Chapter Eleven
The sound of my phone going off pulls me from the moment and away from Lincoln. Glancing at the screen, I find Serenity's name flashing across it. Confusion fills me at what she could be calling about because I’m almost positive I told her that I was going to the hospital to see Aspen and then I’d be spending time with Lincoln.
But, I also know that she wouldn’t be calling me unless something was seriously wrong. She hates talking on the phone and if she can get away with sending a text over making a phone call, she’s going to.
Turning back to Lincoln, I force a smile and try to mask any concern for my friend as I say, "Sorry, I have to take this.” I then walk a few steps away from him, putting some distance between us to have a bit of privacy, before answering the still-ringing phone in my hand.
"Hey,” I say after hitting answer and putting the phone up to my ear. “Ser, is everything okay?”
“Ray?” Serenity asks, but she doesn’t sound like herself and she’s whispering. “I need you to come and get me, please,” she urges, sounding desperate.
“Ser, what’s going on?” I ask as I turn around and mouth *‘Sorry’*, to Lincoln.
“I went out with this guy that I met at a party, but something isn’t right. I’m pretty sure he slipped something into my drink when I wasn’t paying attention, because the next time I went to take a drink, there was this white residue floating around in my tea that hadn’t been there a few moments before,” she explains.
I make my way back over to Lincoln, but I’m still speaking to Serenity when I ask, “Where are you now?”
She laughs on the other end of the line, but it sounds flat, “I’m hiding in the women's bathroom. Like he wouldn’t know to look in here for me. I freaking told him that I was coming in here,” she says, sounding as though that thought had just occurred to her.
“Okay, but where are you at?” I ask, then place my hand over the speaker, turning my attention to Lincoln. “Do you think you could take me to pick up my friend Serenity? She went out with a guy she met at a party, but I guess something happened that made her change her mind because now she’s hiding in the women’s bathroom.”
He gives me a strange look, but nods his head in agreement just as she begins speaking, “We’re at Rib Crib. Who even brings someone to Rib Crib on a first date?”
“She’s at Rib Crib,” I tell Lincoln as we make our way through the parking lot away from my car and to the black truck that he shares with his brothers.
I don't question why we're taking his truck instead of my car, or why we're not driving separately, because I don't want to deal with whatever it is that has Serenity freaked out without him by my side.
I keep her on the phone and talking until we reach the truck and get in.
“Tell her we’re on our way. She may want to go back out so that she doesn’t make things worse by being away any longer, but maybe pretend that she got sick or something,” Lincoln suggests as we pull out of the parking lot and then pull out onto the road.
“We’re on our way,” I tell her, “and I know that you don’t want to, but Lincoln suggested that you go back out into the restaurant so that you don’t make him suspicious that something is up, but maybe pretend that you're suddenly not feeling well.”
“Okay,” she whispers with a sigh. “How long do you think it will be before you get here?”
“How long until we can get to her, do you think?” I ask, turning to face Lincoln once more.
“We’re not far, maybe five minutes,” relief fills me at knowing that we will be there soon.
When I relay to Serenity that we’re only a few minutes away, I can hear the relief in her voice too when she replies with, “Thank you. I’m so sorry to take you away from your time with your boyfriend. But, thank you. I didn’t know who else to call.”
“Of course, Ser. You’re my best friend. I’ll always be there for you if you need me,” Lincoln taps me on the arm and then points out the Rib Crib sign-up ahead of us. “We’re fixing to pull in. Go back out there and I’ll see you in a minute.”
“Okay,” she mutters, and then the line goes dead.
“Thank you,” I say, grasping ahold of Lincoln’s hand as we pull into the parking lot. “I know this isn’t exactly the way I had hoped we would have spent our evening together, but I really do appreciate it.”
He squeezes my hand and then looks at me with a serious expression on his face and says, “Baby, there is no way in hell that I would have let you come after her on your own,” then he pulls my hand to his mouth and places a kiss against my knuckles, “and if you think that I would have, then we still need to get to know one another better.”
“Well,” I say and then giggle, “we definitely still need to get to know one another better, but I do like knowing that you wouldn’t have let me go alone.”
“Never,” he states, then with one final squeeze of my hand, he opens his door and steps out, then makes a point of helping me get out of the truck by grasping me by the hips and sliding my body down his own. A deep groan leaves him as his pelvis lines up with my belly, and I find that he’s already hard and straining against his zipper, as I come to stand flat-footed against the concrete parking lot.
“God, I can’t wait to have you alone again,” he mutters as he leans down and nuzzles my neck, then nips at the sensitive flesh just below my ear. “Let’s go save your friend before I let my baser instincts take the lead and I lift you back up into my truck and show you just how badly I want you.”
I let out a mixture between a whimper and a sigh at the mention of that, but end up pulling back to put some much-needed distance between us.
“I’m going to hold you to that,” I tell him with what I hope is a sexy smile before turning around and heading toward the restaurant and making sure to put a little extra swing into each of my steps just to tease him.
When we step through the entrance, I scan the crowd, looking for my friend’s face. I finally find her at the same moment that I hear Lincoln mutter, “What the fuck?” from behind me, then with a gentle shove, he urges me forward. “Come on,” he stays, grasping ahold of my hand once more and leading me over to the table that has both Serenity and another guy who looks vaguely familiar, but I can’t place from where.
“Avett!” Lincoln growls out the guy’s name, making him look away from my friend and up to the red and angry face of my boyfriend.
“W-what the fuck, man?” The guy that I assume’s name is Avett stutters then stands up from his seat and turns toward Lincoln, puffing his chest out and squaring up to Lincoln, who is both taller and broader than he is.
As soon as Avett turns toward Lincoln and away from Serenity, she jumps out of her chair and I rush toward her, wrapping my arms around her as soon as I reach her. “Are you okay?” I whisper, looking her over from head to toe.
“I-I’m okay.”
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