by L. Wilder
“That’s not gonna happen,” I said before I even had time to think. They both turned and looked at me with surprise.
Lily straightened her back and raised her eyebrow. Her face flushed with anger, and she seemed to be thinking of what to say when Sheppard cleared his throat.
He turned to me and questioned, “And why’s that?”
“Don’t,” Lily said to Sheppard, raising her hand up to stop him. She turned her fury towards me and said, “What the hell is your problem?”
“No problem, Lily. Everything is just fine. I’m just clearing things up for my friend here,” I said, feeling my anger rise.
“What exactly are you clearing up, Goliath? Do tell. I’m very interested to hear this.” She crossed her arms over her chest drawing my eyes to her perfect tits. I still remembered the feel of them pressed against me, and I had to fight to keep my composure.
I stepped closer to her and replied, “I’m letting Sheppard know that the only bike that you, little girl, will ever ride… will… be... mine.”
A stunned expression crossed her face as the red in her cheeks darkened. She threw her arms in the air and shouted, “Well, it’s official. You are completely, totally, without a doubt… delusional!”
“Was I delusional when your tongue was down my throat?”
Sheppard stood and gave me a silent nod as he headed over to the pool table. He knew that this conversation was over where we were concerned.
“Sheppard! Wait. Don’t let him…” Lily called out to him.
“It’s fine, Lily. I’ll catch up with you later,” Sheppard called back as he waved over his shoulder.
“I can’t believe you just did that!” Lily whispered angrily with her brows furrowed and her lips pursed.
I slipped my hand behind the nape of her neck and pulled her closer. I could feel her pulse race against the tips of my fingers as I leaned in towards her and whispered in her ear, “I was only stating the facts, Lil’. When you get ready for that ride, you just let me know.” I released her from my grasp and gave her a wink, before I reached over the bar and pulled a beer from the cooler. She was obviously flustered, and I liked it. She was even more beautiful when she was pissed. Smirking, I turned and walked back to my room, locking the door. I tugged off my shirt and pants before I stretched out on my bed and turned out the lights.
My mind wouldn’t shut off. I kept imagining her leaning over that bar. Those amazing tits almost spilling out of her low-cut top. Now that I knew exactly how those damn things felt? Hell, I was on fire for her. Visions of her haunted my thoughts as I took my hard dick in my hand. I closed my eyes as I imagined her straddling me while I sat on the edge of one of the bar stools. Her bare skin pressed against me as she began riding me hard - her breasts close to my face as I watched her grind against me. I moved my hand up and down my throbbing cock. I imagined how tight she would feel coming all over me. I could feel my release approaching. I pictured her screaming out my name… her body falling limp from exertion. The image pushed me over the edge and I exploded in my own hand, but it didn’t satisfy me. She would be mine.
Chapter 7
Lily
What the hell? I had no idea what’d just happened, but I did not like how my body became consumed with need when Goliath touched me. I could still feel the warmth of his breath against my neck, and I had to fight the urge to touch where his hand had held me. Crap. I’d been going crazy since we’d kissed. I couldn’t seem to get myself under control. I wanted him… but I couldn’t let it happen. I looked over in Sheppard’s direction, and he was still playing pool with Doc. He never did come back over to the bar, but I noticed that he kept staring at me when he didn’t think I was looking. I wasn’t sure who I was more frustrated with - Goliath or him. I decided to give up trying to figure it out. It was late, and I needed to pick up John Warren from Tessa’s.
When I pulled up in their driveway, all the lights were off except for the kitchen. I walked around back and tapped on the door. Bishop opened the door wearing a white t-shirt and lounge pants. John Warren was propped up on his hip holding his bottle in his little hands. Tessa was a lucky girl. Even with his tired eyes and messy hair, the man was hot. He gave me a smile and gestured for me to come in.
“Hey, I’m sorry it’s so late. Has he kept you up?” I asked.
“He just had a hard time getting settled tonight. It was fine. Tessa seems to think he has a hard time being away from you,” he explained.
“I feel the same way. It’s hard being away from him, but I’m doing the best I can under the circumstances. I’ll have to figure something out sooner or later, though. I can’t keep getting him up in the middle of the night like this.” I reached to take him from Bishop, and as soon as he was in my arms, he rested his head on my shoulder. Poor baby was wiped out.
“I had an idea that might make things a little easier for you both. It would take a little work, but I think it’ll help,” Bishop told me.
“I’m up for anything at this point. What are you thinking?”
“We have an empty room at the clubhouse. One of the brothers was killed a while back, and no one has been using his room. I thought we might set up a place for the little man there.”
“I don’t know, Bishop. I can’t leave him alone while I’m working.”
“Tessa will help you work all that out. It wouldn’t be all the time. We can try it on slow nights when there won’t be many people around. Doc’s wife, Melinda, and Cindy can also help out when he’s there.”
It sounded like a great idea. I really liked the thought of having him closer to me. “Okay. It’ll take me a few days to get things set up, but I’d like to try it. Thank you, Bishop. You and Tessa have done so much for me. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”
“Stop thanking me, Lily. You’re doing a great job at the clubhouse. Hell, that place was a mess until you showed up. We should be thanking you. Now, go home and get some sleep,” he said. He opened the door and waited as I loaded John Warren into the car. He waited until I was out of the driveway before he headed inside and turned out the lights.
John Warren was sound asleep before I ever made it home. I carefully pulled him out of his car seat and carried him inside. I knew I should go put him in his crib, but I wanted to spend some time with him. I sat in the recliner and laid him across my chest with his head on my shoulder. I rubbed my hand softly over his back and gently kissed the top of his head. I could feel his chest slowly rise and fall and the warmth of his breath against my neck. I closed my eyes and just listened to his soft breathing.
It was such a wonderful feeling to have him close to me like that. It helped center me and make everything seem less significant. I was stressing over nothing. Goliath and I couldn’t happen. Besides, it wasn’t as if a man like him would ever see me as a girl they wanted to get involved with. I had too much baggage. No man wanted that in their life. No. I needed to focus on taking care of John Warren and stop daydreaming. I was just being stupid.
I didn’t even realize I had fallen asleep until the sun started to shine through the cheap window blinds. I carefully lifted John Warren up and carried him into his room to lay him down in his crib. It was still early, so I hoped he would sleep just a little bit longer. I went to my room and laid down in my bed, pulling the covers over my head. I needed at least another hour of sleep. I was still exhausted.
Three hours later, I heard John Warren babbling from his crib. I rolled over, took a deep breath, and struggled to get out of bed. I definitely needed to find a new mattress soon or that thing was going to kill me. As I walked down the hall, I could hear the springs of his bed bouncing up and down. I slowly walked into the room and found him jumping at the end of the crib while holding tightly to the back rails.
“Good morning, sweetheart. You look happy this morning,” I told him as I reached over and picked him up. “We have a lot to do today, Little Man. We’ve gotta get dressed and head to town to do some shopping.” I twirled him in the air, a
After another messy breakfast, we headed into town. I had a long list of things to buy but not much money left. After we went to the grocery store, I decided to look in a used furniture store for a crib and a high chair. I was a little surprised to see how much they cost, so I decided that I’d have to wait on the high chair. I needed the crib for the clubhouse more. I paid the lady and told her I would come back for the crib as soon as I could borrow someone’s truck.
When we got back home, the dirty dishes in the sink seemed to be taunting me. I hated washing dishes more than anything in the world. I really needed a dishwasher, but there was no way I could afford that anytime soon. I turned on the hot water and started filling up the sink. When it was about halfway full, water started spraying out all over the kitchen. Something had broken loose from the faucet, and water was shooting straight up in the air. I quickly reached under the sink and turned the water off. I was soaked. Damn. I hated to call Tessa, but I had to get it fixed. She’d know a plumber that I could call.
Chapter 8
Goliath
Today was a busy day in the garage. Everyone was busy working on different projects that had to get finished. I enjoyed spending time at the garage with my brothers. It didn’t even feel like work. We were doing what we loved, and we were able to do it together. It didn’t get any better than that.
We had several remodels to complete before the end of the week, and Bishop asked me to make a run for him. He wanted me to go to Texas to pick up two cars that needed a complete overhaul before Christmas. I’d have to leave later in the week, and I would be gone for several days.
“You can take Bulldog with you. It’ll be a quick turnaround. You should be back here by Sunday afternoon,” Bishop explained.
“No problem. Just get the details worked out, and I’ll take care of it,” I told him. He was about to say something when his phone rang. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his phone. He smiled when he looked to see who was calling.
“Hey, baby. You missing me already?” he asked with amusement in his voice.
He listened for a moment, then said, “Yeah, I think he’s a good plumber, but tell her I can fix it. Just be sure to tell Lily to keep the water off until I get there.”
He waited a second and then said, “Love you, too. I’ll be home in a few hours. I’ll grab dinner on the way home. Tell Drake I’m bringing Chinese, and I’ll be sure to get extra egg rolls.” He laughed as he hung up the phone.
“What’s going on at Lily’s?” I asked.
“Tessa said something is wrong with her sink, and she needed a plumber. I need to run over there and see if I can fix it. Pretty big mess from the sound of it,” he explained.
“I’ll take care of it,” I told him.
“You sure?” Bishop asked. He gave me one of his looks, but he didn’t push.
“I got it. I had a couple of other things I planned to do over there anyways.”
“Okay. Give me a shout if you need a hand,” Bishop said as I headed for the garage. I needed to grab my tools before I left.
When I got to her house, there was a plumber service van sitting in her driveway. It looked like she had already handled her issue with her water, but I decided I’d make sure she wasn’t getting ripped off.
Lily was more than a little surprised when she opened the door and found me standing on her front step. I could see the plumber standing behind her, and it looked like he was writing her a quote.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, crossing her arms across her chest.
“I’m here to fix the sink.”
“I’ve already taken care of that, Goliath,” she replied as she looked over to the plumber. He finished whatever he was writing and brought it over to her. She took the paper out of his hand, and her eyes grew wide when she saw the price.
“Three hundred and eighty dollars for a faucet? You have got to be kidding me,” she said with an angry tone.
“That covers the parts and labor, Miss,” the asshole told her.
I wanted to wring his neck for trying to take advantage of her, but before I could say anything, she said, “Thank you for coming by today. I’ll have to wait a few weeks before I can afford that. I’ll call you.”
“Whatever you say,” the guy told her as he walked past me out to his van.
She looked over to me and said, “Don’t even start, Goliath. I have this handled,” she said firmly.
“You handled it? Waiting a few weeks to fix your sink isn’t handling it, Lily.”
“Well, that’s the best I can do.”
“Let me fix the damn sink. It’ll just take a few minutes, and then you won’t have to go without it. There’s no point in waiting when I can do it now.”
She stood there mulling over what she should do. I considered pushing harder, but she nodded her head and moved to the side so I could walk in.
“Good girl.” I followed her into the kitchen, tossed my tools onto the floor, and started taking out the old faucet. She stood there staring at me for a minute before she let out an exasperated sigh and left the room. Once I began removing it, I realized the ball valve had gone out, so the entire faucet would need to be replaced.
Lily was in the living room with John Warren when I walked into the room. “I’ve gotta run into town. Gonna need to get a new faucet.”
She looked up and said, “Umm… bring back the receipt, so I can pay you back when I get paid.” I could tell from her expression that she didn’t want me to know that she didn’t have enough money right then.
“I’ll take care of it. I’ll be back in a few minutes. Just leave everything alone until I get back,” I told her as I bent down and placed a small kiss on her cheek. I left before she had a chance to argue. I didn’t want to get into a fight over it. I just wanted to get what I needed so I could fix the damn sink.
It didn’t take me long to get everything I needed from one of the local appliance stores. Lily was waiting for me in the kitchen when I walked back into the house. I dropped the bag on the counter and started taking everything out of it.
“How much was it?” she asked with a seriously aggravated tone.
“Don’t make a big deal out of this.”
“I’m going to pay you back, Goliath. I just need to know how much I owe you.”
“I’ll tell you what… if you’ll just leave and let me do this in peace, we’ll call it even.”
She sighed loudly and shook her head as she walked out of the kitchen. I watched her go, not able to tear my eyes away from her perfect ass. With a groan, I decided to try and get her ass out of my mind and get some work done. It took several minutes to loosen all the rusted screws, some of them were completely stripped. As soon as I removed them, I lifted the old faucet, and water spilled out of the old valve, soaking my shirt. Damn. I pulled off my t-shirt and shoved part of it into my back pocket. I crawled back under the sink and began installing the new faucet. I heard Lily walk back into the kitchen, but she stopped at the edge of the door.
I bent my neck so I could see what she was doing. Her eyes were slowly making their way up my legs and froze when they reached my bare chest. She was totally focused on my tattoos. I cleared my throat, and her eyes finally moved up to meet mine. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
“Need something?” I asked.
“Mmm…umm. No, I was just… seeing if you needed any help,” she stammered.
“I’ve got it. I’ll be done in a minute, and then I’ll fix those broken locks on your living room windows.”
“Windows? You don’t need to fix my windows. They’re just fine!”
“You need to be able to lock all of your windows, Lily. It isn’t safe.” She stood there with a puzzled look until the sounds of John Warren’s cry snapped her attention away from me. She quickly turned and raced down the hallway towards his room.
I finished up the faucet and headed into the living room where Lily sat on the floor with John Warren.
“Are you hungry, sweet boy?” she asked, lifting him up into her arms. I watched as she carried him into the kitchen and got out his lunch. She had everything laid out on the table. She sat him in her lap and began feeding him.
“Where’s his high chair?” I asked.
“We’re making do with what we have right now. I’ll get one soon,” she said.
“Well, that explains the mess on your shirt the other day,” I told her as I laughed.
“That’s not funny, you big jerk,” she said as she flipped me off. “Sometimes he’s just not very nice, John Warren,” she told him laughing.
“The kid needs a nickname.”
“I’m sure you’ll think of something,” she said while throwing a towel at me. “Why don’t you dry off before you catch a cold?”
She smiled as I wrapped the towel around my neck and headed for the living room. By the time I finished fixing the two broken locks, she’d finished feeding John Warren. I was putting my damp shirt back on when she walked in. A smirk crossed her face as she watched me pull it over my chest, and I could tell she liked what she saw.
“You’re all set,” I told her feeling proud that she was a little bit safer in the old house.
“Thanks, Goliath. I really do appreciate it,” she said softly as she tucked a few loose strands of hair behind her ear.
“Ahh... little girl has a sweet side to her after all. I like that.”
Chapter 9
Lily
I couldn’t seem to make my mind up about the guy. My heart almost beat out of my chest when I walked into that kitchen and saw him sprawled out under the sink. I couldn’t stop my eyes from wandering all over his body. I thought my panties were going to burn off my body when I saw the tattoos on his bare chest. I wanted to reach out and run my fingers over the different colors of ink that marked him. He was beautiful, and it was messing with my head. It didn’t help matters that he was being so nice fixing things around the house. I really did appreciate everything he did, but then he’d open his mouth and everything would go straight to hell. I thought if he called me little girl one more time, I might punch him in the throat.
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