• Eleven •

Why did I love how fucking awkward she could be?

Thatcher

His record was clean. So fucking squeaky that it was nauseating. I’d already had him checked out when I saw her talking to him in town a month ago. He’d been looking at her like he wanted in her pants. It hadn’t taken him long to get her on a goddamn date.

I picked up a fry and tossed it into my mouth. He’d probably be good to her. No cheating or sluts in hotel rooms on the side. He’d show up for dates. I should be fine with it.

“I swear to God, if you do something I gotta clean up,” King warned as he sat across from me. “We got a race this week.”

As if I needed reminding. Capri was leaving for New York on Wednesday. I had chosen not to go. Sebastian had left with Bloodline today. One of us always travels with the horse and crew. The urge to go had been there, bugging the fuck out of me. It was best for her if I stayed away. Well, at least from her actual life. I didn’t think I could stop watching her. That was an obsession I couldn’t seem to let go of.

“You got that crazy gleam in your eye,” King muttered, picking up his beer.

I flicked my gaze to him and tossed another fry into my mouth. Not looking in her direction might be helpful. Didn’t seem to matter that the boring-ass dentist was no threat to her. I didn’t like him. My annoyance spiked every time he leaned close to her or spoke to her.

“Do we need to get this to go?” King asked me.

Unable to help myself, I shifted my gaze to the booth Capri was sitting in. She was so close to the edge of the fucking booth that it almost made me smile. It didn’t seem like she wanted to be there. Sitting beside the prick. It was possible that was the only reason I had been able to keep from going to her. There was no threat. I might not need to dig too deep to figure out what that meant exactly.

“Thatch,” King said, and I shifted my gaze back to him.

“No,” I replied, knowing he’d been waiting for a response. “I’m not going to do anything.”

His shoulders relaxed slightly.

“It’d be more work to cover up why the dentist had been beaten to shit and tortured than it was JB,” he pointed out.

I sneered. I hadn’t planned on doing anything to the fucking dentist. Well, as long as he behaved, didn’t hurt Capri in any way, he was safe. JB had asked for it.

“I don’t care if she’s dating the dentist,” I replied, then picked up my burger and took a bite.

“I find that hard to believe, considering how I found JB,” he shot back at me.

My eyes went back to Capri. She’d liked that fucker, and he’d led her on. I’d just made sure he didn’t get a chance to do any real damage. If he had, then I’d have killed him. It was a reaction I couldn’t seem to control.

“He was lying to her. Stringing her along,” I said.

“Yeah, well, you beat him within an inch of his life because he was fucking some woman he’d picked up in a bar. That still makes no fucking sense.”

I watched as she stood up, and so did the guy her friend was engaged to. The others moved from the booth following them. They were leaving. She’d driven her car. I’d seen it outside when we arrived. If the asshole was gonna bring her on a date, then he should have driven her. Strike one. Maybe he wasn’t good enough for her.

She turned, and her eyes met mine. I liked how her body tensed up and those pretty eyes of hers widened.

Yes, little doll, I was watching you.

Knowing I made her nervous gave me pleasure. I lifted my hand and beckoned her to me with the curl of my finger. She blinked and stared for a moment, then turned and said something to the others. I could feel their gazes as, one by one, they turned to me. I picked up a fry, ignoring their existence, and watched as Capri sent them on their way, then walked toward me, alone.

Good girl.

“What are you doing?” King asked.

I smirked. “Just bringing our jockey over here for a chat.”

“She’s on a date,” he said.

“Don’t care.”

“Jesus, Thatch,” he grumbled.

Not needing his commentary, I ate my fry while watching her approach our booth.

“Hello,” she said with a slight tremor to her voice.

“Capri,” King replied. “I hope you enjoyed your lunch.”

I watched her shift her attention to King. He didn’t make her nervous. That was good. I was sure it would piss me off if he did.

“I did. Thank you,” she replied, and then her eyes moved back to mine.

She was waiting on me to say something. Explain my reason for bringing her over here. As much fun as it was to watch her squirm, I didn’t trust King not to send her on her way. He was stepping into shit he didn’t need to be involved in. One little cleanup with the stablehand, and he was now on some mission to save me or them. I wasn’t sure who.

“Come to the ranch tomorrow,” I told her. “I want you to take Zephyr out for a run. Not full speed, but a run.”

I ignored the look I was getting from King and watched her reaction instead. The flush on her face gave away the excitement she was trying to contain. I liked it when she was flushed. Especially the other night, when I’d watched her finger-fuck herself.

“Okay, yes. Um, what time?” she stammered, barely glancing at King, who was remaining silent.

“Seven,” I replied.

She nodded her head, and there was that smile. “I’ll be there.”

I picked up another fry and ate it while she seemed unsure of what to do next.

Why did I love how fucking awkward she could be? What was it that made me want to just sit and watch her?

“You don’t have to keep your friends waiting,” King told her.

Fucker.

She glanced at him, then back at me. I nodded my head once, and she seemed to relax.

“Okay, uh, well, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“You will.” I smirked.

I kept my eyes on her ass while she walked toward the exit.

“What are you doing?” King asked.

“Eating.”

“That’s not what I meant, and you fucking know it.”

Yeah, he was butting in where he wasn’t needed. That was what I knew.

“Why don’t you stop worrying about me and focus on you?” I suggested.

“I’m not worried about you,” he ground out. “I am worried about Capri.”

I stilled, not liking that he thought of her at all. “She’s not yours to worry about. You got a wife and kid.”

He sighed. “You know that’s not what I am saying. She’s too fucking innocent for you to mess with.”

“Never said I was gonna fuck her.”

King just stared at me as if he could figure me out. We both knew he couldn’t. Most of the time, I couldn’t figure myself out. Good fucking luck.