Page 10 of The Originals

“Is he the president?”

“Yeah, met him a long time ago at a bike rally, been tight ever since. Back when I first met him, he talked a lot about starting a club. Sold me on the idea by the end of the night. Had another buddy who I rode with all the time, brought him in, and Jack knew a few others.”

“So you’ve been there since the very beginning?”

“Yeah.”

The corner of her mouth curled. “That makes you a founding father.”

There was no missing the tease. Or was it taunting? Either way, Mick was enjoying the banter.

“You taking a dig at my age?”

“Maybe.” Meg snickered. “Exactly how old are you?”

“Thirty-three.”

Her eyes widened and so did her smile. “That makes you eleven years older than me.”

There was no doubt Mick had quite a few years on her. It didn’t mean much to him, but he could see it being an issue for others.

“I got no problem with that. Do you?”

She slowly shook her head. “As long as you can keep up with me.”

Mick laughed, shaking his head. “Try me, sweetheart.”

Meg snorted. “Be careful what you ask for, Mick.”

This night was taking the turn he’d hoped for. There was no doubt Meg was interested, and the more they talked, the higher his desire surged. Conversation wasn’t usually big on his list when it came to women, but he loved hearing her speak and the way she talked with her hands. Everything about Meg had Mick wanting more.

“Hi, Meg.”

She jumped and turned to the guy approaching the table. He was relatively close in age to her, maybe a year or two older. It was obvious they knew one another, and while Meg didn’t appear scared of the guy, she did seem on edge. Her smile was forced, and she busied her hands playing with the edge of the napkin.

“Hi.”

He smiled, looked over at Mick, and extended his hand while eyeing him suspiciously. “Eddie. How’s it going?”

Mick smirked, watching the younger man’s hand shake slightly, but he shook it in a tight grip. “Good, man. I’m Mick.”

“Nice to meet you.” Eddie stepped back and looked over at Meg.

Meg cleared her throat and straightened in the booth. “Is Linda with you?”

“No, she’s working late, she said. Been doing that a few times this week.”

Meg bit her lip, squinted, and seemed to catch her mistake. “Well, you have to take the hours when you can get them.”

He furrowed his brows. “Yeah, not you, though.”

“Oh yeah, I, um…” Meg stuttered and pointed to Mick. “I had plans, so…” Her voice drifted, and if Eddie had been in tune with women, he’d have seen through the lie. He didn’t.

“Yeah, I don’t want to interrupt. Enjoy your meal.” Eddie smiled and started to walk away, but he stopped a few feet from the table and slowly turned.

Mick noticed as Meg watched him carefully and tensed.

“Just one thing. You were at the church party with Linda last night, right?”