“Are you allowed to leave the house?” he asks, closing the oven with a slam. “I could go for a burger and fries. Or some fried chicken.”
“I mean, I’m not not allowed to leave the house,” I hedge, shrugging and flashing him my best puppy-dog eyes. “I’m just meant to stay hidden a little. I’m sure no one will spot me going through a drive-through.”
“True. Yeah, all right, let’s go then.”
“I’ll even drive, so you can eat in peace,” I offer, being the kind person that I am, but all he does is laugh.
“Fuck no. I heard how you drive, and I’d like to survive to see my daughter grow up, thank you very much.”
I found it adorable how he calls Cara his daughter, even though she isn’t his biologically.
“Fine, you drive then,” I say, rolling my eyes. I’m not that bad a driver, these men are the biggest exaggerators. “Maybe we can go do some shooting practice when we’re done?”
“Dying to get out of the house, are we?”
“I’m going to kill someone,” I admit, shoulders sagging. “I’ve studied, cleaned, and taught Colt every trick I can think of. I also baked cupcakes.”
I continue before he can even open his mouth to ask. “Everyone already ate them.”
“You could save me some next time,” he grumbles, lifting his chin. “Let’s go. I’m starting to get hangry.”
I follow him out to the four-wheel drive, sliding in when he open the doors. “Chicken or burgers?”
“Let’s get both,” he says, putting his seat belt on. I do the same, realizing that I’ve never really been alone with Rake before, and I have no idea what to talk to him about. He takes care of that though, making me feel comfortable. Sometimes I forget that not everyone is as awkward as me.
“Well, we can’t go shooting,” he says, looking straight ahead.
“Why not?”
“Because I forgot to bring a gun, unless you have one stashed away in that purse of yours.” He pauses. “Why did you even bring a purse? If you try to pay, I’m throwing you out that window. You’d probably fit through it too.”
“You don’t have a gun in the car?” I ask, opening the glove box. “What kind of criminal are you?”
He gasps, pretending to be hurt. “Is that what you think of me?”
“There’s no gun in there but there’s a shitload of condoms,” I say, pursing my lips.
Rake chuckles, glancing at me for a second before returning his eye to the road. “Priorities, Shay.”
“Are they yours? They’re extra-small ones,” I joke, pulling one out and throwing it at him.
“Definitely not mine then. Maybe they’re Vinnie’s?”
“Trust me when I say that they’re not.”
They weren’t even small condoms, they were extra-large, I just wanted to annoy him. We go through one drive-through, then another, getting way too much food for two people. Rake eyes his food, then me, and says, “I’m wondering what I care about more right now. Eating this food, or possibly getting into a car crash if I let you drive.” He grabs a piece of chicken, and I do the same. We look at each other, and then slap the pieces of chicken together. “Cheers!” I say, making him laugh.
“Cheers. Luckily, when it comes to food, I can multitask,” he mutters as he takes a giant bite.
When we get back to the clubhouse, Vinnie is standing by his bike, texting on his phone. He rushes to the car, opening my door and scowling. “Jesus, fuck! I tried calling you, I had no idea where you were.”
I rub my mouth with the back of my hand. “I just went to get food.”
“I can see that,” he says quietly, as I grab the bag and exit the car.
“I didn’t think you’d be back so early, that’s why I didn’t bother messaging you.”
“You could have anyway,” he grumbles, rubbing his hand over his head. “I freaked the fuck out for a second. And no one else was here, so it made it even worse. I wasn’t sure what had happened.”
“Everything all right?” Rake asks, coming over with double the amount of food in his hands. “Sorry, Vinnie, I didn’t know you’d freak out. We were gone only thirty minutes.”
“No problem, brother,” Vinnie replies, helping me carry the food.
We walk into the clubhouse and sit at the kitchen table, sharing our food with Vinnie. There’s something I need to talk to him about, but I know it’s going to be a very awkward conversation, so I’ve been avoiding it since yesterday. I figure that I’ll tell him tonight in bed, and try not to spend the rest of the day worrying about it. Rake and Vinnie talk about some run that the men are going to on the weekend, but I find out that Vinnie and Tracker will be staying behind this time. I wonder what they do on these runs, or what they’re even for. When I ask, they both answer at the exact same time, saying, “Club business.”
So I just bite into my chicken, not bothering to ask them any more questions on that subject.
“Save some for me,” Rake grumbles, making me laugh as I point out his pile.
“You’re so greedy!”
“You’re so tiny, how much food can you possibly need?” he fires back, checking over me.
“Let her eat, it all goes to her ass,” Vinnie adds, chuckling at my outraged gasp.
I put down the piece of chicken. In a moment of immaturity, I pick up Rake’s last piece and lick it. He shoots Vinnie a look that says, “Control your woman.”