Inside Vavoom's Bar, Thad led Lena by the hand to Booth #3. Catching Maureen's eye, he lifted his chin at the waitress. Lena slid into the bench seat, and he followed her, pinning her in the booth.

"Are you sitting on this side, so I don't ditch you and leave you with the bill?" She patted his thigh underneath the table.

She seemed to tease him a lot when she wasn't nervous. Like last night, she'd become comfortable with him and let her personality shine through. He liked when she was relaxed.

"You're a woman." He pushed the menu over to her. "Nothing and no one can get to you without going through me."

She opened the menu, glanced at him, and hummed her opinion without replying. He put his arm on the back of the seat and rubbed his thumb against her shoulder. There were only two things on the menu he ever ordered.

Burger and fries.

Steak and baked potatoes.

It was the routine of eating the same thing, at the same bar, that gave him a feeling of comfort. Tomorrow, he could expect to eat the same.

"Thad?" whispered Lena.

He dipped his head toward her. "Yeah?"

"Was that a chauvinistic comment or is there a reason why you'd need to protect me?" Only curiosity tinted her question.

It was because he heard no accusations in her tone, he said, "Probably both. I want everyone to know you're with me and I want to protect you in case anything ever happened."

She squeezed his thigh and removed her hand. He wanted her touching him again, but Maureen approached their table and took Lena's order—turkey club sandwich with a side of fries.

Alone again, Lena asked, "She didn't take your order."

"She knows it. I order the same thing for lunch on the weekends, and if I stop in for dinner, I have something else." He pointed toward the cash register where Clara stood talking to the other waitress. "The woman with the long blonde hair is Wayne's woman, Clara. He's the president of Notus Motorcycle Club. Clara and her twin sister, Gracie, own Vavoom's."

"You're a regular," said Lena. "Perks of being a biker?"

"One of them." He chuckled. "I'm sure you've got perks being a dispatcher."

She smiled, amusement lighting her dark eyes. "Besides front row seats to watch the police versus firefighter's softball game every summer, there's not much to entice us through our twelve-hour shifts."

"You've got a serious job." He looked down at her hands in her lap. "How well do you know Gomez?"

"Lieutenant Gomez?" She shrugged. "I've known him for the last seven years. Why?"

"You and he seemed friendly. I thought there might be something going on between you two, and he'd need to know I have plans to keep seeing you." He removed his arm from behind her and anticipated his food arriving.

Maureen put the plates in front of them with a glass of ice water. "If you need anything else, just yell."

"Thanks, Maureen." He picked up his burger and started eating.

Lena picked up her sandwich and paused before taking a bite. "You're serious about dating me."

"That's what you wanted."

She sipped from the glass. "What do you want?"

"I like you." He picked up a few fries. "I need to know if you're seeing anyone else, so I can deal with it. I'm not into sharing women."

"Like if I was seeing Lieutenant Gomez?" She shook her head. "No worries. I don't date men from work."

"Good to know." He finished the rest of his hamburger.

She'd taken the onion off her sandwich and consumed the whole thing. He drank from the glass of water, combed his fingers through his beard, and leaned back, putting his arm around her.

Lena dug through her purse and passed him a ten-dollar bill. He waved the offer off, and she quietly put the money away without any argument.

"How was riding for you?" He pulled her to his side.

She leaned into him. "Exciting. It's a whole other experience being out in the open on the road."

"Do you want to stick with the speed through town or do you think you're okay going faster?"

She tilted her head and raised her brows. "I'm definitely okay with faster."

"You trust me?"

Her lips quirked. "How old are you?"

"Forty-four."

"You're still alive and riding a motorcycle at your age, so I trust you to keep me safe." She stretched and kissed him softly on the lips. "Not that you're old."

"Probably older than you." He kissed her back. "Let me pay the bill, and we'll get out of here."

He scooted out of the booth, intending to pay for the meal since he wasn't here with the club when Clara came over, noticed him grabbing his billfold, and gave a short shake of her head.

"Wayne and Chuck are coming by for lunch if you want to hang around." Clara glanced at Lena. "Apparently, Chuck's been on the phone all morning, and Wayne wants to catch up with what is going on."

Thad nodded, understanding the vague conversation. The case of the drifter that was dropped in their lap was not going to be easy. "I'm going to take off and go for a ride. Tell the others my phone is on, but I'll be gone for the rest of the day."

"Okay." Clara nudged him with her arm. "Just you two?"

He grinned. Clara took her position as the president's woman seriously. If she suspected he or Chuck was on a date, she wanted to know all the details.

"Clara, this is Lena." He put his arm around Lena and patted her hip where he rested his hand. "She works as a 911 dispatcher here in St. John's."

"It's nice to meet you." Clara held out her hand. "I'm the own—"

"Already told her," said Thad.

Clara scoffed and ignored him, directing her attention on Lena. "You should meet Gracie, she's my—"

"Told her that, too." Thad grabbed Lena's hand and pulled her away from Clara. "See you later."

Outside, Lena threw him a confused look. "What just happened back there?"

"Clara happened." He handed Lena the extra helmet. "She would've invited you to stay for pie, asked you twenty questions, and had us tied up for the rest of the day once Wayne and Chuck arrived. We've both got the day off from work, and I don't want to share you. Problem?"

"Nope." She waited for him to get on the bike and climbed up behind him. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see." He started the motorcycle.

Soon as she held on to him, he pulled away from the curb. He rode through town and over the St. John's bridge and merged into traffic on Highway 30 going north. Leaving the city behind, the traffic lessened, and the straightaways gave Lena time to adjust to the faster speed.

In the first small town, Thad pulled over to the side of the road and got off the bike. "Stretch your legs."

"Why? I'm fine." She raised her arms above her head. "God, the wind is so heavy on my face when you're going fast that it takes my breath away. I love it."

He lifted her off the seat, sliding her down his body, and groaned. "You need to walk."

"But, I'm good to go." She kicked up her foot, grabbed her ankle, and stretched.

"Right," he mumbled, turning around to stop looking at her legs and the contortions she was performing.

He paced ten steps and his cock still pulsed from having her wrapped around his back for the last twenty minutes. She had him horny and hurting.

If it wasn't her thighs pressing against his hips, her hands periodically unclasping around his waist to grab at his shirt, rub his stomach, and even pat his crotch in her excitement to point something out to him. And, it wasn't only her limbs that caressed him over the miles. Her breasts. Jesus Fucking Christ. She was a rubber. Every little bump, acceleration, and pass, she rubbed against him. The last mile, he could've sworn her nipples were drawing a picture on his back through his leather vest.

"Hey, Thad?" she yelled.

He shoved his hand in his front pocket and adjusted his cock and without turning around, said, "Yeah?"

"Is something wrong?" The concern laced in her question aroused him more. She was the complete package. Easy going, straight up, and if given a chance, she'd nurture the hell out of him.

He turned around and walked toward her. A little stiff, in more ways than one. Knowing the work he put in today toward getting closer to Lena's bed would pay off in the long run, he hoped the wait wasn't too long. He'd never last.