by Jenika Snow
“You’re going?” Tarren asked when Tawny stood.
“I should get ready for when I go out with Gabriel tonight, and I have some errands to do anyway.” Tawny gave Tarren a hug.
“Sometimes you are the one that has to put yourself out there,” Tarren said and pulled back.
The sound of the front door opening had her turning and watching Lucas come in. He wore his Grizzly cut, had his cell pressed to his ear, and grinned at them. Tawny waved to them both, showed herself out, and when she was in her car she thought about what Tarren had said. Could she actually put herself out there with Dakota and tell him how she felt? It was a frightening thought, but one she wasn’t going to ignore either. It was time for her to grow a set and go after what she wanted, but there was still fear that held her back. She’d need to work around that, or back up and forget about anything that had to do with Dakota.
Chapter Four
Gabriel pulled his SUV into the driveway of Tawny’s parents’ house, and although he might be assuming things, he cut the engine, ready to walk her to the front door. They had gone out to get some dinner, and despite his better intentions in keeping the distance because she wanted nothing more than a friendly relationship with him, Gabriel wanted more. He glanced over at her, saw that she was staring at the house, and although he didn’t want to think that this was just a friends hanging out night, it had pretty much ended that away. Yeah, she may have told him this was strictly platonic, and he respected the hell out of her feelings, but this desire he felt for her couldn’t just be one way. It wasn’t like they hung out all the time, but they had known each other nearly their whole damn lives. Surely she could look at him and feel a small amount of emotion that wasn’t just being friends?
Fuck. He cursed in his head, looked at the front of the house, and knew her father, a hardcore bear shifting biker named Dallas, was probably waiting up. “I had a good time tonight, Tawny.” He looked at her.
She glanced over at him and smiled genuinely.
“Me too, Gabriel. And thank you for not being a pompous asshole and trying to feel me up during the movie.”
He started chuckling, remembering the story she told him during dinner about the prick that had done that to her. This hadn’t been a date, per se, even though he had wanted it that way. Gabriel was just sick as fuck of the club pussy that he surrounded himself with, and wanted something more meaningful. He was young, and marriage was most definitely not in his near future, but he wanted a woman that could be only his, not a piece of pussy who whored herself out to all of the brothers. He wanted an old lady that wanted him because of him, and not because he wore a Brothers of Menace cut, or had power and was feared. There were plenty of women in River Run that would be more than happy to give him what he wanted, or the façade of that. But what Gabriel wanted was a woman like Tawny, one that had been in the club life, knew how it was firsthand, and didn’t care about cuts or status. He wanted a woman that would look at him and see Gabriel, not the son of Lucien Silver, a feared MC President. For some reason that shit turned on the female population, and before now, he had liked it, had liked that he got pussy on demand because of who and what he was. Yeah, he was only twenty-two, and got a lot of shit from the other guys on how he should be living his life up. But Gabriel just wasn’t in that mind-frame.
Trying to go after a girl who clearly said she didn’t want anything more from you is a good start, dumbass.
“Can I walk you to the door?” He stared at her. Gabriel might only be twenty-two, really fucking young to be honest, but he knew what he wanted out in life. He didn’t plan for the future, didn’t count on what would happen tomorrow, because he knew that living the MC life meant things usually didn’t go as planned. But he wanted Tawny, with her smoking hot curvy as fuck body, her quick wit and smart-ass mouth, and also because she knew the lifestyle. She had grown up in it, and he could relate to her. Did he think he’d marry her? No, he wasn’t even thinking about having an old lady for long-term like that. Right now he was just worrying about the here and now.
“Sure.” She smiled and climbed out of the car. Gabriel followed her up the steps to the porch. She stopped by the front door and turned to face him. “Thank you again for dinner and the movie. It was nice hanging out with a friend and getting my mind off things.” She glanced down at her feet, and he could tell there was something else on her mind, something that was connected specifically to why she had made that comment. But Gabriel wasn’t going to pry, because if she had wanted to tell him she would have, and not have been so cryptic.
“It was a nice night, Tawny, and I’d like to do it again.” This feeling he had for her, this attraction, couldn’t just be one way. Hell, he didn’t want to cross any lines, but he needed to see if whatever she was dealing with right now was the only reason making her stay back. “You want to talk about anything?” he asked softly, hoping maybe she could see past his Brothers cut, and the reputation he had with the club, and see him as someone she could talk to.
“Not really. It’s just things that are confusing, well, things that I’ve made more difficult than they really are.” She smiled and wrapped her coat around her body more. It was cold outside, and their breath came out in white clouds.
Gabriel reached out and pushed a piece of blonde hair that had come undone from her ponytail behind her ear. She glanced at him with this strange expression on her face, and then he moved closer and cupped the side of her face. He kissed her softly, didn’t add a lot of pressure, and didn’t deepen it. He wasn’t trying to be a prick, just show her that this had been a really great fucking night, and that he wanted to touch her, to see if she felt anything more for him than she realized. He cupped the back of her head, applied a little bit of pressure, and when he stroked her lips with his tongue she pulled away, placing a finger on her mouth.
“Gabriel—”
Her words were cut off when the front door opened and there stood Dallas. He was only wearing a pair of low hanging sweats, his body still ripped and powerful like he was two decades younger, and this dark as hell scowl covering his face and directed right at Gabriel. He took a step back, shoved his hands in his jean pockets, and looked at Tawny again. She was staring at the ground, her finger still on her lips, and her brows knitted as if she were confused or thinking very hard.
“Come on in, Tawny. It’s cold out here,” Dallas said, his arms still crossed, his tattooed muscular flesh bunching, and looking like the frigid weather wasn’t affecting him in the slightest. Hell, it was barely ten at night, yet the way Dallas was staring Gabriel down, made him feel like he was sneaking Tawny back into the house at two in the morning.
“Listen, we’ll talk later okay?” Gabriel said, wishing that she would say something, anything, because this silence from her, and the confused look on her face, was not sitting well with him. He didn’t want their friendship—or whatever kind of relationship they had seeing as they had known each other for years—ruined because of one kiss.
You should have known, Gabriel. She wasn’t ready for that kiss.
Tawny lifted her head and smiled at him, but he could see that it was forced. “I’ll see you later, and thank you again for the dinner and movie. I had a great time,” she said softly, wrapped her arms around her waist, and turned. She stopped before she went inside. “Drive safe, okay? Text me when you get home so I know you made it there okay.”
When he swallowed roughly and nodded, she smiled again, this time a little less forced, and turned and moved past Dallas.
“Drive safe, Gabriel,” Dallas said in a deep voice, and when Gabriel nodded the older biker turned and shut the door.
Gabriel turned his back toward the house, looked at the sky, and cursed internally. What the fuck was wrong with him? He might know Tawny, but he didn’t really know her. It wasn’t like they talked frequently, or even hung out. He wanted her because why? She was like him, living in this MC world, knowing what it all entailed, and wanting something stable in his life? She was a good girl, despite the ba
d boys she went out with. He shouldn’t have kissed her, but couldn’t help it either. Something inside of him had wanted to feel her lips on his, and so he had just done it. Well, the need to touch her might have just put this big wedge between them.
****
Tawny went into the kitchen and heard the front door closing. A few moments later the sound of Gabriel’s SUV starting filled the kitchen, and she walked over to the window and pushed the curtain aside to see him pulling out of the driveway and disappearing down the street. Her heart was still pounding in her chest at the fact he had kissed her. She had meant what she said when she told him she just wanted to be friends, and that she wasn’t feeling that kind of emotion toward him. But he had kissed her, and it had been gentle and soft. He hadn’t pushed the kiss on her, hadn’t been forceful either, but then he had dragged his tongue along her bottom lip, and that had freaked her out and had her stopping it. She just wasn’t into Gabriel like that. Yes, he was big and strong, in shape and was very attractive, but he wasn’t Dakota.
Then you need to tell Dakota. You need to sit down with him, lay it all out, and just hope that he doesn’t laugh in your face and call you a silly little girl.
Of course she didn’t actually think he’d say the latter to her, but being turned down by him was certainly a big possibility, and that frightened her.
“So is that what you’re going after now?” her dad said from the entryway of the kitchen.
Tawny turned and faced him. He walked in, went over to the cupboard, and grabbed a bottle of scotch. She lifted an eyebrow when he took out two shot glasses.
“Seriously?” she asked, a little surprised that he wanted to drink with her. The truth was her dad liked to keep her and Tarren sheltered, even though the MC life he led was less than that, and they had lived it head on. She had seen enough sex, drugs, and drinking when she showed up at the club that she could have made a movie of the debauchery. But the thing was, no matter how much he tried to keep her away from it all, he also told her that the only thing stronger than a family was the brotherhood.
“Yeah, really,” Dallas said and gestured for her to take a seat at the table. When they were seated beside each other, he poured them both a shot, and pushed a glass to her. He tossed his shot back and went for another one. “I am trying to let you live your life, but seeing you with Gabriel Silver kind of sent me over the edge, Tawny.”
She drank the scotch and breathed out as fire raced down her throat. Coughing and then gagging slightly, she pushed the empty glass aside. “No more. God, that is awful.”
Her dad started chuckling. “Don’t tell your mother I gave you this shit. She’ll rip me a new one.”
Tawny nodded, stared at her hands that she had folded on the top of the table, and knew she might as well set his mind at ease. “I’m not into Gabriel like that. Tonight was just about friends going out.”
“Didn’t look like that from where I was standing, especially on Gabriel’s side.” Her dad leaned back, his tattooed skin flexing with his unrestrained power. Even in his sixties her father was strong and powerful, just as much as the younger generation of Grizzlies.
“Yeah, well you know how those bikers are.” She grinned, and then her father started chuckling.
“I can’t argue that fact.” Dallas looked at the bottle on the table, and then lifted his gaze to hers. “I want you to know that although I’ll never stop being protective of you, or making sure that the guys you associate with will treat you the way you deserve, I know you need room to grow. You’re an adult now, and although I am your father and you’ll always be my baby girl, I know I have to give you some slack.” He reached out and took her hand in his. “It’ll be hard for me, I won’t lie because I’m a stubborn man, but you’re smart, tough, and I know you can handle yourself. Hell, look at the fight you gave me to work at the bar?” he grinned. “And you handle yourself well there, baby girl.”
“Thank you, Dad.” She smiled and placed her other hand on his. “But you also have freaking Hulks watching over me whenever I work, Dad.”
He chuckled and tightened his hand on hers. “Despite me being ‘okay’ with you being at the bar, I am a father and need to know my daughter is protected from all of those motherfuckers.”
The crude language coming from her father didn’t faze her. That was just him, hell, every Grizzly and Brother of Menace for that matter. Tawny wanted to tell him about Dakota, about how she felt and that she wanted to talk to him about it, but she knew that until she found out where Dakota stood in all of this, then what would be the point in saying anything to anyone? Most likely he’d say that things would never work out between them, and when he did then she could move on, try to put Dakota out of her mind, and focus on something else.
Keep telling yourself that, Tawny, because you know that Dakota is the one for you, and no one else will ever make you feel the way you do when you think about him.
****
Dakota lifted the barbell, curled his arm inward and felt sweat slide down his temple. He had been working out for the last hour, and had no intentions of stopping. Being here was better than going out and finding out where Tawny was. He wasn’t a creep or a damn stalker, but hell, he felt like one with Tawny.
Part of the garage had been converted into a full workout gym, and right now the only guys in here were him, Lincoln “Link”, Marcus, and Gabriel. The room smelled of sweat and testosterone, and although that was a strange combination to be able to scent, it filled the room. Dakota set the weight down, walked over to the bench, and lay back on it. Link came up, and got on the other side to spot him.
“Thanks, man,” Dakota said to Kink’s youngest son. The other man was already in the club. Most of the newer members were the sons of the original Brothers of Menace River Run members. It was a giant family, not only by code and honor, but also by blood, too.
For the next twenty minutes Dakota pressed his body weight, wanted to do more, but his body was already screaming out that it had had enough. Link took the weight, and Dakota sat up, grabbed his towel, and dried off his face and chest. He wore a pair of track shorts and sneakers and nothing else, just like the majority of the crew in here. Gabriel was over by the punching bag, and Marcus was holding it for him as the other man knocked the shit out of it.
“Man, I think he’s still pissed at himself about last night.”
Dakota looked over at Link. “What happened last night? He get into it with someone?” He wiped his face once more, grabbed his water bottle, and took a long drink.
Link moved over to the bench across from Dakota and sat down. “Nah. I overheard him talking to Marcus about last night. I guess he took out a Grizzly girl, kissed her even though she was all about being just friends, and then her old man came out and gave him the death glare.” Link picked up a barbell and started doing some curls.
Dakota straightened, feeling his blood pump at the very idea that Gabriel had gone out with Tawny. He didn’t even know if that was the female he had been out with, but it didn’t matter because his mind jumped right to fucking conclusions.
“You okay, man?” Link asked, not stopping the curls he did, but watching him a little curiously. “You look like you’re ready to beat some ass.”
Dakota looked away, tightened his hold on the rag he held, and breathed out. “Who did he take out?” He tried to keep his voice level, because he had no right getting pissed at anyone that took Tawny out. He had no claim on her, hadn’t even told her how he felt. Even in all the years since he had first realized that he wanted her, seen her at the gatherings, the fucking Grizzly wedding even, Dakota hadn’t said one damn word. He was a pussy that wanted a female who was oblivious to his desire for her. He had no balls, no strength, and the fact he was upset over something he didn’t even know for sure was fucked-up. But that didn’t stop him or his feelings regarding Tawny.
Link was obviously too busy doing curls to notice the way Dakota probably looked: annoyed, pissed off, ready to tear someone’s head off
.
“Tawny Stoker.” Link looked up, his back straightening and his gaze moving around the room. “Dude, what the hell has gotten into you? You’re fucking growling like you’re an animal or some shit.” Link set the weight down, smoothed his hands over his track shorts, and then glanced behind him at where Dakota was clearly staring. When Link looked at him again, his dark eyebrow was cocked up, and he smirked. “Seriously? You have a thing for Tawny Stoker?”
Dakota wasn’t surprised that Link had picked up on that fact, especially not when he was acting like some kind of jealous boyfriend. “Shut the hell up, Link.” Dakota stood, rolled his head around his neck, cracked his knuckles, and told himself to just forget about all of this. Clearly Tawny wasn’t into Gabriel, or at least that was what Link had said.
“And then what, Dallas just cock blocked you, huh?” Marcus said to Gabriel.
“Dude, it’s not even like that. Tawny is different. She’s sweet and smart, and doesn’t put up with anything.” Gabriel slammed his fist into the red punching bag. “And she knows what it’s like to live this type of life, thick in the MC, with shit always going down.” He punched the bag rapidly.
Dakota moved a step closer, not able to stop himself, and knowing that going after a fellow brother wasn’t right.
“But it doesn’t matter anyway, she told me she was only into me as a friend, and she didn’t act like the kiss affected her. I want her, man, but I am just going to back up and give her some space to see where she wants to go with things.”
Dakota stopped after he heard that. If Gabriel was going to back off then Dakota didn’t need to make that fact known. Hell, he didn’t know what in the hell he would have said to Gabriel anyway concerning Tawny.
Marcus took a step back from the punching bag when Gabriel braced his hands on his legs. “Hey, man, you good?” Marcus asked.
Gabriel turned and stared at Dakota, his chest heaving, his inked-up body covered in sweat. “What’s up? You look homicidal.” Gabriel grabbed a towel, wiped the chest from his face and chest, and tossed it into his open bag on the floor.