by Kay Marie
“Tonight?”
“Is that a problem?”
“No, not at all,” she says. “I just didn’t think it would be so soon.”
I chuckle. “I’ve been bedridden and dreaming of this day for the past four months, Pixie. The last thing I wanna do is wait any longer.”
“Oh, you’re smooth.” She giggles.
“What can I say? The more I get to know you, the more I want to be around you.” I’ve never wanted to be around a woman as much as I want to be around Tink. She has this way about her. She’s intoxicating in the best ways.
“Who knew you could be such a sweetheart.” Her eyes glitter with amusement.
“Only for you, Pixie.” I wink. “Come on, let’s go.”
We walk out to the main room. My eyes go straight to Hollywood. We haven’t spoken to each other in weeks, except for club business. He’s laughing at something Tech said and it sends a pang of hurt straight to my chest. Hollywood was the first brother I truly became friends with when the other Riders and I moved here two years ago this summer. His face falls when he sees Tink and me together.
“I hate this,” Tink says once we’re outside.
“Hate what?”
“Hollywood not talking to us. I know he’s the one that wanted this, but I miss him,” she tells me.
“I know. So do I. Let’s try not to let it bring us down, though. I have something fun planned for us.” I smile, opening the passenger side door of my Camaro.
She grins at me. “And who says chivalry is dead?”
Right before she slides into the car, I smack her ass, earning a squeal and a playful glare. I flash her an innocent smile and close the door before walking to the driver’s side.
“You ready to go?” I say as I climb into the car.
“Yup.” She pops the p. “You sure you don’t want to tell me where we’re going?”
“What kind of surprise would it be if I told you?”
“Ugh.” Tink crosses her arms over her chest, pretending to pout.
“Pout all you want, Pixie. I’m still not tellin’ you.”
She pokes her tongue out at me and I laugh.
Twenty minutes later, we’re pulling up to the Mini Golf Club.
“Mini golf? This is what we’re doing?” I’d be worried about her response if I didn’t hear the excitement in her tone.
“It sure is.”
“I haven’t played mini-golf in years.” She giggles.
“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go play some golf.”
Once we’re out of the Camaro, we head inside to pay for a game and get our balls and putters.
“Hi and welcome to the Mini Golf Club! Would you like to play one course or both, today?” The young girl greets us.
“We’ll start with one, please,” I tell her.
“That’ll be fourteen dollars,” she says.
I hand her a twenty.
“The putters and balls are just through the doorway and course one starts to the left.” She adds, handing me my change.
“Thank you,” Tink and I say at the same time.
“Do you think you’ll find a putter long enough for you?” Tink teases. She holds her hand up just above her head. “You have to be this short to play.”
I smirk at her. “Aren’t you funny.”
“I’m hilarious.” She winks at me. “Come on, so I can kick your ass in putt-putt.”
“You’re pretty full of yourself. What do you say we make a bet?”
“Hmm.” She taps her chin, mulling it over. “Okay, what’s at stake?”
“If I win, I get to kiss you.”
“And if I win,” She asks.
“If you win,” I say. “You get to kiss me.”
“Ha!” She laughs. “If I win, I get to pick our next date.”
“Deal.” I agree. “Ladies first.”
She steps up to the start of the first hole. I can’t help but admire her body as she bends over to set her ball down. This is going to be fun.
3
Tink
It takes us around forty-five minutes to get to the eighteenth hole. Spending time with Diesel outside the clubhouse has been exactly what I needed. We’ve been able to enjoy ourselves without anyone else around. Only one thing could make this absolutely perfect, but I’m not going to go there.
“Last hole,” Diesel announces. “This is our tie-breaker.”
“Who knew we both suck at mini-golf?” I laugh.
“Eh, it’s still fun.” He smirks. “This hole is a par four. You’re up, Pixie.”
I set the ball down and line up my shot. Pulling the putter back, I swing and hit the ball. It gets about halfway to the hole before stopping.
“Nice shot,” Diesel says.
“Thanks.” I walk by him, casually brushing my arm against his. My arm tingles at the contact.
Diesel doesn’t take much time to line up his shot before hitting the ball. It stops a few inches short of mine.
“You might win after all.” He chuckles. “Let’s see what you got.”
Standing by my ball, I assess my next shot. Where Diesel’s is lined up for a perfect shot. I’ll have to hit mine off the wall just right for it to make it in the hole. I line up my shot, pull the putter back, and swing, making sure I don’t hit it too hard. I watch it as it goes toward the wall. Instead of hitting the wall, it goes up a small hill I didn’t notice before. When it comes back down, it stops on the edge of the hole.
“Well, damn.” I turn toward Diesel.
“Holy shit! It went in.”
I glance over my shoulder and sure enough, it fell in. “That’s incredible.”
Diesel moves to hit his ball. Not hitting it hard enough, it stops a foot away from the hole.
“You did that on purpose,” I say.
He smirks. “Did what on purpose?”
I shake my head with a smile as he takes one lost shot to sink the ball.
“You win,” he tells me. “I guess that means we get a second date.”
“I guess so.” I grin.
“What do you say before this date is over, we go grab something to eat?”
“I’d like that.”
He grabs both balls out of the hole and we head back to the mini clubhouse. Once we return the putters and balls, we head for the car. At the car, Diesel opens the passenger door for me. Before I climb in, I turn to face him. Standing on my tiptoes, I plant a kiss on his lips.
He cocks his eyebrow. “What was that for?
“To thank you for this amazing date.”
“Anything to put that gorgeous smile on your face,” he says.
My face heats up. He kisses my forehead then helps me into the car before shutting the door and walking to the driver’s side.
“Where do you wanna go for dinner?”
“Pizza,” I ask.
“Sounds good. I know the perfect place.”
Fifteen minutes later, we pull up to We Knead Pizza. I climb out and meet Diesel at the front of the car. He holds the door open while I walk through.
“Hi and welcome to We Knead Pizza.” The hostess greets us. “Just the two of you tonight?”
“Yes, ma’am,” I reply.
She grabs two menus. “Right this way.”
She guides us to a booth by the window. One side of the booth has a perfect view of the TV in the corner showing the Rangers vs Angels game. I slide in on that side so I can keep up with the game.
“You like baseball, too, huh?” Diesel grins.
“Hell yeah. Been a Rangers fan my whole life.”
“Mind if I sit by you so I can watch, too?”
I scoot closer to the window and pat the booth. He slides in next to me.
“Your server will be right with you.” The hostess sets out menus in front of us and walks away.
“What’s your favorite type of pizza,” I ask Diesel.
“Any and all pizza.” He chuckles. “I’m not picky.”
I glance over the menu. �
��How about the chicken alfredo pizza? Oh, but the chicken poppers sound so good.”
“Why don’t we get both?” He suggests.
“Really?”
“Yeah, why not?”
“That’s a lot of food for two people,” I say.
“Whatever we don’t eat we can get a to-go box for.”
Before I can say anything else, our server comes to the table. “Are y’all ready to order or would you like another minute?”
“We’re ready,” Diesel tells her. “We’ll take a large chicken alfredo pizza and a medium order of the chicken poppers.”
“Would you like classic hot or BBQ?”
Diesel looks to me.
“Classic hot, please,” I reply.
“Would you like ranch, too?”
“Yes, please,” I add.
“Anything to drink,” she asks.
“Sweet tea, please.”
“Make that two,” Diesel says.
“You got it. I’ll get your order in and be right back with your drinks.”
“Thank you,” we say at the same time.
“So, the Rangers, huh?” Diesel brings my attention to the game. The Rangers are up four to two in the top of the third inning.
“My brother and I used to watch baseball all the time as kids. It was the one thing we did together and not end up fighting about anything,” I explain to him. “Then when I moved in with my grandma, she and I watched it together. She even took me to a few games.”
“That’s one thing I can say I’ve never done.”
My jaw drops. “You’ve never been to a baseball game?”
“Not a single one,” he admits. “I’ve always watched it on TV, but could never afford to go to an actual game.”
“We’ll have to change that.”
He cocks an eyebrow at me. “Future date idea?”
“For sure.” I smile.
A few minutes later, our server brings out our food. We end up eating about half of it as we watch the game. After we’re finished eating, I scoot closer to Diesel. He puts an arm around my shoulders and I lean into him while we watch the rest of the game.
4
Hollywood
I’ve been doing my best to avoid Tink and Diesel unless there’s club business involved. It’s not that I don’t want to be around them, because I do. I care about both of them more than words can say. I just don’t want the past to repeat itself. I thought distancing myself from them would make things easier. It’s been four months and it’s as painful now as it was the first month. I went from talking to one of them, sometimes both of them, every day to not talking to either of them.
I can keep myself busy all day long to keep my mind off them, but as soon as I lay down at night it hits me like a freight train. Tonight, I plan to drink until I forget. It’s all about pool, pizza, and beer with Tech, Clutch, Buzz, and Saint. This week is Saint’s last week in Texas before he heads to our New Orleans chapter to start his journey looking for his bio-mom.
Clutch and I are at We Knead Pizza to pick up Saint’s favorite pies. Just as we’re about to climb out of his car, Clutch’s phone rings.
“Go ahead, it’s Aria,” he tells me. “Buzz paid over the phone so all you need to do is get the pizza.”
“You got it.” I hop out of the car and head toward the door. I stop short, looking through the front window. Diesel and Tink are cuddled up in a booth together. The sight takes me back to a time I wish I could forget.
11 Years ago
“Averie, I love you, but I have some shit I need to work out on my own. I don’t want to hold you back while I figure everything out.” A little over a year ago, my parents ripped me away from everything I knew to move us to Chicago. Averie was my first friend and soon after became my girlfriend.
“You’re breaking up with me?” There’s pain in her eyes and I’m the one causing it.
“I swear it’s not you. You gotta believe that,” I tell her.
“You have feelings for someone else.”
It’s a statement, not a question. And she won’t make eye contact with me.
I hold her hands in mine. “It’s not what you think.”
“Is it a guy?”
Her words take me by surprise. “What?”
“It’s okay, Dex. You don’t have to explain. I understand.”
“You do?”
She lifts her eyes to mine. “I’ve had a feeling for a while now.”
The look on my face must give away my uncertainty.
“Don’t worry, I won’t say anything to anyone,” she assures me. “You do what you need to do. I hope we can still be friends.”
I move to the other side of the table to sit next to her and wrap my arm around her shoulders. “Always. You’re still my best friend.”
Later in the week, I’m hanging out with my friend Scott. We started getting closer a few months ago and my feelings for him have only grown stronger. I’ve never had these types of feelings for a guy before and I tried to ignore them, but it’s been damn near impossible.
There’s been a few times where we’ve flirted with each other. I thought I was imagining things, but after talking to Averie about it, she thought the same. So, today, I’m making a move.
It’s Friday night and my parents are out on a date. Scott and I are hanging out and playing Call of Duty.
“Man, fuck this game,” he says, as his player dies again. “You got anything to eat?”
“Want some pizza rolls or something?”
“Yeah, that’s cool,” he says.
I head to the kitchen with him right behind me. I turn on the oven and grab the pizza rolls out of the freezer while it heats up.
“So how did Averie take the break up,” Scott asks. He leans his back against the counter.
“A lot better than I expected.”
“Why did you break up with her anyway? You two seemed so happy,” he says.
“She found out I have feelings for someone else,” I admit.
His eyes widen as he pushes off the counter. “Who do else do you have feelings for? How did I not know about this?”
“Because the other person is you.” I move in front of him. We’re the same height, both of us standing at five foot ten. His eyes fall to my lips as his tongue darts out to wet his. I cover his mouth with mine. He leans into the kiss for a split second before pulling away.
“We can’t . . . I can’t.” He shakes his head, confusion washes over his face. “I gotta go.”
I watch him run out of the kitchen and out the front door. My heart breaks as I realize what a mistake I made.
Sunday rolls around and I’m running around the block when a car pulls up next to me. I slow to a stop and notice it’s some guys from school. They climb out of the car and surround me on the sidewalk.
“Can I help y’all?” I glance around at each of them. The guy to my right swings at me. His fist connecting with my face. After that, the other three jump in and I lose track of what’s happening.
A car horn brings me back to reality. That was the worst weekend of my life. Once those guys were done beating on me, I made my way home. My parents freaked out on me. After I explained to them what happened, they freaked out even more. They ended up kicking me out of the house, telling me they never wanted to see me again. Luckily, my grandma took me in. I was able to come back to Texas and still had a roof over my head. My grandma hasn’t spoken to my parents since and neither have I.
I haven’t had feelings for a guy since then, until Diesel walked into my life. I can’t let any of the brothers find out I have feelings for him. We’re a motorcycle club, there’s no way they’ll accept me if they know I like men and women.
I run inside to get our pizza and get back to the car as quick as I can and back to the clubhouse we go.
5
Diesel
After Tink and I finish watching the game, we head back to the clubhouse. I can say this has been the best date I’ve ever been on. Even if I don’t rem
ember the last time I took a woman out on an actual date. In the seven years I’ve been street racing, I’ve never had a relationship. Only fuck buddies and one-night stands, mostly with tire biters, the chicks who only want you because of the kind of car you drive or how good of a racer you are.
Meeting Tink a couple of years ago did something to me. At first, I still messed with tire biters and cut bunnies. Then, the more I got to know Tink, I realized I wanted more. Tink and I could easily have more. Aside from my brothers in the club, she’s my best friend. There’s shit I can tell her and talk to her about that I would never dream of talking to the guys about. Well, except for Hollywood. He and I have a different type of connection, unlike anything I’ve ever had with another guy. It’s confusing sometimes, but I try not to think about it too much.
When we get the clubhouse, I park in the area designated for all the Riders’ cars. I climb out and walk to the passenger side to open the door for Tink.
“Thanks, D.” She gives me a flirtatious smile.
“You wanna come hang out for a bit?”
She glances toward the clubhouse, hesitating. “Not tonight. I should get home.”
“I get it. Another time,” I suggest.
“I had a great time today. Thank you for everything.”
We walk to her car. She leans against the driver’s side, looking up at me through her lashes.
“I did, too. I hope we can go out again soon.” I tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. The contact causes her to pull her lip between her teeth. As if I didn’t already find her sexy as hell. She bites her lip all the time. Usually when she’s trying to concentrate on something. But it turns me on, every damn time. I cup her face in my hand, lightly brushing my thumb across her lip to coax her into letting it go. Which she instantly does.
I lean in, giving her a soft kiss. When I pull away, our eyes lock. Her eyes reflecting how I feel. She grabs a hold of my shirt, pulling me back to her. I slide my hand into her hair prompting her to part her lips, granting me entrance with my tongue. I deepen the kiss, causing her to tighten her grip on my shirt as she moans into my mouth. When I pull back, breaking the kiss, we’re both lightly panting.