by A. M. Myers
My mouth falls open as the rest of the room falls silent, every pair of eyes on Ali and Storm. Lincoln drops the games on the table and starts laughing so hard that he has to grab onto the chair to stay upright.
“Oh, shit, you’re so screwed,” he teases Storm through his laughter and Chance joins him.
“Imagine if it’s a girl,” he adds, nudging Lincoln and they both start laughing harder as Storm rolls his eyes and Ali beams.
“It’s going to be a boy,” he grumbles and the boys laugh harder, tears building in their eyes.
“It’s so going to be a girl and she’s going to be just as pretty as her Mama,” Carly says, getting in on the fun and Storm plops down in a chair, losing all the color in his face.
“Fuck. I’m going to have to buy some guns.”
Lincoln wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me closer. “You can have some of Tate’s.”
“Don’t go giving away my guns!” I yell, shoving him and he just keeps laughing.
“Wait, wait,” Storm hollers, holding his hands up. “How many guns do you have?”
“In this room?” I ask and five pairs of eyes widen on me. “Three.”
“Jesus,” Chance breathes out and Lincoln beams down at me.
“She could also kick your ass without breaking a sweat so be nice to her.”
Rolling my eyes, I grab the deck of cards off the table and hold them up. “Y’all want to keep cataloging all my weapons or should we play some cards?”
The girls wander into the kitchen to get snacks and drinks and as I grab the other deck of cards and start shuffling them together, Storm slaps Lincoln on the back and whispers, “She’s a keeper, brother.”
His eyes meet mine and he smiles. “I know.”
Chapter Sixteen
Tatum
“I brought you donuts!” Mia yells as I open the door and grab the bakery bag off the seat before I climb into the car. Opening the bag, the scent of sugar and bread hits my nose and I moan, my stomach grumbling.
“Thank you. I’m starving.” Pulling out a maple bacon donut, I take a bite and my eyes roll back in my head as I let out another moan. “It’s so yummy.”
She laughs as she pulls away from the curb. “What was that? I couldn’t understand what you said around half the donut in your mouth.”
“It’s not half,” I mutter with a scowl as I glance down at the two thirds left in my hand. “Besides, I’m hungry. I didn’t get breakfast this morning.”
A mischievous grin stretches across her face. “And why is that? A little too busy with a certain biker to worry about sustenance?”
“No,” I shoot back, a blush staining my cheeks. That’s a lie. Ever since Sunday night when he took me over to his house, Lincoln and I haven’t been able to keep our hands off each other. We still haven’t had sex but I’ve experienced more orgasms in the last four days than I did for the two years I was having sex in high school.
“You are such a little liar,” she teases, her gaze flicking between my face and the road. “Lincoln’s been giving it to you good, huh?”
I shake my head. “We, uh… we haven’t had sex yet.”
“What?” she shrieks, her eyes wide. “How the hell have you not jumped that man? And what the fuck are you waiting for?”
“I don’t want to be just another girl to him.”
She pulls up to a stoplight and turns to me. “Sweetie, you’re not. He made things official with you after you tased his ass. That man is yours.”
I laugh as she turns back to the steering wheel and the light turns green. “I’m just not ready yet.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know.” I shrug. “I guess I’m just nervous. It’s been a really long time for me.”
“Yeah,” she sighs, nodding. “I get that. Just don’t wait too long, okay? ‘Cause you’ll keep building it up in your head and making it harder than it needs to be.”
“I thought being hard was the whole point,” I say with a mock scowl and her mouth drops open as her gaze flicks in my direction. I smile.
“Oh my god, for such a prude, you’re a little pervert.”
I bark out a laugh as we pull into the store’s parking lot.
“What are we looking for in here?”
Mia blushes. “Well, I need a dress.”
“For?” I ask, polishing off my donut as she pulls into a space and parks the car.
“I kind of have a date.”
My eyes widen and I smile. “That’s great, Mia. Anyone I know?”
“Uh…” she hums and I arch a brow. Oh, this just got interesting. “Shaun.”
“Shaun? From work?”
She nods and I beam as I picture it in my head. It’s not all that far fetched and she looks really happy about it.
“Yeah. We’ve been dancing around each other for the better part of a year and I finally had enough and asked him out.”
We climb out of the car. “Wow. I’m impressed. Where is he taking you?”
“I have no idea. He just grinned and told me to wear something cute when I asked him what his plans were.”
I hook my arm through hers as we walk toward the store. “We are going to find you something to knock his freaking socks off.”
She’s bristling with nervous energy and I smile to myself as we walk into the store and we’re blasted with air-conditioned air. Mia had a pretty steady boyfriend until six months ago when he left her without much of an explanation. She was absolutely heartbroken so I’m glad to finally see her moving on. And Shaun is a good guy so no worries there.
“So,” she says, releasing my arm to grab a shirt and hold it up. “Besides never leaving the bedroom, how are things with Lincoln?”
It’s my turn to blush as I glance down at a shirt to hide my face. “Good. Really good, actually.”
“Look at you. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this happy.”
I meet her eyes. “I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy. He’s… incredible.”
“Oh my god, your face right now… are you in love with him?”
I suck in a breath and fight back a smile. “I think I am.”
“Tate,” she whispers, grabbing my shoulder and pulling me into a hug. “I’m so fucking happy for you.”
“Me, too,” I mumble, tears stinging my eyes but for maybe the first time in my life, they’re happy tears instead of sad ones. I don’t know if it was timing or the desperate situation I found myself in when Lincoln and I first met but all the stars lined up perfectly for us and I’m head over heels in love with him. He stole a piece of me the moment he glanced up from that booth and our eyes met. In that moment, I was his even if neither one of us knew it yet.
“Let’s find you something to wear to knock him on his ass, too,” she says, pulling away and turning toward the racks. “And don’t worry about paying. I’ve got it.”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that.”
She glances over her shoulder and rolls her eyes. “Why do you always have to argue with me? I want to do this for you.”
“It’s just… I can afford to pay for it myself now.”
Turning to me, she scowls. “How?”
“After my mom died, a lawyer showed up to the house with a check for Theo and me. Apparently, she had money tucked away for us.”
“How much money?” she asks, her brow arching as she crosses her arms over her chest.
“A lot.” When she motions for me to continue, I sigh. “Almost half a million each.”
“What?” she shrieks, drawing the attention of everyone else in the store. I paste a smile on my face and wave them off before glaring at her.
“Shh.”
“Sorry,” she whispers. “But, what the fuck? Where did she get that kind of money?”
I shake my head. “I don’t have a clue.”
“And you didn’t tell me?”
“How the hell do I just drop that into conversation one day? Oh, hey, by the way, my mom was loaded and left her money t
o me.”
She nods. “Exactly like that would have worked.”
“I’m sorry, Mia. It’s all been a lot to process.”
After studying me, she sighs. “Any other secrets you’ve been keeping from me?”
Pursing my lips, I look away from her and she slaps my arm with the back of her hand.
“Spill now.”
“It’s just these prank calls I’ve been getting. I’m almost sure that it’s just Reed being a dumbass but they’re starting to get to me.” Relief washes over me as soon as the words leave my mouth. I don’t like to admit it but the calls are really starting to bother me, especially since they just keep coming. I’ve lost count of how many times my mystery caller has sung my name over the answering machine in the past week.
“Why would Reed do that?” she asks and I roll my eyes.
“Because of the way I quit.”
Her eyes widen and she grabs my arms, shaking me a little. “Tate, you promised me that you didn’t hurt him.”
“Uh… no. I promised you that I didn’t kill him and that is true but he grabbed me when I was trying to leave and I punched him.”
“Anything else?” she asks, releasing me and planting her hands on her hips. I shrink back.
“I may have also pulled a knife on him but I mean, I didn’t cut him or anything.”
“Jesus Christ, Tate,” she breathes, shaking her head. “This is what I’ve been saying to you. It’s dangerous.”
“What would have happened if I hadn’t been able to defend myself, Mia? He could have raped me or worse. I refuse to back down and make myself small to support these fragile fucking egos. Besides, Lincoln thinks it’s sexy.”
“Or he’s scared you’ll gut him like an animal if he says any different,” she mumbles and I laugh as I poke her in the ribs.
“Shut up, jackass. Lincoln offered to take the guys to have a chat with Reed and I might just let him.”
Laughter bubbles out of her. “Oh, to be a fly on the wall when that goes down. Reed will probably piss himself.”
“One can only hope,” I add and we giggle together as I pull out my phone and send a text to Lincoln.
Me:
You know that Reed thing we talked about?
“Did you just tell him to do it?” she asks, trying to read the screen. I nod.
“I’m about to.”
Beaming, she turns back to the rack of clothes. “Perfect. Now, let’s find us some hot dresses.”
We start sorting through the racks, occasionally grabbing a hanger and holding it up for each other but nothing feels right. As I reach for a little red flowy number, the hair on my arms stand on end and I can’t shake the feeling that I’m being watched. I glance around the store as my phone buzzes with a text.
Lincoln:
Yeah, I do.
Me:
Will you handle it for me?
After pressing send, I blow out a breath and shake out my arms as I turn back to the clothes. It has to be just because I was talking about the whole Reed situation. As I start looking through clothes again, the sensation intensifies and I turn toward the large windows lining the walls, searching for anyone out of place but nothing stands out.
God, I’m losing my mind.
“So, speaking of money, what are you going to do now that you have some?” Mia asks and I turn back to her, shrugging.
“I’m not sure actually. I had a meeting with a school counselor yesterday but things have changed for me.”
She scowls. “How so?”
How haven’t things changed?
“When I wanted to go to school to become a nurse, it was only because it was a stable, well-paying job not because I loved it. Now, my options are wide open and I don’t know what to do.”
She nods thoughtfully as my phone buzzes.
Lincoln:
Oh, it’ll be my pleasure, Darlin’.
Lincoln:
You free tomorrow night?
Me:
Thank you and yes.
“What do you love to do, Tate? Like really, really love,” Mia asks and I glance up from my phone.
“I don’t know. Read?”
She scoffs. “Yeah, don’t I wish I could get paid for that.”
“I actually really like working at the diner if it paid better.”
She nods, humming. “You could always go for a manager position the next time one opens up.”
“Yeah, I guess,” I whisper as a chill twists down my spine. God, why can’t I shake this? It was the same thing yesterday as I walked through the campus after my meeting with the counselor. I felt like I had eyes on me constantly and I didn’t feel safe again until I was in Lincoln’s arms.
My phone buzzes and I glance down.
Lincoln:
The club is having a family bbq.
Wanna go?
I smile at the message, loving that he wants to introduce me to the people important to him. Mia is right about him – he’s mine.
Me:
Absolutely.
“I’m going to go try this on,” Mia says, holding up a little black dress and I force a smile to my face. “Want to come with me?”
My gaze flicks around the store again and I shake my head. “No, I’ll wait out here but show me before you take it off.”
“You got it.” She bounces back to the dressing rooms with a grin on her face and I suck in a breath. As much as I would like to escape from this feeling, the thought of getting trapped back there with no exit is even more terrifying.
Turning back to the racks, I pull out a red dress that would barely even cover my ass and my phone buzzes. Sighing, I set the dress back and glance down.
Unknown:
Oh, not that dress, Darling.
It would clash with your gorgeous hair.
My hands tremble and I read the message three more times before it sinks in that someone is truly watching me. With tears burning my eyes, I type out my reply.
Me:
Who is this?
I turn back to the dresses and try to focus but my mind is solely focused on the phone in my hand as I wait for it to vibrate. An emerald green dress catches my eye and I pull it out, examining it as the phone buzzes.
Unknown:
That green would look stunning on you.
The room feels like it’s closing in on me as I look up, scanning the rest of the store for anyone with a phone. A few people glance in my direction but no one looks out of place. My heartbeat thrashes in my ear and black spots dance across my vision. I grip the rack and close my eyes, drawing a fortifying breath before opening them again and turning toward the dressing rooms. Mia walks out of the first one and smiles as she does a little spin in her dress.
I gulp in air and force what I hope is a convincing smile to my face as I give her a thumbs-up.
“Shaun’s jaw is going to drop.”
She moves to the mirror and runs her hands down the front of the dress. “You think? I was kind of wanting something with color.”
“What about this?” I ask, holding up a chunky coral necklace and she beams as she spins around and takes it from me.
“Yes, this is perfect. Oh, and they have a matching bracelet.” She holds the necklace up to her body and I nod.
“You look gorgeous.”
“I’m so excited,” she squeals, doing a little dance on the pedestal. “What about you? Did you find anything you like?”
I shake my head. “No, we should go check out a different store.”
“Okay, just let me change and pay for this stuff.” She retreats back into the dressing rooms just as my phone buzzes.
Unknown:
Beware the man you think you know.
Chapter Seventeen
Tatum
“You nervous?” Lincoln asks, grabbing my hand as he pulls the Camaro into the clubhouse parking lot. Classic rock blares through two large speakers set up by the door and people mill around the grill, drinking beers and laughing. I suck in a breath an
d nod.
“A little. I want them to like me.”
He flashes me an easy grin and grabs my hand, lacing our fingers before he brings it to his lips. “They’re going to love you, baby.”
“If you say so.” Butterflies flap around in my belly as I look out over the parking lot.
“Hey,” he says, nudging my chin with his finger. “I do say so. Don’t stress it. You’ve already won Ali and Carly over and that’s probably the hardest part. Oh, and if you get a chance, ask the guys to tell you how they got their names.”
I smile and nod, feeling a little bit better but I don’t know why I’m surprised. That’s just what Lincoln does for me. He makes everything better. My mind drifts to last night and the unsettled feeling that haunted me into the early hours of the morning while Lincoln slept peacefully in my bed. After Mia and I went to the second store, I didn’t get any more texts but that didn’t make the feeling of being watched go away. If anything, it made it worse because I didn’t know if he was there or not. I’m also beginning to wonder if this is really Reed’s doing.
“Did you handle that Reed thing?” I ask as we climb out of the Camaro and he nods.
“Yeah. Storm, Chance, Smith, and I took care of it last night.”
I nod. “How did it go?”
He chuckles, meeting me at the back of the car and wrapping his arm around my waist. “Uh, let’s just say he won’t be bothering you again.”
“What time did you go over there?”
He stops, scowling down at me. “Why?”
“Just wondering.”
“Did you get another call?”
I shake my head. “Just a text but it was earlier in the day.”
