Chapter 2
Brittany – Five Months Earlier
I hum as I gently stir the gravy, so it doesn’t boil and end up separating or, worse, burnt, while turning down the nob a little. An old country song echoes, and I sway a little to it, in my own kitchen and smile softly.
After four years, I finally managed to move out of my family home, convincing my dad it was for the best. I spent four months slowly moving all my stuff out, including Angel, whom my dad allowed me to keep after I confessed to basically stealing her. Well, no, I saved her.
I’m just lucky the guy never made a complaint otherwise I would have lost my job. Though, I have no idea why he was getting her checked to begin with if he was just going to feed her to his dog.
I sigh. I really shouldn’t have gone into the veterinary industry. Every animal that comes in, I want to bring home, especially when an owner doesn’t return for their pet.
Anyway, I finally moved out, living for myself and not in my mama’s fear of losing me like she lost my biological father. I’m finally being independent, and it is a nice feeling to have my own space.
I hear the rumble of a bike outside my small, two-bedroom house, and I smile widely.
I can’t help it as I turn a little to look near the front door, my heart skipping a beat like it always does.
I look down at the tattoo peeking from underneath my thick bracelet, which I never take off.
He comes into view and my smile softens a little as I take a deep breath to try and control the butterflies swimming in my stomach.
Seven months ago, I met a man I thought was an intruder, to be frank I thought it was the guy from the vet coming to take his kitten back or someone he hired – stupid, I know.
Instead, seven months ago, I instantly had a connection with a man.
I didn’t feel intimidated by him or even scared, despite thinking he was an intruder.
I met a man I was not supposed to talk to, my dad ordering from a young age that I have always respected, a man I thought I wouldn’t see again until he showed up at my job, surprising me the next day after our encounter in my parents’ home.
“Brittany, you have a visitor. I’ll let them in,” Pauline, the main vet, says as she pops her head into my room at Wincher Grove Vets, and I look up with tension but give her a nod, trying not to panic.
Is it the guy back for the kitten?
Does he know I lied?
Am I about to lose my job?
Crap.
I take a deep breath and keep myself busy.
Hopefully to stop a panic attack I can feel coming as I continue to cut Chance’s claws but tense further as the door opens and I look up.
Ready to face the music… I suck in a breath as Doc, the president of the Rebels, waltzes in with an aura surrounding him.
Damn, is it just me, or did he get hotter?
Black hair, short back and sides, a little longer on top, chocolate brown eyes, stubble around his mouth, muscles for days, and covered in tattoos.
He’s a woman’s dream, one I want, something I have never wanted before but he’s forbidden fruit.
“Hey, Tinkerbell,” he says as he leans against the now closed door, and despite the butterflies swimming in my stomach and the way my heart is pounding, I scrunch my nose up and huff, “I’m never going to live that down, am I?”
He grins and my god, my knees weaken…
Dimples, the man has dimples.
Shaking my head, I look down to break the weird connection I’m feeling and finish Chance’s claws. The Pitbull isn’t bothered one bit with his tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth, all happy.
“There you go, boy,” I say as I stroke his head and he licks me, making me giggle, before I help him off the table with a grunt, and he goes over to the water bowl.
Shaking my head, I look back at Doc, who is watching me intently. I swallow hard and ask, “What can I do for you, Doc?”
Yesterday, he left without a word after I took the kitten from him, and it was weird. One minute we’re looking into each other’s eyes, a connection building, a connection so strong it scared me, the next he’s walking out the door. So seeing him here right now, it’s confusing to say the least.
“Shadow’s going to be pissed,” he admits, and I frown and ask, “Why?”
If he has an animal that needs checking over, my dad can’t really fault him for that. I mean, why else would he be here?
“Because I want to take you out on a date,” he admits lowly, and my eyes widen in shock before I’m instinctively shaking my head despite my heart pounding in my chest.
I admit, “That isn’t a very good idea, and besides, you don’t even know me.”
He smirks and husks, “That is the whole point of taking you out on a date, Tinkerbell, so I can get to know you,” I narrow my eyes at the name yet again, reminding me that damn dog is still here with an upset stomach and he chuckles, “Don’t make me go out and buy an animal just so you’ll spend time with me,” he tilts his head, “One date, that’s it, just one… ” And I look at him indecisively.
Can I do that? Can I go behind my parents back when they made it perfectly clear over the years the MC was out of bounds? That they were forbidden despite my dad and brother being a part of them?
I gave in as soon as he crouched down and showed some attention to Chance, something I can’t really be sorry about, even if my parents and brother are none the wiser.
One date turned to two, then to three, four, and five, and seven months later, I am madly, deeply in love with the man.
I have given him everything: my heart, my body, my soul but I don’t know if he feels the same way in return.
Heck, if he knew I had his road name permanently inked on my skin, he’d probably leave me.
He’s my first boyfriend, my first everything and I just… I know my parents can’t know about us, I know his club can’t, not without a big fallout but I-I... I sigh.
I don’t feel like he sees me the way I see him, my world, and that is a scary thought. I gave him my virginity, something I swore I’d only give when I know I see that person as my forever and I do see him as my forever.
The thought of not spending my life with him, it physically hurts, I just don’t know if he can say the same thing.
I sigh, my good mood suddenly gone, and I take the gravy off the heat before grabbing my oven mitts and opening the door, carefully grabbing the pie out and placing it on the hotplate just as my front door opens and Doc calls, “Tinkerbell?”
I roll my eyes at the ridiculous nickname but of course a small smile pulling at the corners, and I reply, “Kitchen,” as I grab the potatoes and begin dishing them out between two plates.
“Something smells amazing, baby,” Doc says as he walks into the kitchen, and I send him a blinding smile as he removes his cut and places it over the stool before Angel meows between his feet, wanting his attention.
He chuckles as he bends down and picks the cat up, showing her some love and affection. I smile softly as my heart skips a beat at the notion.
A big burly man full of tattoos showing affection to a cat is…hot.
Shaking my head, I cut the pie before I hear his footsteps coming my way, the tingling in my body climbing.
“Do you need any help?” he asks before I feel his arm gently slide around my waist, his lips touching my neck, and I lean against him a little and close my eyes, enjoying his warmth just like I have since the moment I gave myself to him.
“I-I need to tell you something,” I whisper against his lips just as his cock touches my entrance.
I can feel myself tremble. I want this, I do, but I’m scared.
What if he doesn’t feel the same way?
What if this puts him off?
“Right now?” he asks with a raised brow, “Right as I’m about to finally make you mine after three months of waiting?”
I know my cheeks are heating, but I whisper, “I’ve never done this before…”
Doc nips my neck, bringing me back to him, and I murmur, “I’ve got it,” answering his question, while the first time we made love comes back to me, the day I realized I was in love with him.
I half expected him to run for the hills when I told him he was my first but instead, he linked our fingers, kissed me gently before thrusting forward carefully.
He made love to me, giving me pleasure I have never felt. Then ran me a bath, and instead of leaving me on my own, he slipped in behind me and washed me as he held me close to him as he slipped back inside me…
It was perfect.
“I missed you today,” he rasps as he gently kisses my neck, and I shiver as I lean into him before asking, “Only today?” with a little bit of sass, and he chuckles before moving back a little bit so I can continue dishing up our food.
“I always miss you,” he admits, “but today especially.”
I turn my head slightly and I question, “Hard day?”
He snorts as he leans against the counter next to me, Angel purring in his arms, the cat looking adorable in his muscles, and he admits, “A patient came in with extreme pain after she decided to use a hot sauce bottle to get herself off, but the lid wasn’t screwed on properly.
It came off inside her, and it was a full bottle. ”
My mouth parts in shock as I look at him because surely the sauce didn’t…
“Yeah, Tinkerbell, the sauce emptied inside her,” he confirms seeing my reaction and I wince as he finishes, “And after we flushed her out, retrieved the bottle lid and placed her on antibiotics, she then decided to try and grope me.”
Son of a…
I narrow my eyes, and Doc grins wide, his dimples showing, and he confesses, “I love how jealous you get.” My narrowed eyes turn to slits as I point the spatula at him and growl, “I am not jealous, now grab your food!”
He laughs, and I scrunch my nose up because, of course, we both know I’m lying. I hate the attention he gets and hate it even more knowing I can’t shout from the roof tops that he’s mine, that I’m his…
Doc kisses my cheek before placing Angel on the floor and I smile as he grabs my plate and his while I grab him a beer and myself a bottle of water. We take a seat at the breakfast counter opposite each other.
“This is good, baby,” Doc mumbles as he takes a huge bite, and I smile as I scoop some peas onto my plate.
We’re quiet for a moment, a comfortable kind of quiet, enjoying our food, when he suddenly says, “Shadow came to see me today,” and I frown as I look up at him and I ask, “Is he okay? Is he hurt?”
Doc smile softly and confirms, “He’s good baby,” before he admits, “He wanted my permission to have Dirty do a search on the cameras. He thinks you're seeing someone and wants to know who.”
My eyes widen in shock.
Crap I thought I was being more discreet.
“What did you say?” I stutter, my fork halfway to my mouth, and he admits, “That you’ll be pissed if he invaded your privacy like that.”
I slowly put my fork on my plate, and I chew my bottom lip.
“Shouldn’t we just tell him?” I whisper, and Doc looks at me this time with shock. I smile slightly and remind him, “I don’t like lying to my family, Doc. We’ve been seeing each other for seven months now. What harm could it do?”
He sighs as he frustratedly runs his hand through his hair and mentions, “We said it would be easier to keep this between us, Brit.”
“I know,” I mutter, “but that was when we first started out and didn’t know where we were heading. It has been seven months and the lying is becoming too much. If he’s getting suspicious then Mama will get involved.”
And no one wants Mama involved. She’d have a coronary as it is if she knew I’d been seeing the president of an MC but if I can explain it to her first, going in gently…
Doc nods, then clears his throat and mentions, “Maybe we should break up then,” and my stomach tightens at how casually he just said that and my mouth parts in shock.
My eyes race between his and I see he really is serious, he really wants to break up with me, hurt me all because I want to tell my family?
What the…
I drop my fork, no longer hungry as hurt, pain and anger swim deep inside me.
Doc smiles sadly and tells me, “I can’t give you more than I already am, Brit. We went through this when we started. The club and work have to be my main priority right now and you know Shadow made the brothers promise not to go near you, not to claim you. I need to put that promise first.”
Wow, what an absolute jackass.
I blink, the realization hitting me hard that I mean nothing to him and my wrist itches because I didn’t even think twice to get his name branded on me but not his legal one because of course I’m not privy to that.
Was I just a joke to him? A game?
Absolute hurt fills me and his eyes soften.
“Don’t look at me like I’ve just killed your spirit, Tinkerbell,” he whispers. Is he serious right now?
“You’ve literally just told me I’m at the bottom of your priority list when I’ve given you everything for seven months. How am I supposed to look at you, Doc?” I murmur, not knowing how to handle this.
Growing up with a dad in the club and a brother by my side, I never had a boyfriend. I really don’t know what I’m doing, but what I do know is that it isn’t normal for your boyfriend to basically push you aside like that, to push a seven month relationship aside so easily.
“You’re not on the bottom, Brit,” he denies, then changes, “I just need time, that’s all.”
Time? He just mentioned breaking up because I wanted to tell my family about my dating life and now he’s saying he wants time?
“You just asked if I wanted to break up, not for a little time so basically I tell my family, you end things, that is the ultimatum you’re giving me,” I remind him with a little bit of anger, and he winces before leaning forward and taking my hand in his, and I look at them.
His large tatted one enveloping my small one, the bracelet still in place and the urge to pull my hand back is freaking high.
Would a tattoo removal hurt? Because right now, I’m regretting getting it as my heart slowly shatters.
“Brittany,” he says, squeezing my hand, and we lock eyes, and he admits, “I don’t want the club involved right now, please just understand that. I don’t want to lose you, I don’t, but I made a promise, one I am breaking every day. Please just give me some time baby.”
I nod slowly while my stomach churns and a bad sensation fills me.
Why do I get the feeling he’s going to break my heart and I’m going to let him?