“Good.We’ll go down and grab a bite to eat.What’s your name, Mama?”
“I’m Winter.Thank you so much and can you please not call me Mama?”
“Are you headed anywhere in particular?”He ignored the comment about Mama, at least for now.
“Not really.I was enjoying the festival when I felt like I was being watched.That’s when I spotted him.”She took a deep breath and continued telling him what she’d done to be sure he was following her.
“No problem.Are you wanting to enjoy the festival, or just get away?”Bishop walked beside her, his arm holding her close.He watched her out of the corner of his eye, looking for a sign she was uncomfortable with him or anything else.Slowly, the tension drained from her body and the anxious look left her face.She stopped looking around as if expecting someone to jump from around the corner and attack them.Bishop wasn’t so worried.Few people would mess with the Sons of Sin MC, especially not four of them.
“I just wanted to leave.But if you are okay with it, I’ll stick with you, at least until we get close to where I parked.”
“We can do that, Mama, but we’re stopping for tacos.I came down here for some Navajo tacos and as long as there’s no emergency, I’m gonna get them before I leave.”
She laughed, a low, throaty chuckle that stirred something in him he hadn’t felt in too long.
“Come on then, Mama, I’m hungry.”He towed her along, enjoying the way she held onto him almost as tight as he held her.What’s more, she fit against him as if she’d been built just for him.She was just tall enough he didn’t have to bend too much to kiss her, and he wouldn’t have to worry about breaking her if he got a little rough in bed.
“Why me?”he asked Winter as they sat at one of the tables set up near the food truck.Warlock had gone to get them drinks while Blade and Viper stood in line only a few feet away to place their order and bring back the food.
“What do you mean?”She frowned.
“A whole street full of people, stores open on every side, and you walk up to me for help.Why me?”
“Oh.”One corner of her mouth tipped upward in what he could only call a bittersweet smile.“That would be because of my dad.”She looked down at the table for a moment then back up at him.“When I was a kid, Mom told me if I ever got lost or needed help, to find a police officer.Dad never argued or contradicted her, but when she wasn’t around, he would tell me that if there was no cop around or if my instincts told me not to trust them, I needed to find a biker.”
“No shit?Your dad actually told you to find a biker if you needed help?”Bishop didn’t bother to hide his surprise at that.
Winter nodded.“Actually, what he said was look for the biggest, meanest-looking biker I could find, then march right up to him like I belonged there and ask for help.”
“Well, you did that.Where is your dad, he sounds like someone I’d like to meet?”
She dropped her gaze as her expression morphed into a blankness he knew had to be masking some kind of pain.
“He’s gone.”
“I’m sorry, Mama.”He wrapped his arm over her shoulder and tugged her close.He hadn’t meant to stir up something like that.She’d brought up her dad first.
“It’s okay.”She lifted one shoulder and let it fall in a dismissive gesture.“Anyway, he was part of a club in Montana for a while.After he passed away, I couldn’t stay there.Too many memories.”
“So, you picked a place and left?”
“Almost,” Winter said.“I picked someplace warm.I was tired of the snow so I figured, two birds, one stone, and all that.”
He nodded.“How long you been in town?”Obviously long enough to have dated one piece of shit, but how long had they dated and was he the only one?
“Couple of years.Long enough I’m pretty familiar with the area, but not enough that I don’t get lost regularly.Are you from around here?”Winter tilted her head as she looked up at him.
Bishop liked that she looked to him.He didn’t know why, but he liked it.
“In town about ten years, but I’m a native Arizonan.”
“Nice, I bet you know all the best places to ride.The best roads, the ones you can get away with pushing the speed limit, that kind of thing.”
“I do,” he said and grinned at her.“And not just in town.I can take you anywhere in this state and most of the neighboring ones.”
“That sounds nice.”
“You said your dad used to ride, he ever take you for a ride?”
