Gidget laid on the couch in the den, leg bouncing as she waited for something. Anything. Butch and her dad had immediately disappeared into the Sanctuary, so who knew what brewed inside there. Anxiety sawed at her, for reasons she couldn’t fully understand. The Carvers weren’t at fault today—Butch had defended himself, and Gidget. So why did it feel like shit was about to hit the fan?
She prayed that Deke had called them, given them an update about something. He paid the police off. Or better yet, all the witnesses saw exactly what had happened—a Skull threatening an innocent girl for no good reason.
The door to the clubhouse opened and Deke stormed inside, his face streaked with concern. Before he could say anything, she pointed to the Sanctuary. He disappeared inside, leaving a thick wake of tension behind him.
Gidget hopped to her feet, pacing. It just felt bad—really bad. Butch had been held at gunpoint, and she’d been threatened with kidnap. What a fun Friday this is turning out to be. At least with Butch at her side, she’d felt secure and like she could have a semblance of a life despite the escalating tensions. Now, she barely wanted to step foot outside of the clubhouse.
And what about work? She gnawed at a nail, cursing herself when the opal polish chipped. This new job was important. She liked it. But what if the Skulls showed up there sometime and caused a ruckus? Her boss didn’t know she was associated with the Carvers. Hell, she might not have been hired if Frida had known about the ways in which biker drama could implode and take everyone down in the process. Could Butch alone prevent a surprise attack one day while she was at work?
She’d worked herself up into a mess and there was no unraveling her stomach now. She stomped her foot, staring at the Sanctuary doors. Come on, guys…throw me a bone. If she had to wait much longer she’d go crazy.
The doorknob jiggled. She froze in her spot, staring at the door. Silence again. She deflated and continued pacing.
Today had been a wake-up call. Her dad had been right—extra protection in the form of Butch was more than necessary—and the way things stood now, they might never return to normalcy. Things could only get a lot worse before they got better.
The door finally swung open. She wrung her hands as Deke came out, followed by Butch, then her dad. Each man wore a heavy look.
“There you are, honey.” Her daddy’s voice sounded strained, like he’d been awake for days. “We need to talk.”
“What happened?” She looked at Butch, trying to read his face. He wouldn’t meet her gaze. His mouth was a thin line, hands shoved into pockets.
A heavy pause settled among them. Then her dad spoke. “I think it’s best if you left town for a while.”
She blinked, the words circling strangely in her head. “What do you mean?”
Her dad came nearer, squeezing her shoulder. “I’m going to have Butch take you out of town. It’s too dangerous for you right now to stay here. Today was proof of that.”
She swallowed hard. That didn’t seem fair. She had to run away? “But I can’t miss work.”
“Honey, we’ll talk to your boss. She’ll understand.”
“No. I don’t want you talking to her. She can’t know—” She stopped herself before she said more and betrayed the emotion tightening her chest.
“Your life is more important than a job,” he continued. “We’ll work it out—trust me.” He had the firm tone that told her this wasn’t up for discussion.
“Where are we going?”
Her dad turned slightly, looking back over his shoulder at Butch. “He knows.”
Butch’s gaze met hers briefly and she felt scorched. Any other time or circumstance, her and Butch heading out of town the two of them would be a good thing. A getaway. A fun vacation. But now? This was fucked.
“Well do I get to know too?”
“He’s figuring that out. You’ll know soon. Now you should go pack. You two might need to be gone for a while.”
“Well, why does Butch have to steer clear? He didn’t do anything wrong.” Not that she wanted anyone else at her side while skipping town.
“Butch was ID’d at the diner,” Deke spoke up, his voice meek. “The waitress got confused and told the police that Butch incited everything.”
“So you see it’s even more important for the both of you to stay low for a while,” her daddy said, his voice softer this time. “Go on, Gidge. Get packed. You guys need to get out of here.”
Frustration bubbled hot inside her and she huffed, storming to her bedroom. Of course this was the best option, especially if her daddy decided it—but she couldn’t feel much beyond unfairness. The shock, sliding thick and gunky over her, clouding her vision.
She yanked her closet door open, rummaging for a motorcycle-friendly suitcase. When she turned, Butch leaned against the doorframe.
“What are you doing here? Don’t you need to pack?” She tossed the suitcase on her bed, stomping over to the dresser.
“You know better than anyone that I don’t have shit to take with me.” A grin flashed across his face. “You don’t need to be so pissy about this. It’s for your own safety.”
His words deflated her, like a pinprick against a balloon. “Ugh. Whatever.” She crumpled onto the bed, resting her head in her hands. “I’m just upset.”
“I know.” Butch’s boots clunked against the floor as he came inside the room. The bed squeaked a little as he sat on the bed next to her. “But it’s best to be out of the state while your dad and them smooth this out.”
She blinked, heat prickling through her. Out of the state? His nearness was clouding her, making it hard to focus. Heat rolled off of him in waves, reminding her of what she’d started in the diner. Before everything went to shit. “Where are we going out of state?”
“You’ll see when we get there.” He nudged her. “Let’s call it an adventure.”
She smiled in spite of the situation. At least he was trying to make her feel better. “Fine. I need to pack.”
“You need help?”
She preferred to organize her clothes her own way, but she wouldn’t pass up this chance to see Butch folding girly stuff. “Yeah. Start there.” She pointed to a dresser in the corner, where all her lingerie was. “Top drawer.”
Butch stood and scuffed over to the dresser. He yanked open the top drawer and stared inside for a dumbfounded moment. “So…what do you need from in here?”
She bit back a grin as she thumbed through dresses in her closet. “There should be a black and a pink bra set, grab those.”
Butch cleared his throat, rifling through the drawer. She could barely fight the giggle threatening to escape. He turned a moment later, pink and black panties dangling from his grip. “These?”
She nodded toward the suitcase. “Just toss them in there. And grab the bras, too.”
His jaw flexed as he tossed her panties in the suitcase. Then he went back to the drawer, producing the matching bras a moment later. “Anything else?”
She wracked her brain for something slightly more provocative. But how could she justify taking a garter belt with her while skipping town? “Um, just grab a couple more pairs of underwear. Whatever you like.”
He sighed, returning to the dresser. “I should have known better than to ask to help.”
She giggled, tugging a few dresses and shirts out of her closet. She added them to the suitcase, and then did a final sweet of her dresser for basics, like leggings and loose tops. “Your help was much appreciated.”
He gave her a flat look as she zipped up the suitcase. When it was closed up, she grinned at him. “All set.”
He grabbed at the handle, lifting it easily, and led the way out of the room. She followed him, shutting the door behind her. As they walked through the clubhouse, questions flooded her mind, the same way they did every time before a trip: what was she forgetting? Phone charger? Had she packed enough socks, undies?
Except this time, she wasn’t even sure what to plan for. Didn’t even have a destination laid out for her.
In the den, her daddy waited for them. He scooped Gidget into a hug and then squeezed Butch’s shoulder. "Be safe. And get out of town as fast as you can.”
“Will do.”
“We’ll call as soon as we have an update,” her dad said, looking at her directly. “Don’t worry honey. This is to keep you safe. You’ll be home before you know it.”
“I hope so. I have a job to think about, you know.” She sighed, relaxing into her father’s hug.
“We’ll take care of that—”
“No.” She shook her head. “I’ll call my boss, ask for a personal leave. Let me try to handle it first.”
“Okay, honey.” Her dad kissed the top of her head. “Now get out of here. I’ll see you soon.”
Butch headed for the door, her suitcase in hand, and she followed behind him, a strange tug at her heart. This felt sort of like being exiled, except she hadn’t done anything wrong. Just the wrong guys had set their sights on her. What had seemed like an innocent rebuff at the bar all those weeks ago had now blossomed into this unimaginable shit storm. Biker clubs sometimes used any excuse to wage war, and the Skulls were the worst at it.
Outside, humidity wrung the air damp and heavy. Butch strapped her suitcase on the back of his bike and climbed on top. She slid into place behind him, tugging her helmet on tight.
“You ready?” Butch looked back at her, releasing the kickstand.
She slid her arms around his waist, loving his sturdiness. He was built like a tree trunk. “Not like I have a choice, I guess.”
“Come on. It’s an adventure, remember?”
She smirked as he pushed the bike backwards. “You seem awfully excited for this trip.”
“Maybe I have reason to be.”
His suggestive tone sent fireworks through her, curiosity goosepimpling her forearms. It would be an adventure for sure, and the only reason she would tolerate it was because Butch would be at the helm.
In fact, Butch made her excited to see what lay ahead. Because as far as she could see, the only positive would be the chance to get him alone, away from prying eyes. Maybe he would finally crack, and they could give into the latent passion that had been burbling between them since day one.
She squeezed her arms tighter around him, a grin cresting her lips. Yes, that possibility made her very excited. And that was the only outcome worth the inconvenience of a surprise displacement and possibly losing her job.
Because by this point, the only thing invading her fantasies was Butch. How their kisses would taste, salty hot and lingering. What he’d look like fully naked before her, pure sculpted muscle. The way he’d handle her, rough but maybe also tender. And then the most important part of all—the heat and hardness of him inside her, pushing her to a climax she could already taste from want of it.
She’d been pushing herself to orgasm with her own fingers for too long.
Now, it was Butch’s turn. And somewhere deep inside, she knew he was ready to take the leap too.