A few minutes later, Luke comes out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel. I stop myself from getting up and making him turn toward me so I can see the tattoo.
He denied me out of respect, and I have to do the same for him. He’s not ready to show me the tattoo for whatever reason, and I must respect that.
He pulls underwear out of a short chest of drawers and a clean white shirt out of his closet. He puts them on, and only then, when his arm is covered, does he turn to me. “I have to go to work. You’re welcome to stay here, Katelyn. You’re safe here, and I’ll be back around midnight. There’s food in the fridge if you get hungry, or there’s a pile of takeout menus on the counter. The Thai place is really good, and they deliver quickly because they’re so close.”
I bite my lip.
He puts on a pair of black pants and then socks and shoes. His work attire. Then he comes back to the bed and sits down, pushing my hair out of my face once more.
“You make it hard to be a good man,” he says. “But you also make it extremely easy.”
“What does that mean?”
He smiles, cups my cheek. Brushes his lips softly over mine. “It means I want you so much I can’t see straight. I was a hair’s breadth away from giving you the quick fuck of the century. But it also means you make me want to be better than that. I want to be the best man I can be for you, and that means saying no when it’s the best thing for someone I care about.”
My mouth drops open.
He trails his finger over my bottom lip. “Freaked you out, huh?”
“No. Not at all.” I kiss the tip of his finger. “I just can’t believe a man like you exists in this city. Heck, on this planet.”
“I wasn’t always this good,” he says, “but you make me want to be.”
“You’re amazing, Luke.”
“You are.” He kisses me again. “Stay as long as you’d like. The only thing I ask is that if you leave, please text me when you’re safely back at your place.” One more kiss. “But I hope you’ll stay. I can’t think of anything more wonderful than coming home to you tonight.”
30
Luke
The cold shower didn’t do much for me. Katelyn invades my thoughts, until—
I see my first table on my shift.
It’s that man. Pollack. From the other night. The man who kept bothering Katelyn.
For a split second, I think about trading tables with Travis, but then I change my mind. Keep your enemies closer and all.
And anyone who affects Katelyn negatively is definitely my enemy.
I stride confidently—or so I hope—toward the table. There was a time in the not-so-distant past where nothing frightened me. I had the confidence of a seasoned criminal.
Which makes sense, of course.
I’m still me, but I’m aware of my limitations now. My shoulder wound aches. It always aches when I think about who I used to be. It’s my reminder never to go there again.
I’m not frightened of Pollack. I can pummel him in my sleep.
But I’m no longer the same person I was—the person who used money and brawn to get what he wanted at all costs.
I wasn’t a good man then.
I want to be a good man now. For Katelyn. And for myself.
I approach the table. Pollack sits with another guy. Both of them are dressed in designer suits. Businessmen. Rich businessmen.
My knuckles whiten around the short yellow pencil I’m holding, and—
Snap!
It cracks into two pieces.
I inhale, hold it, exhale.
No. I will not ask Travis to trade tables.
Lois brushes past me then. “Luke?”
“Yes?” I say more sharply than I mean to.
“Everything okay?”
“Yes. Why do you ask?” My God, I sound like a robot.
“You look…a little tense.”
“I’m fine. I need to get a new pencil.” I whisk past her, grab what I need, and head back to Pollack’s table.
“Good evening,” I say without smiling. “I’m Luke, and I’ll be your server this evening. Would you like to begin with a cocktail?”
Pollack turns toward me. Looks me up and down. Then, “Yes, thank you. I’ll have a Sapphire and tonic. How about you, Glen?”
Glen, presumably, meets my gaze. “Same. Thanks.”
I scribble their orders on my pad with my brand new sharpened pencil…while I think about plunging the graphite point into Pollack’s neck.
So this is how it will be. I wait on this bastard, and he pretends like everything’s okay.
Fine. Two can play that game. I just have to figure out how to get the information I need on the sly.
I head to the bar and put in the order. Each time gets slightly easier, but still, the alcohol calls to me. I will never heed that call. Especially now that I’ve met Katelyn. She deserves me whole.