Chapter Seven Alexandra
Two hours later found Willow finishing up on the last lesson of the day. I’d worked her hard, but she had enjoyed every minute of it. You never would have imagined she had missed any school at all. As I rose out of my chair, I smiled down at her. “Okay then, school’s over for today.”
Her lips curved down in a pout. “But I’m not finished.”
“We’ll finish tomorrow.”
“Okay,” she reluctantly replied, rising out of her seat. She took my hand, and we started into the hallway. When we reached the last door on the right, mortification filled me at the unmistakable sounds of a couple having sex.
Glancing down at Willow in horror, she merely smiled. “Uncle Bishop must be exercising again.”
“Exercising?”
Willow nodded. “Deacon said whenever there’s a lot of loud noises in the rooms, it’s people exercising. Uncle Bishop exercises a lot.”
I bit my lip to keep from laughing at Deacon’s explanation. I had to hand it to him for coming up with a good explanation. I’m sure with the type of men and women Willow was around there was a lot of “exercising”.
When we started toward the back door, one of the prospects who had been at Willow’s tea party stepped in front of the door, blocking the exit. “I’m just going to walk Willow home,” I explained.
“It’s my job to do that.”
“But I want Miss Alex to,” Willow protested.
“I don’t think there’s a reason why we both can’t walk her home. Do you?”
He shook his blond head. “No, ma’am.”
I extended my hand. “I’m Alexandra.”
Hesitating, he glanced left and right before accepting my hand. “Archer.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.” He then stepped aside for us to go out the door.
As Willow led me down the gravel pathway, Archer hung back, giving us our space.
Willow jabbered about who lived in each of the simple houses.
Of course, I had no idea who anyone in the club was.
Apparently, Deacon and his brothers each had a house of their own along with their mother.
“But we always eat together. Grandma says it’s because the boys can’t cook.”
I laughed. “That’s not too surprising.”
Deacon’s mother’s house was at the end of the pathway.
It sat in the middle of a small culdesac.
Multicolored flower beds brightened the front of the porch.
I hurried to keep up with Willow who dropped my hand and bounded up the stairs.
When I got onto the porch, I turned around to see Archer at the bottom of the stairs. “Thanks for seeing us home,” I said.
He smiled. “You’re welcome.”
“Come on, Miss Alex,” Willow cried, grabbing my hand. She barreled through the front door, dragging me behind her. “Grandma I’m home!” she called.
“I’m in the kitchen, sugar,” a kind voice replied.
When she turned around, Liz jumped at the sight of me. The last time we had met was Open House at the beginning of the school year. As her hand swept to her chest, she gave me an apologetic smile. “Oh, Miss Evans, I’m sorry. I wasn’t expecting company.”
“And I’m sorry for startling you. I just wanted to walk Willow home. I wasn’t expecting to come in.”
“Oh, but I’m glad you did.”
We were then interrupted by the back door banging open.
Deacon appeared first followed by Rev. I watched in surprise as another young man came in last, closing the door behind him.
At the sight of me, a grin curved on his handsome face.
“Well, well, I finally get to formally meet the famous Miss Evans.”
Warmth filled my cheeks at his words and the way he was looking at me. The fiery intensity of his stare was burning the clothes right from my body, leaving me naked before him. “I’d hardly say I was famous,” I argued.
“In the rugrat’s eyes you are,” he replied.
“What do you mean ‘formally meet’?” I asked.
“Oh, I saw you at the clubhouse the first day you came. You know, when my asshole of a brother had you by the throat.”
I gasped at the memory while Deacon slapped the guy on the back. “This is my youngest brother, Benjamin.”
“That’s Bishop actually,” the blond god corrected, throwing out his hand.
The moment our hands met I suddenly remembered the sounds of sex and Willow’s words about Uncle Bishop exercising. “Did you have a nice workout?” I blurted before I could think better of it.
His brows knitted in confusion. “Huh?”
“Never mind,” I replied. When I met Deacon’s eyes, amusement shone in them. Unlike his clueless brother, he knew exactly what I had heard and what Willow had told me. With my embarrassment growing, I knew I needed to get out of there. “Well, I guess I better head home.”
“Stay for supper,” Liz said.
“Oh, I appreciate the offer, but I can’t.”
“Cause you got a man you gotta get back home to?” Bishop asked, as he side-stepped by me to head to the kitchen sink.
As he lathered up his hands, I could feel both Deacon and Rev’s inquisitive gazes burning into me. “No, it’s nothing like that,” I replied, feeling warmth creeping up my neck and flooding my cheeks.
Glancing over his shoulder, he asked, “Kids?”
“No, it’s just me. Well, me and my dog.”
After drying his hands, Bishop leaned back against the counter and shot me an impish grin. “Sounds to me like you ain’t got a reason not to stay.” As I opened my mouth to protest, he reached over to steal a piece of ham. Liz swatted his hand before shooing him away.
Then with a no-nonsense look, she pointed at me with her carving knife. “Benjamin is right. Besides, it’s late, you’ve worked double time today, and you need a good, home-cooked meal.”
“I don’t want to be an inconvenience,” I protested.
Willow tugged at my hand. “Oh please stay Miss Alex!”
I couldn’t help laughing at her enthusiasm. “Aren’t you tired of me yet?”
“Nope. You should spend the night, too!”
A wicked grin curved on Bishop’s face. “Can she stay in my room?”
My mouth gaped open at his audaciousness while Willow shook her head. “No, Uncle B, she stays with me.”
Bishop winked at me. “I may fight you for her.”
Before I could respond, Deacon smacked the back of Bishop’s head. “Knock it off,” he warned.
“Hey, can I help it if I think Miss Alex is hot?”
As Deacon and Bishop began exchanging words in a low tone, Willow tugged my hand again, bringing my attention back to her rather than the very alluring Malloy brothers. I couldn’t help feeling flattered at the attention of the two handsome men. Of course, Deacon’s angry growls kept me in check.
“So Miss Alex, are you going to stay?”
When I gazed down at her hopeful expression, I didn’t know how to say no to her. Accepting defeat, I smiled. “Okay, okay, I’ll stay.” Then I gave Bishop a pointed look. “Just for dinner.”
“Yeah!” Willow squealed, doing a little happy dance around me.
Taking me by the shoulders, Liz led me over to one of the chairs. “You sit right here, honey.”
I let her ease me down onto the seat. “Thank you. I really appreciate your hospitality.”
“Hospitality?” Deacon repeated.
When I glanced over my shoulder at him, he shook his head. “You really are white-bred.”
“Don’t be inhospitable to our guest, Deacon. Just because your daughter has a greater vocabulary comprehension level at her age than you do doesn’t mean you can be a jerk,” Rev said.
A giggle escaped my lips at Rev’s teasing of Deacon. My laughter elicited a wink from Rev and a glare from Deacon. Rev took a seat across from me. Motioning Willow to his side, he said, “Come here, rugrat, and tell me what you learned today from Miss Alex.”
She wrinkled her nose as she wrapped an arm around his waist. “I’m not a rugrat,” she countered in a soft voice.
He cocked his brows at her. “Oh you’re not?” he questioned, his voice laced with amusement. Willow shook her head back and forth. “Then what are you?”
“A ballerina.”
“Not that again,” Deacon groaned, as he took a seat at the end of the table. The corners of Willow’s lips turned down in a frown. At her sad face, Deacon sighed. “Look, kid, we’ve been over and over this. I can’t let you out to go to school, so I sure as hell can’t let you go to dance lessons.”
“Language, David,” Liz chastised.
Deacon grunted at his mother before tossing his napkin into his lap. “Whatever. It ain’t happening.”
Rev narrowed his eyes at Deacon’s somewhat apathetic response. He reached over to ruffle Willow’s hair. “Just be patient, sweetheart. We’ll get you those dance lessons someday soon.”
With a curious expression, Deacon’s gaze zeroed in on mine. “Do you know anyone who does home lessons or virtual lessons? I’ll make sure they’re compensated very well.”
As Willow looked hopefully at me, I replied, “No. Not off the top of my head.”
When her face fell, I thought about my years of ballet training. Not only would I enjoy spending more time with Willow, but I could use the extra money to put towards my graduate student loan.
“While I’m not an instructor, I took ballet for fifteen years. If you’d like, I could teach Willow.”
“That makes sense. You have a dancer’s body,” Rev said.
My gaze jerked from Deacon’s to Rev’s. Bishop slapped Rev on the back. “Oh man, you’ve been checking her out too, huh?” he teased, with a grin.
“Just an observation,” he replied softly, without meeting anyone’s eyes.
After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Deacon cleared his throat. “Okay, then, Miss Twinkle Toes. Guess you’re getting your precious dance lessons.”
Willow squealed with excitement, her body bouncing in her chair beside me. “I want a pink leotard, Miss Alex.”
I grinned. “I think I can make that happen.”
Liz sat down a large platter of ham. “Well now. I think that’s everything.” After she dropped down into the empty chair at the end of the table, she nodded at Deacon. “Will you return thanks, son?”
My mouth gaped open when Deacon laced his fingers together and bowed his head. It took me a moment in my stupor to bow my head as well. Deacon’s deep voice boomed through the silent dining room. “Bless this food to the nourishment of our bodies, and our bodies to your service. Amen.”
“Amen,” echoed around the table.