Chapter 10
Maddy
I slept like the dead. Who could blame me? I’d been assaulted by my long-time crush, come like a geyser with the hottest man I’d ever known, and then learned my father’s oldest employee had been murdered. To say it had been an eventful day was the understatement of the year.
When I awoke, I wasn’t alone. German’s tall frame was stretched out on my couch, his eyes closed and his chest slowly rising and falling. My traitor of a cat was sprawled on his chest like they went way back instead of just meeting days ago.
Although I’d wanted German to sleep beside me, he’d opted to crash on the furniture instead. Frankly annoyed, at both the feline and the man, I tossed back the covers. The biker’s choice seemed like somewhat of a slight after what we’d done in my room not even twelve hours ago. Sneaking off to the bathroom to pee, I washed my face and brushed my teeth before returning.
Exiting the bathroom, I saw that Mr. Jingles had scurried off but German was still there. Standing, he was stretching his long, sculpted frame while the edge of his shirt lifted, exposing his rippling abs. Boy, did the man look good. He had the golden ratio of height to lean muscle mass that every man envied and every woman craved. His raw, masculine beauty really got my female parts humming in the most base kind of way a man can appeal to a woman. The biker was just my type, though I hadn’t realized it until he’d unexpectedly come barreling into my life.
German caught me staring and his eyes roamed down my body with slow but obvious interest. “Did you get some rest?” he asked, his voice still rough with sleep and maybe a touch of something else?
“A lot, actually,” I confessed, not remembering a single dream. Most nights I tossed and turned and sleep eluded me. Not last night. German’s presence had allowed me to relax and sleep restfully for the first time in memory. “How was the couch?” I asked, eyebrows raised.
“Comfortable,” he said, situating his wallet back into his rear pocket.
I doubted that. I’d slept on that couch before. And while it was expensive, it looked much better than it felt.
“You didn’t need to sleep on it all,” I reminded him. “You could have slept beside me last night. I don’t bite, you know,” I lightly jested.
German’s expression tightened alongside his posture. A dead giveaway he was uncomfortable with the topic at hand. “You looked so peaceful, I didn’t want to disturb you.”
That wasn’t it and we both knew it. Frustrated at his gentle brushoff, I decided I needed a shower and a coffee before we discussed this touchy subject any further. Otherwise, I’d regret what I said. And I had no intentions of fighting with the man. There were things I’d much rather be doing with the handsome biker that involved filthy words and filthier deeds. The sooner he realized he couldn’t push me away, that we were going to finish what we’d started last night on the top of my bureau, the happier we’d both be.
“I need to go into town today to do some chores,” I informed him then, walking toward the bathroom. “I’m going to take a quick shower, but I’ll be ready to leave at around ten.”
German nodded. “Ten it is.”
After showering, I piled my hair into a high bun on the top of my head. Rummaging through my closet, I picked a blue sundress that was cute but comfortable. After putting on the bare essentials for makeup, I met German downstairs in the kitchen.
Like he could read my mind, he handed me a steaming cup of coffee. “You ready for chores?”
Sniffing the delightful brew, I took a deep swallow. French roast and hand ground. Just like I liked it. The brand was a local company I’d stumbled upon a few years back. Saint that she was, Gretchen always made sure to keep some stocked in our pantry. But this was her day off, so German must have found it and thoughtfully brewed a cup for the both of us.
“You drink it black?” he posed, smiling at the look of pure pleasure rippling across my face. “I would have taken you for a cream and sugar kind of girl. I like it black myself.”
“In the morning, it’s black all the way,” I said between lusty sips. “If I’m having a dessert coffee in the afternoon though, that’s a different story.”
The biker snorted. “What the hell is a ‘dessert coffee’?”
I rolled my eyes. “Do you live under a rock? It’s just what it sounds like. Coffee for dessert. You know, like when you add extracts and spices for flavor and fun, not just to help you wake up in the morning.”
“I must be boring then because I’ve never done that,” the man ruefully returned.
Spying him over the rim of my cup, I said, “We both know that’s not true. There’s nothing boring about you, Christopher German.”
Our eyes met then and we sat in silence for a few heartbeats. Finally, when the tension became palpable, German said, “Where’s our first stop today?”
Smiling, I announced without an ounce of hesitation, “I need to go to campus to drop off my used books and meet with my counselor.”
“You can’t do all of that online?” German posed, clearly wanting to put the kibosh on me ever leaving the house again.
I shrugged. “I could, but I’d rather do it in person.”
“Maddy, it’s my job to keep you safe,” the obstinate biker began to lecture.
“It is,” I quickly agreed. “And that’s why Daddy hired you. When I need to go places, you escort me and keep me safe. Who’s stupid enough to mess with a big, bad, biker from the toughest MC around, right?”
German sighed and looked longingly down at his coffee. “Got any to-go cups around here?”
The ride over to campus was about an hour away. For once, I didn’t mind that German drove. Cranking my seat back and the radio up, I popped on a pair of sunglasses and enjoyed the ride with the top down. Not even five minutes in, I fell asleep and awoke when we rolled gently into the campus parking lot.
Stepping out of the car, I stretched like a cat that had been lazily napping in a sunny windowsill. “I can understand why you like riding your motorcycle so much. There’s just something about the fresh air that’s so peaceful and exhilarating.”
German paused and his intense brown eyes drank in my stretch. “You like the bike, Babe?”
Grateful I was wearing oversized sunglasses that helped disguise some of my blush, I smiled guiltily when I realized the motorcycle was symbolic of the man himself. “Sure. All that power and speed. The freedom of the open road. What’s not to like?”
Gaze burning into mine, German’s whiskey-toned eyes practically smoldered. “I’ll take you for a real ride sometime. Then you can get the full effect.”
I wasn’t sure if we were speaking in innuendos or not at this point. My skin grew warm and my nipples hardened at his promise of taking me “for a real ride”. Whatever that meant, I was in.
“I’d like that,” I practically moaned, my body kicking into sixth gear like my car did on the highway when German had opened her up and tested her strength and stamina.
German’s cell chimed with a text. The moment shattered, he dug into his pocket and extracted the device. Frowning, he read the message and then typed something back before repocketing the phone.
I’d been enjoying our morning so much, I’d almost forgotten last night’s travails. That text caused everything to rush back in one powerful flood of fear and concern. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah. It was just my Brother Pipe getting back to me with something. Are we going to the bookstore first?” German asked, slyly diverting my attention away from all the drama.
Reaching into the car, I pulled out my backpack full of used textbooks. I could have bought the electronic version, but I was a tactile kind of girl. Call me old-fashioned, but I liked holding onto a book. Being able to write in the margins or bookmark something physically when I was studying.
“That makes sense,” I said, lugging the weighty backpack up and over my shoulder.
German walked over and snatched it from me. “Lead the way.”
I didn’t protest his carrying my books. Why the hell would I? Not once in high school had my childhood boyfriend done that for me. I only wished men did things like this more often. The gesture was so sweet, so romantic, I could have smiled. Or cried.
Making our way over to the bookstore, I piled my returns on the counter and got pennies on the dollar for my castoffs. That’s why I hadn’t turned them all back in. Besides being a semi-book hoarder, I liked being able to reference the most useful ones whenever I wanted to reread something I’d learned.
Strolling around the gift shop, I began shopping the racks of merch. Secretly, I would have loved going to school in person and living on campus. However, my father had convinced me to do it online because we traveled so much. Now I couldn’t even do that. The thought of my father at the conference I’d looked so forward to attending with him all year suddenly stung so deep it made me ache with sadness and despair.
I didn’t tolerate my father’s absence well. I hated to be apart from those I loved. My therapist had labeled it ‘separation anxiety’ due to my mother’s unexpected death. At different points in my life, the thought of being away from my father had nearly been unbearable. Now, as an adult, I could manage it. But most days I felt like I was white-knuckling it until he returned. Strangely, German’s presence had helped me cope with my father’s absence. Though I still fiercely missed the man, I didn’t feel like I was holding my breath and counting down the seconds until he came home.
Grabbing some sweaters for me and my father to wear when he got back, I saw a long-sleeved thermal I thought German might appreciate. Snagging that item too, I popped it into my growing pile of purchases and finished skimming the store before going to checkout.
As I paid, I could see German out of the corner of my eye leaning against the back wall. The man wasn’t half as casual as his relaxed stance might suggest. He was definitely scoping the place out, making sure no one bothered me.
When I turned around with my bags, I noticed my friend Kayla standing behind me. “Hey, Kayla!” I said, genuinely pleased to see the girl. “What are you doing here?”
Kayla was one of the few people I knew on campus. And, strangely enough, we hadn’t actually met on campus. We’d met at the vet’s office I worked at. She, too, had owned a senior orange cat, Mario, who she’d unfortunately had to put down six months ago. As I’d comforted her loss in the office, we got to talking and I learned we went to school together. Kayla was three years into a nursing program while I was a business major in my senior year. As we’d talked, we discovered how much we had in common. I’d told her that once she was feeling up to it, I’d take her for drinks to celebrate Jenkin’s long life. That hadn’t happened yet. But since she was here now, I decided to invite her to lunch on campus.
As inconvenient as that might be with German in tow, I figured my having a babysitter wasn’t going to change any time soon. And, with how busy both Kayla and my schedule were, I might as well seize the day and make the most of the moment.
“Maddy!” Kayla enthusiastically greeted, her blonde hair recently cut short and lightened. “It’s so good to see you!”
Hugging my friend, I pulled away and said, “Where did you get that tan, girl? You look like a million bucks!”
I envied those who could look sunkissed and fabulous. The sun did not do the same to my pasty-ass skin. It pretty much turned bright red, blistered, and then sloughed off in sheets whenever I forgot to use SPF one-thousand.
“I’ve been lifeguarding at a public pool in town this summer,” Kayla answered, and I didn’t doubt it. Between the highlights and the tan, she looked amazing. “How about you?”
“I’m still working at Bay Street Vet Clinic,” I told her, hating to bring up such a sensitive subject since Mario’s passing.
“I know you’re a business major, but I think you should really consider becoming a vet,” Kayla said. “You love animals and you’re so compassionate with their owners. And it’s not like you don’t have the grades for it!”
It was true. I would have loved to become a vet. But my father had wanted to pass his business over to me one day and I needed to learn how to run it if I didn’t want to run it directly into the ground. Not to mention becoming a vet meant being in school for close to a decade. That was some serious dedication that I didn’t think I could commit to at this point in my life.
“Don’t tempt me,” I teased with a smile. Seeing she had a handful of books, I asked, “What are you up to today?”
“Returning these!” Kayla hefted her used books onto the counter as the clerk set to work tallying her refund. “I had the day off and was just hoping to get some money back,” she indicated the tattered pile on the counter.
“Want to go to lunch?” I asked, spoiling for some girl time with someone I didn’t go to high school with and I could really see getting closer to in the future. I watched Kayla tabulating the book returns silently in her head as worry creased her brow. “My treat!” I added, hating that my friend had to choose between eating and paying the electric bill.
Kayla’s parents lived on the East Coast in Massachusetts. Both teachers, they couldn’t afford to help her with books, tuition, or car payments. She paid for everything on her own, which I respected the shit out of her for. I wasn’t so spoiled I couldn't realize how much I relied on my father for income. The fact that I volunteered at the Vet Clinic instead of working there for money was the way I gave back, however small.
“That’s so sweet of you,” Kayla returned, gearing up to say no, “but you don’t have to pay for my lunch. I’ve got it.” She waved her book money at me with a smile.
“I want to,” I told her, cutting off any further arguments. The perfect cover story that would entice her to go, as well as accept my generosity, popped into my head then. “You’d be doing me a favor. I’m here with my dad’s friend and we don’t have much to talk about. I wanted to show him the campus as he’s thinking of attending in the fall and it would be great for a third person to add to the conversation.”
Kayla swung her attention in the direction of German when I pointed him out. I could see she was surprised by the tough biker walking over to us, as I’m sure she’d pictured someone far older and, well, less attractive.
“He’s your dad’s friend?” She spoke questioningly. “Isn’t your father in tech or something?”
I stifled a laugh at her awed expression as she took in all six-foot-plus feet of the muscular, leather-clad, tattooed biker. “Yeah. It’s kind of a friend-of-a-friend situation. German is doing some work for my dad and is staying with us for a couple of weeks.”
Kayla looked impressed. “Lucky you,” she replied with a giggle. “None of my dad’s friends look like that!”
When German joined us, I introduced Kayla to him and said we’d be going to the campus dining hall for lunch. It wasn’t gourmet food or anything. But it was good and I was starving. Coasting on caffeine and fumes since this morning, I wanted a burger so badly I could have begged for it!
Luckily, German didn’t put up a stink or try to beg off of lunch. Surprisingly, he was amiable while Kayla and I talked. The man even joined in on the conversation a few times which pleased me. It was almost like he was a real-life human being when he wanted to be one.
When we got to the cafeteria, Kayla and I headed straight for the burger station. “What are you in the mood for?” I asked German, and I swear his gaze traveled down my body before he asked, “What’s good here?”
Suppressing the urge to shiver with excitement, I pointed to the burger station. “The burgers here are good,” I replied, my voice coming out a bit raspy as I remembered his hot gaze.
German got in line behind Kayla and me as we began to fill our trays with sides and drinks. We both got fries and sodas, and German did the same. Cutting us off when we got to checkout, he paid for lunch for all three of us.
When both Kayla and I tried to protest, he shook his head. “Nope. Don’t even start with that mess. My mother would be ashamed of her son if I didn’t pay for the two of you pretty ladies.”
Grateful for the kind gesture, we both accepted his generosity. However, when we got home, I’d make sure to talk with my father about compensating the man for his thoughtfulness.
When our meals were ready, we found a clean table and began to tuck into our food. Something I never would’ve felt comfortable doing with my private school friends. They were all stick thin and lived mainly off of diet pills and lettuce. A diet I’d left behind with the school itself when I graduated. Screw it. I’d never wear a size zero or have rock-perfect abs. But I was fit, and I liked to work out, so I wasn’t apologizing to anyone for my love of burgers and fries.
Between bites of her yummy food and sips of soda, Kayla asked, “So, German, Maddy said you work with her dad. Are you in tech as well?”
Glancing surreptitiously in his direction, I hid my smile behind my soft drink as I waited to see how German fielded this difficult question.
“A friend of mine is a computer genius,” the clever man replied. “He couldn’t be here, so I’m helping in his place.”
His explanation was short, direct, and to the point. Although he’d said practically nothing, he’d managed to make it sound like he’d said all there was to say about the matter. Impressive.
Kayla glanced down at his patch then. “Are you in a Motorcycle Club?”
I noticed her face kind of soured when she asked this. So did German, because he sat forward a little and his eyes sharpened. “Yeah. The Devil’s Riders. Have you heard of them?”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “It’s just, I thought you might be from another Club.” She smiled then as if to brush off the question. “That was stupid of me to assume that all guys who are in motorcycle clubs were in the same one.” Nervously, she sipped her drink and popped a fry into her mouth.
German tilted his head. “Which Club?”
Kayla set down her drink and looked down into her lap. “It doesn’t matter. I’m sorry I brought it up.”
I placed my hand on Kayla’s arm reassuringly to let her know she was safe to speak up. “It’s okay, Kayla. You can tell us. Something’s obviously bothering you.”
Wiping her hand on her napkin, Kayla took a deep breath. “There’s this Club called the Watchmen. Have you heard of them before?”
German’s eyes narrowed even further. “Yeah, I’ve heard of them,” he confirmed, suddenly deeply interested in this conversation. “Have they been bothering you?”
Kayla fidgeted in her seat. “Just one guy. He’s been coming around my job lately and I was kind of hoping, if you knew him, were in the same Club I mean, you could convince him I’m not interested.”
I could tell how big a deal this was when German’s face hardened to stone. “Who’s bothering you?”
“His name’s Ghost,” Kayla revealed, sounding embarrassed by using the moniker. “He’s Roadmaster for his Club, I think. He’s just, I don’t know, a little scary is all.”
German nodded. “You want him to stop coming around?”
Kayla didn’t hesitate to answer. “Yeah. I’m just not interested and he can’t seem to take no for an answer.”
“I’ll make a call tonight to my buddies. If Ghost won’t listen to reason, he’ll listen to my President, Reaper.”
Her whole body relaxed at German’s words. “Thank you. I tried to tell him I wasn’t looking for a boyfriend at the moment, but he didn’t seem to care.”
“He sounds like a total dick,” I interjected, causing my friend to chuckle through her obvious upset.
“Pretty much,” she agreed.
We moved on to the topic of the upcoming semester next and then our love of fall fashion. When we began to talk about which riding boots we had our eyes on this season, German stood up from the table and excused himself to make a phone call.
After he left, Kayla turned to me and whispered, “Okay, spill. How into this guy are you?”
I was taken aback by her sudden change in topic. Was my lust for German that transparent? How embarrassing! “Um, I don’t know.”
“Well, if you don’t want him, I do!” she teased. “He’s gorgeous, dotes on you, pays for lunch, and makes problems mysteriously go away. Girl, wake up. You have to hook up with him. He’s a catch!”
Giving up on playing coy, I repeated the battle cry of my generation. “It’s complicated.”
She snorted. “You’re into him. He’s into you. What’s complicated about that? Is he single?”
I suddenly realized, after all we’d done together, I’d never bothered to ask. For obvious reasons, I was going to have to clarify the man’s relationship status. No sense getting attached to someone who already had someone else back home.
“I’m not sure,” I admitted.
“Well, find out! If he’s single, rip that man’s clothes off and have your naughty way with him. When you’re done, call me to repeat every sordid detail! I’ve been in a bit of a dry spell myself lately, so I have to live through others these days to get my kicks.”
I laughed. “I’ll get right on it.”
When German returned to the table five minutes later, we cleared our trays and I said goodbye to Kayla.
As we walked over to the main building where I planned to meet with my advisor, I asked, “You seemed concerned when Kayla mentioned the Watchmen. Are they bad guys? Is my friend in danger?”
“I don’t trust the Watchmen,” German indirectly answered. “But I trust my Prez. He’s going to look into it. Nothing’s going to happen to Kayla, Maddy. You have my word on that.”
The Club was tight-lipped. As an outsider, I understood why they needed to be about sensitive issues like this. I was just happy they’d be willing to help Kayla. I didn’t need to know all the dirty details. Just that she was safe from harm. “Thank you.”
German eyed me suspiciously then. “You aren’t going to pester me for details?”
I shrugged. “What for? You said you were going to fix it and I believe you. We haven’t known each other long, German, but I trust you. When you say you’re going to do something, you do it. That means a lot to me.”
Our eyes locked and we shared a moment of perfect understanding. Wanting to reach out and take his hand in mine, I suppressed my inner romantic and checked my watch instead. I was cutting it close for my meeting with my advisor. If I missed it, I knew it would be nearly impossible to drag German back to campus for another one.