Page 17 of Chains
Chains chuckled. “I’ll go with the pot roast.”
“It comes with a salad. Ranch, right?”
“Yeah.” He handed her his menu.
“I’ll go see what’s taking Loretta so long with your drinks.” She hurried away.
Soon, Tammy was back with his coffee, water, and dinner. Chains poured the dressing over the salad and began to eat. A steady stream of customers continued to file into the diner, and the three young women who’d flirted with him earlier kept staring over at his table, but he ignored them and looked down at his food.
Unlike some of the brothers at the club, Chains preferred women closer to his thirty-two years, and these chicks looked like they were barely twenty-one. He also wasn’t in the mood for any company.
A pang of loneliness shot through him. He missed Thor. Even though Chains knew he was safe and doing well at the clinic, it didn’t mean that he couldn’t pine for his furry buddy like hell.
He pushed the empty plate away and placed his crumpled up napkin on top of it. A bell above the door sounded, and Chains looked up and saw the sexy veterinarian, who’d been on his mind too damn much that night, enter the diner. As if guided by radar, her captivating eyes turned to his table, then her mouth opened and color rushed to her cheeks. She held his gaze a fraction too long before blinking and then focusing her attention on the cashier.
Chains watched as she leaned against the counter, looking at everything but him. Loretta rang something up on the register before walking over to one of the wired shelves and took down what looked like a cream pie. As the cashier cut a slice, Chains gazed back at the veterinarian and caught her staring at him. An embarrassed expression covered her reddened face and she looked away. He kept his eyes fixed on her, wondering why the hell he was letting this woman get to him. She took the bag from Loretta, and the way the vet tossed her head made his fingers itch to grab all that long, wavy hair and yank it hard, making her cry out before crushing against him.Fuck!
With the paper bag in hand, Dr. Stanford locked her gaze on his before she began walking toward his booth.
“Hi.” She approached his table and gave him a quick once-over.
“Hey,” he replied.
She pulled up the bag. “My chocolate cream pie run.” A small laugh burst through glossy peach lips. “I stopped by to check up on Thor—he’s doing great.” She switched the paper bag from her right to her left hand.
“Yeah, that’s what the guy told me when I called. Can he come home tomorrow?”
“Maybe. Let’s see how he does through the day. He was a pretty sick fella.” Tiny fine lines around her eyes crinkled when she smiled.
“Thanks for helping him out.”
“You’re welcome. Thor’s a beautiful Siberian.”
“Yeah. So, do you got a first name?”
There was a slight pause, then a soft chuckle. “Autumn.”
“That’s a pretty name.” His gaze dropped from her eyes to her shoulders and then to her breasts. “It suits you.”
Autumn cleared her throat. “Uh… thank you.” She quickly looked away.
“Why don’t you have a seat? I can get you a cup of coffee.”
She fidgeted with the bag in her hand for the umpteenth time, then glanced at the wall clock. “Thanks, but I have to get going. I still have some work I need to do before I call it a night.”
Shrugging, he leaned back into the cushion and propped his leg on the seat across from him. “Okay.” He locked gazes with her, enjoying the way it made her fluster.
“Okay then.” Autumn pointed to the door. “All right—I’ll be going now.”
“I’ll come by in the morning to see Thor.”
A big smile plastered across her face while her head moved up and down like one of those bobble-head dolls on the dashboard of cages.
She’s so fuckin’ nervous. Yeah… she’s interested.
“Thor will love seeing you.” After a pause, she turned away mumbling, “Goodbye” as she rushed to the front of the diner. Without a backward glance, Autumn pushed open the glass door and hurried toward a dark-green two-door Audi.
Chains chuckled when the cage sped out of the parking lot.
“I’m guessing you liked the pot roast,” Tammy said as she leaned over and picked up his empty plate.
“It was good.”
“You want any dessert?”
One corner of his mouth hitched up in a smirk. “Yeah… I’ll take a piece of chocolate cream pie.”
