Chapter 9
Nine
DARCIE
By the end of the day, I felt accomplished and proud of my work. I’d made friends with a few of the artists, learning how they wanted their trays set up. Bubba had avoided me, only giving me grunts when I asked for his opinion.
I could feel his eyes on me, though, causing me to purposely bend over and flirt with the others when he was watching. The number of items he dropped made me question his ability to tattoo. I'd worry about his skill if I hadn’t seen his work.
“See you guys later,” I hollered as I stepped outside after Bubba’s shift was over. His face was blank, but I caught him fidgeting with the keys. “Everything okay?” I asked, curious about his sudden nervousness.
He kept walking, a grunt leaving him before he cleared his throat. “I um,” he started, rubbing the back of his neck. Bubba turned, his eyes meeting mine for the first time in hours. I crossed my arms over my chest, feeling like I needed some protection.
“I wanted to apologize for earlier. I didn’t mean to frighten you. I’d never hurt you, Darcie.”
I took a deep breath, nodding as I let it out. “I know. It wasn’t you. It’s just…” I waved my hands around in front of me. “Men haven’t always been the nicest to me.” I left it at that, not wanting to get into my trauma in the parking lot.
Bubba’s face changed from contrite to rage. “Who?” he growled.
“It’s in the past. It doesn’t matter.” I dropped my arms, fiddling with my hem.
His nostrils flared, his jaw tightening. I couldn’t understand why he reacted the way he did. He hadn’t even known me back then.
“I’m sorry I made you remember, then. I’d like to make it up to you.” He let out a pained breath. It instantly made me focus on him, not on my feelings.
“Oh?”
“Yes. I’m not going to buy you a bike, but I’ll teach you.”
“Teach… me?” I asked, a smile spreading across my face.
“Yeah. You have to learn the right way. How to be safe. A bike isn’t something to get on a whim. After I’m satisfied you know how to handle yourself, then and only then will I think about taking you to look at one. Understand?”
Bubba looked so serious it was hard not to smile. Oh, this was going to be fun.
“But what if it’s hard?” I asked coyly, twirling the hair around my finger. My smile wanted to break free, so I bit my lip to contain it.
“That’s why I’m teaching you,” he said, his voice deeper.
He went through the basic steps on which handle was the accelerator and which was the brake. I climbed on and put the helmet on, going through the same routine with my dress. I heard him cuss as it hiked up my legs, but it was better than it flying everywhere.
“On second thought, I changed my mind. This is a horrible idea,” he started. I ignored him, kicking the kickstand and turning the keys. He went to reach for me, but I just smiled, waved, and took off.
I heard him shouting about two hands, but I sped up, the feel of the bike already making me feel whole again. The smooth leather against my legs, the heat of the exhaust, and the vibration were nearly enough to make me orgasm on the spot.
I did a few laps around the parking lot, watching Waylon as he shook his head, a smile growing with each pass. When I had enough of punishing him, I pulled up and stopped, pulling the helmet off and shaking out my hair.
“Motorcycle princess, remember?” I teased.
Something akin to heat flashed in his eyes before it vanished. One corner of his mouth tilted up as he looked at me. He shook his head, sighing.
“Did I pass, Waylon?” I taunted. He chuckled, his whole chest moving with the action.
“I guess I deserved that. Am I forgiven?”
“Yep. Though, I’m holding you to take me to get one. Slade said he’d sell my car and I want to use that for a bike. It’s been too long since I’ve had a real piece of machinery between my legs.” I winked, and I would’ve sworn I saw his cheeks heat. I stared, waiting for him to say something.
“Can I have my bike back now?” he asked, ignoring my comment.
“I dunno. She rides pretty smoothly. I might need another lap.”
“Fine, I promise to take you on the weekend. We can get something cheap, and the guys can help fix it up if you want.”
“Yes!” I cheered, fist-pumping the air. I tossed the key back, sliding to the back. “Let’s go, Big Guy.”
He rolled his eyes but hiked his leg over the seat, situating himself. Putting on my helmet, I wrapped my arms around him, feeling him suck in a breath again.
I smiled to myself, knowing I was getting to him. I conveniently ignored the part of me that enjoyed it for more than entertainment.
He took off, taking the curves a little more dangerously this time, leaning into them more than he had on the way here. I cheered and hollered after each one, feeling him chuckle at my enthusiasm.
When we returned, the other two bikes and trucks were parked at the house. As odd as it was to miss the other guys, I had. I jumped off the bike, tossing the helmet to Bubba as I undid my dress and ran inside.
Brooks and Grayson were in the kitchen, gathered around the stove. At my entrance, they looked up, and I grinned wide, doing a little jig as I neared.
“I took Bubba’s bike out, and now we’re going to look at some this weekend. You guys get to help!” I shouted, spinning and twirling. I was so hyped up from my ride, I probably wasn’t making sense.
“What now?” Brooks asked, returning my smile.
Grayson took my hands and spun me into a twirl before bringing me back to dip. I laughed, the sound flowing freely as we continued to dance around the kitchen.
“You’re good at that,” I said once he stopped. My chest rose with each breath I took, my face hurting from all the smiling.
“So are you.” His eyes roamed over my face, his lips curving up as he looked at me. It felt like he was seeing me for something more this time. He winked, letting me go as Bubba stomped into the kitchen.
He narrowed his eyes at Brooks, pointing a finger.
“I’m this tempted to put you on trash duty for an extra week,” he barked.
Grayson and Brooks doubled over laughing, tears falling down their cheeks. Brooks finally calmed himself, wiping his face.
“It worked, though, didn’t it?” he asked, lifting his brow at Bubba.
I watched the exchange between them, wondering what it was about. Bubba looked at me, his eyes softening a little before he walked over and punched Brooks in the arm.
Grayson just laughed harder until Bubba glared, and he straightened up, stepping back and pulling me in front of him.
“You think she’ll stop me?” he asked, dropping his eyes to me.
I smiled sweetly, batting my eyelashes. I wasn’t sure exactly what was going on, but since my mission was to give Bubba shit, it aligned for the moment.
He stopped, cursed, and spun on his heels as he stomped out of the kitchen. The other two broke out in more laughter, apparently finding it just as hilarious to mess with Bubba as I did.
“So, what’s for dinner?” I asked, hopping onto the counter. “Do you need any help?”
“From a pretty girl, always!” Grayson sang, sashaying his hips over to me. “How was your day, sunflower?”
“It was a lot better than I expected. I liked meeting all the artists, and I felt like I helped. Their system was easy to understand.”
“How about you help me out at the garage tomorrow?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.
“Hmm, does helping out involve sexual favors?” I teased.
He stopped, his mouth opening and closing before he cleared it, leaning against the counter near me.
“It can,” he purred, sending shivers down my spine.
I slapped him. “If you need actual help, then I’m game. I just don’t fancy being part of a cheesy porno, where you ask me if there’s anything your big wrench can fix.”
Brooks sputtered, a laugh bellowing out of him. Grayson froze, his face turning a little red as he blinked at me.
“Where have you been all my life, Darcie?” he asked. I laughed, smacking his arm. Though I played it off as a joke, the look on his face and the softness of his voice made me reconsider.
“Oh, here, there, everywhere,” I replied. “But I’m here now.” I dropped my voice, almost whispering the last part. His smile softened as he watched me. Bending down, I dropped a kiss on his forehead before jumping off the counter and moving toward Brooks.
I wrapped my arms around his waist without thinking. It felt too nice to hug him now that I could.
He stopped what he was doing, turning so he could look at me. His fingers brushed my hair back, his eyes roaming my face for something.
“I’m glad you had a good day, sweetheart,” he whispered. I noticed how his ears turned a little pink. It was cute how nervous he still was at times. I liked it about him, though.
“Sorry if you’re not a hugger. I just really wanted one.”
“I’ll always take one from you.”
We stared at one another, lost in the moment, until a throat cleared, bringing us back to Earth.
“Don’t burn dinner,” Grayson said, pulling some plates out of the cabinet.
Brooks squeezed me before letting me go, focusing back on the food he was preparing.
“What are you making?” I asked, pulling open a few drawers until I found the silverware. I could never remember where they were.
“Cowboy sloppy joes.”
“Never had them. Sounds good.”
“I’m not as good of a cook as Grayson. It’s edible, though,” he replied, turning off the burner and opening a drawer.
“I’m sure you’re underselling yourself,” I said. “Breakfast was great.”
“Yeah, well, that’s a bit easier.”
“What else do we need?” I asked, looking around the kitchen. Grayson had set the table in the dining room. He shouted for Bubba, who walked in, stopping when he noticed it.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“Eating dinner,” he said, widening his eyes. “Like grownups.”
I moved over to the glasses, smiling as I filled them with the tea sitting out. It was obvious they were doing this for me. It was too sweet to tell them they didn’t have to.
Carrying two glasses over, I sat them down before returning for the other two. When I returned, I noticed how they were all standing, looking at one another.
“Are we going to sit?” I asked, not understanding.
“You first,” Brooks said, eyeing the others.
Narrowing my eyes, I took a seat, the others following immediately. There was a little shoving as they claimed the chairs, and I smiled bigger. Having a few guys fight over who sat next to you never hurt a girl's ego.
Bubba ignored Brooks and Grayson, taking a seat at the head of the table. Eventually, Brooks landed next to me, making Grayson sit across.
“This is better anyway,” he said, picking up his fork. “I can stare at Darcie’s beautiful face all night.”
Grinning, I winked, thanking him for the compliment. Brooks grumbled something but picked up the food and served us. It was such an odd experience; I didn’t know how to feel.
It had been so long since I’d had a family dinner. The last one hadn’t gone as planned. Since then, it mainly had been me on my own, so I ate wherever I wanted.
“Thank you,” I said, scooping some food onto my fork.
Dinner was quiet; the guys were clearly not used to sitting altogether. I asked them questions about their day, joining in when I had a funny moment to share about Bubba. By the end, even Bubba was smiling and relaxed as they shared. It felt nice and something I’d miss.
“Thank you for dinner. I’m going to do some research for a bit. I’ll do the dishes or whatever my chore is after, if that’s okay.”
Bubba watched me, an emotion I didn’t know crossing his face. “Of course. Dishes would be helpful. Thank you, Darcie.”
Nodding, I left the table, placing my dish in the sink. As I walked by, I found them huddled together, gossiping like school girls. They stopped when I neared, so I waved, continuing down the hallway.
Part of me wanted to stop and eavesdrop, but the more pressing matter of finding Maddox weighed on me, pushing me down the hall.