I shook my head. “No. I did…”
Her face fell and she interrupted me. “I was late and you had one for me, right? It got cold? I’ll still drink it.”
“Like fuck. You’ll get a fresh one, baby. Always the best for you. Now look, when you’re done with Rocket’s stuff, I’d love to start talking about the club rebuild with you. The only people who know about it so far are the Pres, Grease, and me, okay?”
She mimed zipping her lips, and I lifted those cheeky fingers to my lips, kissing them softly.
“I wanna show you the clubhouse.”
Caroline
HE WOULDN’T LET ME tug my fingers away from his, but he knew I’d panic. He knew the idea of that place, full of big men like Rocket would terrify me. How could he ask me to go there, but then… how could we be anything if I couldn’t make the effort, at least, to be around his family?
“Breathe, baby, just breathe.”
I wasn’t breathing? A sudden sharp intake of breath was my answer. I guess I’d panicked more than I realised.
Harley steered me to my chair and crouched down beside me.
“The day after tomorrow, there’s a toy run, so that means they’ll all be offsite for a few hours. I wanted to see if you’ll come there with me then, while it’s quiet and empty. I can show you around, and we can gather whatever info you need to help me with the plans, okay?”
A toy run? I must have looked as confused as I felt, because he grinned again, teasing a curl from my temple, and bouncing it playfully.
“Yeah. The children’s hospice is having an early Christmas celebration, you know, for obvious horrible reasons. We’ve raised money, ordered in toys, which they’re wrapping today with the help of old ladies, and they’ll deliver them in costume.”
Oh my god. That’s heartbreaking. Who knew bikers did such things? I was a little bemused still by one thing he said.
“Harley?”
“Yeah, baby?”
“Why are you making old ladies wrap the gifts? Wouldn’t it be easier for-”
“God you’re adorable. Old lady is the term for a biker’s wife, or life partner. So when I say old ladies, I mean biker’s wives. If I didn’t think it’d overwhelm you, I’d take you to join in. It’s at the other chapter’s compound, since it’s bigger, and they’re doing the run with us.”
The thing that struck me the whole time he was talking? I could almost feel a sense of longing in him. He wanted to be involved. He wanted to be doing this run with them, and helping with the preparations. I was the one standing in his way, and I hated that. Last night V went on and on about men being assholes, who didn’t do good things for anyone, who did nothing decent without expectations of something in return, and that they wouldn’t put their woman first in anything. He’d just proved her wrong on all three counts with one act.
“You have to miss it because of me?” Did my voice get really small? Harley tugged on that curl again, smiling gently at me.
“I’ll get to do the next one. It’s all good, and it’s the best time to get you onsite without all those bellends around.”
It sounded like such a beautiful thing to be doing, and I really didn’t want to be the reason he wasn’t getting to do it.
“Hey, stop that,” he murmured, leaning closer and pressing his lips against mine. One of us moaned softly, and that kiss went from gentle and comforting to desperate and needy. It became the kind of kiss that should be happening somewhere private, where it could lead to more, but instead…
“Jesus fuck, can you two keep it in your pants? I shoulda knocked…”
We pulled apart as a guy I didn’t recognise walked in, and Harley groaned, nudging me behind him slightly.
“Hey, Pres.”
Pres. As in President? The man wasn’t wearing a leather cut, and he didn’t look presidential at all. He had shaggy brown hair,and a stubbly face, and a grin that I think books would refer to as ‘shit-eating’.
“Hey, Harley. This must be the lovely Caroline I’ve heard so much about.”
I noticed two things as he spoke. One, he’d started off a little brash, but seemed to notice my reaction to it, and lowered his voice. Secondly, he had the cheekiest smile. Once he’d stopped mocking his friend, he was smiling at me like we were sharing a joke, and I felt oddly at ease with him. It was strange. He was a big guy. Bigger than Rocket. Maybe even a little taller, but somehow not intimidating at all. He was wearing a dark shirt, tucked into dark jeans, and the typical biker boots, so pretty much the same way Harley dressed. The same way Rocket seemed to dress. Maybe all of it was a uniform, and not just the leather cut they opted not to wear at the shop.
Chapter Twenty-Six
