Illusive

Pushing through the front door, I entered and looked for an empty table. As I scanned the room, my heart fell into my stomach when I saw the guy at the back smile at me.

Worst luck today.

I should have just gone home.

My ex-boyfriend, Tommy, sat at one end of the diner smiling at me as if he’d never stuck his dick in any other woman’s vagina before coming home and whispering sweet nothings about growing old with me.

He stood and walked my way, and in my haste to avoid him, I swiftly turned and headed in the other direction.

Shit, there are no empty tables.

The universe is conspiring against me today.

And then I spotted him.

Griff.

He sat by himself at a table near the back and was engrossed with something on his phone so he didn’t see me coming. His head snapped up, though, when I slid into the booth with him, and announced loudly, “Sorry I’m late, handsome. I got caught up at work.”

His eyes widened right before he frowned. I didn’t give him time to speak before leaning across the table and pressing a kiss to his cheek. My hand moved to his cheek once I’d kissed him, and I let it linger there, hoping like hell my ex was taking this all in.

Easing back into my seat, I realised Tommy now stood next to Griff’s table with a look of disbelief on his face. “Sophia,” he said before turning his attention to Griff. “And you are?” His voice held that possessive tone he’d liked to bring out whenever we’d gone out and another man had even so much as looked at me.

What did I ever see in him?

Griff didn’t even skip a beat. “None of your fucking business,” he replied, his eyes hard as he watched Tommy.

Tommy scowled at him and then turned to me. “You’ve stooped so low as to date a biker now?”

Huh? A biker?

Griff stood. Towering over Tommy, he spoke in a low, harsh voice. “If I were you, I’d turn the fuck around and walk away before you say something I might take offence to.” His rigid body stayed rooted to the spot while he glared at Tommy, waiting for him to make his next move.

I held my breath, wondering if perhaps I had made a bad decision to sit with Griff and act like we were together. My intention had not been to cause a problem; I’d simply wanted Tommy to leave me alone and I figured if he thought I had a new boyfriend, he would.

Tommy held Griff’s glare for a few moments, and then he muttered something under his breath before stalking away from us. Griff watched him go and then sat again. He rested both arms on the table, either side of his plate, raised his brows at me, and said, “Care to tell me what that was all about?”

Oh, man.

That voice.

It’s like liquid sex.

He could bring me to orgasm just by speaking to me. I was sure of it.

“Sophia?”

Shit. I blinked and got my head back in the conversation. “Sorry about that.” I sighed, and leant my elbows on the table. And then proceeded to make a fool of myself. “I’ve had one of those days at work – you know, the ones where everything goes to shit – and then I went to the gym, and usually that helps, but tonight it didn’t. I’ve got all these knots inside and the gym should have unkinked them, and I don’t know why it didn’t. Anyway, I decided on the way home that a hamburger would help, but then I got here and realised I look like shit with no makeup and crappy hair, but I thought ‘fuck it’ and came in anyway. But then I saw my ex, and shit, it’s bad enough to see your ex, but to see him when you look like you’re not coping with the breakup – and don’t get me wrong, I am coping – but, it’s not the right time to run into an ex, you know?” I took a deep breath and waited for him to acknowledge that. When he gave me a nod, I continued, “So, I saw you, and thought if I just sat with you, he’d back off and leave me alone. Story of my life that he didn’t.” I removed my elbows from the table and sat back in my chair. He sat staring at me like I was a freak, and – oh, my God – he was probably right. Why did I just let all that shit spill out of my mouth?

I sat in my mortification, waiting for him to say something. Anything. But he didn’t. He sat back in his chair, and watched me for a minute. It was the longest minute of my day, and I’d had some long minutes today. Finally, he said, “You don’t look like shit.”

Cocking my head, I asked, “Out of everything I just said, that’s what you focus on?”

He shrugged. “Seemed like the most important thing to mention at this point.” Leaning forward, he added, “That, and the fact your ex is a dick. And that you can do so much better than him.”

My belly fluttered, and I relaxed a little. “Yeah, I can,” I said softly.

“What did you do at the gym?”

“Huh?” I wasn’t sure what he meant.

Gesturing with his hand, he explained, “You said you couldn’t unkink your knots at the gym. What exercise did you do?”

“Oh, that…I did a Body Combat class.”

“A what?”

“It’s one of those classes with karate and kickboxing type moves. It’s supposed to be awesome to burn calories.”

He scowled as he ran his gaze over my body. “I don’t think that’s anything you need to worry about.”

A thrill ran through me at his words, even if I did disagree with him. I opened my mouth to speak when the waitress approached. “Can I get you something to eat?” she asked me.