Chapter Three
Dana
Jake’s shirt was tight against his bulging chest muscles so I could almost see them ripple under the fabric. I wanted to make them ripple, I thought. I had never been so hot for a guy. There was a kindness in his bright eyes, too, and a gentleness to his soft smile that made my heart flutter. I couldn’t help wanting all I could get of it. Jake started the truck up.
I had talked to Mitch that morning and he told me about the forest fire and the run to save two people. One of them had been the VP’s woman. It had been very dramatic and amazing, yet through the whole conversation she had been thinking of Jake fighting for her honor the night before. Mitch had been apologetic. I am living in Lowtown now so they would have plenty of time to hang out. They had decided to have a Sunday night barbecue before the last of the clear weather was gone.
“Did you hear about the fire last night?” I said.
“I did. Pretty wild,” Jake said. “Crazy Mary called it badass and she was right. Did your brother ride on that?”
I shook my head. “He was back up. They wanted all hands ready.”
“I would, too. That is some dangerous shit. I always knew the Wolves were a tough club,” he said. I was glad he wasn’t one of those bikers who thought anyone outside of their club were idiots and assholes.
“They are that. I’ve heard the Dragons aren’t exactly weak sissies,” I told him to even the score. He grinned.
“We have our moments of kicking ass,” he responded humbly. I had heard about more than a few righteous fights. After talking to my brother, I got a call from an old school friend and we had gossiped. Ruth Menendez knew everything about everyone around Rapid City, so I felt caught up on things.
“Yeah, that’s what I heard. So, who’s this Crazy Mary?” I asked. He laughed.
“That chick is crazy! Seriously,” Jake said. “But she’s a true believer in the club. She was around the MC this morning while I took care of dues and shit. She told me about the fire. She can kick some serious ass, too, as she has no shame in a fight.”
“Most biker chicks are like that. At least the fighting part. I don’t know about crazy,” I added.
“I don’t know. I think any chick who hangs with a brother is a little crazy,” he said and glanced at me with a big grin on his face and then winked. I reached out and took his hand. He squeezed mine.
“That explains me, then. I have always been a little wild,” I admitted.
“Me, too. Could be why we clicked so well. That or watching you play pool turned me on,” he said, his voice serious this time. He returned his gaze to the road in time to take the cut-off to the park. The trees were majestic and I rolled down the window to catch the breeze. It was getting hot. We held hands as he drove us through the recreational area to a little road that took us further back from the main area of the park.
“Most of the club like the Kinkler Park on the other side of Rapid City. I have always liked this one better. More places to have some space to yourself with less visitors,” he said. He brought the truck to a stop in the shade where the road ended. It didn’t look like many other cars had been up that way. “I got just the place for a picnic.”
We got out of the truck. He grabbed the basket as we met at the back of the truck. He took my arm and led me down a little path that was barely noticeable. I was beginning to wonder what he meant by having taken care of the drinks when we walked into a little clearing with a lean-to along the back. There were several blankets inside and a big cooler next to it. I looked at him in surprise. There were even flowers. I felt my heart flutter. It had taken some effort to set this up and he had been at work for most of the morning. He must have busted ass to do it. No one had ever gone to that much effort for me before. No man, anyway. My eyes felt moist as I gazed at him and he set the basket down and took me in his arms.
“Are you okay,” he said. “What’s wrong?” As usual, for a guy, he didn’t get it. I smiled and wrapped my arms around his neck.
“Shut up and kiss me, Jake,” I whispered in his ear. “I am so happy right now!” We kissed. It was even better than the night before. He tasted so good. His lips were surprisingly soft. When our lips parted I didn’t want it to end this time.
“I guess it is lunch time,” Jake said. “We’ve got all day Dana.” He reached for the food basket. The cooler was closer to me so I popped that opened. There was soda, beer and a bottle of wine.
“I’ll say you got the beverages handled,” I told him and got us both a pop to start.
“You never know, Dana,” he said. “Who knows, we may want to order pizza for dinner and need something to drink. I have it on good authority they will deliver up here.” I laughed. Not because I didn’t believe him but because I did. I had a feeling he would find a way to get anything he wanted and it pleased me.
We sat side by side and ate, enjoying the birdsong and the sandwiches. He liked the potato salad, which was my specialty. I wanted to please him as much as he did me. We finished lunch and decided to go for a walk. There was a stream a little way behind the little lover’s nest he had made for us. We walked along, holding hands and leaning against each other happily. Trading stories of our childhood and life experiences.
“So, I didn’t grow up in a club. It wasn’t until I dropped out of school and was getting in so much trouble that I ran into a couple of bikers,” Jake began. “They convinced me to give it a try. Honestly, at that point it was the club, prison, or dead. After a while in the club I saw you could have fun and not be constantly in trouble. Not only did they give me a life, but they saved it too.” I knew not all gangs were like that but I was glad he had the Dragons. Without them, I would never have met him. The Wolves had similar values. Although she was sure both gangs did some illegal activity, she had never asked Mitch and no one ever got busted so she didn’t ask Jake.
“Mitch started with the Wolves back when we were in high school,” she said. “Running errands, that sort of thing. Dad wasn’t in a club but he knew all the wolves and let them use his shop to work on their bikes if they needed. So, our folks never had a problem with him joining. It calmed him down a lot, the discipline, I mean. For me, college is what got me to slow down and focus. I love math and could really dig in. Although after four years of it I am ready to let loose a little.”
“That is never a terrible thing,” he said. “To be honest, I can’t believe we are here together. Being near you is so amazing. I keep expecting the feeling to end, but I hope it doesn’t.”
I thought what he said was deeply romantic. I could see the honesty in his eyes.
“I am not going to try and puzzle out the why of this yet,” he said, and suddenly, he seemed nervous. “I am going to accept it and run with it… if you’re cool with that?”
I leaned forward and cupped his face in my hands. “That would be perfect, Jake. This is a gift that I don’t intend to question either.” We embraced and I felt my heart miss a beat with the power of my desire for this man. I almost wondered about how I could be so lucky. Just enjoy it girl, I thought, you deserve it.
I laughed as he managed to get a cell signal and did indeed order a pizza later. We had to walk down the road a mile or so to a place the driver would go but we got our pizza. Then we ate and got a good buzz before we were under the lean-to again. By morning, we were wrapped in blankets, the wind blowing around us. I hugged him close, my heart beating madly in my chest, the wind singing in my ears.