Page 4 of Ironside
“Asshole!” Pepper barked, taking a swing at him with her ladle.
As Luca hurried past my table, I spotted a familiar patch stitched into his vest, just like the one Ironside wore. The Reckless Order MC. They belonged to the same club.
A moment later, Pepper plopped into the chair across from me. She set a pan of pizza on the table, with one slice missing.
“Sorry about that,” she said. “Luca is the worst. In my opinion, it’s those damn bikers he hangs out with. They’re a bad influence.”
I said nothing as I deposited a slice of pizza on my plate, waiting for the steaming cheese to cool off. Pepper piled three slices on her plate, heaping hot pepper flakes and parmesan cheese on top. Then she furiously sawed at a bite and pointed at me with the tip of her knife.
“Don’t,” she said.
I blinked in surprise and confusion.
“Don’t what?”
“Don’t even think about it. Do not date Luca. You deserve better than that swine.”
I released a breath of relief and shook my head.
“Oh, no, I wasn’t thinking about him.”
Pepper narrowed her eyes with a skeptical hum.
“Not him. Just someone else. Is that it?”
I sighed, fiddling with my fork.
“A man came into the shop today.”
Pepper’s eyebrows shot up.
“Was he single? Was he hot?”
I sputtered, suddenly feeling that tattletale heat rising into my cheeks again. I couldn’t stop replaying the memory of Ironside’s sleeves rolled up, displaying tattooed forearms dark with ink. His salt and pepper hair and beard suggested he was considerably older than me, but that only added to his silver foxallure. And his icy blue eyes had been so unwavering, so steady when he looked at me.
Maybe my imagination was getting too crazy, but I did like the idea of surrendering myself to the hands of an older, experienced, dominant man.
“Yes, he was single, and yes, he was hot,” I replied.
Pepper grinned, her eyes gleaming.
“Go on. Spill all the juicy details.”
I shrugged, idly poking at my pizza with my fork.
“Pepper, it doesn’t matter. I have to say no.”
She frowned.
“Why? It’s obvious you like him. Your face is red as a tomato.”
“Damn it.”
I buried my face in my napkin. I hated how easily I blushed, and how obvious it was to everyone else. The curse of being a redhead with a milky pale complexion was the fact that I flushed red all the time, whether I was climbing a single flight of stairs or completely tongue-tied around a sexy biker.
Pepper patted my shoulder.
“You haven’t been on a date in years, Lena. It’s time you brushed off the cobwebs and got back out there.”
