Chapter 12 Birdie #2
Mia and Zoey are running around chasing dogs, and a very pretty, very pregnant girl in a boho-style maxi dress is barefoot as she sits and talks to two very, very handsome guys.
“Birdie,” Alice says. She stops first in front of the giant man. “This is Tiny, president of the motorcycle club and Lia’s dad.”
Tiny grunts, and Crow lets out a belly laugh. “Come on, old man.” He holds out a hand and yanks Tiny up from the chair.
“Nice to meet you,” Tiny says, holding out a hand to me. “I hear you’re risking your house so Crow over here can put together a résumé of construction projects. I don’t know whether to feel sorry for you or thank you.”
I shake his hand and look at Crow, who’s shaking his head. He flicks Tiny on the shoulder and hisses, “Asshole.” But the grins on their faces let me know the ribbing is well-intentioned.
“Congratulations,” I say, then Alice whisks me off to meet the guest of honor and the guys she’s chatting up.
“Lia,” Alice interrupts. “There’s someone here I want you to meet.”
Lia stands up, huffing a breath from the exertion.
“No, no, no,” she exclaims. “I want to meet you. Are you Mia’s mom?
Because all I have heard about for the last few weeks is Mia this, Mia that.
Zoey’s already planning all the ways your daughter is going to help her babysit this little egg. ” She rubs her belly.
I give her a hug and wish her congratulations, a tiny spark of longing filling my chest. I’m not jealous.
But I never had a shower like this, loved ones and friends and dogs and happiness spilling over.
While Mom and I were overjoyed with Mia once she arrived, the pregnancy wasn’t something we really had time to celebrate.
“Come on,” Lia says, walking over to the two gorgeous men talking in low voices. “Meet the baby daddy. This is Leo.”
Leo greets me, and I recognize him as the newest member of the motorcycle club, from what Crow has told me. Crow and Leo clasp arms in a warm bro-hug, but I notice a definite chill when Crow greets the other guy.
“And this is Arrow,” Alice says.
Arrow doesn’t look like the other guys. He’s smoother, more refined in a way, even though colorful tattoos line his well-defined arms. While the other guys have a relaxed, almost rowdy air about them, Arrow is more reserved.
“Glad to see you, man,” he says, holding out his hand to Crow.
There’s a lot to interpret in their greeting, and I’m hoping I’ll get the lowdown from Crow later. Before I know what’s happening, there are more introductions, Tim and Juliette, Leo’s brother and his girlfriend, and a few more guys with names like Dog and Eagle.
The backyard is colorfully decorated with streamers and balloons, and the cake is a work of art. Crow and I eat and talk, and I enjoy the company of these friendly strangers.
As the sun starts to sink in the sky, Alice sidles up to me and puts an arm over my shoulders.
“Soooo,” she says, a grin on her face. “How would you feel about leaving your little angel here for a sleepover? Mia and Zoey haven’t left each other’s side all afternoon.
Between chasing and feeding the dogs, they haven’t been inside at all, and I bet after all this running, they’ll actually sleep. ”
“Alice,” I say, “are you up for an overnight guest? You have all this cleaning to do, and…” I don’t say it out loud since I know she and Morris were holding on to the news about their baby until after this shower.
She shakes her head. “Tiny’s already got the guys on it.
I won’t have much to do but supervise. And honestly, it’ll be great for Morris and me.
I can put my feet up and relax and know that Zoey’s not bored.
Besides—” she gives me a sisterly nudge in the shoulder “—if you’re feeling up to a date night… ”
I brush the hair away from my face. “It is that obvious?”
“Honey, I know you and Crow came here together, but he’s been looking at you all afternoon like he can’t wait to leave with you.” Alice’s words are teasing but sincere.
I look over at Crow, who hasn’t been out of my line of sight all afternoon.
He’s chatting with Arrow, a thoughtful, almost dark look on his face.
I’ll have to ask him what the deal is later.
Even though he looks deep in conversation, he glances up and sees me watching him, and the corner of his mouth curves into a smile.
The darkness of his gaze lightens a bit.
Even Arrow notices the change and follows Crow’s eyes to me.
Arrow nods and claps Crow on the shoulder, then walks away to talk to Tim.
“If you’re sure…” I say. “Will you call me if it’s too much? If she’s up late or anything? What about dinner? Can I give you some money for food?”
“Are you serious? We have enough of these leftovers to feed the whole club.” Alice swats my arm and shoves me toward Crow. “Zoey!” she yells. “How would you like Mia to sleep over tonight?”
The girls’ response is predictable—excitement mixed with begging.
“No, Zoey. Absolutely not.” Alice shakes her head before they get too carried away. “Lia’s dogs are going home with her. You know Dad’s rules. No dogs inside the house.”
“Aw…” Zoey’s only momentarily discouraged by that, but then Mia runs up to me.
“Mama, we didn’t pack anything for a sleepover. I don’t have a toothbrush or pajamas.”
“We have extras,” Alice assures us. “You don’t need a thing unless your mom says you do.”
Once we work out the logistics, we start the process of saying our goodbyes.
That takes a solid half hour, even with Crow abruptly cutting short the hugs and nice-to-meet-yous.
After a last goodbye hug to Mia with reminders to mind Alice and to call if she needs anything, Crow and I walk through the house and toward my car.
The whole night is ahead of us. And we get to spend it however we want.
Back at my place, I start to fade fast.
“Hey.” Crow walks me to the front door, but he hesitates as I unlock it. “You look exhausted, Birdie. I don’t have to come in. You have the night off. You should rest if you need it.”
I open the door and loop my hand through his arm. “Get your hot ass in here.” I lock the door and drop my purse and keys. “I could use a little rest, for sure. Today was awesome, but I’m feeling it. A lot of activity, a lot of stimulation. Mind if we chill on the couch a bit?”
He shakes his head. “I’ll get drinks. You want sweet tea?” he asks.
“Only if you make it,” I reply.
He chuckles and takes a few minutes in the kitchen while I get comfy on the couch.
I close my eyes and think through all the people I met today.
None of them were what I expected. Lia and Leo are so adorable, so touchy-feely and so completely in love.
Dog and Eagle and Tiny are brawny bikers, but sitting around drinking beer and eating puppy-themed cupcakes, they seemed nothing like what I imagined Crow’s biker brothers would be.
There was only one person at that party who gave me pause in any way.
“Here ya go.” Crow sets two tall glasses filled to the brim on the coffee table, then joins me on the couch.
He sits in the position I’ve come to expect, his legs spread open and stretched along the length of the couch. I tuck in between his legs and rest the back of my head against his chest. I close my eyes while he strokes my temples.
“So,” I start. “What’s the deal with you and Arrow? Every time you talked to him today, you seemed…uncomfortable.”
I can feel Crow take a big breath of air and then slowly release it.
“That bad?” I chuckle. I keep my eyes closed, giving myself a little time to wind down while I run my hands over the black denim that covers his muscular thighs.
“Nah, it ain’t bad,” he says. “Arrow wants me to come work for him.”
I nod slightly, intensifying the pressure of my fingertips on his legs. “Good thing? Bad thing? Fill me in?”
Another of those deep-chested sighs before he says, “Little of both. He used to be a bail agent but now is a private investigator. Running down insurance scammers and cheating spouses.” The gentle pressure of his hands on my scalp intensifies just a bit as he talks.
“I don’t know. The money would be good, and obviously, that’d be good for me, for us.
But something about ratting people out, spending my days digging up dirt on people doing shady shit… ”
“It sounds a lot like being a cop or law enforcement,” I say. “But without the police powers.”
“Shit…” He sounds surprised, and I turn to look at him.
“Birdie, do you think that’s it? I’ve been racking my brain to figure out what the big deal is.
It’s not illegal, it’s not immoral. He gets paid by clients for information they need.
It shouldn’t be a problem, but every time I think about doing it, my gut just… ” He shrugs.
“Could be,” I say gently. “After what you’ve been through, I could see you feeling a lot of things.
Fear, hesitation. In some ways, you’d be putting yourself in the position of power over people who, I don’t know…
Maybe are people whose circumstances you can relate to a little too closely. I can see why you’re torn.”
He lowers his head so his chin rests lightly on the top of my head. “This makes a hell of a lot of sense. I don’t know why I didn’t see it that way. It’s good money, though, babe.”
“Babe?” I wiggle from under the gentle weight of his head and face him. “I like how that sounds.”
“Better than Birdie?” he asks, smiling.
“I like it all,” I admit. I lean forward and give him a light kiss on the cheek, not ready to end the conversation just yet. “Money is only one reason to take work,” I remind him. “If it doesn’t feel right, you shouldn’t feel pressure to do it.”
“I don’t,” he admitted. “I told him I’d give it a try this week.
Just one assignment to see how it feels.
He’s going to give me a car to use. I guess he’s got an agreement with a rental company.
He prefers not to use his own truck when he’s watching people or running around, so he’ll give the same to me while I’m working. ”
“Is that what you want? Are you really okay with this?” I don’t have solutions to his problems, and I really don’t want him to feel like anything I’m going through should factor into his decisions.
If he wants my car, it’s his. Other than taking Mia to and from school, which I’m fully cleared to do now, I have no place to be next week.
“It is,” he says. “The money will help a lot, and who knows. Maybe I can do it short-term. Until I get the construction stuff off the ground.”
He sounds okay with it, but I’m not sure. I decide not to press him. He knows what he can and cannot stomach. I leave him with one last thought.
“Crow,” I say, “I’m really glad you’re thinking about options for the future, but I had a more short-term project I was hoping to get your help with.”
He cocks his chin, those dark-chocolate eyes staring through to my soul. “Yeah? What’d you have in mind?”
“I’ve got this itch I just can’t scratch,” I say quietly.
“Want me to try to find it?” he asks, his voice every bit as low as mine.
“Please?”
He puts his hands on my hips and guides me back into the position I was in before, tucked in between the length of his legs. I lean my back against his chest and close my eyes.
“Is it here?” he asks, trailing his fingers along the tops of my shoulders.
“No,” I whisper, my voice growing husky. “Keep trying.”
“Here?” He’s stroking my arms, his large hands sliding over my skin. I look down at those perfect sparrows on his hands as they flutter down my body.
“Nuh-huh,” I say.
“Any place I can’t check?” he rasps. I can feel him hardening behind me, and I stifle a thrilled grin at the way his body responds to me.
“Babe. I’m all yours.”
He groans softly but keeps the pace light and the pressure even.
He works his fingertips into my shoulders and trails his fingers gently over the front of my throat before working his way down to the front of my blouse.
I arch my back slightly, my nipples aching with need.
He traces his fingertips over the hard tips so lightly I can hardly feel anything but a tease.
I squirm as heat floods my core, and I strain against my blouse, desperate for more.
“Birdie.” His breath is hot against my ear as he cups my breasts in his hands. “Do you like this?”
“God yes,” I breathe.
It’s not a matter of liking anything.
When he circles the weight of my breasts with his hands, his fingers pinching and twisting my nipples, I start to come undone.
My mouth opens, and I’m breathing fast, need and arousal making everything cloudy.
I throw my head back against his chest and give in to the sensation, losing all sense of time and space.
My body, so often my enemy, takes over, pleasure spreading through my limbs.
I wiggle my hips, trying to get closer to him, and I hold my hands over his, increasing the exquisite pressure on my breasts.
“Birdie…” His breaths are coming heavy now too, and the tension I feel against my back grows to an uncomfortable point.
“Crow,” I huff. “Let’s take this upstairs.”