed when it was right and he was soft when I needed it the most. It was crazy that I could already tell that about him but I caught onto it.
The bell dinged and I turned to grab his food.