9. Torch
TORCH
“Woah.” Q took a step back and grinned. “Where you runnin’ off to?”
“Nowhere.”
“Come on, now.” Savage gave me the once over, checking out my freshly ironed shirt and new jeans before saying, “We both know that’s not true.”
“I’m going to pick up Beck.”
“No shit?” A smirk crossed his face as he teased, “You two going on a hot date?”
“You could say that.”
“Seriously.” His smirk widened as he called out to Wrath. “You hear that? Our boy’s got himself a hot date.”
“With Beck?”
“The one and only.”
“Well, it’s about damn time.” Q crossed his arms. “You two have been a long time coming.”
“Ain’t that the truth.” Rooster chuckled as he said, “He’s finally gonna take a walk down her winter wonderland.”
“Oh, God.”
It was clear Rooster was just getting warmed up when he goaded, “Yep, he’s gonna tangle her tinsel.”
They all roared in laughter. I, on the other hand, just stood there, glaring at them. Rooster gave me a nudge as he teased, “You gonna eat her milk and cookies.”
“That’s enough,” I warned.
“Hold on.” Rooster could barely contain himself as he said, “I got one more.”
“No, you don’t.”
“Yeah. you best leave it.” Wrath’s smile faded as he asked, “Big know about you two?”
“Not unless Beck told him. I planned to talk to him, but I haven’t gotten around to it.”
“He’s out in the garage.”
I gave him a nod, then left the bar and made my way out to the garage.
When I walked in, I found Big wiping down his bike.
He had his usual focused expression as he worked with the chrome until it gleamed.
The man was a tank, both in size and presence, and even though I’d known him my entire life, I was feeling a little uneasy as I made my way over to him.
But my respect for him outweighed any apprehension I was feeling.
This had to be done, and it had to be done right.
“Big.”
“Torch.” He didn’t look up. He just kept wiping down the handlebars. “What’s up?”
“You got a minute?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“I need to talk to you about something.”
That got his attention.
He stood up, and his eyes narrowed slightly as he turned to face me. “This about club business?”
“No, sir.”
His expression didn’t change, but his brow lifted just enough to let me know I had about five seconds to spit it out. “I want to take Beck out on a date.”
“You asking or telling?”
“Both.”
For a moment, he didn’t say anything. He just stared at me, and his expression was completely unreadable.
“So, you put her swing together, helped her out with Ava when she got sick, then took care of Beck when she was sick, and while you were at it, you went and put up her Christmas tree. And now, you want to take her on a date?”
“Yes, sir. I do.”
Finally, his lips twitched into what could only be described as a knowing smirk. “Well, I’d say it’s about damn time.”
“You think so, huh?”
“I do.” His smirk grew into a full-blown grin. “I watched you dance around her for most of her junior and senior year of high school. I expected you to come to me back then.”
“I would have, but the whole age thing....”
“I get it. I would’ve done the same.”
“I wish you’d told me about everything. If I’d known...”
“I know, son, but it wasn’t my story to tell.”
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. “So… you’re good with me starting something up with her?”
“As long as you do right by her.” His eyes narrowed. “You screw up, and you’ll answer to me. And trust me, brother, you don’t want that.”
“Understood.”
Big gave me a hard clap on the shoulder, the kind that almost knocked me off balance. “Good. Now go take her out and make it worth her time. She deserves it.”
“Yes, sir.”
We spoke for a moment longer, and then I headed out to my truck.
I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself as I thought about my conversation with Big.
He might’ve been a brick wall of intimidation, but underneath it all, he was just a father who wanted the best for his daughter. And I planned to be just that.
Feeling a bit anxious, I gave myself a quick once over before getting in the truck.
I had on my cut with a button-up and jeans and a pair of newer boots that weren’t scuffed all to hell.
I didn’t usually go to the trouble of dressing up for women, but Beck wasn’t a hang around or some chick I’d met at a bar.
She meant something to me, and I wanted our first date to be something she’d remember.
I’d waited a long time for this.
We both had, so I’d made reservations at a nice spot in the city.
Something a little fancier than my norm, but I wanted to make our night special.
And I couldn’t deny that I was looking forward to seeing her all dolled up.
It was a thought that had me pressing my foot against the accelerator and racing through the outskirts of town.
When I got to her house, I parked and wasted no time heading up to her front porch. I knocked, and it felt like an eternity before I heard her shout, “Coming!”
Seconds later, the door opened, and the sight of her took my breath.
Her long, brown hair was curled and down around her shoulders, and she was wearing a pair of black jeans that hugged her curves in all the right places and an oversized white sweater that brought out the brown in her eyes. She looked incredible. “Hey.”
“Hey.” I let my eyes drift over her as I said, “You look beautiful.”
“Thanks.” Her beautiful, pouty lips slowly curved into a sexy smile as her dark brown eyes met with mine. “You look good, too. Really good.”
“Glad you think so,” I chuckled. “You ready?”
“So, where are we headed?”
“I made us reservations in the city.”
“Oh, okay.”
Something about her tone led me to say, “Unless you’d rather do something else?”
“No, that’s fine.”
“Not looking for fine, babe. I wanted to do something special for you.”
“But I don’t need special. I just need to be with you, and we don’t have to drive an hour to the city to do that.”
“So, what are you thinking?”
“We could go to Danvers for a burger, or we could go to your place and order take out.”
I blinked, surprised but not entirely against the idea. “You sure?”
“I’m sure.” Her cheeks flushed, and damn if it didn’t make her even more stunning. “I just want to spend time with you. Doesn’t really matter where.”
While she was grown up now and absolutely beautiful, deep down, she was still the same Beck. She still had that same fire in her eyes, and I couldn’t get enough of her. Unable to resist, I slipped my arm around her and pulled her over to me, claiming her mouth.
The kiss instantly became heated, intensifying my need for her.
I took several steps forward until Beck’s back was pressed against her front door.
My hands slid down to her ass, lifting her off the ground.
Her legs instinctively made their way around my waist, and the heat of her body set me on fire.
An overwhelming need to extinguish the burn had me struggling to contain my craving for her.
I’d never wanted anyone as much as I wanted her in that moment.
My lips left her mouth and slowly traveled down her long, slender neck.
Beck moaned with pleasure as her fingers raked through my hair and down the back of my neck.
Her hips rocked against me, making my cock grow harder, prying against the zipper of my jeans.
We hadn’t even made it out to the truck, and we were already losing control. I lowered her to the floor and took a step back, breaking our embrace. I looked down at her with a smile and said, “You’re something else, you know that?”
She gave me a playful shrug as she asked, “So, is that a yes?”
“Oh, yeah. It’s definitely a yes.” I chuckled, already reaching for my phone to cancel the reservation. “The question is... pizza or Chinese?”
She grinned. “Pizza sounds great.”
I leaned in, brushing a quick kiss to her lips before reaching for her hand.
I led her across the yard and into my house.
Beck had never been there before, so she took a few minutes to look around.
I watched her take in my sparse décor and worn furniture, along with the various bookshelves stacked with books and random odds and ends.
A soft smile crossed her face when she spotted my old guitar leaning in the corner.
“I remember when you used to play at the clubhouse.”
“I haven’t touched it in years.”
“That’s a shame. You used to play so well.”
“I might have to pick it up again.”
“You should,” she said softly, and I couldn’t help but smile back. “I love your house. It’s so nice and cozy. It reminds me of you.”
“Not sure what to think about that, but thanks. It’s a work in progress.” I led her into the living room as I asked, “You hungry?”
“Sure.”
I placed the order, and then we kicked off our shoes and Beck curled up on the couch beside me. She rested her head on my shoulder as we searched for the perfect movie. For the first time in a long while, I felt like everything was right in the world—and it was about to get even better.
We didn’t eat much of the pizza. We had other things on our mind. You could feel the sexual tension crackling in the air around us. I don’t know how long we’d been sitting there when Beck looked over at me. I could see the hesitation in her eyes as she finally said, “I’ve been thinking about you.”
I cocked my brow and smirked, “Is that so?”
“Um-hmm.”
“Well, don’t hold out on me. Tell me what you’ve been thinking.”
Her cheeks flushed, and damn if it wasn’t the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. Her voice was barely a whisper as she admitted, “Just that you’re so different now.”
“Different good or different bad?” I asked, moving just a little closer.
“Good.” Her lips curved into a shy smile. “Definitely good.”
That was all it took.
I couldn’t hold back a second longer.