by L. Wilder
“You know… we’d get along a lot better if you just never opened your mouth,” I told him.
He looked intensely at me and said, “One day soon, I’ll change your mind about that.” He stepped a little closer, towering over me. He gently tucked a few loose strands of hair behind my ear, and when goosebumps pebbled across my skin, the corners of his mouth curled into a sexy smile. He brushed the back of his hand across my cheek and said, “I have to head back to the club. Is there anything else you need?”
My eyes were locked on his, and I couldn’t move. He was standing so close that I found it difficult to speak. My knees felt weak, and I could feel my heart racing beneath my chest. I cleared my throat and said, “Nope. All good here.” He gave me one of his sexy winks and turned towards the door to leave.
Shortly after, I heard him pull out of the driveway. I stood there looking around the house, and it just seemed empty without his presence. I really didn’t want to be in the house alone, so I decided to take John Warren to the park. It was pretty warm outside, and I figured he would enjoy the fresh air.
We spent several hours playing at the park, and by the time we got back, I was exhausted. That kid loved to swing. I’d have to find a way to get one for the backyard soon. I loved watching him smile and laugh. It made me a little homesick being there alone with him. I wish I could call and check on Mom. Not being able to talk to her made me feel like I’d lost my sister and my mother. I just needed to know if she was okay. I knew I needed to wait for her to contact me, but it was getting harder every day. I didn’t know how much longer I could hold out.
After dinner, I gave John Warren a bath and put on his pajamas. The long week had finally caught up with me, and I wanted to get to bed early. I didn’t really want to be alone. I decided to give him his bottle in my room so I could have him close to me. I turned on the TV, lowering the volume, and laid him in the bed next to me. As soon as he finished his bottle, he fell fast asleep. I lay there staring at him, wondering if it was possible to ever love him any more than I did right then. It amazed me how quickly he had completely stolen my heart. I couldn’t imagine ever being without him. I pulled him closer to me and finally fell asleep.
The next morning, I was brought out of my sleeping stupor by the faint sounds of tapping outside my front door. I threw the covers back and went to see what was making that irritating noise. When I peeked out the front door, all I could see were two large boots standing on the steps to a ladder that led up to my roof. I couldn’t see who it was, so I had to walk outside to get a good look. When I looked up, I saw Goliath putting up a new security light just above my front door.
“Do you have any idea what time it is?” I asked, placing my hands on my hips.
He never even glanced down in my direction. He was focused on screwing in the light when he said, “Sorry. I know it’s early, but I wanted to get this done before I headed to the garage.”
“Do you really think all that is necessary?” I asked waving my hand towards the light he was installing.
“Yeah, I do,” he said. He finally looked down at me, and his eyes suddenly widened with surprise. The screwdriver fumbled in his hands, and he almost dropped it as his eyes were drawn to my breasts. I looked down and quickly realized that I didn’t have on a bra. My thin white t-shirt didn’t leave much to the imagination, and to make matters worse, it was cold outside. He was getting an eye full. Damn. I looked back up at him, and he had a huge fucking grin on his face. I could feel the heat rush over my face and felt the urge to cover myself. I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that I was embarrassed, so I just flipped him off. I could hear him laughing as I stomped back into the house, slamming the door behind me.
I decided to just stay in the house until he was finished. I took a long shower while John Warren was still sleeping and even had time to fix my hair before he got up. I was finishing my makeup when he finally let me know he was ready to eat. I was actually feeling human when I sat him down for breakfast. I felt good and ready to face the day, when there was a loud knock on the door.
I propped John Warren on my hip and opened the door only to find Goliath leaning against the doorframe.
He smiled and said, “Good morning, JW. I hope I didn’t wake you up this morning,” he said with a sweet smile.
I guess he’d thought of John Warren’s new nickname. I liked it. He ran the tip of his finger down the baby’s nose. John Warren reached out his little arms and leaned forward towards Goliath. Without any signs of protest, Goliath took him from my arms. They both looked over to me with a big smile.
“You could run a train through here, and he could sleep through it,” I told him. Before I could stop myself, I asked, “You want a cup of coffee before you go?”
“Yeah, I’d like that,” he answered, following me back into the kitchen. I poured him a cup of coffee and pointed over to the cream and sugar. Then, I grabbed a couple of jars of baby food and sat them on the table. I retrieved John Warren from Goliath and sat him on my lap so I could feed him.
“You seriously need a high chair, babe,” he said with a concerned look.
“You seriously don’t know when to give it a rest, do you?” I told him as I began feeding John Warren. “And I will be paying you back for the faucet and that new light.”
“Have you always been this stubborn, or is it just with me?” he asked.
“I’m being practical, not stubborn. I have to set priorities right now. I don’t have a lot of money to throw around at the moment,” I explained.
“I get it, but just so you know, you aren’t paying me back. We had the extra lights at the clubhouse, so stop worrying about it,” he said as he took a drink of his coffee. He kept staring at John Warren. He seemed lost in his thoughts, and I wondered what he was thinking.
“You want some more coffee?” I asked, breaking him from his silence.
“Thanks, but I’ve gotta get going,” he said, standing up to leave.
“Okay. Will I see you tomorrow night?” I asked.
He stared at me with a strange look on his face that I couldn’t really read, but I wanted to.
“Do you want to?” he asked.
I wanted to deny it, but I couldn’t. Staring into his eyes, I found myself answering honestly.
“I think I do.”
He leaned down and brushed his lips against mine. I wanted more, and my tongue danced along his lips, but John Warren picked right then to laugh, breaking the moment.
His hand came up and brushed along the side of my neck. Without thinking, I leaned into his hand, loving the warmth of his touch. He placed another kiss on my forehead before stepping back.
“Then, I’ll definitely be around,” he said, walking out of the kitchen. “Try to stay out of trouble,” he called back before he shut the front door.
When the door closed, I felt a sadness come over me. I didn’t want him to go. Damn. I really shouldn’t have liked him, but I did. Against my better judgment, I was falling for a biker. My heart was telling me that there was more to him than I had realized. Something that I was deathly afraid that I couldn’t live without.
Chapter 10
Goliath
Bishop called me early that morning and said we needed to all meet. We usually covered all club business on Tuesday night during church¸ but he said he had information we needed to hear. I was concerned. Bishop didn’t call us together like that unless it was important.
When he walked into the clubhouse, he had an intense look on his face. I wish I’d had time to talk to him before the meeting so I knew what the fuck was going on. He stood in front of us, collecting his thoughts before he finally spoke.
“There’s a new club moving into town. Snake called me last night to give me a heads up.” Snake was the president of the Red Dragons. We’d had a run-in with his club a while back, when one of their brothers attacked Taylor. Things had worked out in our favor, and we’d even ended up helping Snake out. Apparently, he felt the need to
return the favor.
“We gonna have a problem with them?” I asked.
“They’re called the Black Diamonds. Young group of delinquents causing trouble wherever they go. They have no code. Constantly adding new members just so they can build up their numbers.”
“Who’s in charge?” I asked.
“No idea. That’s all Snake had to share,” Bishop replied, glaring at Renegade. “Look, we don’t want these guys causing problems, so keep your eyes open. Let me know if you see anything I need to know about.” He turned to Bobby and said,
“Crack Nut, you need to do your thing. See if anyone’s bought any property in the area that might be a clubhouse. Anything you find, share it with Goliath and Renegade.”
“You got it, Pres.” Bobby replied.
“We’ve got a big order coming in. We need to do our best to make sure everything’s done on time. The club’s name is at stake here. If this order goes well, it could lead to some pretty big offers in the future,” Bishop told us.
“We’re on it,” Sheppard told him.
“It’s also time we consider adding to the club. We need new blood. We’ve lost men, and those losses can never be replaced, but we gotta fill this table. Do any of you know anyone who might be looking to prospect?”
“Yeah, I’ve got someone in mind. My cousin, Levi, might be interested. He’s coming home from Afghanistan in a couple of weeks. I’ll talk to him about it. I figure his friend, Conner, will want to join with him,” Sheppard said.
Bishop nodded his head and said, “Good. That’s all. Meeting adjourned.”
I followed Bishop into his office. I wanted to know if there was more that I needed to know.
“What kind of trouble do you think this club is gonna bring?” I asked.
“Snake mentioned drug trafficking, but said these guys don’t mess around. We need to be ready for whatever they bring.”
“Keep me posted. If you need me, call. I’m heading over to Lily’s.”
Bishop nodded, and I headed out the door. I didn’t want to be late. I hadn’t mentioned anything about the whole babysitting thing to Lily. I figured she’d just try to talk me out of it. I’d asked Tessa to add me to her “calendar” after meeting JW for the first time. I really liked the little guy and wanted to get to know him better. I knew he came as a package deal with Lily, so he and I needed to get better acquainted.
I took a few things with me just in case Little Man needed some distraction. It’d been awhile since I’d been around a kid his size, so I needed to be prepared. I knocked on her door, steeling myself for a fight I knew was coming. The door crept open, and Lily stood there wearing only a tiny bathrobe that barely covered the top of her thighs. I couldn’t stop the smile that spread across my face as she tried to tug and pull the robe farther down over her legs.
She finally gave up trying to cover herself and smiled, “What are you doing here? Sorry, but I don’t have anything for you to fix today.”
“I doubt that, but I’m not here for that. Actually here to babysit JW tonight,” I told her as I moved my body in front of the box I’d brought. I was trying to block her view of the new high chair I just bought.
“Babysit? Seriously?” she asked.
“Yep. Tessa added me to the calendar. Now, go finish getting ready. I have this under control.”
“Seriously?” she asked again.
“Seriously. Now, go get your cute ass in there and finish getting ready.”
“Why are you babysitting? I thought….”
“Babe, as much as I’m enjoying the view, if you don’t go get a move on, you’re gonna be late. Tessa called, I’m here. Now, go get ready.”
She looked down, remembering what she was wearing and to my surprise, left. I watched her walk away, feeling my dick jump as the cheeks of her ass peeped out with every step she took. Hell. I pulled my eyes from her, but it wasn’t easy. I was almost disappointed she’d given up so easily. I liked arguing with her. She got a fire in her eyes when she was mad, and damn, I was quickly getting addicted to the way they sparked and came alive. I was sure I’d piss her off again soon enough, though. I was looking forward to it.
JW was playing on the floor when I walked over to him. I dropped the high chair box in the corner and started pulling out a few of the toys I’d bought. I handed him the small football first. Every kid needed to know the ins and outs of football. He took it in his tiny hands and squealed. Score. Guess he liked it. I’d bought a small basketball goal, but I was going to have to put it together before he could play with it. I’d started pulling out the different parts and the directions when Lily walked in. Damn, she looked good. She was wearing a grey sweater dress with black leggings and boots. Her silver bracelets hung low on her wrists, and I let my eyes travel over her body slowly, enjoying the view.
“Goliath? Don’t you think you might have gone a little overboard here?” she asked, shaking her head with her hands on her hips.
I just shrugged my shoulders. I doubted I needed all that stuff, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
“Well…” she gestured to all the boxes and toys lying on the ground, “this is a little extreme.”
“What can I say?” I said, trying to sound innocent. “I’m a man that likes to be prepared,” I told her with a smile, wondering how it was going to play out.
She rolled her eyes and laughed, but just before she turned to head for the door, a new expression crossed her face. She was obviously pissed as she noticed the new high chair I’d stashed in the corner. “You didn’t!”
“The kid needs a damn high chair, Lily.”
“I can’t believe you did that! …And I was getting him one when I could afford it, Goliath! I told you that!” she yelled. “I don’t have time for this, but I promise you, this conversation is NOT over!” she turned and walked out the door, slamming it behind her.
I knew it would piss her off when I bought the damn thing, but she needed it, so I got it. I wanted to help her. It made me feel good to buy her something she needed. So why the hell did I feel like shit about it?
“You know your Aunt Lily wants to kill me right now,” I said, looking over at JW. He smiled, shoving the end of the football in his mouth. “Dude, you’re supposed to throw it, not eat it!” He never even acknowledged me and kept on chewing.
After I put the high chair together, I brought it into the kitchen to feed JW. As soon as he got in the seat, he smiled and started slapping his hands on the tray. I could tell that he liked it. I just hoped that Lily would like it, too, once she got over being pissed about it. I fed him a couple of jars of baby food, and I was impressed that he didn’t make a huge mess. Plus one for me. I gave him a quick bath and put on his pajamas.
“Let’s grab your bottle and see what’s on SportsCenter tonight,” I told him, carrying him into the living room. I found the station I was looking for on the TV and cradled him in my arms with his bottle. It looked like he was about to fall asleep, but he just couldn’t get settled. He tried to wrestle out of my arms, and when that didn’t work, he started to cry.
Cry isn’t really the right word for what he did. A tantrum. A meltdown. Hell, the kid totally freaked out. I decided to see if he needed to be changed. That didn’t help. I thought he didn’t like the pajamas I put on him, so I changed his clothes. That didn’t help. I was running out of ideas, so I decided he needed a distraction. I knew it was cold outside, but I figured it was worth a shot. I propped him on my hip and walked out to the front porch. The cold air must have done the trick, because the crying finally stopped. His little hands grabbed onto my shirt as he looked up at me. I’m sure he was wondering what I was doing.
“Dude, that was a pretty good fit you were having in there. You all done?”
He seemed to be over whatever was bothering him, so I took him back inside. I got us settled in the chair and gave him the rest of his bottle. It didn’t take long before he fell sound asleep. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to hold him until my show was over.
I was a little surprised when Lily lifted JW from my arms and headed down the hall. I must have dozed off. I didn’t hear her come in. I stood up and stretched, waiting for her to come back.
When she walked back into the living room, she looked tired. I knew the late hours were tough on her, but she never complained. “How’d it go tonight?” I asked.
“It was pretty slow. Not many of the guys showed up. They really don’t need me during the week. Not even sure why I was there,” she explained.
“Things will pick up when it gets warmer. Most of the guys stay home when it’s cold like this. Enjoy it while you can,” I told her.
“Was John Warren okay for you?” she asked.
“Yeah, he’s a great kid.”
“Good, thanks for sitting with him. I really appreciate it,” she said yawning.
I hated to leave, but I knew she needed to get some sleep. I stepped closer to her and said, “I’m going to head out. Get some sleep, and I’ll see you later in the week.” I kissed her lightly on her cheek, and I headed for the door.
“Goliath?”
I turned back and asked, “Yeah?”
“Thanks,” she said softly. I liked sweet Lily. I liked all the different sides to her, but sweet Lily was my favorite.
“Good night, Lily,” I told her before I walked out the door. It was a good night. I really enjoyed being there with JW. He was small, but he had personality. He wasn’t afraid to let you know when he wasn’t happy about something, but even then, he wasn’t that hard to deal with. It didn’t take much to make him happy, and there was just something kind of cool about having a baby fall asleep in your arms. I could do that every day of the week. Yeah, that kid made me realize that I wanted something more out of my life.
