2. Roxy
Roxy
I can’t believe Chopper just embarrassed me like that! How dare he act like I'm his property! He can’t control what I say or do. I'm nobody’s old lady. I don’t belong to any of them.
I never will.
Chopper throws his leg over the motorcycle and settles onto his seat. A moment later, the bike rumbles to life.
I’ll never admit this to anyone, but I love being on the back of a bike. Going for a ride through town and feeling the wind in my face. Nothing is better. You feel so free! Like you can go anywhere and do anything.
Chopper takes off towards the exit of the parking lot. He stops and waits for the traffic to clear, when I make no move to wrap my arms around him, he grabs both of my thighs and tugs me as tightly against him as he possibly can.
He keeps his hands on my thighs, making sure I don’t move, until there’s a break in the traffic. Then he squeezes my flesh before placing his hands on the handlebars and pulling onto the street.
I want to be a brat and refuse to wrap my arms around his waist, but that would be stupid.
I’d risk hurting myself or both of us. I have no doubt that if we took a sharp turn and I started to fall off the back of the bike, Chopper would do anything in the world to keep me safe, even if that meant hurting himself in the process.
Instead, I wrap my arms around his waist and hug him like I wish I could do on a normal day. I lay my cheek against his back and breathe in the scent of him.
He smells like home. Like wood and leather. Like the man I love.
Only he’ll never be mine. There’s one rule the men of the Savage Wolves are expected to adhere to above all other rules…
They can’t touch the Reeves Triplets.
And Chopper would never go against the rules he agreed to follow as a Savage Wolf.
Chopper pulls onto the property and parks in front of my home. He tugs his helmet off his head, but makes no move to climb from the bike.
The Savage Wolves have a bunch of small apartments for the members.
Some guys share an apartment. Some get a small studio that has a bed and a bathroom, but nothing else.
We have a three-bedroom place with its own kitchen.
It’s annoying to share a place with my two sisters, but that’s all I’ve ever known.
“Are you just going to sit here?” I murmur, still annoyed with his behavior in front of Darren.
Darren’s a nice guy. He’s not exactly the type of guy I’d like to date, but he’s one of the few guys who have the guts to even talk to me. Most guys are terrified of Dixie, Oakley, and me. They don’t want to risk talking to us and getting involved with the club in any way.
Chopper’s the complete opposite. He isn’t afraid of anyone… except maybe my dad. He’d stop at nothing to protect me. I have no doubt about it. He’d burn the world down to save me and I know it.
So, why am I always pushing him away?
I should be pulling him closer and begging him to give me more attention. Though I'm not sure it would be possible for him to give me more. He’s always watching. Always waiting to see if he should step in and help.
Yet he lets me stand on my own two feet. He gives me a chance to handle every situation before he comes to my rescue.
He’s the exact type of man I want… yet I keep him at arm’s length.
Why?
Because he makes you feel weak and vulnerable.
Because you know you don’t need to keep your guard up around him, but you’ll always be safe.
Because you can be soft with him. Because he’s the one man who will put me above everything else.
Because he’d give his own life without a thought if it would save me.
More than anything, because he’s seen me at my weakest and he took care of me.
The thoughts run through my head, making me feel like an idiot. I don’t like to feel weak or vulnerable. I pride myself on being strong and taking care of myself, yet I never seem to be able to do that when Chopper’s around.
But at the end of the day none of it matters because he’d never choose me over the club. The club always comes first.
“I just… I don’t get it,” he says softly.
“You don’t get what?”
“What you see in that guy.” He climbs off the bike and shakes his head as he faces me. He doesn’t hesitate to unbuckle my helmet and carefully tug it from my head. I know my hair is a wild mess, but I don’t care. I know Chopper doesn’t either.
“I don’t know. He’s nice.”
“You don’t like nice, Roxy! You don’t want some guy who’s going to open doors for you or bend over backwards to make you happy.
You want a guy who will throw a punch when someone offends you.
You want a man who’s not going to take your crap, but stand up to you.
You want a man with a backbone, not someone you can walk all over. ”
I open and close my mouth several times, but nothing comes out. He’s right. I want someone strong and willing to fight for me, not some nice guy with a pretty face.
“Forget it. Go after whoever you want. It doesn’t matter to me,” Chopper grumbles as he stomps towards my house with a deep scowl on his face.
Did… Did I just upset him?