Busy with the grill, he tried not to count the minutes as they ticked past, still with no Bex or Natty. He flipped burgers for the adults, grilling hotdogs for the kids, and their national president’s woman had already put in her order for a burnt dog. Twice, like she thought he’d forget. More likely she forgot she’d asked, knowing Willa. Brute grinned, tongs in hand, positioning another dog directly over the flames, watching as the skin started to crisp and blacken. A year ago he couldn’t have done this job. Would have been uncomfortable so close to an open flame, hopeless connections in his head forcing him to the shadows of the gathering instead.
“Brute.” He closed his eyes for a second, relief sweeping over him as Bexley’s voice rang out across the space. “Come help me.” Twisting, he felt Ruby’s hand glance across his arm and knew she was as relieved as he was. Bexley was trying to balance two cake pans, one teetering dangerously to the side. “Shit,” she grunted just as he got there, taking the pan from her slipping grip. She reached up, tucking the foil covering back into place over the corner of the pan he held, absently muttering, “Thanks, honey.”
“What’d you make?” He grinned as Natty came through the door with another two pans in hand. Cooking was what the girls were doing today, having been assigned sweets by Ruby, and that being something Bexley liked to make, she had clearly gone all in.
“Stuff.” She was muttering again, and he turned to see her glancing around the yard. About twenty guys had shown so far, half of those with women, or women and children, which meant there was a large group milling around. “Not enough, probably.”
“Not the only one bringin’ treats, Bex.” He crowded her for a moment, causing her to tip her head back, looking up at him as he leaned in. Brushing his lips across hers, he returned for a second touch, pressing firmly. “You ready for me to introduce you around?” She already knew a small handful of women, mostly from the counseling group, but there would be more people here tonight. Bex nodded. “Wanna grab Natty?”
He took the second pan from her, waiting for a moment until she nodded again. “I’ll be right back.” Head lifting, he looked towards the clubhouse just in time to see Natty relieved of her burden of pans, too. “Natty, ‘mere.” They spent the next half an hour strolling from group to group, his two girls meeting everyone else who mattered in his life.
Standing beside one of the barrels filled with ice and cans of beer, Brute kept an eye on Bexley. She was sitting in a lawn chair, feet curled up, chatting with Sharon, Gunny’s woman. Both women were smiling and laughing, and his sigh echoed Gunny’s for being filled with relief.
“She’s good, brother,” Gunny told him, and Brute nodded. She was good. Life was good. “We’re expecting again.” Brute stared at Sharon, and grinned, because sure enough, she had a little belly on her dancer’s frame.
“Boy or girl?” The couple already had a little girl, and watching Gunny with his daughter was hilarious. She might have been made of the finest porcelain the way he handled her.
“Girl. I’m so fucked, brother.”
“Oh yeah, you are,” Brute agreed on a chuckle. “You’re fucked now, but just take a minute and think about life fifteen years down the road. Boyfriends and parties, learning to drive. All those things to live through. Fucked.”
“Don’t. I can’t think about that. Give me this, brother,” Gunny had adopted a pleading tone and Brute laughed. “Jesus, Brute.” That was a guttural mutter and Brute glanced across to see Gunny looking pained, brows drawn together.
“What?” What the hell?
“Never heard that before.” Gunny took a breath, tipping his chin up, staring into the darkness overhead. “Jesus.”
“The fuck you talking about?” Brute ran his comment back through his mind, not finding anything to cause this reaction.
“Never heard you laugh, brother. Sounds good, man. Sounds real good. Looks good on ya, too. Brute’s Girl changed your life.”
Fuck.
Brute didn’t respond, just turned to look at where Bexley sat. She was peering across the yard in a different direction, a wide grin on her face, and Brute twisted so he could see what she was looking at.
Fuck.
Tequila, one of the chapter’s officers, stood with his shoulders against a tree, looking down at Natty, who was staring up at him. From the grin on Tequila’s face, he must have just made a joke, but from the look on Natty’s, he might as well have hung the moon.
“Fuck.”
Bexley
Leaning her shoulders against the trunk of the spreading oak tree, Bexley looked out at the occupants of the park. Joggers, dog walkers, cyclists, babysitters, basketball players—everyone here seemed to have a thing they were intent on doing. There were only a couple of people who were like her. Sitters. Watchers. Relaxers. I could make up words, she thought with a silent laugh. Waitingers. Lingereroli. Head back, she let the sun blind her for a moment, dappling down through the leaves. Eyes closed, bright splotches lighting up the darkness behind her lids, Bexley did what she had done so many times as she sat in this exact spot. She listened.
Excited whines accompanied the carefully paced thuds of a runner and his dog. The thud, pause, thud, pause from the direction of the basketball court signaled an imminent free throw. She sorted through the sounds, waiting.
Never soon enough, but it wasn’t long before she heard it. The rumble that could be felt as well as heard. Sometimes it had approached, at times retreated, and now she knew what it was. Nervously, she smoothed down her skirt, eyes still closed, still listening. Louder and louder, echoing off the buildings and trees until the trunk behind her vibrated with the sound. The silence, when it came, was startling. Gradually, the park came back to life, sounds filling in the empty spaces, accompanied by the fall of footsteps approaching from her left, where the parking lot was.
Tipping her head, she opened her eyes and looked up into the face of the man she loved. “Hey.” She smiled at him, thinking the words, not caring when they fell from her lips instead. “Your eyes are so beautiful.” Brute crouched next to her, reaching out to draw her close, brushing his lips against hers. Doc B, as she called Bulldog, had worked miracles to ease Brute’s pain over the past year, which meant when he smiled back at her, it was a full-on quirk of his lips, not just the small movements and expressions she’d gotten used to at first. “You told me once I was your dream.”
With a teasing laugh, he settled to the ground next to her, hip-to-hip, facing her as he leaned across on one arm. “You are.” He bent close and kissed her again. “Always, Bex.” His other hand gripped her elbow for a moment, then slipped up to her shoulder, tugging the neckline of her shirt slightly sideways so he could press his lips to her collarbone. He dragged a soft kiss across the words there, simple script in Latin that read Amor vitae meae. Her only tattoo, a surprise for his birthday three months ago, and one he still found delight in. “Love of my life.”
“Why did you want to meet here, Brute?” They were going to dinner later with friends. Ruby had secured a pair of babysitters, necessary for two sets of twins who were both mobile and inquisitive. So Slate and Ruby, Gunny and Sharon, and Brute and Bexley would be meeting at the local Italian restaurant for an evening of fun and food. “I love it here. I used to come and sit, just reading, for the longest time. So peaceful.”
“I know.” A smile she’d come to love danced across his features. “I watched you.”
Tell him? She grinned, reaching up to thread her fingers through his, feeding his words back to him. “I know.” Laughing aloud at his honest shock, she told him, “Your bike isn’t exactly quiet, you know.” Now he was laughing and shaking his head. “I didn’t know who you were then, of course. Didn’t know why that biker was here so often to just park and sit. Not until I saw you on my street that day.”
She and Brute had talked about the Sunday that had seen the Rebel column ride in front of her house. The first time she’d met Gunny she’d thanked him in the only way she knew. Brute had grinned at
Gunny’s helpless pose, elbows lifted to shoulder level, trying not to touch Bexley anywhere as she wrapped her arms around his chest and hugged tightly. His growl of, “Get your girl off me, brother,” had made Brute laugh, too. She smoothed her skirt again, fingers toying with the fabric for a moment. A lot of things made him laugh these days, and she loved the sound each time it graced the air around her.
“I can’t tell you the number of times I dreamed of this, sweetheart.” Laughter dying away, he stared at her intently, his features softening in a way she loved. Bexley shivered as his thumb traced across the words on her skin again. “Wishing for the right to cross the green to sit beside you. To talk to you, ask you what you were reading, kiss you in the sunlight.” Matching actions to words, he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. “Wanted to ask you something, thought this was the right place.”
“Brute.” She started to offer reassurances, but he shook his head.
“You need to know, honey.” Deep breath in and he held it a moment before blowing it out in a rush. “You know where I was.”
He’d gotten home last night, late. She’d picked him up at the airport after he’d got off the last plane of the day coming in from Chicago and points west. She knew his flight out had gone straight to Portland. There for three days, she didn’t know the why of that leg to her hometown, but the important part was on his return trip. She knew he had a detour on his way back, had intentionally booked a layover in Salt Lake of a day. They hadn’t talked about it before he’d left, but she knew. It had been a long time coming, but Chief, whoever the somber sounding stranger on the phone was, had finally come through.
Tugging, she brought their joined hands to her mouth, pressing his knuckles to her lips. It didn’t matter what those hands had done. “Never leaving you.” Another kiss, this one hard, her eyes dipping closed. “Not going anywhere, Brute.” His hand tightened around her fingers. “I waited for you for so long.” His mouth was on hers, not soft, not questing, this kiss demanded her surrender, and she opened as his tongue thrust inside, sweeping and tangling with hers. Hand released, she twined her arms around his neck, pulling him close even as he gripped her hips and shifted her towards him. They broke apart, and he pressed his forehead to hers, lips still touching, sharing each breath.
“I love you, Bexley.”
Brute
He sat, mug in hand, watching the strolling residents passing to and fro in front of their cottage. Lifting a hand to this one, giving a tip of his head to the next, he sipped his coffee and leaned against the wall. The changes in his life were astounding. Two years ago he would have been holed up in his apartment, shades drawn, headset on to answer customer service questions, working overtime because he had nothing more important in his life.
Today was filled with plans, and his had begun an hour earlier when he woke Bexley up in what had become his favorite way. Kissing along her shoulder to her neck, up to her cheek where he used gentle kisses to spell out his promise to her. Mine. Always. Forever.
He tracked her progress through the house by her footsteps. Back and forth from their bedroom to the bathroom, then a side trip to his office, where she didn’t think he knew about the stash of tiny boxes, each with the embossed logo of a local baby boutique. A wish not yet voiced, but he’d be ready when she was.
Another barefoot pass up the hallway to their bedroom, and her soft padding footsteps were replaced by the confident clip of her heels as she came down the stairs.
“Brute?” She called him as if they lived in a mansion and he might be wandering through the west wing in search of something. Shaking his head in amusement, he reached out and thumped a fist against the wall. A moment later, the door opened, and she peered around the edge, blue eyes smiling at him. “There you are.” Spoken with as much relief as if she’d been searching for hours, only now stumbling on him.
“Here I am.” He agreed with her and lifted the nearly empty cup. “Needed some coffee, honey. Come sit with me.” Rounding the edge of the door, she reached out and took the mug, gripping his hand with her other one. The bright colors of her strapless sundress blazed in the sunlight.
“We’re going to be late.”
She gave his hand a sharp tug, and he watched mesmerized as a ringlet tumbled free from the complicated mass of curls pinned to the top of her head. He was going to enjoy taking that down later, liking her best when her hair was free, swirling around her beautiful face. Or when it was braided into two pigtails, her chin leaning on his shoulder as they rode the bike down country roads. Or when it was tied back in a ponytail, swept out of the way so she could dive for a ball thrown by her nephew. Our nephew.
“Not like they can start without us, sweetheart.” Cradling her hand in his, he pulled her close, loving how she came to him confidently, chin raised so her head tipped back, giving him easy access to her mouth. “Give me my coffee back.”
From her grin, he knew she was going to take the bait, and he smiled down at her as she played her part. “What’ll you give me for it?”
Those sparkling blue eyes staring up at him, she lifted her lips, waiting. Without hesitation, he answered as he always did, as he had done since the first time he saw her. Two words that tied them together so much more than the ones which would be spoken later today. They didn’t need an “I do” repeated after a preacher to bring them closer. All it took was, “A kiss.”
~ Fini ~
THANK YOU FOR READING
A Kiss to Keep You!
Love will find a way, and for Brute and Bexley it comes to life standing under the bright lights of a grocery store aisle. ‘A Kiss to Keep You’ is a short, sweet, happily ever after story that I hope you adore as much as I did. Loved writing this story, and the emotions are so real. To learn more about Slate and Ruby, as well as Gunny and other members of the Rebel Wayfarers MC, you should read the series.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Raised in the south, MariaLisa deMora learned about the magic of books at an early age. Every summer, she would spend hours in the Upshur County library, devouring stacks of books in every genre. She still reads voraciously, and always has a few books going in paperback, hardback, on devices! On music, she says, “I love music of nearly any kind—jazz, country, rock, alt rock, metal, classical, bluegrass, rap, gangstergrass, hip hop—you name the type, I probably listen to it.
“I can often be seen dancing through the house in the early mornings. But what I really, REALLY love is live music. My favorite way to experience live music is seeing bands in small, dive bars [read: small, intimate venues]. If said bar [venue] has a good selection of premium tequila, then that’s a definite plus! Oh, and since I’m a hand gal, drummers are my thing—yeah, Paul and Alex—you know who you are!”
ADDITIONAL SERIES AND BOOKS
Please note each book is part of a series, for the most part featuring characters from additional books in the series. If the books in a series are read out of order, you’ll twig to spoilers for the other books, so going back to read the skipped titles won’t have the same angsty reveals.
It is strongly recommended they be read in order.
Rebel Wayfarers MC series:
Mica, book #1
A Sweet & Merry Christmas, short story #1.5
Slate, book #2
Bear, book #3
Jase, book #4
Gunny, book #5
Mason, book #6
Hoss, book #7
Harddrive Holidays, short story #7.5
Duck, book #8
Biker Chick Campout, short story #8.5
Watcher, book #9 (Dec 2016)
A Kiss to Keep You, novella #9.25
Gun Totin’ Annie, short story #9.5 (2017)
Secret Santa, short story #9.75
Bones, book #10 (2017)
Never Settle, short story #10.5 (2017)
Fury, book #11 (2017)
Cassie, book #12 (2018)
Road Runner’s Ride, novella #12.5 (2018)
Occupy Yourself band series
:
Born Into Trouble, book #1
Grace In Motion, book #2 (2017)
What They Say, book #3 (2017)
Neither This, Nor That series:
This Is The Route Of Twisted Pain, book #1
Treading The Traitor’s Path Out Bad, book #2 (TBD)
More information available at mldemora.com.
A Kiss to Keep You (Rebel Wayfarers MC Book 14) Page 12
