Chapter Eleven
Eleven
Keys called out to Lyric several times, calling her in for dinner, but she was absorbed in designing the backyard.
When she’d gone out to do so, he believed she’d make a few sketches and they’d talk about it.
No, she was completely and utterly focused on the drawings she’d made in the dirt.
He’d had pavers delivered and had already excavated and compacted the land so it was as smooth as he could get it for her.
They’d mapped out where to put flowers, shrubs and trees.
She was so excited she could hardly take the time to make the list for Czar of the things she needed for her salon.
That, Keys knew, had to do with her reluctance to accept help.
She wanted them to keep an inventory so she could get a payment plan going.
He told her Czar would be insulted, and no one intentionally insulted Czar.
That stopped her complaining, but then she focused almost entirely on the backyard.
Keys loved watching her. She moved around the house and in the backyard with that easy-flowing grace she had when no one was watching her.
She turned into a complete goof when she knew he was paying close attention.
More than once he’d gotten a full-body blush when he’d stripped her outside and had his wicked way with her.
In their bed, he made love to her. Slow.
Gentle. Looking into her eyes. Making sure she felt every single emotion he gave her with his hands, his mouth and his cock.
He wanted her to feel him inside her. He wanted to wrap himself so tightly in her that she would never be able to think of leaving him.
Or what it would be like to be with another man.
During the day, he taught her what dirty sex could be, anywhere and everywhere.
He spent a great deal of time in his woodworking shop, making them an artsy bench.
She helped design it and learned very quickly how to use the tools.
He didn’t tell her that he had a special purpose in mind for that bench.
That would come as she learned to be very trusting of him.
Lyric laughed a lot. If she was outside and he suddenly appeared, her entire face lit up and she’d rush him, jumping into his arms as if she hadn’t seen him just an hour earlier.
She did the same if she was in the house and he came in from working on their outdoor furniture.
He wanted that greeting every day of his life.
There would be many times he would be gone, doing business for the club.
When he returned, he knew he would need that exact reaction from her.
Although it was just the two of them, it was surprising how much work they got done, transforming the backyard from notably bare to the beginnings of a beautiful patio and fire pit surrounded by young plants they put into the ground.
He showed her how to put together an efficient water system to help the plants begin their life.
He had three springs on the property and had spent time developing one of the three for just such an opportunity.
Keys had to admit, Czar was a wise man. They’d needed this past week to bond tight together without any interference from the outside world.
He’d never seen Lyric so relaxed. More and more, when he introduced her to some of the kink he liked to indulge in, she trusted him to take them to new heights.
She was going to have to rely on that trust pretty heavily over the next couple of weeks.
He was going to have to talk to her about the parties.
“Going to spray you with the hose, woman, if you don’t come in for dinner,” he announced, careful to stand just inside the doorway. Lyric had access to a hose and she wouldn’t hesitate to use it. He was hoping for her usual reaction but prepared for the worst.
Lyric turned around and her face lit up. Bog, that smile. She dragged off her gloves, already running toward him. He braced. She was a little thing, but momentum was a huge factor because she didn’t slow down. She leapt for him, her arms circling his neck, her legs circling his waist.
“You’re amazing, Keys. I love the fire pit. It’s perfect for our space. I can’t wait for our bench to be finished.”
Neither could he, but that was for a very special day. He wanted to give her something unique and different when they finally had her equipment in for her salon. Code was their online order man, and he was always thorough. He couldn’t wait to show her what was being done in her absence.
Player, Maestro and Master were excellent woodworkers, and the three of them were determined to make up for their earlier mistake. They spent time in the shop, painting the colors Keys knew Lyric wanted and ensuring the heat and water worked properly.
Keys carried her into the house and placed her on a high-backed chair at the little table they both preferred to use.
“Made roasted vegetables, steamed asparagus and garlic bread tonight. And that artichoke pasta you like so much.” She mostly drank sparkling water with lime or lemon, and he had that ready for her.
“It looks fantastic. Honestly, Keys, I’ll learn to cook more than my boring salads. It was always just me, and cooking for one person isn’t much fun. But I did look at a cookbook a couple of days ago.”
His eyebrow shot up as he seated himself across from her. “You looked at a cookbook? That sounds ominous. And your salads are never boring.”
Her green eyes brightened with amusement. “Well, as every single recipe looked complicated, I hastily closed the offensive book and put it back on the shelf.” She indicated the small bookshelf that held a dozen cookbooks, courtesy of Lana and Alena.
She made him laugh. It was that simple. She’d introduced him to the concept of having fun. He hadn’t known what that was like.
“Babe, we need to talk a little bit about what to expect when Torpedo Ink is hosting a party for other chapters or other clubs. Or if we go on a run with other clubs, which we do a few times a year.”
Instantly, she focused her entire attention on him. She always knew when he was going to say something she might find difficult. He forced himself to be matter-of-fact. He knew what her first reaction was going to be.
“I told you how we were raised together.”
She nodded, her expression instantly compassionate. “Yes, not all the horrible details, but I don’t need them. I know it was a very difficult time.”
“We watched one another’s backs. It was the only way we were safe. We weren’t allowed clothes most of the time, and we got very comfortable with nudity in front of one another. In fact, most of us are more comfortable without clothes.”
“I’m well aware. It doesn’t hurt that you have a smoking-hot body, Keys. Not everyone does.”
“We don’t see one another that way. It’s the same with sex. The things that happened to us in that school were vile. If we had sex with the others around, we knew we would be safe. That became normal as well.”
Her eyes widened with that look of innocent shock she gave him several times a day. “You have sex in front of one another?” She repeated it slowly, her tone incredulous.
“Often. And when we’re hosting a party, women come. Women who like to party hard with bikers.”
The moment he said it, he got the reaction. She looked carefully down at her plate and pushed the pasta around with her fork. “These are women you’ve been with?”
“Yeah, babe. A few of them. You know I have a past, and it isn’t pretty. It was before you. Those women aren’t part of my life now; only you are.”
She still didn’t look at him. “I get it, but how would you feel if you were in a room with a number of men who I’d had sex with?”
“I can’t hear shit like that, Lyric. We’ve talked about my reaction to the idea of another man putting his hands on you. I never had anything in my life, other than my bike, that was mine alone. Not that mattered. Until you.”
She sighed. “At least get what I’m saying. You go to your parties if that’s what you want to do, but I can stay here.”
“And worry the entire time that I’m going to revert back into that man.”
She didn’t deny it. “I have an overactive imagination when it comes to us. You know that, but if I elect to stay home to avoid having these women in my face, then however I end up feeling is on me, not you.”
“You staying home is not an option. I go to a party or on a run, you’re coming with me.
” He stated it in his usual velvet voice, the one she responded to as a rule.
Lyric always found it difficult to resist that tone.
Mostly, she didn’t try. He could see the stubborn set of her chin.
He always had the urge to bite it when she gave him that response.
“Why would you insist I go with you?”
“It’s a party. It’s fun. But more than that, we usually have a reason if we’re inviting others.
Normally, if we party, it’s just Torpedo Ink.
In this case, Czar called on the Trinity chapter to back up the club when they invaded Headed for Hell’s territory.
A violation of our codes could have easily led to war.
We owe Trinity. The Rampage club also backed us up.
They asked to be patched in as another chapter of our club.
We had the time to get to know the members of Trinity, but we aren’t as familiar with those in the Rampage club.
We suspect that most are legit, but there might be one or two plants. ”
She ate a bite of pasta. A good sign. She was thinking it over. He ate as well. He’d never been fond of cold food, not after living in the basement of the school from hell.
“Why do you need me there?”
“You’re my woman, and you pick up on things sometimes no one else does. I’m counting on that. In a situation like one of the parties that gets a little wild, I know I can count on you to follow the rules. That makes you an asset. More importantly, I like you with me.”