“Thanks. Coffee sounds amazing right now. Please continue opening your gifts. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
Going behind the counter, Rory found the coffee cups underneath the bar and made himself a cup. Remaining behind the bar, he sipped on the coffee, watching as the group resumed opening their presents.
Switching his gaze back and forth between Jewell and Ginny as they opened their presents, Rory had to give Jewell credit for keeping her feelings for Reaper hidden. If he hadn’t heard her outburst at the factory, he wouldn’t have known about the emotions Jewell felt for the married man.
A young boy hefted a large present from under the tree to carry unsteadily toward Ginny. “This is from Reaper.”
Ginny grinned, giving the baby to the man standing behind her before taking the present from the boy. Everyone in the room stopped to watch as Ginny tore the paper away.
Setting the box on the floor, Ginny leaned over to open the box. After pulling out a huge amount of brown packing paper, she unearthed another flat present to unwrap.
Rory kept his attention focused on Jewell.
“That’s beautiful,” Lily remarked.
Jewell’s expression remained unmoved at what had been uncovered.
“My mirror!” Ginny gasped out. “It was broken. You even had your star chart imposed on mine. Thank you, Gavin. I love it.”
Jewell’s expression cracked.
“Jewell, didn’t you like your present?”
The boy who had given Ginny her present had caught the expression.
Before everyone could look toward Jewell, Rory deliberately knocked his cup off the bar, sending everyone’s gaze in his direction.
“Sorry. I reached for the cup without looking.”
“I’ll get a towel,” Jewell strangled out, setting the present she had opened on the couch before rushing out through a swinging door.
Bending over, he picked up the cup then took the towel when Jewell returned a second later.
“I’ll clean it,” Jewell said, bending down in front of him.
“Thanks. Sorry for the mess.”
“I owe you one,” she muttered under her breath.
“I keep tabs,” he warned. Reaching out, he placed his palm under her chin to lift her face up so she was forced to meet his eyes.
“I just got a hundred-dollar gift certificate to King’s restaurant. It’s yours.”
Rory let a smile hover on his lips. “I don’t take gift certificates. I only take cash.”
Her eyes widened before stormy green eyes glared at him. “You want money?” she hissed at him like a cat whose fur had been rubbed the wrong way.
His smile widened, unfazed by her anger. “Unless you’re offering something else.”
“Fuck off.” Slapping the towel down on the floor, she started to rise back to her feet.
Using the towel, he finished mopping up the rest of the spilled coffee as Jewell stormed off. Rising, he set the dish towel in the small sink hidden underneath the bar counter. Then, looking across the room, he saw Jewell had resumed opening her presents.
Making himself another cup of coffee, Rory watched the group of Last Riders and their women, taking in their actions and expressions.
Jewell never looked in his direction. The woman definitely had a temper on her, which wasn’t a bad thing as far as he was concerned. Being even-tempered himself, he could pretty much take anything a woman threw at him.
Rory felt his interest spiking as he watched Jewell interacting with the members. It would be the first time in a long while that he felt curious about a woman without having an ulterior motive to do so. He couldn’t remember the last time he had taken a personal interest in a woman, which was why he had told Jewell that he only took cash. He didn’t want to make a misstep with her. He believed in being on the up and up about his occupation. Rory didn’t want it to bite him in the ass when he told Jewell that he was a gigolo and fucking loved his job.
Chapter Three
“Jewell.”
Raising her head at Shade’s voice, Jewell finished shoving the ripped-up Christmas paper into a trash bag that Lily had retrieved from the kitchen.
“We need to talk.”
Giving the trash bag to Willa, who was also picking up the paper, Jewell followed Shade into the dining room.
“What’s up?” she asked curiously.
“I need you to make sure the women don’t ask Rory any personal questions or about Hennessy.”
“Let Jade.” She was smart enough not to ask why, but that didn’t mean she wanted the job of being a watchdog for the irritating man who had saved her ass, not once, but twice.
“If I wanted Jade to do it, I would have asked her. Later tonight, we’re going to have a meeting with the brothers. I want you there.”
“He’s not friends with Hennessy, is he?”
“No, but Hennessy knows why Rory is here.” Shade gave her a discerning look. “Why don’t you want to keep tabs on him?”
Jewell tried not to wince from the word Shade had used.