Chapter 21
CHAPTER
TWENTY-ONE
Rain
Trout waves me through the gate, and I drive forward until I stop at the clubhouse. Grabbing my bag and the cake I picked up, I get out of the truck and head inside.
“I have arrived!” I shout, making the girls turn my way.
“Finally!” Aspen says.
“Oh, what did you bring?” Maggie asks.
“I picked up a cake from the bakery,” I say, making the girls moan.
“I swear to god, I would give up my husband for the baker,” Kim sighs.
Chloe, working behind the bar again, giggles. “I didn’t know you swung both ways.”
“Back in my youth, then I met my man and decided to stop looking elsewhere,” Kim says.
“Huh, I would have never guessed,” Maggie says, looking at her thoughtfully.
I set down the cake and sit next to Maggie.
“Hey, Lisa, it’s been a while. How are you?” I ask as I take in the other woman.
“I’m doing okay.” She smiles softly.
Her husband, Cloak, was diagnosed at the same time as my dad. Only his cancer was much more aggressive, and he passed not that long after. She still comes around from time to time, but not as often as she used to.
“What can I get you to drink, Rain? The girls are having margs,” Chloe says.
“I’ll take one too, if you don’t mind. I can always come make it myself.”
She waves away my offer and gets to work making my drink.
“How was work?” Maggie asks.
“It was fine. Nothing exciting.” I shrug. “Now tell me, what did I miss?”
“I was just telling the girls that a house burned down in my neighborhood last night. It’s a single dad with two teenage daughters. They think it was electrical,” Kim says.
“Oh god. I can’t even imagine. Especially with the weather we’ve been having.”
It’s been cold. Really fucking cold for this time of year.
“I think we should bring it up to the guys. We could do a fundraiser. Take in a bunch of donations for them and help get them back on their feet,” Maggie says.
“I just went through my dad’s clothes. I have several bags set aside for donations. If the dad is a similar size, I’d give them to him instead of the shelter downtown like I was planning to do,” I offer.
“I might have some clothes that will fit too,” Aspen adds. “I have always had a problem with over-shopping.”
Maggie shoots her a teasing smile. “Just make sure they aren’t any of your clubbing clothes.”
Aspen rolls her eyes and smiles.
“You guys are too sweet. Think the guys will go for it?” Kim asks.
Maggie turns toward her. “Of course. I mean, I know I haven’t been around that long, but it’s no secret that the guys like to give back to the community when they can. This wouldn’t be out of the norm for them.”
Aspen and I nod.
It totally has the club written all over it. In the past, we’ve helped raise money for people who were about to lose their homes, people’s medical bills, and more. If there is one thing I know about Panther, it’s that he likes to give back and has instilled that same desire in the men around him.
“I’ll bring it up when they get out of their meeting,” Maggie says, pointing her finger over her shoulder toward the room they call the chapel.
Aspen turns toward me with a wicked smile. “How are things going between you and your husband?”
Husband.
The sound of that word is hitting differently now that I’ve admitted to myself that I am in love with him. It’s like the word before only meant obligation, but now it holds expectations. A future.
“It must be good if she’s making that kind of face,” Kim teases, pulling me out of my thoughts.
“Things with him are good,” I tell them. “I applied to have my name changed legally.”
“Way to bury the lead. I thought you wanted to keep your maiden name?” Maggie asks.
“I thought I did too, but I realized I was only holding onto it as a way to keep my distance from him. We are married. I want to share the same last name as my husband. We might divorce in the future, but I don’t want to part ways thinking I didn’t give it my all.
I guess what I am saying is that I am all in now. ”
They all clap, making my cheeks heat.
“Okay, enough. It’s not that big of a deal.” I roll my eyes.
“It’s a pretty big deal. You don’t even like to date, but now you are married and willing to take his last name. I think we need shots to celebrate,” Aspen jokes.
“No!” Kim, Maggie, Lisa, and I all say at the same time.
“Party poopers.” She sighs. “Anymore killer dates?”
I shake my head. “No, we’ve both been busy, but he helped me go through some of my dad’s things, and he’s made dinner every night before I get home, even if he won’t be there to eat with me.
He even started presetting the coffee to brew while I’m in the shower, so I don’t have to wait for it once I’m done getting ready. ”
“That’s so sweet. I love when Panther does little things like that for me,” Maggie sighs.
“Wolf makes sure I never come close to running out of energy drinks. He says I become someone else when I don’t have my first hit of caffeine right away.” Aspen laughs.
“My man draws me a bath twice a week. Sometimes three if I had a hard shift at work.” Kim smiles, referring to Prairie.
“Who would have thought that the big bad bikers were secret softies,” I tease, making them chuckle.
I joke, but I always knew. My dad was the biggest, toughest-looking biker, but I can’t forget all the times he would be soft for me.
Like when I skinned a knee and cried when I was six.
He was in a panic trying to make me laugh again.
Or when my prom date stood me up. He escorted me himself, ignoring the faculty when they tried to tell him he couldn’t go in.
He was the best man I’ve ever known. Well, besides Ridge, now. I’m slowly coming to realize that Ridge is a pretty good man too.
“Do you know who I think would make a great husband?” Maggie asks.
“Eagle,” Aspen says.
“Trout,” Kim chimes in.
“Dove?” Lisa tosses out.
“Yak.” The girls look at me like I’m crazy. “What? You can’t tell me that the man wouldn’t keep someone thoroughly entertained!”
“True.” Kim laughs.
Maggie shakes her head. “All good options, but I think Meek would be fantastic. Think about how observant he is. He would know what you want before you do, and the man screams caretaker.”
“Should it worry me, Magpie, that you think someone else would make a great husband?” Panther teases.
Maggie jumps in her spot and looks over her shoulder. “You know not to sneak up on me!”
He raises a brow.
“Please, we both know that the only man I’ll ever marry is you, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think Meek would be a fantastic partner for someone else,” Maggie says.
“Thank you, but that’s not exactly my thing. Sharing a life with someone and all,” Meek says, nodding toward her as he walks away.
Ridge comes up behind me and places his hands on my shoulders. When he starts to rub them, I can’t help but sigh as I sink into his touch.
“You’re a little tight,” he murmurs for only me to hear.
“In more ways than one,” I quip.
His hands falter for a second.
I tip my head back and watch as he lowers his head.
“If you’re going to say things like that, we need to get out of here,” he says against my lips.
“Soon.”
“Very soon.”
He leans in and actually gives me a kiss. His lips are warm against mine, and I can’t help but try to deepen the kiss. Ever since the first time our lips touched, I’ve wanted more. I can’t get enough of him and what he does to me.
A throat clears, pulling us apart.
“You know there is a bedroom down the hall if you need it,” Aspen teases.
Without looking away from my man, I say, “Maybe we do.”
Ridge
“A group of veterans are wanting to start their own club in the area. I talked to them this week, and I think it went well. They don’t want any territory or anything like that.
They just want to ride with their buddies and do the BACA thing,” Panther says, referring to the Bikers Against Child Abuse organization.
“Nothing wrong with that,” I murmur.
Panther nods. “I told them if a case is ever bad enough, we would be willing to step in and have in the past.”
“They know the score, though? That if they encroach, we will have issues,” Eagle asks.
“Yes, they understood,” Panther confirms. “They want nothing to do with that. More like a hobby bike group. Kind of like the one we pretend to be.”
Eagle nods.
“Next discussion I have on the table is our trip to Canada.” Panther turns toward me. “What do you have?”
Taking a deep breath, I lean back in my seat.
“I think we should head that way the third week of July. There isn’t a lot on the way up there, but we will have to go through Minneapolis in Minnesota.
I figured the ladies might like a pit stop at the Mall of America,” I say, referring to the biggest mall in the country.
“I haven’t picked an exact location in Ontario.
I figured we could move around, but on the way back, if we play our cards right, we could go a little out of the way and hit up Sturgis,” I say, referring to one of the biggest biker rallies there is.
“Fuck yes. I love Sturgis,” Falcon says, making everyone laugh.
Of course he does. Sturgis is wild, and you can see and do all sorts of shit. In all honesty, it’s kind of a nightmare because of how many different personalities there are. Usually, though, everyone knows the score and truces are drawn. Everyone is just there to have a good time.
“That would be fun,” Panther muses.
“Do you have a route in mind?” Eagle asks.
“It depends. We have two options. When we reach North Platte in Nebraska, we could cut north, or we could continue straight across and go to Des Moines, Iowa, and cut north there.”
“Which route is faster?” Talon asks.
Before I respond, Meek cuts in. “There is only a seventy-mile difference between the two.”
I nod. “Personally, I like the idea of going north and through Sioux City and over to Minneapolis, but that’s mainly because I fucking hate riding in Iowa.”
“The wind,” two of the guys say in unison.
Riding in the Midwest is shitty at times because the weather can turn on a dime when you least expect it. In Iowa and Kansas, though, the wind will get you out of nowhere, and it’s a bitch on a bike.
“That’s my vote then,” Dove says.
“Everyone agree? Head up and hit the corner of Iowa instead of riding through the majority of the state?” Panther asks.
Everyone says, “Aye.”
“I’ll map out our daily stops and book the hotels. I’ll let you all know at the next meeting,” I tell them.
“Cool. Anything else?” Panther asks, rubbing his hands together.
Everyone shakes their head no.
“All right, let’s get out of here,” Panther says, standing.
When the door opens into the main room, we hear laughter. Female laughter.
“They sound like they are having a good time,” Panther muses.
When we walk out, though, we catch the tail end of Maggie saying she thinks Meek would make a good partner.
Meek, being the introvert he is, thanks her but kindly declines any idea of intimacy with another human being. I swear, sometimes I wonder if he is a robot.
As Panther gives his woman hell, I walk over to mine. I place my hands on her shoulders and start to knead them. She sighs as she sinks into my touch.
“You’re a little tight,” I say quietly.
“In more ways than one,” she teases.
My hands falter for a second, and when she tips her head back, she’s smiling. The fucking minx knows what she’s doing. For a brief second, I think about how her pussy would grip my cock, milking me for all I have.
We have fooled around plenty. I’ve had the pleasure of her mouth as she has enjoyed mine, but we haven’t gone there yet. We need to. I need to know what she feels like wrapped around me.
Without thinking about it, I lean down and murmur, my lips brushing against hers. “If you’re going to say things like that, we need to get out of here.”
“Soon.”
“Very soon,” I echo back to her.
I lean in closer and press my lips against hers. Instantly, she opens for me, taking the kiss from what was supposed to be sweet to something dirty in seconds, making my cock twitch.
A throat clears, pulling us apart.
“You know there is a bedroom down the hall if you need it,” Aspen teases.
When I pull back, her eyes are dazed with lust.
“Maybe we do,” she murmurs, not bothering to hide her desire.
“Hey, Panther, I have a favor,” Kim says, breaking the spell.
“What’s up?” he asks her.
Kim jumps in and tells us about what went down in their neighborhood, and before the girls can even tell him exactly what they want to do, he cuts it.
“Let’s do it,” Panther says.
“Are you serious?” Kim asks, excitement bleeding into her voice.
“Of course? Why wouldn’t we?” he asks her.
I look down at Rain and say quietly, “We could see if any of your dad’s clothes would fit the guy.”
She smiles up at me. “I thought the same thing. It’s almost as if we are on the same page or something.”
“If we were on the same page, we would have already made excuses to ditch these assholes and be on our way home so I can eat your pussy again before I fuck you until the sun comes up.”
Her eyes dilate, and her breath catches.
“Hey guys, I have to go. Something very important came up,” Rain lies.
“Sure, it did,” Aspen teases.
Rain stands on shaky legs and holds out her hand. I take it and pull her toward the door.
It’s not a long ride home, but it is going to feel like ages with how hard my cock is for my girl.