Temper

by Chantal Fernando

  “My big sister is finally going on a date and paying attention to men, how is that not a big deal?” she asks, doing a little happy dance, shimmying her hips from side to side. “Now you can stop being such a saint and making me look bad.”

  I grin. “Not being socially awkward isn’t a bad thing. How do I look?”

  I’m wearing high-waisted black jeans and a thin sweater—nothing much, but it’s all I have to work with without going home to get changed. Luckily, I had some makeup in my bag.

  “Stunning,” she says, smiling with her eyes. “Is he coming in here to pick you up? Because I’m nosy as hell and am going to be all over that.”

  Cringing, I rub the back of my neck. I was kind of hoping I was going to get away with leaving with Temper without Ivy seeing, but I know that’s not going to happen. “It’s Temper,” I blurt out. “I’m going out for dinner with Temper.”

  I don’t have to explain who he is, because she knows. Everyone here knows.

  Her green eyes widen and her lips part. “You’re going out to dinner with the president of the Knights of Fury MC?”

  “He wasn’t president when I first met him,” I mutter, and expel a sigh. “And don’t you dare go and tell Mom. You know that she will kill me, and she doesn’t need any added stress right now.”

  “I’m not going to tell Mom, but I’d love to know what the hell is going through your mind right now. You’ve said no every time he’s asked you out. What’s changed?” she asks, sounding both impressed and confused. “I mean, I think I’m more of a Saint or Renny girl, but I guess Temper is pretty hot for an older guy.”

  I hold my arms out. “This is my life, Ivy. All my plans are gone, and I’m going to be working at this bar for the rest of my damn life. There’s no becoming a successful lawyer, no traveling and definitely no moving to a different state anytime in my near future. This is the only excitement I’m going to get, so I’m going to take it, and not let another year pass me by thinking about this man yet being too scared to do anything about it.”

  “You aren’t going to be working here forever,” she tells me, frowning. “I know it’s hard now, and you’ve had to give up a lot—” She stops and takes a deep breath. “You know what, you’re right, you just have a good time tonight. Live in the now and enjoy yourself. Let that big bad sexy biker spoil you a little. Just be safe, and message me to check in.”

  “I will,” I promise, smiling. “And thanks for not telling me I’m an idiot for doing this.”

  “No judgment here,” she replies, arching her brow at me. “But do remember, we don’t know where this guy has been so...” She reaches across to the corkboard where there are condoms pinned on it. “You might need some of these.”

  My mouth opens and closes. “You know that corkboard is a joke, right? The pins are put right through the condom packets. Oh my God, please tell me you haven’t actually used one of those before. It’s a joke Ben copied after seeing it somewhere.”

  She blinks at me, confused. I take a deep breath and explain, “The pin is going through the packaging, making a hole in the condom, so whoever uses it will probably get pregnant.”

  Green eyes widen. “I’m going to kill Ben. And no, I haven’t used any of them, but...” She pulls one out of her pocket and throws it into the trash.

  I scrub my hands down my face, making sure to avoid my lipstick, and then start laughing. “What the hell am I going to do with you?”

  Sierra sticks her head into the staff room. “Your biker is here waiting for you.”

  “Thanks,” I say, puffing out a breath. “And he’s not my biker.”

  They both ignore me. Ivy follows me out and stands next to me as my eyes land on Temper. He looks good, and has even changed out of his T-shirt and into a black collared shirt. It’s cute that he’s put in a little effort, and when he smiles at me I can’t help the butterflies I feel in my stomach.

  “Hey,” he says, moving toward me.

  “Hey,” I echo, going around the bar to him. “You’re early.”

  “I told you I would be.” He grins, glancing over at my sister. “I’ll take good care of her, I promise.”

  “You better,” she threatens in a dry tone. “Have her home by midnight.”

  “I’m not Cinderella, Ivy,” I reply with a small laugh, winking at her and accepting Temper’s hand.

  He leads me outside to his motorcycle. I’ve never been on one, but I’ve always wanted to, and I’m not going to lie and say I haven’t thought about being pressed up behind him from the very first time he asked me out.

  “You’re going to need this,” he says, handing me a leather jacket, helping me into it and zipping it up to my chin.

  “Whose jacket is this?” I ask him, eying him wearing his own. The one I’m wearing feels and smells brand-new, and looks really expensive.

  “Yours,” he replies, smiling down at me. “I knew you’d need one for tonight.”

  “So you went out and bought me one?”

  Who does that? And how did he know my exact size? The jacket fits like it was made for me, so he must have a good eye for women’s clothing, or he just got lucky.

  “Yeah,” he replies nonchalantly. “It looks good on you.”

  Our eyes lock, and hold.

  “Thank you,” I whisper, looking down and then back at his bike. “So, where are we going for dinner?”

  “Well, I checked out all of the options here,” he says in a dry tone. My lip twitches. We have two restaurants other than Franks, and none of them are anything special, so we aren’t too spoiled for choice. No matter where we go I’m going to likely run into someone I know and get people talking, but so be it. I’m over playing by the rules, and I just want to enjoy myself tonight without worrying about anything else. “And I didn’t like any of them, so I got creative.”

  “Got creative how?” I ask, grinning. I was expecting to go to one of the same places I’ve been eating at for my entire life, but now he’s mixing things up a little, surprising me.

  “You’ll have to wait and see,” he murmurs, handing me a matte black helmet.

  I eye it. “Tell me you didn’t go out and buy a helmet as well.”

  “I didn’t have a spare,” he simply says, then lifts me up by my hips like I weigh nothing, and sits me on the back of the bike. I’m not a light woman, and it takes me a few moments to process this.

  Just how strong is he?

  I mean, sure, his biceps are huge.

  “You ever ridden before?” he asks, bringing my attention from his arms back to his handsome face.

  “No,” I say.

  “Keep your feet on here and off the exhaust,” he advises, positioning my boots.

  “Do you go to the gym?” I find myself asking him.

  “No.” He laughs. “I do some boxing with the men sometimes, though. We have our own little gym at the clubhouse, but it’s been ages since I’ve stepped into there.”

  “Huh,” I whisper, slide the helmet on and flick open the visor. I have so many questions I want to ask, like what else the clubhouse has, but now I’m picturing a bunch of hot, shirtless men boxing each other, sweat dripping down their bodies.

  Temper is in the center of my daydream.

  “You ready?” he asks, hopping on the bike, my breasts pressing against his back.

  My arms come around him of their own accord, and they feel comfortable there somehow. “Yep!”

  He revs the engine and my fingers tighten, excitement filling me.

  I’m ready for this, and I don’t just mean the ride.

  Chapter Three

  I can see the draw of riding on a motorbike. The sense of freedom, the adrenaline, the speed. I hold on to Temper and smile the whole way, glancing around and taking everything in. I’m sad to admit that it’s been such a long time since I’ve done something new or ticked somethi
ng off my bucket list, and that it took Temper coming here to get me to finally let loose.

  When was the last time I smiled like this?

  It’s scary thinking of the person the last few months has made me, when I should be living my best life and enjoying every precious second of it.

  When the bike comes to a stop, it’s in front of our town’s flashiest hotel. We don’t have a five-star hotel here, but the mayor recently built a three-star, hoping it would attract more tourists.

  It didn’t, and now we have this new building that looks so out of place compared to the rest of the old town—a hotel the locals refuse to even look at.

  Getting off the bike and removing my helmet, I arch my brow at him. “You’re taking me to a hotel?” I don’t know how to feel about this. Why would he bring me here? If he thinks I’m going to sleep with him, he has another think coming.

  “Not exactly,” he replies, grinning at me. “Have some faith, Abbie. You’re safe with me.”

  Not exactly? I don’t know what his plan is, and I don’t even know if I should be here with him right now.

  I need to trust him, or I need to leave.

  “Okay,” I reply, studying him. “I’m not going to sleep with you.” Might as well get that out in the open right now.

  His eyes widen. “Oh fuck, Abbie. I know. That’s not what this is, all right? I promise.” He shakes his head then mumbles, “I never thought how this would look to you, Jesus Christ.”

  Okay, so we’re not here for sex, good to know.

  We leave our helmets on his motorcycle, and I hold my new jacket in my hands as we enter. The place is empty, besides an older lady working at the desk.

  “Is it ready?” he asks her.

  Her face lights up when she sees us, probably happy to have something to do. I’ve seen her come into Franks a few times—Rita, her name is. “Yes, it’s all ready for you, sir.”

  She hands him a key, and we both step into the elevator. He presses the button for the top floor, and we both head upward.

  I glance at him. “This is my first time in this hotel.”

  “Good,” he replies, lip twitching. “Then you won’t know what to expect.”

  “I haven’t known what to expect all night; I thought we’d be going to one of the local diners,” I admit. “You know, like every other dinner date that happens in this town.”

  He chuckles. “You deserve more than ordinary. I finally get to take you out after all these years, you think I’m not going to put a little effort in? I mean, I didn’t have much to work with here, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to try.”

  Ducking my head, I can’t wipe the smile off my face. “That was cute.”

  “I don’t think anyone has ever called me cute before,” he muses, amusement in his tone.

  People would probably be too scared to. Being with him here right now it’s hard to believe he’s this scary badass biker president, one they’ve even nicknamed Temper. I wonder when I will see that side of him.

  “Maybe they’re too scared to,” I say out loud, just as the elevator doors open. We step into a beautiful foyer and through to a door on the right.

  “Here we are,” he comments, opening the door with a key card and gesturing for me to enter. The lights are all on as I step inside, my eyes widening as I take in the spread in front of me, right in the center of the luxurious suite, one I didn’t even think this town was capable of.

  “You got them to make a candlelit dinner for us?” I ask, eyeing the wine, the cheeses, dips, bread and olives.

  “Well, I wanted something private, and different,” he admits, closing the door and pulling out a chair for me. “They said they could make anything I want, so I thought we could start with this and then you could order whatever else you wanted.” He watches me. “How did I do?”

  “How did you do?” I repeat, smiling widely. I want to say that I’ve never really been on a proper date before, and that he’s really setting the bar high, but I don’t know if I want him to know that about me and how inexperienced I am just yet.

  “Really well,” I say, sitting down and waiting for him to do the same. Staring into his face in the candlelight, I’ve never been happier that I took a chance and said yes to this date. “I appreciate the effort you went through.”

  He shrugs, like it was no big deal, and pours us some red wine. “So when do you think you’ll be able to go back to college?”

  “I’m not sure,” I reply, accepting the glass. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “My mom had a stroke, and she has to take some medication now because of her heart. She’s still resting for now, but they think she’s going to be fine as long as she continues to take her meds. I don’t know, she just doesn’t need any stress right now, so I told her I will handle everything until she’s stronger,” I explain, lift the glass to my lips and take a sip.

  “You’re a good daughter,” he says, nodding. “Putting your life on hold to take care of her.”

  “What’s family for, right?” I reply with a small smile. “I mean, anyone in my position would have done it. Franks means a lot to her, and she means a lot to me. It’s that simple. All I have is my mom and Ivy, and I’d do anything for them.”

  “Loyalty is one of the best traits that anyone can have,” he says, studying me. “I’m not surprised at all though, you’ve always shown nothing but kindness to everyone around you. I also like to think I’m a good judge of character.”

  “I like to think I’m the same,” I reply, glancing up at him through my lashes. I take one of the breadsticks and bite into it. “But I don’t know if that’s why I said no all the other times you asked me out, or why I finally said yes.”

  He laughs at that, a deep, musical sound. “You have nothing to worry about from me, Abbie.”

  “And other people?” I press, raising my brows.

  He flashes his teeth. “I can’t make any promises.”

  “They should have called you trouble instead of Temper,” I mutter, helping myself to the food and serving it on my plate. “My mom would kill me if she knew I was here right now. She warned me to stay away from bikers.”

  He places his hand on his heart like he’s offended. “Ah, come on. We’re not all that bad.”

  “I know that,” I agree, smirking. “But you’re not all that good, either.”

  “You’re smart,” he replies, lip twitching. He’s smart too, because he then changes the subject. “You should come and visit me sometime. This once or twice a year thing isn’t going to cut it anymore.”

  “I’d love to do some traveling,” I admit. “Even if it’s just across a few states.”

  “Then do it. I’m sure Ivy could hold down the fort for a week or so,” he says, brown eyes pinned on me.

  This time it’s me who changes the subject. “How is it being president?”

  He drinks some of his wine. “Honestly? I wish Hammer was still here. I miss him every day, and it’s hard trying to fill his shoes. But he trusted me, and I like to think I’m doing a good job.”

  “It must be a lot of pressure,” I find myself saying. “I mean, you have to look after everyone, and make all of the decisions, right? That must be stressful sometimes.”

  “It can be, yes,” he agrees, nodding. “It’s not for everyone, that’s for sure. But like you said before, there’s nothing I won’t do for my family, either.”

  We share a look.

  I never thought I’d be sharing family values with someone like Temper, but he’s right, his MC brothers are his family, and they have each other’s backs just like I have Mom’s and Ivy’s.

  “Why are you single?” I ask, tilting my head to the side and studying him. “Don’t women throw themselves at you? I mean, I’ve seen a few of them trying to talk to you at Franks, but you always ignore them.”
<
br />   “I think I’m going to need another bottle,” he jokes, dips a cracker in some cheese and thoughtfully chews before responding. “I’m just too busy with the MC, and I don’t know, I did my fair share of sleeping around when I was younger, and it lost its appeal. Meaningless sex doesn’t interest me anymore. I kind of just stick to myself these days, if I’m being honest. I enjoy my alone time, and my own company.”

  “So basically you’re a grumpy old man set in your ways?” I tease.

  I’m pretty sure he’s not going without sex, but I don’t know how to bring that up without sounding nosy.

  “Something like that.” He laughs, leaning back in his chair with a smile lingering on his full lips. “Plus it’s hard to trust people these days, you know? And being who I am, I can only be around people that I trust completely. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m a little bit rough around the edges. Not everyone can handle that.”

  “You clean up nicely,” I blurt out, checking out his fresh shirt.

  His expression stays the same, but those brown eyes smile, making me melt in my seat.

  I don’t know what I wanted out of tonight, but I didn’t expect this, and I’m hoping that he kisses me before the night is over.

  And if he doesn’t, maybe I’ll kiss him.

  After all—right now is for living.

  Chapter Four

  We finish the grazing plate, and then end up ordering more food. We switch from wine to soda, and keep chatting into the night, moving right next to each other instead of on opposite sides of the table. We even put some music on, giving the hotel room quite the vibe.

  “Ivy said you had to be home by twelve,” Temper says, checking his watch. “It’s eleven.”

  I roll my eyes. “I can be home whenever I want to. I’m a grown-ass woman.” I pause, and then add, “But I should probably message her and let her know that I’m alive.”

  He smirks.

  I send my sister a quick message and then glance around the suite. “Are you going to stay here tonight?”