Chapter Twenty
CAMDEN
Idecided it was time to pull out all the stops. I’ve never been one to date, and never really had the opportunity since I went from trying to keep Lucas and me alive to taking care of an entire motorcycle club organization and all that comes along with it.
But after last night, I’ve got to put in an effort. I want Saige to remember our first date for the rest of her life, even if she doesn’t know we’re going on one yet.
I cashed in a huge IOU from Mrs. Odette, the owner of Amberwood’s bakery and coffee shop, Daily Rise.
Last year, her teenage grandson, whom she’s raising on her own, was getting into some trouble at school.
I took him under my wing on the weekends and during breaks to teach him how to deal with all of his anger in a way that’s safe and constructive.
It’s the same methods Queenie taught me. Keep busy and don’t let the mind idle.
We tried different projects, handiwork around the club, working with Slick at the garage repairing bikes and cars, and I even let him help me with all the inside club business.
But what he really liked? Money and watching it grow.
He ended up having a knack for math, calculations, and a good eye for investments, learning that if he paid attention in school, he could turn his money and watch it grow.
Mrs. Odette promised me that if I ever needed anything in return, she’d have my back. I cashed in on that baby today.
Now I just need some help from some guys here since I can’t get away to do it on my own. I pick up my phone, knowing I’m probably going to regret it.
Me: I need help
Sin: Holy shit he’s willingly entered the group chat
Me: I thought this wasn’t a group chat?
Malice: We’ll think of a name. Need something catchy
Wrath: I don’t think we do
Sin: No, no let him go with it. What you got for us, Mal?
Malice: Bike Besties
Malice: Hell’s Group Chat
Malice: Motorcycle Besties 4Ever
Malice: The Heathen Text Club
Malice: Friends Who Rev Together
Wrath: I think I like Hell’s Group Chat
Sin: Nah, Bike Besties is way better. Has a ring to it, you know?
Malice: I can think of more. Just give me time.
Me: This is why I hate group chats
Sin: Shit, sorry, what did you need help with? Figured it wasn’t an emergency or you would have just yelled CHURCH!
Malice: Is that what he’s saying when he yells?
Sin: What did you think he was yelling buddy?
Me: Forget I asked
Wrath: Ignore them, what’s up?
Me: You guys don’t make it easy
Me: I want to take Saige on a date
Sin: We’re on lockdown, your orders
Me: I realize that asshole. Can you guys help me get Jazz to prepare one of those board things with all the shit on it?
Malice: You want him to put shit on a board? Like animal or human?
Wrath: *Slow blinking emoji*
Sin: Jesus Christ. He means a charcuterie board. Cheeses, crackers, fruit, jams, nuts, that kind of shit
Malice: That doesn’t sound like shit to me. Can I have one?
Wrath: I’ll take care of it.
Me: I owe you
“Hey, you up for going for a ride with me?” I ask Saige as I find her sitting on the back porch looking out at the mountains.
She looks up at me, her captivating eyes softer than I’m used to.
Her face still doesn’t light up when I walk into a room, but at least she’s not shooting daggers at me right now.
“I want to do something completely normal with you.”
“You mean all this death and destruction isn’t normal?” she quips.
“Not at all. Believe it or not, we had almost ten years of peace.” I wince when I realize my peace started and hers ended.
“That must have been nice. Sure, I’ll go, thought we were on lockdown, though.”
“We are. We’re not leaving the property. We’ve got acres of land here.”
“Why don’t you expand?”
“’Cause why disturb the environment to take more than we need? We all fit here just fine. The bunkhouse is huge, and everyone hangs in here anyway,” I tell her truthfully.
“Jesus, Camden. Are you sure you’re from Earth?” I laugh at her quizzical question.
“I’m sure, why?”
“’Cause most people don’t care about that stuff anymore. They just want expansion, more, more, more. It’s never enough.”
“I’m not like most people, in case you haven’t figured that out yet. Now c’mon, we’ve got somewhere to be.”
Saige follows me through the clubhouse as we pass men drinking at the bar, playing pool on our new table, or playing darts at the far end.
Wrath is making out with a patch bunny on one of the couches, and I know it won’t be long before his pants are around his ankles and he’s balls deep inside her.
Something I should probably warn Saige about before she sees it. He can’t be controlled.
“You good with taking my bike?” I ask her, knowing how she is about needing control and feeling less than me because she’s a woman.
“Yeah, I’m okay with it,” she surprises me by saying, and just like that, I’m fucking feral for her, but I’m trying to keep my shit together.
I climb onto my bike, edging forward and waiting for Saige to swing her leg around behind me. I’ve never had a woman on the back of my bike before. It’s a spot that’s sacred, reserved only for the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with.
It’s reserved for my queen.
Saige runs her hands over my waist, finding their home as I start her up, the low rumble surrounding us, vibrations spreading throughout our bodies.
I ride down the dirt road and swing right, heading toward my favorite spot.
The trip isn’t long, maybe five minutes, but nerves are starting to eat me alive.
I never get nervous. I reach my hand behind me, squeezing her calf, searching for comfort and grounding.
I fucking love the way she feels behind me, and touching her like this does exactly what I was hoping it would.
I pull into the spot, wishing like hell I could turn around in time to see Saige’s face brighten in excitement, or awe, or happiness. I’d take any of those. As long as she’s smiling.
I stop the bike at the top of a hill, the highest point on our land, right under a massive willow tree that’s been here for nearly a century. Saige climbs off first, and I’m right behind her, turning to face her, wanting to see her reaction.
My face falls as I see her, ready to backtrack and explain. Fuck, maybe this was too soon, maybe she’s not ready for all of this. Maybe if I explain . . .
“This is my favorite place. When Lucas and I first got here, we were dumbass teenagers, and we were so used to it just being the two of us that a few times a week, when the noise became too much, we’d sneak out here and smoke a little weed.
We’d end up just lying down and looking at the stars,” I explain as I reach out and grasp her hand, pulling her closer to me as I drag her away from the bike and farther under the tree.
“I’m sure you recognize the type of tree this is; it’s the only one on the property.
Something always called me back here, when things got tough for Lucas and me, when the world became too much, when Queenie died, and then Lucas .
. . this is where I escape to. I never believed in fate, Saige.
I believed that life was carved out piece by piece by our choices and those of the people around us. ”
“Believed?”
“Fate is real, vixen. It has to be. It brought me you.”
“But we lost Lucas and Willow for that to happen.”
“I know, baby, but we can live on in their memory.”
I press her forward to the scene laid out in front of us.
Fairy lights wrap around branches, twinkling lights that illuminate the large white picnic blanket below.
I lead us closer, coming to a stop right in front of the blanket, the view on the other side of the hill going on for miles and miles.
It’s the perfect spot to watch the sunset, and I wanted to share it with her.
The blanket is set with a massive charcuterie spread, two wine glasses, a bottle of red and white, a carafe of coffee with two mugs and add-ins, and all the baked goods you could dream of.
“Camden . . .” Her hands move to her mouth, covering her smile while she looks around. I take a solid step into her space, grabbing them and pulling them away with a squeeze.
“Let me see every single one of those.” I walk her over to the blanket and large cushioned pillows, motioning for her to have a seat.
“What is all of this, Camden?”
“I want to get to know you, all the superficial, mundane, boring, everyday shit that makes you you.” Her face lights up in a smile, and it feels like the sun has come out just for me. My body heats as warmth radiates from her.
Saige gets comfortable, looking around at the massive spread of food and drinks in front of us, and I know exactly where I want to start. I hand her a mug, grabbing the carafe and pouring it halfway full with the best coffee on this side of Washington.
“How do you take your coffee, vixen?” And then it happens, she fucking laughs.
It catches me off guard for a second, loud and sudden, her head thrown back in genuine, pure enjoyment.
I can’t help myself, the moment she’s righted, my hands are clasping her face, dropping an innocent kiss to her lips.
She closes her eyes slowly, and when she opens them, I release her, rubbing my thumb back and forth over her bottom lip.
“Okay. Let’s do this,” she says, giving in.
“Okay,” I say with excitement, rubbing my hands together. “You don’t like it black, your face really looked puckered when you drank it. So, I’m guessing you like it sweet as hell, don’t you?”
“I do. Usually with French vanilla creamer.”
“I’ve got that.” I open the little cooler, digging for the creamers and pulling out the one Saige enjoys with a satisfied smirk.
I close the lid quickly, not wanting her to see just how many different types we got so that I was prepared.
“Show me how much, I want to be able to make it for you.” I watch as Saige pours a heaping amount into her coffee.
“So basically, French vanilla creamer with a splash of coffee?”
“Oh shut up! I like what I like!” She laughs, giving me a playful shove.
“I want to take things slow with you, Saige. I want to do this right, despite all the fuckups behind us. I know we have all this turmoil between us, the heartbreak, and pain, but I can’t give you up.
The point of bringing you up here tonight, to the place where life really started over for me, I guess, is in hopes of starting over with you .
. . together. Or one where we can move forward to something new. ”
Saige doesn’t say anything; instead, she grips a side of my cut, slowly pulling me in for a kiss.
I watch her close her eyes and sink into me.
This time, our kiss is different, more like the one we shared last night.
It’s not fueled by a frantic race to touch and close space; it’s slow, exploratory, our tongues caressing languidly.
I break away just as slowly, only putting just enough distance between us so that I can peer down at her pretty face.
I place a chaste kiss on her forehead and sit back further, knowing that that reply was better than any words she could have said.
“Let’s eat. The night is far from over, and you’ve got a lot to try.” We both relax, sipping coffee and nibbling on cheese, meats, and grapes.
“Favorite fruit?”
“Blackberries, you?”
“Strawberries. Favorite breakfast food?”
She smiles brightly, picking one up and holding it in front of her. “Orange cranberry muffins. And yours, Camden?”
“I don’t really eat breakfast, but from here? The cheese Danish. Now tell me your favorite color.”
“Black.”
“Really?”
“Really. Always has been. There’s something so beautiful and mysterious about it.”
“Okay, morning or night?”
“Neither? I’m not really sure. I used to hate night because of my night terrors. But I also work at night, so mornings are miserable. I haven’t really had the opportunity to figure that out yet.”
“Noted. We’ll fix that.” Saige looks at me like I’ve imagined she would someday, the way Kinsey looks at Rogue, like I hung the fucking stars and moon specifically for her.
The sun starts to set behind the mountains, casting a warm red, orange, and yellow glow over us. Saige looks beautiful next to me, her legs stretched out in front of her, looking like a goddess with the sun kissing her like it is.
“This is pretty great, Camden, thank you.”
“Anything for you. Now, you’ve got to try these. Daily Rise is Amberwood’s bakery. They usually sell out every day before lunch, but I put in a special request this morning.”
“For what? Everything on the menu?”
“Not everything, just the pastries. You already tried their muffins.”
“That you didn’t let me finish.”
“You were being a brat.”
“Did you just call me a fucking brat?”
“There’s that fierce attitude I love so much.” The words hit my ears at the same time they hit Saige’s. Her face morphs, and that carefree, fun-loving girl I’m getting a glimpse of turns into a seductress, her eyes becoming heavier, her bottom lip pulled between her teeth.
“Come here, vixen.” She pauses for a moment, looking up at me with challenging eyes.
But then she complies, moving a few things out of the way so she can swing her leg over mine, straddling me on the ground.
The position causes her shorts to ride up higher, and I wish like hell she was in a dress.
I rub my hands up her soft, smooth thighs, staying clear of the place I know she wants me the most.
“Thought you wanted to take it slow?”
“I already know the heaven that’s between your thighs, you think I would deprive myself of worshipping it?”
“Well, give me a new memory then.”
Saige presses her lips against mine, claiming my mouth. She’s in complete control, and I fucking love it. I rub her thighs as we get lost in our kiss, but once she starts rocking back and forth, rubbing her sweet pussy over my hard cock, I’m about to beg to be inside her.
“It’s our first date, Camden, and I’m already giving it up. What have you done to me?”
“You’ve got it twisted, baby. What have you done to me? I’m a mess at your feet, a slave to you. You could tell me to jump, and I’d ask how high. I’d do anything for you, you only have to ask.”
“Yeah?”
“Anything.”
“Lick my pussy, Camden. Make me come with your mouth on me.”
Fuck me. Yes, my queen. Fucking gladly.