by Pj Fiala
“That’s not fucking true. LuAnn is the last person on earth I want. If she’s made those comments, she’s lying. I have never, ever given her any reason to believe there would ever be anything between us.” He shook his head, “I’ll take care of LuAnn. She better not give you any grief.”
He twisted his head from side to side, then looked into her eyes. He took her hand in his and led her toward the shower.
Stepping in, Joci looked around in surprise. The glass block wall had hidden the size of the shower from view. Standing in it now, she felt dwarfed. The deep brown copper tiles had flecks of graphite colored minerals that sparkled in the light. “This is an amazing shower.”
Jeremiah chuckled, “Well, I’m too big for a normal shower. The first thing I did when I bought this house was gut the bathroom and build this big shower, so when I washed my hair, I didn’t beat the hell out of my elbows.”
He held his arms up to show Joci he could stretch out. Joci stepped under the water with him. She reached over to the shelf and grabbed the bottle of body wash. She squirted some into her hand and held it to her nose. Hmm, that’s why he smelled so awesome. She rubbed her hands together and placed them on his back. He was so beautiful, chiseled muscles and clear, taut skin; the years had been kind.
She looked at the tattoo on his back. It was beautiful, lettered scrollwork that went from shoulder to shoulder and said Rolling Thunder. Joci touched the tattoo with her fingers. She slowly traced each letter across his back, noticing that his muscles rippled and moved under her fingers. Once she had traced the letters, she laid her palm flat and ran her hand over the whole tattoo.
“It’s beautiful.”
Jeremiah slowly turned, finding her eyes. He stared at her a long time, the water beating down on them both. Joci reached up and traced the tattoo on his left bicep.
“What does this mean?”
Jeremiah’s voice cracked. “It’s JT’s initials in Vivaldi Script.”
Yes, now that she looked closer, she could see it—JTS. Joci slid her hand down to his wrist. “This?”
“His birth date.”
Joci traced the tattoo on his right bicep, RMS. “Ryder.”
Jeremiah whispered, “Yes.”
Joci slid her hands to his right wrist and traced the numbers.
“And this would be his date of birth as well. Twins.”
Jeremiah framed Joci’s face in his hands. He stared into her eyes for the longest time. The stormy gray irises framed by a deeper gray. Her long thick lashes now wet from the water of the shower and creating the shape of stars around her eyes. Slowly, he leaned down and kissed her lips. He turned his head so they fit together perfectly, and dipped his tongue into her mouth. He explored, wanting to touch every surface of her body. He wanted to crawl inside her and leave an imprint on her that would never disappear. He slid his hand into her hair and cupped the back of her head, holding her in place while he continued to taste her.
She wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling them closer. When Jeremiah needed to breathe, he lifted his head and laid it on top of Joci’s. He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her to him. He already needed her again; he would take his time and enjoy this.
11
Promise Me
“You’re mine, Joci. No one elses.”
She wrapped her arms around him and held him close.
“I don’t want any other man, Jeremiah. I need you to want only me. Promise me.”
Jeremiah lifted his head to look at her.
“I only want you, Joci. I’m a one-woman man.”
They tucked themselves into bed, and both of them fell blissfully asleep in each other’s arms.
Jeremiah woke Joci around six a.m. He brought her a cup of coffee and set it on the bedside table. He leaned over and kissed her lightly on the mouth, surprised that she responded so quickly to his kiss. She rolled to her back, pulling him over with her, causing him to groan.
“God, you’re an insatiable little woman. How in the hell am I going to keep you satisfied?”
Joci laughed, “I was just thinking the same thing about you. You’re the one who started kissing me.”
Jeremiah chuckled, “I just brought you some coffee. It’s six o’clock. We need to get to the shop in about an hour and a half.”
Joci sat up and took the coffee cup in her hand and breathed in the scent. She took a sip. “Mmm, very good. Thank you.”
Jeremiah lay on his side, still nude, watching her.
She raked her eyes over his body. “How is it you look great all the time? Geez, you’re going to give me a complex,” Joci smiled.
He returned her smile. “How is it you look great all the time?”
She shook her head. “I exercise because I have to. I still have a squishy belly from having a very big boy, and if I don’t work at it, it doesn’t take long to look flabby.”
Jeremiah pushed the covers down and looked at her belly.
“I don’t think it looks squishy.”
He leaned over and kissed her stomach. She had a few stretch marks he hadn’t noticed last night. He traced his finger along one of them, and she moved to push his hand away and grab the covers. He stopped her and kissed where he had just traced.
“These don’t make you look bad, Joci. They came from having your amazing son. It’s part of life.”
Joci looked at him. “Men don’t get these marks from having kids. They look for women who don’t have them.”
Jeremiah looked at Joci. “I don’t. I don’t give a shit about a few little marks on your belly. I care about you, the whole package.”
Joci sighed loudly. Jeremiah kept touching her belly and kissing her imperfections. “Did you ever think about having another baby, Joci?”
She looked at Jeremiah. “There was a time I longed for a little girl. My whole adult life was all about boy things. Boy games. Boy clothes. Boy everything. I wanted a pretty little girl to spoil. Now I’m too old.”
Jeremiah looked at her with furrowed brows. “No, you’re not. Under the right circumstances, it would be great.”
“Yes, well, the right circumstances haven’t materialized.” She smiled.
Joci watched Jeremiah look at her belly.
“Did you ever want another baby?” she whispered.
“I guess I never thought about it. I didn’t have anyone in my life I wanted to have a baby with. It would be so different with the right person.”
Uh oh, Joci wasn’t going there. She had already raised a boy by herself. She wasn’t risking having another child she would have to raise by herself. She started sitting up and pulling away when Jeremiah caught her leg.
“Don’t get scared. I was just thinking out loud.”
Joci didn’t want to have this conversation. The women in her family had all gone through early menopause. She hadn’t had a regular period in two years. She was on birth control to regulate her periods. Her doctor didn’t like putting her on birth control at her age, but it worked for her. However, if it was the beginning of menopause, she was grateful she didn’t have the other horrible symptoms yet—hot flashes, mood swings, any of that.
Joci cleared her throat, “We should probably get going.”
Jeremiah sat up. “Will you ride with me today, Joci? I know you ride yourself, and I don’t want to take anything from you, but I would love it if you would ride with me and be with me today. I want to feel your legs wrapped around me and talk to you while we ride. Will you do that?”
She cocked her head to the side and studied him. She would be able to look around and see all the bikes and signs people had told her she would see.
She smiled. “I would like that.”
Jeremiah winked. “I’m anxious for everyone to know we’re finally together.”
Joci slid off the side of the bed. “I think quite a few people already know after we left last night. I’m sure word was traveling like crazy once we were gone.”
She walked to the bathroom and turned on the sho
wer.
She peeked out at Jeremiah, who was watching her walk away. “We’ll need to go to my place to get some clean clothes, though.”
“No problem. But I want you to pack some things and bring them here. I’ll clear out some space in the closet and dresser for you. We can begin that way.”
She hesitated a moment before turning and stepping into the shower and under the spray of water to wash her hair. Jeremiah joined her, quickly washed up and then stepped out, giving her the massive shower for herself. She took her time letting the water slide over her body and the fresh scent of his shower soap tickle her nostrils. She giggled thinking that now she would even smell like Jeremiah. Little doubt they were together.
When she stepped out, Jeremiah walked into the bathroom.
“I warmed up your coffee. Do you need anything else?” He set the cup on the counter, and the scent of fresh coffee wafted up to her nose.
She smiled, marveling at her good fortune in finding him. He was wearing a pair of faded jeans, which, of course, were incredibly sexy on him. Slung low on his hips, little frays on the belt loops. As her eyes traveled down the length of him, she noticed his fly move a little and the muscles bunched in his thighs. Now that she knew what was underneath, she thought he was even sexier. Her eyes traveled back up to his, and her breath caught at the intensity of his gaze. “You keep looking at me like that, and you’ll be bent over the counter in no time.”
Joci’s cheeks tinted pink, but she smiled at him and shrugged her shoulders.
“You’re not the only one who can’t get enough.”
He leaned over and kissed her forehead. “I have to get out of here, or we’ll be late.”
He turned to leave, wearing a t-shirt that was the men’s version of the shirt that matched hers for the ride today, tucked in his jeans, which showed off his fantastic ass. He had his hair pulled back into a low ponytail. So sexy. “Do you need anything?”
Jeremiah looked at her, surprise on his face. “Not anymore. I have everything I need right here in front of me.”
Joci smiled and cocked her head. He chuckled, tapped the tip of her nose and left.
A while later, Joci found Jeremiah in the garage getting the bike ready. When she stepped out of the house, he looked her over, and a loud breath escaped.
“You look beautiful, Joci. I’m a lucky man.”
She smirked and shook her head. “Quick stop at my house and then we can be on our way.”
She walked over to the bike and looked at what he was doing. “What’s up?”
Jeremiah stood. “I put this air pad on the passenger seat for you. Right here is a pump; you can add air by pumping it. You remove air by pushing this button here. I thought it would be more comfortable.”
Joci cocked her head to the side. “Thank you. That’s thoughtful. I’m sorry to make you go to any trouble.”
“No trouble.”
He opened the tour pack on the back of the bike, and she put her purse inside.
He leaned down and kissed her then swatted her on the ass. “Are you hungry? I thought we could go eat somewhere after we leave your place.”
“Breakfast sounds great.”
Jeremiah got on the bike and brought up the kickstand; Joci climbed on behind him. He had removed the backrest behind him so he could lean into her. He always rode alone, detesting the women who milled about looking for a ride. He was so excited for Joci to ride with him today; he couldn’t wait to get on the road. They rolled slowly out of the garage. Jeremiah hit the garage door button and off they went.
It was beautiful riding in the morning. The sun was up, and the weather was mild. The temperature today was supposed to be eighty-two degrees; great for May in Wisconsin. Jeremiah took some back roads, loving the curvy, quiet pace. Joci leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her chin on his left shoulder.
At breakfast they talked about the day and how many bikes they thought would join them. Already one hundred and twenty-six bikes had preregistered. That was a new record, and that was because Joci developed the website attached to Rolling Thunder’s website for bikers to preregister.
“Next year, we’ll have more,” Joci said.
He smiled. “I love that you acknowledge you’ll be with me next year.”
A soft smile touched her lips, the soft, smooth skin glistening from the coffee she sipped and her little pink tongue peeking out to wet it.
He continued. “You’ll be meeting my whole family today. They always participate in this ride. We’re all veterans, so it’s been a family affair since the beginning. My dad and mom will be driving one of the chaser trucks. Dad is in his early seventies and doesn’t feel comfortable on a bike in large crowds anymore, though he still rides by himself once in a while.”
Jeremiah told her a little about each brother—he had three. Jeremiah was the second son. Dayton, the oldest, was two years older than Jeremiah. Thomas was two years younger than Jeremiah, and then Bryce, who was five years Jeremiah’s junior. They were close, but Jeremiah was the only one in the bike business. His siblings all rode motorcycles but worked elsewhere.
When they pulled into the parking lot of Rolling Thunder, a few people were already there. And tongues started wagging as soon as they saw Jeremiah and Joci together. Yup, it was going to be an interesting day.
As soon as they parked and got off the bike, LuAnn walked over. Of course, she was wearing skintight jeans; her Rolling Thunder Veteran’s Ride t-shirt pulled tight and knotted to show off her breasts and belly. She wore high-heeled boots, and her bleached blonde hair was a messy do of some sort. And yes, jewelry on every surface she could accessorize. She walked up to Jeremiah and hugged him.
“I’m so happy to see you. Today is going to be a great day. I’ll ride with you today.”
Jeremiah put his hands on LuAnn’s shoulders and set her aside.
“LuAnn, you didn’t say good morning to Joci.”
LuAnn gave Joci the once-over and snorted, “Hi.”
Joci glanced at Jeremiah and raised her brows in an ‘I told you so’ look.
“Joci’s riding with me today.”
LuAnn looked at Joci again and then back at Jeremiah.
“Why doesn’t she ride her own bike?”
He took a deep breath and put his arm around Joci.
“Because I asked her to ride with me. Joci and I are together, LuAnn.”
LuAnn scrunched her face and snapped her fingers. “Well, that won’t last long. We all know you love a smorgasbord.”
She looked at Joci, gave her the up-and-down once again and strutted off.
Joci took a step back, but Jeremiah squeezed her shoulders and leaned down close to her ear, “I’m sorry. And for the record, that’s not true. I don’t fuck around like she insinuated.”
Joci blew out a breath and opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted.
“Hey, bro!”
Jeremiah turned to see his brother, Dayton, and sister-in-law, Staci, walking toward them. As soon as Dayton and Staci reached them, Jeremiah gave him a slap on the back, then a quick hug. He leaned down and hugged his sister-in-law, then introduced them all.
Joci noticed how very similar they looked right away. Dayton didn’t look like a computer geek as she suspected; he looked like Jeremiah with short hair. Same color as Jeremiah’s hair, without the sun’s highlights in it. Dayton kept his short and cut around the ears and above the collar in the back with a little length on top. His eyes were similar, though not as bright, and his build was similar as well. Dayton leaned down and hugged Joci, and then Staci stepped forward, also giving her a hug.
Staci’s long, dark brown hair and bright blue eyes twinkled when she stepped back.
Staci whispered, “Did you like all the candles?”
Joci smiled. “Yes, they were beautiful. Thank you for doing that.”
Staci smiled at Joci and then looked at Jeremiah.
“I was happy to do it. We all just want him happy. He was ve
ry excited and nervous about making sure you would appreciate it.“
Jeremiah gave Staci a slight nod and a grin.
They were chitchatting when Joci heard, “Mom!”
She turned to see Gunnar striding quickly toward them, and then stepped over to hug her son.
“Good morning. Are you ready for today?”
Gunnar nodded and said hello to everyone.
Very soon, all the family members had arrived. Jeremiah’s brothers and parents, Thomas and Emily; Joci’s sister, Jackie, and her husband, David, came in shortly after. Jeremiah made introductions.
As soon as Jackie and David showed up, Jeremiah put his arm around Joci and stated, “Joci’s riding with me today.”
His smile stretched across his face.
Jeremiah’s brother, Tommy, looked at Joci and shook his head. “Poor Joci. He’s a cranky bastard. I hope you can handle it.”
Joci giggled. “I know. It’s awful.”
The brothers began putting up the ribbons that would guide riders to the parking and sign-in areas. The sisters-in-law walked to the tents set up to hold the clothing and Jeremiah’s parents strolled to the large tent that had been erected last night for the drinks. The drink stand was being manned by a local veteran’s group, and all proceeds would go to that organization, separate from the Rolling Thunder donations from this ride.
The tables for the sign-up area were set up, and Joci and Jeremiah worked on organizing the area with the sign-up sheets, insurance waivers, and wristbands. He swatted her on the ass, and she stifled a squeal.
“What was that for?”
“You’re leaning over the table setting out papers, and I couldn’t resist. If you don’t want me touching it, don’t stick it out in front of me.”
Joci smirked. She had some local tech school students showing up to keep the data entry rolling along. She set up their laptops, got them booted up, and was ready for them as they arrived. There were a couple of cash drawers at the sign-up table as well.
Jeremiah’s family was available to answer questions and direct traffic. They knew the drill, and everyone worked well together. Just before the first bikers started arriving, Jeremiah walked over to Joci and gave her a big hug.