Blind Date with a Billionaire Biker (Blind Date Disasters Book 3)

by Evangeline Kelly

  “Thanks.” I forced a smile, still feeling awkward.

  “But you’re beautiful no matter what you wear.” The corners of his mouth lifted in a grin that spread across his handsome face. “I thought that the first time I ever saw you and every time after.”

  My lips eased into a real smile this time because when Dex Mitchell looked at me like that, I had no other choice.

  “Can I hold your hand?” he asked.

  I glanced down at my hand as if needing to confirm it was still attached to my arm. “You want to hold…my hand?”

  “Yeah. Is that okay?”

  And then I realized he was asking because we were in front of everyone from the club, Grandpa included, and if they all saw us holding hands, they would know something was up. They might get ideas.

  I hesitated for just a moment. If I said yes, it would be like moving forward in our relationship. People had already seen us going out to lunch together, but this was more of a public declaration as subtle as it seemed. Maybe for some it wasn’t a big deal, but in my world, it was huge. Peter and I hadn’t even held hands, not in public or in private. My parents’ faces flashed before me again, along with the image of my pastor at the pulpit of our church. My friend Phoebe came to mind as well. What would they all think?

  They would disapprove. They would think I’d walked away from everything I knew to be true. I would be considered weak—unable to stand the temptations of the world.

  For the slightest fraction of time, I faltered. I didn’t want to throw away twenty-two years of training for one moment of pleasure. Because that was what it would be. Holding his hand in a silent declaration would make my heart soar like it never had before, but what if I shouldn’t be making that kind of declaration?

  “It’s okay,” Dex said softly. “We don’t have to.”

  I blinked, and then the truth of the situation washed over me. Despite his past, Dex loved the Lord. He had a heart and passion for helping others that was unlike anyone else I knew…except maybe Grandpa. How could being with him be considered weak? How could it be wrong? Just because he rode a motorcycle and had an edge to his personality—that didn’t make him worldly. He’d turned away from drugs, and it no longer had a hold on him. His past no longer had a hold on him. From everything I’d seen so far, he’d devoted his life to serving the Lord.

  That verse Grandpa shared from 1 Samuel came to mind about how man looked at the outward appearance, but God saw the heart.

  I pressed my lips together, coming to a decision. “I want to. I want you to hold my hand.”

  “You sure?” He arched an eyebrow.

  “Yes. I’m very sure.”

  He closed his eyes briefly and then smiled like I’d given him the keys to the latest Harley-Davidson motorcycle with of all the bells and whistles. He didn’t say anything else, but took my hand, lacing our fingers together. We stared at our joined fingers and grinned from ear-to-ear.

  “Dex. Step over here for a second.” The voice belonged to Grandpa, and he didn’t sound happy.

  Dex squeezed my hand and let go, stepping a few paces away to talk with my steel-haired grandfather who by the looks of it, could have passed as a huge grizzly bear up on his hind legs.

  The elation I’d had seconds ago dissipated in one fell swoop. I stilled so I could hear their voices better.

  “What are your intentions?” Grandpa asked. “I won’t stand for anyone toying with Tizzy’s heart. I trusted you. What do you think you’re doing?”

  He said a few other things I couldn’t make out, and his thunderous expression was full of so much ire, I was a little afraid for Dex.

  But Dex didn’t flinch or step back. He held himself in such a way that made me think he wasn’t sorry in the least. “I would never toy with her. She’s special to me. I want this to work.” And then he lowered his voice, and his words were indecipherable.

  Grandpa’s expression shifted and the muscles in his jaw relaxed the slightest bit. He nodded and crossed his arms, appearing to think. Dex said something else, and then Grandpa slapped him on the back and walked away.

  My eyebrows flew up when Dex returned to me. “What was that about?”

  “He was just making sure I’m walking a straight line.” He ran a hand over his jaw and chuckled. “Tank loves you. He won’t stand for anyone messing with your heart.”

  “Is that what you’re doing? Messing with my heart?”

  He shook his head and shot me a penetrating glance. “You don’t ever have to worry that my intentions aren’t honorable. I want the best for our relationship.”

  I wanted to ask what the best was, but I was too overwhelmed to venture that far ahead, so I just nodded.

  He took my hand and laced our fingers again. “I will keep you safe and protect you, Tizzy. And I’m not just speaking about that threat. I’m speaking about this thing between us. I won’t destroy it. And I’ll do whatever it takes so you never have to regret being with me.”

  Chapter 15

  Dex

  Tank’s gaze swept over us, landing on me and holding for a couple of seconds before looking away. “We need to respect each other enough to hold one another accountable.”

  We all sat around the fire pit, talking about the club and some of our goals for the future. Tizzy sat next to me, our fingers laced together. The poor woman was probably tired of my sweaty palms by now, but I didn’t have it in me to let go yet.

  “Some of us here have deep struggles,” Tank continued, “shadows wrapped up inside, things you don’t want anyone else to see.”

  I did my best to stay as still as possible and not react. Tank was the only one who knew all the details about my father, and I planned on keeping it that way. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust everyone—I just didn’t feel like it was necessary to revisit that time in my life.

  “I’m not saying you have to share everything that goes on in your mind and heart,” he said. “But if any of you feel the pull to the life you used to have, I want you to come talk to me. We’re a family here, and we won’t judge you.” He took a breath. “And you all know my past, how I spent time in jail for stealing cars during a dark period. If God can change me, He can change anyone.”

  Our club drew all kinds of people. Some had gone to prison while others had gotten mixed up with drugs. The common denominator among all of us was that we agreed those things were in the past. Christ was on the throne now, and we lived as children of the King, not as paupers who existed for every crumb this world had to offer. Not everyone had a dark past though. There were many who had grown up in the church like Moose and Vera and just enjoyed the closeness of our group.

  “Don’t put on a fake church mask and pretend everything is okay if it’s not. I care about each of you.”

  Vig, one of our newer members, cleared his throat. “I’ve been messing around with Meth again.” He said the words as though they’d been ripped from his throat. Everyone grew quiet and waited for him to continue. “I know it’s wrong. God doesn’t want this for me. I thought I could quit at any time, but yesterday, I went further than I ever have.” He hung his head and inhaled sharply. “I experimented with some other drugs and it took me to a bad place. I need…” He trailed off. “I need a couple of you guys to take me back to rehab and don’t let me talk you out of it.”

  “I’ll help,” Moose said. “You won’t get past me if you try to walk away.”

  “I’ll be there too,” Jester said. “I’ll go home with you tonight to make sure you don’t slip up.”

  There were other offers echoing throughout the group, and that made me smile. We were a family. Not only did we care about each other—we used tough love when it was necessary.

  “Let’s pray for you right now.” Tank and Moose stood and walked over to Vig, putting their hands on his shoulders. Tank led the prayer and Moose joined in at the end.

  When they finished praying, there was a peaceful silence. “Anyone else want to share?” Tank asked. His eyes swept the group and
landed on me again. He wanted me to talk, but that wasn’t happening.

  “Jester, can you lead us in a song?”

  “Yep.” Jester took out his guitar and began to strum a tune while everyone sang along.

  Tizzy leaned in. “Are you okay?” She spoke quietly so no one else could hear. “Is something bothering you?”

  I shrugged. “Just tired.”

  She nodded but didn’t look convinced.

  Truth was, I’d been struggling with what to do about my father. I hadn’t contacted him about his offer to join him at Mitchell Manufacturing, but the thought had occurred to me once or twice. If I did go to work for him, it would change my life—that was for sure. But would it change it for the better? How could I have a relationship with him when I knew he would always long for my brother, Garrett, to be at his side? He was only offering me a place in his business because he was at the end of his rope.

  Even so, a part of me still wanted reconciliation—to find peace with my past.

  And then all of a sudden, thinking about this was too much. Being here with the guys, with Tizzy… I was about to crawl out of my skin if I didn’t get away and find somewhere I didn’t have to think about my father or my past or my future choices.

  I turned to Tizzy and spoke in a low voice. “I’m going to turn in, sweetness.” I lifted our joined hands and planted a soft kiss on her hand. “Can I see you tomorrow?”

  She smiled and nodded her head. “I’d like that.”

  “Maybe you’ll let me take you on another ride on the back of my bike.”

  Her eyes widened. “I’ll have to think about that.”

  I chuckled. “It’s okay if you don’t want to, but just think about it.” With that, I rose and waved to everyone. “Night all. Gettin’ late for me, so I’m headin’ in.”

  The guys all said goodnight, and I headed for the guest house, but my thoughts were persistent. Once I was on my own, that gaping wound was back with a ferocity, and I didn’t know how to make it better. I got ready for bed and pulled out the book Tizzy wanted me to read…Persuasion…or something like that.

  I read the first line and then the first page. After that, I went on to read the entire first chapter. I kept on reading until I fell asleep, dreaming about a naval captain and a young woman who regretted walking away years ago.

  ***

  The next morning, I rose out of bed feeling better. Funny how a night’s sleep made everything easier. As I showered, I shook off the tangled feelings regarding my father that had put me in a sour mood the night before. Today was about Tizzy and me. I wouldn’t let him drag me down. I headed over to Tank’s, and he invited me to join them for breakfast. This time Tank was making the food, and it wasn’t nearly as good as Tizzy’s cooking. He had steel-cut oats, sliced fruit and celery, and peanut butter of all things.

  “So,” I said, turning to Tizzy. “Would you like to go riding with me? We can stay local—we don’t have to go far.”

  “Hmmm…” She had a slight smile on her face, but there was also some uneasiness.

  “I went too fast on our blind date,” I said, using air quotes because it wasn’t a blind date either of us had been prepared for. “I ruined it for you, didn’t I?”

  “You scared me. I’m not going to lie.” There was a spark of humor in her eyes, so at least I knew she wasn’t mad about it.

  “Will you give me one more chance? I’ll take things as conservatively as your own father would. You won’t even know the difference.”

  She flung her head back and burst into laughter, her long, blonde hair falling behind her in waves. “That’s a funny picture…my dad on a motorcycle.”

  “Well, if he should ever take up riding, I’m sure he’d go really slow. I’ll be just as cautious.”

  “You think you can pull that off?” Tank asked, looking amused. “We don’t call you Rev for nothin’.”

  I folded my arms over my chest and leaned back in the chair. “For Tizzy, I’d do just about anything.”

  At that, Tizzy’s eyes widened, and Tank searched my face for a quick moment.

  I pulled a pair of leather gloves out of my pocket. “I picked these up for you the other day, hoping you’d agree to a short ride.”

  Tank didn’t say a word either way, and I had a feeling he wanted Tizzy to make up her own mind, which was fine by me. I didn’t want her to give in just to please me.

  “Five minutes,” Tizzy said. “I’ll go for five minutes, and if it’s okay, we can go for five more.”

  Not long after, Tizzy had changed into jeans and a sweater and was on the back of my bike as we roamed the streets of Acton like two kids off to see the world. Our world may have been confined to a small area since Acton wasn’t very big, but that didn’t matter. The feeling of freedom, the exhilaration…nothing could take that away from us. I kept my word, making sure my speed didn’t rise above what was necessary and my turns were extra smooth. After five minutes, she gave me the go-ahead for five more…and then longer after that. It felt right to have her arms around me, the breeze blowing through us, riding without thought of anything else except the two of us.

  After a thirty-minute ride, we stopped at a small park in Acton. I parked the bike, and we found a nice place to sprawl out on the grass. We laid down on our backs and stared up at the clear blue sky, the wind brushing up against our faces.

  “Thank you, Dex. That was wonderful.”

  I took her hand, and we stayed like that, neither of us moving. “It felt good having you on the back of my bike.”

  She snickered. “Is that your way of telling me you want to do it again?”

  “Nope.”

  “What?” She turned her head to look at me, confused.

  “I asked for one more time, and you gave it to me. If we go riding again, it’ll be because you tell me that’s what you want.”

  “Good to know.”

  I turned on my side and lifted up on one elbow, putting a hand behind my head. “What do you want out of life, Tizzy?”

  She turned to face me, lifting up the same way. “Why do you ask?”

  “I want to know everything about you.”

  A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “I’d like to be a mom, to have children of my own one day.”

  “What about the husband? Does he have a place in this picture of yours?”

  She laughed and threw a few pieces of grass at me. “Of course, there’s a husband in the picture. Do you think I’d do it any other way?”

  “No, but I wanted to hear you say it.”

  “Three years ago, on the evening Peter and I were supposed to get engaged, I didn’t feel ready. I was only nineteen, and I had this restlessness inside me. I’m still young, but I know I want those things. I just didn’t want them with Peter.”

  “He wasn’t the right guy.”

  “No, he wasn’t.” She sighed. “It’s been crazy lately, trying to decipher what Mom and Dad have told me I should want from what I truly want.”

  “What happens when this is over with? Are you going back to Pennsylvania?”

  She sat up quickly, her face scrunching up as if I’d slapped her. “When what’s over? You mean us?”

  I sat up as well, not letting go of her hand. “That’s not what I meant. When Harry is no longer a threat… That’s what I was trying to say.”

  “Oh.” Her eyes teared up, and she turned her head away so I wouldn’t see her expression.

  “Did you think I wanted this to end?”

  “I wasn’t sure. I just reacted.”

  “I don’t want this to end.” Ever. But I couldn’t say that yet.

  I let go of her hand and moved closer as a few of her tears escaped and fell. I wiped them away with my thumbs, and she gazed back at me with searching eyes. We were so close, I could lean in a few more inches and brush my lips against hers—the temptation to do that was there—but I thought about what I’d told Tank. I’d promised him I wouldn’t do that, and I never broke my promises. She had a s
ensitive conscience, and I didn’t want her to have any regrets, especially when it came to me.

  When I pulled back, her eyes flamed, and she sucked in a breath. “Were you about to kiss me?”

  I wiped a hand over my mouth and smiled, glancing down. “I had a moment of weakness, but I pulled it together at the last second.”

  She released the breath she’d been holding, her gaze finding mine. “What if I want you to kiss me?”

  A shot of adrenaline surged through my system, and I scooted back a few inches to make room between us. “I can’t, sweetness.”

  “Because you don’t want to.”

  I chuckled. “It’s taking every bit of restraint I have not to plant one on your lips right now.” I took her hand again and squeezed it. “You’ll have no regrets while you’re with me. I don’t ever want you to feel like I stole something you can’t get back.”

  “Now you’re sounding like my pastor.” She had a teasing lilt to her voice, but there was uncertainty in her eyes as well. “I didn’t know you were this conservative.”

  I laughed. “I didn’t either. But when it comes to you, Tizzy, I want the best. I don’t want there to be a reason for you to pack up your stuff and leave because our relationship is not what you think it should be.”

  “Did Grandpa make you promise?”

  I shook my head. “I initiated that. I told him what I wouldn’t do, and he trusts me.”

  “So, you’re refraining because it’s in your heart, not because someone is forcing you to.”

  “Exactly.”

  “And here I was hoping you’d give me a real kiss, not just a peck on the cheek.” She covered her face with a hand. “What is wrong with me? You make me want things I’ve never wanted before.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with you, Tizzy. For once, you’re allowing yourself to feel something.” I shifted to face her more. “You didn’t answer my question. Do you plan to go back to Pennsylvania?”

  She bit down on her bottom lip, her forehead creasing. “I’m confused. I don’t know what to do.”