by Wilder, L
“Well, that’s before I saw you jump out of your skin when that ghost blew the match out in that basement.”
“Now, that’s just not fair. That shit was fucked up,” Renegade said with a serious expression on his face.
I couldn’t hold back my laughter. He smiled and threw a piece of pepperoni at me.
“Do you remember that Halloween we went to see Jason VS Freddy with Ace and that awful girl he was seeing?” I asked.
“How could I forget?” He said, rolling his eyes. “You and Ace screamed at the movie screen the entire time. It was embarrassing as hell. And his date was a total nightmare. Didn’t she end up leaving in the middle of the movie?”
“Yeah, I think she did. It was awesome. The best part was when we rolled Old Man Turner’s yard for giving me all those bad grades in Math. You were like a man on a mission! It had to take him months to clean all that up.”
“He shouldn’t have given you such a hard time. I had to teach him a lesson,” Renegade said with a smile.
“I’ve missed hanging out with you,” I told him.
“I’m sorry I haven’t been around more. I should’ve come to check on you after Ace died. I just wanted to give you time. I know losing him was hard on you, and I’d give anything to bring him back. I wish I had gone with him that night.”
“It’s not your fault. I shouldn’t have been so hard on you back then. I was just hurting. I’m sorry I put that on you.”
“You were right. I should’ve been there with him. We never expected anything like that to happen. It was just a routine delivery.”
“It was an awful thing that happened, but he chose to go that night. You weren’t his keeper. You were his friend.” I placed my hand on his and said, “You were a good friend to him. He loved you like a brother.”
“He was my brother in every way. I owe him my life.”
“Okay, enough of this depressing talk. You got another movie or what?” I asked.
“No more scary shit,” he said with a smile. “Action or comedy?”
“You pick. I’m up for anything.”
“Alright, Identity Thief it is. I’ll make us some popcorn while you watch the previews.”
“Are you nuts? The previews are the best part!” I said with an appalled look on my face.
“They take all the good parts of a movie and cram it into two minutes,” Renegade continued. “You know the whole movie after watching the preview.”
“Like I said, the previews are the best part!”
He sighed exasperatedly as he said, “Just start the movie. I’ll be right back.”
Renegade came back with a large bowl of popcorn and sat on the sofa next to me. Once the movie started, I rested my head in his lap. Time stood still as I laid there with him. I didn’t want the moment to end. He began running his hands through the long strands of my hair, and after a few minutes I drifted off to sleep. When the credits began to play, Renegade eased himself off the sofa and lifted me up into his arms. I was barely awake as he carried me back to his bedroom. He carefully laid me on the bed and pulled the covers over me. He leaned down and lightly kissed me on top of my head. He whispered goodnight and walked out of the room.
It’s been three days since that night, and I haven’t really seen him since. He comes in after I’ve already gone to bed, and he leaves for work before I get up. The empty glasses on the coffee table are the only signs he’s even been there.
Other than a few visits from Tessa and Courtney, I’ve basically been hanging around his house solo. And now, I’m bored out of my ever-loving mind. I’ve finally caught up on all my True Blood episodes and read all the books I had saved on my Kindle. I’ve even read all the magazines Tessa brought me three times. I’ve watched the bruises on my body slowly fade away, and I’m feeling more like my old self every minute. Now, I just feel stir crazy.
I don’t know what I would do without Tessa. She has been my saving grace this week. She’s been by every day to check on me and make sure I have everything I need. She’s so easy to talk to, and she’s really grown on me in the short time that I’ve known her. I can see why all the guys are crazy about her. I never thought I’d see the day when Cole Bishop would settle down again, but she’s perfect for him.
During one of our talks, she told me about her brother, Duce. She seemed to really understand how hard it has been for me to lose Ace. Even though her situation is much different from mine, it still hurts to lose somebody you truly care about. She told me that she had to break the news to her parents about what had happened to him. Her mother didn’t take it very well. She’d always hoped that her son would come back home, and they’d be a happy family again. Tessa said she’d always known that wouldn’t happen. She saw the change in him years ago, but she was still shocked that he’d try to hurt her like he did. It’s amazing what people will do when they’re desperate.
Since Renegade has been busy with work, he’s been sending Tessa and Courtney to check on me every day, and he’s only called a few times. Other than that, I haven’t even seen him. I really enjoyed spending time with him the other night, and I wanted to see him again. It was one of the best nights I’ve had in a long time, and it was starting to piss me off that he hadn’t been around. He was the one that demanded that I come here, and now he’s incommunicado! It’s bullshit. I could be at home reading and watching TV. I don’t see the point in me being here if he’s not even going to be around. I’ve had enough.
I did my best to take a shower without getting my cast wet. Fixing my hair was a challenge, but I made the best of it. I left it down and loose around my shoulders. I used my foundation to cover the remaining bruises on my face. They were almost gone, but I didn’t want anyone to see what was left of them. The bright pink cast was bad enough. I slipped on a pair of jeans and one of my favorite long sleeved Guns and Roses t-shirts. I pulled on my boots and called a cab to come pick me up. I was going to pay Renegade a visit at the clubhouse. I wanted to know what was going on with him. Why was he keeping his distance from me? Did he regret me coming there or was there more to it?
The cab pulled up to the gate of the clubhouse, and one of their newest members came walking up to the window. I remembered him from the funeral. I had only met him once before, but I could still remember his name, Otis. It reminded me of an old man sitting on his porch drinking moonshine. He was tall and muscular. To be honest, he was a little intimidating. His arms were covered in ink, and he had a fierce look on his face.
He leaned in and said, “You here to see Renegade?”
“Yes. Is he here?”
“He’s working on a bike in the garage. Just pull around back. I’ll let him know you’re coming.”
“Thanks.”
The cab pulled around to the back of the garage, and I climbed out and grabbed my wallet to pay him. Before I had a chance to pay, Renegade shoved a wad of cash in his hand. The guy thanked him and pulled away.
“What are you doing here? You should’ve called me. I would’ve sent Tessa or Courtney to come get you,” Renegade snapped.
“Why would you call them? I didn’t realize that they were going to be my babysitters all week long.”
“I’ve had a lot of shit going on. I’ve been working on this bike all week, and I haven’t had time to come by.”
“That’s bullshit, and you know it, Noah Hudson. You’re avoiding me, and I want to know why.”
Chapter 13
Renegade
Taylor caught me off guard today. I wasn’t expecting her to call me out on my shit, but there she was, expecting some kind of answer as to why I haven’t been around. How do I tell her that it’s impossible for me to be around her without thinking about all the ways I want to make her mine? Just hearing her call me Noah twists my heart in knots. I’ve been watching her while she sleeps for the past few nights, and it’s been the best part of my day. She doesn’t even know I’m there, but just being in the same room with her calms me. It’s getting harder for me to remember
that I can’t have her. Now she was standing there looking sexy as hell with her hand on her hip and that little crinkle across her nose waiting for me to answer. To hell with it.
“You’re right. I’ve been trying to give you time to sort your shit. I figured you had a lot to think about, and I was giving you time to do it.”
“I’ve had more than enough time to sort through my shit. I did that the first day. I’m over it. Now, I’m bored out of my skull sitting in that house all day.”
“You think you can ride on my bike with your cast?”
“Sure, I think so. Why? What do you have in mind?” she asked sounding more than a little curious.
“You should know by now that I’m not telling you where we’re going. Let me go and get an extra helmet. My bike is parked around front.”
“Great. Can we drive over the bridge? I love looking at the water this time of year. The leaves are still so beautiful. They won’t be here much longer.”
“You got it.”
I went into the garage and told Sheppard that I would be back tomorrow to finish the bike. I grabbed Taylor a helmet and met her out front. She was already sitting on my bike when I reached her. Damn, she looked good sitting there.
“Let’s get this show on the road! I can’t wait to see where you’re taking me.”
“I’ll take it easy. If you get tired, or have a hard time holding on, let me know.”
“I’ll be fine.”
I decided to take her for a ride through the Land Between the Lakes. The Elk and Bison Prairie is a great place to go when the weather is nice. There are 700 acres where elk and bison have been reintroduced to the area. You can drive through the park and see them roaming around. The Homeplace is also close by. It’s a farm that shows what it was like to live in Tennessee in the 19th century. I wasn’t sure if she’s a fan of history, but it’s really beautiful there this time of year.
Taylor wrapped her arms around my waist. The cast was a little cumbersome, but she seemed to manage. I eased forward so she didn’t jab me in the stomach with that damn thing. I wouldn’t have minded at that point anyway. That smile on her face would’ve made it worth it. I felt like an ass for not doing something sooner.
Once we got on the main road, it didn’t take Taylor long to adjust to riding on my bike. She rested her cast on my thigh and laid her head on my shoulder. I could feel her raise her head from time to time when she wanted to get a better look at something. It was actually a really nice day. The weather was still fairly warm for that time of year, and all of the leaves were still a bright reddish orange color. It was my favorite time of the year. Thanksgiving was just a few weeks away, and then, it would be too cold for rides like this.
It was late in the afternoon by the time we made it to Bison Park. The buffalo were large, immensely strong animals, and they were pretty awesome. It amazes me how easygoing they are considering how mean they look. They moved around in herds and spent most of their time eating grass. As we got closer, they heard the rumble of my engine and most of them ran away from us. We weren’t able to get really close to any of them. When we got to the end of the trail, I circled back to the Old Homeplace.
“Is this where they live like they did back in the 1850s?” Taylor asked.
“Yeah. Have you been here before?”
“Not since I was little. My dad brought Ace and I here a long time ago.”
“You wanna take a walk through it? We don’t have to stay long.”
“Sure. I need to stretch my legs. It’s been awhile since I’ve been on a bike this long,” she said.
There wasn’t much of a crowd when we entered the main gates of the farm. We roamed through several of the old, dilapidated cabins, and Taylor told me a few stories about the time she came with Ace. Apparently he wasn’t a big fan of life on a farm and was rude to a few of the workers. It would’ve been fun to be there with him. We could’ve added a little excitement to the old place.
We stopped and watched an older lady working on a quilt while a younger lady made all these different shapes of soap. They had several farm animals fenced in various places, and chickens were running around pecking the ground. They all ran whenever we got too close to them. Taylor kept trying to catch a chicken, but she never got close enough to grab him.
“You know you’ve never been good at catching wild animals,” I told her.
“What are you talking about?” she asked with her brows furrowed.
“Don’t you remember those kittens in your neighbor’s backyard? You spent all summer trying to get your hands on one of them. You never did catch one.”
“Yeah, I also remember you and Ace making fun of me about it.”
“I think I made up for that in the end, though,” I reminded her.
“You did. It was one of the sweetest things anyone had ever done for me. Mom still has that silly cat. She wouldn’t let me take him with me. You know, you never did tell me how you finally caught him.”
“I can’t give away all my secrets,” I replied with a wink.
She rolled her eyes and slipped her arm around mine as we continued our walk through the farm. I liked spending time with her like this, but it was getting dark, and I could tell she was getting tired. I took her hand and led her back to the bike.
“Thanks for bringing here today, Ren. I really had a great time. Do you have to get back to the clubhouse?”
“Actually, I thought we could grab some takeout and go back to the house and watch another movie.”
“I’d really like that.” She got this excited look on her face, and said, “Oh! Let’s watch The Devil’s Due! It’s supposed to be awesome.”
“Is that another scary movie? What’s with you and these movies?”
“It’s scary, but I doubt it will be as scary as the last one. What can I say? It’s like riding a roller coaster. You know something bad is going to happen, but you just don’t know when,” she said with a sexy smile.
“Whatever. Let’s go grab some Chinese, and then we’ll go rent whatever you want.”
Taylor jumped on my bike and looked like she was waiting for Christmas morning. I thought she was cute when she was pissed, but it was nothing like seeing her excited. As soon as I got on the bike, she slipped her hands around my waist. I took a moment to relish the feeling of having her there. I liked it more than I should have. It was like I felt whole when she touched me. All the pieces of the puzzle snapped into place.
When we got back to my place, Taylor got out the dishes while I unloaded all the crap she ordered from the Chinese restaurant. She definitely wasn’t shy about what she ate. There was enough there to feed half the club. She filled her plate and sat on the sofa. She patted the seat next to her, encouraging me to sit beside her.
“You want me to start the movie?” I asked her.
“We’d better wait. I’m not sure that’s something we want to watch while we eat. I think it may have some gross stuff in it.”
“I definitely don’t want to watch anything gross while I eat. Mind if I check the scores? I want to see how Tennessee is doing tonight. They’re playing Ole Miss, and I have money on Tennessee.”
“Who do you know that would bet against Tennessee? Isn’t that sacrilegious or something?”
“Sheppard. He’s not even an Ole Miss fan. I think he does it just to piss me off.”
“Well, check the scores. Maybe Tennessee is winning so you can rub it in his face when he loses the bet.”
“Ole Miss is really good, but I think we have a real good chance of winning tonight. I hope so, or I’ll never hear the end of it.”
I turned on the game, and sure enough, we were beating Ole Miss. Taylor clapped her hands and cheered for the Vols. She had always been a big fan of UT and loved watching football with Ace.
“Ace would love this. I miss watching the games with him. He’d yell at the screen like he expected them to hear what he was saying. It was so funny to see him all riled up,” she said with a smile.
�
��I remember. You were always yelling right there with him. You two were a pair. I’d never go to an actual game with either of you. It would be embarrassing as hell.”
“Whatever! I think it would be awesome. I think we should go! There are a few games left. Let’s just pick one and go,” she said excitedly.
“Maybe. Let’s start with a scary movie. That’s about all I can deal with for now.”
“Don’t be such an ass.” Taylor said as she laughed. She playfully slapped my arm and smiled. I wondered if it could always be like this with us. Could she ever be truly happy with me or would she come to hate me when she realized who I really was?
Taylor got up and put the movie in. She came back over to the sofa and sat close to me. She nestled into the crook of my arm and laid her head on my shoulder. I rested my hand on her hip, and I could feel her body relax against mine. It was killing me having her so close. I was fighting the urge to kiss her when she rested her broken arm on my thigh. It was inches from the growing bulge in my jeans, and I was thankful for the barrier of the cast. She began tracing imaginary circles on my knee with her fingertips as she settled in closer to me. She had no idea what she was doing to me.
“I’ve really had fun today. I missed you this week,” Taylor said. She lightly kissed the edge of my cheek. I turned to look at her, and I saw the lust in her eyes. I just couldn’t help myself, so I leaned down and pressed my lips against hers. She didn’t seem surprised, instead she turned her head towards me deepening the kiss. At first it was slow and sensual, but it began to build into something more when she opened her mouth. When our tongues met, I couldn’t control my hunger for her. I reached for the hair on the back of her neck and pulled her closer to me. A deep moan vibrated through her as her hand began to roam over the muscles of my chest. Her mouth was perfect -warm and wet as her tongue raked over my bottom lip. I felt consumed with need. I was battling the thoughts in my head. I wanted her so damn much, but I knew I would never be good enough for her. She was starting a new life for herself after Ace, and I would only fuck things up. I desperately wanted things to be different. I wanted to go back and fix the mistakes of my past so we could have a future together, but it just couldn’t be done.