I hadn’t even noticed that Stella and Leo had arrived but I shouldn’t have been shocked. If there was drama stirring, Stella would be around.
Ringo and Bee headed back to Sophie’s office to rehearse. Still stunned and speechless, I plopped down onto a chair.
Chapter 18
Katy
Go, Mommy. I want to surprise you.” I had this sinking feeling that I was going to be real surprised.
Sophie wrapped her arm around me. “Go throw on some tennis shoes then come outside.”
“I don’t want to leave.”
“We aren’t going anywhere. We’ll just be out front.”
I saw movement in the corner of my eye as Christine returned to the kitchen again. I had an image of being on the Titanic as it rushed blindly toward the iceberg. I wasn’t sure whether I’d drown or get a life boat. But I knew that crash was coming and still everyone continued on as if nothing bad was going to happen. Mr. Christakos had grabbed a remote and plopped onto the couch, Kayson, Carter, and Ian joined him. Ringo and Bee had gone off with Harlow, with Gianna trailing behind. Stella and Leo were headed for the front door. Glancing to my left, then right, Damon and Stella stared at me.
“Go.” Sophie gave me a light push from behind.
Damon reached over and pulled me near him. “Go outside with the girls, I’ll be in here. Have fun.” He placed a light kiss on my temple, and the simple gesture was so casual that I couldn’t help but let go of some of my apprehension.
Shaking off the haze, I raced and got my tennis shoes before heading out and joining the girls in the middle of the street.
“Motorcycle races?” I asked, shocked that they would even consider doing such a thing.
“Not likely. We’re just gonna have some fun. While Bee is inside practicing, we thought you might like to ride around the street. It’s just something for us to do and keep ourselves occupied while the guys watch baseball. Think of this more like motorcycle boot camp.” Leo pushed a motorcycle over to me. “Ever been on one?”
“Scooters, but that was in high school. We used to ride them over to the beach. But not since then.”
Stella leaned in as if ready to impart some great wisdom. “Listen carefully, riding a bike is just like riding a dick. It’s engrained in all of us and the secret is in how you move your hips.”
“That doesn’t make me feel better since I don’t think I remember how to ride one of those either.”
“Really? Oh, we need to fix that. Like, now. We’ll have a talk with Damon.” Stella started to walk off toward the house. But Leo stopped her.
“It’s Stella’s bike. I can ride mine alongside you if you’d like. But first, why don’t you just straddle the bike and push it around so you can get used to the weight? You need to be comfortable with the machine before you ever start that engine.”
“What if I drop it?” There was no way in hell that I could afford to have a bike fixed.
“You’ll be fine,” Leo assured me. “Don’t worry, if something happens, I’ll fix it.”
Rolling my shoulders back, I did as Leo had suggested and straddled the bike. For the first time in a long time, I felt like a kid again. I pushed the bike in a circle, squeezing the handbrakes and familiarizing myself with where everything was located. When Leo handed me a green helmet, butterflies nearly beat the shit out of each other in my stomach. Ignoring them, I fastened the helmet and listened to Leo call out commands. I turned the key, flipped the switch, and pressed the ignition. The engine roared to life, and I jerked, immediately letting go of the button and stalling out the bike. It was much louder than the crotch-rockets the guys used to ride in high school. I started again, pressed the ignition, eased down on the throttle, and released the clutch. Again, I stalled out. Okay, third time was a charm.
“Yo, Andretti, I think you need to give it a tad more fuel.” I turned and waved my fingers in the air to Stella.
“What the fuck is that?”
“It’s a flock of these.” I held up my middle finger.
“Boom, and just like that, our gang grew,” Stella hollered to me.
“We’re not a gang.” Ariel’s exasperation leaked out with every word.
I returned my focus to the bike and tried to make it my bitch. Twisting the throttle a little more, the tire peeled, slipped, and then I righted myself. Heart pounding, knuckles white as I held on, trying to find a feeling of freedom that bikers always claimed to have.
After several minutes of back and forth, up and down the street, I slowed the bike to a stop, ready to get off and stretch out my hands. I’d been gripping the handles so tight that my arms were cramping.
“What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger, aye?” Leo hollered out.
“Or gives you an unhealthy set of coping skills and a fucked-up sense of humor.” Stella pointed to herself as she said the last part.
“You do know that you all don’t exactly look like an MC, right? You each match your bike a little too perfectly. I mean, Ariel has a red bike, red helmet. Stella has gold shit. Get my meaning?” I’d never been much for the matchy, matchy stuff.
“Yeah, cool, right? Makes us look more like Power Rangers.” Sophie did an air karate chop.
“Why bikes? None of you exactly look like biker bitches.” Okay, I understood Leo, she worked at Harley, and their friend Piper was a motorcycle deputy. But Ariel, Stella, and Sophie? No, I wasn’t buying it.
“Think of us more as the anti-MC. You know, badass without having to be badass. We make this . . .” Ariel smacked Stella to get her to stop with wherever she was taking that thought. “It’s really more of a group of friends. Sure, right now we all have motorcycles in common, but that doesn't mean it will always be the case. We started it when we were all single. So, now we just add those that we really like into the fold.”
“Don’t you feel honored?” Leo rolled her eyes. “You mentioned scooters, did you ride them legally or illegally?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, most teenagers hop on scooters without going through the class.” Leo unstrapped her helmet and ran her fingers through her hair.
“Oh God no, I had ‘those’ parents, you know the kind, the ones where everything was a direct reflection on them. I had to give up a weekend before I was allowed to ride one. I mean, what if I was stopped?”
Leo rolled her eyes, getting the picture I was painting of my parents. “Well, at least there’s something good.”
“What’s that?”
“It means you already have your motorcycle endorsement.”
“I drove a scooter back and forth to the beach with friends. Not exactly the same thing.” Really? How the hell could someone consider a two-hundred-fifty pound skip-around the same as this behemoth of a bike?
“Was it in Florida?”
I nodded.
“Doesn’t matter, then. Once it is in the system that you’ve taken the skills class, then it is on your license for good.”
“I guess that’s good to know in case I ever get in the mood to risk life and limb and ride on two when I can barely walk on two.”
Leo gave me a smile and then pushed her bike over to the edge of the driveway. I liked her; she was quiet and had a secret reserve side about her.
Starting the bike back up, I rode for well over an hour while Stella and Ariel took turns riding alongside me on another bike. I had just finished another lap and was pulling up to the house when I noticed Kayson, Carter, and Damon outside watching. I had no clue how long they’d been there, but Damon had a smile on his face that I couldn’t quite figure out.
“What’s got you so happy?” I shook my hair out, trying to bring it back to life after wearing the helmet.
“You. You should’ve seen you. You had this big smile plastered across your face while you were riding. I was sorta afraid that you might hit a bug and get it stuck in your teeth.” He used his nail like a toothpick and pretended to pick at his teeth.
“Oh, gross.”
“Yeah, but you didn’t look as if you’d cared. You were having too much fun.”
I’d thought about his words, the thought of bugs was disgusting, but yes, I’d been having a blast. I’d had fun. Since taking this job, I’d had more fun than I could ever remember. And Bee, holy shit. Bee.
“Did you have fun?” Bee and I swung our hands as we walked back to Tristan’s.
“Yep, and Yia Yia—that’s Greek for Grandma—that’s what Damon’s mommy said I could call her. Is that okay if I call her that? I’ve never had a grandma, and Harlow has a grandma, Miss Sophie’s mom is her Yia Yia, but not me. I’ve only ever had you. I like having a Yia Yia, but if you don’t want me calling her that, then I won’t.”
“But she isn’t really your grandmother, so it isn’t really her name, is it?” I needed Bee to understand the difference, I wasn’t sure why since I was proof positive that grandparents didn’t stick up for you or stay around. But I just wanted her to understand.
“No. But your name isn’t really Mom, is it? I call you it because I love you. Just like Harlow calls Sophie mom because she loves her.”
“But Mom means that I’m your mother, I gave birth to you.”
“No.” Bee stopped walking, turned, and gripped both of my hands tightly. “Mom means you love me. Miss Sophie didn’t give birth to Harlow, but she’s her mom.”
“Ahhh.” I had nothing to say—nothing. I’d just had a shovelful of from-the-mouths-of-babes thrown into my face. I needed to take this in, all of this. My kid caught on to a lot more than I’d been giving her credit for.
“Hey, why are you two beautiful ladies standing in the middle of the road?” Damon asked, coming to a stop beside us. “You okay?”
“Uh huh.”
“I wanted to know if I could take Bee with me up to the store? I thought maybe we could get some pizza for dinner and watch a movie. That is, if you don’t mind the company.”
“Yeah. Okay. Sure.”
“Katy, did something happen?” Damon’s warm breath was right against my ear.
“No, I could use a few minutes. Why don’t you two run?” Bee’s giggles rang out as Damon swept her up into his arms.
“Mom. Hey, Mom.” I looked over at my girl’s smiling face. “I love you, Mom.”
“I love you, too, Bee bug.”
While they ran to the store, I tried to get my shit together. Not as in organized but as in figure out what the fuck I was doing.
Bee’s words caused a revelation inside me. I’d been trying to keep us from forming connections with people who could hurt us, but in reality, anyone could hurt us and anyone could protect us. The difference was all in the people we chose. God, that was deep. I was afraid that I was setting myself up for heartbreak . . . again.
I thought about the way Damon’s breath felt against my neck. He did something to me, not just in my head but my heart, and my body. He made me think of things that I hadn’t thought about or considered in years. And, holy shit, I trusted him with my daughter, I’d let them leave together, which was a major step.
I’d lost it, all my beliefs the last eight-plus years were just sucked out with one little girl’s words. I was so losing it.
Images of his tattoo flashed in my head. Molṑn labé. The only Greek I knew was Carpe diem, or was that Latin? Well, whatever it was, that was exactly what I needed to do, I needed to carpe diem.
Yeah, I could always carpe diem the fuck out of him and maybe I’d be able to think straight. I just added another sign—proof positive that I was losing it. I was thinking about Latin one second, and the next, I was off to the Far East, hearing the genie’s voice from Aladdin. “Nine years without sex can give you such a crick in the twat.”
Bee and Damon returned, and she had convinced him to watch RuPaul’s Drag Race instead of a movie. Yes, he rolled his eyes every five seconds as she and I discussed who was the biggest diva, who needed to go home, and who should win snatch game. Thank God she had no clue what that meant since I still called it “match game” like the original television game show.
She fell asleep just after eight, and Damon carried her to bed and tucked her in. We came back down and sat on the couch for about thirty minutes, watching another episode, but I didn’t notice a single thing. My mind was wandering to the man next to me and my poor rendition of the genie. Pulling one leg up, I tucked it under me and focused my full attention on Damon, who had already been watching me.
Chapter 19
Damon
Can I ask you something? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”
“Okay,” she stretched out the word, worry coating every inch.
“Who’s Katherine Masterson?”
I’d heard people use the phrase “shrink into themselves,” but I’d never actually seen it happen until her shoulders curled forward and her presence got smaller. I hated myself for asking the question the moment I saw her reaction. Fuck, I was screwing up with her more than I was making headway.
“Don’t look like that. You don’t have to answer. I only asked because when we did a background check for your employment, both names appeared. There was nothing wrong, I wondered if maybe Nichols was Bee’s father’s last name. I could see Katy being a nickname for Katherine. I’m only asking as a friend. You don’t have to tell me.”
She dropped her head forward, and her hair masked her face. I wasn’t positive whether she was crying or not, which only made me feel like a bigger asshole than I already did.
I heard the inhale of breath and then her voice. It was soft at first, but she never faltered. “No, Bee’s father wanted nothing to do with her or me. When I was pregnant, I had no one, and I mean no one. Eight, almost nine years ago when she was born, I knew that I didn’t want to give her my parents’ last name, so I made up one—Nichols. Together, we didn’t have more than two nickels, so it sort of seemed fitting. Then I saved up some money and legally had my name changed.”
“That makes perfect sense to me.” Even I could hear the hesitation in my voice.
She lifted my hand and brought it over and placed it in her lap, palm side up so she could absentmindedly drag one finger back and forth.
“The only person I talked to when I was pregnant was my baby, and I called the baby Bee. I promised that baby I’d do everything in my power to make him or her a happy little bee. Well, when she was born and they told me she was a girl, I couldn’t bring myself to call her anything else. By the time I’d saved enough money to change my name, I discovered it cost the same amount whether I was changing just my last name or my full name. So, I spent a day at the library, researching insect names because I wanted something that went with Bee. I discovered Katydids or Katybugs. I sound like a nut job, right?”
She was afraid of being a nut? I was the one trying to figure out how my dick had just become connected to the palm of my hand and was reacting to every stroke of her finger. Yep, I was thankful that my hand was in her lap and not the other way around.
“You want to know what sounds nutty?” She raised her head, and her eyes held the trace of tears. “From the moment you walked into my office for your interview, I’ve wanted to get to know you. You’re different.”
“To most people that isn’t a good thing.”
“I asked you the other day if you felt something for me, even a tiny spark because I feel something for you, and yeah, it’s different. Different than what I’ve felt before. I want to kiss you. But I don’t want to rush you, so stop me if I’m going too fast.” I brought Katy’s face up to meet mine and paused. I wanted to—no, I needed to know that she was okay with me moving forward. When she didn’t pull away or look away, I dropped my lips to hers, and it wasn’t like the other day. This time, she tasted sweet, and everything I’d imagined she’d taste like.
We were sitting on the fucking couch with Bee upstairs, and I felt like a teenager hoping to make it to second base. There was something special about Katy. I wasn’t sure if it was her hard exterior that she used as a
shield or if it was moments like this when I got to see her softer side.
I slid my thumb across her lower lip, I liked the way her skin moved with my touch. But when she brought her lip in as if to bite it and instead pulled it in, visions of something else that I wanted in her mouth danced in my head like a fucking Christmas poem. Her warm, wet, soft tongue stirred every nerve from my toes to my cock as she licked the pad of my thumb.
Finding the hem of her shirt, I slid my hand underneath, never once breaking our kiss. Deftly moving her bra out of the way, I cupped one breast in my palm and let out a groan. Oh wait, maybe that was Katy who let out the groan. Shit. I wanted her to make that noise again. Squeezing one nipple, I rolled it between my thumb and forefinger, telling myself over and over that this was as far as I’d take it. Tonight, we’d touch. Okay, tonight, I’d grope the ever-loving fuck out of her, I just wouldn’t take it further. I’d go home, again.
I dragged my lips away from her and trailed slow, open-mouthed kisses along her jaw and the column of her neck, along the top of her shoulder, before dropping farther and taking her pert nipple between my lips.
Her hands gripping my hair made it almost impossible to remember that somewhere in my fucked up head, I’d committed to keeping us at second base. Kissing along her chest, I gave equal attention to her other breast, smiling against her skin as I drew another cute moan from her. I fought the urge to lower one hand into her pants because I’d never wanted to taste a woman as much as I did Katy. I wanted to know what her face looked like when I satisfied her, but more than anything, I wanted to hear her call my name as her body tightened around my cock as I satisfied every inch of her body.
Fuck. I needed to pull back or I was going to make a play for a home run. Releasing her nipple, I trailed kisses up her neck and back to her lips. Mentally forcing myself to move my hands away from her waistband, I righted myself and consciously worked to slow my breathing.
Impact (Iron Orchids Book 3) Page 12