Chapter 12
TWELVE
TINY
I wake up thinking about her. The room is still dark. My phone sits on the nightstand, screen dark, but I already know there’s probably a message waiting. I reach for it and open our chat. Lucy sent something at two in the morning.
Buttercup: Can’t sleep. Keep thinking about yesterday. Thank you.
I smile even though my eyes are barely open. I type back quick.
Me: Me too. Get some rest when you can. I’ll text you later.
I set the phone down and lie there for a minute. My chest feels full in a way that’s starting to feel normal. I’ve never had this before. Someone I want to text first thing when I wake up. Someone whose voice in my head makes the whole day feel different.
Club business is picking up. Pres called a meeting for this afternoon.
I already know it’s about the Southside Kings.
They’ve been sniffing around our territory more than usual.
Shipments going missing. Prospects reporting cars following them.
It’s not full war yet, but it’s getting there.
I push the thought aside for now. I’ve got a few hours before I have to deal with that. Right now I just want to focus on Lucy.
We’ve been sneaking around for days. Short texts between her shifts.
Quick drives where I pick her up a few blocks from the clinic and we park somewhere quiet.
One night we sat in my truck for two hours just talking.
Another time she only had twenty minutes and we spent it kissing until her lips were swollen.
Every stolen moment feels like it matters more than the last.
I get up and make coffee. While it brews I scroll through our messages again.
She sent a picture yesterday of a drawing one of the kids at the clinic made for her.
A stick figure in scrubs with a big smile.
She wrote that it made her day. I saved the picture.
I don’t even feel stupid about it anymore.
My phone buzzes while I’m pouring the coffee.
Lucy: Morning. Work is already busy. You have church today?
Me: Yeah. Should be done by evening. You free after work?
Lucy: I can tell them I’m studying late again. Meet at the usual spot?
Me: I’ll be there.
I spend the rest of the morning doing small shit around the house. I fix the loose hinge on the kitchen cabinet. I wash my bike even though it doesn’t really need it. Anything to keep my hands busy so I don’t drive over there early and risk her dad seeing me.
Church starts at two. The room is full when I walk in. Pres is at the head of the table. Rook sits to his right. Steele, Cole, the twins, all the patched members. I take my usual seat and nod at the guys. The mood is heavier than normal.
Pres doesn’t waste time. “Southside Kings are pushing harder. Another shipment got hit last night. Small stuff, but it’s adding up. Prospects are reporting tails again. We need to stay sharp.”
Wyatt leans forward. “You think they’re testing us?”
“Could be,” Pres says. “Or they’re gearing up for something bigger. Either way we don’t give them an opening. No solo runs for a while. Pairs at minimum. Eyes open.”
I listen but my mind keeps drifting back to Lucy. If things get bad with the Kings I need to make sure she’s safe. Her dad already hates me. If club shit spills over it could make everything worse for her. I rub my jaw and try to focus.
The meeting drags for another hour. By the time we’re done the sun is starting to go down. I head straight for the truck. I park in our usual spot a couple blocks from the clinic and wait.
She texts me when she’s walking out. A few minutes later she opens the passenger door and climbs in. She looks tired but her eyes light up when she sees me.
“Hi,” she says.
I reach over and pull her closer. I kiss her before either of us can say anything else. She melts into it right away. Her hands come up to my shoulders. I keep it slow at first. I just want to feel her. When we break apart I rest my forehead against hers.
“Missed you,” I tell her.
“I missed you too.” Her voice is soft. “Work was nonstop today.”
I start the truck and pull away from the curb. “You hungry?”
She shakes her head. “Not really. Can we just go somewhere quiet?”
I drive us out to the spot by the river we went to on our first date. The sun is almost down when we get there. I park facing the water and cut the engine. We sit there for a minute in the quiet.
Lucy unbuckles her seatbelt and climbs over the console into my lap. I slide the seat back to give her room. She settles against me and kisses me again. This one is deeper. Hungrier. I slide my hands under her cardigan and feel the warm skin of her back. She shivers but presses closer.
I break the kiss long enough to look at her. “You sure you’re okay with this? With all the sneaking around?”
She nods. “I hate lying. But I hate the idea of not seeing you more.”
I kiss her neck. She tilts her head to give me better access. I keep my mouth there while my hands explore. I slide one hand up her side under her scrub top. She makes a small sound when my thumb brushes the underside of her breast. I do it again on purpose.
“Tiny,” she breathes.
I pull back just enough to look at her face. “Tell me what you want.”
Her cheeks are flushed. “I want to touch you too.”
I nod. She reaches down and unbuttons my jeans. Her hand slips inside. The first touch of her fingers makes me groan. She’s tentative at first but she learns fast. I show her how I like it, my hand over hers, guiding her.
“That’s it,” I say against her mouth. “Just like that. Fuck, you feel good.”
She keeps going. I slide my hand into her pants and find her wet. I circle her clit with my thumb and she moans into my mouth. We work each other like that for a while. Slow. Learning. I tell her how perfect she feels. How much I love the sounds she makes. How I’ve been thinking about this all day.
When she gets close I add a finger inside her. She tightens around me and comes with my name on her lips. I follow right after, her hand still on me. We stay like that afterward, breathing hard, her head on my shoulder.
I rub her back slowly. “You’re mine, Lucy. I need you to know that. Not in a controlling way. Just… you’re it for me.”
She lifts her head and looks at me. Her eyes are soft. “I feel the same way.”
We talk for a long time after that. She tells me more about her dad’s latest comments. How he keeps bringing up Daniel like it’s still an option. I tell her about the club meeting. I don’t go into too much detail but I let her know things are getting tense with the Southside Kings.
“I worry about you,” I say. “If shit gets bad I need to know you’re safe.”
She nods against my chest. “I’ll be careful.”
We stay out there until it gets too late. I drive her back to her car and watch her drive away. The whole ride home I keep thinking about how she looked when she came. The way she said my name. The way she fits against me.
I’m in love with her. The realization hits me somewhere between the river and my house.
It’s not sudden. It’s been building for weeks.
But tonight it settles in my chest like it belongs there.
I love Lucy Parker. I love her strength and her softness.
I love how she fights for what she wants even when it scares her.
I love the way she trusts me with her body and her heart.
When I get home I text her goodnight. She answers right away.
Lucy: Goodnight. Thinking about you.
I lie in bed staring at the ceiling. The club tension is real. Her dad is getting more suspicious. But none of that changes how I feel. I’ll keep her safe. I’ll keep us safe. Whatever it takes.
The next few days follow the same pattern.
Stolen moments. Quick kisses in the truck.
Longer nights when she can get away. One afternoon I pick her up on the bike again.
She holds onto me tighter than last time.
We ride out to a quiet road and park. She climbs into my lap right there on the bike.
We don’t go all the way but we get close.
My hands under her clothes. Her mouth on my neck.
I tell her how good she feels. How I can’t get enough of her. How she’s mine.
Another night we meet at the clubhouse again. The girls are there. They pull her into their conversation like she’s always been part of it. I watch from across the room and feel something settle in my chest. This is what I want for her. People who see her. People who have her back.
Later in one of the back rooms we go further.
She goes down on me for the first time. I keep my hand in her hair and tell her how perfect she is.
How hot her mouth feels. How I’ve been dreaming about this.
When I come I pull her up and kiss her deep.
Then I return the favor. I take my time between her legs until she’s shaking and saying my name like a prayer.
Afterward I hold her close. “I love you,” I say. The words come out easy. Natural.
She lifts her head. Her eyes are wide. “I love you too.”
We say it again. Slower. Like we’re testing how it feels. It feels right.
The club tension keeps building in the background.
Another meeting. More reports about the Southside Kings.
Pres wants us to double up on runs. I start worrying more about Lucy.
Her dad has been asking questions about where she goes after work.
She told me he checked her phone one night while she was in the shower. She deleted our messages just in time.
I worry about keeping her safe. I worry about what happens if her dad finds out how serious this is. I worry about club shit spilling over and touching her. But every time I see her those worries get quieter. She makes me feel steady. She makes me feel like I can handle whatever comes.
One night we only have twenty minutes. I pick her up on the bike and we park behind an old warehouse.
We don’t even get off. She stays in front of me on the seat.
My hand slides into her pants while she grinds against me.
I tell her how wet she is. How much I love feeling her like this.
How she’s going to come for me right here.
She does. I follow right after, her name on my lips.
Afterward I hold her tight. “We’ll get through this,” I say. “All the sneaking. All the bullshit with your dad. We’ll figure it out.”
She nods against my chest. “I know.”
I drive her back to her car and watch her leave. On the way home I think about the future. About a time when she doesn’t have to lie. About building something real with her. I’m in love with Lucy. Completely. And I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her.
The days keep passing. More secret dates.
More stolen moments. More times I realize how deep I’m in.
The club tension is there in the background but Lucy is the center of everything now.
She’s the reason I smile when I wake up.
She’s the reason I’m careful on runs. She’s the reason I know I’ll fight for this no matter what comes next.
I’m hers. And she’s mine. And that’s enough to keep me going.