Revenge - A Second Chance, First Time Romance

by Piper Phoenix

  Where was he now? Had he gone home or did he go back to the clubhouse to deal with club stuff? They might be working on a plan of some kind since we’d been followed by that biker. Or maybe he was laying in his bed thinking about me.

  I didn’t want to think about what he’d be doing if he was out with the club, but the thought of him lying in bed thinking about me was enough to send a jolt of passion to rush through my veins. My body suddenly felt warm.

  It was like I could feel his hands all over me and when I closed my eyes I could remember his lips pressed against mine. Our kiss. We’d kissed thousands of times but somehow tonight’s had been different.

  There wasn’t a single thing I could or would do to stop the thoughts. It was just that seeing him again after all this time brought back so many feelings. I couldn’t make sense of any of it and I didn’t even want to.

  Before I knew it I’d be back at my place in the city. Far away from him and I didn’t want to have regrets. If I wanted to think about his kiss I could as long as I didn’t let things get out of hand.

  Once I was back home things would go back to normal. I’d stop thinking about him and we’d both go back to our normal lives. But for now, I let my hands glide over my still tingling body while I thought about what it was like when Pike touched me.

  If only he was here with me. I wouldn’t be able to say no. I missed his kiss… I missed him.

  Chapter 9

  The morning sun streamed through my window and warmed my face waking me from my restful sleep. I groaned through half-closed eyes, and blinked several times.

  When the masculine scent of Pike entered my nostrils, I suddenly felt awake. I looked around trying to identify where the smell was coming from. My clothing was lying in a heap on the floor next to the bed and must have had a light trace of him soaked into the fabric.

  I closed my eyes and inhaled trying to catch the scent again, but it wasn’t there. Maybe I had only imagined it. I stretched my hands over my head and forced myself to swing my legs over the side of the bed.

  The clock on my dresser claimed it was ten in the morning, but it had to be wrong. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d slept in this late. I guess that was the good thing about having some time off of work. There was time to catch up on much needed sleep.

  I got up off of the bed and made my way to the bathroom. I took a long, hot, steamy shower and it felt amazing. My whole body relaxed and I felt rejuvenated. Every muscle in my body felt as though it had been thoroughly massaged and revived. Everything from the previous day rinsed down the drain and I felt lighter.

  After I dried off, I got dressed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. I looked in the mirror and shrugged at my reflection. It was the best I could do with what I’d brought with me.

  The thought of what Jake had done for me last night crossed my mind and I wanted to thank him. I opened my bedroom door and could smell the bacon downstairs.

  If I had to guess, I’d bet it was already gone. It wasn’t like my mom was going to prepare breakfast this late for Jake and I. If anything she’d would have made it earlier and for the rest of the day she’d repeatedly mention how we had missed out on such a wonderful breakfast. If she did say so herself.

  I knocked on Jake’s door and when he didn’t answer I pushed it open a crack. “Jake?” I whispered wanting to make sure he was OK.

  “Ugh, what?” he hissed and held up his arm as if the tiny crack between the door and its frame was letting in too much light. His room was dark and when I glanced at his window I noticed he’d draped a blanket over it to keep the sunlight out. He’d been prepared.

  “I just wanted to make sure you were OK.”

  “Jesus Christ, Jamie. I’m fine. Now get the fuck out of here,” he groaned, his words muffled and running together in a sloppy barely recognizable way. I wasn’t sure but he almost sounded as though he was still a little drunk.

  He turned over to his other side slowly and flipped the pillow over his head. I was tempted to loudly sing the National Anthem but I decided against it. Even though it would have been hilarious, he had let me escape last night. It just would be wrong on so many levels to torture him like that.

  When I went downstairs the kitchen had been cleaned out and no one was around. At least I didn’t have to hear my mom’s complaints about how Jake and I missed her phenomenal breakfast.

  Instead of digging around the kitchen to find something I could eat, I decided to go to the coffee shop. After all, coffee was an absolute must. And I’m sure they would have something I could eat there.

  I left the house, and took my time walking to the coffee shop so I could enjoy the sun. It was a beautiful day and for some reason I couldn't help but smile. Maybe it had to do with the weather or maybe it had to do with Pike.

  I walked inside the coffee shop and Mrs. Olsen smiled at me, “What can I get ya? Coffee, black?”

  “Perfect. Oh, and could I get one of those?” I said pointing at a cherry filled donut.

  “Sure can, hon, no problem,” she said and put the large donut on a plate. She set it down on the counter and slid it towards me as she turned around to get my coffee.

  I looked around the mostly empty coffee shop while I waited. There were two women sitting at a table near the door and a man getting up to throw his things in the trash. He smiled at me as he walked by.

  I heard Mrs. Olsen set down my coffee. She wore a huge smile as I paid for my order. “Thanks hon, have a great day now.”

  “You too,” I said as I picked up the plate and gripped the handle of my mug. I walked towards the table near the window, the same one Pike had been sitting at yesterday.

  The two women sitting at their table sipping from their giant mugs glanced at me as I walked by them. One of them was wearing a black leather jacket and almost looked familiar.

  I sat down and took a sip from my way too hot coffee. A little hiss escaped from between my lips when I almost burned my mouth. The women at the other table turned to look at me, but I pretended not to notice them.

  I busied myself with my phone and took a bite of my sugary donut while I waited for my coffee to cool. I tried not to listen to the women talking, but when their voices hushed and they started talking about the Brother’s I couldn’t help but listen.

  “Henchmen were in town last night,” she said in a barely audible voice. I didn’t know why, but it seemed by the way she said it that she was someone who knew about what was going on with the club. Not just someone gossiping about things she’d overheard.

  “Yeah. Heard that,” the other woman said. “Know what they want?”

  The somewhat familiar woman took a drink from her over-sized mug, “Think they want revenge. You know for what happened,” she coughed. “With their pres.”

  I kept my eyes focused on my phone. Whoever these women were, they didn’t seem happy about what was going on with the club. I wanted to ask them how bad they thought things were… ask if they thought Pike was in danger but I couldn’t.

  They wouldn’t have taken too kindly to the fact that I was listening in. As far as they were considered I was just some random stranger. I was stupid enough to get involved.

  “What are they going to do about it? Have you heard anything?”

  “No idea… he doesn’t tell me until after,” the familiar woman said shaking her head. “It ain’t good that much I know.” She finished her coffee with a big gulp and stood up. I was typing random letters into my phone to look busy but somehow I could tell that she was looking at me. “Let’s get out of here.”

  I didn’t look up again until I heard the bell on the door jingle with their exit. Their words had made me nervous. I sent Pike a text and waited for awhile, but he didn’t send anything back.

  He was probably busy doing whatever he did during the day. I forced myself not to worry. If anyone could take care of themselves, it was Pike.

  After I finished my coffee, I threw out my things and left the coffee shop. Instead of going home I took
a walk down the main street in town. The street got the most traffic because it was where most of the businesses were located. I wanted to see how much things had changed since the last time I’d been here.

  Some of the shops were different, but most of them were the same with a fresh paint job. A few people said hello or waved at me but I didn’t know any of them. At least I didn’t think I did. It was probably just people being friendly, which was a lot different from what I was used to.

  I’d only walked about a block down the main drag when I heard the roar of the motorcycles. It was probably just the Brother’s coming through town for one reason or another. They often seemed to travel in packs and maybe even more so now if The Henchmen were really after them.

  I turned around to look, but when I saw them, I knew their patches weren’t the same as the ones the Brother’s wore. These bikers were The Wild Henchmen… I was sure of it. And there were a lot of them.

  They rolled to a stop in the road in front of the local hardware store. Four of the men got off of their bikes and stood in front of the local hardware store.

  One of them stepped forward and nodded at the other three. Almost simultaneously they pulled out something large from each pocket and chucked it at the big glass window. There was a loud noise and the windows shattered. I ducked as if gunshots had rang out. My heart was pounding hard against my chest. What were they going to do?

  It looked as though they were throwing big rocks, but why they were targeting the hardware store I couldn’t even guess. Maybe they had picked it at random or maybe they had their reasons. I’d probably never know.

  I watched as a woman turned around the block oblivious to what was going on. I wanted to call out to her but I didn’t need to. The second she saw them, she stopped in her tracks. She looked at them, blinked a few times, and screamed before she turned around and ran away as fast as she could. They turned to one another and laughed before they got back on their bikes.

  Right when the bikers started to drive off, a man came bursting out of the broken glass door shouting at them. If I had to guess he was probably the owner of the hardware store. He was so angry his face was the color of a tomato. The man cursed and threw something in their direction but it just flopped to the ground.

  The man rushed back inside and minutes later I heard the police sirens. I knew they’d be here soon, but I didn’t know what they’d do. The Henchmen would be long gone by the time they got here.

  Even though I had been across the street, I felt shaken by what I had seen. People started to come out from other buildings to crowd around and see if they could help. I just wanted to get out of there.

  I didn’t think I needed to stay. There were more than enough people the police could interview about what had happened.

  I backed away from the situation and as the crowd only seemed to increase. Was this the kind of thing that was happening all the time in Greenwood Pass? If it was, it would definitely explain why people were annoyed with the Brother’s Rebellion. This attack hadn’t been something the Brother’s were behind, but maybe people in town didn’t know the difference. Maybe if it had anything to do with a biker gang they just assumed that somehow the Brother’s Rebellion were behind it.

  All that gossiping about what was going on in the town wasn’t just gossip, it was actually retelling of what was happening. I wondered how often things like this were occurring.

  It seems as though there really was a war going on between the Brother’s Rebellion and The Wild Henchmen, but how bad was it? It didn’t matter to me in the least. All I knew was that I didn’t want to be a part of it.

  I didn’t want to put myself in any danger. Everything that just happened was a huge reminder of why I had left when Pike joined the Brother’s MC. The club was bad news.

  My feet tapped at a fast pace against the sidewalk as I made my way home. I was trying to decide if I should cancel my date, or whatever it was, with Pike. He would probably understand if I explained to him what I’d seen. I wanted to see him, but I didn’t want to have anything to do with the Brother’s or the war they were involved in.

  It had been nice to catch up with him but we were too different. I didn’t want any of this in my life. It just wasn’t for me.

  Tonight would be it. I’d go see him but then I would tell him goodbye and go back to my life in the city… forget this all ever happened. It would be for the best.

  Chapter 10

  As I walked to the park to meet up with him. All of the possible excuses I could use to get out of the date flooded my thoughts. But it would be best to just tell him the truth. He knew just as well as I did that this was all just temporary. It would be best to put an end to things now and just go back home.

  But when I saw him waiting for me in the park with his hair combed neatly back, I couldn’t help but smile at him. All my thoughts and worries vanished. It was as though they never even had existed in the first place.

  He looked incredible and instead of feeling nervous about seeing him… I felt exited. Happy. If there was any danger surrounding what I was doing, I didn’t feel it any longer.

  “Hey beautiful,” he called out from across the parking lot. He held out his spare helmet as I approached. If he was worried about the Brother’s war with The Henchmen, he kept it well hidden. But he probably wasn’t at liberty to discuss it outside of the club.

  “Hi,” I said feeling a burst of warmth flow through my body just at the sound of his voice.

  “Ready?” he asked passing me the helmet. I took it and stared at him. For a split second I thought about telling him I couldn’t go, but I changed my mind when he flashed his sexy grin my way.

  I nodded and put the helmet on. Pike’s bike roared to a start and I climbed on the back. My stomach flipped as I slid my hands around his hard stomach. I could feel his muscles even through his clothing. I softly exhaled as all my worries faded away.

  The bike lurched forward and I leaned into him pressing my body into his back. I inhaled his intoxicating masculine scent. The same one I remembered from yesterday.

  I wanted to run my hands across his stomach and all over his chest, but I didn’t. Every nerve ending in my body tingled when he reached back and placed his hand on my leg.

  I closed my eyes at his touch and reminded myself over and over again that we shouldn’t do what I kept wanting to do with him. It would send him the wrong message. If we took it to that level it would only complicate things. I think. This was just a friendly get-together. That’s all.

  No matter what, things wouldn’t ever be what they once had been. I’d have to go back home and he’d go back to his life with the club. The life he’d chosen over me. Or at least it had felt that way to me.

  None of that meant I couldn’t enjoy my time with him. I could savor every minute with him, I just couldn’t let anything go too far. We could never be forever, but we could be for right now.

  The drive to the theater only took about five minutes. Pike turned into the parking lot and pulled his bike into one of the closets spots. He held out his hand to help me off of the bike.

  We walked up to the building hand in hand and he held the door open for me. He was always a gentleman. At least with me he was.

  I couldn’t stop smiling. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been to a movie, but it had probably been with Pike. Back in the city I was always working to keep myself busy. I never felt like I had time to go out to movies.

  “What should we see?” Pike asked, smiling when he saw the look on my face.

  “It doesn’t matter. You pick.” I honestly didn’t care what we saw. I wasn’t even sure I’d be able to concentrate on the movie. All I could think about was him.

  Whether I liked it or not, there was just something about him that made me feel both strong and weak at the same time. It wasn’t anything he was doing intentionally… it was just how he made me feel.

  He put his hand on my lower back and guided me up to the counter. The person behind the counter
barely looked at Pike as he got our tickets. I was pretty sure the kid felt intimidated by Pike… his height, his good looks, his muscles. And maybe his cut had something to do with it too. Being in the Brother’s Rebellion seemed to make people around here nervous and I don’t think the kid was any different.

  As we walked through the halls towards our theater some of the people we passed would quickly glance at Pike and then step to the side or put their heads down as though they were avoiding eye contact. They seemed to be afraid of him. It was frustrating to me. If only they knew Pike the way I did. Then they would know they didn’t have anything to worry about.

  He looked down at me and I could tell he was worried I’d noticed how people reacted to him. I smiled at him because none of it mattered to me in the least.

  Pike was the kindest, most loyal person I’d ever known. The people who looked at him just saw the patches, the leather and his overall tough exterior. Maybe they’d heard he’d been to prison, but that didn’t matter to me. I wasn’t going to let anyone ruin my night with him.

  “Here we are,” he said gesturing towards the propped open door. I walked in and he followed me down the narrow hallway into the dark theater.

  “Still like to sit in the back?” I asked not bothering to look at him.

  “Do you?”

  “Sure,” I said and led the way up the stairs to the back of the theater.

  Pike had picked some horror movie I’d never heard of before and apparently it wasn’t a very popular one. A few more people filtered in while the ads played but no one sat near us. We pretty much had the whole back of the theater to ourselves.

  He leaned back and folded his hands in his lap. His leg were so long they stretched out into my space. I wanted to reach out and put my hand on his thigh, just like old times.

  I crossed my legs and tried to focus on the screen, but my eyes kept shifting down towards his leg. When the lights dimmed and the previews started, it was a little easier to take my mind off of Pike’s amazingly sexy body.