by Wilder, L
“Yes, she did, but since I’m a big boy now, she lets me drive one anyway,” Bishop replied. Smiling, Tessa gave his hand a light squeeze. She seemed to find this conversation amusing.
“Do you ever go really fast? What do you do when it rains?”
“I don’t drive that fast very often, and I usually drive my truck when it’s raining. It’s not much fun to be on a motorcycle when it’s raining.”
“How did you get to be so tall? My dad’s tall, but not as tall and big as you are,” Izzie asked looking up at him.
“Well, my dad’s pretty tall, so I guess I get it from him. I also try to eat all my vegetables. My folks always told me eating vegetables makes you big and strong.”
“Momma tells Drake that all the time, but all he wants to eat is take-out and junk food. I like what Momma cooks better. You should try her spaghetti. It’s really good, and she always makes a big salad to go with it. That way you can get your vegetables, too.”
“I’d like that,” he replied smiling over at Tessa. “Maybe you could get her to make that for me one day soon.”
“I can do that. She likes to cook. Drake’s favorite food is Chinese. What’s your favorite?”
Isabelle’s questions went on for the first half of the game. During half time, Bishop went to the concession stand to get them all some hot chocolate. The night air was getting a little chilly, and he thought it might help warm them up.
The conversation between Tessa and Bishop flowed easily during the second half of the game. Tessa seemed to enjoy being there with him, and he really liked being there with her. It had been a long time since he’d actually wanted to spend time like this with a woman. She made him realize that he wanted more than just a quick lay from one of the Fallen girls from the club. He wanted to be with her.
The pizza joint they went to after the game was packed. It was a town favorite, and lots of the kids met there on the weekends. They squeezed into a corner booth and placed their order.
“I can’t believe we lost. That just sucks,” Myles said to Drake.
“I don’t see why either of you cares who won or lost. You never watched any of the game. You spent the entire time throwing your football behind the bleachers and flirting with all the girls. Seems like you had a good time either way,” Bishop said to Myles.
“It was fun, but I wasn’t flirting with any of those girls. The only girl I wanna talk to wasn’t there tonight.”
Bishop didn’t push Myles for more information about his new love interest. He decided to save that for when it was just the two of them. He turned to Isabelle and asked, “Did you have a good time at the game tonight?”
“Yes, sir. It was really fun. You know, this place isn’t very fancy. You need to take Momma to someplace nice. Your date needs to be special,” Izzie said with her eyebrows furrowed and a grimace on her face.
Bishop turned to Tessa and noticed that her cheeks had turned an embarrassed shade of red. “I’ll work on that for the next date. You think she will give me another chance?” he replied with a smirk.
“Yeah, you’re really nice. I think she’ll be okay with another try.”
“Sweetheart, this place is just fine. I’m having a wonderful time. Now, stop giving Bishop a hard time and finish your cheese sticks,” Tessa said firmly. Her eyes locked with Bishop’s as he winked, and her shoulders shook as she laughed silently to herself.
After they finished their pizza, they dropped off Myles at their neighbor’s house and took Drake and Izzie home to meet Courtney.
Courtney opened the front door with a wild smile. “What’s up, my lovely couple? Y’all are looking mighty fine. I bet the whole town’s talking about you two tonight. Did y’all give ‘em something to gossip about?” she said giving them a goofy wink.
“Don’t even start, Courtney. We’ll talk when I get back if you’re still up. We’re going to his clubhouse now. Wish me luck,” Tessa said with a worried look on her face.
“I’m sure it’s going to be great. Hopefully, it’ll be late when you get back, and I’ll be asleep. Hint. Hint,” Courtney said as she wiggled her eyebrows.
Bishop took Tessa’s hand and led her out to the truck. Neither of them spoke as he drove them over to the clubhouse. He could tell that she was nervous, and probably thinking all kinds of crazy shit like most women do.
He figured he might as well prepare her a little for what she might run into. “I take it you’ve never been to a clubhouse like this before, right?” he began. Tessa shook her head in response. “It’s not that big of a deal. It’s just a place for the guys to meet up and let off some steam after a long week. They’ll be drinking, playing pool, and acting like delinquents by the time we get there. Most of the guys are pretty cool.”
“I’m looking forward to it. I just don’t want to say anything stupid or act like a complete weirdo while I am there,” Tessa stated, never looking over at Bishop. She kept her gaze focused out the window.
“Just be yourself. I wouldn’t bring you if I thought you wouldn’t like it, or if I thought they might give you a hard time. The girls might be a little harder for you to get along with, but the guys should really like you.”
Tessa’s eyes moved to look over at Bishop and her voice went up about three octaves when she asked, “What girls? Wives or girlfriends? And why wouldn’t they like me?”
“We have some girls that hang around the club. They’re there to hook up with the brothers from time to time, but they aren’t officially with anyone. They tend to get a little possessive when outsiders come in, but Doc’s Old Lady, Melinda, should be there. She’s cool, and she’ll help you get a grip on things.”
“You mean you have groupies or something? Isn’t that kind of degrading?”
“They aren’t groupies. We treat them like part of the family. They might not be tied to us by marriage or claimed as Old Ladies, but we treat them with respect, and they do the same for us. They help out around the club, and we make sure they’re taken care of,” Bishop told her. He hoped that she wouldn’t get upset about the Fallen girls. They were a part of the club, and she would have to accept them if this thing between them was going anywhere.
Tessa paused, reflecting on what he’d said. “So…do you sleep with these girls often?” Tessa asked with a hopeful look in her eye. He knew she wanted him to say no, but he knew he needed to be honest with her.
“I have from time to time, but I can tell you this: I haven’t been with anyone since the day I met you at the school. Those damn skirts you wear have my head all kinds of twisted up,” Bishop said as he turned to her with a wicked grin. “None of these girls have anything on you.”
Tessa blushed at the compliment. He couldn’t tell if he’d made things better or worse for her. Now she seemed even more tense. When he cut the engine to the truck, he reached for her chin. He turned her to face him and said, “I had a great time with you tonight, and if you don’t want to stay, we can head out. Just give it a chance.” She visibly relaxed and nodded with a smile. He pulled her closer to him and brushed his lips across hers. He meant for the kiss to be brief, but the moment their mouths touched, he changed his mind. As his tongue stroked hers, she leaned into him, placing one hand on his chest and one behind his neck. He slipped his hands under her ass and pulled her into his lap, never losing contact with her mouth. She dug her fingernails into his shoulder as her moan vibrated through him. She eased her legs around his waist as her hand roamed over his broad chest and up into his hair. She obviously had a thing for his hair. Her hips slowly began to grind into his growing erection. Suddenly, he swiftly pulled away from her, hating the loss of her touch.
“Damn, babe. You keep kissing me like that, and the only place we’ll be going is back to my place.” Seeing the look of confusion on her face, he didn’t wait for her to respond. He opened the door of the truck and helped her down. He took her hand and led her to the clubhouse. He stopped her at the front door and pulled her close to him. He cupped her face with his callouse
d hands and looked at her intently. “Soon, Tessa. Very soon.” Then, he gave her a forceful kiss, backing her up against the door. Just as she was losing her restraint, he released her mouth. He couldn’t help but smile, knowing how easily she responded to him.
An old country song was blaring from the jukebox, and the loud voices of the men echoed through the room. It looked like any bar you might find in any small town. There was a large L-shaped bar when you first walked in, several dartboards, and a pool table in the back corner. Several tables and chairs were scattered around the room, and there were a few neon beer signs lining the walls.
Crack Nut Bobby and Doc were playing a game of pool, while Renegade and Goliath sat at the bar drinking beer. Two of the Fallen girls, Jessica and Cindy, were with Melinda, Doc’s Old Lady, talking to Otis. He’d been waiting to get patched in for the past few months, and Bishop knew it was time to make him a brother. He was just waiting for the dust to settle after Ace’s death before he brought it up for vote in church. The other prospect, Bulldog, still needed time to prove himself. He hadn’t been with them for very long, and he’d already shown that his temper was his weakness. He needed to learn to rein that shit in if he wanted to become a brother anytime soon.
“This is it. Looks like it’s a pretty quiet night. Let’s head to the bar, and I’ll introduce you to my VP.” Bishop placed his hand on Tessa’s lower back and guided her over to the bar. When Goliath looked over at him, Bishop said, “Hey, guys. This is Tessa. She’s the lady that’s been making Myles do all that hard work after school. She’s been trying to teach him a big lesson by painting and doing crafts,” Bishop said. She slapped his shoulder as he smiled and pulled her over closer to his side.
Goliath’s eyes raked over her. He knew he was a good-looking guy. He was in his mid-forties with dark brown hair and light brown eyes. He worked out every day and had a passion for staying fit. He wanted to be prepared for any shit that might come up with the club. Nobody wanted to fuck with him. He knew how to handle a threat, and most people tried to keep their distance. The ladies seemed to have a thing for his bad boy image, and he always had some girl hanging on him.
“Damn, Bishop. You’re right. Myles does have a hot teacher. Don’t think you did her justice, though,” Goliath said as he reached to shake her hand. His eyes continued to roam over her tight jeans and up to her breasts. With a sexy smile he told her, “If you ever have a lesson you wanna teach me, I’m ready to learn.” He wiggled his eyebrows as she pulled her hand back.
“I might have a lesson or two for you,” Tessa said with a chuckle. “Nice to meet you.”
“Back off, Goliath,” Bishop told him with a glare.
Renegade turned to Tessa with a fierce look in his eyes. “Name’s Renegade,” He reached out to shake her hand and then turned back to his drink. He seemed to be lost in his own thoughts as he finished off the last of his beer. Ace’s death and Taylor’s visit only seemed to make him worse. He had been drinking more than usual, and it was only a matter of time before his short temper was going to get him into trouble. He was obviously hurting over the loss of his friend, and Bishop needed to talk with him, soon.
Bobby approached the bar with a huge smile on his face. “Did y’all just see that? I just smoked Doc at a game of 8 ball. I think he’s losing his touch in his old age.” He glanced over at Tessa and tipped his head, “I’m Bobby. Guys around here call me Crack Nut, but that’s a story for later. You must be Myles’s teacher. He talks about you all the time.” He had a boyish charm that made him easy to like.
Tessa tilted her head as she looked at Bobby with curiosity. “Mmm…nope, that story isn’t gonna be able to wait until later. I’ve got to know how in the world you ended up with an awful name like Crack Nut.”
“Let’s just say that when you wreck your motorcycle, not only do you get a serious case of road rash, you can cause major damage to the man goods. I had to learn the hard way that there’s only so much your balls can take. When I had my accident, the swelling ended up causing me to lose one of my nuts.” He took a moment to readjust himself, obviously thinking back to the day his balls swelled to the size of a large grapefruit.
“Oh my god! That’s terrible. Jeez, that hurts just thinking about it,” she said with a grimace. She actually seemed to feel sorry for Bobby. Bishop had always thought it was his own damn fault for driving too fast on a curvy road. It served him right for not thinking, but then again, Bobby rarely seemed to think about anything.
“Come on. I’ll show you around.” Bishop took her hand and led her through the bar and down a narrow hall. Jessica and Cindy gave her a scathing look as they began to whisper back and forth. Their snarls made it obvious they were not happy about her being there. Tessa didn’t seem to be fazed by their glares. Instead, she focused on the closed doors that lined the hall.
“What are these rooms?”
“Each of the guys has a room here. Most of them have a place of their own outside of the clubhouse, but it’s good to have a place to crash when there’s been too much drinking or when they need some privacy.” Her eyebrows raised at that, so he knew she understood what he meant.
“Where’s your room? Can I see it?” Tessa asked.
Bishop didn’t respond. He opened the last door at the end of the hall and motioned for her to enter. The room was simple and clean. The bed was made with a slate gray comforter, and his clothes were neatly put away in a small dresser in the corner of the room. A large flat screen TV hung on the wall, and a picture of Myles and Bishop riding on the motorcycle sat on the table beside the bed. It was simple, but homey. Bishop quietly shut the door and gave her time to become acquainted with her surroundings. She quietly walked around the room, softly touching the bedspread as she passed by. She peeked her head into his bathroom, and turned to him and said, “It’s really nice. I like it.” She smiled and walked back over to him.
“That’s good. I want you to feel comfortable being here.”
“The guys seem really nice. Bobby is a hoot! I think I’d definitely like to come back sometime,” Tessa said bashfully.
Bishop swept her hair off of her shoulder and eased his way closer. He brushed his lips across her earlobe, and said, “Oh, you’ll be back. But the next time you’re in this room, you’ll be staying the night.” He began kissing her neck, and she moaned with anticipation. Goosebumps rose on her flesh as she inched closer. His thumb brushed across her jaw as she glanced up at him. His lips met hers, and the kiss instantly became frenzied. Her hands roamed over his broad chest, and she gripped the sides of his t-shirt. His hand found the curve of her ass, and he pulled her closer to his growing bulge.
“I’ve been thinking about having you in this room, touching you… kissing you…. You’re all I can think about.”
As he pushed her against the wall, the vibrations of her moans only magnified his need to possess her. He ground his hips into hers as her hands slipped inside his shirt, brushing over the muscles in his back. His hand slipped down, and she didn’t protest as he began to undo the button of her jeans. She arched her back, pressing her breasts into his chest. She leaned back so that he could release the zipper and slide his hand into her lace panties. He dragged his finger over her slowly.
“You’re wet for me. You want this as much as I do,” he whispered. He thrust two fingers into her and began to fuck her with his fingers. She rocked back and forth against his hand, encouraging him to move at her pace. He quickly found the spot that made her legs become unsteady. He continued to kiss her as the sensation overwhelmed her. Her entire body became tense as her orgasm took over. “Oh my god, Cole!”
He was surprised that she called him Cole, but he liked it. He wanted her more than he realized, but he didn’t want to move too fast with her. He wanted her to know that she was different from the women in his past. He wanted more from her. More than just one night. He didn’t want her to be filled with regret for rushing into things with him. She obviously felt the same intense attraction towards
him, but he needed to take his time with her.
He slowed the kiss and removed his hand from her panties. When his lips broke from the kiss, she looked at him with apprehension. He redid the button on her jeans as her feet became steady back to the floor. “I want you to call me that from now on.”
“What?” Tessa asked, confused by his withdrawal.
“Cole. I want you to call me Cole from now on. I like hearing my name come from those sweet lips.” He kissed her once more before he said, “I have someplace I’d like to take you. Let’s take a ride.” He took her hand and led her out of his room. Disappointment crossed her face briefly, but she only nodded and followed him to his bike.
Chapter 16
Tessa
What the hell was that? Tessa was totally confused by Bishop’s actions back at the clubhouse. It had been such a long time since she had been with a man. She began to wonder if he had changed his mind about her. Did I do something wrong? Maybe he didn’t like the way I kissed. Maybe he wasn’t attracted to me the way I was to him. As they rode along the old curvy road, Bishop didn’t even speak to her. He seemed preoccupied, so she waited patiently for them to stop.
She enjoyed riding on his bike. His scent surrounded her as she clung to his body. She couldn’t hold back her smile as he drove faster through the night. It was hard to have negative thoughts sitting so close to him with the wind whirling around her. She closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder. She tried to keep her hands still, but she couldn’t help exploring his defined chest. Her fingertips gently caressed the unmistakable outline of his six-pack.
“Tess, you keep touching me like that, and I’m gonna have to pull over,” Bishop told her with a deep chuckle. She smiled when she felt the vibrations of his laughter on her fingertips. She liked hearing him call her Tess. Until tonight, he had only called her Teach. Hearing him say her name triggered her traitorous body. Her arousal only intensified as the vibrations of the seat moved through her. She inched closer to him, seeking the warmth of his body. She loved being this close to him, and it surprised her how her body reacted to him so quickly. She was in a constant state of arousal whenever she was near him.
