He doesn’t look so sure. “I’m a biker, and you’re a nice, well brought-up girl. You sure about that?”
“My dad was a drug kingpin. I doubt they could have used that against you,” I joke, walking past him and picking up the next photo, one with all three of us in it. “And my mom never judged anyone. She wasn’t like that. She was just a kind soul. It bit her in the ass a few times, but that was just who she was. There’s not many people like that nowadays, those who like to give more than receive.”
“That’s true,” he agrees, hugging me from behind. “It’s nice to know that you think she would have liked me.”
“She would have seen the stupid smile on my face and approved.” I grin, turning around and looking up at him. “You’ve been nothing but amazing. I feel lucky to have walked through those doors at Fast & Fury, even if you were an asshole at first. Who knew getting fired would be the best thing to ever happen to me?”
“I’m fucking happy you got fired too,” he admits, lifting my chin up and kissing me. “Now, where do you want me? Are we just going to box everything up? I know this isn’t going to be easy for you.”
“If you could do his bedroom?” I ask shyly, and swallow hard. “I don’t think I can go back there.”
All I can see is Dad lying here, not breathing, and me shaking him, trying to get him to wake up. It’s like my mind wouldn’t let me process it rationally, and I couldn’t accept that he wasn’t going to open his eyes and be okay.
“I’ll do the bedroom,” Crow says instantly, kissing my forehead. He puts some music on, which is a little distracting, and I appreciate that. While he heads into the bedroom, I start with the living room, packing up all of Dad’s DVDs and entertainment items. He still has cassette tapes, all labeled in his handwriting. These are the things I want to keep forever.
My dad was quite the minimalist, so I go from room to room fairly quickly. Crow finishes up in the bedroom and then we both pack up the kitchen together. I try not to think about what I’m actually packing up—my old life here and my childhood. This is the end of an era for me, and a piece of me will always be here.
I find a pink scarf behind the TV, and it’s not mine, so I have no idea whose it could be. Was it Mom’s, which Dad pulled out from somewhere?
“We’re almost done,” Crow says as he sees me getting a little emotional. “You’ve been amazing, and so strong. But if you need to cry and let it out, that’s okay too.”
“How are you so wonderful?” I ask, resting my cheek against his chest. Lifting my head, I press my lips against his, and then get back to work.
Concentrate on the task at hand.
But it’s hard to be productive when your heart is breaking.
“What did you want to be when you were a kid?” I ask Crow when I find a piece of artwork I had made as a child of me dressed up as a doctor.
“It changed a lot,” he admits, smirking at the memory. “But I wanted to join the military for a while there. I’m happy where I am now, though, so I wouldn’t change anything for the world. How about you?”
“I also changed my mind a lot. It went from being a teacher to a doctor to a vet. The one thing I always wanted to be was a mother, though,” I open up to him, smiling sadly.
“You still could be,” he murmurs, kissing the side of my cheek.
I really hope so.
Once we’ve boxed up all of Dad’s belongings, I leave them in the living room for them to be picked up and moved into storage. The stuff I want to get rid of I put in a separate pile to be donated. It’s late when we get back to my apartment, and we take a long, hot shower together and then climb into bed naked.
“Thank you for all your help,” I tell Crow, yawning and cuddling up against him.
“Anytime,” he replies, kissing my temple this time.
I don’t know how I would have done all of this without him.
It’s like he was sent to me just when I needed someone.
And that is both scary and comforting.
* * *
The next day Crow hands me the pink-and-black helmet he bought just for me, to match the perfectly fitted leather jacket I’m currently wearing. When I told him I’d never been on the back of a motorcycle before, he got extremely excited, went out the back to search through all the merchandise they have to sell at the store, and picked these out for me.
“We are so going on a ride,” he states, bouncing on his feet. “On your lunch break. I’ll take you out for lunch.”
Placing the helmet down on my desk, I shake my head at him. “You’re crazy, you know that? And did you just take these?”
“Babe, I don’t have to pay for shit here,” he says, smirking. “We all just take what we want, it’s just how it is. So those are yours, and I can’t wait to have your arms wrapped around me and your breasts pressed against my back.”
My eyes widen as I glance around making sure no one else heard that. “Can you not?” I whisper-yell. “People are going to quit because you’re inappropriate.”
“People, or you?” he teases.
“All of us,” I say in a dry tone, but can’t keep the smile off my face.
“They all saw the kiss, I don’t think anything we do will surprise them.”
“I need to get back to work.” The phone rings, to make my point. “Fast & Fury, Bronte speaking,” I say while looking him in the eye. He takes the hint, eyes dancing with amusement, and gets back to it.
When twelve o’clock hits, Cam takes over so I can have my break, and Crow leads me over to his bike.
“Meet my other girlfriend,” he says, and I’m pretty sure he’s talking to his bike, not me.
“Men and their toys,” I mutter to myself as I put on the heavy jacket. “Now tell me what I need to know.”
“Keep your feet on the footrests,” he says, pointing to them. “Lean when I lean. Just follow my body and my lead. I know you’re good at that.”
I can feel my cheeks heat. “That’s it?”
He nods. “You’ll love it. Just enjoy the ride. You don’t need to worry about anything else.”
“Okay.” I climb on after him, wrap my arms around him and hold on for dear life. The loud engine has me on edge a little, but once he starts riding, I kind of understand what all the hype is about.
There’s a sense of freedom, of wildness, and pure satisfaction.
I like being pressed up against him, and I like watching the view pass us. This beats going in a car any day. Crow rests one of his hands on my leg, giving it a little squeeze, and I think it’s cute. Even if he only has one hand on the handlebars right now, he knows what he’s doing.
I like that, too.
We stop at a Sri Lankan restaurant for lunch, and when I climb off the bike, I take my helmet off and smile. “That was awesome.”
He looks happy at my comment. “Thank fuck. I didn’t know what I was going to do if you hated it. I love going for rides, long ones, short ones, I don’t care—being on my bike is my happy place.”
Stepping forward, I give him a quick kiss. “I can see why. Now feed me, I’m hungry.”
He grins and leads me inside.
After lunch, we ride back to work, and I feel so relaxed and excited. It gives me time to think, to be in my own head with no interruptions.
Ten out of ten, would recommend.
Chapter Fifteen
When my shift is over, I get changed for the salsa class. I found a red dress in the back of my closet. Pairing it with some gold heels, with my hair down and some red lipstick on, I’m ready to play the part. Crow surprises me by stepping out from the staff room in a white shirt, black slacks and dress shoes.
“Damn, you look good,” I announce, doing a circle around him. “A little too good. I almost don’t want to take you out in public like that.”
“That’s my line,” he murmurs,
grabbing me by the waist and stopping me with my body against his. “You look smoking hot, Bronte. Red looks good on you.”
“Thank you,” I reply, batting my lashes a little. “We clean up pretty well, don’t we?”
He twirls me and dips me back, kissing my neck. “Mmmhmm. I think we’re going to be naturals at the whole salsa thing.”
“We better go and find out.”
Jean’s dance studio is small and hard to find, located behind a factory. We hear the music as soon as we get out of the car, and excitement fills me. I probably shouldn’t allow myself to be so distracted, because we are here for research and nothing else, but I can’t help it. This is going to be fun.
Dee and Nadia are going to follow to our location and park on the next street over. When the class is finished, they are going to tail Jean and see where she goes. It’s a simple plan, but it should lead us somewhere and give us something to work with.
As we enter through the open glass doors, everyone stops to look at us. The class consists of mostly older ladies and gentleman and they are all dolled up for the occasion.
“Hello,” I say as I scan the crowd. I recognize Jean instantly, and from the surprised look on her face, I know she recognizes me too. “We’re here to join the class. The ad said we could just drop in for a trial.” I try to keep it light and friendly.
She’s quiet for a few seconds, but then catches herself. “Of course, yes, come on in. I’m Jean, and this is our salsa class for all levels. Welcome to the group.”
“I’m Bronte and this is Crow,” I introduce, offering her my hand. She takes it, with a very gentle hold. “We haven’t done any dancing before, but we like to think we have some rhythm.”
“I’m sure you’ll be fine,” she replies, forcing a smile and nodding toward the group. “Come and join us.”
She’s an attractive woman for her age, that’s for sure. All of us could only hope we look that good at her age. With her wavy brown hair, curvy yet slim build and big, bright eyes, she looks like she could belong in Hollywood.
There’s so many things I want to ask her, the first one being how did you know my dad, and the second being why haven’t I heard of you? Dad never dated after Mom—he said there was no one else for him—but this woman has me feeling a little unsettled. Was it her pink scarf I found at his house?
We join the group, heading for the back, and follow the instructions she gives us. We start in a neutral position and then learn the steps, the loud music setting the mood. We get the step forward and the backwards hip and foot movements instantly, and she explains the timing to us. We practice for the next ten minutes alone before we join with our partner and try out the steps together.
As soon as I face Crow and he looks me in the eye, I start feeling a little flustered, and miss the first step. We start over, and this time we both nail it, moving in sync. It’s just the basic movements, but it feels good to be able to do them.
“Told you we’d be good,” he says, grinning. “We’re naturals.”
He swirls me around the way she shows us, then pulls me back against him. It’s so easy to forget why we actually came here, especially with the sensual music and dance moves. I wish we were just here for the dance class.
When it comes to an end, I approach Jean alone and thank her for a wonderful class.
“You’re welcome. You and your partner are great dancers,” she commends, but I notice that she avoids my gaze.
“Thank you. I think you knew my dad, Freddy,” I blurt out, watching her reaction closely. It’s a bold move, but I want to see what she has to say.
She goes blank. “I’m sorry, I have no idea who that is. You must have me mistaken.”
My eyes widen as I realize she’s going to play that card. “Yes, I must. I’m sorry. Thanks again for the class. I’m sure we will be back.”
Lying can only mean one thing: she has something to hide.
And I’m going to find out what it is.
* * *
“I can’t believe the hag just lied straight to my face!” I tell Crow, pacing up and down. We came back to the clubhouse to wait for Nadia and Dee, and I’ve been fuming ever since we left the dance studio.
“What if she spoke to him on the phone but never met him? Or maybe he gave a fake name to her?” Crow suggests, trying to be the voice of reason.
“Okay, so there may be an explanation,” I admit, thinking those two ideas over. “But the way she looked at me and avoided any eye contact, come on! That’s the look of someone who knew damn well who I was, and felt guilty about something.”
I’m sure of it. My gut tells me this woman knows something, and I’m not going to let this go until I know for sure.
“Okay, babe,” Crow says, taking my hand and pulling me to sit on his lap. “Whatever it is, we’ll find out, okay?”
Nodding, I rest my head against his shoulder. “It’s just frustrating.”
“I know,” he says as he rubs my back. “And I understand how much this means to you, okay? We will get to the bottom of it, no matter how many random classes we have to go to. Belly dancing? Cooking? Whatever, we will do it.”
Laughing, I lift my head. “I love you, you know that?”
Yeah, I said it first.
I hadn’t planned on it, but it kind of just came out, and I don’t regret it, because I truly do mean it.
I’m in love with Crow.
How couldn’t I be?
His smile couldn’t be any wider. “I love you too, Bronte. You have no idea.”
He kisses me, cupping my cheeks with his big hands, bringing me as close to him as I could physically be.
With my clothes on, anyway.
“Let’s go to your room,” I say into his ear just as Nadia and Dee walk in, seeing us all over each other and chuckling.
“So while we’ve been doing all the work, this is what you two love birds have been doing?” Dee asks, clucking his tongue in disapproval. “You both owe me.”
“We do,” I admit, climbing off Crow’s lap and letting him hide his erection. Pretending I don’t see it standing to attention, all thick, big and hard. “What happened?”
“We followed her back to her house,” Nadia explains, sitting down on the chair next to Crow. “She didn’t go anywhere else, so there’s nothing fun to report there, but I put a bug in her car. So we’re going to be able to track her movements and listen to any conversations that take place. I’m going to go back to her house tomorrow when she’s teaching her dance class and put a bug in her house, too. I think that’s where we’ll be able to hear all the juicy shit.”
I clap my hands in excitement. “Holy shit, I didn’t even think of that.”
Dee turns to Crow. “She has no idea who we are, does she?”
Crow simply smirks, which means he’s probably thinking that I underestimate them, too. “Thank you, the both of you.”
“You’re welcome,” Nadia replies, grinning. “This is only the beginning.”
“Anytime,” Dee says, fist bumping Crow. “Been quiet around here for a bit. I’m actually happy for the action. Anything else you need, give me a buzz.”
“Thanks again,” I say to both of them.
Dee winks at me and heads back inside, while Nadia waves and says she will speak to me tomorrow.
“We’re so lucky to have all of them,” I say, sitting back down on his lap. “And the MC, you really are like a huge, loyal family. I’ve never seen anything like it, especially with people that aren’t related by blood. It’s beautiful. Ride or die.”
“You’re a part of it now,” Crow replies, placing his palm over my heart. “You have me, which means you have my boys. Whatever you give us, we give back to you tenfold.”
“Except my body, hopefully,” I tease, arching my brow at him.
Crow laughs. “Anyone touches you, I will kill them.
You are mine. You were made for me, and as long as you want to be here, this is where you’ll be. Right by my side.”
His words excite me...and turn me on.
“Okay, now let’s go to bed,” I say, and bite my lip.
He takes the hint and stands with me in his arms, carrying me to his bedroom, closing the door and then pushing me back against it.
I never know what he’s going to do, and it’s such a turn-on. There’s no predictability with him. I just know one thing for sure: he’s going to make certain I’m satisfied.
And as far as I’m concerned, that’s all I need to know.
Chapter Sixteen
“You look familiar,” one of the customers says to Cam, who is having none of it.
“I used to do porn, so maybe that’s why,” she replies, flashing him a sarcastic smile and walking away.
I try to stop myself from laughing, but I can’t. Still, I pull myself together as the man approaches me with some merchandise in his hands. “I’m guessing that’s a no, she doesn’t want to give me her number,” he grumbles, placing the helmet and jacket down on the desk.
“You should try some new lines,” I suggest, smiling. “But she is seeing someone, so they probably wouldn’t have worked anyway.”
“Noted,” he replies, nodding. “How about you? Are you single?”
I blink slowly at the man, any sympathy I have for him being rejected by Cam disappearing. Do men really think women would take them up on an offer of being second place? Surely not.
“No, I’m not,” I reply, placing his items in a bag. “That will be three hundred and seventy dollars.”
He pays in cash and leaves without saying anything further, which I appreciate. Cam comes back out, laughing when I tell her what happened.
“Men are something else.” She smirks, shaking her head. “Lucky Crow isn’t here or he’d be leaving without a limb.”
“And if Billie was here?” I tease.
“Probably without one of his nuts.”
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