Chapter 8 Gavin
GAVIN
Riding on the back of Marcus’s Harley, Gavin had never felt so alive.
The wind whipping against his face, the rumble of the engine between his legs, and the feel of a big, solid man pressed up against his chest. He instinctively tightened his hold around his protector and smiled.
This moment, right here, almost made the attempted murder date worth it. Almost. But not really. He still preferred living over being unalived by a psychotic serial killer who clearly had intimacy issues.
He might be craving love and romance and a man obsessed with him, but drugging and murder were where he drew the line.
They pulled into a parking spot, and Marcus kicked out his leg before killing the engine.
A few women paused to watch the hunky biker as he extended his hand to help Gavin off his bike, then stepped off himself.
What a gentleman.
Gavin tried not to gloat as the three thirsty-looking women curled up their noses at the sight of him removing his helmet and passing it back to Marcus to deal with.
Yes, women, he had a big, strong man at his beck and call.
“Holy, that was amazing!” Gavin gushed, slapping Marcus on the shoulder as they walked toward the clothing shop. “Now I understand why bikers say they feel so free riding the open road!”
Marcus pulled off his sunglasses and gave him a smirk. His chestnut eyes seemed to give away the joy he felt every time he sat on his bike.
“I’ve been riding since I was fifteen. I had a buddy who owned an auto shop, and he and I used to work on old dirt bikes together.
One summer, we found an old Harley out at the scrapyard.
We spent the summer fixing her up, then the fall learning how to ride without killing ourselves.
” Marcus breathed in a lungful of oxygen as he glanced up at the sky.
“I swear, that summer was when I fell in love with bikes and realized I wanted to be part of the Shadow Vipers.”
“So, you joined a biker gang at fifteen?” Gavin asked, glancing over his shoulder as Marcus held the door open for him.
“Well, no. My buddy and I started hanging around with guys we knew were in the gang, being those annoying teenagers who follow or worship guys they want to get in with. Eventually, we wore them down.” He gave Gavin a wink.
They spent the next two hours going from shop to shop, buying jeans, shirts, and boots that Gavin thought would look good on him. He even bought a few pairs of underwear he thought were hot as fuck, hoping that eventually he would get a certain dark, growly biker to rip them off him with his teeth.
Lifting his gaze, Gavin caught a glimpse of Marcus trying on a shirt in the changing room mirror. His body was fit, with a light dusting of chest hair. To add to the bad-boy hotness, Marcus had a dark tribal tattoo that extended across his chest and down his left bicep.
Holy fuck. Could the man get any hotter? Gavin just about creamed himself when he got a glimpse of his bare chest.
Knowing that Daddy Marcus was rocking all that man under those tight-fitting shirts was short-circuiting Gavin’s brain.
With their bags in hand, they walked back in the direction of Marcus’s Harley.
They were almost at the parking lot where they left the bike when a high-pitched squeal left Gavin’s body.
Marcus jumped, startled, and looked like he was ready to punch someone in the face.
“Oh my god! They’re so cute!” Gavin shouted, dropping his bags and running toward the basket of puppies sitting out under a large tree next to a woman reading a book.
The woman started laughing as Gavin dropped to his knees, and the puppies began climbing over themselves, trying to get to their new best friend.
“I think they like you,” the woman said, while Gavin tried his best not to vibrate out of his skin.
“Oh, they are just the cutest things! Can I pick them up?”
“Sure! Take as many as you like. I’m trying to find them new homes.”
Gavin’s eyes went wide as his body overdosed with joy. His head immediately snapped back, staring up at the dark giant currently blocking the sun.
“Can I? Can we?” Gavin begged, trying his best to look cute as a button. He knew he was well past his cute and innocent phase, but the puppies were depending on his powers of cuteness to win over the heart of the growly, mean ogre.
Annoyed frown lines appeared as Marcus put his stern daddy face back into position.
“Are you nuts? You’re not adopting a puppy and taking it back to my house.
You can buy your own damn puppy when you leave and go back to wherever it is that you came from,” Marcus growled, his eyes locked on Gavin’s, clearly ignoring the three adorable puppies he currently had clutched to his chest like furry armor.
But… puppies!
Cute and cuddly puppies!
The woman sitting against the tree looked up at them as if she were witnessing a scene from Misery or something.
Gavin opened his mouth to argue, but changed his mind when he realized that Marcus was right. He was just a guest in his home. He was lucky to be staying over at all.
Slowly, he handed the puppies back to the woman.
“Sorry, Daddy’s not exactly an animal lover, so it would seem.”
The woman gave Marcus a look that showed just how much she hated non-animal lovers.
“It’s more like, you don’t live with me, so why would you adopt a puppy and mess up the house you are temporarily staying in?” Marcus tried to defend.
Gavin let out a huff and gave his puppy friends one last pat on the head. “Sorry, guys, Daddy doesn’t like happiness and rainbows. I’m sure you will find the perfect forever home filled with love and joy and non-growly daddies.”
Marcus rolled his eyes, then looked down at the woman. “I just met this kid the other day. I’m not the horrible monster this drama queen is making me out to be.”
The woman gave him a stare.
“Look. I even took the twerp shopping. All on me!” Marcus argued, holding up his and Gavin’s bags he had abandoned when he spotted the basket filled with four-legged joy and happiness.
“Whatever you say, Mr. Grump,” Gavin said, getting up from his knees and giving the puppies one last wave of his fingers.
“Just get your ass back on the bike. I’m too old for this shit,” Marcus huffed, turning and walking back toward his ride.
Gavin gave the woman a wink. “He’s so much fun to tease.”
The woman gave him a smile. “He’s not too bad on the eyes either.”