12. Autumn #2
Before I can reply, the woman comes back and scoffs at the sight of Dodge. She rings up the pillbox with pinched lips before tossing it into a bag.
“That will be fifty bucks.” I don’t miss her snide tone that was missing before.
Dodge tenses, then nods at the condoms. “Those too.”
She rolls her eyes and rings them up too. “Surprised you’re not expecting her to just take the pill every time.”
He stands taller. “You like your job, Talia? Should I speak to your manager about how you’re acting?”
Some of the attitude disappears, and Talia takes a deep breath before giving us the total again. We finish the transaction without another word, and Dodge yanks the bag from the holder and leads me back to his bike .
“Ex?” I ask before I think twice about it. It was clear they knew each other, and there was bad blood.
He stops short, staring down at me. “Talia? God no.” He grimaces and sighs.
“You know my prez, Gage. You met him the first day at the clubhouse? His old lady, Mikayla, and Talia used to be best friends. Things turned a little sour after she got sworn in and Talia didn’t. It wasn’t for lack of trying either.”
I nod, keeping up with the drama. “Why couldn’t she join?” Other than her stellar personality, she was a beautiful woman.
Dodge looks away from me, glancing down the street. “Her fathers sits on the city council, and he’d make our lives hell if we let his daughter into that kind of thing. There’s only two ways to join the club as a woman: become an old lady or clubwhore. No one was looking to get saddled with her.”
“And if she became a clubwhore her father would go scorched earth?”
He shrugs. “She’s only eighteen, plenty of other life opportunities at her fingertips. We don’t accept women who look like they’re just trying to get revenge on an ex or family. It’s setting everyone up for failure when the spite runs out.”
I haven’t spent any time with the women of the club, besides Daisy and Tink, and I’ve only talked to Lacey in passing.
“She seemed really young.”
His lips quirk. “She is. You haven’t met Mikayla yet, but she’s almost nineteen.”
“The one that just had the baby?”
Dodge nods. “Come on. We’ll see if they’re there when we get to the clubhouse. I know Lacey was going to watch Win if Mikayla had to get back to the house.”
“I think we have enough candy to last us through the zombie apocalypse,” I say, amused at the large pile he dumped out onto the dining room table.
Dodge scratches the back of his neck. “Wasn’t sure what you liked and was impatient waiting for your test. Grabbed it all instead. ”
I scrunch the towel over Winnie’s head again and try to stifle my laugh. “Could have asked me before leaving.”
He taps his temple and shrugs. “Obviously you’re the smart one here.”
I shake my head and start brushing through her soft curls. Bedtime routine is my favorite. I’ve never had such a calm baby who sits there and allows me to get her ready.
Dodge had run out to grab a few snacks for our movie trial date.
“Want to pick out a movie while I rock her to sleep?” he says, reaching over to grab Winnie from me.
Since I moved in, we’ve weaned her heavily off the bottle, only occasionally giving her one.
The biggest hassle has been night time. Before, she was used to going to sleep with it, and I suggested we shouldn’t swap it for a pacifier either.
She hasn’t been too happy, but Dodge has been navigating it like a champ.
Nodding, I stand and tickle her foot. “Just gotta brush her teeth and she’s good to go. She wasn’t interested in doing it during bath time."
His nose wrinkles, and I know he finds it ridiculous to brush the few teeth she’s got, but there are more growing in. And like I reminded him earlier, it builds a routine, a habit.
“Alright, Winnie girl. Gotta go put on the finger puppet and brush your teeth,” he says mockingly but carries her off to the bathroom.
Once they’re down the hallway, I blow out a slow breath and sink onto the couch.
It’s so hard to forget that I’m just the nanny.
It feels like we’ve become a sort of family, and I’m the unofficial girlfriend.
At least, that’s the way Dodge treats me.
He hasn’t pressured me for sex since that night, but the last couple of days, his touch definitely lingered as he brushed by me.
The way his stare seems to always be on me makes me nervous but excited at the same time.
I believe that he actually wants me, but my doubt weaves in for how long.
We’re only halfway through the semester, and Daisy said that I could always crash at the clubhouse.
I have no idea how true that is, especially given I’d only crash there if Dodge and I were done.
And why would I want to hang around a place that has such close ties to him?
I groan, rubbing a hand down my face and picking up the remote to browse through the streaming services before landing on some romantic comedy. It takes him less than fifteen minutes to come trudging back, and I’ve sorted the candy into piles I like and dislike.
His eyebrows raise at the discarded Twix, and he swipes it. “Is this your ‘like’ pile?”
I shake my head, and he mirrors the movement.
“Even after I gave you a second chance to redeem yourself. The shame,” he teases.
It’s hard not to smile at his playfulness. He lifts a Butterfinger and sits next to me on the couch while I hold up a bag of Swedish Fish.
“Not the biggest chocolate person. Love gummies though,” I explain.
Dodge sticks out his tongue with a fake gag. “What do you think makes them Swedish?”
I laugh a little, looking over the yellow plastic. “I assume that’s where they’re made. Never really thought about it. Why do you think those were named Twix?”
He holds up the two bars. “Twin sticks.”
My mouth drops open. “No way it’s that easy.”
He snorts. “I don’t really know, but I feel that’s right. ”
I nudge his shoulder with mine, leaning into him more where we’re sitting. “Well, now I’ll have to look up Swedish Fish and see who’s right.”
“Should we wager then? What does the winner get?”
My heart skips a beat, finding the sexual innuendo in such a simple question. “What would you want?”
Our gazes lock, his filled with the same heat coursing through me.
“A kiss.”
“Just a kiss?”
His throat bobs. “For now.”
My tongue peeks between my lips before I tear my stare from his and grab my phone.
His hand drapes over mine. “You didn’t say what you’d want.”
Shivers skitter over my skin from his touch, and I look back up at him. “I’d like a kiss too.”
Dodge’s smile is bright, and he nods at my lap. “Look it up then, baby. Either way, my mouth is on yours. ”
“Then the answer doesn’t really matter,” I tell him, a little breathless.
His eyes fall to my lips. “You want me to kiss you?”
I nod. His hand wraps around the back of my neck, holding me there as he crashes down on me.
I moan, unable to hold back as he deepens our kiss.
I hold on to his shoulder as his tongue plays along mine before he pulls away sharply.
We’re both panting, and my cheeks are on fire.
I’ve never met a man who can affect me so deeply with just a simple kiss.
Dodge licks ?his lips and then clears his throat. “Now, this is supposed to be a proper date. Let’s watch this movie.”