I managed to grab my laptop, a few changes of clothes, and my makeup bag. He also collected the small travel size bottles of hair care I’d tossed at him. Outside of that, he said they had stores where he lived. I rolled my eyes because at thispoint, the banter was becoming fun, but honestly I preferred to travel light if possible. Between visiting back home as often as possible, a few fun trips out of the country, and some business trips of course, I had gotten a hang of packing only what I absolutely needed. Checked baggage was a pain in the ass.
The first leg of the ride was amazing. There wasn’t much traffic since it was so late. Just me, him, and the open road. I’d worn a light jacket since he said it would get cold, but I was starting to understand why riders wore leather. But I stayed tucked as close to him as possible, and if we slowed or stopped at a light, he covered my arms with his, rubbing to warm me up. Occasionally he’d reach back with one hand and squeeze my thigh. The rush of the wind in my hair and being on the back of his bike made the cold bearable.
We stopped after we rode for a few hours and got a hotel room, but once he got his six hours of sleep, we were back on the road.
Riding with him was always a rush. There was nothing quite like cruising down the road on a Harley, wrapped around a gorgeous man. The only reason my ass hurt was it was such a long trek and I wasn’t used to it. Georgia was a good ride from Jersey.
Heading through the mountains was beautiful, but I held on even tighter around the winding turns. Even the highway couldn’t go straight through, so parts of the trip were slower and a tad scarier, but he handled the Harley with care and kept me at ease as much as he could. Even though I was a little nervous, I’d be amenable to taking another ride through the area. The feel of him and knowing how easily something could go wrong shot adrenaline through me. But, after riding for hours last night between the ranch and my place, then to the hotel, andnow the last leg, my ass hurt to the point I almost couldn’t feel it.
But besides my ass starting to go numb, my head was spinning. How could he still love me? After all this time? Did I still love him? We hadn’t even been together six whole months all those years ago, but it was instant. It was how I imagined shifters felt in the books I loved to read. They were fated. They didn’t always get along, things weren’t always easy, but there was no denying the thread that tied their two souls together.
For a long time, I’d convinced myself it was puppy love. Just a silly, albeit very strong, crush. But now, it’s as if that time apart didn’t happen. At least with the intense chemistry I felt. The hurt was still there, but the overwhelming urge that I was meant to be with this man was there, too…and it was scary.
That’s probably why my heart and head kept fighting one another. The hurt happened and the time had passed. I couldn’t forget. But there was no mistaking that intense pull, and no fighting it. I just wish he had that same pull. If he had, he wouldn’t have been able to leave like he did.
My racing thoughts were pushed to the wayside as we slowed and turned onto a tree-lined driveway. We surely rode a half a mile, until there was a clearing. A large complex was ahead, with a huge independent multi-door garage off to the left. As we pulled closer, I noticed two houses backed up to the woods.
We pulled in close to the garage, and he helped me off the bike before he climbed off and started gathering our things. I draped the helmet over one of the handlebars and took a few steps toward the courtyard, stretching. It was warmer than home, and a bit muggier. The sun was bright as hell, too. Theproperty was surrounded by tall pines and oaks, but there wasn’t much shade over the grounds.
“This is interesting,” I said as I looked it over. Picnic tables, fire barrels, fire pits, and torches covered the property. A line of grills was off the side of the huge complex, and there seemed to be more stuff in the back.
“It’s the clubhouse,” Rooster said. He pulled our things from his saddlebags and I couldn’t help but chuckle. He had my laptop bag draped across his chest, a book bag on his back, my small toiletry bag, and my small luggage.
“Let me help.” I tried to reach for a bag but he jerked away.
“Let’s go inside, it’s hot as hell and I need to check in.” He came closer and kissed my temple, then gave me a gentle nudge toward the complex.
I had a mix of heart flutters and knots in my stomach as we approached. In the short time we were together, I’d never been to the clubhouse, or Georgia for that matter. I’d only met some of his brothers in passing, except for Red. He had been with him a lot. I was surprised he wasn’t with him when we crossed paths again.
But I’d spent some time in biker bars over the years and some weren’t as low-key as the one from a few days ago. The women were so different. Young, beautiful, outgoing, very secure, and often assertive. I got a lot of looks like I didn’t belong. Sure, sometimes I went for a drink after a long day at work and my dress slacks and blouse probably didn’t blend in well. Maybe they were right. But this wasn’t a bar I could walk out of. Would they judge me? What if he had a relationship withone of them? Would someone try to challenge me over him?I need to stop reading so much.
“Hey, you good?” he asked as we approached the door.
“I–”
“Hey. We have a visitor!” a pretty blonde with long hair said with a huge smile. “I’m Lacy,” she said as she stuck out her hand.
“Kristie. It’s nice to meet you.” I shook her hand as she kept smiling wide, her blue eyes darting between me and Rooster.
“Come in! I heard voices and thought someone needed a hand with the door.”
She moved out of the way and Rooster gave her a nod, then motioned for me to follow him. Walking inside, it got darker once the door closed behind us. Looking around, it was like being in a bar. A few tables were scattered around, a dart board on one wall, and an actual bar. There was even a swinging door that I assumed led to a kitchen.
The faint smell of stale cigarette smoke lingered, but it probably had been a while since anyone actually smoked in there based on how light it was. Besides that, I was impressed at how little it resembled some of the seedier dive bars I’d been to looking for him.
He kept walking and opened a different door with a handle. Following closely, I looked around him. It was a dimly lit hallway with doors and no windows, similar to an older hotel. There was a staircase at the end of the hall that took us to the next level where there was another hallway. He stopped at adoor, pulled out a key, then opened it and waved me inside.
Stepping in, I was pleasantly surprised. The bed was neat with a black comforter and four pillows, the nightstand had a plain black lamp, the chest of drawers had a small bowl on top that he dumped his pockets into, and there was an upholstered chair in the corner with a black and white plaid design.
He placed my bags in the chair as I inspected the small closet, housing neatly hung jeans and a few button-up shirts, then the bathroom. It was small, but clean, albeit a little plain. Just a small vanity housing the sink, the toilet, and a shower/tub combo.
“Do you live here?” I asked. While it was tidy and neat, it was devoid of any style or emotion, no personal touches.
“No need for anywhere else.”
A pang hit my chest. Even though I wasn’t over the moon in love with my life, I still had a place that felt like mine. Well, now that place was violated and I didn’t intend to go back, but my belongings would go where I went. But from the look of his room, he had nothing but the clothes on his back and his bike. Then something occurred to me…maybe he liked it that way?
The thought was fleeting as he wrapped his arms around me from behind and nuzzled his face into my hair, his warm breath caressing my neck. “I know it was a long ride. I need to check in with Hawk. You wanna rest up here for a while? You hungry?”
