Chapter 7
Chapter seven
Cam
San Francisco was the kind of place you could hook up with a new guy every day if your standards were low enough.
Generally, I looked for someone who was easy to talk to, hot, and down to top.
I wasn’t a pillow princess, but people assumed my muscles meant I wanted to be in charge, when I really didn’t.
So hookup apps were my preferred method.
My old job was time-consuming and stressful, and I had no trouble finding a warm and consensual partner when I needed to get off.
Who knew I’d be adding dad-like instincts to my attractive rankings when I quit and moved to the country?
Being adorable wasn’t on any checklist I had when dating in the city, but watching how Rowen lit up around them had me filing away the image. He was calm and patient with them, where my approach had always been to make them laugh.
Finding out he was adopted was another revelation. It made sense why he was so into helping with this event, and also explained the time I heard Rowen calling his father Superman instead of Dad. They didn’t look anything alike, but I hadn’t wanted to be rude and ask where his mom was.
Still, I wanted to know more about the hot biker who volunteered in his free time. Whatever he was willing to share. I’d ask him out one more time, something lowkey, and see if he brushed me off again.
If Rowen shut me down, I’d move on and consider us casual friends.
After the tree was set up with lights and decorations, I said goodbye to the social worker and children before joining Rowen in packing up the empty boxes. Someone I didn’t know seemed to be the driver, as the little old man was twirling rental keys around his finger.
When we turned to get the last round of boxes, I fell into step beside Rowen and tucked my hands into my pockets. Smirking his way, he returned the smile and I decided to go for it.
“That was fun,” I started, nibbling on my lower lip.
Rowen bent to pick up a bin below the tree, stacking it with another and standing before he responded. “Yeah, I love helping Val and the kids whenever I can.” He paused and waited for me to get the last supplies. “I’m glad you came.”
Well, that was promising. “You are?”
“I am,” Rowen nodded and smiled again. “I was starting to think you magically appeared at Perk each day just to make me coffee.”
Throwing my head back on a startled laugh, I couldn’t help teasing back. “Yes, I’m a coffee fairy. But only for sexy redheads.”
Rowen blanched at my wink and I got to watch the color bloom on his pale cheeks. He had less freckles than when we met at the end of summer, so the blush stood out even more. I had to hope it wasn’t too far.
“You think… I mean–” Rowen cleared his throat as he set his load down in the back of the truck. “Thank you?”
“You’re welcome.” Chuckling I put my stuff down as well and waited for the man to close up the truck and say goodbye. Turning to find Rowen checking me out, I finally bit the bullet. “Are you hungry?”
“Yes, I do,” Rowen answered quickly before rubbing his beard and blinking. “I meant, yes, I am.”
Holding back my grin at how adorable he was, I made myself more clear. “Do you want to get something to eat with me?”
A tentative expression passed over Rowen’s face, something between excitement and fear, and I swear something changes in his eyes. The pupils looked longer and the brown almost looked like it flashed. But the sun was setting, and he had glasses on, so it was probably a trick of the light.
Before I could take my question back, he replied. “I would, yeah.”
“Awesome!” I couldn’t hold back my wide grin. Rowen had finally said yes to a date with me. “How about the pizza place with the silly name?”
“The Firehouse,” Rowen informed me, though I did remember. He was shy, but I liked how direct Rowen was. “Do you want to go now?”
“Sure,” I agreed, eager to get the date part of our evening started. Only one problem… “I walked here, though.”
“Oh, I drove my bike,” Rowen explained, and started walking towards the parking lot. “Would you be comfortable on the back of my bike?”
Would I be comfortable holding onto the hottest man in town, my body pressed against his?
“Abso-fucking-lutely!”
Resisting the urge to reach out and take his hand, I followed Rowen to his bike, one of the last vehicles in the lot.
It was low to the ground, black with red details, and had “Harley Davidson” painted on the side of the gas tank.
The back seat didn’t have a backrest, but to me that meant I would have to hold on tight.
A hardship I would be happy to endure.
Rowen offered me his helmet, and when I made a face he shrugged. “It’s only a mile or two up the road, and we don’t have many cops around here. I’ll be fine.”
The idea of him crashing and getting a head injury didn’t sit right with me, but I had to trust he knew his own capabilities. “If you insist.”
“I don’t want you to get hurt. That’s the most important part.”
Shoving the helmet over my thick curls, I found my hair made up for having a smaller head and the helmet fit alright. Rowen made sure the strap was tight before straddling the bike and telling me to hop on.
Taking his hand, I threw my leg over the back of the bike and gave him space as the engine roared to life and he straightened us up from the kickstand. As much as I wanted to cling to him, consent was a thing.
Rowen took the decision off of my plate when he reached back, tugged on my hand to wrap around his belly, and I was forced closer. Not that I was complaining.
“Ready?” Rowen called over the engine and the muffling effect of the helmet. I nodded as the warmth of his body seeped into me. “Hang on tight.”
With pleasure.
The drive up Main Street along Blue Lake was pretty and I loved being pressed against Rowen, but was sadly as short as he’d said it would be. When we parked at the pizza place, I hopped off first and handed Rowen the helmet.
“That was fun! Can we do that again, sometime?”
Oops. Did I just ask for a second date before we were fully into the first one?
Thankfully, Rowen only laughed. “Sure. Maybe around the lake or a lesson like you mentioned?”
Damn, who was this man and what had he done with the oblivious customer who kept turning me down? Still, I was glad he remembered.
“Sounds like a date.” I bit my lip to temper my excitement in case I’d gone too far, but Rowen only tilted his head towards the entrance. Not a yes, but not a no, either.
We walked into the building, and I almost tripped on the rug. Rowen caught me.
“Whoa, there. Don’t die on me.” Rowen pulled me into his body as I caught my breath. Running his hand up my back, he settled it on the back of my neck and I nearly swooned when he whispered, “You already planned our next date.”
Fuck. Me.
This man would be the death of me.
My headstone would read:
Here Lies Cameron Bass.
A hot redhead killed Cam with sexiness.
No regrets.