8. Thea

"This probably ain't the kind of joint you're used to, Flame," Raze mutters as he walks me into Poor Boys Bar and Grill. "Shit. I should have probably warned you I'm not really good at this whole dating thing."

He sounds so sincere that I find myself stopping to reach up and run my fingers against the scruff on the side of his face. "Raze, stop. I love this place. Though, the club might give you shit for not going to the Wolf's Den."

His lips spread into a smile that I really like. It makes his blue eyes sparkle. He puts his hand on the small of my back and leads us to a pub table, pulling out my chair. "I didn't want to spend the evening with you where my brothers come over and give us shit," he mumbles, making me laugh.

"I appreciate it," I giggle as he sits down.

"I'm going to go drain the lizard. Order me a beer, okay, Flame?" Raze requests.

"You got it."

He winks at me and walks away. I sigh, watching him. He's the complete opposite of Deke, and maybe that's why I like him so much.

"Thea! Girl, it has been too long!"

My face jerks up in surprise to see Lilianna Edwards. She was one of my best friends in high school. I haven't seen her since I left for New York. "Lili! You look gorgeous! How have you been?" I ask, standing up to give her a hug.

"Liar," she laughs.

"I'm serious," I argue, and I am. She's beautiful. She has dark black hair that hangs past the middle of her back in bouncy waves. She has a pixie face of ivory skin and striking eyes that are almost gray. She's barely over five foot, with curves for days.

"I've been working all night and I'm sweating in places a girl ought not sweat," she jokes, and I giggle right along with her. "How long are you back for?"

I shrug. "I'm actually thinking of staying."

"No shit?"

"No shit," I laugh.

"You have to get up with me. We'll have a girl's day or something."

"I'd love that," I say, pulling out my cellphone. "Give me your number and I'll give you a call next week." She gives me her number and I key it in just as Raze comes back.

"You already making a date with someone else, Flame?"

"Very funny," I laugh. "Lili is one of my best friends. I haven't seen her since I moved to New York."

"I see."

"Hey, Raze."

"Hey, Anna."

I blink. Anna… Hmm. There must be a story there.

"What can I get you two?" Lili—or Anna—asks.

"Sangria and get me the ribeye sandwich and fries," I answer.

"What about you, Raze?"

"I'll take the same but with the house beer."

"You got it. I'll be back shortly. Thea, it's great seeing you again. Make sure you call me."

"You know it," I respond, giving her a grin.

We settle back down in our respective seats, and I study Raze. "You must be familiar with this place to know the ribeye is their best offering," he says, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, Hawk and I used to come here often. He refuses to go to the Wolf's Den. He doesn't really like anything to do with the club and, well, I…"

"You don't like the club?"

"What? No. I love the club. They're my family."

"Then why did you avoid the Wolf's Den?"

I sigh, not really wanting to talk about it. "It's nothing, really."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to push. It's just, I am the club, Flame. If you have issues…"

"Mattie is the club, too. Dad, my uncles, and Thomas may not be in the club anymore, but he is in one and he's my best friend. I don't have an issue with the club."

"T? You two are tight?"

"Yep."

"How come I've never seen you at the clubhouse, then?"

"Maybe you just never noticed me," I answer with a smirk.

"No fucking way. A man would have to be blind not to notice you in a room filled with other people. I ain't buyin' that shit."

"You're really smooth with the lines, aren't you?"

"That's not a line. That's the damn truth," he counters, making me smile.

"You're pretty smooth, Raze," I chuckle. "It's not a big secret. I've had birthday parties and things at the club, but only immediate family. Mostly I avoid it because of Dom."

"Dom?"

"It's complicated," I hedge.

"You two were a thing?"

Now I all out laugh, unable to hold it in. "Dom has only had eyes for Gabby for as long as I've known him."

He gets a disgusted look on his face. "Well, his dick has enjoyed the twinkies quite a bit, so her hold on him has lessened."

I shake my head, knowing he's trying to take up for his brother in the club, but we both know he's full of shit. "It only lessened because he discovered her lies. That girl is pure poison."

"I'm thinking that's why you avoided him."

"You'd be right."

"Is that going to get in the way of the two of us getting to know one another, Flame?"

"Nah, besides, I think we kind of buried the hatchet a month ago. Dom and I may never be friends, but I don't feel like we're mortal enemies anymore, at least."

"Good," he grunts.

"Although, for your sake, it might be good if I stayed away from the club until I tell my dad."

"Shit."

"And maybe Uncle Dragon?—"

"Are you trying to talk me out of dating you?" he huffs.

"And then there's Uncle Dancer and?—"

"I get the point."

"Are you panicking? That's kind of disappointing. I thought you were made of stronger stuff than that," I tease.

He scoots his chair quickly until he's beside me. Then, his hand is against my neck and his mouth is on mine. He moves like lightning. I wasn't expecting it and I gasp in surprise. That gives him the signal to slide his tongue inside. He has pressure on me, angling my head where he wants me, but he didn't need to. I'm a willing participant. The taste of our kiss—of Raze—is dark, tantalizing and could be addicting. For the first time, maybe in forever, I feel desirable, maybe even sexy. I get lost in our kiss to the point that a small whimper comes out when Raze pulls back, breaking our connection.

"Here's your food," Lili says, putting our food down on the table. She's smiling, but I swear I can see hurt in her eyes. I smile back at her, more than a little confused. "I'll be back to check on you," she adds softly.

When she leaves, I raise my eyebrow. "You and Lili were an item?"

"No," he mutters, scrubbing his face.

"Hmm…" I hum.

"It's complicated."

I shake my head with a self-depreciating laugh, as he uses my own words against me. Why can't anything ever be simple? "I like you Raze. I think you can tell that by the kiss that we just shared."

"I like you, too," he confides. "When I say that, I mean more than I want to fuck you kind of way—which I also want more than oxygen—just to be clear."

I laugh. "Good to know. The thing is…" I begin, and then let out a big breath.

"I don't think I like the sound of that," he grumbles.

"The thing is," I repeat, "I don't want to step on some other woman's toes—especially if those toes belong to a friend."

"It's not like that. Anna tried to use me to get someone else's attention. It kind of backfired on her."

"Oh, shit."

"You can say that again. It was messy as hell and completely unnecessary."

"That's hard to reconcile with the Lili that I knew when we were younger," I murmur, feeling the need to defend her.

"Love makes people do crazy shit, Flame."

"Was she in love with you?"

"Not me, and before you ask, it's not my story to tell. I take all secrets to the grave."

I study him for the second time tonight and I do it smiling. "That's a great quality to have." My voice has dropped into a soft tone and I look at him from under my lashes. Damn, I'm flirting with him and suddenly I'm feeling warm all over. Raze smirks, as if he knows exactly what's happening to me.

"Eat your sandwich before it gets cold. When you're done, I've decided to see if you dance as good as you play poker."

"I do a lot of things good," I answer, shocking myself.

He laughs and again, his eyes sparkle. "Isn't that a coincidence, so do I."

I break off into giggles, suddenly very happy I agreed to go out with Raze tonight.