An insistent tap on the window of the café drew our attention. It was Hyde’s daughter. He promptly pushed his chair out and went outside to her where they engaged in a short conversation before making their way to the skate hire counter.
Charlie was a stunning girl with the same dark hair that Hyde had and a beautiful face I was sure the boys flocked to. I wondered how much stress she caused her father where boys were concerned. I remembered how much hell I’d given mine when I was a teenager. He swore half his grey hairs were from that time in my life. I’d had a new boyfriend every couple of months until I found one I really liked in my last year of school and had kept him for almost the entire year. My father hadn’t been excited about him and it had caused us numerous fights.
Hyde helped Charlie exchange skates and waited until she was back out on the rink before he came inside again. He ordered a drink and then joined me at the table.
After drinking some of his coffee, he said, “You got kids, Monroe?”
“No, not yet.”
“You want them?”
I nodded. My heart actually hurt at the thought of not having kids. “Yes,” I said quietly. This conversation had turned personal, fast. Another thing I hadn’t expected from him, but that was probably my bias against bikers. “I want a big family. Five kids. Maybe. Or three, at least. I guess it depends on my partner and what he wants. And whether those three have driven me insane before I can go for another one.” Why the hell was I sharing all this with him? It was like my mouth had a mind of its own and just kept going.
His lips twitched. It seemed to be a regular occurrence, but then again, I was babbling a little, so I could understand his amusement. Please God, let me shut up. “You’ve put some thought into this. But you haven’t found a father yet?”
I sighed. “Sadly, no. I’m flat out finding a man who likes meat, let alone one who wants to settle down and have kids.”
He frowned. “Meat? Who the fuck doesn’t like meat?”
“Right?! My thoughts exactly.” He was tall and he liked meat. And he smelt heavenly. I died a little on the inside. He wasn’t the man for me, but fuck, he was beginning to tick a lot of boxes.
He leant back in his seat, stretched his legs in front of him and reached his arms back so he could cradle the back of his head with his hands. Good Lord, did the man not know how sexy that move was when he did it? It was like having your favourite food laid out on a banquet in front of you and being on a nil-by-freaking-mouth diet.
“I guess there’s always IVF or some other shit you could try if you can’t find a guy who likes meat,” he said, his mouth curving into more of a grin.
I pursed my lips in mock annoyance with him. “You’re finding this meat thing hilarious, aren’t you? I’m telling you, it’s a serious thing to look for in a man.”
Still grinning. “I have no doubt. Tell me, what else are you looking for? Someone who flosses regularly? Or maybe someone who gets their tax in on time every year?”
I lifted a brow. “Flossing is very important. And honestly, I hadn’t thought of the tax thing. I may need to add it to my list.”
He laughed, and my belly fluttered at the sound. It was like a deep rumble of sexy goodness that I wanted to provoke over and over from him. “Ah, the mysterious list you mentioned the other night.”
“I did?” God, I didn’t remember that. What else had I said to him?
He shifted so he was leaning forward, his body and face closer to me. Dropping his voice to a low gravel, he said, “Yeah, you said I ticked two items off it. I had no idea what the fuck you were talking about, but it’s making sense now.” He paused for a beat before adding, “I’m guessing the fact I like meat gets me another tick.”
Okay, it was time for me to woman up. Hyde had me on all kinds of edge just by being in the same room as me. No man ever did that to me. I was the woman who could flirt with anyone and never get tongue-tied. And yet, Hyde was making me question my ability to even engage in adult conversation.
I leant forward, resting my elbows on my knees and putting my cleavage on full display for him. Hitting him with the sexiest smile I could muster up, I said, “Three ticks don’t make a list, tiger. You’re gonna have to do better than that.”
“I’m not looking to hit a list, sugar. But I will tell you, that vibrator of yours could learn a thing or two from me.”
Fuck.
Hyde-1. Monroe-0.
“Roe, I hurt my ankle.” Bree’s voice cut through the heat between Hyde and me, which was the saviour I needed right then. If not for her, I’d be sliding fast into dangerous territory, contemplating letting a biker show me a thing or two. Or three or four. Hell, why stop at four? Jesus.
I stood. “Here,” I said, motioning for her to come to me,” Sit down, honey. What did you do to it?”
She limped my way, her skates in her hands. “One of the assholes out on the rink pushed off the wall, straight into me, and I twisted my ankle as I fell.”
“Little shit,” I muttered as I crouched to take a look at her ankle. I had not even one ounce of an idea as to what I was looking for, but it didn’t appear to be swelling, so I figured that was a good thing.
“You can still walk on it?” Hyde asked.
Bree nodded. “Yeah, but it hurts really bad.”
He shifted to sit on the edge of his seat so he was closer to her. After taking a good look at her ankle, he said, “It doesn’t look crooked or swollen. Is it numb at all?”
She pressed on her ankle in a few spots. “No.”
He stood. “Good. I’ll get you some ice. Wait here.”
As we watched him go, Bree said, “He’s hot, Roe. Do you know him or did you just meet him here?”
I stopped drooling over his ass and turned to face her. This checking-out-guys side to her was new. Well, at least the sharing it with me was new. Her mother would have had a fit if she knew Bree was checking out a man old enough to be her father, but I figured it was a natural progression in a girl’s life. I didn’t want her to feel like she couldn’t talk to me about guys, so I ran with it. “I’ve met him a few times now, but I don’t really know him. And yeah, he’s hot as sin, but definitely not my type.”
She hit me with a look of shock. “You’re kidding, right? Like, why is he not your type? What doesn’t he have that you’re looking for?”
“Bree, baby, he’s the bad boy your mama will warn you about when you get a little older. Bad boys are okay to fool around with, but you don’t date them.”
“So all your life you’ve dated the good guys? Is that working for you?”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “When did you become so sassy?” Honestly, I loved her sass, just not when it was directed at me.
A smile spread across her face. “Just pointing out something you may want to consider. You know, kinda like you do all the time for me.”
I returned her smile. “Smartass,” I muttered. “And while I haven’t met the man of my dreams yet, I’m not sure a guy like Hyde would fit that bill.”