“What,” he shrugs his shoulders, “I was being nice. I can’t help it if we push each other’s buttons. I’m not disrespectful; just blunt with her. I treat others the way they treat me, she talks to me the same way I talk to her.” He ends the conversation by grabbing Lucy’s leash. “I’m taking Lucy for a walk, can’t have her holding her pee for hours,” he declares.
“She wouldn’t. Tawny’s here.” He gives me a ‘that’s my point’ look and continues with his previous task. He’s impossible sometimes! I throw my hands up in the air not sure how to get these two to get along, for my sake if nothing else. They are the two people who mean the most to me in this world and I don’t want one of them pushing the other away. That’s not fair to me or them.
“Relax, Gypsy. We’re both hard-headed people. I like your man just fine, but he’s not going to let me feed him shit without returning it to me ten-fold. I promise, we’ll find our way, you just need to relax and let us figure it out,” Tawny admonishes me.
“It’s hard. I desperately want the two of you to get along so we can all spend time together without me feeling as if I’m going to be playing referee the entire time, Tawny. He’s important to me, you’re important to me, what’s a girl to do?” I smack my hands on my thighs in emphasis, as I sit down and grab the boots she’s handing over to me.
She sighs as she sits down on the bed next to me. “As a kid, I never really understood the way your mother treated you. My mom used to tell me she was sick, so I’d make up excuses for her in my head. Then as I got older, I worried so much about impressing my dad and taking over his business that I never took the time to pay attention to you or the situation. By then, I was so used to her antics and bad behavior that I just ignored it. I’m so sorry, Gypsy, that I wasn’t there for you then, but I’m here for you now, if you’ll let me that is.” She leans sideways hitting my shoulder with her own.
“I appreciate it, Tawny. Although, if I’m being honest, all of that led me to here and Luca.” There’s a silver-lining in everything, and I choose to believe that he is mine.
“Things tend to work out the way they’re supposed to, I guess. And I’m seeing that whatever you and Luca talked about seems to have taken a weight off of your shoulders. You seem more...I don’t know, confident? Yeah, that’s the word I’m looking for. I like it and I like him for you, even if I give him shit all the time.” She grins at me and I can’t help but respond. She’s never been lovey-dovey thanks to my uncle’s teachings, but underneath her brusque, sometimes abrasive personality, lies a heart of gold. If you’re one of hers, she’ll go down swinging in your defense. I’m glad she’s on my side.
“I think I’m finally getting comfortable in my skin,” I admit. “It’s kind of scary because I’ve been so insulated due to my own insecurities, but Luca and his family have busted their asses to show me what a real family truly is. I only ever had that when I was at your house and when my mother found out that your parents were willing to raise me, they weren’t allowed to get me as often.”
“I miss them,” Tawny says. “So many times, I want to pick up the phone and call my dad about something. Hell, I’ve gone so far as to hit his number and right before it connects, it hits me that he won’t be on the other end of the phone, so I hang up.”
“Has anyone ever answered?” I know I shouldn’t ask her this, but my curiosity usually leaves my tongue before I have a chance to think things through thoroughly.
“No,” she quietly states. I know she’s fighting back tears so I turn to give her some privacy so she can pull herself together. She’s not a crying type of woman, so I know she’d appreciate me giving her a chance to get it together without watching her as if she’s a foreign object.
“I’m sorry, Tawny. I miss them both too. They were so good to me and are likely the reason I survived my childhood. Remember when I got so sick I ended up in the hospital?” She nods. “Your mom is the reason I was even taken to the doctor. She had come over to drop off some school supplies and when she saw me and then heard how I sounded, she picked me up and took me to the ER.”
“You almost died,” Tawny whispers. “You had double pneumonia and one of your lungs was so filled with fluid and infection, they thought about putting you on a ventilator to help you breathe.”
“I remember being scared because I couldn’t talk without coughing or my chest rattling. I was wheezing, and I remember it hurt so much to cough.” I spent a week and a half in the hospital. My mother showed up once, but my Aunt Stella was there every single day. “If I remember correctly, that’s when your folks tried to get custody or guardianship of me, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah, I think so. That would’ve been a lot of fun having you there all the time, but we would’ve driven them crazy, I think.” That’s the truest statement I think I’ve ever heard.
“Who? Us?” I innocently question. “I wear a halo. Your devil horns however?” I joke around. I’ve always accused her of being the spawn of Satan...she’s so wild and free and I’ve never known anyone like her. Well, other than her. I was always scared to go anywhere with her, she had a tendency to get herself into trouble. Even going to the movies with her I was never sure if I’d end up in cuffs or not.
“If you wear a halo, it’s being held up by your own damn horns,” she teases. “Here, let me look.” She moves closer to me as if to check my head and I slap her away, laughing. I seem to be doing that a lot more lately, laughing, and it dawns on me that for the first time in my entire life, I’m happy and content.
“I resent that statement, my halo has been shined and blessed.” I swat her one more time and duck and weave. Before she can retaliate and catch me, Luca comes back through the door, Lucy in his arms. “Is she okay?” I question, running over to him.
“She’s fine. The pavement is hot, so I didn’t want her feet to get burned. I think we need to look for some of those boot things you can get to protect a dog’s feet.” I roll my eyes. I know it’s cliché as hell, but seriously? Boots for a dog’s feet? I mean I dress her, but that’s because I can’t stand to watch her body shiver in the cold weather, but even I’ve never contemplated doggy shoes before. It shouldn’t surprise me that he wants to get her boots, next he’ll find her a Harley Davidson cover up. He is a biker after all.
“Really?” Tawny asks. “She’s got pads on her feet, she’ll be fine.” I can tell she’s working hard to keep herself from rolling her eyes at him.
“Do you know how fucking hot it is out there? I’ve been doing some research and the experts suggest that little dogs like Lucy wear protective foot coverings. We’ll get some when we’re running errands tomorrow, okay?” he asks, looking at me. If that’s what he wants, I’m not gonna say no. I think it’s sweet that he wants to take care of my girl. As a matter of fact, I think I can add that to the list of things I love about Luca Callahan.
“Whatever you want, Luca.” His grin lets me know he’s on to me. “I’m ready, can we go now?” I’m eager to get our day alone together started.
Chapter Fifteen
Luca
Finally, we get out of there and to the clubhouse. I have our picnic lunch being delivered, but first I want to show off our space to my girl. This will become her home for a while until we’re ready to expand, buy our first house, and grow our family. Suddenly the vision of her rounded with my child and sleeping nightly in my arms is something I plan to get her on board with...sooner rather than later.
When we pull up to the front doors of the main clubhouse, I stop the bike and help her off. When I get off, we put our helmets on the seat and lace our fingers in each other’s. “I wanna go see the officer quarters first, we’ll end our tour here.”
“Whatever you wanna do, Luca. This is your show, I’m just here to ooh and aww at everything you show me,” she teases.
I lean down and pinch her ass. “Sassy wench.” She giggles and pushes my arm away from her.
“Luca!” she hollers, pretending to be put out at me. “I’m a lady, you
may not touch my ass until we’ve been together for at least six months.” She’s crazy if she thinks I’ll go that long without placing my hands on her round, plump ass.
“Is that right?” I ask, placing my hand on her wrist, twirling her around and pulling her into my chest. I place my head in the crook of her neck and begin seductively nibbling on her skin. Her scent draws me in, I can’t seem to get enough of it. “You always smell so fucking good,” I moan as I swivel my hips forward and press my hard cock into her belly.
Her hand goes to the back of my neck and she pulls me closer than I already am. “God, Luca. My belly is fluttering, my skin has goosebumps and my heart feels like it’s getting ready to beat out of my chest. This only happens when you’re around,” she says as her other hand reaches around and she grabs my ass with her fingers. Her words, her actions, they all have me panting and recounting batting averages of my favorite ball players. All so I don’t come in my pants from her actions and my reaction to those little noises she’s making and her hand squeezing my ass.
“You sure you can wait six months for my hands to be on your ass?” I tease. “Because, baby, I feel the same damn way.” As if she can’t feel my cock trying to drill through our clothes so he can be buried in her sweet heat.
I watch the blush cover her cheeks and grin. Leaning down, I kiss her breathless and just when she relaxes fully into me, I pull back and whisper, “Anticipation.” I’m gonna make her eat her words. There’s no way she has any more control over her feelings and needs than I do.
“Anticipation?” she queries. “For what?” I’m about to lose my mind at her question when I see the gleam in her eyes. “Gotcha, Luca,” she whispers. “You’re not the only one who can tease, ya know.” I internally grin, enjoying this play time with my girl. It’s not often I get to witness her guard down, but when it does, she shines bright.
“Oh, my beautiful Gypsy, you ain’t seen nothing yet.” I can’t wait to see how far she will let me get with teasing her body before the fire ignites and she just can’t take it any longer before she loses all control and attacks me.
“Counting on it, Luca.” Her words have me wondering just how good her past relationships were, even as I growl low in my throat at the thought of any motherfucker touching her. As far as the two of us are concerned, where it comes to the other, we’re both as pure as the driven snow; I just happen to have the skills needed to ensure we have a real good time.
Once we walk around the corner, we hit the building that holds all of the officer’s and member’s rooms. We have a main lobby type area downstairs, and all the patch holders and prospects have rooms down here. I head to the staircase that go to the officer’s private quarters. “Over here, we put in an elevator system,” I tell her, pointing to what used to be a closet near the stairway. “We figured if anyone ever ended up on crutches it would be easier.” It’s been known to happen; fights, bike accidents, pissing old ladies off...I’ve seen it all and won’t explain the old lady thing to her. I don’t want her to get any ideas...although all the stories are funny as fuck.
“Do you expect someone to end up on crutches, Luca?” Her eyebrow is nearly at her hairline and I laugh at her expression.
“No, baby. We’re not that kind of club. But shit happens, you know? One of us could lay our bike down in bad weather or something. Do you know how heavy Tig is? I wouldn’t wanna lug his ass up and down the stairs and he’s the one most likely to do something that would involve crutches.”
“I wonder if Lucy will wanna use the stairs or the elevator?” she muses. I’m so happy to hear her including herself and her baby in my life and my clubhouse that I may be celebrating a bit inside of my mind. “She’s a bit of a diva, but you probably haven’t seen that yet, huh?” I hold back my ‘have you lost your mind’ thoughts at her teasing statement. I’ve more than witnessed her dog at her finest.
“She takes that word to a whole new level, Gypsy. Seriously, she acts like a person, only she’s got four legs and a fucking fur coat!” She’s a demanding little thing and commandeers all of the attention when she is in the same room. I’ve seen Tig taken down to his knees to give her some attention.
Her giggles ring out and I start chuckling alongside her. I never realized just how much personality an animal could have, and maybe most don’t, but Lucy has it in spades. “So, are we gonna keep going? I’m excited to see everything, Luca!” I pull out of my thoughts and we start up the stairs.
“Maddox and his crew outdid themselves, Gypsy. I won’t show you each of the rooms, but I want you to know who has each one in case you ever need someone and I’m not here. This one is Tig’s. He wanted it closer to the stairs for some reason. Probably so if he drank too much he wouldn’t have as far to go, but with Tig, it’s anyone’s guess.” Or he picked that room so he can sneak a certain woman in and out of his room without being caught easier. But I’m not a snitch, so I’m gonna keep those thoughts to myself.
She flat-out laughs and I grin down at her because she’s seen how much Tig can drink and keep on going. “Don’t see that happening myself. Based on what I know of him, he holds his beer pretty well.” I wish he held his tongue the same way. He tends to get a bit blunter when he’s thrown quite a few back.
He does. We all do, actually, because our parents taught us to drink responsibly. At least they tried to. Us kids, however, had our cooler out by the fire pit, I say by, but what I really mean is that we dug a hole and buried it deep, then covered it with a makeshift, leaf-covered plank of wood. We snuck beers here and there from the bar and then put them in the cooler. Just a bottle here and there...enough to be inconspicuous to our elders. Still not sure how we never got caught. We learned what a hangover felt like and all of us decided it wasn’t for us. Especially when our parents secretly knew and forced us to a day of hard labor the following day. Let’s just say sweating and vomiting are not a match made in heaven.
“He actually does. Just know that if he has too many, he tends to get a little blunter than normal.” I know one thing, though, if he ever decides to grace Gypsy with his brand of honesty, I’ll be having words with him. Possibly fists too. He actually told me one time that I was too bossy and sometimes he wanted to plant his fist in my mouth and knock my teeth out. Let’s just say I showed him what all I learned serving our country. He’s never verbally attacked me again because he didn’t care for my brand of retaliation.
“Okay, so where is our room?” she questions. Glad she realizes that when we move in here, she’s with me. I walk us down the hall to the last room on the right. Taking out my keys, I unlock the door and wave her in ahead of me. “Luca, why are we all the way down here?”
“Because in the event anything ever happens, someone would have to get through all of my brothers before they reach me.” I wasn’t a fan of Tig putting himself at the front, but he said that his job was to protect me. So he and Jasper have the first two rooms, followed by Maddox and finally, me. We left two rooms empty because we still have a few roles to fill.
“Oh my God, Luca, this is awesome!” she whisper-shouts, looking around. I smile, happy that she likes what I had Maddox do for us. The walls are painted a soft gray and the bedding is in blacks, grays, and purples. I’m thrilled that my room is big enough to hold the California king bed I wanted, because Maddox was able to put a small sitting area in for my woman so she can read. When I designed this room, I did it specifically with her in mind and what would make her happy for the long haul.
My mind is already on all the ways I plan to christen our room when she asks, “What on earth is this?” Glancing over, I see her standing next to the dog bed I had them build for Lucy. So, it may not have only been her I had on my mind when Maddox and I sat down and decided what all would be in this room.
“It’s Lucy’s new bed,” I reply. I cross my fingers behind my back that she won’t get all woman-y on me and freak out.
“Maddox, she’s got stairs and a ramp? What the hell?” I chuckle because there are, indee
d, stairs and a ramp that lead to the top, where a thick bed is surrounded by a railing so she won’t fall out. On the bottom are her toys and chew bones, although I suspect that they’ll end up all over the place. I did this because she’s always putting Lucy on the bed and I fear that she’ll break her neck or a paw if she jumps off in her excitement to get to me or Gypsy.
“Think she’ll like it?” I question. I don’t know why her approval is so important to me in this instant, but I want to make sure she knows that I want everything that comes with her.
“All she needs is a soft blanket to snuggle under and she’ll probably think she’s died and gone to heaven,” Gypsy replies. And all I can think about is that damn movie my baby sister, Layne, makes me watch whenever I’m home. My woman looks at me and I can see how much this means to her in her expression.
My phone chimes and I look down and see a text from the local grocery store letting me know that our food has arrived. The deli part of their store does lunchtime deliveries to local companies, all you have to do is place an order online, specify a time, type in the location and voila, food is delivered, and it tastes so much better than fast food. “C’mon, sweetheart, our lunch is here.”
She walks toward me and I take her hand in mine, placing a kiss on her nose. “Can we take the elevator, Luca?” She’s so damn sexy with her nose scrunched up as she worries over if I’ll say yes or no.
“Absolutely, I want you to see what we did there, too.” I’m betting that she’ll die laughing. We walk down the hall and over to the elevator and I press the button. She hasn’t noticed that there’s another button lower to the ground and I decide not to point it out. Once inside, she looks around, her forehead wrinkling.
Reviving Luca: New Beginnings Page 11