12. Autumn
TWELVE
AUTUMN
I wake up in a cocoon of warmth, and I think I could blissfully die from comfort.
A soft groan rumbles in my ear, and the arm around my waist tightens.
Dodge’s motor oil and pine scent shocks my mind awake.
I stiffen, then roll out of his hold before standing next to the bed in shock as he lazily rolls onto his back.
“Come back,” he pleads, petting the spot I just vacated.
My heart is in my throat.
Oh my god.
I slept with my boss.
I slept with the father of the kid I nanny for. What a fucking cliche I’ve become .
I wasn’t so drunk last night that I don’t remember. I remember, oh god. I remember it so well. The alcohol just made me careless, eliminating any self-restraint I should’ve had.
Dodge sits up, the sheet falling to gather in his lap and show off his well-sculpted chest.
He blinks a few times, studying my face. “You’re panicking, aren’t you?”
A humorless laugh barks out of me.
He moves out of bed and I choke on my saliva when his hard cock sways between his legs.
It’s just as huge, thick, and glorious as it was last night.
And pierced, oh my god. I can only see a brief flash of metal, and remember him mentioning it.
The ache in my pussy reminds me that he knows how to use it, and use it well.
He curses, grabbing the sheet to wrap around his waist. I glance down, thankful for the small reprieve of wearing his shirt, even if it smells deliciously of him.
“I—are you okay? I was pretty sure you were sober last night,” Dodge says, uncertainty flashing on his face.
It pulls me out of my shock, that he thinks he took advantage of me .
I shake my head. “I mean, yes, I’m okay. I was mostly sober. I wanted it, but it was a bad idea. I work for you.”
“And?”
My face twists incredulously. “And it’s inappropriate.”
Dodge chuckles under his breath. “Baby, you work for the road captain of a biker club.”
I swallow the strange heat that courses through me at the reminder. Last night he’d taken off his cut when we got home, and I’d desperately wanted to ask him to keep it on. I don’t know what “road captain” means, but that’s not how I see him. “A mechanic with a small daughter.”
The grin on his face widens. “Is that what you tell yourself?”
I tilt my chin. “It’s what you are.”
He shakes his head. “Club will always come first. Now, are we going to let this be awkward, or how about we enjoy ourselves? I didn’t screw around much after Winnie’s birth. It would just be me and you, however long you’ll have me.”
“And if I don’t want a repeat? ”
My stomach twists. God, I don’t want to start over. I don’t want to leave Winnie either. I’ve come to call this place home more than I realized.
Dodge frowns. “You think I’d kick you out if we don’t fuck?”
My shoulders are stiff. “I think you’re a better man than that, but I’d like the reassurance.”
His eyes darken a little, and I can tell he’s offended. “I will always put Winnie’s needs over my own. And she loves you. You’re the best thing to happen to her.”
Emotion knots in my throat. “I love her too.”
He moves closer to me, his rough, calloused hands dragging down my cheek to twirl a piece of my long blonde hair around one finger. “I know. It makes me want you even more.”
I blink up at him. “It just feels a little too good to be true.”
His lips quirk. “I can withhold your paycheck until you give me a blowjob if it makes you feel better.”
Batting his hand away, I shake my head. “I mean it. It’s not a joke. I like living here with you guys, taking care of Winnie, and my courses are going great. ”
Dodge sits on the edge of the bed, tugging on my shirt until I’m standing between his legs. “I promise you nothing will change. Even now, if you decide you don’t want anything else happening between us, it will break my heart, but it’s done.”
I don’t want that either. I want to be with Dodge, I want to take care of Winnie, and I want to keep going to school. It just seems too good to be true; it seems to have fallen into my lap too perfectly. Nothing this perfect stays that way for me.
His hands rub down my back until he slips under the shirt and cups my ass, squeezing gently.
“You sore?” His fingers trail between my cheeks, brushing against my pussy, and it flutters at the brief touch.
I shrug, putting my hands on his shoulders and rubbing up to his neck, playing with the strands of his hair and the chain he always wears. If I said yes, he might put a stop to whatever he plans to do, and I’m not sure I want that just yet.
“Don’t. I want to know if you’re hurting or not,” he says gently .
I swallow, unused to the scale of emotions that have been coursing through me today. “It’s a little sore.”
Dodge smiles, squeezing my ass. “I’ll draw you a bath, and then make us some breakfast.” He stands, kissing my lips once. “Then we’ll go pick up our girl?”
My heart aches as I stare up at him. He rubs a thumb against my cheek.
“I can see the fear in your eyes.”
I nod. “I’m terrified. I don’t want to lose you or Winnie.”
He cocks his head to the side. “What can I say or do to make you believe me? We can call up Judge and draw up a contract?”
Judge? He’d do that, but that seems a bit extreme. “Like a prenup?”
Dodge’s eyes flash, and his tongue sweeps across his lips. “Yeah, I’d marry you in a heartbeat, like a prenup. But Judge is our club secretary and a hell of a lawyer during the day. He’d make sure you’re taken care of. I don’t think you’ve met him. He’s been busy lately.”
I nearly swoon and I press a hand against his chest. “Don’t be talking about marriage. ”
He shrugs. “In my world, there’s something deeper than marriage, anyway.”
I know what he’s talking about. Kind of. I’ve heard all the stories, seen the shows and how they claim women.
Dodge lets go of me, smiling down. “Let me start the bath.”
He moves past me after tugging on his tight boxers, and I stop him at the door.
“It’s not a no,” he calls out as he glances at me with a raised eyebrow.
A blush heats my cheeks. “It’s not a no, just give me a minute to think about it.”
He grins. “Take as long as you need. You’re mine either way.”
Before I can even roll my eyes, he’s gone, and I’m left in the bedroom with just my thoughts. I sink onto the edge of the mattress.
What am I going to do? I can’t turn back time and not sleep with my boss, but I’m scared to keep sleeping with him. It can only further complicate things, but god I want it. I’ve never wanted something as much as I want to make all of us a family .
I’ve only lived with them for a few weeks, and I’ve never had a place feel like home as much as they do.
I groan, rubbing my hands down my face. God, Autumn.
Way to fuck these things up. Even if Dodge promises nothing has to change, it already has.
Nothing in my life has ever come easy, just one struggle after another.
Hell, I thought the scholarship I received was a joke at first, because no way I won the chance to go to college for nearly free.
I startle at a soft knock and look up to meet Dodge’s concerned eyes.
“Bath is ready. Get out of your head, baby. Let’s take it a day at a time.”
I swallow down the knot in my throat and nod. I walk toward him, and he pulls me into his arms without thought, pressing a kiss on my head and patting my ass.
“Go on. Get in that bath, soak your sinful body, and let me make my woman food.”
My heart flutters at his words. I’ve never had someone that wanted to take care of me, and maybe that’s why part of me is so reluctant to let him.
It feels too surreal, like he wants more than just to take care of me. He leads me to the bathroom, shutting the door behind me, and I can hear his humming as he walks off to the kitchen.
I glance at the bath, a smile lifting on my lips at some random bath bomb thrown into the water.
If I were a different type of woman, I might be jealous, but it smells nice, and I’m thankful to have it.
I was no virgin, but Dodge taught me last night that I’ve been having sex with the wrong people because he was a god at war, and I feel the battle on my body.
With a sigh, I strip and settle into the water, turning off my thoughts, determined to make the most of my life for whatever it is now.
He parks in front of the corner store and I climb off his bike, shielding my eyes from the sun.
“Figured we’d grab the morning-after pill before grabbing the car and picking up Winnie,” he says.
My cheeks flush, and I nod, following him into the store. Butterflies flutter in my stomach as his hand rests on my lower back, guiding me through the aisles. There’s a tense silence, but I’m also comfortable next to him .
Dodge pauses in front of the condom section, and I have to suppress a smile as he stares at them with distaste. I lean forward, pulling a plastic card off the shelf.
“It looks like I have to grab it at the pharmacy.” I wave the card to show him. “I’ll go grab it while you continue to…shop.”
He grunts. “I’ll be right behind you.”
I have a brief memory of him mentioning lube and my ass, but I’m not going to bring it up because that man could talk his way out of murder, and I’m not looking to venture into anal any time soon.
Good luck is on my side when I find the pharmacy empty, and I walk right up to the counter.
The young woman behind the screen smiles at me with a greeting. “Hi, how can I help you?”
Sliding the card over, I’m proud of myself that a blush doesn’t bloom over my cheeks. It’s okay, accidents happen, even between two grown adults.
She glances at it and turns without another word, walking around the corner between shelves of medication .
Dodge sidles up next to me right after, tossing a pack of condoms on the counter.
I look at him with a teasing raised eyebrow. “So confident I’ll say yes.”
His fingers tease over my hip. “Good thing they don’t expire for a few years. I can be patient. You’re worth it.”