by A. M. Myers
“Good mornin’, you two,” a cheery older waitress says as we stop in front of the counter. She reaches for the menus. “Anyone else joining you for breakfast?”
I shake my head.
“No, just us,” Sawyer says and she flashes us a grin. The heat of his hand seeps through my clothes and warms my skin. My body begs me to lean back into him but I manage to stop myself as she pulls two menus out of the cubby and motions for us to follow her. Sawyer’s hand moves, slipping around to my waist and he pulls me into his side. I suck in a breath and his grip tightens. She leads us to a little booth in the back corner of the diner and smiles as she sets our menus down and moves out of our way so we can sit down. The table is just big enough for the two of us and as Sawyer sits across from me and lays his arms on the top, his hand skates dangerously close to mine.
“Can I start y’all off with something to drink?”
I smile up at her. “Coffee, please. Lots of cream and lots of sugar.”
“You got it, sweetie,” she answers before turning to Sawyer.
“Coffee, black.”
She nods and slips her notepad back into the pocket of her apron. “I’ll give you two a minute to look over the menu.”
“Thank you.”
She flashes me a kind smile before walking away and I sigh as I pick up my menu and open it. There is a giant block smack in the middle of the menu talking all about their pancakes and the various toppings you can get. My stomach growls as I read over the options before deciding on something. When I close my menu and set it down on the table, I glance up and meet Sawyer’s eyes. It’s like the rest of the room melts away and it is just he and I here, lost in whatever the hell this is and even though I can’t identify what this is, it feels damn good.
“You never answered my question outside,” he murmurs and I scowl as I try to remember what he asked me outside. Oh…right. It’s not even like I could answer the question if I wanted to. I mean, sure, I think I’m safe but the trouble is I don’t know what I don’t know and my stolen memories could hold a whole treasure trove of secrets. I open my mouth to reply to him before snapping it shut and sliding my chair back.
“I need to use the restroom. If she comes back to take our order, can you get me the pancakes with bananas?”
He nods, his face the picture of frustration. “Sure.”
I stand up and grab my bag from the floor before running away from the table as fast as I can without actually looking like I’m running. Weaving through the various other diners seated around the dining room, I pull my phone out of my pocket and turn it on. As it springs to life, I slip into the bathroom and plop down on the love seat positioned in one corner of the room. It is surprisingly nice and clean in here for a diner bathroom and I suck in a breath as I dial Mercedes’ number. It rings in my ear and just when I think it’s going to go to her voice mail, I hear a click.
“Jett?” she asks, her voice full of sleep. “Are you okay?”
I nod as my knee bounces in front of me. “Yeah, I’m good… I’m just wondering how much you told the club when you asked them to help me.”
“Just that you needed a ride. Why?”
I pinch my forehead and blow out a breath. “I don’t know… it’s just… I don’t know anything and he’s asking me if I’m in trouble and I don’t think I am but obviously I don’t know that since I can’t remember anything for five goddamn years and somebody did just run me and my dad off the road and I don’t know how to act or who I am anymore.”
“Whoa, slow your roll, girl. You’re spinning out of control.”
“Yeah, you’re tellin’ me,” I whisper as I try to focus on calming myself down.
“I think the important question is how much do you want to tell him?”
I shake my head. “I don’t want to tell him anything. It’s nice that I can just be around him without worrying about who I’m supposed to be now.”
“Juliette… you don’t need to be anything other than who you are. You’ve always had good instincts so follow them and just do what feels right… hold on, I’ve got another call coming in.”
I nod as I wait for her to check her caller ID, her words churning around in my head. It’s not like I didn’t already know that was the answer but it helped to hear her say it.
“Uh… Jett? Why is Gavin calling me this early in the morning?”
I wince. “Um… probably because I snuck out in the middle of the night.”
“And you didn’t tell him you were leaving?!”
“No, I did… just not in person.”
She sighs. “Explain.”
“I kind of broke up with him in a note I left on the kitchen counter.”
“Jesus Christ!” she exclaims and I let out a huff.
“Well, what else was I supposed to do, Mer?” I ask, shaking my head. “Do you really think he would have just let me leave?”
“Why wouldn’t he?”
Sinking back into the couch, I wrap my arm around my belly. “What would you do if someone you loved, who lost all of their recent memories told you they wanted to leave?”
“All right. Fair point.”
“Just don’t tell him anything, okay? I know he’s probably going to find me eventually but I’m serious about figuring out who I am and getting my memory back and I can’t do that in Miami.”
She’s quiet for a moment before sighing. “Okay. I won’t say anything but you have to keep me updated. Are y’all leaving now?”
“As soon as we’re done with breakfast. Sawyer just had to try this diner that proclaims to have the best pancakes in the county.”
“Oh, I love that place. We always hit it up at least once whenever I come to visit and get the banana pancakes.”
A smile tugs at my lips. “Really? That’s exactly what I ordered.”
“See, Jett? The memories are there and you’ll get them back.”
“You have no idea how much I needed to hear that,” I tell her, tears stinging my eyes but for the first time since I woke up in the hospital, I feel a spark of hope that maybe my memories aren’t completely lost.
“I’m glad to help but right now, I want to go back to bed.”
I nod. “Right. Sorry. I’ll let you sleep.”
“No worries, babe. Call me from the road, okay? I’ve got meetings until late tonight but we can grab lunch tomorrow. What hotel are you staying at?”
“I’m not sure yet. I’ll let you know.”
She makes me promise to keep her updated about our trip again before we say good-bye and I sigh as I tuck my phone back into my pocket and look up at my reflection in the full length mirror attached to the wall. My renewed hope is written all over my face and I flash myself a smile before standing up and marching out of the bathroom.
Sawyer looks up from his phone as I approach our table, his brows knitted in concern. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, sorry,” I answer with a nod as I sink into my seat. “I just had to call Mercedes and let her know we’re leaving as soon as we finish eating.”
He nods. “I ordered for you and she said it should be up soon.”
Before I can answer him, our waitress walks up with two steaming plates of pancakes. She sets mine down on the table in front of me and the aroma hits my nose, stirring up something in my mind. It nags at me, begging me to remember but it’s like there is a film over the memory and no matter how hard I squint, I can’t see through it.
“Here you go. Can I get you two anything else?” she asks as she sets Sawyer’s food down in front of him. We lock eyes across the table before he glances up at her and shakes his head.
“No, I think we’re good for now. Thank you.”
Nodding, she turns and leaves us to our food. I grab the syrup from the middle of the table and pour some over my pancakes before glancing up to offer it to Sawyer. He’s staring at me, his brows drawn together and his gaze intense in a way that makes me feel like he knows all my secrets and like he wants to eat me alive at the same tim
e.
“Syrup?” I whisper, my heart thundering in my chest as my skin prickles with awareness. He nods, not taking his eyes from mine as he takes the dispenser from my hand. When he looks away to coat his pancakes, I breathe a sigh of relief but as soon as he’s finished, he’s looking at me again.
“What?”
He shakes his head. “I’m still waiting for an answer to my question.”
“Which question is that?” I ask, dropping my gaze to the table as I buy myself a few more seconds. He sighs.
“Are you running from something… or someone?”
I scowl. “No. Why would you think that?”
“It’s kind of my job to think that. The Devils - we do a lot of work with battered women and children, domestic violence situations and things like that so I have to ask.”
“No.” I shake my head. “It’s nothing like that. I just wanted to go home to Baton Rouge and Mercedes didn’t want me traveling alone.”
“Smart,” he replies as he grabs his fork and cuts into his pancakes. “What brought you down to Miami?”
I shrug as I grab my cup of coffee and take a sip. “It’s complicated.”
“Well, lucky for you that you’ve got my undivided attention for the next thirteen hours then, huh?”
“Okay,” I breathe, seeing no way to get out of giving him at least some kind of explanation. “So, I was born in Baton Rouge and we lived there until I was nine before we moved to Miami. I ended up going to school back in Louisiana but wanted to be closer to my dad so I moved back here about five years ago.”
“So why are you leaving now?”
I suck in a breath as tears sting my eyes. “My dad passed away a little over two weeks ago.”
“Oh, Juliette,” he breathes, my pain mirrored in his eyes and I can’t look away. “I’m so sorry.”
I nod. “Thank you.”
“What about your mom? Is she back in Baton Rouge?”
“No,” I whisper, shaking my head and dropping my gaze to the table. “She died when I was nine which is what prompted the first move to Florida. Mercedes is pretty much the only person I have left and this place…” I look out of the window and sigh. “It just doesn’t feel like home anymore.”
He reaches across the table and takes my free hand, giving it a squeeze. My heart skips a beat and I meet his eyes again. “I can’t say that I understand what you’re going through but I’m so sorry.”
“Thank you,” I whisper and he nods.
“I don’t want you to worry about a thing, okay? I’ll get you back home safely and… just, you don’t have to feel alone, either. I know I just met you last night but if you ever need anything, you’ve got me. Okay?”
I suck in a breath, my heart pounding in my chest as I nod. Just like before, the rest of the world falls away as I stare into his eyes and I can’t help but feel like there’s something more going on between us. Beneath the seemingly normal conversation and heated looks, lies so much more and if I shut out all the noise, turn off my mind, and just listen to my heart like Mercedes told me to do, I have to admit I’m excited to find out what it is.
Chapter Ten
Sawyer
“Good morning, sleepyhead,” I call to Juliette as she begins to stir in the passenger seat. She groans and throws her arms over her head to stretch, huffing in annoyance when they hit the roof of the truck. Bending her body, she finds a new position and her shirt rides up her belly, showing off soft, tan skin and my grip on the wheel tightens as I suck in a breath and turn back to the front door of the little burger joint right off the interstate I’m parked in front of. As soon as we climbed in the truck after breakfast, she was out like a light. In fact, I don’t even think I made it on the interstate before her cute little snores were filling the cab. Not that I mind all that much. Turns out she talks in her sleep and that combined with the faces she was making as she dreamed kept me pretty entertained. “Hungry?”
She perks up and looks around. “Yeah, I could eat.”
“I’ve been staring at billboards of this place for the past ten miles. That sound good?” I ask, peeking over at her. She inspects the front of the building and nods.
“Yeah,” she answers around a yawn before flashing me a smile. God, she’s fucking gorgeous. I mean, I knew that as soon as I laid eyes on her in that diner parking lot last night but the more time I spend with her, the more beautiful she becomes. Not to mention, that her unwillingness to talk about herself and her past is driving me up a fucking wall. Most girls I meet can’t wait to tell me all about themselves and their past and it’s cliché as fuck but the air of mystery surrounding her turns me on.
“God, I can’t believe I slept so long.”
I smirk. “To be fair, you did warn me that you weren’t an early bird.”
“Actually, I haven’t been sleeping all that well lately and I think it all just caught up with me.” Her eyes are full of pain as she turns away from me to stare out of the window and my heart seizes in my chest. I hate that sadness in her eyes.
“What’s keeping you up at night?”
She shakes her head. “Just can’t get my head to shut up some nights.”
I study her for a second before nodding and turning the truck off. As much as I want to ask about her comment, if our breakfast conversation taught me anything this morning, it’s that she has her secrets and she has no intention on revealing them to me. Fuck. That just intrigues me even more though. I know it hasn’t even been twenty-four hours since I met her but the urge to help her and keep her safe is stronger than I’ve ever felt and I can’t do that if she won’t open up to me.
My phone rings and I sigh as I dig it out of my pocket. Blaze’s name pops up on the screen and I show it to Juliette.
“Why don’t you run inside and grab us a table? I’ve got to take this.”
She nods as she grabs her bag and opens the door of the truck. “Sure. Want me to order you something to drink?”
“I’ll take a Coke,” I answer and she nods again before hopping out of the truck. As soon as she closes the door, I accept the call. “What’s up, boss?”
“Just checkin’ in. How’s the drive?” he asks as I watch Juliette walk around the truck to the front door of the restaurant, my gaze glued to her ass as it sways with each step she takes and I imagine gripping her hips and pulling her into me.
“Good. We’re just outside Gainesville now and stopping for lunch.”
“Everything go well with Cora yesterday?”
I nod as she slips into the restaurant. “Yep. She’s safe and sound with her sister. We still got an eye on Freddie?”
“Oh, yeah.” Blaze laughs. “Boy is straight up losing his shit over Cora.”
“Has he made any moves?”
Blaze scoffs. “Besides sitting outside her old apartment and talking to a few of her neighbors, no.”
“I guess it’s good we moved her stuff out in the middle of the night then.”
“Yeah,” he agrees. Juliette meets my gaze through the window as a waitress leads her to one of the booths along the windows and I nod to let her know I’m almost done. “What do you know about Juliette?”
“Mercedes’ friend?” he asks. “Nothing more than I’ve already told you. Why?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. Just get the feeling that she’s running from something.”
“We talked about this, Moose. You gotta stop searching for danger in every scenario and live sometimes. I appreciate your dedication to the club’s mission but I don’t want it taking over your life.”
“Yeah,” I sigh. “I hear you, boss.”
“Hold on.” His voice drifts away from the phone for a second. “Oh, for the love of God… Streak wants me to ask you if she’s as hot as she looks online.”
“He looked her up?” I growl, my chest burning. I swear to God, I’ll rip that little fucker limb from limb if he tries anything with her. “Tell him…”
“Oh, for the love of God,” Blaze says, his voice fading. �
��I’m not a goddamn secretary.”
“So,” Streak cuts in. “Is she hot?”
“None of your fucking business,” I snap and his laughter fills the line.
“I’m gonna take that as a yes, Moosey-boy,” Streak says and I shake my head. “Maybe I should introduce myself once y’all get to town.”
“Over my dead body.”
“Streak, get the fuck out of here,” Blaze snaps and Streak’s laughter fades away as Blaze sighs. “Is this what I think it is?”
I scowl as I watch her look over the menu. “What are you talking about?”
“Well, you sound pretty damn possessive…”
“It’s not like that.”
“Mmhmm, that’s becoming a real common phrase around here and you see how it all worked out for them.” I’m reminded of what Cora said yesterday as we finished our trip into Miami and the more I think about it, the more I know she’s right. I do want something real like what my brothers have found but I’ve been burned before and I’m not sure how to let someone else in. Except since meeting Juliette, I keep thinking that I could try. Shit. It’s crazy to think about since it hasn’t even been twenty-four hours since we met but I’ve seen how fast some of the other guys in the club have fallen so I know it’s not impossible. “How long has it been?”
“How long has what been?”
He sighs. “Since Molly.”
“A while,” I answer, gritting my teeth. Just the mention of her name and it feels like the clouds have filled the sky and blocked out all the light. It’s been a while since I thought of Molly and now I wish I hadn’t. “Listen, I’ve got to get going but I’ll keep you updated.”
He reluctantly agrees before saying good-bye and as I hang up, I open my door and step out of the truck, trying desperately to shake off thoughts of a darker time. It has been six years since Molly walked out of my life but the pain and destruction she left behind still haunts me.
Shaking my head, I walk into the restaurant and my gaze lands on Juliette. The last thing I want to be thinking about when I'm with her is my ex. She glances up and our eyes lock as she smiles and waves me over. Like magic, as I close the distance between us, the sun begins to shine again, peeking through the dark clouds and banishing my issues with a flash of brilliant light.