“Remember, there are eyes and ears on you. Meet you back out here when you’re finished.”
She gave a nod to show she’d heard Ranulf then climbed out of the car. She used the short walk to try and calm herself.
She carried a small bag, one that Ranulf had checked before allowing her into the car. All that was inside was some lipstick and a compact mirror.
She had to hope that Ink would pay as she hadn’t been given any cash. Luckily, Ranulf hadn’t inspected her bag too carefully. She’d chosen this handbag because it had a secret compartment.
Inside the compartment, she’d hidden the note that she’d written. She just needed to get this message to Ink. Then he’d be gone from her life.
And she’d no longer have his safety on her conscience.
Or his presence in her life.
She had to shake off her dark thoughts. She would miss their time together. More than she’d ever thought possible.
Walking into the bistro, she hoped that she was appropriately dressed. The smell of garlic made her stomach rumble. She gave her name to the short woman who approached, following her towards the back of the restaurant. This restaurant had a real charm about it with its small, round tables and booths, covered in red and white checkered tablecloths. There were a number of families in the booths, their kids laughing and playing.
A pang filled her. Loneliness. Sadness over what could never be.
Then she saw him. He was sitting at the last booth, with his back to the wall. When he saw her approaching, he slid out and stood.
She paused for a moment, unused to such manners. Mama had always lectured at her about how she should behave. Had forced her to sit for hours when she’d get one nuance of etiquette wrong. She’d also gone on about how a gentleman should treat a lady. By opening doors. By walking on the outside of the pavement. By standing when she approached.
Ink didn’t fit the description of a gentleman. Even wearing a shirt he was too raw, too masculine. His tattoos peeked up above the neckline of the shirt and ran down his hands. She’d been intimidated by him when she’d first seen him.
But she knew that a civilized veneer could hide the most hideous of monsters.
And now she knew that under a rough exterior could beat the heart of a protector.
Mama had never learned that. She’d always believed in the outside appearance of a man. Always hoped it would match the inside.
A frown marred his forehead as he took her in. He walked over to her before she could reach him, nodding to the server as he placed a hand on the small of her back.
“What’s wrong, brown eyes?”
Shoot. So much for hiding her real feelings.
Forcing herself to smile, she looked up at him. “Nothing. I just…long day. You look really good.”
She blushed as he chuckled. “Good, huh? Damn I was going for sexy. Would have taken hot.” He leaned in and whispered as she slid into the booth. He’d directed her to the same side he’d been sitting in. “Or fuckable.”
Her breath hitched. “Ink!”
A chuckle rumbled from him as he slid in beside her. He was different tonight. More relaxed. At ease.
“This place is cute.”
“You sound like you expected something else.”
She shrugged, not wanting to tell him what she’d thought.
“Why, Betsy, were you expecting me to take you to some rough, dark biker bar? On our first date?”
“I wasn’t sure what to expect. You constantly surprise me.”
He placed his arm over the back of the booth, turning that muscular body towards her. She was caught in the corner. The wall on one side, him on the other. Maybe she should have felt threatened. Trapped.
Instead, it felt like he was standing between her and everyone else. Cocooning her in a wall of safety.
And what a wall it was. All muscles and tats and sexiness. Seeing him in a shirt was doing something to her. Don’t get her wrong, having all that skin on display at the club couldn’t be bettered. But there was something about knowing what was under that shirt that made her fingers itch.
“You’re gonna have to stop looking at me like that, brown eyes,” he murmured, leaning in so close she got a hint of his scent. It was clean. Refreshing. Like the ocean. If you didn’t know him better, he might look like a surfer with his tan, the hair and that cheeky grin.