by A. M. Myers
“That’s brilliant.” Kodiak laughs as the waitress stops by our table with a bag of food and a drink for Peyton.
“Here y’all go and here’s your check.” She rips off a piece of paper and lays it face down on the table before telling us to have a good day and walking away. As Kodiak grabs the bill and goes to the counter to pay it, Storm and I lead Peyton out to the parking lot.
“Just how many pills did you give that man and how long do you think he’ll be out?”
She snorts. “Three and for a while. He doesn’t even drink so he’s a total lightweight.”
Nodding, I climb on my bike and relax into the seat, feeling a little more at ease knowing that her ex isn’t out there chasing us down right now. Kodiak meets us outside and after he climbs on his bike, we head back toward the clubhouse, my mind racing with thoughts of my date with Juliette tonight. I’m fucking lucky as hell that she accepted my apology after the shit I pulled the other night and I’m damn sure not going to make a mistake like that again. I meant everything I said to her and as much as I’m struggling to push past the fear that I have kept buried for so many years, I am determined not to lose her. She’s fucking everything I always wanted and then some and I’ll do whatever it takes to convince her that I can be everything she needs and wants in a man. I check my watch as we pull into the clubhouse parking lot and scowl.
Two p.m.
We don’t have plans until six and it’s not like I could swing home and just hang out with her since she’s at her new office, working to get everything set up and running. She was so excited when she told me about the office space she found above Mercedes and I love that she is so close to Storm’s wife, Ali, and Chance’s wife, Carly. If anything ever went down and we needed to assign protection to the girls, it helps to have them all in one place. Plus, I can worry about her just a tiny bit less knowing there’s someone there who would call me immediately if something happened to her.
Or they will now, at least, since I claimed her today.
Shit.
I’m gonna have to explain that to her and we technically haven’t even had our first date.
Hopefully, she won’t be too mad at me.
I park my bike next to Storm’s and climb off before helping Peyton down off Storm’s bike as he holds her food. She smiles up at me in gratitude and grabs her food from Storm.
“Moose!” a voice screeches and I flinch, my heart jumping into my throat as I turn toward the door as Tawny charges across the parking lot. “Is this her? Is this the little slut you left me for?”
Jesus Christ.
“What the fuck are you still doing here, Tawny?” I ask, stepping in front of Peyton to block her path. She slams into me and pounds her fists against my chest as I roll my eyes.
“You motherfucker! I can’t believe you did this to me.”
“For fuck’s sake, Tawny. I didn’t do anything to you. Dial it down.”
Her fists pause as she looks up at me with wide eyes. “Did you just tell me to calm down? After you left me for this ugly skank?”
“Enough!” Blaze says, his voice booming out across the parking lot and Tawny jerks back and almost shrinks into herself. “Tawny, you are banned from this clubhouse from here on out. If I see you anywhere around this place or my guys again, that photo we talked about will find its way to Detective Rodriguez. Are we clear?”
She nods. “Yes.”
“Leave,” he orders and she glances up at me before turning back to him. “Now!”
With a huff, she turns and marches toward her car but not before throwing me a look over her shoulder that clearly says “This isn’t over”. We watch her go before Storm and Kodiak lead Peyton inside and I turn to Blaze.
“What do you have on her, boss?”
He laughs. “A photo of her doing blow off of some chick’s thigh.”
“Can she be prosecuted for a photo?” I ask and he laughs again as he shrugs.
“Dunno but she doesn’t know that.” He turns back to me and claps my shoulder. “Keep an eye out for her, you hear? She’s trouble.”
I nod, watching her car as it disappears down the street and he turns back toward the clubhouse before spinning around again.
“Oh… congrats on your girl, by the way. But I thought it wasn’t like that? Isn’t that what you said when I called you on your trip?”
I laugh and give him a little shove. “Yeah, go ahead. Rub it in. I was wrong and you were right.”
“Naw, I’m happy for you, Moose. Really.”
“Thanks, boss.”
He nods. “Go ahead and get out of here. We’ve got this handled from here.”
Shit.
You don’t have to tell me twice.
I slap his shoulder and turn back to my bike, more than ready to get back to my girl… even if she doesn’t know that she is my girl yet. On second thought, I better use this time to prepare something that will really blow her away. I won’t consider this night a success unless I walk away with her heart.
Chapter Seventeen
Juliette
My heart hammers against my rib cage as I step into the living room in my simple, white, fit and flair dress that hits me right at the knee and makes me feel like a glowing goddess. Sawyer’s broad back greets me as he runs a hand through his hair and I clear my throat. Spinning around, his eyes widen and his jaw drops. His gaze rakes down my body but I’m too consumed with oogling the fine man in front of me to pay attention to that. He looks so goddamn handsome in his black suit pants and the white button up shirt he decided on for the evening. The first two buttons of the shirt are unbuttoned, giving just a tease of his massive chest and his sleeves are rolled up to his elbows, playing peek-a-boo with his tattoos.
“Sawyer,” I breathe, taking a step toward him and laying my hand on his chest as he wraps me up in his arms.
“You are so fucking gorgeous, baby.” As he meets my gaze, I melt at the tender look in his eyes. He lifts his hand and drags his knuckles down my cheek like he can’t quite believe I’m real and my heart aches with something I can’t find a name for. “My angel.”
Closing my eyes, I suck in a breath and try to get a handle on my emotions but it’s useless when he leans forward and presses a kiss to my forehead.
“You’re ruining me.”
His lips stretch into a grin against my skin. “Good.”
“You look so handsome,” I tell him as I open my eyes and lean back to meet his gaze. He smiles, a slight blush staining his cheeks that I find so endearing and I lean in to steal a quick kiss. When I pull away, he groans and tightens his grip, pulling me closer as he goes in for another one.
“Do we have reservations?” I ask as I lift and turn my head to the side so his lips connect with my neck and a shiver runs down my spine.
“Nope.”
He kisses my neck again and I suck in a ragged breath. “Fuck.”
“Jesus Christ, woman. You keep talking like that and we won’t be leaving the house at all.”
“Okay,” I whisper as I catch a hint of his cologne. Warmth floods my body and I arch my back, rubbing myself against him. Groaning, he tightens his grip again before releasing it.
“Shit. You have no idea how much I wish I could throw you over my shoulder right now but we have plans.”
I nod, leaning into him and pressing a kiss next to his ear. “Later.”
“Fuck,” he growls as he steps away from me and takes a deep breath. His gaze traces the contours of my body before he meets my eyes and flashes me the kind of grin that could melt the panties right off a nun. “You’re going to be the death of me.”
“What a way to go,” I answer with a shiver and his smile grows as he holds his hand out to me. I take it, lacing our fingers together and letting him pull me to his side.
“You ready to go?”
I run my finger along the edge of my bottom lip and turn to him. “How’s my lipstick?”
“Perfect,” he answers as he reaches up and drags his thumb
under my lip. I grab it before he can pull it away and scoff at the red smear of product on his skin.
“How is it perfect if you had to wipe some off?”
“Baby,” he mutters, shaking his head like I’m ridiculous. “You could color that shit all over your face like an excited three-year-old and you’d still be perfect.”
“Thanks. I have a cavity now from that line,” I quip and he throws his head back in laughter as I fight back a smile. I love hearing him laugh like that. Each time he does, I get the odd feeling that it doesn’t happen often and I should cherish it but when he’s around me, I feel like we’re always laughing.
“Come on, smart ass,” he says, releasing my hand to place his at the small of my back. “Dinner is waiting.”
I peek back at him as we walk to the front door. “Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise.”
I purse my lips as I watch him lock the door before he’s back at my side, guiding me with a gentle hand on my back to the truck. He opens my door and holds his hand out to help me climb inside before shutting it and walking around to his side.
“If I ever meet your mama, make sure I don’t forget to compliment her on your excellent manners,” I say as he climbs behind the wheel and he laughs.
“Oh, don’t worry. I won’t let you forget.”
My heart flutters in my chest as Sawyer glances across the cab of the truck and smiles, holding his hand out to me. I take it and he pulls me closer before lacing his fingers with mine and I can’t wipe the damn smile off my face. He backs the truck out of the driveway and I settle into his side, content in a way that I can’t remember ever feeling before and as I peek up at him, I desperately want to tell him the truth about my past.
What will he think?
What will he do?
Fear swarms through me and I push it back down as I take a deep breath. I’m not going to tell him tonight. I can’t. But soon I will spill all my secrets to him and hope to God that he can accept them.
“We’re here,” he says as he pulls into a parking spot a couple blocks down from the house and I scowl at him before turning to the scene in front of us and gasping.
“Sawyer.”
We’re at the little park where he apologized to me yesterday but all the benches have been taken out and a round table sits right in front of the fountain. Twinkle lights are strung through the trees and across the garden, bathing everything in a golden light.
“I can’t believe you did this,” I whisper, glancing over at him. “It’s incredible.”
He blushes. “I’m glad you like it. At first, I planned to take you to the nicest restaurant in town but then I remembered our impromptu picnic on the road. I thought we’d recreate it and make it an official date.”
“I love it. Honestly, it’s perfect.”
Grinning, he opens his door and gets out before turning back to me and holding his hand out. I take it and let him pull me to the edge of the seat. He wraps his hands around my hips and effortlessly lifts me out of the truck before setting me down at his feet and slipping my hand through the crook of his arm. As he leads me up to the table, I notice more details and realize just how much time he spent putting this together. There are little orb lights stuck into the ground amongst the flowers and candles lined up along the outer ring of the fountain as soft music plays from a speaker set up behind the fountain. A man steps forward out of the trees and sets a cooler down at his feet. Sawyer nods in approval and without a word, he walks out to the street and jumps on a bike.
“Who was that?”
Sawyer rolls his eyes as he peels away. “Rooster. He’s a prospect for the club.”
“A what now?”
“A prospect. Basically, it means he’s doing his trial period with us now and then we’ll decide if we want to welcome him into the club.”
I nod as I glance over at the street where he was a moment ago. “Is he going to make it?”
“Honestly, I hope not. He’s kind of an asshole… but enough about him. Let’s get back to our date.”
“Okay,” I reply, looking down at the cooler. “What did you bring for us?”
He grins. “Have a seat and I’ll show you.”
Following his instructions, I sink into my chair and fight back a grin as he opens the cooler with a flourish and starts pulling out sandwiches, chips, soda, and candy bars. It’s everything we had at our picnic along the side of the road and I can’t help but laugh.
“Sawyer, did you get me all dressed just to eat sandwiches?”
He shakes his head. “Hell no. I got you all dressed up so I could look at you while we eat sandwiches.”
“Mmhmm. I suppose I’ll let it slide since I get to look at you like this all evening,” I say, motioning to his outfit and he grins as he sits across from me, his face lit up by candlelight. I turn to look out at the garden and shake my head as I sigh. “I can’t believe you did all this for me.”
“I can’t believe you are so easily impressed.”
“I’m not,” I answer as I shrug and grab one of the sandwiches off the table before unwrapping it. When I glance up, he’s staring at me with an expression that is hard to read. “What?”
He drops his gaze to the table and shakes his head before meeting my eyes again. “Nothing.”
“You finally going to tell me what happened on the day you came home drunk?”
“Yeah, about that…” he sighs. “A couple of months ago, we helped this girl named Sammy out of a bad situation and right before I left for Miami, we had gotten her set up in a new apartment and were helping her look for a job, basically rebuilding her life for her.”
I nod, studying him as I take a bite of my sandwich. “What happened?”
“We got a call from this detective we work with and he said we needed to get down to this scene he was at. When we got there, he told us someone had beat her to death in the middle of the street and our business card was sitting on top of her body.”
“Oh my God, Sawyer,” I whisper, my eyes wide in horror and he sighs.
“We should talk about something else. This isn’t great first date conversation.”
I reach across the table and grab his hand. “I disagree. I want to know you, Sawyer, the real you, inside and out and this is something that really affected you.”
“I just hate failing these girls, you know?” he says, meeting my eyes and the pain staring back at me breaks my heart. “Plus, we’ve lost two other girls this year so it’s been extra rough.”
“Is that normal?”
He shakes his head, his lips flattening into a line. “No, it’s not. Fuzz was just showing me our stats the other day and since we started doing this eight years ago, we’ve lost five girls including the three this year.”
“Okay, before I forget, I have to ask what the hell is up with these names? Fuzz? Moose?”
He rolls his eyes and falls back into his chair. “For fuck’s sake. Who told you that story?”
“Mercedes but don’t worry. I don’t ever see myself calling you Moose.”
“Thank God,” he sighs and I can’t help but laugh. “What do you say we stop talking about death and sadness and get back to proper first date activities?”
“What did you have in mind?”
He stands up and walks around the table to me before holding his hand out. Heat creeps up my cheeks as I take it and let him pull me out of my chair and away from the table to the side of the fountain where we can hear the music better. With a shit eating grin on his face, he wraps one arm around my waist while he pulls his phone out of his pocket and after a second, “I Knew I Loved You” by Savage Garden starts playing.
Throwing my head back, I laugh.
“Classic nineties love ballad, right? That’s what you called this?” he asks as he slips his phone back into his pocket and wraps his other hand around my waist as I lay my arms across his shoulders. We begin swaying back and forth and I meet his eyes.
“Don’t make fun of my music
.”
He shakes his head and takes one of my hands before pulling it up to his chest. “I’m not. In fact, this song is really growing on me lately.”
“You’re so full of it,” I quip and he laughs as he pulls me closer, dancing with me under the stars as the chorus begins playing and I can’t help but feel like it’s so perfect for the way I feel about him. He’s everything I could have asked for and more and I don’t ever want to let this feeling go. “In fact, I’m going to change your ringtone to this song and call you while you’re with the guys so everyone can see just how much this song is growing on you.”
“Go for it, baby. I’ll gladly make a fool of myself for you.”
Sucking in a breath, I lean back to look in his eyes. “My mom used to talk about these moments in life where everything lines up, everything makes sense, and you finally understand that everything you went through was to get you to where you are, you know?”
“Yeah,” he answers, his voice full of gravel as he smiles down at me. “I do.”
“I have been having that feeling a lot since meeting you.”
He nods. “Me, too, sweetheart.”
“It’s crazy, though, right?” We met five days ago but I really feel like I’ve known him forever, like he’s always been a part of my life and it’s so intense that I’m having such a hard time wrapping my head around it.
“If you shut out all the noise, does it feel crazy in your heart or does it feel crazy because of other people’s expectations? Because, I gotta be honest with you, I couldn’t give two shits what anyone else thinks.” He releases my hand to reach up and skate his thumb over my cheek. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone and it doesn’t matter if it’s been a week or ten years.”
“That’s a really good answer,” I whisper and he grins as he strokes my cheek again and leans down, pressing his lips to mine. Under the twinkling lights, with the sound of trickling water and a classic nineties love ballad drifting through the air and Sawyer’s lips against mine, I feel like I’m truly home for the first time in weeks. As much as I love Baton Rouge, I get the feeling that it wouldn’t feel as comfortable and meaningful without Sawyer by my side.
