by Erin Osborne
“Wasn’t your fault. I know you’re blaming yourself. Don’t,” she says, her voice sounding a little stronger as she admonishes me. “I don’t know what happened, or why, but this isn’t on you. I’m okay and I’ll be going home tomorrow. What about you? Where are you going to go?”
“I don’t know yet. I’ll figure somethin’ out. Right now, I’m just goin’ to be here to make sure that you’re okay. I’ll get you home tomorrow and then I’ll figure out what I’m doin’. Maybe I’ll stay at the clubhouse,” I answer her, enjoying the feeling of her warm and delicate hand in mine.
“What about staying at my house. I have a ton of bedrooms and then I won’t be alone. I could help you figure out what you’re gonna do now,” she responds, never once taking her eyes off of me. Callie might not be looking me in the eyes right now, but she’s looking at our clasped hands. A slight blush staining her cheeks with the offer.
“Are you sure?” I ask, stunned that she’d offer me a room at her grandma’s house.
Callie nods her head and finally looks me in the eyes. “It’s a big house. And I don’t want to be alone right now,” she says, fear in her eyes as she remembers this morning’s events. “You don’t have to stay with me. Don’t do it because you feel obligated. Just an idea.”
I watch as her eyes droop. I’m not sure if it’s from exhaustion or from whatever meds they gave her here. “I’ll stay with you. The guys are here,” I tell her, watching as she opens her eyes up and a smile small graces her lips.
“Let them in?” she asks, slipping her hand out of mine and trying to sit up a little straighter.
I nod my head and walk over to the door. The guys didn’t even leave where they stopped. Instead, I find them surrounding her door, taking up space in the hallway and getting dirty looks from staff and other patients. Motioning with my head, they all stand up straight and follow me into the room. Callie smiles as they walk closer to her, leaving the chair empty for me.
“Sweetheart, if you wanted to see us, you just had to call. Told you our numbers are in the kitchen,” Renegade says, not letting the fact that he was scared show while trying to break the tension.
“This is so much more dramatic though. I thought you’d appreciate the gesture,” she replies, causing all of us to laugh. The moments we get to see free and happy Callie shine through are amazing. I’m impressed with her ability to joke and laugh right now. Even if it’s just for show.
“Well, I do like dramatic acts to show appreciation. How about not in a hospital next time, yeah?” he asks, bending over to give her a hug.
I watch as he whispers something to her, and she turns her attention to me. There’s a look of shock and something else on her face, reaching her eyes, that I can’t make out. Renegade just looks at me as he pulls back and lets Grave step up next to her.
“Babe knew you’d be trouble the second I saw you on the side of the road,” he murmurs, wrapping his arms carefully around her and kissing her cheek.
Everything in me screams to rip her out of his arms, but I don’t want to hurt her more than she is already. The smug bastard stands up and smirks at me, knowing the thoughts that are running through my head while Callie looks back and forth between us. Yeah, not explaining that one to her. Not right now anyway. There’s too much happening right now for me to get it out and have it make sense. So, I keep my mouth shut and listen as the guys and Callie talk. They’re trying to make her laugh and smile, so she forgets about the bullshit that just happened.
“So, you know I’m gonna ask what happened? Right?” she asks suddenly, letting her gaze land on each of us before continuing. “I know here isn’t the place, but eventually I’m gonna wanna know what I’m a part of now.”
“Know that babe. And we’ll tell you as much as we can. I can already see the stubbornness that you get from your grandma. We’re just not gonna tell you all of it,” Renegade says, leaning against the wall and crossing his ankles. “Right now, the only thing I’m concerned about is how you are.”
“I’m okay. I was shocked and worried about Bear when I woke up here. But I think we know what Bear’s gonna do for now. We’ll figure the rest out later. I’m not leaving him alone to figure this out,” she says, completely flooring me that she’s going to stand by my side while I figure this shit out.
“What do you mean?” Psycho asks, standing against the window.
“I’m gonna stay with Callie for a while. I know I’ll have to be at the clubhouse a lot. But, right now I’ll have a place to crash and she won’t be alone. It works,” I answer, shrugging like it doesn’t mean anything to me. In reality, I’m worried that I’ll be able to keep my hands to myself.
The guys don’t say a single word. Instead they all turn their attention to me. I know they’re waiting for my reaction; they want more than what I’m giving them. Smokey and Psycho will be by later on to talk to me, I know that without a doubt. But they’ll wait until Callie gets home and then I’ll let them know where I’m at. For now, I’m going to focus on Callie and making sure she heals and doesn’t have to go through anything like this again.
For the rest of the day we spend it talking and laughing. Callie sleeps for a little bit while the guys and I talk. More members of the club come and go to make sure that she’s okay. Along with Sam, Bishop, and Carson. They were worried as hell about her once Bishop filled them in. I assured them she was fine, and they told me to let them know when I needed them. For now, we’re gonna have to stop tows and everything. I don’t have anywhere to take them and no way to fix them. This is not going to last for long though. I’ll find somewhere else to open a shop and then we’ll go from there. The sooner I can get it figured out, the better everyone will be. It’s going to be a busy few weeks.
Chapter Six
Bear
FOR THE LAST TWO WEEKS I’VE BEEN STAYING WITH CALLIE. She has been driving me absolutely crazy the entire time. I swear, she has no clue what I want to do to her. Every morning, she enters the kitchen and makes coffee and breakfast. The problem with that is that most of the time she’s wearing a tiny pair of shorts that barely cover her ass and a tank top with no bra on. It’s like she’s trying to push me to my limits. Especially if any of the guys stop by now that I’m officially prospecting for the Satan’s Anarchy MC. What really killed me was the first morning after Callie came home. She came prancing into the kitchen wearing nothing more than a pair of panties and tight tank top that left her midriff exposed. I about had a heart attack.
This morning, Renegade, Psycho, Smokey, and Grave are sitting here with me. We’ve been talking about the reason that the garage and house got blown to smithereens. They think that it’s got something to do with a rival club moving into the area. The new club is a young group of guys that think with their cocks and want to try to terrorize everyone into doing what they want. Renegade and the guys are spooked about it, but they don’t know how to go about getting rid of them right now. Especially since the gang never makes the same move twice and they don’t stay in the same place for very long.
Callie makes her appearance before we’re done talking. My attention goes to Grave and Smokey as they keep their eyes on Callie’s ass while she flows around the kitchen. I swear, they only come here so that they can eat the food she makes. Callie is a fucking amazing cook. I clear my throat as the two men snap their eyes to me and off of her. Grave flashes me his signature smirk and lets me know that he’s getting under my skin. They’re all waiting for me to make my move on the woman. I’ve been tempted and the thought has crossed my mind more times that I care to admit.
During the day, Callie spends her time cleaning, going through her grandma’s things, and searching online for properties that might suit my needs. She’s printed out several sites and showed them to me. The ones that I like, she’s put in a separate pile and called the realtor so we can go look at them. When we’re not talking about that, we’ve been spending time together. Sometimes we sit on the porch and talk about things. Other times we watch
movies. I’ve learned that she didn’t get a chance to watch a lot of movies when she was growing up. In fact, the more that I learn about her, the more pissed off I am with the way her parents treated her. Callie was never allowed to be a normal teenager and has no clue about things that she should.
My favorite times with her are when we sit on the couch and get lost in a movie. Every day she becomes a little more comfortable around me and moves closer and closer to where I sit. The last time, she let me pick a horror movie and ended up practically in my lap when the scary parts came on. I wrapped my arms around her and did nothing but hold her. Through the entire movie, I smelled her intoxicating scent; a mixture of citrus and something that’s uniquely Callie. There’s not a single perfume in the world that smells anything like her, and I can’t get enough of it.
The reason that her taste in music is so vast and all over the map is because she was never allowed to listen to it. If any music played in her house at all it was classical or jazz. At twenty-three years old, Callie is just now finding out what she likes. The ones that top her list are Staind, Brantley Gilbert, and Chris Stapleton. I’m sure she’ll hear much more than that if she ever steps foot in the clubhouse. You never know what’s going to be blaring through the speakers there.
“Callie, how are you this mornin’?” Grave asks, getting her to turn around as she makes omelets for the guys and me.
“I’m good. I can finally move without any aches and pains,” she answers, flashing us a smile before turning back around to cook.
“That’s real good news babe,” he answers, not once taking his eyes off her ass. “What are your plans today?”
“Well, we have to go look at a few properties and then I’m going to come back here and work in the yard,” she says, plating up the last of the meal before bringing plates over to us.
We all share a glance as she places a plate in front of each of us, grabs silverware, condiments, and drinks for us all. There isn’t a plate for her, and she won’t sit at the table with us. Instead, she takes her bagel and coffee out to the front porch and sits outside to eat her breakfast. It’s not much of a breakfast if you ask me, but she argues the point every single time I bring it up. So, I gave up because I know it’s a losing battle.
“She still makin’ sure that we all have what we need before she’ll eat or drink?” Renegade asks, amazement and wonder filling his face. “How the fuck are we gonna get her to break that shit?”
“I don’t know. I’ve been tryin’ to make sure that I don’t ask her to do anythin’ and I’ve been makin’ some of the meals to show her that it’s not all on her to do this shit,” I tell them, leaning back in my chair so I can see her out on the porch. “I hate this shit for her.”
“We’ll figure it out,” Grave says, standing up and taking his dishes to the sink. I watch as he rinses them off and fills the dishwasher before walking back over to us. “What time are you guys leavin’?”
“Soon. I think we gotta be at the first spot in an hour or so. And, I need to go make sure that Callie’s car is getting fixed. The dealership had a few more things to do the last time she called. I’m goin’ there to make sure they aren’t fuckin’ her over like I think they are,” I tell them, knowing that Callie’s car should have already been done.
“Take her on the bike yet?” Psycho asks, pushing his plates aside as we hear Callie starting to sing out on the porch.
“Not yet. Been waitin’ for her to feel good enough to ride. I didn’t want to add to the bruises and pain she’s been feelin’ since the explosion,” I tell him, sitting up in my chair in case Callie comes inside. “Plannin’ on takin’ her today. We’ve got multiple properties to look at and I thought we’d take the bike before headin’ back here.”
“You need anythin’ else? More clothes or anythin’?” Grave asks, getting up so that they can head out.
“No, I’m good. You know I don’t need much,” I say, grabbing the rest of the plates off the table and walking them over to the sink.
Callie comes back in as I’m rinsing them off and stacking them in the dishwasher. She says good bye to the guys after giving me a weird look while I continue to load the dirty dishes. Turning away from me she walks out of the room so she can go upstairs and get ready for the day ahead. Grave is still trying to get to me by watching her ass as she walks up the stairs. At one point, I think he actually bends over trying to see her ass cheeks under her shorts. That fucker is gonna get it one of these days. I’m gonna take pleasure in landing a hit or two for the shit he’s trying to pull with Callie.
“We’ll see you guys later. Stop by the clubhouse and let us know what you find out today. You got the money for a new shop to be built and the land?” Renegade asks, as I walk them to the door.
“Yeah. It was pretty much an open and shut case with the insurance company. Put the check in the bank two days ago. Now, it’s just a matter of findin’ somethin’ I can use for the shop and a tow yard. Figure I might be able to expand into repossessions or somethin’,” I answer him, watching as they walk out to their bikes parked next to mine in the driveway.
“Let us know what we can do to help. You know we’re the ones buildin’ this shit for you, right?” Psycho asks, straddling his bike before starting it up.
I nod in response as the bikes roar to life. The sound is thunderous, and I love to hear it. I’m sure that Callie can hear it even under the shower. The other morning Callie and I were sitting on the porch, just enjoying the silence and companionship. I caught her looking at my bike. She’d turn away and look elsewhere in the yard, but her gaze would always return to the bike. There was a look of wonder and awe that covered her face as she looked at it. I know she wants to go for a ride but doesn’t know how to ask me for one. The same way that I don’t know how to talk to her. This is the first time this shit has happened to me. Usually I don’t give a shit if I’m making an ass of myself or not. With Callie, I want to be the man that she needs and wants in her life.
Callie loves being on the bike. She climbed on behind me and wrapped her tiny body around me. I had to take a minute to calm myself down before we left for the day. It’s honestly like she’s been riding bitch her entire life when she’s never been on the back of a bike at all. When we got to the first place, she climbed off and nothing could wipe the smile off her face. It was the greatest thing I’ve ever witnessed as she pulled the helmet off and shook out her long hair. It’s one more thing that I’ve added to the list of things to memorize about her.
We’re on our third property of the day. They all seem to be lacking something and I can’t quite put my finger on it. The first one was too close to houses and Callie said no as soon as we pulled up. Then we got to the second one and it was too small. I had more land at the original site than here. Now we’re at the third one and I just don’t like it. There’s no way that I’m going to build here. I can see by the look on Callie’s face that something is off to her too.
“No, none of these work,” she says suddenly, turning to look at the realtor that I’ve already fantasized about killing numerous times for the way he’s looking at Callie.
“What’s wrong with it?” he asks, turning around and looking at the wide-open space.
“Just don’t like it,” she answers, shrugging her shoulders and walking back over to my bike.
I follow her over there as the realtor stands there dumbfounded for a minute. “Come on asshat. We got one more property to look at,” I say when he still doesn’t make a move to walk toward his car.
“That wasn’t very nice,” Callie says, laughter bubbling out of her as she pulls the helmet back on while waiting for me to climb on the bike in front of her.
“He wasn’t movin’ and I’m ready for this to be over with,” I tell her, grabbing on to her thighs and pulling her forward so she’s plastered against my back once again.
Callie gasps as I leave one hand on her thigh for a minute. Her tits are pressed against my back and her legs are molded around me. I ca
n almost feel the heat rolling off her pussy and I want in there more than anything. But I know that she’s a virgin and we need to take this slow. Don’t ask me what made me pull her into me or let my hand linger on her for any amount of time because I couldn’t tell you. I just know that I’ve been trying so hard to stay away from her and that’s about to end. There’s no way I can stay away from her.
We make the trip to the last property and I feel Callie suck in a breath as she gets the first glimpse of it. There’s a building that’s already been started along with a huge parking area that’s been paved. Off to the side of the building there’s a wide-open field. And, there’s nothing around the area at all. We’re just on the outskirts of town, heading toward the clubhouse. This looks like it might actually be the perfect spot for me to rebuild.
As soon as I’m stopped, Callie jumps off the bike and takes everything in. I watch as she spins around in a circle to take it all in before turning to me with a smile. Nodding my head, I let her know that I agree with her in thinking that this is the perfect spot to build. The realtor walks up to her and the feeling of destroying this man comes back full force. I’m the one that’s buying the fucking land; not Callie. There’s no need for him to talk to her anymore. Just as I go to say something to him, Callie runs over to me and wraps her arms around me. I’m not sure what the hell is going on, but I’ll take it.
“I really like this one. If you keep me working for you, I can take my break under those trees. If you put a picnic table there,” she says, letting the excitement pour from her.
“I like this place. We’re not far from the clubhouse here too,” I tell her, looking down at her while she wraps around me once again.
The realtor stares at Callie like she’s lost her damn mind. I saw the look covering his face as soon as he saw my Prospect cut. Callie has done nothing but ignore him since meeting him this morning. I stare over her head and let him know that she’s mine and he can back the fuck off. A smirk covers my face when he frowns in response and shakes his head in disgust. That’s right fucker! You lost and never had a fucking chance at this amazing as hell woman.