Move the Sun (Signal Bend #1)(4)

He was watching her.

She made eye contact with him, and he nodded and lifted his beer bottle. No beer on tap for him, it seemed. She wasn’t sure whether he was acknowledging that he recognized her from earlier, or whether he was simply letting her know that he’d noticed her. She supposed she did stand out a bit in this crowd. She walked to the end of the bar, where there was an empty stool. The bartender, a curvy, very-not-natural redhead showing a huge rose tat on lots of cleavage, came right down and asked for her order.

“Any chance the kitchen’s still open?”

The bartender looked over at the old, animated beer sign on the wall. It would be “vintage,” except Lilli was pretty sure it had been hanging exactly there since it had been brand new. There was a clock embedded in it. “Fifteen more minutes. What can I get ya?”

“Just a cheeseburger and fries. And a bottle of Bud. Thanks.” The busty bartender offered an approving nod, popped the top on a Bud, and handed it to her before she went back to push the swinging door to the kitchen open and yell in her order.

Lilli took a long swallow of the cold, soothing brew. Bud might not be the smoothest or the fanciest beer around, but it was the King of Beers, after all. She felt a tingle up her back and turned quickly to find the Biker Man coming up on her. Despite his general mien of menace, he wasn’t casting an especially aggressive vibe, so she leaned back on the bar and watched him come. He stopped directly in front of her and took a pull of his beer. He was wearing black leather cuffs on his wrists and three big silver rings on each large hand: thumb, middle finger, ring finger.

He was tall—really tall, at least six-five, maybe more. Broad shoulders, with the firm swell that indicated real definition under his kutte—a kutte with several patches on the front, one of which, on his right side, read “President.” Top of the food chain, then.

His beard was dark and full; his hair, in that thick braid halfway down his back, was also dark and full.

Vivid green eyes. Long scar running up and across the left side of his face, from just under his nose to his temple.

He had her attention, definitely.

“You set?” His voice was deep and rumbly. Of course it was.

Lilli lifted her bottle and waved it a bit. “Yep. But thanks.”

He winked. “I’ll get the next one, then.” He took another swallow, killing his beer. Leaning in on her to set his empty on the bar, his head near her ear, he said, “I’m Isaac.” Lilli could smell the leather of his kutte.

When he stepped back, she smiled at him. “Hi, Isaac.” Without saying more, she drank some beer.

Isaac grinned. It was lopsided, lifting the right side of his face. Lilli liked a lopsided smile. “You know, when someone introduces himself, it’s customary to return the favor.” Still smiling, she raised her eyebrows, but said nothing.

“That how you’re playin’ it, huh? I guess I could call you Sport. That was you today, in that Camaro SS, right?”

“It was.” It would be silly to prevaricate here; the town wasn’t big enough to try to stay under the radar.

But she wasn’t about to do more than answer his questions as minimally as possible until she had gotten a good read on him.

“Nice ride. Lotta car for a girl. You were at Mac’s. You movin’ to town?”

Lilli now understood that this was more than small talk going on here. He wasn’t just trying to get into her jeans—though she was sure he’d do that, too, if he could. He was feeling her out. His town. New resident. He was trying to understand why she was here, where she’d fit. Whether she was a threat.

“I am.”

“Not many people move to Signal Bend. If you’re looking for work, won’t find it.”

“I’m not.”

“Damn, girl. You got a two-word limit on your sentences or something?” Just then, her burger and fries came out. The bartender brought the food out in two red plastic baskets lined with red-and-white checked paper. She set ketchup, salt and pepper on the bar as well.

“Get ya anything else?”

“Get her another Bud, Rose. And me. And put it all on my tab, hon.”

Rose—the busty bartender with the big rose inked on her chest—gave Isaac a knowing grin. “You bet, Ike.”

Ike, huh? Lilli turned back to him. “Thanks, Ike.”

“It’s Isaac. Some around here call me Ike. Never liked it, but it stuck young. You call me Isaac.” Rose brought them fresh Buds as Isaac sat down on the stool next to hers and shook salt, pepper, and ketchup onto her fries. When she shot him an incredulous look, he grinned. “Hey—I paid for ‘em. You’re sharin’.”

Lilli conceded with a nod and proceeded to share her dinner with the tall, dark, and menacing biker who’d bought it for her.

“This your version of a Welcome Wagon? You share fries with all the new people in town?” She took a bite of her burger. Oh—it was really good. Just rare enough in the middle, nice and juicy. The bun was soft and fresh.

He grinned around a mouthful of fries. “Oh-ho! She speaks in complete sentences!” He finished chewing. “No, Sport. This is special, just for you.”

“And I warrant special treatment because . . .?”

“I like the look of . . . your ride.” With a shrug, he took the burger out of her hand and had a bite.