Zach laughed and fished out a newspaper. Near the back was an old picture of the motorcycle club. And right near the front was a much younger me, and a much younger Brady. Underneath it were our nicknames in print.
“Where did you get this?” I asked.
“My brother arrived this morning with it. He picked it up at the station somewhere.”
“Patriot, huh? That’s an interesting name.”
“And I didn’t know Brady was called Shotgun,” Tyrone said.
I chuckled. “Well, you caught me out. Everyone who is part of the club gets a nickname. And once you have it, it’s very hard to shake it off. I still call Brady ‘Shotgun’ to this day. It feels more normal for me to call him that than to say ‘Brady,’ to be honest.”
“Wow, so this is a whole other life, huh?”
“Tell me about it,” I said as I looked at the picture. “Feels like a lifetime ago. I still love my bike, though. I miss it. I’ve been meaning to go back and get it. But I think I’ll ditch the outfit. I don’t think full on leather would suit this small town.”
“Are these your other brothers?” Zach asked and pointed to the paper.
I looked and smiled at the familiar faces. “Yep. It’s a big family. And that’s my dad. Everyone at the club calls him Pop. He lives and breathes that club. He also owns a motorcycle shop.”
“And you didn’t want to work with him?”
“Nah. I love my bike, but I never wanted it to be work. To me, it was always a hobby. My brother, Gunner,” I said and pointed to Ian’s face on the paper, “he works there. But it’s not for me.”
“So, what exactly do you want to do then? Work on the ranch?”
“I’m not sure. I like it. But I certainly don’t love it as much as Brady does.”
“Yeah, that place is everything to him. You know, I don’t he needs anything else but that ranch.”
I smiled sadly as I thought about Brady telling me that he didn’t want a family. “Yeah, you’re right about that.”
“So, what about working at the fire station? We could do with another hand here. And we can show you the ropes. You’ve already got lots of training behind you, so I don’t why not?”
“You think so?” I asked. I’d actually been thinking about it a lot in the last couple of days. But I kept changing my mind.
“Oh yeah, I definitely think so. You’re a natural at it. And it would be nice to have you as part of the team. There’s chief over there. Why don’t you go and talk to him? Worth a shot.”
“Yeah, okay. I think I’m going to do it.”
I got up with cheers from the boys as I walked over to the chief.
“What’s all the commotion about?” he asked me.
I looked behind me and chuckled. “Oh, they’re trying to convince me to join the team. They said I had to come and talk to you about it.”
“Well, is that what you want to do, Grant?”
I sat down and took a swig of my beer. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to do it. “Yeah, I think so. I mean, I don’t know how much of a need there is for me here, but I figured it was worth asking.”
“Well, here’s the deal. The boys like you, I like you, and you’re damn good at the job. You’ve got a great work ethic and to be honest, we could do with the extra help. I’d love to take you on full time if you’d like. And you’ll be paid like a full-time employee, just like all the rest of the guys. So, why don’t you give it some thought and come back to me? I know you’ll probably want to talk to Brady first.”
I nodded. “Yeah, he’s been really good to me, and I don’t really want to leave him in the lurch. So I’d love the chance to talk to him first.”
“You see, that’s what I like about you, Grant. You take others into consideration. You’re absolutely welcome to work with us. How about you talk to Brady tonight?”
I stood up, shook his hand and promised him that I’d do just that. Then I went over and told the boys. There was lots of hooting and hollering, and everyone seemed to think that this meant I was now part of the team.
“I still need to talk to Brady,” I reminded them.
“Well, what are you waiting for you? Go talk to him now. No point in putting it off.”
I finished my beer, threw it into the can, and headed back home to have a talk with Brady. I needed to do it while I still had the courage. I also needed to figure out what I was going to do if Brady asked me not to do it. He’d been a huge help to me in my transition. But I’d cross that bridge when I spoke to him.
I got home, grabbed another beer out the fridge, and went outside to sit with Brady. He’d ordered pizzas for the two of us, and as we sat outside in the night sky, I realized how happy I was.
“It’s a beautiful night.”
He looked up. “It sure is. You’re in a good mood. Did you go and see the boys?”
I smiled. “Yeah, I did. Actually, there was something that I wanted to talk to you about.”
“There was? Shoot, go for it.”
“Well, they’ve asked me to come and work at the fire department on a full-time basis. I wanted to run it by you first, though. I mean, I don’t want to do it if you need help here.”
He smiled. “What do you want to do?”
“I love it here, I really do. But I think I’ve found what I want to do with my life. And that’s firefighting.”
“You’ve always enjoyed saving people. I know you’re only three years older than me, but I’ve always seen you as this older brother who went out and saved the world.”
I laughed. “You have? I always thought I was a complete failure.”
“That’s what I never got about you. You’re anything but a failure. I think you just lost yourself these last few years. I know how hard it was going from being in the Navy to suddenly working behind a desk. I can’t even imagine how strange that must’ve been for you. I’m glad you came here.”
“I’m glad you gave me the idea in the first place.”
“I think you should take the firefighting job.”
“You do?”
“Of course I do. You’ll be great at it. The ranch is more my thing than it is yours. I can see that. Although, despite that, you’re still one of the best workers we’ve ever had.”
“I enjoyed it.”
“I know you did. Do me a favor, and come and work every now and again with me. I know Harold would be open to you working for extra money.”
I could feel the excitement rushing through me. It was a feeling that I hadn’t felt for a very long time. It finally felt like I had a purpose in life. That was what had been missing. I’d just been going through the motions of the day, rather than living them.
“I’d love that. And I’ll definitely take you up on that offer. I would miss the ranch if I didn’t work here at least a little bit. Maybe I can work here one day a week or something.”
“Sounds great. We can take it as it comes. Why don’t you just work out the rest of the week here? Then you can start with the fire department next week. Having you here made me realize that I needed the extra help. So at least I can use this week to find someone else. A few people have enquired in the past so I don’t think it will be hard to find someone. I’m glad you’re doing something that you really want to do.”
“Thanks, Shotgun.”
“It’s my pleasure, Patriot,” he said, and we grinned at the nicknames. “So, does that mean that you’re staying in Wyoming?”
I looked around and chuckled. “It sure looks like it.”
We sat for a while, just talking and eating our pizza, until we felt drops falling down.
“Uh oh. Here comes the rain. Lucky we finished our pizza,” he said.
We grabbed the boxes and the drinks and hurried inside. I was just about to crack open my final beer for the night when my phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Grant, it’s Emily.”
“Em! This is a nice surprise,” I said. Just hearing her voice made me smile. I co
uldn’t wait to tell her my decision about the new job. I wondered how much of being with her had swayed my decision to stay.
“Can you come over?”
“Now?” I asked in surprise.
“Yeah. Terra is out at her mom’s again. And I really need you tonight.”
Something about her seemed strange. Sad even.
“Are you okay?”
“I just really want to see you.”
“I’ll be right over.”
I ran upstairs to brush my teeth and grab my coat, then headed out. It was pouring outside, and I was already wet when I got into the car. By the time I got to Terra’s place, the rain was pounding down. I put my coat over my head and ran to the front door and knocked.
“Come in,” Emily said from inside without opening the door.
That’s strange. She didn’t come and open for me.
I opened the door and walked inside.
“I’m in the living room. Just lock the door when you come in,” she said.
I locked the door and chuckled to myself, wondering what she was up to. I stopped abruptly when I walked into the living room and saw that Emily was sitting completely naked on the sofa. Her legs were crossed and she was smiling at me.
“Wow. This is . . .” I gulped. “Nice.”
“No talking. It’s been a rough day, and right now the only thing I want is you inside me,” she said and smiled at me.
“Now that, I can do,” I said and walked up to her, taking off my clothes as I went.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Emily
“I’m going to my mother’s house,” Terra said.
“What? Why? Can’t you stay? Or maybe I can come with?” I said. I wasn’t usually so clingy when it came to people. After all, before this, I’d lived on my own for a very long time. But I didn’t want to be alone that night.
“No, I’m going there so that you can call Grant. Let him come over. And then when you guys have had some time together, call me and I’ll come back. That way you won’t be alone at all.”
I smiled at Terra. “You don’t have to do that. I don’t mind spending the night with you. In fact, I want to.”
“I know. But I think Grant will be able to take your mind off a few things. And anyway, I really do need to see my mom. That part is not a lie. So, you choose. Either you come with me, or you call Grant.”
I was about to tell her that I’d go with her until I thought of Grant. I pictured being his arms and feeling like everything was going to be okay. I smiled.
“I’ll call Grant.”
“Good answer. But, I promise you, Em. You just tell me when he’s gone and I’ll come back. Okay?”
“Okay.”
I waited for her to go before calling Grant. When he said he’d come right over, I decided to take off my clothes. I didn’t feel like talking about what had just happened. The only thing that I wanted to do is forget about it. I knew I couldn’t forget about it for forever, but just for that night, I wanted nothing more than to put it out of my mind.
I made sure that the door wasn’t locked, took off my clothes, and sat in the living room. When I heard his car pull up, I breathed a sigh of relief. I’d had a few moments of panic that Terra was going to come back and see me sitting naked in her living room. I would’ve been mortified. We’re best friends, but we’re not that close.
I heard the door knock and told him to come in.
“I’m in the living room. Just lock the door when you come in,”
The door opened, and I heard the latch as he locked it, then he walked into the room and stopped short when he saw me. I’d done the right thing according to the look on his face.
“Wow. This is . . .” he gulped. “Nice.”
“No talking. It’s been a rough day, and right now the only thing I want is you inside me,”
Grant nodded and started walking toward me.
“Lose the clothes, Patriot,” I said.
He looked surprised and then excited, and as he walked, he started taking off his clothes. By the time he reached me, he had nothing on. I was still sitting on the couch, and as he walked up to me, I sat up and pulled him toward me. He was standing in front of me, and already he was hard for me. This is what I wanted. This is what I needed. I put him in my mouth and sucked. I heard him groan and writhe as I took him to the edge of satisfaction. Then I stood up onto the couch so that I was just slightly taller than him.
“Right, I think it’s time we move this upstairs,” I said. I took his hand and led him up the stairs into the spare bedroom.
“So this is where you sleep at night,” he said looking around.
“It is,” I said and smiled. It was nice to have him in my bedroom.
He walked up to me, lifted me up, and placed me gently on the bed. I didn’t want him to be gentle that night. I smiled at him.
“Ever tied a woman up in bed?”
“Actually, I can’t say I have.”
I looked around and found a pair of knee high socks that I got to wear in the winter. I handed them to him.
“These should do,” I said and spread my hands out by the headboard.
I was glad when he didn’t seem flustered by the idea. He bit his lip in excitement and walked over to the headboard to tie my hands.
“Tighter,” I said. I didn’t want to make it easy for myself.
Once I was secure, I lay sprawled out on the bed and watched in excitement as Grant admired me. He sat on top of me and started kissing and licking my body from head to toe. Every inch of me was attended to, and when he was done, he made his way back up and licked in between my legs. His tongue darted back and forth between my folds, thrusting inside me until I thought I was going to explode.
“Stop!” I said breathlessly. I didn’t want to come just yet.
But Grant didn’t want to stop, and there was nothing that I could do but lie there and allow him to bring me to ecstasy. The truth was that I’d never been tied up either. I’d only thought about it before. And the idea of Grant being the one that did it to me made me come harder than I’d ever come before.
Afterward, he untied me and kissed me. We lay there for a while, just touching and kissing each other.
“I want more,” I said when I realized I was getting happy again.
“Really?” he said. His eyes were eager.
I nodded. “Fuck me.”
Grant moaned in pleasure, climbed on top of me, and thrashed against me. He was hard and ready, and it didn’t take him long to come.
Afterward, we lay side by side, and he turned to me.
“Did you come again?” he asked.
I smiled. “Yeah.”
“Wow. You’re really something, Emily. I’ve never met any girl like you.”
“I can’t help myself when I’m around you.”
“That’s good to know. So, where’s Terra tonight?”
“She’s gone to her mom’s. She’ll be back a bit later.”
“How much later?”
I shrugged. “I’m not sure. Why?”
“Want some coffee?”
I grinned. “I’d love some coffee.”
“Good. Wait here. I’ll go get for us.”
I could hear Grant tinkering around in the kitchen and just hearing him there made me smile. I couldn’t thank Terra enough for allowing us to have this time together. He came up moments later carrying two steaming cups of coffee and some cookies.
“I found these. Not sure if they’re Terra’s though,” he said and held up the box of cookies.
I chuckled. “I bought them. And that’s exactly what I feel like right now. Thank you.”
He climbed into bed, and for a while, we just sat there drinking and enjoying each other’s company. Then he looked at me.
“Are you okay? You seemed upset on the phone.”
“Long day. Glad you’re here. So, how was your day? Sometimes I don’t know how you stay out there in the heat. You must’ve been glad for the rain.”
&nbs
p; “Today was good. I actually went to visit the guys at the fire department, and they’ve offered me a full-time job there.”
“Really? That’s amazing. Are you going to take it?”
He nodded. “I had a long talk with Brady, and he seems happy for me. I’m finishing out my week at the ranch, and I’ll probably start next week. Brady said I can come and help at the ranch every now and again when I want extra money.”
“So, you’re staying?” I said and grinned.
He looked at me. “I have no idea what I’m doing. But for now, I’m definitely staying.”
“I’m happy for you. It’s good to follow your passion.”
We sat for a while just talking about life in general. I kept thinking about telling him about my father, but then changed my mind. I didn’t feel like thinking about it myself. And it was nice to talk about other things instead. I’d have plenty of time to worry about what I was going to do about that situation. I was enjoying having Grant around, and I was close to asking him to sleep over. But then I remembered that Terra was waiting for my phone call so that she could come back, and I didn’t want to make things awkward for her. Also, I didn’t want to sound sad and desperate in front of Grant.
“I think we better call it a night,” I finally said even though I didn’t want to say that at all. “Terra’s going to be home soon.”
“Thanks for calling me over,” he said and smiled at me. He climbed out of bed, and I sat admiring his body while he changed.
I climbed out and wrapped a robe around me and then walked him to the door. When we go there, he bent down to kiss me.
“Call me anytime,” he said and grinned. “Oh, and are we still on for Saturday?”
“Saturday?”
“Aren’t you moving?”
I chuckled. I’d almost forgotten. “Oh yeah, I am. Thank you, that would be great, Grant. I’d love the help.”
“Looking forward to it.”
When he was gone, I called Terra and she came straight back. She took one look at my robe and raised an eyebrow.
“Are you naked under there?” she asked.
I giggled. “I sure am.”
“Tell me you didn’t do it in the living room again?”
I shook my head. “Almost. But no, we went up to the room. We also ate most of the cookies, by the way. But I kept you some.”
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