Chapter Nine
Olivia
Dax picked me up from my uncle’s house right on time for our date. He’d text me and told me to dress casually and to wear a bikini underneath my clothes. I was glad it was warm outside when I heard that. I didn’t know what he had in mind, but whatever it was; I was looking forward to it being just him and I having a good time alone…like it used to be.
I wore a bikini and put a blue tank top on over it and a wrap-around skirt over a pair of matching leggings. I wore my hair down, mostly because it made it easier to get my helmet on that way.
“Hey gorgeous,” he said with a smile when he saw me. “You look great.”
“Thanks, so do you,” I told him.
He wore a short-sleeved shirt with a collar on it and what looked like a brand new pair of jeans. I grabbed a jacket for the bike, a leather one that Dax had actually bought for me a few years back.
“Are you ready?”
“Maybe,” I said with a smile. “Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise,” he said.
When he said wear the bikini, I was thinking picnic at the lake, but he didn’t seem to be carrying anything on the bike other than his regular saddle bags. I hoped the date involved food though, because I was starving.
I followed him out to the bike and we both put on our jackets and helmets. He slipped on his gloves and straddled the bike and I slipped on behind him. I loved the feel of him and the smell of leather. I loved the feel of the cool air on my face, being able to see the beauty of the landscape around us and the moon and stars up above us.
Dax turned in the direction of the hills and I realized after a while that we were going towards the lake. We used to do that a lot; take a picnic basket and go up there and eat and swim in the dark. Sometimes we’d make a bonfire if no one else was around. When we were kids, Dax had found us a secluded little spot. I hadn’t been there for a while and the closer we got, the more excited I became.
I was surprised to see another bike when Dax pulled his to a stop and parked.
When we got off, I asked him, “Who else is here?”
He looked at the bike and back at me and said, “Ryan.”
“Ryan who?” I asked. I genuinely had no idea who he was talking about.
“The newest prospect,” he said.
Bull made the new guys wear patches that said Prospect until they proved themselves. At last count, he only had two. Neither of them was named Ryan. I guess I was behind on what was happening with the club. I liked it. I wanted to keep moving away from it.
I followed Dax and wondered why he would invite this Ryan guy. When we came around the corner to the spot in the sand that was surrounded by beautiful big, red rocks I saw a bonfire already going. Dax stepped over one of the rocks and then he put his hand out to help me over. The sight I took in caused me to gasp. As Dax was thanking Ryan and sending him away, I stared at the scenery in front of me.
The bonfire was in the center of the space. On the right side of it was a huge, soft-looking plaid blanket, a little vase filled with wildflowers and a spread of food that made my mouth water and my belly rumble. There was fried chicken and potato salad…biscuits and coleslaw…I saw cheesecake and chocolate cake…and there was a big decanter with a big bottle of champagne chilling and ten or twelve bottles of beer.
“Oh my God, Dax…this is so amazing. I don’t even know what to say.”
He came over to me and took my hands and said, “You don’t have to say anything. I hope you like it though?”
“I love it,” I said, honestly. “It’s so romantic…it’s incredible…Did that guy set this all up?”
Dax laughed and said, “Um, no. He was just protecting it until we got here. I set it up before I came to get you.”
I put my arms around him and gave him a long, deep kiss. When we came up for air I said, “Thank you.”
He grinned and replied, “You’re welcome. Are you hungry?”
“Oh God, I’m starving,” I told him. He laughed again. He used to always tease me about having a big man’s appetite in a little girl’s body.
“Good, let’s eat first,” he said.
“First, before what?”
“Before we swim,” he said with another grin.
“It’s a little cold, don’t you think?”
“Nah, it’s been warm all day. The water will be a good swimming temperature. Let’s eat first, and then we’ll talk about it.”
We sat down on the blanket and ate. The fried chicken was delicious and I wondered if his mother had made it or if he’d bought it somewhere. When I tasted the biscuits I could tell that they were unmistakably Gail’s.
“Did your mom cook all day for us?”
“Not for me,” he said. “For you. Every time she hears we’re doing something together, she does a happy dance. I think you’re the daughter she’s always wanted.”
I laughed. Everyone knew how Gail felt about her son. Dax was the one she’d do anything for and since he had to have Bull for a father, I was glad he had her.
“It’s delicious. Thank her for me,” I said.
“It is delicious,” he said.
While we ate, he described his day at Greg’s with me. The light in his eyes when he talked about it was what was exciting to me. I loved to see him happy more than anything else.
“I’m so glad your mom is helping you do that. I think it’s going to be great for you and I’m sure you’ll make it a rousing success,” I told him.
“Damn, you should have saved that for the toast,” he said with a smile. Taking out the bottle of champagne, he popped the top off and poured the rich, gold bubbly into two glasses. Handing me one he said, “To us!”
“To us and to your new business, and to happy and healthy futures for us both,” I said.
We clinked and drank.
He asked, “Ready for a dip?”
“I don’t know…”
“Come on,” he said. “If it’s too cold we can get right back out.”
I really didn’t want to. I could tell by the air outside that it was going to be too cold already. His sexy eyes in the moonlight with the firelight dancing across his face were too convincing though.
“Okay, but just for a minute. I want cheesecake.”
He laughed and agreed. We took some towels that he’d draped over one of the rocks and walked the little path to the back side of the lake by moonlight. It felt good to be there with him, holding his warm hand and having him stop every so often and press his sweet lips to mine. I hadn’t been this content for a long time.
When we reached the lake, I looked out over the calm water. It was so still that it looked like a huge mirror. I could see the silver reflection of the moon in it and the trees that surrounded it.
“It’s so pretty,” I told him. “I haven’t been here in a long time.”
“Me neither,” he said. “Not since the last time I was here with you.”
It would have been the summer before we left for college. The year that Dax was arrested and both of our lives had radically changed.
I pulled off my shirt and skirt, stripping down to my bikini. I would take off my flip-flops when we reached the edge of the lake. You never really knew what people would throw down in the sand. I looked at him and he was watching me.
“Are you going in?” I asked him.
“Yep, I was enjoying the warm-up show,” he said.
“Oh? I’m a warm-up show, am I?”
He grinned and pulled me against him, hard. I turned my face up to his and he looked down at me and said, “Yep and the main event and the closer. You’re the whole show, baby.”
His mouth found mine and we shared a long, slow kiss. Our tongues entwined and I could taste champagne on us both. It was so easy for me to melt into his big arms. I loved him like I knew I would never love anyone else in my life. He let his hands run down my back and then I felt them hot against the curves of my ass through my bikini bottoms.
“Let’s get in,” he said, when we came up for air. I wrinkled my nose, but after he’d stripped to his boxers, I took his hand and let him lead me in to where the water covered just up over my ankles.
“It’s cold!” I squealed.
“Don’t be such a baby!” he said.
He grabbed me and as I struggled, we both toppled forward into the cold water. We came up sputtering and laughing.
After sharing a few more kisses I said, “At the risk of sounding like a baby, I’m freezing!”
He laughed and said, “Me too.”
We climbed out hand in hand and each of us wrapped in one of the big towels he had brought. He put his arm around me and we walked back over to where the toasty fire was still burning. Dax poured me another glass of champagne and opened himself a beer. We sat by the fire and cuddled while talking about his business and what his plans were for it. I thought about bringing up school, but the timing just didn’t seem right.