The Originals (Ghosttown Riders #10)

Chapter Two

Meg tucked her hands in her back pockets and bit her lip, peering down the main road in front of the theater. This was a bit awkward. And aggravating. She looked over at the clock on the bank building. It was a painful reminder she’d been standing in front of the movie theater for over fifteen minutes—alone.

Asshole.

This was a first for her. She could’ve done without this specific life experience.

It’s official. I’ve been stood up.

Meg had accepted the date, but for obvious reasons insisted on meeting Mick at the movie theater. She might be an adult, but she still lived with her parents and wasn’t looking for any type of interrogation. But if she’d just had him pick her up at her door, she wouldn’t be standing on the street in front of the theater. By myself.

It wouldn’t have been so bad had she not been subjected to couples walking into the theater. Their dates showed up. The thought of him standing her up hadn’t crossed her mind. Until now. It just didn’t make much sense. He’d been so persistent. Why push for the date just to be a no-show? Maybe that was the type of man Mick was. She glanced down at her watch and rocked on her feet. How humiliating.

“Hey.”

Meg spun around, flattening her lips and ignoring the butterflies swarming in her belly. It was a complete contradiction to how she’d felt a minute ago. It was as if her memory had been wiped clean, and she was dialed back into a lust-craved teenager, hoping the quarterback shows up. That thought alone had her mind shifting and settling on being pissed off once again.

“Parking’s a bitch around here, huh?” Mick smiled, stopping a foot away. “Been waiting long?”

Yes! Even standing there, looking sexy, she was reminded of the last fifteen minutes. What kind of man makes a woman wait fifteen minutes on a date he’d set up? Obviously, one who didn’t take her feelings into consideration.

Meg folded her arms. “Fifteen minutes.”

His smile faltered. “Got caught up with something at the club.”

It was a fair excuse, though his attitude seemed a bit flippant. No apology, Mick? Still, people ran late, things came up. This shouldn’t have been too big of a deal. But it was starting off all wrong. It set the tone for the date. She’d been surprisingly excited and a bit nervous all afternoon. Meg had changed her outfit three times and fiddled with her hair to the point of frustration. She’d purposely left her house an extra few minutes early to ensure she’d arrive on time. Why couldn’t he?

“You ready?” He hooked his thumb over his shoulder, gesturing to the ticket counter.

“I was ready fifteen minutes ago.” The bite in her tone didn’t go unnoticed, but his response was unexpected. Mick grinned, let out a soft chuckle, and cupped his jaw, eyeing her.

“Pissed at me for being late?” He spread out his arms. “Look, shit happens. Doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy a movie, get some food, and hang out.”

Meg squinted. His nonchalant attitude was speaking volumes. In his mind it was no big deal. But in hers? Meg forced a smile.

“Actually, it does. The movie sold out ten minutes ago. And as for food, I have plenty at home. Have a great night, Mick.” Meg turned and started down the sidewalk. She only made it a few feet when Mick stepped in front of her, blocking her path.

“Are you fucking serious?”

Meg scoffed. “Are you fucking serious asking me if I’m fucking serious?”

His lips twitched until he broke out in a full smile. He may have found humor in this situation, but she didn’t. Meg stepped to the side to pass him, but Mick matched her steps. His smile, while sexy, was grating on her last nerve.

“Can you get out of my way, please?”

Mick snickered, shaking his head. He moved closer, invading her space. Meg was tempted to back up, but she was determined to hold her ground. This tactic may have worked on other women, but not her.

“Let me take you out to eat.”

“No.” She snapped.

“Come on, Meg.” He was so close they were practically touching, and she could smell his faint cologne when the air shifted. It was a mixture of pine and fire.

“You wanna know why I asked you out?”

“I don’t care.” That was a lie, and from the smirk on his face, he knew it.

“’Cause you’re probably the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen. Had to do a double take when you came into my clubhouse. From the second you walked in to the minute I talked to you, I watched you. Out of your fucking element, but taking it all in and keeping a low profile. You didn’t act like any other girl there. I liked that.” He paused and arched his brow. “A lot.”

Meg bit her lip, trying not to give in to his compliments.

“Even knowing, ’cause you made it clear fucking was off the table, I still wanted to take you out. I respect that. You don’t wanna give that up for the first time to a guy you don’t know.”

Give it up for the first time? Her lips twitched, and she was seconds from bursting out laughing.

She slowly cocked her brow and smiled. “I’m not a virgin, Mick.”

His cocky smirk faltered, which only added to her amusement. Oh, how the tables have turned. Meg was not about to let this opportunity pass. She was going to have some fun of her own at his expense.

“That’s right, Mick.” She cocked her hip and spread her arms wide. “Many men have indulged. But you won’t be one of them.”

There may have been some exaggeration on her estimate. She wasn’t exactly sure the true definition of many, but she assumed it was more than her two partners. Most men would’ve felt a slight hit to their ego and walked away, seeing Meg as not worth the hassle.

Not Mick.

He dropped his chin to his chest, shook his head, and laughed.

“Got a little fire, huh?” He glanced up.

“I have a lot of fire.”

“If showing me is your way of getting rid of me, that backfired, sweetheart.” Mick looked around with his gaze across the street. Most of the stores had closed for the night, but the restaurant was still open with their sign lighting up half the street.

He lifted his chin, gesturing to the local eatery. “Food any good?”

Families Restaurant was a staple in her town. It wasn’t anything special. It was one step above fast food, but the atmosphere was decent and homey, the food was inexpensive, and they made the best burgers.

“Burgers are really good.”

“Yeah?” Mick looked over at her. “Let me buy you one.”

Meg glanced over at the diner and started to shake her head, but froze when his hands landed on her hips. It was gentle, as if he was testing the waters. He leaned forward, and for a brief second, she thought he might kiss her. Thought or hoped? Meg wasn’t fully preprepared to answer that. Her heart raced, pounding in her chest, and his head came down but veered slightly. His breath fanned over her ear, and he whispered.

“Sorry about showing up late. Give me one more chance. Promise, I’m not gonna fuck it up.”

No. Absolutely not. She wouldn’t give in to a sexy biker with a deep, smooth voice who smelled amazing and had strong hands. Meg would stand her ground on principle alone. No way.

His fingers caressed over her hips. “What do you say?”

“Okay,” she whispered.

****

Mick stared across the table at her. Fucking beautiful. And he wasn’t the only man taking notice.

He sensed she was at odds giving in to his invitation to dinner, but she’d come anyway. Meg kept some distance as they walked across the street to the restaurant, but he noticed her move closer when they passed two men. She probably didn’t even realize she was doing it. Maybe it was subconscious. It could’ve been his purposeful move of switching sides with her and standing between her and the men. Mick couldn’t help himself. He was in protective mode over his girl.

After they placed their order, there was a long stretch of silence with Meg looking everywhere except at him. Her nervous energy was obvious. When he cleared his throat, she peeked over at him.

“This ain’t so bad, right?”

“I’ve been on worse dates,” Meg said, and he instantly burst out laughing.

There was that fire again. Mick wasn’t used to this type of attitude from a woman. They usually forgave instantly if they saw he was losing interest. He didn’t pursue many women. They just came to him, which made this scene all the more interesting. Meg was holding her ground, and for some reason, Mick wanted to try harder to win her over.

“So tell me about you.”

Meg cocked her brow in a challenge. “You first.”

Mick settled in his seat. “Not much to tell. Grew up out of state and moved here when Jack started the club.”

She rested her elbows on the table, and leaned forward, seemingly interested. This was a good sign.

“Is he the president?”

“Yeah, met him a long time ago at a bike rally, been tight ever since. Back when I first met him, he talked a lot about starting a club. Sold me on the idea by the end of the night. Had another buddy who I rode with all the time, brought him in, and Jack knew a few others.”

“So you’ve been there since the very beginning?”

“Yeah.”

The corner of her mouth curled. “That makes you a founding father.”

There was no missing the tease. Or was it taunting? Either way, Mick was enjoying the banter.

“You taking a dig at my age?”

“Maybe.” Meg snickered. “Exactly how old are you?”

“Thirty-three.”

Her eyes widened and so did her smile. “That makes you eleven years older than me.”

There was no doubt Mick had quite a few years on her. It didn’t mean much to him, but he could see it being an issue for others.

“I got no problem with that. Do you?”

She slowly shook her head. “As long as you can keep up with me.”

Mick laughed, shaking his head. “Try me, sweetheart.”

Meg snorted. “Be careful what you ask for, Mick.”

This night was taking the turn he’d hoped for. There was no doubt Meg was interested, and the more they talked, the higher his desire surged. Conversation wasn’t usually big on his list when it came to women, but he loved hearing her speak and the way she talked with her hands. Everything about Meg had Mick wanting more.

“Hi, Meg.”

She jumped and turned to the guy approaching the table. He was relatively close in age to her, maybe a year or two older. It was obvious they knew one another, and while Meg didn’t appear scared of the guy, she did seem on edge. Her smile was forced, and she busied her hands playing with the edge of the napkin.

“Hi.”

He smiled, looked over at Mick, and extended his hand while eyeing him suspiciously. “Eddie. How’s it going?”

Mick smirked, watching the younger man’s hand shake slightly, but he shook it in a tight grip. “Good, man. I’m Mick.”

“Nice to meet you.” Eddie stepped back and looked over at Meg.

Meg cleared her throat and straightened in the booth. “Is Linda with you?”

“No, she’s working late, she said. Been doing that a few times this week.”

Meg bit her lip, squinted, and seemed to catch her mistake. “Well, you have to take the hours when you can get them.”

He furrowed his brows. “Yeah, not you, though.”

“Oh yeah, I, um…” Meg stuttered and pointed to Mick. “I had plans, so…” Her voice drifted, and if Eddie had been in tune with women, he’d have seen through the lie. He didn’t.

“Yeah, I don’t want to interrupt. Enjoy your meal.” Eddie smiled and started to walk away, but he stopped a few feet from the table and slowly turned.

Mick noticed as Meg watched him carefully and tensed.

“Just one thing. You were at the church party with Linda last night, right?”

Last night? They were partying for sure, but there were no sermons going on unless he meant Linda shouting ‘oh God, fuck me harder’ while his brother banged her. Mick tightened his lips and cupped his mouth in an effort to shield his amusement.

“Yes.” Meg gulped but smiled.

You’re not a good liar, sweetheart. Thankfully for Meg, Eddie wasn’t very intuitive.

“Yeah, it’s weird because my sister was there too, and she said she didn’t see you girls.”

Meg stilled, staring back at Eddie. He might’ve not seen it, but Mick was well aware she was formulating a plan. Her demeanor shifted from nervous to somewhat confident. Where was she going with this?

“Hmm…” Meg innocently cocked her head and knitted her brows. “That’s strange because we saw her.”

“You did?” Eddie asked.

“Yes. Out in the parking lot.” Meg rested her arms on the table and leaned forward, lowering her voice. “And just between you and I, it really isn’t safe for her to go to a car with two men. As you know, I’m not a prude, but I think it might send the wrong message, especially to her boyfriend, Brian, since he wasn’t one of the guys.” She gave a small sympathetic smile.

Eddie’s mouth fell open, clearly unprepared to hear the insinuation about his sister.

Meg held up her hand. “I don’t want to get anyone in trouble, and Linda promised me to secrecy, so don’t mention that I told you. You know how protective she is over your sister.”

Eddie slowly nodded. “Yes, I appreciate you telling just me.”

Meg reached out and grasped his wrist in a tight squeeze. “You’re welcome.”

Eddie walked away, and Mick waited until he was across the room.

“You’re full of shit.” Mick chuckled, watching her sly smirk emerge.

“Yes, I am.”

This was a side of Meg he hadn’t seen coming. But I like it.

“You just threw that girl under the bus with not only her brother but probably her man if he finds out.”

Meg grinned. “Yeah well, that girl is an absolute bitch. You reap what you sow. Been waiting years for retribution.”

There’s that fire again.

Mick snorted. “Was any of that even true?”

Meg shrugged. “Yeah, a friend of mine told me earlier. Linda was going to use it as leverage since that part of her adoring his sister was a lie. But Linda will understand my hand was forced. It saved her ass too, so we all win.”

“Except the sister.”

Meg smirked. “Yes.”

The food came out just as he was about to ask more. It could wait. They had all the time in the world. Unbeknownst to Meg, their night wasn’t going to end anytime soon.