CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
Easter came early that year, which meant T wasn't in shape to do more than help hide a few plastic eggs for the kids outside the clubhouse and watch Stick's twins and their buddies run around finding them. But he was up and moving around and looking better every day, so Manda was happy.
The old ladies put together a big Easter dinner at the clubhouse, with ham, turkey and a whole bunch of other tasty dishes. And being a biker feast, there was plenty of alcohol.
Manda surprised T with his own Easter basket, which she'd made out of an old outlaw-style helmet, filled with paper grass and a selection of eggs. He was tickled to find there were an equal number of peanut butter and crème filled eggs, along with a chocolate bear with fake bunny ears.
She informed him the Easter bunny had come because they were doing such a good job of getting along with each other. She got a big kiss for that… and later in private, a whole lot more.
By mid-April, T-Bear was back to work. He was also back to making Manda and himself very happy in his big bed. She'd been doing most of the work there since he was shot, which was fun too, but a man needed to feel like a man.
His bed, along with a big-ass leather sofa, dining room table and some other shit scored from the local consignment stores by Manda, Billie and Lesa, now resided in a duplex on Barker Street.
The duplex' location was awesome, being a couple blocks north and west of JJ's Auto. The place was thirty years old and needed some work, but it had a big backyard just right for barbecues and horseshoes and shit.
Moke resided in the other half, so the whole was now theirs—and the bank's, of course. Both of them had decided they'd had enough of bachelor life at the club. Moke was carrying the loan for both of them, as he had a great credit rating and T did not. He was working on it, though. He had a credit card and everything.
He was also getting Manda moved into his new place with him. By the time the Easter candy was eaten up, she already had a bunch of her girly shit in his bathroom, and clothes in his bureau—just as he'd predicted. And she was spending nearly every night in his big, comfy bed.
Was he good, or what?
She was working like crazy, mornings at the Flying Bean, afternoons at JJ's, and picking up shifts at the Hangar when they were short a waitress.
T had no objection to this last, 'cause she looked pretty as can be in her snug Hangar tee and jeans, and when she was at the Hangar so was he for at least the last half of her shift, playing a game of pool, shooting the shit with his brothers, and giving the stink-eye to any guy that tried to flirt with her.
He did object to the fact that every two weeks when she got paid, she handed him money toward her bill at Sacred Heart which he was paying on. He'd given up arguing with her about it, and just started putting the money in a safe place for her, kind of a secret savings account she didn't know existed. Someday when she wanted something, he'd hand her the money and tell her to go buy it.
He also objected to her looking tired, and falling asleep the minute she hit their bed four nights out of seven instead of letting him put her to sleep with some hot lovin'.
He was trying to figure out how to slow her down, when the matter was taken out of his hands by his club.
A couple weeks after he and Moke were all moved in, his brothers and their old ladies threw a party for T at the club house, the first barbecue of the season. Moke said it was all for T-Bear and Manda, as the recovering heroes, or some shit like that.
T-Bear just shook his head, 'cause he knew better. The party was for his honey girl. She was the hero, not him.
The weather turned out nice, in the high sixties, so the patio behind the club house was full of sunshine along with table and chairs and big-ass barbecues emitting mouth-watering smells, table groaning with salads and other foods.
Music played on speakers, and kids ran around raising hell amongst the groups of Flyers and families and friends having a good time.
It was also Manda's first Flyer party. And it was a great party-until she walked out of the bathrooms, and found T-Bear with a smile on his face and a big-breasted blonde on his lap.
Manda nearly turned and ran, but then her feet stopped without her even telling them to, and she raised her chin, set her hands on her hips, and gathered her resolve.
If having T-Bear nearly die, and being with him as he healed had taught her anything, it was that no matter what, she cared about him more than she had about any other man, ever.
It was his choice what he did with that.
But based on how he'd rescued her, brought her back to his clubhouse after her stay in the hospital, and urged her to be with him… he cared about her too—a lot.
This being the case, there must be some other explanation for his smiles at the boobacious blonde—other than he wanted to forget Manda, and take the blonde to his bed.
Thus, Manda strode to where T-Bear sat among his friends, and waited.
"I'm so glad to see you, baby," the blonde was gushing, her hands all over T-'s chest, and her boobs shoved into his face. "I just want to explain, you know? And tell you how sorry I am."
T-Bear's gaze shot to meet Manda's. Which was when she noted his hands were not on the blonde. One lay on the table, his beer in his hand. The other was out beside him, beckoning. Beckoning her, Manda to come and rescue him… or maybe just listen.
"So, Krystelle," he rumbled, gaze on Manda. "Explain away. I’m listening."
"Me too!" Manda said pleasantly. "I can't wait to hear why you stole T-Bear's money and his phone. I guess Rezan Faro made you do it. Right?"
The blonde turned, her body arching so her boobs stuck out even farther, and her eyes grew wide, her mouth open like a fish. Well, a fish that was ready to suck on something. "What? Who are you?" she demanded.
"Her?" T said, winking at Manda. "Oh, she's my old lady. Manda, meet Krystelle."
"Hi," Manda said, giving the blonde a toothy smile. "Nice to meet you. Now get your skanky self off of my man, before I kick your ass."
T-Bear nodded. "Well said, honey girl. I am your man, and I ain't afraid to admit it."
"What?" the blonde gasped. "No, wait. T, I was telling you—I had to do it. He made me."
Manda snorted. "T, I'll tell you something better. I love you, and I'm not letting you go. So you should get rid of her before I get tired of waiting and do it myself. Because anyone with a brain knows if she'd just come to you guys for help instead of listening to Faro, she would've been safe. She made a bad choice, and now she gets to live with it."
His hazel eyes lit with a fire that scorched Manda in the best way possible. "Honey girl, now you've done it. Everyone heard you say it—I got witnesses. I love you too, and there's no way I'm letting you go now."
She smiled at him. "Sounds good to me, big guy."
"Hey," Krystelle protested, hands on her skinny hips. "What about me? T, I was telling you—."
Manda looked her in the eye. "Uh, no. T's not interested in you. He's just too nice to kick your skanky ass. But I'm not. So move it, or I'll do it for you."
The blonde gave a huff of disgust, and tossed her hair. "Well. Fine then. Not like I can't have any man in here that I want."
Manda tipped her head back and laughed. It felt good.
"Right," she managed through her laughter. "Just try for one of the brothers. I dare you."
The blonde rose sinuously, arched her back and strutted off. And each Flyer brother she came to glared and turned their backs to her.
When she reached Rocker, he raised his arm—the one that wasn't around his woman—and pointed at the open front doors.
"Krystelle, you need to get gone. T don't want to hear your excuses, and neither do the rest of us. And since we can't take our hands off our wallets when you're around either… nobody wants you here. Get gone and stay gone."
Billie let out a cheer, and several of the other old ladies joined in. The brothers laughed, and Krystelle hurried out of the front doors alone.
"Baby," T-Bear said. He surged out of his chair and grabbed Manda, lifting her up against him with his arm under her ass. Her legs curled around his hips and she smiled at him as he carried her through the club. "You declared for me, and everyone heard you. Now… you're gonna get it."
She smiled at him, her arms around his neck, her heart soaring as he bore her along. "What am I gonna get, big guy?"
"Me," he told her. "'Cause you are all my dirty fantasies rolled into one sweet, hot package."
They made it outside, to a dark corner of the patio before their kisses turned ravenous and consuming.
"Need you, Manda " he rumbled against her open mouth. "Need you so bad."
"I need you too," she whimpered, rubbing against the massive, hard shape between her thighs. "Oh, T, hurry."
With a groan, he yanked aside her panties, and his thick, hot cock found her opening, sleek and ready for him.
He surged into her yielding softness, drew back out and then slammed back in. With her full cooperation and approval, he fucked her against the outer wall of the Flyers clubhouse .
The driving perfection of his cock inside her, and his arms holding her, his mouth on hers sent her flying into velvet darkness where only they existed, striving together.
When they were both sated, panting together in blissful unison, he set his mouth against her ear. "You're it for me, honey girl. This time, I'm gonna put a ring on it, and make sure you know it."
"Oh, T," she breathed, nuzzling her face against his. "I always did know… right from that first night. I was just a weenie-ass and afraid to trust in—in you. In love."
In the faint light from the open doorway of the clubhouse , he gave her a turbulent look, hot but edged with doubt. "You gonna trust it now—trust me, and this?"
She nodded, and smiled crookedly. "I am. I'm going to—to channel your favorite game avatar, Sheenah. And go after what I want."
Her big biker man started to chuckle, which did fascinating things to her body where they were locked together. "That's good. That's real good. But I'm gonna keep an eye on you, 'cause I see you also got her sexy boots of swiftness on... and you ever try to run, I'll be right behind you. Not letting you go again."
"I don't need to run, not anymore," she assured him. "I found what I've been looking for."
"Me?"
"Yes. But something more. I think..." she gave him a shy, happy look. "I found myself too. I can work hard and get what I need to get by… but to really live, I want to do that with you, T."
"That's good. 'Cause then, the only place my honey girl ever needs to run, is all over me."
He moved, and she gasped as he hardened inside her.
"Oh, T," she breathed against his lips. "You keep doing that, and I guarantee it."
"And I guarantee I'll always be here to catch you... every sweet, hot drop."
And then they stopped using their words, and sealed their bargain in the most primal, satisfying way possible.
"All right, you two!" called Pete from the back doorway a bit later. "C'mon inside. This party ain't over yet… we got things to celebrate, and we need you to do it."
T-Bear chuckled, giving his jeans a last tug. "Good thing we made that last one quick, right?"
Manda blew out a breath, nodding as she tugged on her top, and ran a hand through her hair. That was for sure. The naughtiness of making love out here only a few yards from the party was one thing… being caught with her pants down was quite another.
"We're comin'!" T called back.
"In a minute," Manda told him. "I, um, have to pee first."
"Oh, right," he nodded. "So's you don't get a UTI."
She gaped at him in the shadows. "Um… you knew that?"
Her biker man chuckled. "Babe. You think I don't notice you always hustle off to do that after? Knife explained—that brother knows a lotta shit about women's, uh, plumbing and such."
Manda giggled. "Plumbing—you big goof."
"Yeah, but I’m your goof." He bent and gave her another kiss, then patted her ass. "Now go on and do your thing, and I'll meetcha inside."