Grace
I SAT ON the floor and untied the ribbons of my toe shoes, removing the slippers and wrapping them together in said ribbons before shoving them into my bag. I was exhausted. I’d worked a full day, rushed over to Cassidy’s brutal class, and now I just wanted to take a hot bath and drink a bottle of wine. Maybe I’d drink a bottle of wine in the bath.
Standing, I pulled on a pair of sweats, shoved my shoes on my feet, and looped my bag strap over my shoulder before heading to where Cassidy was doing the same. “Thanks, Cass,” I said. “Adequate butt-kicking as usual.”
She grinned. “You need to get workin’ on those feet.”
I rolled my eyes. “God, I know. I’m rusty. But I’m sure that’ll all change in a couple of weeks.”
“Are you still going to work for Hatch?”
“I’d like to. The ballet gig’s part time for the moment. I need the money.”
“I hear that.” She hugged me. “Proud of you, honey.”
“Thanks, Cass. I couldn’t have done any of this without you.”
“You’re sweet.”
“Just speakin’ the truth.”
“I’ll email you the food plan I’ve been using with my students. It’s a good one, lots of protein, but the occasional cheat. It’ll keep you lean and strong, without being anorexic.”
I nodded. “That’d be good. I hate when I drop too much weight.”
Movement on my right pulled my focus and I let out a quiet gasp.
“Flea here for you?” Cassidy asked.
“Apparently,” I said, smiling back at Cassidy. “He’s early.”
She chuckled. “He changed the plan.”
“I guess so,” I said. “Thanks again.”
“No problem. I’ll see you on Saturday.”
Cassidy was married to Ace, one of the members of the Dogs of Fire, and the club was having a family pig roast on Saturday.
“Can’t wait,” I said, and headed to where Flea stood speaking with Ace. “Hey guys.”
Flea grinned, taking my bag from my shoulder. “Hey.”
Ace gave me a quick hug, then went to join his wife.
“I thought we were meeting at my brother’s,” I said.
“Had to help Ace with somethin’, so figured I’d stick around,” he said. “You looked good.”
I smiled. “Thanks. I’m super rusty… which is why I now feel like dying.”
“You want a rain check?”
I shook my head. “You promised me chocolate and wine. I’m adding foot rub to that list.”
“I can do that, baby. Come on, I’ll follow you.”
We headed to the parking lot and Flea dropped my bag in the front passenger seat while I climbed behind the wheel. Closing the door, he walked back around to my side, so I lowered the window. He leaned in and kissed me gently and I couldn’t help but smile.
“I’m gonna be right behind you.”
I nodded. “I’ll try not to lose you.”
He chuckled. “That’d be good.”
Kissing me once more, he walked to his bike and I pulled out of my parking space. My brother’s place wasn’t far from the studio, but there was traffic, so it took a little longer than normal. By the time I parked in my allotted space, I just wanted to curl up on the sofa and sleep. But… wine, chocolate, and a foot rub were the proverbial carrots at the end of the stick, so I grabbed my stuff and climbed out of the car.
Flea was close, so I handed him my bag and led him into the building. As we waited for the elevator, he wrapped an arm around my waist and I leaned heavily against him. “You wiped out?”
I nodded, biting back a yawn. “Exhausted.”
He kissed my temple. “We can hang out tonight and talk tomorrow.”
I shook my head and we stepped into an open elevator car. “I’m good. Can’t say how I’ll be after wine and a foot rub, but we can play it by ear.”
“Okay. We’ll play it by ear.”
We didn’t speak again until we walked into the apartment and I was relieved to see my brother wasn’t home. It meant Flea and I could actually talk.
“Do you mind if I take a quick shower?” I asked.
“Do you mind if I join you?”
I rolled my eyes. “Open the wine, Casanova. I won’t be long.”
I rushed through my shower, towel drying my hair and throwing it into a messy bun on top of my head, then I pulled on sweats and a tank top and headed back to the living room.
Flea stood at the kitchen island, and I licked my lips. He had opened wine, poured me a glass, and sliced me off a piece of the most incredible looking chocolate cake I’d ever seen. “Ohmigod, you bought this for me?”
“Go big or go home,” he retorted.
I grinned. “You know, in a few weeks, I won’t be able to eat like this.”
My time at PBC will have started by then and I would be back on a strict regimen with exercise and food.
“Better take advantage of it now, then.”
“Good advice.” I took the plate with the biggest piece, grabbed a fork, and he followed me to the sofa with the wine and his beer.
I settled onto the couch and Flea sat in the oversized chair next to me. I took a bite of the cake and moaned with pleasure.
“Grace,” Flea growled.
“What?”
“You wanna keep those noises to a minimum?” Flea asked, shifting in his seat.
I raised an eyebrow. “You bought the cake. It’s delicious. What did you expect?”
“Didn’t expect you’d sound like you were being fucked thoroughly while eatin’ it. Don’t wanna hear that until I’m fuckin’ you thoroughly… cake can be part of it at some point, but I’d like the honor of your next orgasm.”
“Technically, you’d be my first.”
“Come again?”
Might as well get it all out.
I took a deep breath and set my cake aside. “I’m a virgin, Flea.”
His nostrils flared slightly, and he closed his eyes for a second, then turned them to me. “Say again?”
I grimaced.
God! It’s true. I’m the last American virgin.
“Hymen intact. No fucky, fucky.”
His expression went from confused to amused, then back to confused again. “Are you seriously sayin’ that in all your time away at school, some asshole coed didn’t try to get in your panties?”
“I’m not saying that at all,” I countered. “I’m saying that I have never met anyone I was interested in going that far with. In case you haven’t noticed, and outside of the fact I barely have time to sleep, I’m kind of fucked up. I’ve never wanted to pile that stress onto anyone else before… well, until now. You’re welcome.”
His eyes flashed with both desire and laughter, and then he was in my space, pulling me on top of him as he kissed me… thoroughly… sliding his hands into my hair.
I stroked his face. “You taste like beer and chocolate cake.”
He smiled, studying me. “You seriously offering this to me, Grace?”
“Well, not right now. I want to get to know you a little better, but I like you, Flea. A lot. So, if you promise not to break my heart, then, yes, I’m offering that to you.”
“Fuck,” he whispered, his eyes growing soft as he studied me again. “Fuckin’ beautiful, Grace.”
He kissed me again. This time it was sweet and really slow. Without breaking our connection, he rolled us so we were face-to-face, sliding his hand to my pulse and stroking my neck.
“Fuck,” he whispered again, dropping his forehead to mine. “We need to talk before this goes any further.”
I frowned. “That sounds bad.”
He chuckled. “It’s not bad, honey. Just want us both on the same page, because when I fuck you, that’ll be it for us. It’ll be close to permanent.”
“That sounds quite definite,” I deadpanned.
“No doubt about that.”
I nodded. “You know what I realized?”
“What?”
“I don’t even know your real name.”
“Billy Jameson.”
“Wait.” I tried not to show my shock. “Seriously?”
He grinned. “Yeah. Why?”
“I guess I just figured you’d have some fancy name… you know, like, Fabio or something.”
He burst out laughing. “Fabio?”
“Fleabio?”
He continued to laugh as I watched his beautiful face relax into happiness. God, he was pretty.
“I can’t keep calling you Flea,” I said, once he’d calmed his mirth.
“How come?”
I wrinkled my nose. “Because it’s an annoyingly disgusting insect that bites.”
“I bite…” His teeth nipped at my neck. “But only when you ask nicely.”
I giggled. “That’s good to know.”
“You comin’ with me on Saturday?”
“What do you mean?”
“Want you at my back.”
I smiled. “I can come with you, if you want me to. But it’s out of the way to pick me up, isn’t it? I can just meet you there.”
He shook his head. “Makin’ a statement, Grace.”
“Oh?”
He leaned forward and kissed me. “You’re mine. I want everyone to know that.”
“Are you sure you want to make that statement so soon?”
“I’m not askin’ you to marry me,” he said.
“Close enough if I’m ‘at your back.’”
He grinned. “You been doin’ some research?”
“A little,” I admitted. “Merrick’s a wealth of information.”
I wasn’t completely ignorant to the biker lifestyle… Hatch was my bestie’s stepdad, after all, but I was the daughter of a cop, and most bikers were 1%ers, so until Merrick joined the Dogs, I didn’t know much. With Merrick now patched in, I was beginning to ask more questions than I had, mostly because I wanted to understand Flea’s world.
“I like that,” he said, stroking my cheek. “But to allay your concerns, it’s not akin to a marriage proposal, but, yes, it’s important. It means no one else’ll touch you.”
“No one else would touch me, anyway,” I countered. “Between Merrick and Hatch, I’m totally covered.”
His eyebrows went up in challenge. “Or you could let me be your man and let me take that protection responsibility on my shoulders.”
I nodded, giving him a sympathetic smile. “Are you feeling a little emasculated, big man? Would you like me to be a little more damsel in distress for you?”
“Fuck, no.” He chuckled. “I’m highly aware you can take care of yourself, but I do plan to protect you, because it’s in my DNA.”
“I’m good with that,” I admitted. “I like the idea of having someone to hide behind if need-be.”
He cocked his head. “You got a habit of hiding?”
“Well, no, but I might develop one now that I have you.”
“You go ahead and do that, baby. I got your back.”
I smiled, kissing him gently. “I appreciate that.”
“In case I haven’t been clear, I want us to be exclusive.”
I bit my lip as I studied him. “Are you at all concerned I might be like my mom?”
“Not even a little bit.” He stroked my face. “I’m pretty sure you would have seen signs by now, Grace.”
I shrugged. “That’s what they say.”
“Think about it logically,” he said. “Did your mom just suddenly begin to act irrationally?”
I shook my head.
“Exactly. She’d been dealin’ with all that shit for a while, right?”
I nodded.
“I think you’re clear.”
“What if I’m not?” I whispered.
“Then I’ll let you know.”
“You really want to take that on?”
“Hell, yeah, I do.”
I smiled. “Well, don’t say you weren’t warned.”
“Noted.” He smiled. “Kate’s pressin’ for a family dinner. You up for that?”
“Let’s get Saturday behind us, okay?”
“Okay, baby.” He ran his thumb over my lower lip. “You’re beautiful. Inside and out. You know that, right?”
“You are, too.” I leaned forward and kissed him again.
Someone banged on the door and I jumped a little.
“You expectin’ someone?” Flea asked.
I shook my head and climbed off of him.
“Don’t you fuckin’ move, Grace,” Flea ordered as he rose to his feet.
I rolled my eyes as I waved toward the door. “Okay, Fleabio, vanquish the dragon.”
He glanced through the peephole, then turned to me with a frown. “It’s your father.”
“What?” I squeaked.
“What do you want me to do?”
Before I could answer, another pounding came.
“Open it,” I said.
He did, keeping his large body between me and my dad. “What the hell, man?”
“Grace, I’ve been leaving you and your brother messages for three hours.”
He was right. I’d been ignoring them.
“What do you want, Dad?” I asked with a sigh.
“Grams’s in the hospital. She took a bad fall.”
I gasped. “When?”
I loved my dad’s mom. She and I had been close when I was a kid, but after the incident, I just couldn’t handle the pity in her eyes, so I’d distanced myself.
“This morning.”
“Is she okay?” I asked, reaching for Flea. He slid his hand around my waist.
“She has to have surgery tomorrow, so I figured you’d want to see her first.”
“Where is she?”
“Legacy Salmon Creek.”
My grandmother lived in Vancouver, which was the reason I’d always give as to why we didn’t see each other as often. I rarely drove over the bridge. A poor excuse, honestly.
I bit back tears and leaned against Flea. “I’ll go now.”
“I’ll take you,” Dad offered.
“No. I’m good.”
He dragged his hands down his face. “Are you really doing this, Gracie? Now?”
I bit back tears. “Grams is one of my favorite people in the world, you know that, but that doesn’t change the fact I don’t want to talk to you. Nothing will change that.”
“I’ll take her up,” Flea said.
“Fine.” Dad studied me, then sighed and walked away.
Flea closed the door then pulled me against him, so I could wrap my arms around his waist. I squeezed my eyes shut and burrowed deeper into his chest. “You don’t have to come up with me.”
“You’re not drivin’ up there alone, Grace.”
“Okay.”
He chuckled. “I honestly thought you’d argue more.”
I shook my head. “I don’t want to go up there alone. My dad’ll be there.”
“Why do you hate him so much, honey?”
“He left me alone with her.”
“What?”
“I begged him to take me with him and Merrick to the movie, but he wouldn’t. He said Mom needed some alone time with me,” I whispered. “If he’d taken me with him…”
“Okay, I’ve got you.”
“She was going to kill me. Maisie talked her out of it.”
“I know.”
“How much do you know?”
“Pretty much just that,” he said. “I don’t know the intimate details. But I’m here if you want to tell me them.”
I nodded. “Maisie talked about some memories, which stopped Mom from killing me. Hatch came to the hospital with Maisie and they took care of me and Merrick while my dad broke down.”
Flea didn’t speak, just held me as he rubbed my back.
“My dad did nothing. He didn’t apologize. He just shut down,” I continued. “And then he forced us to play happy family, going to Hatch and Maisie’s for holidays, but he wouldn’t let me stay with them. I didn’t want to leave them. I wanted to stay with Poppy. I felt safe. He didn’t care. He made me go with him.”
He slid his hand to my hair and kissed the top of my head.
“I hate him.”
“I know you do,” Flea said. “But maybe you need to figure out a way to get past that. Hating someone only makes you sick inside.”
“If I forgive him, he wins.”
“He doesn’t, Grace. You do.”
“I didn’t realize my man was a sage,” I grumbled.
“Like hearin’ that, baby.”
I dropped my head back to meet his eyes. “Can we go now? I’m bored of talking about my… ah… father.”
“Yeah, baby. Grab your keys. I’ll drive your car.”
I pulled out of his arms and headed to the bowl in the kitchen just as my phone buzzed in my pocket. It was my brother. “Did you hear about Grams?”
“Yeah. That’s why I’m calling. I’m heading up there now. Do you need me to pick you up?”
“No, Flea’s driving me.”
“So, this is a thing?”
I glanced at Flea who raised an eyebrow. He probably heard Merrick, considering my brother wasn’t particularly quiet.
“Yes,” I said, turning away from Flea.
“Okay, you and I are gonna talk tonight.”
“No. We don’t need to.”
“Yeah, we do. I’m hanging up now. See you soon.”
I sighed as the call disconnected, and I grabbed my keys from the bowl, lobbing them to Flea. “I’m going to change really quick.”
He nodded and I headed to my room.