Pain washes over his face and he looks down at his desk. His eyes stay pinned on the stack of papers there as he talks. “I’ve told her that over and over again. I hate knowing that I won’t be around as long as her, that I’ll leave her behind one day.” His hands grip the arms of his chair and he lifts his eyes back to me, the pain still evident. “It takes my fucking breath away when I think about the pain she’ll endure when that day comes. But she’s strong. The strongest woman I know, and I know she’ll be okay. For all the years I have left, every single day, I’ll live to make her happier than the one before, and when the time comes I leave this earth, I’ll know I gave her some of the happiest days of her life.”
I stay quiet and take in his words, knowing he’ll do just that. When my old man says he’s going to do something, he does it. It’s obvious he cares for Lora deeply, and I’ve known for a couple of years how she feels about him. I’ve seen the way she looks at him, the adoration and longing. I thought it would pass, but obviously I was wrong.
I nod. “Then I’m happy for you.”
“Thanks,” he utters gruffly. Picking up his beer, he takes a healthy pull. “I want you to be my best man.”
Although the request doesn’t surprise me, I still feel honored. “You got it.”
“What about you? You got a lady in your life?”
His question has me thinking about tonight’s date with Emberleigh. I can’t remember the last time I went on an actual date. I’m not the dating kind of guy, preferring to stay away from emotional entanglements with females.
It feels right with Emberleigh though. I want to know more about her life, and I want her to know more about mine. The feeling is foreign, and I’m not sure what to do with it, but I do know I’m willing to go against my normal MO and try something different with her. She’s captivated me from the first moment I saw her, and the more I know about her, the more I want to be around her.
“I see there is,” Dad says with a chuckle.
“There is,” I admit.
“You gonna tell me about her?”
I finish off my beer and take to my feet before answering him. “Not yet, but soon.”
With a smirk, he stands as well. Coming around his desk, he pulls me into a man hug. We thump each other’s backs before stepping away.
“Bring her to dinner one night.”
“Will do.”
He walks me out of his office, and after stopping by the bar to say something to Carl, we both walk to the front where José, another of Dad’s security team, now stands with his massive arms crossed over his chest, manning the door. The place opens in ten minutes. I grunt a hello to him, and after a goodbye to Dad, I leave him to tend business.
Jumping in my truck, I head home for a shower and to get ready for my date tonight with Emberleigh.
***
I HOLD OPEN THE DOOR, AND WITH my hand at Emberleigh’s back, usher her inside Amelia’s, a restaurant Abby told me about a while ago that Colt’s taken her to a few times. It’s not my usual style, I prefer the mom and pop atmosphere, but it’s nice and Abby said their food is good. I want Emberleigh to have a good time and she deserves to be taken to places like this.
The hostess greets us, her smile suggestive as her eyes run up and down my body. Emberleigh notices and stiffens beside me. I hold in my smirk at her show of jealousy, and instead pull her closer to me, silently showing the hostess she doesn’t have a chance in hell. Her pout only makes her look pathetic.
After walking us to our seats in a semi-secluded corner, she gives me another longing look before walking away.
“Bitch,” Emberleigh mutters across from me.
“What was that?” I ask.
She looks at me and shakes her head. “Nothing.”
I chuckle, because she’s so damn cute when she’s grumbling.
Our waitress appears, hands over menus, and takes our drink order. Instead of looking at my menu, I opt to watch Emberleigh for several minutes. Her hair is swept up into a loose bun at her nape. Several tendrils fall and sweep the sides of her face. My eyes slide down to her chest and the black top with thin straps that hides her tits from me. I know below the table, she’s wearing a deep-purple knee-length skirt. My initial reaction when she opened the door earlier was to say fuck the date and just eat her for dinner. I held back only by pure force of will. The woman tem
pts me beyond measure. I have no idea how I stayed away from her for as long as I did.
“What are you looking at?” Her soft question pulls me back to the moment.
“You.”
Her smile is slow and sweet. “Why?”