by Blair Grey
Was she trying to piss him off?
It couldn’t be that, though. No one around the club ever saw anything other than Ray’s brusque business side, but Belle had told me once that he wasn’t like that with her. And I’d seen flashes of that the few times I’d seen the two of them interact together. He was soft with her. They were close. She wouldn’t be here just to piss him off.
It had to be something to do with Nicole. Maybe she had finally decided to settle down or something. I grinned around the mouth of my beer bottle, just thinking about it. That was almost as unlikely as the idea that Belle might be here to piss her father off.
Whatever she was doing here, I’d keep an eye out for her. It was the least I could do after everything Ray had done for me.
8
Belle
I had made one slight miscalculation in agreeing to go out with Nicole. I’d intended to only go for a quick beer, maybe two. But of course, Nicole was so excited to get me to go out to a bar with her that there were immediately shots. I thought about telling her no, but she knew better than to take things too far. And I could handle a shot or two, couldn’t I?
The answer was no. I didn’t know what the hell we were even drinking, but I was already starting to feel the effects of it, and we hadn’t even been there that long.
We’d apparently been there long enough for Dad to find out where I was, though. “Shit,” I said, ducking as far into the shadows as I could after returning from the bathroom.
“What?” Nicole asked in surprise, already looking toward the door. “What’s wrong?”
“Will’s here, over in the corner,” I said.
“Oh, is he?” Nicole asked, a devilish smirk on her face.
“Don’t even think about it,” I warned her. “He’s not here to flirt. He’s probably here because Dad sent him to keep an eye on me.”
Nicole snorted. “Why, because otherwise you might end up going home with some rancher? What does your dad really think is going to happen to you?”
I rolled my eyes. Oh, bad idea. The room spun a little. Maybe I was a bit drunker than I’d thought.
“You know what my dad does,” I reminded Nicole. “I guess he thinks someone might have a grudge and try to use me to get at him. You know that.”
“I know,” Nicole sighed. “But I don’t see why you can’t have a little fun.” She paused. “Is he still just sitting there?”
“Yeah,” I grumbled. At least he hadn’t hauled me out of there, but I still felt like a little kid, with Dad having arranged a babysitter for me.
“Go talk to him,” Nicole suggested. “Tell him that you’re perfectly capable of taking care of yourself. And that I’m here watching out for you, too.”
“I don’t think that’s going to work,” I sighed, putting my face in my hands. But I liked the idea of talking to Will, anyway. I remembered my resolve from earlier in the week, that I was going to ask him out when he got back from Texas. He was back from Texas now, and this would be the perfect opportunity.
I giggled. “Quick, let’s get another round of shots, and then I’m going to go ask Will Kamp on a date.”
Nicole grinned hugely. “Plan,” she said, hopping off her seat.
I waited for her to get back and then quickly downed the pink bubblegum-flavored shot, making a face as I did so. “Oh gross,” I said. “That was the worst one yet.”
“If you can still taste it, you clearly need another drink,” Nicole teased.
“Hold that thought,” I said, jumping off my stool and marching over to Will’s table. When I got there, I planted both palms on the wood. “William Kamp, I would have expected better from you,” I announced.
Will’s eyes flicked down toward my cleavage, and I realized he must have a pretty good view of it with the way I was bending over in my uncharacteristically low-cut black shirt. I blushed and straightened up, and he laughed, leaning back casually in the booth. “What’s up, darling?” he drawled.
“You know what,” I said, unable to keep from stomping my foot a little. “I just wanted to have a little fun, and Dad sent you to be my babysitter or whatever. It’s not fair.”
Will’s eyebrows rose. “Ray didn’t send me,” he said. “I came here with Marcus, but he left.” He grinned. “If Ray knew you were here, he would probably march through that door himself and haul you out of here kicking and screaming.”
I sighed and collapsed into the booth across from him. “You’re probably right,” I agreed, leaning my head against my hand.
“And you probably need some water,” Will said, already flagging down the waitress.
“Is it that obvious?” I asked, unable to help the little giggle that bubbled up.
Will grinned at me. “Just a little,” he said. “You doing okay?”
“Yeah,” I sighed, then shrugged. “I’ve always been a good little daddy’s girl, you know? It feels good to do something for me. Course, it’s not as dramatic as up and leaving for weeks at a time and missing weekly meetings.”
“You heard about that, did you?” Will asked, making a face. He shook his head. “Look, I think it would probably be best that you call it a night,” he suggested.
I sighed and stared down at the table. “I just want to hang out for a little while,” I said. “Just to talk. I’m not going to go home with anyone or anything like that. Can’t I have a little fun?” My voice was a little whinier than I would have liked, but I could see I had struck a chord with Will.
“Your dad means well,” he said. “He’s just protective.”
“I know that,” I said, taking a big sip of the water the waitress had brought. “Can we not talk about my dad? Just for one night, I want to pretend like I’m normal.”
“You’re far too pretty to ever be considered normal,” Will said, winking at me.
I giggled again. “Are you hitting on me?”
Will didn’t say anything in response, but his smirk was answer enough.
“So come on, tell me about your trip,” I said. “What’s the coolest thing you saw? What was the worst part of it? Let me live vicariously through you.”
“What, the Texas trip?” Will asked, wrinkling his nose. “It was just Texas.”
There was something in the way he said it that made me think there was something more to the story than that, but whatever it was, I was too drunk to try to get it out of him. Instead, I just shook my head. “No, silly. I mean the other trip. The big one. I heard you went all the way around the country.”
“Pretty much,” Will said, taking a sip of his drink. “I really liked Nevada. I went down through the desert there, and it was fucking hot, a lot like around here, but the roads were beautiful. Nice and straight, good pavement. Hardly anybody out there, so I could really let her fly. Weather was great, too. A few clouds, but really beautiful landscapes.”
“You sound like a poet,” I teased. “Would never have expected you to care about the beautiful landscapes.”
Will snorted. “Hey, I’m not just some dumb goon,” he said. “There’s more to me than that.”
“I can tell,” I said quietly. I’d always thought there was something special about him. He wasn’t book smart, I knew that, but he was a good guy. Different from the other guys in the motorcycle club.
“Anyway, the worst part was probably this storm I hit over in Colorado. I was going across the plains there, nice flat land, but then the clouds started to build and everything turned that weird greenish color like it does right before a big storm. The winds totally died down for a bit, and then I was right there in the thick of it. Had to pull over because I was afraid I was going to drive off the road, but it’s not like there was anywhere I could go for shelter. I was out in the middle of nowhere. Just had to wait for it to pass. Fortunately, I didn’t see any tornados or anything like that, but there was a little bit of hail.”
“Ouch,” I said, grimacing.
Will shrugged. “Wasn’t too terrible,” he said. “I kept my helmet on. And it was pretty
small stuff, not even pebble-sized. Could have been a lot worse.”
“I’m sure,” I said and paused. “Why’d you go, anyway?” It was a pretty personal question, and if I’d been any soberer, I probably wouldn’t have asked it.
Will studied me for a moment. “I think you already know that,” he said. “You’re chomping at the bit, too, aren’t you?”
I sighed. “Yeah, I guess so,” I admitted. “I could never be as brave as you, though. Just up and leaving. But I guess it’s my dad I’d be leaving behind.”
“They’re my family, too,” Will said quietly. “Maybe not by blood, but they took me in when I had nothing else.”
“I know,” I said. And I did know, somewhere deep down. But the answer disappointed me a little.
What did I want him to say, that he had come back because of me? That was ridiculous.
We chatted for a little while longer. Finally, Will glanced at his watch. “It’s getting pretty late,” he pointed out.
I looked at my phone and made a face. I’d finished the water the waitress had brought over, and I hadn’t had anything more to drink, but I still felt pretty drunk. What the hell had been in those shots, anyway? I glanced back to where I had left Nicole, but I didn’t see her there.
“She went off with some dude about half an hour ago,” Will said, looking like he was trying not to laugh. “I was wondering when you would notice.”
I rolled my eyes at him and gave in to the childish urge to stick out my tongue. I was only partially surprised to see the way Will’s gaze lingered on my lips for a second longer than was maybe appropriate. He cleared his throat. “Let’s get you home,” he said.
I shook my head. “Can’t.”
“What do you mean?” Will asked. “You’re not too drunk to walk, are you?”
“No,” I said. “But I am too drunk to go home like this. Dad’ll kill me if he sees me. And I’m too drunk to have the conversation that will, no doubt, ensue. I’m past curfew; he’ll want to know where I’ve been.”
It was one thing to want to go out and have a life. But it was another thing to actually consider the repercussions. Dad wasn’t going to be happy with me. I had gotten drunker than I had intended; I hadn’t been at all responsible like I’d meant to be. And as much as I wanted to protest that it wasn’t my fault, I knew he wouldn’t see it that way. No one had forced me to do those shots. I could have said no. Nicole would have been disappointed, but she wouldn’t have pressured me.
“Don’t worry about it,” Will said, standing and holding out a hand toward me. “I’ll take care of you.”
I blinked up at him. I hadn’t intended to go home with anyone that night. But I trusted Will. He wouldn’t do anything with me. If he said he meant to take care of me, then I had to believe that that was what he meant to do.
I smiled at him and let him lead me back to his place. He brought me to a bedroom and flicked on the light. “Here, let me go get you something to sleep in,” he said, giving me a nudge toward the bed.
“Thanks,” I said, lying down on the bed and watching with lidded eyes as he dug through the dresser.
I passed out before he turned back around.
9
Will
I woke up on the couch on Friday morning. Not for the first time, I was glad that I had splurged on the most comfortable couch I could find. It wasn’t quite long enough for me, but at six-foot-five, I didn’t really expect it to be. But it was deep enough that I could pull my knees up a little and fit just fine, especially with the back cushions removed.
Not that I usually had guests over, but I’d definitely fallen asleep on the couch more than once before. Or passed out, more accurately.
Speaking of passed out, I hauled myself up and went to my room, wondering if Belle would still be there in my bed or if she would have snuck out already. She was playing with fire where Ray was concerned, but I didn’t need to tell her that.
Belle was still fast asleep in my bed, her body curled around one of my pillows. It made me wish that I had laid down there with her, that I had given her something better to cuddle, but she had been pretty drunk the night before, and I didn’t want her to feel as though I had taken advantage of her.
She was beautiful like that, though. Her blonde braid had come out, and her long hair spilled across the bed, practically golden in the light spilling through the window. I had carefully covered her with a blanket the previous night, but she’d kicked her way free of most of it. Her shirt had fallen down off one shoulder, revealing the round curve of the top of one breast, and her skirt had come up as well, revealing her long and shapely legs.
I felt my dick stir as I stared at her, and I hurriedly backed out of the room. The last thing I needed was for her to wake up and find me staring at her like some creep.
I went into the kitchen to make some coffee, trying to figure out if I had anything that I could offer as breakfast. But then again, despite the water I had made her drink down, she’d probably wake up pretty well hungover. She had definitely been drunk the night before, and I doubted she got drunk very often.
She stumbled into the kitchen a little while later, just as I started frying up some eggs for breakfast sandwiches. “Morning,” she said, sounding nervous.
“Morning,” I said, grinning at her. “Wasn’t sure how you’d be feeling, but I’m making some breakfast sandwiches if you’d like. Egg and sausage.”
“Oh fuck, that sounds amazing,” Belle groaned, dropping into a seat at the table.
“How’s your head?” I asked, putting a mug of coffee in front of her.
“Pretty good, actually. That water must have helped.” She still seemed distracted by something. Finally, she came out with it. “We didn’t…do anything last night, did we?” She sounded embarrassed to ask, and she refused to look at me. I grimaced, glad I hadn’t pushed my luck by spooning with her, as much I might have wanted to. She clearly wouldn’t have appreciated it.
“We didn’t do anything,” I promised her. “I just brought you back here because you said you were too drunk to go home. I was going to get you something more comfortable to sleep in, but you passed out before I could, so I just tucked you in and went to sleep on the couch.”
Belle grinned at me. “Aren’t you the perfect gentleman, Will? Thanks. I really appreciate it.”
I shrugged. “Don’t mention it.” I nodded toward her purse, which had buzzed a couple times that morning. “You may want to check your messages, though. Something tells me your father might be wondering where you are.”
Belle paled a little, biting her lower lip. But then, she took a deep breath and went into the living room to grab her purse off the side table where she’d left it the night before as we headed toward my bedroom. She grimaced. “Only three missed calls,” she said. She sank on the couch and called him back.
“Hey, Dad,” she said, sounding worried. She listened for a long moment. “I know, and I’m sorry,” she finally said. “I spent the night with Nicole. Girls’ night, you know. I should have called.” She listened again. “It won’t happen again,” she promised. “I’m just having breakfast, and then I’ll be home, okay?”
She came back into the kitchen as she got off the phone.
“Just in time,” I said, sliding a piping-hot sandwich onto the table next to her coffee. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah,” Belle said. “He’s not exactly happy, but I think it’ll blow over.”
“What the hell were you thinking, anyway?”
Belle groaned. “I don’t know,” she said. “I wasn’t. I just wanted to have a little fun. He never lets me have any fun.”
“He just wants you to be safe,” I said.
“Not you, too,” Belle said, making a face.
I held up both hands. “I mean, I get it. I know why it bugs you. Just I can kind of see his side, too.”
“So can I,” Belle sighed. She took a bite of her sandwich, her eyes fluttering shut. “That’s just what I needed.”
“Good?” I asked, grinning crookedly at her.
“Very.”
We finished eating in silence. “Thanks again,” Belle said as she got to her feet. She lingered there. “Maybe we could hang out together again sometime. Like maybe tomorrow night?”
I stared at her for a long moment. I wanted to, absolutely. I’d had a thing for her for a while now. She was sexier than she realized and just fun to be around. Everyone in town loved that bubbly personality of hers, but I knew better than to get involved with her. Especially when “getting involved with her” seemed to also include “blatantly going against Ray’s wishes.”
I couldn’t do that to Ray. No matter how much I wanted to.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I said slowly.
“Come on,” Belle said, sounding frustrated. “We don’t have to go to a bar or anything. I won’t get drunk again. I won’t do anything that Dad doesn’t want me to do.”
Except hang out with me, I thought. Even though Ray had never said so in so many words, I knew exactly what he would think about his precious daughter dating someone like me. It could never happen.
“Belle, I don’t think that would be the best idea,” I repeated, more firmly this time.
Belle stared at me for a long moment, and at first, I didn’t think she was going to let it rest. And it excited me, seeing that stubborn set to her jaw, the way her eyes flashed. I hadn’t expected that sort of ferocity from her, and seeing it turned me on in a weird way.
But then it was gone. Belle sighed, deflating a little. “Okay,” she said. She leaned down and kissed my cheek. “Thanks again.” She left, shutting the door carefully behind herself.
I was half-hard at the breakfast table, the scent of her perfume still swirling around me.