Daddy Biker: MC Romance

by Sadie Savage

  She gagged at the sight of him, falling forward from the closet and holding on to the wall for balance. Fear immobilized her for quite some time before she could bring herself to make it to the living room. There, she found Luke, lying on the floor. He was naked, covered with blood, bruises and scratches. Tears fell down her face as she knelt over him, crying. Holding him close to her, she could feel him still breathing.

  “Hold on, Luke. Don’t leave me,” she cried, reaching into her pocket for her cell phone.

  Dixie called the bar and asked them to get anyone that was there from his gang to the phone. She wasn’t sure if they could even comprehend what she was saying due to her near hysteria, but a short time later, bikes arrived in droves. An older man she recognized as a frequent visitor instructed someone to calm her while he tended to Luke. She found herself escorted to the back porch and given a glass of water while one of the other club wives let her lean on her shoulder.

  A few days later, Dixie stood looking at the mess that had once been Luke Robert’s house. There was very little in the living room, kitchen or bedroom that hadn’t been shattered or crushed from the fight between the two alpha bears. In the bedroom was a stain where the body of Harlan Simmons had once lay. There was now a missing person’s report for him, but the club assured her he would never be found. She placed her hand on her stomach and smiled at the child the doctor had confirmed she was carrying and walked out of the house with the bags she had brought over days ago.

  “You ready?” Luke asked as she stepped out.

  “I’m ready,” she replied.

  Luke nodded at a few of the club members and tossed Dixie’s bags in her car before kissing her softly on the cheek. She followed him down the road, glancing into her rear view mirror just in time to see the house go up in flames and bikes coming into view behind her. Twenty minutes later, she pressed the button on a garage door opener and watched Luke’s bike disappear inside the opening before pulling in beside him.

  “Welcome to your new home,” Luke told her.

  “It’s beautiful,” she replied, looking around the refurbished plantation home set far back off the road where no one would bother them.

  “I’m glad you like it. I had planned on a much less dramatic transition from the old house to this one, but things didn’t work out quite like I planned them. There is just one thing lacking,” he told her.

  “What is that?” she said.

  “The other half of my plans when I bought this house for us,” he said.

  Dixie watched as he fished something from his pocket and took her hand, slipping an antique black diamond onto her finger. She looked at it in surprise and then back at him.

  “That ring has been passed down from generation to generation in my family. Now, it is yours and someday, our son will give it to the woman he loves. Will you marry me, Dixie?” he asked.

  “Yes! Yes, I will!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms around him and kissing him passionately. Luke picked her up and carried her upstairs to their new bedroom. She was amazed at how quickly his body had healed from the fight with Harlan, a fight which she later learned he was ill equipped to fight after having changed so recently before it. At the end of the day, it seemed they had saved one another and could now spend their lives in peace, as could their unborn son. That was all that mattered.

  *****

  THE END

  Brother’s Bear

  "I work in the morning."

  How Anna had both loved and loathed those words at the same time. When Gabriel Kempton had called her back, she'd been floored. After the lackluster reception of her final academic exhibition had stolen her chance at graduate school, she knew the only way into higher education was through completing an apprenticeship to garner real world experience. No opportunity had been beneath her, and Anna had launched her resume off to dozens of apprenticeship positions. That Gabriel Kempton of all people had been the only one to call her back had to be proof that she was meant to succeed. Working beneath his direction would not only look good on her future applications, but it would draw the eyes of the art world in her direction. Even if Gabriel was unsatisfied with her work, the fact that they would be associated would work in her favor.

  But he worked in the mornings.

  Anna couldn't remember the last time she'd willingly gotten out of bed before noon. Given the choice, she preferred to sleep through the afternoon. Mornings had never been her friend, and anyone who knew her had always planned around that fact accordingly. Anna Nightingale, her mother had sung to her in her teenage years, little lark, despises the light, favors the dark. But now the nightingale stood before the private art studios of Southview University, cup of bitterly black coffee in hand, while the sun rose on the horizon.

  "This is your future, Anna," she whispered to herself, the words catching in the thick yarn of her maroon infinity scarf. She slipped her car keys into the small purse slung from her shoulder. "Just a year of early mornings, and then you'll be set for life. Suck it up."

  Studio C3 was already lit up on the inside. In the early hour of the day little traffic passed, and the street lights had begun to fade to orange. It seemed like everyone else on the planet slept except for the man she knew lurked beyond the studio walls. And herself, of course. She hesitated before the door, wondering if she should knock or not. Better to be overly polite, she thought, than to be rude. Anna rapped upon the door.

  "Come in," a voice called from inside. Although she could tell there was great volume behind it, the words barely bled through the door and she'd almost missed them. Had the morning not been so quiet, Anna was sure she never would have heard the invitation. Without wasting any more time, Anna entered the studio.

  Had she to guess, Anna would have said that Gabriel Kempton had already been at work for hours. The largest block of marble she'd ever seen sat in the center of the studio upon a raised platform, its corners and sides already carved off. The pitched pieces lay haphazardly on the floor around the platform. Apart from a few messy tables pressed against the wall and two folding metal chairs tucked into them, the room was empty.

  "I need you to start tidying the pieces that have fallen," Gabriel's voice instructed. He was behind the block of marble, out of her field of view. The end of the sentence was punctuated with the bright clang of a mallet striking down upon metal. A new piece of marble knocked loose and toppled to the ground. "Stack them all on one of the tables. We might be able to recycle the scrap for small projects."

  No hellos, no good mornings. Had she not been so exhausted, Anna might have bristled at his lack of respect. A hasty sip of coffee silenced any sass. She set the cup down on one of the tables and made her way towards the marble.

  "And when you're done that, then you can start to sweep." Gabriel stepped out from behind the marble, and Anna stopped in her tracks. Gabriel Kempton was the talk of the art world and the pride of Southview's Master of Fine Arts program, but every article she'd read about him and his accomplishments had only shown his face, focusing more upon his creations. While his facial features had been handsome, Anna had always assumed he'd look like a scrawny artist in person. The body she'd pictured and the man who stood before her were not one in the same.

  Instead of narrow and lanky, Gabriel was cut and svelte. The grey t-shirt he wore stretched across his chest and filled out in the shoulders and arms, and although his muscles were not excessive, there was no question that they were visible. Toned arms, a firm chest, and a body that tapered into his hips, Gabriel looked more like a swimmer than a sculptor. Momentarily Anna wondered if she had nodded off to sleep and was imagining the whole thing. There was no way someone could look as handsome as he did while toiling away in a studio for fourteen hours a day.

  The prolonged pause attracted Gabriel's attention, and he looked towards her for the first time. Anna glanced up into his dark eyes and noticed how they stared. Low self-confidence reared inside of her, allowing an uneasy feeling to bloom in the pit of her stomach. Most of the t
ime she ignored the stares, but Gabriel was the only one in the room and he made no effort to hide that he was looking at her. Anna knew that she was curvy, too curvy to be considered conventionally beautiful by men like Gabriel, but she'd always considered herself pretty. Between a great wardrobe and the care she invested to keep her light auburn hair shimmering and styled, Anna had never let her size stop her. Yet here she was, arrested by Gabriel's gaze.

  "Anna Nightingale?" Gabriel asked after a long silence. His eyes swept her down and then up, absorbing her every detail. The critical eyes of an artist ripped her apart, and Anna felt both exposed and breathless. There was something silently dominating about Gabriel's presence that let her on edge, uncomfortable and yet intrigued.

  "That's me," Anna replied, voice smaller than she would have liked.

  "It's nice to meet you," Gabriel said after a pause. His eyes lingered on her for a moment longer, and then he turned back to his work. "I look forward to working with you this year."

  "Yeah," Anna whispered, the word little more than a squeak, "me too."

  When his eyes darted away from her and back to the marble, the spell was broken. Pressure lifted from Anna's lungs, and she realized that she'd been holding her breath. She inhaled deeply and shook her head, freeing herself further from his spell, then set to work collecting the fallen pieces of stone.

  By the end of the day, all Anna had done was collect discarded marble and sweep. Typically she would have complained, but watching Gabriel work was well worth the menial labor. Every time he struck at the block his biceps tensed and she could see how corded and strong they were. The sweat that lined his brow glistened, and the scent of pine and masculine undertones had leeched slowly through the room. Anna didn't consider herself boy crazy, but something about Gabriel grabbed her attention in a way no other guy had.

  From time to time he'd engaged her in conversation. They'd spoken about her plans for school and the kind of media she liked to work with. Gabriel had told her a little bit about the marble sculpture exhibit he was preparing for, and invited her to sculpt some of her own statues from the leftover marble. By the end of the day, blissfully over by noon, Anna exited into the brisk fall air entirely smitten. Gabriel was like the marble he sculpted: smooth, classic, and flawless. Thoughts of him clouded her mind, and it wasn't until a hand clamped down upon her wrist that she realized someone had been trying to get her attention.

  Gabriel Kempton stood at her side, his calloused hand holding her in place.

  "Anna," he said, catching her eyes with his own. Up close Anna could see how dark they truly were, his stunning irises a shade of brown she'd never seen in eyes before. Their eyes locked, and once more she found herself breathless. Even after six hours working together, Gabriel still held her prisoner.

  "I'm sorry, my head was uh, somewhere else." She couldn't part from his eyes, and it looked like Gabriel was having difficulty doing the same. He, however, spoke as though he was unaffected.

  "Elsewhere is right. You forgot your phone," he said, extending her cellphone towards her with his free hand. The other still gripped her wrist, unwilling to let go. Anna blinked, eyelids remaining closed for a prolonged moment. Gabriel was as close to a celebrity as she'd ever met, and here he was holding onto her and returning her forgotten belongings.

  "Thanks."

  The hand at her wrist dropped as she accepted the device. Anna looked towards the pavement, moderately embarrassed. That time she hadn't tried to hide her stare; Gabriel had to know she was interested.

  "I saw you didn't have my number in your contact list," Gabriel continued casually. "So I put it in for you. And according to your calendar, you’re free tomorrow night after your haircut. Now you're not."

  The meaning of what he said didn't register. Anna lifted her gaze and stared at him blankly, feeling her hands began to tremble.

  "What?"

  "I put the details in, so make sure you're not late. Seven at Cosgrove Cafe. I'll be waiting."

  Those dark eyes bored into her a final time before he offered her a playful smirk and turned away, sequestering himself back into Studio C3. When the doors had closed Anna blinked hard, took a stabilizing breath, then looked down at the phone in her hand. How had he gotten past the lock screen? He must have been watching her throughout the day as she texted, and then...

  Her fingers flew over the screen and the phone unlocked. There, amongst her upcoming events, was a four hour chunk of time at Cosgrove Cafe. The address had been entered as event information, as had another telling detail. Recorded under the event's notes was another message.

  "Date with Gabriel — wear something nice, but not too fancy."

  Anna almost dropped the phone. How a man like Gabriel could be interested in someone like her she wasn't sure, but that didn't matter. What did matter was that they were going out tomorrow, and she had no idea what she was going to wear.

  A burst of energy coursed through her, and Anna grabbed at the plush scarf that hung from her neck to choke the cry of glee it brought. It was as though she were in high school again, and the cool, popular boy had just winked at her from across the cafeteria. Well, not quite. Gabriel was much more handsome and talented than any boy in her high school had ever been, and he didn't call her chubs at every chance he got.

  Every inch of her body energized and alive, Anna ran for her rusted out Camry and sank into the driver seat. Once behind closed doors she let her head fall back against the rest and laughed, wild and free. Feeling wanted was a luxury she wasn't often afforded, and God, did Gabriel make her feel wanted.

  A new internship, a new shot at the future, and now a new shot at love. Everything was falling into place all at once, and Anna felt like these were the first happenings in a series of events that would leave her forever changed.

  Chapter Two

  Piles of clean clothes littered her bedroom floor, and shoes were scattered here and there in clusters. The battle had been waged, and she'd won. From the mess she'd found an outfit she thought was nice, but not too formal. A simple teal dress was her prize. It cinched beneath the waist to draw attention to the best of her curves, its shoulder straps wide enough that they didn't look out of place on her bigger shoulders. What Anna liked the best about the dress was the neckline; it plunged into a V just low enough to draw attention to the plump curve of her breasts without being too overt. The skirt fell just above the knee, flirty and yet simple. Anna knew it made her look amazing.

  Paired with a set of black flats she was good to go. Now the outfit hung pristine from the back of her closet door while the rest of her sizeable wardrobe lay in disarray across the room, and it would stay there until the weekend. Getting up early had already taken its toll on her, and Anna had little energy to devote to cleaning.

  The second day of her internship would have been the same as the first had Gabriel not already made his interest clear. Anna was told to tidy up and sweep, and from time to time Gabriel asked her to fetch a different kind of chisel, but now Anna also watched for how he looked at her. From time to time she caught his dark eyes drinking her in when he thought she wasn't looking, and each time her cheeks flushed red in delight. Of course, he caught her looking at him as well. Each time he shot her a devious grin that disarmed her entirely, and the work day both seemed to crawl and fly by when knowing that later that evening they'd be seeing each other as more than professionals.

  "Don't forget," Gabriel bade her at the end of the day, "Cosgrove Cafe, seven. Don't be late. I don't want you to miss it."

  "It?" Anna asked. They were packing up for the day, Gabriel rinsing his hands and arms in the studio's sink.

  "You'll see tonight if you're not late," he promised, but said no more. "It was good working with you again today."

  "And you." This time she was prepared. Anna smiled at him even as her heart fluttered and then made her exit. There were only about five hours left after her haircut until she'd have to head out, and she intended to make the most of them.

  A
long, thorough shower. Anna scrubbed herself pink and shaved carefully, not willing to miss a single hair. Once the blank canvas was prepared, she dried and styled her freshly cut hair and agonized over her makeup. A modestly colored lip and a touch of drama to the eye was her signature, and by the time Anna was done she knew she looked amazing. Chubby or not, she was worth looking at.

  Prim and proper, she took the dress down from the back of her closet door and slipped into it. There was just enough time left to move one of the piles of clothes back into her closet when the alarm on her cellphone went off — it was time to hit the road.

  "Act normal," she whispered to herself as she descended her apartment stairs and towards the parking lot. "He's just a normal person interested in normal people things, and there's no reason to do weird things. If he asked you out, it means he likes you, so don't try too hard."

  The front doors opened following a heavy push, and Anna emerged into the chilly fall evening. She'd brought along a light jacket and was grateful for it. Just the walk between the building and the car was brisk, and goose flesh rose along her arms.

  Cosgrove Cafe was a good half hour drive from where she lived, clear on the other side of the city, but close enough to Southview's campus that it made sense that Gabriel would know of it. With fifteen minutes to spare, Anna parked a few blocks away and walked her way over. The neighborhood was a blend of residential and retail, indie shops popping up down the main street while the off-streets housed middle class families. It was on one of those off-streets that she found Cosgrove Cafe. Renovated from residential house to coffee shop, the establishment flirted with the corner of the main street. Cheery bay windows glowed with warm light, and through them Anna could see the place was busy. People clustered near the windows, all standing. For a coffee house, so many standing patrons seemed strange.