Chapter 5
Lena
I was still shaking my head at Storm hours later once the food had all been consumed, the kitchen was once again clean, and bodies milled around outside.
Raine and I were sitting at the table we had dubbed as ours and no one was allowed to use it but us.
It was sacred ground.
It had become sacred ground two years ago when we shared our secrets.
I had just taken a sip of my Coke when I looked around at the bodies that were standing around the people who were dancing.
My eyes skated over a group of guys who were around my age, and apparently, I missed one of them staring at me as I did this.
But not Raine, she elbowed me in the side, and when I looked at her, she pointed at a boy who had dark blonde hair, a fitted blue t-shirt, and black jeans, with black boots.
Her eyes were dancing when she said, “Go dance with him. He’s cute.”
I looked at the boy, and then looked at Raine, “Can I ask you something?”
“Bitch, you know you can ask me anything. What’s up?” She tilted her head on the top of her fist.
“Say you and Tank weren’t together but you wanted to be. And you knew he would be here tonight. Would you risk him seeing you in another man’s arms?”
She wrinkled her nose, “Well, it would depend.”
I lifted a brow, “On?”
She chuckled, “On if I wanted to make him jealous or not.”
“And if you didn’t want to make him jealous?”
“Then I wouldn’t chance it. Because I know how Tank is.” She was silent for a minute and then said, “Lena, I’ve seen the way he looks at you. I’ve never seen him look at anyone else the way he looks at you. It’s almost as if you’re the air he needs to breathe. You’re the sun on a cloudless day. And he’s the reason you don’t want to chance it, then I agree. Because seeing you in another man’s arms? Well, that man will be lucky if he’s able to walk out of this clubhouse still breathing.”
I sighed, then ran my fingers through my hair, “You know, don’t you?”
She smiled, “Yeah, I know. I’ve seen the way you look at him too. I’ve seen how you go out of your way to pull him into something.”
I winced, “Are you mad at me?”
She winked, “Honestly, I should be. But I can’t be. You didn’t become my best friend to get with my dad. And you’ve always asked me if it was okay if you did something for him. Never crossing that line. And Lena, you’re the best person I know. But just know, I will not be calling you stepmom.”
We were both silent for a minute, and then I snickered, which caused her to snort, which then led to both of us laughing our asses off.
“Looks like the party is over here. Y’all mind if we join?”
Raine and I sobered, locked eyes together, then we looked at who had spoken.
It was the cute boy as Raine had dubbed him and three other guys.
“Sorry, but this table is invitation only, and y’all don’t have it. So go back over there and leave us be.” Raine said with a raised brow.
I felt him before I saw him.
That ominous feeling is like just before thunder and lightning light up the sky in a spectacular storm.
“Wow, you’re just a ray of fucking sunshine, aren’t ya?” The man with dark hair sneered at her.
Raine leaned back in her chair with her arms crossed, “I’m a ray of fucking sunshine when my orders are obeyed.”
Wanting to get them to leave, I said, “Look, we were having girl time, nothing against y’all but y’all need to go back to where y’all were standing and leave us alone.”
The blonde-haired dude, scoffed, “And why the fuck should we do that?”
I grinned, “Well, because she,” I tilted my head at Raine, “is an ol’ lady. Not only that but she is the ol’ lady to the enforcer of this club. But again, not only that, she’s also the daughter of the president. And I am the daughter of the VP of this club. So. Walk. The. Fuck. Away.”
“That’s not all you are,” she said under her breath as she looked in the direction of the crowd parting.
And the crowd parted for Storm, Tank, Red, and Ripper.
“Oh shit,” I muttered.
Raine cackled, “right? We told them to go away, it’s not our fault they didn’t listen.”
Storm rounded to where we were sitting, leaned down, looked at Raine, and then looked at me, “They bothering you?”
I nodded, “Yeah, we told them to leave us alone, but they wanted to prove they have dumbass genes.”
Storm smirked, then straightened up to his full height, “You’ve got three seconds to get the fuck out of my clubhouse before we make you leave.”
“Tick. Fucking. Tock.” Ripper growled.
Tank grinned, “Three seconds are up.”
Then Ripper grabbed one of the boys by the collar of his shirt and started to drag him from the clubhouse.
Tank threw a punch just right, knocking the second guy out, then he bent, grabbed the guy by his boot, and dragged him away.
Red tilted his head at the last guy, “You wanna save my fists and walk out on your own?”
The boy nodded, then ran after his friends, but not before Storm said, “Behoove them to never come back.”
Red nodded, then looked at me, and winked.
“Precious?” I looked up at Storm.
“You asked me the last time, now, it’s my turn. Come dance with me?”
I didn’t bother to look at Raine, not when I nodded, stood up, then placed my hand in Storms and followed him to the makeshift dance floor.
“You okay?” he asked as we danced.
I nodded, “Yeah. I’m perfect.”
I caught sight of Raine’s hair as Tank spun her on the dance floor then I grinned and leaned my head on Storm’s shoulder, “Fucking perfect.”
I felt his body loosen at my words.
Almost as if an anvil had been lifted from his shoulders.
And for the rest of the night, if we weren’t dancing, if Raine and I weren’t gabbing, I was sitting with Storm.
Once people started to leave and a few brothers took women to their rooms we all gathered around the fire pit.
“You warm enough?”
I looked up at Storm and nodded.
He winked then took a pull from his beer.
My dad stepped around my chair, then leaned down, and whispered, “I’ll be in my room tonight. You’ll be, okay?”
I smiled up at him, and nodded, “Yeah, I’m about to head home anyway.”
He pressed a kiss to the top of my head, “Okay. Love you, baby.”
I smiled, “Love you too, Dad.”
It was almost an hour later when Storm walked me to my truck.
He opened the door for me, then whispered, “Text me and let me know you made it home. Okay?”
I nodded, then I threw caution to the wind, stepped up on my tiptoes, and pressed a kiss to his cheek.
Smiling, I climbed into my truck at the stunned look on his face.
I giggled.
Which caused him to narrow his eyes. “Text. When you get home.”
I nodded, then as he shut my door, I started my truck up.
I didn’t look in the rearview mirror at him standing there with the club logo at his back watching me drive away with his hand pressed to the cheek I had kissed.
Yeah, I was a fucking liar.
And yes, I texted him when I got home.
Me – Just walked in the front door. Locks are engaged.
Not even a minute later my phone buzzed.
Storm – Good. Good night. Sweet dreams, Precious.
***
It was a month later, after we had graduated, and started our new jobs.
Needless to say, I loved what I did.
There was no feeling like being the first on the scene and being the first defense for a defenseless baby.
However, a couple of days ago, one of the babies hadn’t been so lucky, and neither had her mother.
Her mother had been attacked when she was twenty-three weeks pregnant.
The attack had been violent.
And it caused her to go into early labor.
Due to the stress the baby was in, they had to perform a cesarean, and two hours and forty-eight minutes later, we all stood with tears in our eyes as both mother and baby took their final breaths.
I was still upset about it three days later I got ready for a party at the clubhouse.
Since it was the start of summer, I wore a black ribbed tank that had the MC’s logo on the front and red lace on the back, paired with my cut-off blue jean shorts and my black cowboy boots.
I had my long black hair braided across my right shoulder. I put on some eyeliner, mascara, and lip gloss. Added my diamond studs that were my eighteenth birthday present from my dad, my silver locket that was my mom’s, some bracelets and my watch and I was ready.
I’m not a girly girl by any means but this is me dressing up. I’m a biker’s daughter after all. I grabbed the three Oreo Dirt Cakes and the plate of Peanut Butter Brownies I had made earlier and headed to the clubhouse.
I lived about fifteen minutes from the clubhouse and with five minutes left to spare there was nothing but trucks, jeeps, and bikes… a lot of bikes along the road and in the clubhouse parking area.
I lost count of fifty-four vehicles, triple that many in bikes. Luckily, I have my own parking spot beside my dad’s truck which is exactly like mine but has chrome. Copycat.
I jumped down and opened the back door to grab the yummy desserts I made.
The moment I walked up to the door to the clubhouse, Gravel grinned as he eyed what I had in my hands as he opened the door for me, “Hey, baby girl.”
“Hey, Hun, pretty packed huh?” Gravel was cute and he knew it in an older sort of way. He’s definitely one of the charmers of the group. Always has a different girl hanging on him no matter where he goes.
Smiling he said, “You know it. We live to party hard.”
Tossing a wink over my shoulder I said, “Ha. Don’t I know it?”
As I walked through the crowd, a path was made for me straight to the kitchen so my goodies could stay in the fridge until it was time for dessert to be placed out.
“Carrot!” Raine came barreling into the kitchen with her arms up for a hug and thankfully, I had time to place everything in the fridge. Or else everything would have ended up on the floor.
“Pea!” I hugged Raine back with equal force.
When she released me, she asked, “Please tell me you made those peanut butter brownies again, I’m craving them.”
Before I could reply, I felt him before I heard that raspy voice that caused chills to creep up my neck, “Lena, did you make extra this time?”
Storm.
I knew he was talking about the Oreo Dirt Cake.
Ever since I had made it that day, anytime we had a club function, I made two of them, and he usually ended up eating half of one pan.
I swear it’s the only indulgence I ever see him eat that’s not meat and potatoes.
For him to be around my dad’s age, looking at his body, you would assume that he was at least ten years younger.
“Actually, believe it or not, you have your own,” I said as I moved to open the fridge and then tilted my head at the smaller orange container that had a card taped to the lid, with his name on it.
I watched as his eyes moved to it, and then his feet moved in that direction, and when I whispered, “Happy Birthday by the way, Storm.”
At my words, he froze. He stood there, his shoulders rose, in a split second, he turned around, and locked eyes with me as he made his way over to where I stood. Looking up into those eyes that were more like the clearest waters in Hawaii as the sun set over them, I felt my entire world cease, it felt as if I were living for him and him alone.
When he brought his hand to cup the side of my cheek my eyes closed of their own accord. Only then did I feel the sweetest softest kiss on my forehead.
Then in a whispered breath, I heard, “Thanks, Precious.”
If I knew him better, I’d say he put more emotion into those words but there’s no telling about that man.
“You’re welcome, now go enjoy it before it gets taken.” That seemed to do the trick because he opened the fridge and grabbed his cake.
I turned my head from watching Storm to my dad who had just walked into the kitchen, “Hey, doll face, what is that I smell?”
He took in Storm and what he had in his hands, “Is that an Oreo Cake? Storm is trying to fucking hog a-freaking-gain?” My dad started to stomp after Storm who stood there and smirked as he grabbed a fork and dug in.
“Actually, Dad, I made that one for Storm, it’s his birthday tomorrow.” I tried not to blush like a June bride, but I knew I’d failed; my face was super-hot too. And my dad saw it, just great. Then that smirk that formed on his face said it all.
He didn’t try to yell at me, and he didn’t try to yell at Storm, he just hugged me and said low enough for no one else to hear, “It’s okay, Storm needs a little happiness in his life.”