Chapter 7
Cage
Wow, she’s beautiful—no, even more than that—she’s stunning, mesmerizing.
I’m instantly smitten – a word I fucking hate – and I can’t take my eyes off her.
It’s not just her deep blue eyes, her makeup-free face, or her sunshine hair that has entranced me.
It’s the sweet aura she carries as a whole.
She has me intrigued, and I don’t know how dangerous that is.
Six months and I have barely stayed two nights in one place, needing to ride. My body itches to ride out before I do something stupid… Yet, this woman has me booking my room for more than two days.
I slowly lick my bottom lip. Normally, I’d hate this much attention.
I’d get restless, tell the women to leave me alone, and stop staring.
But honestly, I don’t care that all the moms are eyeing me right now, this little bird who is smiling softly has my full attention because fuck, I think Joel was right.
“Drew doesn’t need a choir boy, she needs someone like you, and I believe you need someone like her.”
“Gently lower,” my little bird says softly, and I blink and watch as she shows the kids how to crouch in a perfect position. It’s impressive, especially when I know I can’t do that shit, I’d probably fall flat on my face.
Their feet are shaped in some kind of… I don’t even know how to explain it, their heels are nearly touching, their toes pointed outwards, and their knees are bent.
It looks hard as fuck, yet Drew is doing it with such poise. She keeps her back straight and bends, brings her arm out with a curve while keeping hold of the pole with the other, a soft look on her beautiful, curved face.
That small soft smile, the way her eyes brighten as she watches the kids get it right… This is her passion, the reason why she gets up in the morning and it’s fucking amazing to see. Fuck, when I watched her dance I was blown away but seeing her teach is a whole new level.
I swallow hard and look down for a second, my heart racing. The fear kicks in again, like it has since I saw her standing on the street with her parents, feeling her eyes on me.
I was involved with a patch chaser for about four years. I didn’t know her true intent because she was with others, so it never occurred to me she wanted my patch. She killed my baby sister after Angie overheard a conversation and confronted her, she ruined my family, fuck, she killed my child…
How can I know this woman isn’t like Toya?
How do I know my judgments are right when I got that one completely wrong and lost my baby sister? Lost my baby?
She just turned you down, the voice torments, but in my fucked up mind, she could be playing the field, wanting me to fight with her, for her, so she could gain my property patch.
Okay, even I know how pathetic that sounds, especially when she’s currently proving Joel’s words right and her sole focus is the kids.
Ballet is her life.
“Okay, munchkins, follow my lead,” Drew calls, and I look up and watch with amazement as she shows the kids some fancy spin thing, not once looking my way and my chest tightens.
“What is your heart telling you to do?” Dad asks, “Forget about that bitch, forget about your cock leading you, what does your heart tell you? Because, son, when you fucked around with Toya, it wasn’t because you were in love with her.
It wasn’t because there were feelings involved other than lust on both sides, what is your heart telling you about Joel's daughter?”
“That she’s mine,” I choke, full of fear.
Fuck, I haven’t even met her, yet those three little words feel like bullet wounds.
I meant what I said to Dad when I begged for his advice because I felt so fucking torn after Joel left. I do feel like she’s mine, I just don’t know if I’m ready to make someone mine. I don’t even know where my place is on this earth, I still feel fucking broken and riddled with guilt.
I still feel the need for a line to forget my troubles and beat idiots up.
I’m no good for her, yet the idea of not trying to get to know her—
Fuck, I’m confused.
***
“Okay, my munchkins, that is it for today,” Drew calls an hour later as she turns off the music. I swear I hear a few disgruntled moans from the moms, and I roll my eyes as one murmurs, “I was trying to psych myself up to ask him on a date…”
Fucks sake.
I shake my head subtly, so she knows I heard her. The woman huffs, but I don’t look her way, instead, I keep my eyes on my little bird.
“Near the door are bags with your names on them and with your assigned leotards for the show inside. Please make sure you grab them,” Drew says with pride, and I smile slightly as the kids all cheer, several running up to her, hugging her, and I have to swallow the growl of jealousy as my body tenses.
Shit.
I lean back with a sigh and cross my arms over my chest, ignoring the women still staring at me despite their kids getting ready to leave. I keep my eyes on Drew, watching as she helps the kids get their things while the realizations hit me hard.
I don’t want to just get to know her and fuck me, that feeling is scary as shit.
I bite my bottom lip watching as she gently tucks a piece of hair back into a little girl's bun with ease. Her ability to be so natural with kids makes my heart race, my stomach tightens, and the thought of her being round with my child makes my cock twitch confusing the fuck outta me because I don’t even want kids.
Double shit.
The whole hour I’ve sat here, I've seen her passion. I saw that focus her father mentioned, and even though she knew I was here, not once did she look my way. Not even when one mother tried to touch me, and I had to scoot down the bench seat slightly.
I saw her tense, but she never stopped in her stride, and fuck, it did something to me.
My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I quickly check it, but I swallow seeing it’s my mom. I silence the vibrations as I have with all her calls since leaving before putting my phone back in the inside pocket of my cut. I look up to see it’s finally just us two.
Thank fuck.
“You sure you don’t want to join ballet?” Drew asks in the quiet as the front door shuts, “Because a grown man watching little kids dance…”
A chuckle escapes, I can’t help it.
I haven’t chuckled in years. Then, a few words from this amazing woman—suddenly, I found myself laughing again.
“You think you could teach this biker some tricks?” I ask with humor, and she smiles, her cheeks heating. I know she took my words sexually, making my cock twitch again with anticipation.
Fuck me, that is a look I always want on her face.
Triple shit.
I clear my throat, and I ask, “Would you go for a walk with me?” and she looks at me, her mouth parting slightly, and I can see the denial on the tip of her tongue, the fear of being hurt etched in her eyes.
“Her only boyfriend had decided to screw her younger sister in high school.”
Her dad's words rush through me. I know what her sister did probably hurt her while her ex ensured she’d never trust a man again.
I swallow hard as fear rushes through me again that she won’t give me a chance. Even though I know I don’t deserve it, I slowly stand and murmur, “Just a walk,” then add, “and not a pity walk either.”
I know it sounded bad when I told her that her dad encouraged me to come see her, but what she isn’t aware of is my past.
Her dad just gave me that push a few days early, is all. I would have pushed past my pain and insecurities to find this girl again.
“Why?” she asks with a whisper, and I swallow again, my throat fucking dry as shit.
“Because I feel this intense need to get to know you, and even though I’m fucking petrified, I’m still standing here. I’m fighting my fear, and all I ask is for you to fight yours because all I’m asking for right now is a walk,” I admit lowly, baring myself to this beautiful woman.
Her throat bobs as she toys with her fingers, and she whispers, “But it won’t stop at a walk…”
Smart little bird.
“No, it probably won’t, but if you know that, then why not try?” I reply, and she looks down. I sigh, “Would it help if I told you that my club is the one that donated fifty thousand dollars yesterday?”
Her head shoots up, her eyes wide, and I smirk.
“I-I, I’m, I mean, I…” she stutters, then chokes, “Are you trying to bribe me into a walk?”
“Depends,” I murmur as I tilt my head, “is it working?”
She chokes on a laugh, making me grin, and she shakes her pretty little head as she walks to her bag on the floor.
I tense when she puts on an oversized shirt.
She grabs her bag before she walks my way, but my eyes stay on the fucking shirt that clearly belongs to a mans as hot red jealousy fills me.
Is it the ex’s?
Is she seeing someone and her dad just doesn’t know?
Fuck, I think I’m about to have a panic attack before trying to find the fucker who owns that shirt and kill him.
“It’s my dad's,” she says softly, seeing where my attention is and my mind settles. I mutter, “I still don’t like it,” shocking not only her but also myself.
Shit, I’m jealous that she’s wearing her dad's shirt, a shirt I really want to burn.
Shaking my head, I grunt, “Let's go before you change your mind,” and she chuckles, “What makes you think I’m not just going home?”
I flash her a smirk and state, “Because you live upstairs.”
Her mouth parts as I open the door for her, and she grumbles, “Damn Dad and his craziness,” as she walks out. I laugh, I fucking laugh, and she sends me a blinding smile that goes straight to my heart.
Guilt instantly fills me, and my smile vanishes as I clear my throat.
My sister is dead, she can’t date, or laugh, or live her life. And here I am entertaining a feeling I haven’t felt before.
I sigh and tilt my head toward the duck pond down the street, and we fall into step with each other.
“So,” she mumbles as we get halfway down the road, “how do we do this?”
I give her a grin and ask, “I thought you had a high school boyfriend? Or that is what your dad said anyhow.”