by Sam Crescent
She groaned as he grabbed a cart. He refused to let her go though and kept her by his side as they walked into the supermarket.
The moment some of the customers saw him, she knew he made them nervous and he hadn’t done anything.
“Does it bother you the way people react to you?”
“Used to. Doesn’t bother me anymore. The entire club is treated that way, and it’s a good thing.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, it means people will think twice before messing with us.”
“I don’t know. It sounds kind of sad.”
“It’s not sad.”
“No one trusts you though. Trust and loyalty are what rule your club.”
“What rules the club is trust and loyalty with each other. We don’t care what a bunch of civilians think. They can all suck my dick as far as I’m concerned. You should try it.”
“Don’t worry. I don’t think they should all suck my dick. I failed to care a long time ago.”
“See, you’re learning.”
“I was taught by the best.” She pulled away, but Alfie caught her hand. “Seriously, this is kind of freaky. I need to grab some flour.”
“I know, but we’re not at the aisle yet and I’m trying this out.”
“You know this is what couples do.”
“Do you want to be my girlfriend?”
She laughed, drawing attention to them. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to laugh.”
“Yeah, you did.”
“No, I really didn’t. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have laughed. Really. No, I don’t want to be your girlfriend, Alfie.”
“I’d make a good boyfriend.”
“Have you ever been anyone’s boyfriend?” she asked.
“No.”
“Then you can’t go around saying how good you’d be at it.” She smiled. “I … this is all so new. I didn’t mean to insult you.”
“But you did it anyway.”
“I’m sorry. Please, forgive me.”
“Of course, so long as you kiss me.”
“That’s not going to happen.” She glanced at his lips.
“I don’t believe you.”
“All because I won’t kiss you?”
“A kiss is really, really important.”
She frowned, folding her arms. “Okay, explain to me how this works with you? A kiss is that not important.”
“It goes to show you know nothing.”
“I know a whole lot of things,” she said.
“A kiss shows you’re starting to trust me.”
“And by me not kissing you, it proves I don’t.”
“You’re not even giving it a real shot. You should kiss me. Give me a real shot. I won’t let you down.”
Chloe nibbled her lip.
She wanted to trust, but she had this sick, twisted feeling in her gut that told her not to trust. Something bad was going to happen.
Rather than have him make a scene, she stepped up to him, placed her hand on his arm, and pressed a kiss to his lips. It was short, sweet, but it was a kiss.
“See, my first one, Alfie. I can start to trust.”
****
Her first-ever kiss.
On Sunday, lying in his bed, Alfie stared up at the ceiling and played the events in the supermarket in his head. They’d gotten the necessary flour and returned home, but that kiss… It had meant something.
He’d been her first kiss. Was it crazy to actually be happy about that?
There was a knock on his door.
Turning his head, he asked who it was.
“Me,” Eagle said.
Alfie sat up, and his father entered a few seconds later.
“Hey, son,” Eagle said. “I was thinking of going over to Lily’s place. I passed it a couple of days ago and saw the lawn was overgrown. I figured she could use some help.”
“Do you want me to come as well? I know they were talking about doing some yard work today,” he said.
“You did?”
“I went and hung out with Chloe.”
“Why?”
“Making amends,” he said. Eagle didn’t need to know this was all part of a bigger plan to put her in her place.
“Good. Lily worries about her a lot. Yes, get dressed. You can help. No bullshit while we’re there.”
“Do club rules stand?”
“No. We’re going as a family.”
Club rules stated he was not to call him “Dad,” or to question him. Going as a family would be different. He’d have to call him “Dad,” and questions were allowed. This was going to be surreal. Ever since he became a teenager, his father had been training him for the role of taking over as club president. When it finally happened, he intended to take care and make sure no one doubted his position within the club.
Pulling on a pair of jeans and a shirt that had seen better days, he grabbed a cup of coffee and joined his father in his pickup truck.
“Dad, do you have a thing for Lily?” Alfie asked, climbing into the passenger truck.
“That’s none of your concern, son.”
It never failed to amaze him how quickly his father could turn on and off the president role.
“She’s still hung up on Kurt.”
“That asshole never deserved her.”
“Did you know them, growing up?”
“Yes. Your grandfather, he was in charge of the club.”
“You’re also a couple of years older than them.”
“I know.”
Alfie looked at his dad. He knew his father never loved his mother. It was why after she spat him out, she went packing. No one had seen or heard from her since.
From what he’d discovered, Lily had taken care of him a lot of the time. There were tales of him sharing a crib with Chloe.
“One day you will understand, there are women who are meant to be taken care of. Who you’re supposed to love from the very beginning and deserve for you to bend over backwards for. They’re loyal, trusting, and they own your heart.”
“Does Lily own your heart?”
“I don’t want to talk about this now. You don’t fucking say anything. You be good.”
“I will.”
He had his own agenda to work on.
Arriving at Lily’s place, he saw Chloe as he’d never seen her before. Even though the weather was starting to turn cold, they had a freak heatwave over the weekend, which was why he knew they were planning on doing all the necessary yard work.
Chloe was dressed in a pair of shorts and a black crop top. Her long blonde locks were pulled up into a bun, and she had on some kind of head scarf.
She looked … sexy.
No. There’s no way he was thinking in terms of sexy.
She wasn’t sexy.
This was all in his head, and he was imagining it.
As he shook those thoughts from his mind, she looked up to see him and his father climbing out of the truck.
“Alfie, Eagle, what brings you here?”
“I saw the yard was in serious need of being mowed. I figured we’d come and help.”
“Oh.”
“Hey, sweetie, does that thing even work?” Lily asked. “Oh, Eagle, Alfie, hi.” Lily gave them both a smile.
“Wanted to come and help.”
“Really?”
“Mom, I can’t get this thing to work.”
“Your dad was supposed to fix it. He broke it the last time. Let me look.”
Lily bent down, turning the mower onto its side.
Alfie watched as she gathered the rotting grass off the bottom. “I have no idea what I’m looking for,” she said, laughing.
He smiled. Lily had always been nice to him. Everyone at the club adored her.
Glancing over at Chloe, he saw her nibbling on her lip, glancing over at Eagle. He had to remember that she wasn’t stupid. It was why she didn’t trust him. Not that he could blame her. He wasn’t trustworthy.
“I’m going to go and weed the bushes,”
she said.
“Okay, sweetie.”
“Here, let me have a look at this,” Eagle said.
“I’ll come and help you.”
His father must have been waiting as patiently as he could for Kurt to fuck up. It was the only explanation for all of this.
“Hey,” he said. “Do you feel like kissing me again?”
“Oh, please, why are you and your dad here?” Chloe asked, entering the back yard.
It was a small yard, and it had been left to overgrow.
Chloe bent down, picking up some gloves and a trowel. He couldn’t help but notice the curve of her ass.
Why hadn’t he ever noticed her curves as being sexy rather than being fat? He was tempted to cup them, to touch them and to make sure his eyes were actually seeing what was really there.
“Earth to Alfie,” Chloe said.
“We wanted to help and do the neighborly thing.”
“I can see your dad has the hots for my mom,” she said.
“Has the hots?” Alfie couldn’t help but smile. “It sounds so cute. I’m sorry.”
“Seriously?”
“Look, I think he does have a little crush, but for the most part, it’s harmless.”
She folded her arms. “There’s no way that can be harmless. My dad is still begging to be accepted by your club after all these years.”
He liked how she called it his club. “It’s not going to happen.”
“Exactly. You don’t see it.”
“I see it, Chloe. I’m not stupid. For years your father begged to be part of the club, and rather than let him, my father broke him, piece by piece, until his wife left him. Now, he’s looking to get into his place as man of the house. Not that he wants this house. He wants Lily. I get it.”
“And you don’t care. You know what it means if they get together, right?” She pointed at the two of them.
“We wouldn’t actually be related.”
“I know that, but I don’t want to be your step-anything.”
“You’d come between your mother’s happiness.”
“I wouldn’t dream of doing that, and you know it.”
Alfie held his hands up. “I’m not here to start a fight.”
“Then what are you here for?”
“To help you clean up and to say, leave them alone. Let them figure this thing out. It’s not up to us to make this right.”
“I know it’s not, but you saw how my mom reacted the other day when you called her Mrs. Decker. She’s not ready to commit. She will always love my father, and Eagle will have to handle that.”
“You’re nervous,” he said.
“Wouldn’t you be? My mother is getting a divorce. She feels like a fucking failure because of it.”
Alfie did something he never thought he would. He stepped up to Chloe, wrapped his arms around her, and held her.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m letting you know it’s going to be okay.”
“You’re kind of creeping me out right now.”
“I know, but every now and then, someone needs a hug.”
She started to laugh. He held her a little tighter and detected the hint of vanilla coming from her.
She pulled away first, and he knew he’d have to make her more comfortable around him.
“I better get to weeding. Have you ever done yard work?” she asked.
“Nope.”
“Then why did you come over here?”
“To see you.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, like I’ve said before, I’m trying to make amends.”
“You’re going to need another pair of gloves. Those nettles like to sting.”
She walked away, and he watched her go. Her ass swayed, and he again had to wonder why he hadn’t noticed her curves before. He’d been with plenty of girls, and club whores, and he knew there were many different body shapes to love and to fuck.
In her own element, Chloe shone.
Grabbing a pair of gloves, he wondered if he should go and check on his dad but decided against it. His father didn’t need a babysitter.
Getting down on his knees beside Chloe, Alfie helped her work through the flower beds, taking out the weeds.
Halfway through the job, she left to go and get some drinks.
She was taking a little longer than he thought was right, so he joined her in the house. He found her in the dining room, looking out onto the front yard.
The grass hadn’t been mowed yet, but it looked like his dad was giving Lily a lesson in mechanics.
“You worried?” he asked.
“I took them out their drinks and Eagle held the glass to my mom. She sipped from the straw.”
“You’re obsessing about this.”
“What good could come from this?” she asked.
If their parents got together, it would give him more of an excuse to get close to her.
The plan.
Whatever happened, he was determined to see it through.
“Has anyone ever told you you worry too much?” he asked.
“All the time.”
“Well, don’t worry about the little things. Just worry about the things you can change. I’m parched. Where’s my drink?”
Chloe giggled. “Come on. I’ll show you.”
****
“The motor looks good. Clearly, there was too much grass. It hadn’t been cleaned properly,” Eagle said.
“Of course. I mean, who would have thought it, huh?” Lily asked with a smile.
Being this close to her after all this time, knowing she was a free woman, or at least, would be really soon, was testing his restraint.
For years, he’d watched Kurt and Lily. She’d been one of the prettiest girls in school. Not the sexiest, and a couple of people had tried to bully her, but he’d put a stop to that shit. Anyone who hurt her had to come to him. He was five years older than she was, but to some, he could have been ten or fifty. Being the brat of the president of the MC, it meant there were rules in place, and one of them involved underage girls.
Lily had been younger than he was, so he had no choice but to wait around for her to be the right age, which fucking sucked, big time.
By the time she was of age, she was already with Kurt, marrying him, and having his baby.
In anger, he’d ended up knocking up a club whore, who’d given him Alfie, and then left just as quickly. Not that he had a problem with that. Kurt spent so much time around the club, Lily would take care of both Alfie and Chloe. Seeing his son in Lily’s arms had been like fucking torture, but he’d known he couldn’t have her. She wasn’t the kind of woman to step out on her man. It was part of what made her so damn loveable as well as having many other traits.
With Kurt out of the picture, he didn’t have to worry. He would finally get his chance, and he wasn’t going to let her get away. Not again.
“If there’s anything you need, just give me a holler, you know. I’ll be happy to drop by and help out.”
“You really don’t have to do that.”
“I know I don’t have to. I want to.” He smiled at her. She would always be the prettiest woman in the world to him. “I better get this yard mowed.” He winked at her and got to his feet. Like so many times before, Lily merely smiled at him and offered to get him another drink.
Small steps.
Really small steps.
It was going to fucking kill him.
Chapter Six
Wednesday into the third week of school and Alfie being around her, there was yet another message on her locker. This one was spelled so badly that she couldn’t make anything of it. She was about to turn to go and collect the cleaning stuff when Alfie’s growl echoed down the hall.
He stood right behind her.
The entire corridor went silent, and even her heart started to pound. He looked livid.
“What the fuck?” he said.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“To you it doesn’t matte
r. I’m tired of this shit. Who did this?” he asked, looking toward the groups of people. Several of them looked away. “Not so fucking tough now, huh? Who does this every single morning? I will find out, believe me. I’ve got no problems waiting, and I will find that person. Is it you, Reese?”
Reese was one of the football players.
Chloe recalled he’d tried to get into the biker brats’ little club, but seeing as his father was some kind of lawyer, no one would have him.
“Nah, man, of course not.”
“I want to know who did this. We’re not cleaning this shit up again.” Alfie slammed his fist against the metal. “And don’t think of covering for them either. Whoever did this, you know about it, you come to me.”
“Alfie, I’ve got to clean this up,” she said, touching his arm. “I know you don’t like it and you want to leave it. It’s still my locker.”
“You’re not cleaning it. I forbid you to clean it.”
“Are you a god now? I have to obey everything you say?”
“It would do you good to listen to me. I know what I’m talking about.”
She chuckled. “Fine. I won’t clean it, but you’re never going to find out who did this.”
“Why are you so certain?” he asked.
“Because I’ve tried to find out, and for the past couple of years, you know what I’ve got? Nothing. I’ve got nothing. I’ve got graffiti on my locker nearly every single day. Believe me, I’d stop it if I could.”
“So I have your permission to hurt whoever did this?”
“Sure. Why not?”
He wasn’t going to find the person responsible. She didn’t for a second believe it was possible.
“Grab your shit, we’ve got homeroom to get to.”
She had stopped asking him why he escorted her to homeroom, or sat with her, spent lunch time with her.
If she kept asking the same questions, she’d only sound like a broken record, so she had decided to just enjoy his company.
She wasn’t fooled by his sudden interest in her either. She would be forever on guard around him, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy his company as they did.
Neither of them spoke as she grabbed her stuff from her locker, and they walked side by side down the long corridor toward their classroom. She held her books protectively, being careful so as not to trip over any stray legs.