Daddy Protector: MC Romance (Pythons MC) by Sadie Savage (40)

**

Ace went sideways, dropping to the gorund and rolling. The bulet whined over his head and he shot from where he lay, aiming low. Walker went down. His hand opened and the gun hit the dirt. Ace got to his feet and kicked it further from Walker’s reach. Walker, bleeding from the upper part of one thigh, grinned ta him. “You missed.”

“No I didn’t.”

Ace was no killer. He was a lot of things but amurderer was not one of them. He had to take Walker down, no doubt about it and for a moment there he had really thought that he could kill him. But if he killed Walker he was heading off to prison for a very long time and what would happen to Julia then? He had to be there for her, to protect her and be with her.

He loved her.

He didn’t want to but he did.

Walker made it to his fee3t. His grin held madness. “What now Ace?”

Good question. Ace leveled the gun at Walker. “Now you’re done. I don’t care how this goes down but you’re done.”

Bikes slewed into the lot. Jack sat astride one and Bert on the other. Both were bloodied and Jack was obviously seriously injured but they were there.

Ace lifted the gun and brought it down hard on Walker’s head. Walker’s eyes rolled back in his heads and he staggered to the left. He went down on his knees in the dirt. Ace kicked him, righgt in the ribs. Walker let out a low gasp. He shouted, “You can’t do this to me!”

Ace looked at Jack. Jack nodded wearily and took out a phone. Bert got off his bike and strolled closer, carrying a gun in his left hand.

Walker said, through teeth that dripped blood. “What are you doing? What are you doing Ace? Go on, kill me.”

“I think there’s only one thing worse than death,” Ace said softly.

Walker’s face showed terror. “No way man. Don’t do that to me. Do it. Kill me. Kill me goddammit! Don’t you dare do that to me! That’s worse than death!”

Ace smiled at him and it was not a nice smile. “I know, and you will have plenty of time to think about all the things you did to the people who would have followed you if you had just let them love you, you sick twisted sonofabitch.” Then he raised the gun again and brought it down on Walker’s temple.

Walker toppled to the dirt. He lay there, not moving. Jack rested a finger against Walker’s neck, looked at Ace, and nodded. “He’ll live. Man, you sure about this? I mean putting him in the pen, that’s harsh. That’s a death sentence all its own and he won’t go alone. Half his crew will go, and some of ours too.”

“I will go.” Ace’s heart ached. “I’ll take the whole fall but you have to promise me to look after Julia. You have to swear it on your colors. Swear nothing will happen to her while I’m inside.”

Jack looked him in the eyes. “She’ll be cared for. We won’t let anyone or anything take her down. That’s a swear on my colors.” He took his jacket off and lifted a knife from his pocket. He sliced a small nick into his wrist and poured his blood over the patch on his jacket then handed the blade to first Ace and then Bert. Their blood joined jack’s on the patch.

Ace managed to breathe. He’d be away from her for a little while. He didn’t want to be but if he was going to be able to be with her he had to do it. Walker would do hard time, and a lot of it. The rest of his crew would face various charges. There was nobody there who was high enough up or who would have enough connections to keep the crew going. It would crumble and fall.

There’d be another crew that took Queens eventually. That was just the way of it. Ace hoped his crew could find a way to call a truce between themselves and the next Queens crew. The Son’s were nobody to fuck with, and any crew that came in while he was in prison would have that understanding long before they rolled their bikes into Queens and took it over

“Good.” Ace took his gun to a burned out building and quickly stripped it down, scattering the pieces all around and covering tem with dirt. Jack handed Bert his gun and Bert headed off in the opposite direction.

The cop cars came as Walker began to stir. The back door of one opened and Julia got out. She moved toward him, her crutches unsteady on the ground. Ace ran to her and held her, his arms holding her up. She looked up at him, tears falling from her eyes.

“You’re okay,” she whispered. “You’re okay.”

The cps were putting Walker into the car. He screamed, “You got nothing on me!”

More cruisers screamed into the lot. One, an unmarked car, held two men in street clothes. They got out and came to where Julia and Ace stood.

One of them said, “Ace, you know you gotta go in.”

Ace nodded. Julia clutched at him. She asked, “Why? He didn’t do anything wrong!”

One of the detectives said, “Bad news, you don’t get to have a shootout on the street and not go to jail.”

Julia clung to him. “No, he didn’t have a shootout on the street, Walker and his guys shot up the house!”

The detective looked at Ace. “Tell her to back off or I’ll lock her up too.”

“Wait!” Julia’s voice shook. “What about a trade?”

The detective frowned. Ace’s brow wrinkled too as he looked at her. Ace asked, “What are you talking about?”

Julia licked her lips. Her eyes went from the detectives to Walker to Ace. “He’s going to get at least ten years right? The crew won’t take care of him because a lot of them are going down too and when you go to their place you’re going to find stuff that will keep them in jail a little longer but…” She drew a long breath. “But I know who killed that cop last year. I know where the gun is. I know who killed the shopkeeper over in Sunnyside too and I can give you all the stuff you need to know about those things. I will. But you have to let Ace and the others on the crew, his crew, go, if you want it. That’s my offer. If you don’t take it I won’t talk at all.’

Ace’s mouth fell open. What she could give the cops would wreck Walker’s crew forever and keepWalker in prison for life. He would never get out and many of his crew would be facing life sentences too. Ace was smart enough to know that as soon as the detectives went to the house and started gathering evidence a lot fo the prospects and even some of the crew would roll over and start telling their own tales. But did they know what Julia knew? Could they possibly?

The detective pursed his lips. “You know that for sure? How?”

Julia gave him a long and level look. “He’s my brother,” she said softly. “That’s how.”

Chapter 15

Three weeks had passed since the shootout. Julia stood in the bathroom of Ace’s apartment, staring at the stick she held. The test was positive. She was pregnant!

Her eyes widened and she stared at her reflection in the mirror. She didn’t know how she felt. Part of her was ecstatic but the other part was very scared. Ace had always been careful not to have kids. He had told her, not so long ago, that he had never wanted them because his own childhood had been a mess.

His father had bene in prison for most of Ace’s life, and still was. His mother had not wanted to care for her kids and her sister had been equally careless with margo. Ace had said he was afraid he would mess a kid up, and now they were going to have one.

Julia left the bathroom and headed through the apartment. The house was quiet. Now that Walker was in jail waiting for trial and with all the complaints the Son’s had toned down their business a lot. They had had to. The cops that were on their payroll were scant protection right now. They’d managed to withdraw from the dope trade for the moment, which suited Ace to a T. They still had a whle lot fo other things going on and the legit businesses were doing well, well enough that money was nto an issue.

Julia had told the cops where to find the guns and a few more things, trading secrets for the lives of Ace and his crew. She did nto have to testify and other than a few people nobody knew just how deep her betrayal of Walker went. She knew and there were times when that weighed heavily on her. Blood was supposed ot be blood but the only blood she felt tied to was the blood that bound her to the Son’s, and the love that kept her tied to Ace.

She stepped into the living room. Ace sat at a small desk, a computer program was up and running on the desk top in front of him. He looked up at her as she entered and stood there.

He said, “I meant to ask you how class went today.”

“Great. I learned a few things.” Her hands twisted together and she bit her lips. “I need to talk to you.”

“Shoot.”

She gnawed at her lips. “You remember that first night we were together? And the next day?”

“Yeah why?”

“I wasn’t on birth control. I’m still not and when you found that out you started using condos”

He frowned. “So?”

“So we didn’t use condoms that first night or that next day either.”

Ace’s eyed held a puzzled expression. Then that expression cleared and shock took its place. Julia’s heart sank. He asked, “Are you saying…are you saying that you are pregnant?”

Tears stung her eyes. Her teeth chewed at her lip. “Yes.” She held her breath, hoping he would say something but silence spun out between them. Her legs squeezed together and her heart beat sped up, moving faster and making her slightly dizzy.

Ace stood up. His chair banaged a little as it settled. He walked to the windows and stared out, not speaking. Julia felt wetness roll down her cheeks. He was angry then. This was not what he wanted and she had known it would not be. He had been clear that being a father was not for him that he would screw it up and that the last thing he wanted to do was ruin some poor kid’s life by being a bad father.

She could not think of a single thing to say to him just then. She wanted to reassure him that he was a good man and that he was be a good father but she was afraid to speak.

Finally he did. He said, in a heavy voice. “I’m in my forties Julia.”

“I know that.” She swallowed hard. “I’m not even twenty and yet we have made that work. I mean I know it’s not easy…I…” She fell silent.

Ace’s shoulders went tight with tension. “My dad never did a goddamn thing for me. I never had a father. I don’t even know how to be a father. I mean, what do you to be a dad? I don’t know.”

“I don’t really know what to say.” It was true. She didn’t. he didn’t want this child growing inside her. She could feel that and it hurt. She did. She wanted that baby. She had never considered being a mother but now that she knew that she was going to be, she wanted it. There was a lot to think about. She had to figure out how to stay in her classes and make her dreams of being a clothing designer come true. She had to figure out how to be a mother and to not let the bad things in their lives touch her child. She had to figure out a way to make Ace accept that having a baby was not such a horrible thing and it was the last part that had her the most stumped.

Ace turned to face her. His face was pale. He said, “What if I fuck this kid up?”

“You won’t.” It was all she had to offer.

Ave looked away form her face then back. One hand ran through his thick hair. He said, “I’ll be sixty when it gets out fo high school. Oh my God, what if it is a girl! I don’t know anything about girls!”

“I don’t know anything about boys.” Relief had begun to trickle through her. She was scared and so was he but he was nto saying she had to get an abortion or arguing that maybe the baby was not his, all the things men sometimes did when the subject came up.

Ace let out a shaky laugh. “I guess…I guess we will have to figure out how to get a crib up those damn stairs, huh?”

She blinked. Had he just said what she thought he had? She whispered, “Are you sure?”

He asked, “Are you?”

She took a long and steadying breath. “I am. I’m scared as hell too though. I mean, I’m so young and…and I don’t know much about raising a child with its father. All I ever really remember was being the daughter of a single mom. So I don’t know what to do wither. I don’t know…like what happens when I get fat? Will you still want to be with me?’

He blinked. Then he burst into laughter. “Did you ask me if I would still want you if you get fat?”

“Yeah,” her arms crossed over her chest in a defensive gesture. “I mean women gain weight when they get pregnant you know.”

Ace kept right on laughing. Julia dropped her arms and stared at him. “What’s so funny?”

“That you would think that I would nto want you. I have news for you, I want you all the time. I wouldn’t care how you looked either. In fact, I want you right now.”

She went into his arms. His hands led her to the bedroom and she went gladly, her body already fired up with lust and joy.

Ace’s hands went to her clothes. He stripped her neatly, leaving her shivering with every garment that dropped away. Her nipples pressed upward, the taut peaks so stiff that they almost stung.

His tongue found them, his mouth surrounded them and the pressure combined with his clever tongue stroking across those pink points made her squirm with pleasure. He didn’t stop there. His tongue moved lower and she went down on the bed, the backs of her knees hitting the edge before she managed to get onto the narrow length of it.

His mouth found her labia and then his tongue was moving inside of her, parting her soaked lips to find her clitoris. His tongue circled it while his fingers moved inside of her, adding friction to the sensations already coursing through her.

Julia surrendered to the moment. His hands and mouth continued to move against her flesh, eliciting little gasps from her as he massaged the throbbing bud harder and faster while his fingers thrust deeper within her coral hued inner walls.

Her legs spread wider, her breath came faster, and she could smell the raw and powerful aroma of her body, the rich scent of arousal coming from the fluids leaking down the cleft between her buttocks.

His hair was under her fingers. She stroked it and let her fingers wander lower so that she could feel the muscles in his jaws working as he took her to an even greater height. Her heels dug into the thin mattress, her body arching as she neared a climax.

“I love you,” the words spilled from her lips. “No matter what Ace, I will always love you.”

The words surprised her but they also made a coil of emotion she had never known loosen in her belly, adding even more sweetness to the moment. His breath blew against her wet flesh, warm and exciting. He said, “I will love you way beyond this life Julia,” and then his mouth went back to her vulva.

Julia’s eyes closed as she strained to reach that height. Her limbs went rigid and her mouth hung open. She sucked in breath as his added a third finger to the two already inside of her filling her completely and taking her pleasure to an even greater level.

Heat and liquid filled her center, and her hips raised and lowered. His tongue went back to her clit and circled it then rubbed across it. Julia’s teeth clenched together to keep a moan from bursting forth but little whimpers escaped her anyway.

Ace moved up so that his body was between her spread legs. He balanced himself on his strong forearms while his mouth came down on hers, sealing in the little cry she had been uttering.

The weight of his body on hers felt so good that she wrapped her arms and legs around him, wanting to hold him forever.

His member found the slippery entrance between her thighs and he slid into her in one long smooth movement. Her body opened further to ease his passage into her depths. He filled her, hot and strong, and she buried her face in his shoulder, smelling the slight tang of sweat there.

They moved together, the shadows shifting and cloaking their gleaming bodies. Her hands pressed into his shoulders. She allowed her mouth to touch his satiny neck, to linger at his ears, and then they were kissing again, furiously, as their bodies moved together faster.

The climax came, sweeping them both under its powerful waves. Julia’s body hung suspended between his and the mattress below her back. Her inner walls pulsed and sent more fluids across his beating flesh. The aftershocks came, and went and still they did not disentangle themselves.

Ace put a hand on her belly and rested his fingers there. He looked down at the flat and taut skin of her stomach and said, “It is hard to imagine that there is a baby in there.”

She caught his hand. “I know. It sort of freaks me out just thinking about it. I mean, that is a whole human being and we are going to be responsible for it and our parents all made so many mistakes and kept so many secrets from us.”

Ace’s fingers paused on her belly. “I have to tell you something.”

She swallowed hard. “What is it?”

“My dad.” He looked away. “You see he was in the same pen, on the same block that they put Walker ion.”

Julia didn’t understand what he was getting at. “So?”

Ace sighed again. “I guess my father, who is doing four life sentences anyway, decied to make sure that Walker didn’t get out.”

Her heart plummeted into her chest. “What do you mean?”

“I mean he killed Walker.”

The words hit hard. Julia had not considered how she would feel if Walker died and now that she knew he was dead she wanted to mourn him but she didn’t know how.

She said, “Oh. Are you okay with that?”

Ace shrugged. “I don’t know yet. I mean I keep telling myself that of all the bad shit I ever did at least I can say I am not killer. I chose to put Walker in prison instead of killing him because, well because I just don’t want that kind of blood on my hands. I never wanted that.”

“His blood is not on your hands. It is on your father’s hands and there is nothing you could have done to change what happened. Walker had to go down. He had to. Not just for my sake either. He brought nothing but destruction and crime to his hood. He destroyed his own family to get what he wanted. You know the crew you run, you guys do a lot of good things for the hood too. You make sure the homeless shelter has what it needs. You take care of the animal shelter. You do that toy drive. You do give back, and yes you take a lot too. But that’s balance, right? Walker was only about what he wanted in his life, not about anyone else.”

Ace sighed. “You’re right. I know you are.”

She snuggled down into his embrace. She was right. Walker had destroyed two of his sisters and he had tried to destroy her too. He had believed that the people around him existed for no other reason than to serve his needs and wants and he had demanded loyalty and respect while giving none of those things to anyone else. That was unsustainable and it was no shock that most of his crew had rolled on him, or that Ace’s father had killed Walker either.

Prison was a hard place and Walker would have undoubtedly tried to run that block just like he had run the blocks of his borough. Only he had walked into a territory where he had no friends and no allies and he had suffered the consequences for his power mad arrogance

That brought her to another consideration. At some point the child she carried would want to know about its absent grandparents and why it had no uncles or aunts. She felt a squeeze of grief at that thought. Naomi was in prison and Carla, who had cut a deal, was sitting in a filthy drug hole shooting her life away in the form of heroin laden needles.. Walker was dead. Her and Ace’s parents were dead or nobody worth talking about.

She had no idea what she would say when that happened but she knew eventually that they would have to say something.

She relaxed into his arms and he held her tightly. His eyes met hers and he gave her a smile. “This is going to be our brand new start.”

She smiled back, her heart lightening yet again. “I like the sound of that.”

“Me too.” Ace bent his head to hers and kissed her deeply and she kissed him back. This was where she belonged and she knew it. This was where she should have been all along and against all odds she had found her way home and into the arms of the strong man that she would love for the rest of their lives.

 

OUTLAW HERO

“Come on, come on, pick up,” Melanie Carr said under her breath, surprised that the payphone actually worked. She couldn’t remember the last time she had found a payphone, let alone one that still functioned. Stevie, her two-year-old son, was asleep in the carseat at her feet. She had driven all night from Dublin, Ohio to arrive in Washington DC the following morning. Melanie normally planned things better, but this time she had to act fast.

Finally, there came the sound of someone answering her call for help. “Hello?” the muffled voice of her former best friend Casey asked.

“Casey?” Melanie replied. “This is Melanie Carr from Ohio State, your sophomore roommate. We talked on Facebook recently about me visiting?”

There was a slight sigh on the other end that Melanie suspected she was not intended to hear. “It got that bad?”

She clutched the hard, metal, barely bendable phone cord and a sob came out as she spoke. “Yes,” she said. “It got that bad. I’m at a gas station outside 270. What’s your address again?”

After packing her kid back into the car, she made her way to Casey’s house in the DC suburbs, somehow finding it through her tears and the fog of the early morning. She was relieved to see that she would not have to go through the awkward business of ringing the doorbell once there; Casey was already standing on the front porch, waiting for her.

Melanie put the car into park and got out, keeping the back door of her small, white SUV open so she could retrieve her son and her luggage once the reintroductions were over. She shoved her hands into the pockets of her green rain jacket and walked up to greet her waiting friend. “I never intended to spring this up on you, but…”

Casey looked at her college friend. Melanie looked remarkably the same even though they were now eight years older. She was still slender with long, curly golden brown hair, blue-green eyes and a cute dusting of freckles across her nose. But the purple bruise around her left eye… That was new.

“Hush,” Casey said as soon as she noticed that. She opened her arms for Melanie, who gladly fell into them. Casey was several inches shorter than her friend, with short blonde hair and glasses, and she had always been the more nurturing of the two. Even now, even though Melanie had a toddler, Casey was more mothering. Melanie needed a friend like Casey back in her life.

They unpacked the car together and took little sleepy Stevie up to one of the bedrooms so he could continue to sleep, oblivious to his mother’s problems. “Thank you,” Melanie said, pulling her long hair into a ponytail. She looked exhausted. “Jake hit me for the last time. He went to bed and I hit the road. I promise, it will only be for a few days. Once I can get a job, we’ll be out of your hair.”

Casey waved that off, smiling at her friend. “You can stay as long as you need. I’ve got this house all to myself, and it’s so good to see you again.” She gently rubbed Melanie on her upper arm. “Get some sleep and you can start thinking about jobs and stuff later. You’ve got my number, right?”

Melanie smiled back, appreciative. “I do. Thank you so much.”

She went up to her bedroom that she would be sharing with Stevie for the time being. He was still fast asleep, wrapped up in the blankets. She did her best to get in beside him without waking him, and was soon asleep, too.

 

When Melanie woke up, it was well into the middle of the afternoon. Stevie was playing quietly with some of his toys in the corner, but he was relieved when he saw that she was awake. “Mommy, where are we?”

She rushed to his side as he sat on the floor. She had been unable to pack all of his toys up so quickly in their spontaneous move, but she managed to bring his favorites along with them. “We’re at my nice friend Casey’s house,” she told him. “We’re going to be living here for a while until we get a new house.”

“Where are we?” he asked again, not understanding that they were far away from what they called home. “Where’s Daddy?”

Melanie bit her lip. “We’ve moved away from Daddy,” she told him, trying to give him the news as gently as possible. “We are going to live in Washington DC now. You will love it here. This is where all of the presidents live!” She widened her eyes and her mouth as she told him that, so he would feel excited rather than concerned about his no-good father.

Stevie gasped a little bit. “Even Taft??” The little boy had a strange fascination with President William Howard Taft ever since Melanie had shown him a picture of America’s heftiest president. Stevie liked him because ‘he looks like a walrus.’

“Even Taft,” Melanie said, nodding wisely. “If you are very good, I will take you to visit him at some point. Would you like that?”

Gasping even more, Stevie grinned. “Yes! I am very good!”

She laughed. “You have to prove it to me, though.” She looked at her watch. It was nearing five p.m. and Casey would be home from work soon. Casey worked for a TV news station in DC, and that had allowed her to be able to afford her nice house in the suburbs. Melanie was hoping that she might have the same luck if she got out there and applied herself. “My nice friend is almost home from work and Mommy needs you to stay with her for a while, okay?”

“Promise you won’t go see Taft without me?”

Melanie smiled at her son. “I promise.”

She kissed his head and unzipped one of her bags, pulling out her black laptop. Before she ventured forth to see what jobs she could go apply for, she needed to do some research.

When Casey came home, Melanie felt as ready as she would ever be. “Do you mind watching Stevie while I go apply for a few of these things?” she asked her friend. It was getting into the evening now, so many of the jobs that she found would have to be applied for online, but she had found some restaurants and retail positions that she could still go check out in person.

“Sure,” Casey said, smiling. “Here, you can borrow my Metro card.”

Melanie took the offered card and carefully placed it into her purse. “He’s really into grilled cheese and chicken nuggets right now,” she told her. “His bedtime is nine o’clock. I’ll hopefully be back by then.”

With that, she drove to the nearest Metro station and parked in the lot. She added money to the card and headed into DC. She’d visited the city once, on an elementary school field trip, but that had been when she was about eight, so she didn’t remember that much of it. It looked pretty as the evening slowly descended on it, however. She appreciated a city that was pretty at night. Growing up in Ohio, she was mostly used to seeing corn and farmland. She was ready for something different.

It turned out that the places she had written down as potential new jobs were all either not looking for someone new or not looking for someone like her. She ended up being told by one of them to try applying on their website, but that was the best news she received.

Feeling disappointed with herself, she decided to pop into one of the bars she saw and see if maybe they needed any help. The place was lively even though it was a weeknight. Melanie admired the space and the people who were hanging out there. Most of the people seemed to be partying with their friends after work. They appeared to be around her age, which gave her hope. Maybe this would be a good place to network…

She sat down at the bar, not intending to drink but hoping to get someone’s attention. She had her son to get home to, after all, so she wasn’t planning to be there too long. The bartender came over to her. “What’ll you have?” he asked her.

Looking up at him, Melanie’s jaw nearly fell to the floor. He was tall and the perfect amount of muscular, with short, jet black hair and piercing green eyes. He also had several tattoos on his arms and chest, including a large one of a tiger on his upper bicep. Melanie smirked a little to herself. She hadn’t ever been interested in men with tattoos, but this one intrigued her for some reason. He was wearing a white tank top and slightly holey jeans. He also wore dog tags, which dangled from his neck as he looked down at her.

She suddenly realized that a long time had passed and she’d merely stared at him rather than answering his question. “Uh… Diet Coke, please?” she asked, instantly feeling lame. This bartender looked like the sort of person who expected everyone to drink hard liquor. And she could not blame him. Bartenders made their money from people buying the heavy stuff, not fountain drinks.

Instead of snarling at her like the villain in a Popeye cartoon, he smiled. “Sure thing,” he said. Skillfully grabbing a glass from the counter and flipping it in his hand so the right end was up, he poured ice and soda into it and handed it over.

“Thank you,” Melanie said politely. She had not expected him to have such a cute smile. He even had a big dimple in his left cheek.

“No problem,” he replied. “You’re not from around here, are you?”

It was her turn to smile. “How could you tell? Do I look that lost?”

He leaned against the bar, chuckling. “I didn’t say that. I just noticed your accent, and noticed that you were looking around like you’d never been here before. This isn’t exactly a tourist spot.”

Melanie blushed. She didn’t realize that she had a noticeable accent. Maybe she was just used to it. Casey had one, too, though it was somewhat fainter since she had lived in the DC area for several years now. “I just moved here from Ohio,” she explained. “I was hoping to find a job, but so far… Well, I’m here.” She held up her Diet Coke as if she was making a toast and then took a long sip.

The man’s eyes lit up when she mentioned needing a job. “I don’t know what’s cuter, your accent or how you blush when your accent is pointed out.”

Her blush intensified and she rolled her eyes a little bit, smiling shyly. This guy was charming. With his tattoos and the faint scars on his forehead that she just now noticed, he resembled the stereotype of an ex-con, but he was charming. She was enjoying this conversation instead of wanting to head for the hills. After everything that had happened with her husband – her ex-husband now, she supposed – it surprised Melanie that she wanted to chat with this handsome stranger.

“My name is Doug Albright. I may have some connections in town that could help you find a job.” He grabbed her glass and refilled it without her even needing to ask. She felt like she was suddenly the only other person in the bar.

Feeling like being playful, she raised an eyebrow and smirked at Doug. “What kind of connections?” she asked. “Like Mafia connections?”

He threw his head back and laughed. He came around the bar and sat beside her on a stool, holding a glass of something that looked like water but definitely did not smell like it. “Ohio, you are fun. I’m not in the Mafia. I’m the vice president of a motorcycle club called Stars and Stripes. And it just so happens that some of the other guys work in places around here. If you think you have what it takes, I’ll pass along the word that you’re looking to be hired.”

Now that he was closer, she could see that the tiger on his arm was pouncing out of an American flag. Stars and Stripes. Clever. But did she really want to get mixed up with a biker guy? Were they really just a club, or were they more like a gang?

“What’s your name?” he asked her.

She took another sip of her soda. What the hell. “Melanie Carr.”

Doug grinned at her. “You’re about to be a Carr riding a bike.”

CHAPTER TWO

Stars and Stripes

Melanie shifted a bit uneasily on her stool. This Doug guy was cute and charming, but he was also a stranger and she didn’t feel right just riding off with him on a motorcycle. She had little Stevie to think about. She had divorce papers to file before she even wanted to consider dating anyone else. She hoped that he would understand.

“It’s getting late,” she said, sounding somewhat deflated. “I should probably head back.”

Doug frowned slightly. “Yeah, okay,” he said. “Hey, if you want I could give you a lift.”

She shook her head. “No, thank you. I took the Metro and my car is at the station.”

He slowly smiled at her, showing off that adorable dimple of his again. How was it that a guy with such a baby face was the leader of a motorcycle gang? “I could give you a ride to the station,” he pointed out.

That she couldn’t argue with. The Metro would be a long ride back and she wondered how late it even ran. She looked at her watch. Crap. Is it already eight? Finally, feeling more resigned than excited, Melanie looked back up and straight into the eyes of Doug, who was awaiting her answer.

“Do you have an extra helmet?”

He grinned at her. “We can borrow one.”

Going back around the counter, he called to his coworkers. “I’m going on break, cover me! Hey, Lars, can I borrow your helmet?”

“Why? You got a hot—” The man who must have been Lars poked his head out of the back room. “—date?” He whistled when he saw Melanie, which made her blush and laugh. Meanwhile, Doug shushed him.

“Helmet?” he asked.

Lars tossed him a bright yellow helmet.

“Gracias.” Doug carried the helmet over and set it down on the bar in front of Melanie. He threw a black leather jacket on and let the way out back to where his waiting Harley motorcycle stood.

It was a black behemoth, with orange tiger stripes painted onto the hood of its front wheel. She could tell one thing for sure: he liked tigers.

“Where do you live?” he asked, putting on his shiny black helmet and watching as Melanie put hers on. He helped her onto the bike, allowing her to get on it herself for the most part, but there to lend his hand so she didn’t topple off or hurt herself in another way. She clearly had never been on a motorcycle before. She wondered if that would be a turn off for him, but when she saw his face, he was smiling and seemed completely enamored of her.

“Maryland,” she answered, “so I hope this bike has a lot of juice in it.” She smirked at him and he smirked right back at her. She had heard something like that in a movie once. She gave him the address of Casey’s house and Doug hopped onboard his motorcycle.

When it started up, her heart leapt a little. It felt so strange and not a small amount of intimidating, but she was also… thrilled?

“I know we just met,” he yelled over the engine. “But you’re gonna want to hold onto me. It’s dangerous to ride without anything holding you on.”

Melanie gulped but it was drowned out by the revving motor, which she was glad of. She knew that he could tell she was scared, but she didn’t want him to know that she was actually really, really scared. It was too late to turn back now!

She wrapped her arms around Doug’s middle and held on tight as he kicked off and they rode the Harley away from the bar.

“If you’re nervous, sometimes it helps to yell,” he told her, yelling just so she could hear him.

“What??” she yelled back.

He repeated himself, louder this time. She felt embarrassed for her first yell on a motorcycle being ‘what’ like some inattentive idiot. “WEEEEEEOOOOO!!” he suddenly shouted. He looked back at her, grinning, and she couldn’t help but smile back.

“WooooooAHH!” she yelled, laughing at her attempt.

Doug rode through the streets of DC as though this was what he did every night. Knowing what he did in his free time, he probably did do this every night. Melanie was grappling with whether she found that sexy or not.

When they finally stopped at the Metro station, behind her car, he helped her off of the bike and she looked up at him. She took off her helmet and shook out her hair.

“So, what do you think?” he asked. She couldn’t recall what he looked like when he wasn’t smiling. It did something to his appearance and made her almost forget about his tattoos and his scars… She suddenly worried about those scars.

“I’m glad you wear a helmet,” she said.

He laughed. “I meant about the bike. Did you have fun?”

Melanie smiled. “Oh,” she replied. “Yeah, it was okay.”

That made him laugh even more. He obviously got a kick out of her, and she was intrigued by him… But she couldn’t honestly say for sure if she saw anything coming from this. It had been nice of him to offer to help her find a job, but he clearly wasn’t just out to help her as a friend. Not the way he looked at her.

“Can I ask you something?” he asked her.

She shrugged her shoulders a little. “It’s a free country.”

“Where’d you get the shiner?”

Her eyes widened. Reaching up, she gingerly touched the bruise under her left eye. It still hurt. She had forgotten about it, till he mentioned it. It was like a bubble had burst inside her or something. She didn’t feel comfortable being around him anymore.

“Well, thanks for the lift,” she said, breaking the awkward silence that had formed. She handed the borrowed helmet back to him and moved to get into her SUV.

“Wait,” he said. He reached into his leather jacket and pulled out a piece of receipt paper. “Do you have a pen? I want to give you my phone number, in case I can help you again sometime.”

She laughed softly. No one needed to write phone numbers down anymore, unless they were Melanie’s mother’s age. “I can just put it directly into my phone.” She brought her phone out of her purse. “What is it?”

“555-860-SSMC.”

Melanie put it into her phone and then looked up at him, narrowing her eyes. “This is your motorcycle club’s number, isn’t it?”

Doug let out another laugh. “I’m not the VP for no reason, Ohio.”

She pressed a button. “I sent you a text so you’ll have my number.” She got into her car but kept the door open for a second. “Be careful out there, okay?” Closing the door, she started her car and drove away.

It was nice of him to drive her all the way from DC to Maryland on his Harley. She hoped that he would make it back okay. She also hoped that he would not put too much stock in seeing her again. She had a two-year-old and a friend that she was eventually going to need to pay back. Melanie would not be able to live with herself if she let another man interfere with her life.

 

When she arrived back at Casey’s house, most of the lights were off. Melanie went inside and her friend looked up from a book, looking surprised. “There you are,” Casey said. She didn’t say it with any annoyance or exasperation, just as if she had been wondering where Melanie had gone for such a long time. “Did you have any success?”

Melanie chuckled, mostly to herself, and hung up her purse in the hall closet. She brought out her cell phone and was glad to see that there weren’t any texts from Doug. Most importantly because she didn’t want him texting and riding his bike at the same time. That was the mother in her. She also didn’t want to be bombarded with texts from him. Her head was still spinning, trying to figure things out.

“I had some slight success,” she answered. “I met a guy.”

Casey closed her book and opened her mouth wide. “You did? What happened?” She patted the couch next to her.

Melanie looked around. “Where’s Stevie?”

“I put him to bed right at nine, like you told me. He is such a good kid. We played board games all evening.” Casey smiled, proud of herself for being a capable babysitter and also proud of Melanie for having such a sweet, smart little boy.

Collapsing on the couch beside her friend, Melanie let out a pleased sigh. “Oh, thank god. I was trying to get back here quicker, but…”

Casey shook her head. “It’s okay. I didn’t mind. You needed a break anyway. Now tell me more about this mystery man you met.”

Melanie blushed. “It wasn’t really a big deal. I went to a bar after being turned away by everyone in town, and the bartender turned out to be friendly. He was covered in tattoos, as you can probably imagine, and he’s apparently a leader of this motorcycle gang.”

Casey’s eyes widened a little. “But he was nice?”

Melanie nodded. “Yeah. We chatted for a while, and then he gave me a ride on his motorcycle. He took me all the way back to the station where I’d left my car.”

“Wow,” Casey said, impressed. “He doesn’t sound so bad for a gang member.”

Melanie snorted. “I may be exaggerating a touch. He’s the vice president of a motorcycle club. It’s got a name with tigers in it or something. Anyway. He is very cute, very handsome, and I had a good time but I don’t think anything is going to come of it. I mean, after all, I just got here. I need a job. I need to find a good daycare for Stevie. I need to find structure for my life again, you know? And this guy… He’s not the sort of guy who can provide structure for us.”

Casey got up and poured them each a mimosa. She sat back down and handed Melanie a glass, clinking glasses with her. “What makes you think that he’s not someone who can help you? He obviously helped you tonight, even if it was just a little gesture versus something you needed.”

“It’s embarrassing to admit but... You should see his tattoos, Case. And his scars. He’s got scars on his forehead that make me wonder what sort of fights he’s been into. He has the look of an ex-criminal, even if he is reformed or whatever.”

“Maybe they’re just scars from falling off his motorcycle,” Casey suggested. “You should ask him about it instead of assuming.”

Melanie bit her lip. “You’re right. I just don’t know if I’m ready to have someone else in my life. Especially not someone who could end up being just as violent as Jake.”

Casey looked down, empathizing with her friend. She’d only ever had bad luck with dating and was so heartbroken when Melanie confessed to her that Jake hit her on a frequent basis, depending on how much he drank.

“I should go to bed,” Melanie said, setting her empty glass on the table. “Thanks for the mimosa and the chat. I promise to be more upbeat tomorrow.”

“I’m not expecting you to be upbeat, Mel,” Casey said. “I’m here for you always.”

CHAPTER THREE

All American Tiger

First things first, Melanie decided the next morning, she would take Stevie to one of the nearest daycare centers to see if it was a good fit for him. It was equipped with playhouses and all sorts of fun toys and things to climb on, so Melanie was satisfied. He looked around in awe at everything. “He’s very smart for his age,” she told the admissions assistant at the center. “He’s already starting to read simple picture books and he loves history.”

The lady beamed at him. She was most likely paid to praise each child, but Melanie couldn’t help feeling as though she really did have a special one that was worth describing so highly.

“I think he will do very well here,” she said.

Melanie wondered how often this woman said that in a day. She wondered if she could work in a daycare center. One kid was probably enough for her.

“Great. Well, is it okay if he stays here for a few hours today?” Melanie asked. “It could be a sort of trial run and, if it goes well, he’ll start coming here every weekday?”

She was relieved when the lady smiled and agreed to it. This would help her go apply for some of the other places that she couldn’t apply for in the evening. She didn’t want to always depend on Casey to babysit Stevie while she job hunted.

“Be a good boy,” she told her son, giving his head a kiss. She mussed up his hair a little and he ran off to go play in one of the play forts.

As she walked back out to her car, she checked her phone to see the time and noticed that she had a text notification from Doug.

Speaking of being a good boy…

She pressed the icon and read over his text.

“Doing anything fun today? Can I be a part of that?”

A blush crept over her cheeks. What was it about the guy that made her feel like this? He was not her type, except that he was cute and funny and kind. He was not good for her, except that he was thoughtful and supportive. He was a waste of her time, except the best time she’d had so far in this time had been with him…

She opened up the text’s response screen and started at the flashing cursor while she tried to think of a good excuse for not hanging out with the vice president of Stars and Stripes MC. “I have a lot of job markets to explore today,” she told him.

That hadn’t been a yes or a no, which left the door open for him without hurting his feelings by saying she couldn’t do anything fun with him.

It didn’t take him long to text her back. She was sitting in her car, putting her seatbelt on, when she her phone sounded from within her purse. She pulled it out.

“I could help with that. Want me to drive you around to places on my bike?”

Melanie sighed and called him. “I’m outside of Little Sprites Daycare. I don’t really want to leave my car here while I go around DC.”

“Okay,” he said brightly. “How about you drive back home and drop off your car and I meet you there?”

She wasn’t sure how comfortable she felt with Doug coming to Casey’s house to meet her. It wasn’t like it was really her house. “How about you meet me at the closest Starbucks?” she asked him, trying to keep her voice pleasant. “The one on Chestnut?”

“Sure thing,” Doug replied. If he was disappointed that he couldn’t go meet her at the house, he didn’t let it show in his voice. “I’ll see you in about thirty minutes?”

“Sounds good.”

Putting her phone away, Melanie drove to Casey’s house and parked her SUV in the driveway. She went inside and, not really having anything to do in this sudden break of alone time, she made herself some coconut-flavored coffee and brought it out to sit on the front porch and enjoy the nice spring weather.

When it was time for her to go meet Doug at the coffee shop, she brought the mug back inside and put it into the dishwasher, then put on her jacket and strolled down the street to Starbucks.

It wasn’t hard to find him when she got there. He was sitting at a table near the front door, drinking something that was dark and probably tasted like lighter fluid. Melanie made a face. “How can you drink black coffee?”

Doug stood up, grinning at her. “It’s not black coffee. It’s got a little bit of hazelnut flavoring in it.”

She raised her eyebrows at him. “You’re crazy.”

“Would you like something?” he asked, laughing.

Melanie didn’t want to be lingering at a coffee place. She wanted to be responsible and find a new job. It irked her that he was trying to make her while the day away. “No thanks,” she said. “We should probably get going if I am going to have any hope of finding any leads. Are you completely off today?”

He shrugged a little and put his helmet on, sipping his bizarre coffee through its straw. “I took the day off,” he said as he led her out to his bike. “I thought that helping my new friend Ohio was more important than selling alcohol to drunks.”

Something about that last word made her flinch beneath her skin, but she didn’t say anything about it.

“Your shiner is fading,” he said, tossing his drained cup into the trash. “Do you want to tell me how it happened yet?”

“Not really,” she said.

Doug unclipped a shiny red helmet from his motorcycle’s handlebars. “I bought you a helmet so now you won’t have to worry about not having one.” He watched as she put it on. “I don’t want you to get hurt,” he said softly, coming close and looking into her eyes. “You tell me if something makes you feel threatened, okay?”

Melanie wasn’t sure where this was coming from. She knew that he was concerned because she had shown up with a black eye, in a new place, but it wasn’t like he knew her. “Okay,” she said awkwardly. “Thanks…”

He picked her up in his strong arms and gently set her down on the motorcycle’s seat. Then he got on in front of her. “Hang on,” he warned before starting up the growling engine.

She wrapped her arms around his stomach and they took off. Melanie hadn’t grown used to the bike yet, but she didn’t feel as scared as she had when she first rode it.

Swerving and coasting through all of the streets on the way to DC, she looked at the road ahead and thought about what she wanted out of life now that she was free from her husband’s gruff clutches. She wanted a safe home for Stevie and herself. She wanted to be able to afford her own things without needing anyone else’s monetary contributions. She wanted something new and exciting. It surprised her when she thought that.

Doug stopped his bike outside of a burger restaurant in Chinatown called Lou’s. Melanie looked up at the sign, confused. “What are we doing here? You know, I’ve got a whole list of places.”

“I know the manager,” he told her. “He’s looking for a waitress. Do you have any waitressing experience?”

She nodded hesitantly. “A few years,” she said. “But I can find my own job.”

“Fourteen dollars an hour plus tips,” he said.

That was competitive. She thought it over. “Fine, fine.”

She got off the bike and took of her helmet while he did the same. They went into the restaurant together, holding their respective helmets under their arms and looking around. Melanie liked the place’s atmosphere. It was full of old movie posters and dolls. It was the kind of weird that made her smile.

“Angelo!” Doug called over the 1950s music that was playing.

A burly, middle-aged man with graying red hair and a stomach paunch came over. He was also wearing a tiger tattoo. Of course.

“Melanie Carr, this is Angelo Schwartz,” Doug introduced. “Angelo, this is the girl I was telling you about.”

The man known as Angelo smiled. “Ohio, huh?”

 

Now that Doug had helped to get Melanie hired, she couldn’t complain about him distracting her. She wondered if this had been all part of his plan, but she was too happy and excited to care. The restaurant was cool and the people there were nice, and it was going to pay her better than she could have hoped for.

She was going to start work, pending a background check, in two days. She could finally relax.

“Now,” Doug said, snapping his helmet back on. “Ohio, will you please go out with me?”

Melanie blushed. He pointed and grinned at her.

“That’s a yes!” he shouted, victorious. “You can’t deny that’s a yes.”

She laughed. “Yes. But only as payback for the job.”

He shrugged that away. “A yes is still a yes. Where do you wanna go and what do you wanna do?” he asked her excitedly, hopping back onto the motorcycle with her.

Thinking about it, she wasn’t sure. There were the stereotypical, tourist things that she hadn’t done since she was little. There was probably a vibrant, raucous nightlife that Doug knew all about… “We should probably take it slow,” she told him, smiling. “After all, I am from farm country.”

That made him laugh uproariously. “I think I have a pretty good idea. The first thing we need to do is get some grub. Do you like Korean barbeque?”

“I don’t know if I’ve ever had Korean barbeque,” she answered.

“Well, that settles that!”

She held on as he sped off in the direction of something that yet again only he knew about. She was finding that it was easier to trust him, and it alarmed her more than a little because Doug was still largely a mystery to her. She supposed that the time for asking him about himself was coming, since they were on a date. The nagging, more fearful part of herself couldn’t believe that she had agreed to this, while the part of her that was still curious and excited by new things couldn’t wait to see what Doug had up his leather sleeves.

They stopped in a park, which Melanie hadn’t expected. Nearby, there was a statue of a civil war soldier on a horse. That wasn’t so odd, considering their location, but she hadn’t been anticipating a lunch in this park would be Doug’s idea of a good date place.

“This place has the best Korean barbeque I’ve ever had,” he told her, getting off the motorcycle and removing his helmet, attaching it to his handlebars. He helped Melanie down and she attached her helmet near his.

“Which place?” she asked him, confused.

He led her over to a bright yellow food truck. “This place!” There was a line the stretched down the street. Apparently other people liked this place’s food, too. “I have hopped on my Harley and searched the city for this truck before. They’re the best.”

Melanie looked at him, disbelieving. When they finally made it to the head of the line, she looked at the menu on the truck’s door. They made steak and cheese egg rolls. “Those sound amazing,” she said, pointing them out for Doug. “One order of steak and cheese rolls, please,” she told the nice Korean girl.

Doug ordered something that looked like fancily-fried pork. Once they both had their Styrofoam containers of food, they carried them over to the grass and sat down, cross-legged, while the long-dead soldier from the south eyed them from above.

“Oh, this is really good!” she exclaimed as she dug into her egg rolls. “You weren’t kidding.”

“Of course not,” he said, looking proud. “I’m not known for having bad taste.”

That made her blush a little in spite of herself. “I ask one personal question, you ask one personal question?” she offered as they continued to eat side by side.

Doug nodded. “Sounds fun.”

She looked up at him, into his green eyes. “How did you get those scars on your forehead?”

His eyes widened a little, then went back to normal. He looked down at his food, picking out the biggest piece of pork and popping it into his mouth. “Iraq,” he said, swallowing. “I was in the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment in Operation All American Tiger… Got banged up pretty badly when a mine exploded and was sent home with these scars, a purple heart and a new passion project inspired by my friends who didn’t make it back.”

Melanie stared at him, incredulous. His scars weren’t related to criminal activity or anything like that! Doug Albright was a veteran! “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry.”

He smiled at her then, appreciative. She nearly melted when she saw his dimple now. “Don’t be,” he said. “I was happy to do my part and I’m proud of my service. That’s why I ride in the Stars and Stripes. We’re all vets from the 3rd, all the ones who did make it back in one or two pieces.” He chuckled a little, and there was a note of sadness in it.

She didn’t want to pry further, but she felt so bad for assuming… “I thought you were an ex-con when I met you,” she said quietly.

Doug chuckled at her, seeming a tad shy all of a sudden. “I know,” he said, smiling his cute, baby-faced smile as he looked down at his container of Korean pork. “If it makes you feel better, I was once held overnight for decking a guy in a bar. But he was making fun of my wounded friend, so please don’t be too mad.”

Melanie let out a little cry of protest, shaking her head. She placed her hand on his hand that was holding his fork. “Now it’s your turn to ask me a question.”

“A personal question?” he asked her.

She nodded, biting her lip. She knew what he was going to ask, but she wanted to go ahead and let him ask anyway. If he had assumed something asinine about it like she had about him, he had done a very good job of hiding it.

“Who gave you that black eye?” he asked her.

She took a deep breath, but he went on.

“Do you want me to find him and kick his ass?”

Melanie chuckled softly, feeling a surprising calm about the entire situation now. Doug, Jake, where she now was, all of it. “That was too questions.”

Doug looked her in the eye. “Ohio…”

“It was my ex-husband. Well, my soon-to-be ex-husband… Jake. He used to get drunk sometimes. He had problems with depression. That’s no excuse. I used to feel bad for him, until one day I stopped because feeling bad for him was not helping him and it certainly wasn’t making him stop hitting me. I didn’t want him to go after our son.”

With a surprised look on his face, Doug asked, “Son?” under his breath.

She nodded. “His name is Stevie. He’s two. He’s so smart…” She looked Doug in the eyes again after momentarily looking away in embarrassment and shame.

Slowly, he reached a hand up and gently cupped her cheek, letting his fingertips softly pet and massage her jawline. He rested his forehead against hers. “Oh, Melanie,” he said softly, an earnestness coating his voice as his green eyes gazed into her blue ones. “I really like you.”

He hadn’t used her real name in a while. It kind of shocked her. Blushing, she smiled at him. “I like you too,” she replied. She felt a nervous energy fill her up, making her head spin in a not unpleasant way.

Suddenly, his lips were on hers, kissing her deeper than she expected. She kissed him back, feeling as though little firecrackers were going off inside of her. This was something she had anticipated, somehow. This was something she knew was coming, if she kept hanging out with Doug. But, at the same time, she felt like rejoicing. He was kissing her!

He gently let his tongue slip into her mouth, tasting her momentarily without going overboard. When he finally pulled back to look at her, he was smiling cutely again. Melanie definitely wanted more kissing with him. She wanted more of him in general.

How could she have been so stupid as to assume this sweet guy was a violent felon?

“Now what?” she asked, biting her lip and hoping that he would say ‘more making out.’

But he didn’t. He chuckled. “Climb back on board and I’ll show you something.”

He drove her on his motorcycle through all of the monuments along the Tidal Basin that he was allowed to enter on a bike. They rode past the Jefferson Memorial, Martin Luther King, and Lincoln, and waved at FDR from the street.

Melanie held onto him, smiling and cuddling against Doug’s strong back. His tiger tattoo made sense to her now. It felt as though everything made sense to her now.

He soon hit the highway again but he was not on it as long as he should’ve been if he was going to drop her off at Casey’s house. He stopped his bike in front of an apartment building just outside of DC.

She was going into the tiger’s den.

 

CHAPTER FOUR

The Heart of Purple

Getting off the bike, Doug removed his helmet and set it on the handlebars so he could help Melanie off. She took off her helmet and followed him, looking at him as he carried his helmet under his arm to the front door of the building. “This is my place,” he said. “You don’t have to stay over, but you’re welcome to.”

She appreciated that he was upfront about it. No pretense of coffee was involved. “Could I just call my friend first to make sure she picks up my son from daycare?” Tomorrow was Saturday, so Casey would hopefully be able to watch Stevie for a few hours in case… Melanie couldn’t believe it, but in case she slept at Doug’s apartment.

“No problem,” he said, taking her helmet so her hands were free to make the call. He led her into the building’s elevator. “There’s no reception in here, so you might want to wait till we’re in my humble abode before you try calling out.” He smiled at her.

He pressed the button for the fourth floor.

“So,” she said, trying to start a conversation. If there was anything more awkward than a silent elevator ride, she didn’t know what it was. “What sort of work do you guys do in Stars and Stripes?” Now that she knew it was a group of veterans who rode their bikes around, she figured that it was some sort of philanthropic project, not just guys who liked speeding down highways and getting into fights. She had clearly watched too many movies.

“We raise awareness for those injured in combat, and we accept donations when we go to events,” Doug answered.

She smiled at him. “I feel like such a goober for thinking you were dangerous.”

“I’m only dangerous if you’re threatening my loved ones.” He winked at her and she blushed. Now that he knew she had moved to DC to escape domestic violence, he was most likely going to try and be her body guard or something. She liked the idea, but she didn’t want her asshole ex to hurt him.

The elevator stopped once they’d reached their floor and Doug brought her to his front door. He unlocked it and held it open for Melanie to walk through. His apartment was pretty small, with olive green walls and cream-colored carpeting. He had a bed in his living room, behind his couch so that he could vault from one to the other if he wanted to. She would not be surprised if he did things like that.

“Welcome to my abode,” he said, closing the door behind himself and locking it. “This neighborhood’s known for being safe, but I like to be extra careful. Can you get you anything? A Diet Coke?” He grinned at her.

He remembered her less-than-flashy drink request. “Yes, please,” she said. “Thank you.”

“No sweat,” he said. “Make yourself at home.” He went into the apartment’s small kitchenette to pour her a glass of Diet Coke with some ice.

Melanie sat on his tan, leather couch and was amazed how much it sagged when she sat. It must have been fairly old to do that, but something about it was cozy so she wasn’t going to complain. She pulled her cell phone from her purse and pressed Casey’s name on her list of contacts.

“Hi, Casey,” she said. “What’s up? Listen, I’m out on a date with Doug Albright, the motorcycle club vice president that I mentioned to you the other day…” She paused and Doug smirked at her from his place in the kitchen. He was keeping his distance from her while she talked to her friend, out of politeness. “Yeah, the guy with a tiger tattoo.” Doug let out a laugh at that, and she blushed, smiling at him. He was getting a kick out of this. “Anyway, would it be possible for you to go to Little Sprite’s Daycare and pick up Stevie for me? I’m not entirely sure if I’ll be back tonight or tomorrow morning…” She chuckled. “I know. Thank you so much! I’ll make it up to you soon. No, shh, I owe you. Bye.”

She ended the call and put her phone back into her purse, setting her purse down on the coffee table that was actually a big, brown chest that a pirate might use to store his treasure. Doug brought out her glass of soda and set it on the chest as well, sitting beside her but keeping his distance. He definitely gave her space and let her do things in her own time. That was something she really admired about him. Maybe the army had trained him in the ways of being a gentleman, too.

Reaching out, she picked up the glass of Diet Coke and took a long sip. The wind in her face from the motorcycle ride, as well as nervousness, made her thirsty. She set the glass back down and looked at him, smiling and feeling a bit awkward because she didn’t know what to say next. She was rusty when it came to dating, if that’s what this was now, and she wasn’t really prepared to make the first moves.

All of a sudden, Doug moved closer to her and put his arm around her. “You’re not afraid to sit close to me, are you?”

Melanie shook her head. “I wondered why you were so far.”

He kissed her deeply and she slid back against the leather couch, ending up underneath him and not minding that one bit. They made out for several wonderful moments, and then he broke his mouth away from hers and looked into her eyes, green into blue.

“Do you want to move to the bed?” he asked her, his voice coming out in a breathy whisper which she found exhilarating.

She nodded and he kissed her again before taking her hands and gently pulling her up to her feet. He led her around the couch to the bed. Melanie started to take off her shoes, because for some reason her brain told her that was the most important thing to remove.

“I’ll be right back,” he suddenly said, rushing off down the hall hear the front door. To the bathroom, she assumed.

Melanie removed her blouse next, and her slightly sparkly black pants. She carefully placed her clothes on the back of the couch in a neatly folded pile. She sincerely hoped that Doug wouldn’t mind dating a mom, but she guessed that they were already past the point of worrying about that. He clearly liked her!

When he came back out of the hallway, he was wearing only his t-shirt and a pair of dark blue boxers. He was also carrying something small in a shiny, gold wrapper. A condom.

She was so grateful that he thought about that. The last thing Melanie wanted was to be pregnant again, at least not for a long time.

Sitting beside her on the bed, he gently removed her bra, cupping her right breast in his hand and kissing it. He slowly slid her black panties down and took them off, tossing them onto the couch and knocking her pile of clothes down onto it with her panties.

He carefully removed his boxers and put the condom on his lengthy, thick cock. She lay back on the bed, resting her head on one of the pillows and looked at him. Her heart was pounding in her chest. The last time she’d had sex, it had not ended well for her. Jake would always violently convince her to have sex with him somehow, usually so he would stop slapping her around, and she often spent the week afterward with some sort of bruise or limp from his abuse.

She didn’t expect that from Doug, though she was still haunted by those memories.

“Hey,” he said soothingly, positioning himself between her legs but not moving past that. He still had his shirt on. “Do you really want this?” he asked, looking deeply into her eyes. “We can stop if you’re—”

“Yes,” she replied, reaching over and stroking the side of his hard cock. “I want this.”

Smiling a dimpled smile at her, Doug got on top of her, kissing her lips and her cheeks. “I’ll go slow, okay? I promise.” He could tell that she was nervous and a little scared, so he was doing her best to make everything comfortable for her.

He pressed himself into her, caressing her cheeks as he slowly thrust. Melanie reached up to his face and ran her fingertips over his dimple. She leaned towards him and snatched his mouth to her own, kissing him and grinding her hips a bit so she could move herself against him.

When she pulled her mouth from his, she batted her lashes at him. “You can go faster, if you want,” she said seductively. Suddenly, she did not feel afraid. Lust for Doug had melted the fear away. All she wanted now was for him to be inside of her, filling her up and driving memories of the bad guys away.

Smirking a little, he held onto her and sped up his thrusting. He licked his fingertips and gently rubbed them against her clit.

“Ooohh,” she moaned. “Oh, Doug!”

“Yeah,” he murmured back, “You like it like this, Ohio?”

Suddenly, something came over her and she pushed him off of her, slamming him down onto the bed and straddling him instead. She bounced against his cock, grinding against him and moving him around. He tightly grabbed hold of her butt and lolled his head from side to side, enjoying what she was doing to him.

Melanie placed her hands on his chest, running her fingers through his chest hair and digging her nails into his skin, careful not to puncture too far in. She leaned over him, feeling the pleasure mounting inside her. All at once, it felt as though her brain itself was screaming.

Doug took one of her nipples into his mouth and sucked. She closed her eyes tightly as she came. “Aaahhhh, yes! Oh, Doug! Doug! DOOUUUGGGG!”

His neighbors were all probably well aware that Doug was getting laid this evening. He smirked up at her and, once she had calmed down, resumed his position on top of her. He quickened his pace as she wrapped her legs around his waist. She watched his dog tags as they jangled back and forth, hitting against his chest as he thrusted. She arched her back a little and swiveled around beneath him, sensing that he was about to cum. He closed his eyes tightly. “Aww, yesss!” he hissed as he came. “H’aaahh…”

He pulled out of her and took the full condom off, tossing it into the trash can nearby. Melanie watched him, missing the closeness they’d just shared already. Happily, as soon as he was done cleaning himself up, he came back to cuddle her.

“Where have you been all of my life?” she asked him. “Oh, Iraq, that’s right.” She giggled a little, feeling like it was time to be silly after what she’d just felt. Her head felt light and dizzy in a good way.

Doug laughed. “I wasn’t in Iraq for twenty-four years!”

She smiled and kissed him.

He kept his face close to hers when the kiss was over, their noses brushing ever so slightly against each other. “I think I’ve fallen for you,” he whispered. “And I don’t just fall and get back up, Melanie…”

Gazing into his eyes, she blushed. “I think I’ve fallen for you, too.”

They lay beside each other one the bed, naked, looking into each other’s eyes for a pleasant, long time. They hardly said a word, but when they did, it was to compliment each other.

“Being away from you is going to be hard,” she told him.

He cuddled her close to him. “I’m just a Harley ride away. You can see me whenever you want.”

The trouble was that, for now at least, she wanted to see him all the time. She wanted to make up for lost time when she had thought he was no more than a thug.

CHAPTER FIVE

A Hero’s Welcome

As they rode down the street towards Casey’s house the next morning, they slowed their speed and Melanie felt as though something wasn’t right. Sure enough, when they got into the driveway, she recognized Jake’s car parked there behind hers. As she and Doug stopped near it, the front door opened and the man Melanie was hoping she would never see again emerged.

He was wearing dark blue jeans and a black button up shirt. She had a momentary lapse in judgment, thinking that he looked sexy like that, but then she gave her brain a mental slap and leapt off the bike with Doug. They both quickly removed their helmets and set them aside.

“What are you doing here?” she snapped at the man she used to love.

“I came here looking for my wife,” Jake said. “I thought you’d be hiding out with one of your old friends. And here you are. Who the hell is that?” He gestured to Doug who was standing behind Melanie, slowly cracking his knuckles as he clenched and unclenched his fists.

From the front window of Casey’s house, Melanie could see her friend was watching. She didn’t see Stevie. Casey had most likely ushered him into his bedroom at the sound of the yelling outside. Thank goodness, Melanie thought.

“If I wanted to be your wife anymore, I wouldn’t be hiding out with one of my friends,” she pointed out to Jake. “Anyway, I’m not hiding out. I’m living my life and taking care of my son. It’s over, Jake. So why don’t you just get in your car and go back to Ohio?”

“It’s not over!” Jake yelled. “I’m sorry about the other night, okay? But you have really got to learn to stop talking back to me.”

“The only person who has anything to learn around here is you,” Doug said. “She said she doesn’t want to be with you anymore. Leave her alone.”

Jake pointed a finger at Doug. “You stay out of this, pal.”

Looking him over, Jake appeared to be taken aback by the fact that Melanie was now spending her time with a biker guy. “You leave home and end up gallivanting around with this freak!” He tried to approach Melanie, but Doug pushed him back when he came close. “Melanie, what are you doing hanging around this- this jailbird?”

“He’s not a jailbird,” she replied. “He’s an American hero.”

Jake scoffed. “Oh, please.” He tried to push forward again, but Doug pushed him back even further.

“I said leave her alone!” Doug bellowed. Suddenly, he punched Jake squarely in the face, sending him reeling backwards. He was all set to hit him again, but it turned out that the one punch had been enough to get Jake good and dizzy. “How surprising, the big man who hits his wife can’t handle one measly punch.”

Clutching his cheek, Jake shook his head as blood came from his nose. “You’re both bullshit,” he spat. “I’m not wasting my time with either of you.” He got into his car without another word and drove away. Melanie didn’t think that he would be back again. She was with the man she needed now.

“Are you okay?” she asked Doug, giving him a gentle hug. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

He shook his head. “My hand hurts a little, which is strange because I only punched a numbskull.”

“Aww, let me kiss it and make it better.” She kissed the knuckles on his right hand.

Just then, the front door opened and Casey came outside. “Is he gone now?” she asked, frightened. “I heard him in the driveway and I didn’t know what to do. I made sure to keep Stevie in his room. I’m so glad you two were here to get rid of him!”

When she got a look at the handsome – if unique-looking – Doug Albright, she smiled at him and Melanie. “Please come inside.”

They went inside Casey’s house and sat down in the kitchen.

“It’s so nice to finally meet you,” she told Doug as she poured three cups of coffee. “Melanie has told me about you, but not enough!”

Melanie blushed. “I didn’t want to divulge every detail.”

He thankfully took a mug of coffee and took a long sip. “Mmm,” he said, “Thank you.”

Smiling, Melanie got out of her chair and went to the bedroom to get Stevie. She brought him out by the hand. “This is someone I want you to meet, Stevie.” The little boy looked up at the tattooed veteran. “This is Doug Albright,” she told her son. “He was a soldier and now he rides a motorcycle so he can help other soldiers.”

Stevie appeared to be deeply impressed.

“Hello, Stevie,” Doug said to him, smiling.

Looking at him, Stevie pointed. “You have a tiger on your arm.”

Doug chuckled. “That I do… What’s your favorite animal?”

Stevie thought about it. “I like tigers,” he said. “Did you know that tigers are the largest member of the cat family? I used to think it was lions, but no.”

Melanie grinned proudly and pet Stevie’s hair. She loved that her son was smart and had gotten away from her horrible ex-husband unscathed.

“Hey, Stevie, have you ever been on a motorcycle?” Doug waggled his eyebrows.

“No, of course not,” Melanie said. “He’s only two!”

“Only two?!” Doug asked, pretending to be shocked. “I thought you were a graduate student!”

They went outside to show Stevie the Harley and Melanie agreed to let Doug put him onto the bike – just to sit! – for a picture. “He’s a cool kid,” he said once Casey had taken Stevie back inside for his dinner. “I like him.”

Melanie smiled up at him. “Well, I’m glad you approve.”

They kissed and Doug soon rode off on his bike. He had a Stars and Stripes meeting to attend and she was not about to make him late. After all, his motorcycle club was made up of heroes.

THE END

OUTLAW BIKER

Angelina stood looking at the beat up old Ford her father had owned since the mid-seventies. He had brought it new in 1974 and babied it for over forty years now. Well, he had until recently. Stepping out the front door of his house, the same one she had grown up in, she walked toward it and sighed heavily as the door creaked open. It had been years since she had driven his old truck. It had been years since she had driven anything, actually. Living in New York, having a car was more of a nuisance than a convenience.

It seemed a bit surreal to even be back here. Angelina had left the small town in which she was born when she was eighteen and never looked back. She had attended college in New York and settled there. Being back here seemed about as foreign to her as the city once had when she first arrived there.

The truck hadn’t barely been driven in a year, so she was surprised when it cranked right up. Her cousin had told her he stopped by every week to start it up and running it around the driveway to keep it from rotting, but it was still very old and sitting too long had a way of speeding the deterioration process.

It was already nearly eight at night, so she got going. Around here, they began rolling up the streets after dark. All of the shops would close soon and that included the grocery store that she needed to get to. Her father’s farm was at least ten miles out from the little Save a Penny that sufficed for food purchases. Angelina was nearly halfway there when the truck suddenly began hitching and sputtering.

“No! You piece of crap! I don’t have time for this!”

Pulling the truck over to the side of the road, she looked over the warning gauges. Nothing was blinking red. She heard a loud pop and the truck shuttered to a complete shutdown. Cursing under her breath, she got out and looked around. Frustrated, she reached in her purse for her phone, growing more exasperated as she realized she had left it on her father’s kitchen table back at his house.

It was unlikely that she was going to find anyone passing by at this hour way out here, so she grabbed her purse and the keys, heading closer into town. It was equal distance back to her Dad’s as it was there, but if memory served her correctly, there was a farm a couple of miles further down that belonged to the Andersons, old family friends. It would be quicker to get help from them than to go all the way back to her Dad’s place on foot.

She was surprised when she the lights from an old restaurant called the Roadside Diner still on. They used to close at eight. Either they had extended their hours or maybe they were just still there cleaning up and hadn’t turned the lights off yet. Either way, she could get help there. She sped up her pace, hoping they didn’t shut down and leave before she made it that far.

As the restaurant came closer into view, she realized it had been renamed “The Pit Stop” and the parking lot was chock full of motorcycles. She wasn’t thrilled about the hometown diner being turned into some sort of biker hangout or the fact that she was so desperate for assistance that she was going to have to go in there. Taking a deep breath, she crossed the parking lot and opened the door leading inside.

Looking around, she saw nothing but bikers. It was definitely not her kind of place at all. She headed toward the bar, where she could see at least one woman working. There was something familiar about her that Angelina couldn’t quite place, but the woman seemed to know exactly who she was, smiling at her fondly.

“Hey. Do you have a payphone?”

“Payphone? Do those still even exist, Angelina?”

“I guess not. Listen, my Dad’s truck broke down and my cell phone is at his house. I need to call a tow truck and someone to pick me up.”

“You ain’t gonna get no tow until morning, hon. You can use the bar phone to call for a pick up though.”

“Tow trucks don’t come out at night at all?”

“Well, they do when they are able to, but if you look right over yonder in the corner, you’ll see that Bubba Henry is as drunk as a skunk. Since he owns the only towing place in town, I’d not recommend him not towing anything tonight.”

“Good call . . . and crap, I don’t know anyone’s number. It’s all in my phone.”

“Listen, I get off in about an hour. You know I just live down the road from your Dad’s. I can get you home and you can get the truck home in the morning.”

“Look, I’m sorry. I haven’t been home in a long time and you look really familiar, but I can’t think to say your name.”

“Why, it’s Holly Robinson, honey. We lived over by the bridge down from your house. You probably don’t remember me because I’m several years younger, but you probably remember my brother, Tommy.”

“Oh, of course. Yes. Tommy was in my class. I’m sorry, Holly.”

“Don’t worry about it. Just grab you a stool or a table, if you can find one, and I’ll get you a drink. What would you like?”

“Might as well. Tonight’s a bust and the sitter is still with Dad until morning. Jack and Coke will do.”

“Coming right up. Sorry about your Dad, by the way, Mom told me he is really struggling with the Old Timer’s disease.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

“Sure thing, honey.”

Holly brought her a drink and then returned to the other end of the bar where a guy was calling for her to get him and his buddies some more beers. Looking around a bit anxiously, Angelina sipped her drink. A woman alone in a bar was always a target and it was only a matter of seconds before every loser in this one was offering her drinks and making suggestions that were best left unrepeated. One particularly loathsome creep put his hand on her knee and smiled at her with yellowed, crooked teeth.

“How about you hop on the back of my bike and take a ride with me down to Shadow Lake. We can do the nasty under the stars.”

“I have a better idea. How about you take your filthy hand off my knee and get out of my face.”

“Now, is that any way for a broad to talk to a man that’s trying to get to know her better?”

“Yes. Get lost!”

Angelina flung his hand off her leg and turned around to face the bar. She wasn’t sure what happened next, but she heard a yelp behind her, followed by a deep voice telling him that he’d do well not to touch the lady or bother her again. She turned to find herself looking at a rather rugged, muscular guy wearing a leather biker’s vest. The emblem on it displayed what appeared to be the grim reaper, except the head was that of a coyote peering out from the dark hooded cloak around the otherwise human looking form. Beneath that it said, “President.”

He looked back at her with piercing dark brown eyes, his hand still twisting the creep’s arm behind him. Pushing him away, he continued to look at her wordlessly with eyes so dark they were almost black. His dark brown hair was shaggy, sticking out at odd angles in a haphazard style that was nothing less than dead sexy. Both arms were covered in tattoos. It didn’t take more than just a passing glance to know that he was trouble or that it excited her just a bit.

“Don’t worry about him. He won’t bother you again.”

“Thank you. You didn’t have to do that. I could have handled him.”

“It wasn’t a problem. Name is Anson Hawthorne. I lead the Coyotes Motor Club.”

“Angelina Thompson. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Do you mind if I sit with you?”

Angelina wasn’t too sure that she wanted to be associated with the leader of a biker gang, but it might keep creeps like the one before away if they saw her with him.

“Sure. Have a seat.”

He smiled at her, flashing the most perfect white teeth she had ever seen. She noted a bit of a large tattoo peeking up from his shirt collar as he leaned forward before sitting back on his stool.

“Pardon me for saying it, but you don’t seem like the sort to be hanging out in a biker bar, Angelina.”

“I’m not. My father’s truck broke down about a mile or so down the road and I walked up here to get it towed.”

Anson laughed. “Old Bubba won’t be towing nothing but the line when his old lady gets hold of him for drinking all night.”

“Yeah, Holly told me I was out of luck. She’s going to take me back out to my father’s when she gets off work.””

“Visiting then?”

“For a while. He isn’t well, so I came home for a bit to take care of him.”

“Sorry to hear that. What kind of truck does he have?”

“1977 Ford F150.”

“An oldie but a goodie.”

“Not so good today.”

“I tell you what. When old Bubba sobers up in the morning, I’ll get him to tow it to the shop and I’ll take a look at it for you.”

“Oh, I appreciate it, but I can take care of it.”

“How? Taking it over to Bubba’s rip off cousin? He’ll only overcharge you and leave behind more issues than before he worked on it.”

“How do I know you won’t do the same?”

“You don’t, but I doubt I’ll get you to go out for dinner with me if I don’t treat you and your Dad’s truck right.”

“That was pretty smooth.”

“Wasn’t it? Is that a yes?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Not smooth enough I guess.”

“Take care of Dad’s truck and I will think about it.”

“A woman who knows how to barter, I like that.”

He turned toward Holly and signaled for her to bring them another round of drinks. She smiled broadly at Angelina as she did so. There was no doubt that Anson was probably quite the catch in this little Podunk town where he was the most exciting man around, but he was hardly her type. Still, she couldn’t deny that she found him attractive. She’d do well to watch herself with him.

“I did learn a few things growing up here.”

“Ah, so you aren’t just visiting. You are a native.”

“Something like that. I’ve been gone for about seven years. I moved to New York right after high school.”

“The big apple. I’ve been there a few times. I moved here from Detroit myself. Got a bit too rough up there for my taste.”

“Detroit huh? Can’t really say I’ve ever been there.”

“Trust me. You didn’t miss much, at least not in the hood I grew up in.”

“Based on what I see on the news about Detroit here lately, I think I’ll pass on visiting.”

“Good call.”

They were interrupted by Holly, who was getting ready to go. She looked from one of them to the other with a raised eyebrow.

“You still need a ride home?”

“Yes, please. I appreciate it so much.”

“Okay, I’ll be ready in about five minutes. Just let me cash out.”

“Okay. I’ll be right here.”

Angelina turned back toward Anson and sighed heavily. It had already been such a long day with the flight in, dealing with things at her Dad’s house and the truck breaking down. She couldn’t wait to get back to a warm bed and get some sleep.

“Well, Anson. I guess I’m getting out of here.”

“Looks that way. I could take you home if you’d like to stay longer.”

“Thanks, but I’m pretty exhausted. I best be getting back.”

“Good enough. If you want to just give me the truck key and your number, I will call you after I’ve gotten it towed in and have some news for you.”

“Sounds good. I appreciate it.”

She fished around in her purse for a pen and wrote her number on a dry drink coaster that sat nearby, handing it to him along with the truck keys.

“I’ll call you tomorrow then.”

“Talk to you then. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Angelina.”

She noted how he said her name and the way he locked eyes with her as he did. There was no doubt that she needed to get far away from him and stay that way. He was exactly what she did not need in her life.

“Ready to go?’ Holly asked as she rounded the end of the bar.

“Yes ma’am.”

Though Holly pressed her for details about her conversation with Anson, she blew it off as nothing, not wanting to start town gossip already. There was nothing to tell anyway. He was just helping her with her Dad’s truck. She was grateful when Holly dropped her off at her father’s so she had no more questions to answer.

“Where have you been? I was beginning to get worried!”

Angelina jumped, startled by Stephanie, her father’s caretaker’s voice in the darkness of the living room. She had not expected her to still be up with it being so late.

“Dad’s truck broke down and I had to wait at some biker dive for a girl that lives nearby to bring me back. I never even made it to the store and couldn’t call anyone. All my numbers were in my phone, which I left here.”

“Yes, I know. I tried to call you when you didn’t come back after a while and heard it ringing in the dining room.”

“Is Dad okay?”

Stephanie walked to the dining room as she spoke and retrieved her phone. There were no missed calls other than Stephanie’s. At least there was no bad news coming from anywhere else. That was always good.

“Yes, he’s fine. He went to bed hours ago.”

“Good. I really hate that you are leaving, Stephanie. Are you sure you don’t want to stay on?”

“Yes, I’m sure. It’s been nice enough here taking care of your father, but I really want to get back to the city. This place is just a bit too remote for me. It was a nice break from the busy streets, but now I miss being able to just duck out and do what I want to at any hour.”

“I know what you mean. It’s going to be quite an adjustment for me, as well.”

“I’d imagine so. Do you need help with your father’s truck tomorrow? Did you have it towed somewhere?”

“It is getting towed in the morning. I met a guy at the bar named Anson Hawthorne and he is going to look at it at his garage for me.”

“Anson Hawthorne? As in the leader of the local MC? You best watch yourself with him, Angelina. He is bad news. He’s got a long list of felonies under his belt.”

“Felonies? Like what?”

“From what I hear, everything from gun dealing to grand theft auto. That’s why he came here from wherever it was he left. He couldn’t make a move without being watched by the authorities. Claims he came here to get himself right and run a legit business, but I seriously doubt he’s cleaned up his act at all. If you ask me, he moved to the perfect place to carry on as usual. No one out here watching him except old Pete down at station and you know how useless he is.”

“Pete is still here? My God, he must be ninety by now!”

“Gotta be. Still the only cop in town.”

“Wow. Well, thanks for the heads up. I’m going to head to bed now and I’ll see you in the morning before you leave.”

“I think I’ll turn in too. I just wanted to make sure you were okay before I did.”

“Thank you, Stephanie. Goodnight.”

Stephanie said goodnight and made her way upstairs to the guest room across the hall from where Angelina’s father slept. He had moved up there after her mother died, into Angelina’s old room. He said it was less painful to sleep there than the bedroom he had shared with her mother for forty years. Angelina had moved into the master bedroom on her visits, finding a strange comfort that her father could not in being surrounded by her mother’s old things.

The following morning, she climbed out of bed and showered before making her way to the kitchen to start breakfast. There wasn’t a lot to make it with. Groceries were very low. Hopefully, the truck wouldn’t be out of commission very long or she would have to get one of her cousins to take her into the nearest town to rent a car to get around in. It was tempting to do so anyway, but much more of an expense than she could afford with having given up her job to come take care of her father. His Alzheimer’s had gotten consistently worse and she felt it was time to be with him rather than leaving him to the care of strangers.

She put on a fresh pot of coffee prior to scrambling the last of the eggs and country ham in the refrigerator. Popping some bread in to toast, she heard the sound so footsteps on the stairs and turned to see her father standing there in his pajamas still.

“Rose! You look beautiful!”

“No, Dad. It’s me, Stephanie.”

“Stephanie? No, Stephanie left. She’s not here.”

“Yes, Dad. Look at me. I’m Stephanie.”

Her Dad puzzled at her face for a bit, shaking his head. There was no sign of recognition in his eyes as he looked at her solemnly before speaking again.

“Stephanie left us. She didn’t like it here.”

“Dad, that’s not true . . .,” she began to say, but he interrupted her with a wave of his hand.

“Now, Rose. Don’t get upset. It happens with these kids. You know? They get sassy and think they need to get out and see someplace bigger, better. She’ll come home when she gets tired of the big city. Don’t you worry.”

Angelina sighed and pulled the toast up, replacing it with two more pieces while she prepared him a plate and poured him some coffee. Sitting it in front of the chair he had always sat in, she watched as he quietly sat down to eat without another word. He looked so much older and more frail than the man he had once been. It was heartbreaking to see him like this and she had to hold back tears as she turned to fix a plate for Stephanie, who was coming down the stairs.

“Oh, thank you. I’m sorry there aren’t more groceries in the house. I didn’t have a chance to go myself before you came. Do you want me to take you to get some things before I go since you didn’t make it last night?”

“No. I’ll be fine. My Aunt Kay is coming later this morning to visit and said she would pick up some things for me and take me back into town if I needed more.”

“Okay then.”

Stephanie sat down at the table to eat and Angelina joined her once the last pieces of toast popped up. By the time they were finished, it was time for Stephanie to go. They said their goodbyes and Angelina watched her go, her father standing beside her as the woman pulled away from the driveway.

“I’m going to miss her.”

“Yeah? You liked Stephanie?”

“Who? I’m talking about my daughter, Angelina. She’s leaving for New York to go to school.”

“I see. I’m sure she will do well.”

“Yes. She is quite a girl.”

Angelina smiled at him softly and began clearing away the dishes into the dishwasher. The sound of her phone ringing stopped her.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Angelina? This is Anson Hawthorne.”

“Hey, there. Did you get the truck towed?”

“Yes. Already had it up on the rack and looked it over. You’ll be happy enough to know it was nothing major. Looks like there was some trash in the tank that got gummed up in the carburetor. I got it all cleaned up and it’s back to purring like a kitten. Truck has been well maintained other than that.”

“That is good news. When can I pick it up?”

“It’s ready now.”

“Already? That was fast. How much do I owe you?”

“Nothing if you are still signed on for that dinner date.”

“I’m afraid I can’t. My Aunt will be here in an hour to stay with Dad for a while so that I can try making it to the grocery store again, but I won’t have anyone to stay with him later.”

“I tell you what. I’ll come pick you up on my bike and take you to lunch instead of dinner. You can pick up the truck afterward and stop by the grocery store before you go back.”

“I don’t know about being on the back of a bike.”

“Come on. Where is your sense of adventure? Besides, I’m an excellent driver . . . excellent driver.”

“I hope your driving is better than your Rain Man impression.”

“I thought my impression was pretty good.”

“Keep your day job.”

“Fair enough. So, pick you up in about an hour then?”

“Sure. I appreciate your help.”

“No problem at all.”

Hanging up the phone, Angelina found that she felt more excited about the prospect of his picking her up for lunch than she should. The idea of being wrapped around him on the back of a bike seemed pretty enticing. She knew she should heed the warnings about him, but her mind just kept drifting into thoughts about what it might be like to kiss him. Shaking it off, she finished up the dishes and got ready for her lunch date. By the time she was done, someone was knocking on the front door.

“I’ll get it, Rose.”

Angelina watched as her father rose, still in his pajamas and head toward the front door. She addressed him as her mother would have.

“Carl, you are still in your pajamas. You can’t answer the door like that. Go get changed and I’ll get it.”

He stopped and looked at her, then down at himself. He laughed a little and Angelina felt a smile spread across her face as the sound. She hadn’t heard her father’s laugh for quite a while.

“So, I am. Okay, Rose.”

He headed to the master bedroom to change. Angelina had noted that while he would not sleep in there, he had left his clothes in the closet. Walking to the door, she opened it to find her Aunt Kay standing outside.

“Angelina! It’s so good to see you!”

“Good to see you too, Aunt Kay.”

“How is my big brother doing today?”

“You know. He is about the same. He thinks I am Mom and that Stephanie was me leaving for New York when she departed this morning.”

“Bless his heart.”

Pulling Angelina into a hug, she held onto her as if it might be their last. After a moment, she let go, addressing Carl as he reappeared from the bedroom. He was dressed in his best suit. It was only Tuesday. Obviously, he thought it was time for church.

“Well, don’t you look dapper today, Carl.”

“Of course I do. I’m a very handsome man, Kay.”

Angelina looked at him strangely. He recognized his sister. She wondered if it was just a fluke or a moment of clarity. Taking a chance, she spoke to him.

“The suit is very nice, but wouldn’t you be more comfortable in your jeans?”

“Jeans? I can’t wear jeans to church, Rose!”

Angelina sighed. She had hoped his recognition of Kay meant he might recognize her too, but that obviously wasn’t the case.

“For heaven’s sake, Carl. It’s only Tuesday. You’ve gotten your days mixed up.”

“Tuesday? Really? But Angelina left this morning and I had thought she told me she was leaving Sunday morning.”

“A misunderstanding, perhaps. Now, why don’t you go change again?”

“I guess I will. Seem to be losing track of my days. How odd.”

The two women watched him solemnly as he made his way back to the bedroom to change. It was a dreadful disease to have, but just as awful for those who lost their loved one to the void that seemed to suck them in and hold them hostage. They were still watching him when there was another knock at the door.

“Oh, Aunt Kay. Dad’s truck broke down on the way to the grocery store right now and the guy that fixed it is going to give me a lift into town to pick it up, so I won’t need your car. I’ll just get it and then get my shopping done. Do you mind if I stop for lunch while I’m out?”

“No, not at all, hon. I’m in no hurry. Besides, it’s a beautiful day and your father seems to know who I am today. Since I will have the car, I may get him out for a breath of fresh air.”

“Are you sure? You know how he gets in unfamiliar surroundings sometimes.”

“Absolutely. I’ll stop by and pick up your cousin Reggie on the way in case there are any problems. Don’t you fret about it. Just take your time and do what you need to do.”

There was another knock at the door and Angelina realized that she had completely forgotten it. Walking over, she pulled it open to find Anson standing there in a pair of jeans that fit in all the right places and a t-shirt covered with the same leather MC vest as last night. He looked even more gorgeous in the daylight.

“Well, hello there. I thought you were going to leave me standing out on the porch.”

“Sorry about that. My aunt just got there too and was trying to explain to her what I need to do.”

“Ah, got it. You ready to go?”

“Yes. Let me grab my jacket. I’m not as used to the wind blowing on me as you are, I’m sure.”

“Probably a good idea then. It can sting a bit at times.”

She followed him to the bike and climbed on the back behind him once he was situated. She put her hands on her legs, not really knowing what to do with them. He reached behind him and pulled them around his waist instead.

“Hold on tight. I can’t have you falling off the back.”

Seconds later, they were roaring down the highway toward town. It was both frightening and exhilarating. Angelina felt a surge of electricity at how tightly her body was pressed to his. The last thing she needed was to get involved with someone like him. Not only was he not her type at all, but he was a criminal to boot! Why did he have to be so damned attractive though?

The bike roared to a stop outside a garage that was nowhere near town as she had expected. It was a large metal outbuilding next to what looked like an old hunting lodge. She had a vague recollection of it having been just that years ago. It seemed like her father used to come out here with his buddies during hunting season.

“Is this the old hunting lodge?”

“Yeah, I bought it from the old guy that ran it when I came here and built the garage to work on bikes and sometimes, cars and trucks.”

“But the lodge is huge. You live in it alone?”

“I live in a portion of it alone. There are additional rooms that some of the guys in the MC stay in, but they are separated from the main quarters where I live. It’s like my half of the lodge, a large common area where we have club gatherings and then rooms on the other end. Some of the guys live here and some just stay from time to time, usually if they are too drunk to make it home. Hell, come on and I’ll show you.”

“That’s okay. I don’t want to take up too much of your time.”

“Maybe I want you to take up my time. I did ask you to have lunch with me. I tell you what. Since we are here to get the truck anyway, I’ll just make you some lunch. I’m a pretty mean cook.”

“I don’t know . . ..”

“Come on, Angelina. I don’t bite. Well, not unless invited.”

“You aren’t making a strong case for me to stay here for lunch with comments like that.”

“I promise that I will be a perfect gentleman. Come on. Let me make you some lunch.”

“Okay. Why not?”

“That’s better! Let’s go inside. I’ll show you around the place first.”

Angelina followed him to the lodge. She felt incredibly nervous about being alone with him, but she had come this far, so she might as well. To her surprise, he walked right in the front door without a key.

“You don’t lock your door?”

“No. The rooms lock individually if someone chooses to, but people come and go here constantly. No point in locking the door. It’s always occupied by enough people that most intruders wouldn’t want to tangle with.”

“I see.”

Angelina looked around the massive center room of the lodge. A lot of the original décor from when it was a hunting lodge was present. The huge fireplace and chimney in the center of the room were quiet in the warm months, but she was sure that it got well used in the cold ones. She was relieved when he led her to the large industrial kitchen previously run by the lodge’s small bar and grill rather than his private quarters.

“Okay, let me fire up things in here and I’ll show you the rest of the place. It takes a bit for the grill to fire up.”

He flipped a few switches and lights came on everywhere. After starting up the grill, he motioned for her to follow him. They made their way toward a back entrance to the kitchen and passed through a hallway to a room at the end. She noted that this time, he did use a key to gain entry. Walking inside, she found herself in a cozy living room with its own fireplace. It was decorated in much what you would expect from a bachelor, but still pretty decently.

“There isn’t much to it really. This was where the previous owner lived. It’s just this room, a bedroom and a bath. There isn’t even a kitchen. I have to use the big one, which is somewhat of a pain when I’m just cooking for myself.”

She followed as he walked toward the bedroom and flipped on the light. It was decorated much like the living room, in dark, earthy colors you would expect from a guy. She noted that the bed was a king size and found herself wondering how comfortable it might be to spend a night in. He walked inside and opened the bathroom door, revealing a large Jacuzzi style tub that also grabbed her attention.

“It only had a shower when I came here. I replaced it with this Jacuzzi combo. Much better.”

“I am sure it is.”

Angelina smiled a bit awkwardly and stepped away from the door, not waiting for him as she returned to the living room. He followed behind her, leading her back out and into the kitchen.

“The other end of the lodge is just set up like motel rooms really. There are a dozen single rooms and one large dorm style room down there, but we pulled out all the beds and turned it into a meeting room for the club.”

Angelina watched as he pulled ingredients from a large stainless steel fridge and put them over on a work table nearby. He threw some slices of bacon on the grill and pulled thick pieces of bread from a bag nearby.

“Turkey club okay?”

“Sure, sounds good.”

“Great. There are some chips over in the pantry if you want to grab us a bag. I pretty much like anything, so whatever you want is fine. It’s right over there by the walk in freezer.”

“You actually keep enough food in here that you still use the walk in freezer?”

“No, we use it for bodies.”

Angelina stopped and looked at him, wide eyed. She knew he couldn’t be seriously telling her that, but she wasn’t quite sure it was entirely a joke either.

“That’s not funny.”

“The look on your face says it was.”

He laughed and flipped the bacon. Angelina shook her head and went to the pantry to find some chips. She stood marveling at the selection. Most grocery stores didn’t have this many choices and it didn’t stop with just the chips. He had all sorts of dry goods and snacks in there in bulk.

“That is a lot of food!”

“Oh, yeah. On weekends, we open up the bar and grill to the club and any guests, so we buy a lot of stuff in bulk with the MC account.”

“Ah, that makes sense.”

Angelina brought the bag of chips in her hands over to where he was putting the bread on the grill to toast it while the bacon finished. He looked at the bag and smiled.

“You’re a woman after my own heart. Those are my favorite.”

“Mine too.”

“Alright. Let me put these together and we’ll go back to my place and eat. Otherwise, the guys are going to start waking up soon and overrun us. Bring the chips and grab what you want to drink out of the fridge over there. I’ve got some drinks at my place, but there is more to choose from in here.”

Angela grabbed a bottle of ginger ale and the bag of chips while he scooped up the sandwiches and put them on a plate, killing the grill and motioning for her to follow him. Sitting the sandwiches on the small counter that held a sink situated to one side of the living room, he retrieved two tray tables and set them in front of the sofa.

“I’m sorry. I don’t have a table in here. We could go out in the lobby if you prefer, but will be overrun with bikers very soon.”

“This is fine. It’s cozy.”

“Good. It will give us a chance to talk without interruption for a bit.”

“Don’t you have a garage to run?”

“Nah. It’s not open to the public. We mostly use it to fix our bikes and personal vehicles.”

“So, your garage is not open to the public and you don’t rent out the lodge. You must be independently wealthy.”

“Something like that. Let’s just say I have wise investments.”

Angelina took a bite of her sandwich and looked at him. No doubt that his investments were anything but legal and her mind was running amuck with the possibilities of what they might entail. Obviously nothing that she needed or wanted to know about.

“This sandwich is great.”

“Nothing fancy, but decent when you don’t have a lot of time to cook. I’d really like for you to come back sometimes when I can make you a real meal.”

“That would be nice.”

They chatted lightly about where they were from, the differences in Detroit, New York and here as they finished their lunch. Angelina was quickly realizing that while Anson might be a biker thug of some sort, he didn’t come across that way at all. He was very well spoken and intelligent. He admitted what he had done wrong on numerous occasions and said he came here to start over, to get a fresh start.

“Some things just tend to haunt you, you know?”

“I suppose that is true.”

“Like you. You’ve haunted me from the moment I first laid eyes on you. You’re beautiful and nothing like most of the women in this town.”

“I got out of this town as soon as I could. Many of them let it define them.”

His eyes were locked on hers and before she realized what was happening, he leaned in and kissed her. His hand tangled in her hair as he pulled her closer and drank her in, searching her mouth deeply with his own. She felt it all the way to her very core. Her mind told her to resist, but her body simply refused to cooperate.

It was like a train leaving the station, speed picking up until there was no stopping it as it steamed toward its intended destination. She gave in to him completely without so much as a fight. His body leaned over hers as he began unbuttoning her blouse, never losing eye contact with her. His rough hands pushed the tank top she wore beneath her skirt upward, exposing her breasts to his hot mouth. Moaning as he covered a single nipple and sucked at it, she felt impatient. She couldn’t remember wanting someone so much.

Her hands found their way between them, pulling at his belt, wanting to feel the hardness that pushed against her hip in her hands. Instead, he pulled away from her, grabbing her by the hand and leading her to the bedroom, disheveled and wet with want. Inside, he pushed her down on the bed, slipping off her jeans and panties as she finished removing her shirt and tank. She lay naked on the bed as he stood by it, stripping off his own clothes.

The remainder of the large tattoo on his chest was now fully visible, a coyote with red eyes and a skull in one paw. There were many more down his arms, but only the singular one on his chest. His body was in perfect condition, his muscles stretching provocatively as he pulled off the last of his clothes and slid onto the bed with her, resuming the feverish kiss that had begun on the sofa. His hand drifted lightly down her soft skin, the roughness creating chills down her spine and exciting her in a way that she’d not felt for a while.

“You’re so beautiful. I’ve wanted you since the moment I laid eyes on you.”

“I’ve wanted you too,” she admitted. It felt good just to let go and give herself to him without reservation.

His hands tangled in her hair as he kissed her again, his lips moving away to trail down her skin in a fiery path toward her thighs. She arched her back toward him as he bit into one of her thighs and then the other, letting out a cry of passion as he settled into her center, lapping at her clit and already soaked folds.

“You taste incredible. I could stay here all day.”

Angelina grabbed his hair and pushed him further into her, enjoying the way he gnawed and tugged at her clit between driving his tongue further into her to taste her juices.

“God, you’re driving me insane,” she moaned.

His response was only to tease her more with his tongue and teeth, pulling at her clit and sucking harder on it as he did. She could feel the pressure building inside, her body begging for release from the way he was tormenting her with his mouth. She gasped as he suddenly pushed her legs apart and slid his calloused fingers inside of her, rubbing them against her inner walls until she knew there was no holding back. Her body shook violently as she came and then came again, each wave followed by another as he continued to play her like a finely tuned instrument.