Ignite

by L. Wilder

  I had a great time with Courtney and Tessa. I loved hearing all their funny stories from school. It sounded like they had their hands full, but I knew they adored the kids they were working with. It was getting late, so everyone had started to leave. Tessa and Courtney both gave me a hug before they left. Courtney looked back over her shoulder and smiled as Bobby took her hand leading her out of the bar.

  I was gathering up all the empty beer bottles from the bar when Goliath walked over to Bulldog. Bull had been drinking pretty heavily with Doc and looked more than a little drunk.

  Goliath gave him a harsh look and said, “Time to call it a night. We need to leave early tomorrow. We have a long drive, and I don’t want to be stuck in the truck with you while you’re nursing a hangover.”

  “I know. I’m finishing up this last beer, and then I’m heading out,” Bulldog replied. Goliath never even glanced in my direction. He turned and headed for the door. He was still punishing me for earlier, and I was over it. He was being a jerk, and I intended to call him out on it. I followed him outside. The bar door slammed behind me as I tried to catch him before he reached his bike.

  He was several feet in front of me when I called out, “Goliath?”

  He slowed down, but he didn’t stop walking. “Goliath, will you stop already?”

  “I need to get going, Lily. I have a long few days ahead of me, and I need to get some sleep,” he said flatly.

  He turned and faced me with a flash of rage in his eyes. I knew I had done the wrong thing, but he was being ridiculous. He took a few steps and stopped when he was close enough for me to feel the heat coming from his body. He let out a deep sigh before he spoke.

  “Tell me, Lily. What did you think was going to happen with me and that girl tonight?” he asked in a deep, angry voice.

  “What was I supposed to think, Goliath? She was gorgeous, and she was practically begging you to fuck her right there in the bar. The next thing I know you’re leading her down the hall towards your bedroom,” I explained. I thought I’d made several valid points. How could he not see that it looked bad?

  “Just so we’re clear, I took her into the hallway to let her know without any doubt that nothing would ever happen between us. There’s only one girl that I want.” He took a deep breath and looked to the ground before he said, “The problem is the girl I want thinks I’m the kind of man that just likes to get my dick wet with any random chick. That doesn’t sit well with me, Lily.”

  “Again, how was I supposed to know that, Goliath?” I asked.

  “After the kiss tonight, I thought I made myself clear, but I’ll tell you what, when you get this whole thing figured out, just let me know.” He lifted his leg over his bike and started the engine. Before he pulled out of the parking lot, he said, “I don’t share, Lily, and I wouldn’t expect you to either.”

  I watched his tail lights fade away as he pulled out onto the main road. I let his words soak in, and I knew I had screwed up. I hated that he was leaving, but maybe the distance would do us both some good.

  Chapter 12

  Goliath

  I had figured Bulldog would have one hell of a hangover the next morning, but he surprised me by being early. He had the truck packed and was ready to go by the time I got the directions and invoices from Bishop. He’d more than proved himself over the past few weeks, and I needed to talk to Bishop about patching him in. We’d made him wait long enough. Besides, Sheppard had mentioned earlier that he was ready for us to meet the new potential prospects, so we’d have some new guys to do all the grunt work. It was time to make Bulldog a brother.

  “We’re all set, man. You want me to drive?” Bulldog asked.

  “I’ll drive the first few hours. You can take over when we stop for lunch,” I told him.

  “Sounds good. You need anything else before we go?” he asked. He was really pulling out all the stops, and I liked that about him.

  “I’m good, Bull. Let’s get going. It’s going to be a long day. I’d like to get to Dallas before dark. We can stop there and still make it to Austin before lunch tomorrow.” I wasn’t a big fan of long drives, but I’d always wanted to go to Texas.

  We stopped in Memphis to grab some lunch at one of the local barbeque joints. Bull ordered enough ribs for three people, but he ate every last bite, leaving nothing but the bones. I hadn’t had much sleep, so I decided to let him drive awhile. I needed to take a break. As soon as I closed my eyes, I found myself thinking about Lily. I could almost smell the scent of her perfume as I thought about her legs wrapped around my waist. She was eager and wasn’t afraid to show it. I’d wanted to take her right there in that hallway, but I knew it was too soon. I needed her to know that she could trust me.

  I learned the hard way that she hadn’t figured that out yet. It pissed me off that she thought I’d have anything to do with Brandie after the kiss we shared. I still didn’t understand why she would ever doubt that she was all that I wanted, all that I needed. She was everything I’d been waiting for and more. In time she would figure it out, or I’d have to be more persuasive.

  The road to Austin was a long one. The endless rice fields in Arkansas made me feel relieved to see the Texas border. Hot Springs seemed like a place I’d like to go back to, but nothing else really drew my attention. Bulldog was sound asleep with his head pressed against the passenger side window. He’d tried to act like the night before hadn’t gotten to him, but I knew he’d had too much to drink. I would let him drive more when he felt up to it.

  We found a cheap motel just outside of Austin that had a little diner attached to it. After we checked in, we walked over to the tiny diner for dinner. The place was clean but looked dated. It could’ve used a little TLC, but I didn’t care as long as the food was good. I was starving. I wasn’t a big fan of barbeque like Bulldog. I just wanted a big cheeseburger and a beer followed by a hot shower.

  “I heard that Sheppard is bringing a few new guys in next week,” Bulldog said as he took a pull from his beer.

  “That’s what he said.” I knew he wanted more, but I planned to make him work for it.

  “Yeah... that’s cool. I mean, the more the merrier, right?”

  “Yep,” I replied, trying to hold back my smile. I figured he had to know that we planned to patch him in soon, but I could tell he was having his doubts.

  “Sheppard’s a cool guy. I’m sure if he thinks these new prospects are a good fit for the club, then they’ll do just fine. Word is they served in the military, so at least they’ll know what it means to have each other’s back.” He looked down at his bottle, and damn if I didn’t start to feel a little sorry for the guy. It just wasn’t fun anymore.

  “Bull, your time is coming soon. Very soon. Just be patient,” I told him, hoping that he would know what I was implying. A big smile spread across his face as he gave me a nod. Yeah, he knew what I meant.

  “I want to get going early in the morning. Would like to be back home late tomorrow night or early Sunday morning,” I told him.

  “You got it, man. I figure we’re gonna have a few busy weeks ahead of us if we plan to get all these orders done by Christmas.”

  “There’s no doubt about that. Bishop will be on our asses if we don’t them done on time. It shouldn’t be a problem with the new guys coming in next week. We’ll put them to work and get this stuff knocked out early.”

  “Yeah, it’ll be nice having a few extra sets of hands,” Bulldog said smiling. He knew he wouldn’t be stuck doing all the grunt work. Hell, I couldn’t blame him. We’d been using him for all kinds of shit over the past eight months. The guy deserved a little retribution.

  We finished our dinner and headed over to the hotel. It was nothing to write home about. The place was a dump. The mattresses were lumpy, and there was no flat screen TV, just an old box model from the 80’s. At least the picture was good, so we were able to watch a little SportsCenter before bed. I had a mild obsession with sports - all sports. My dad used to always call me into the li
ving room to see some wild play someone had made, and it became our thing. Every time I saw a great catch or tackle, I thought of him.

  Bulldog fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, but I was wide awake. My mind kept drifting back to Lily. I wondered what she was doing right then. Was she in bed curled under the covers wearing a t-shirt and her sexy lace panties? I didn’t need to let my mind go there. Bull may have been asleep, but he was still just one bed over from me. I closed my eyes and tried to think about the garage or the game we’d just watched or Christmas with my mother. Nothing worked. I finally fell asleep thinking about Lily wearing that thin white t-shirt and no bra. I loved the expression on her face when she saw me gawking at her. The girl had spunk, and I liked it. Almost as much as I liked the way her tits looked in that shirt. She was perfect.

  The drive back wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. We pulled into Paris around 1:30 in the morning. When we dropped off the trailer at the garage, the clubhouse was empty. Apparently it wasn’t a big night at the bar. I was standing by the main gate thanking Bulldog, when I noticed two motorcycles driving by. They were creeping by, obviously trying to get a look at the clubhouse. I pulled my keys out of my pocket and headed for my bike. By the time I made it out to the main road, they were already gone. Crack Nut Bobby would need to check our surveillance videos. I didn’t want to take any chances.

  I was beat. It’d been a long night, so I headed to my room. As much as I wanted to sleep in my own bed, I was too exhausted to drive any further. I wanted to get some sleep so I could get up and head over to see Lily. I was done being pissed at her. At first, it had really bothered me that she didn’t trust me, but I’d realized it just meant I needed to prove myself to her. I didn’t have a problem with working for it. She was worth it.

  Chapter 13

  Lily

  I’d had the weekend from hell. I wish I’d never even gotten out of the bed. I didn’t sleep at all. I kept thinking of the way things were left with Goliath. I felt torn. Part of me thought he was a big fat jerk for not seeing my side of the situation, and the other part of me felt like crap that I thought the worst of him. We were both right. That’s all there was to it. He just needed to give me a break and understand that I needed time to figure everything out. Then again… that’s just what he’d done.

  To make matters worse, JW was teething. He had been crying non-stop since he got up that morning, and I just didn’t know what else to do for him. Tessa told me to give him some children’s pain reliever and some teething toys, but he was still cranky. I didn’t expect it to be such a big deal since he already had several teeth, but it’d been awful. Fortunately, Tessa said it would be better in a few days.

  Since he wasn’t feeling well, I decided it was time to get the spare room ready for him at the clubhouse. Sheppard helped me get the crib from the used furniture store and even help me set it up. He was a little distant, but I didn’t care. I was just happy to get some help. After we got everything set up, I spent the afternoon cleaning the kitchen and taking inventory at the bar. I needed to go shopping, so I decided to go see Bishop.

  “Bishop?” I asked tapping on his office door.

  “Yeah, Lily, come on in. You need something?” he asked.

  “We’re running low on supplies and beer. I need to make a run to town,” I told him.

  “Here, take my card. Get anything you need,” he said reaching into his wallet for his credit card.

  “Thanks. Is there anything I can get you while I’m out?” I asked.

  “Yeah, can you see if you can find some more of that cheddar Chex-mix? I love that stuff, but Tessa never remembers to buy it,” he said hopefully.

  “I’ll find it. Be back in a few hours. I’ll have John Warren with me, so it might take me a while.”

  “Don’t do that. Bring him to me. I like hanging out with him. I’ll give him the grand tour of the place,” he said smiling.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Okay. I’ll hurry. Thanks, Bishop,” I said on my way out the door.

  “I already told you about that!” he called back. I smiled knowing that I would never be able to stop thanking him. He was just too good to me.

  It took longer than I planned to get everything we needed from town. I didn’t realize how much I had to buy. I got several odd looks as I filled my car with all the groceries and alcohol. I was already exhausted by the time I unloaded everything, and the night hadn’t even started yet.

  At least things were slow at the bar. Apparently the guys had all decided to hang out at Hidden Creek, so the night seemed to drag on forever. I was really starting to miss Goliath. I found myself watching the front door hoping that he would come back early. I just wanted to see his face, to know that everything was okay, but he never came. For reasons I didn’t understand, my heart ached for him. My feelings for him had snuck up on me, and now there was nothing I could do about it. I was falling for the big brute, and I wanted him home.

  Things never did pick up at the bar, so Bishop sent me home early. He also paid me with a little bonus for all the work I’d done in the kitchen. I was thrilled to have my first check. I had been getting really low on funds, and it was starting to make me nervous. Now, I had more than enough to take care of everything.

  Saturday was more of the same. I spent the day cooking several casseroles for the guys, washed my car, took John Warren to the park, and got ready for work. I decided to try taking John Warren with me to work. The room was ready, and I figured it was time to try it out. Melinda said she would love to help me with him, so everything was taken care of.

  The night was long. The guys were not in good moods, and they were all set on fixing it with booze. They were not pleasant to say the least. I did my best to just serve them their beers and stay out of their way. Brandie and Cindy were doing their best to cheer them up, but none of them seemed the least bit interested in either of them. That made me smile.

  The guys’ bad moods were starting to rub off on me. I was getting a little down in the swamps, and I was really homesick. I really wanted to talk to my sister about everything that was going on with Goliath. I’d even talk to my mother about it at that point, but I couldn’t call her. It was just too risky. By then, I was even missing my dad. The more I was around the guys at the club, the more I realized that my mother might have been wrong about him. I knew in my heart that he loved me, and I wanted so much to talk to him again. I was starting to think it was time for me to try to contact him. I wanted to find out for myself what kind of man he really was.

  I wasn’t sure what was going on with the guys. They were getting louder by the minute, and I could tell they were upset about something. Sheppard’s voice was rising, and his fists were clenched at his side. I got curious, so I walked over closer to them. I started picking up empty beer bottles so I could listen to what they were saying.

  “The fucker was doing the exchange in broad daylight man. It didn’t even faze him when I drove by,” Sheppard shouted.

  “These fucking idiots are just asking for trouble,” Otis barked.

  “Did you tell Bishop about it?” Doc asked Sheppard.

  “Yeah. He said Crack Nut had some new leads. He’s looking into them, and they’ll call us for a meet when they know more.”

  I had no idea what they were talking about, so I decided it was a good time to go check on John Warren. I eased the door open and peeked inside. He was sound asleep in his new crib, and Melinda was laying on the bed reading a book.

  “He’s doing fine, sweetie. You don’t have to worry about that little guy. He’s handling things just fine,” Melinda said in her motherly voice. I really liked her. She reminded me a lot of Tessa’s mother. Soft spoken but always made her point.

  “Thanks for watching him, Melinda. I know he’s in good hands with you,” I told her.

  “Are the boys giving you a hard time?” she asked.

  “They’re all pretty tense tonight. I think something
’s going on.”

  “Yeah, Doc said there’s a new club trying to stake claim in town, and they’re worried about it,” she said with concern in her voice.

  “They seem pretty pissed.”

  “Bishop has worked hard to get the club in a good place. They don’t want anyone coming around messing things up, so they’re a little on edge.”

  “That explains a lot. I guess they’re trying to drink it off their minds,” I said.

  “It shouldn’t be long, dear, especially at the rate they’re going,” she said laughing.

  I hoped she was right. I’d had just about all I could take of the tension in the bar. At least they weren’t taking it out on me. They seemed to get that I wasn’t there for them to give a hard time. I appreciated that. Too bad they didn’t feel the same way about each other.

  I was relieved when they all decided to call it a night. Sheppard was the last one to leave, and he reminded me to lock the door behind him. As I locked the door, I hoped that Goliath had a key. I knew it was late, but a part of me hoped that he would make it back sometime that night. I decided not to use the dead bolt just in case.

  I sent Melinda home and got ready for bed. I took off my jeans and pulled on an old t-shirt to sleep in. I slipped into bed and pulled the covers over me. It was a little cold, but I liked it that way. I looked over at the crib, and John Warren was still sound asleep. It was nice having him there with me. It meant a lot to me that Melinda stayed with him. I’d have to find a way to pay her back sometime.

  I was just about to drift off to sleep when I heard footsteps walking down the hall. I could hear male voices, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying. I jumped out of bed and gently opened the door just enough for me to see that Goliath was talking to Bulldog. They must have just gotten back. I looked over at the clock and saw it was 2 a.m. I looked back through the crack of the door just in time to see Goliath go into his room and shut the door. My heart raced just knowing that he was so close to me.