Fucking hot. I pick one more page and read…
I pray to the stars above to please make this one right, make this man be my new beginning.
My hands snap the book shut as realization strikes me like thunder. She needs romance and passionate sex, she wants it all. And I fucking want all those things too. I smirk at an idea and I know I haven’t lost her. All her dreams are written right here in these pages. Fuck, this is perfect. This book must be her favorite because it’s the most worn out. As I greedily tuck it away in the back of my pants, I vow to myself to read it cover to cover, and win Tami’s heart.
∞ ∞ ∞
It took me a few more days after that to finish the book, and now I feel ready to tackle her and take her as mine. She won’t know it for a bit, but, soon enough, she’ll realize this.
I stroll into The Black Rose with a swagger and find her working behind the bar. My feet quietly glide up right behind her. I wrap my arms around her waist and pick her up. She squeals and looks over her shoulder to see my winning smile.
“Solo! Put me down!” She playfully kicks at me and my heart thunders with joy. I set her on her feet and pull her to me, hugging her to my chest. Tami needs to know she’s safe and loved. Fuck, I hold her a little longer when she wraps her arms around me and rests her head into my chest.
“You have time for a lunch break?” She nuzzles her face in, sniffing my shirt, and I fight the chuckle wanting to be freed. She eventually peers shyly into my face, not quite meeting my eyes. Something is still very much bugging her.
“I uh-would love to go to lunch with you.”
I kiss her forehead and squeeze her one more time. “Let’s get this shit cleaned up back here, I’m starving.”
Together, we work stacking the glass cups on the shelf. A few minutes later, we are done, and I tug her along with me, “Let’s ride, blondie.” I jump on my bike and Tami puts a helmet on, then straddles the bike behind me.
The hot summer sun heats up our faces on the ride around Reno. I could have taken the quick route to grab a bite, but I wanted to spend as much time as possible with her. She was meant to be with me, all mine.
We pull up to a small little diner that has a patio area outside. We take a seat and order burgers and our drinks. She sits uncomfortably across from me, so I decide to move and sit next to her, taking her hand into mine and setting it on my lap, then kissing her cheek. My other arm wraps around her back and I tug her into my body. “What is it, Tami, why do you look uncomfortable around me?”
“I feel lost lately, and I don’t know what I’m doing. That worries me, and I don’t want to make a mistake. And I thought you were mad at me since I hadn’t heard from you, and that confused me even more,” she rattles out and I stop her with a quick kiss.
“I’m not mad at you. I was giving you some time to think about things. You looked really upset, Tami.” She blushes and stares at the floor. “I’m not going to push you to tell me anything.” I wait for her to look back at me. “I’m not going anywhere either.”
Slowly, she raises her beautiful hazel eyes up to me. Normally they look brown, but, out in the sun, they have a radiant green in them. “Okay,” she softly rasps back and searches my face for truth and sincerity. I hold her gaze and do my best to convey my feelings for her. It’s going to take time, Tami doesn’t trust herself, or others, easily.
My hand raises to cup her face and my thumb runs over her cheek. I crave her, all of her, and I know that I’m in deep shit, but I could care less.
Leaning in the small distance between us, I softly peck her lips and sit back, giving us a little room. “Tell me about the books you’ve been reading.”
She smiles brightly like she was just a week ago. “I read this new one. It was so great, about this couple that knew each other from years before. But they didn’t recognize each other until later in life. But their hearts knew. They knew each other and fell instantly in love…” She excitedly retells the story and I listen intently, not that I give a shit about these people, but her enthusiasm for it is addicting. I do like the killing parts and focus closely on the plot. That’s interesting shit right there. Tami is passionate about love, inexperienced, but craves it. She needs to have someone love her unconditionally.
We eat while she continues talking, and she finishes the story about the same time that we finish our food. I have no idea how she ate and told me all of that. “You should write stories, Tami. You love it so much, I bet you would be great at it.”
I stand up from the table and she stares up at me. “You think I could write a book?” she questions herself and me.
My hand reaches for hers and I pull her up to me. “Why the fuck not, Tami? You can do anything you want.” Her eyes glisten with tears and she swallows them back and croaks out a “Thank you”. She hugs me so fiercely that it takes me a moment before I catch on to what's happening, it stuns me. I wrap my own arms around her, hugging her back.
She lets go and picks up her phone from the table, then we walk hand in hand down to the bike. I watch her take the helmet in her hands and swing her long blonde hair wide and wild around. Fuck, my dick jumps to attention. I just stand there, unmoving.
She clips the helmet on and places a hand on her hip. A smile crawls up my face at her unexpected sass. “Time to ride, Solo.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I grin in response and swat her ass before I get on my bike and she climbs on behind me. She pulls herself tight to me, wrapping her hands around my torso.
“Thank you for today, Solo.” Her words caress my ears and strike my heart. My hand finds her knee and runs up her naked leg to the hem of her shorts. “I’ll do anything for you, blondie.”
My phone rings and I pull it out of my cut pocket to see that Tank is calling me.
“What’s up?”
“Get to the hospital now. Vegas had the twins.”
“Aye, brother.” We hang up and Tami squeals.
“She had the babies?!”
“You want to go see them?” I question, already knowing the answer.
“Yes!” I’ve never seen a woman so happy to see babies, but her happiness makes me excited to do it with her. I kick my road beast on and Tami pumps the air as we speed off to see the newest additions to the Battle Born family.
Chapter 6
Tami
Solo and I run up the hallways, like kids racing, to find the room where Vegas is. A nurse scowls and reprimands us to stop running in the hospital when we almost knock her over. Turning the corner, I spot room 420 and bolt in that direction to beat Solo. My hand reaches the doorframe just as Solo’s hands grab my waist and tug me back into his body. I’m laughing as we step inside together.
The room is packed with the club members and all the girls, and my face reddens at the scene we just made with our entrance. I abruptly stop and Solo laughs even louder, running into me when I stumble forward. He steadies me with his hands and pulls me back to him and then pushes forward. Curious eyes watch us together and my nerves hike way up, not wanting to be the center of attention.
“Come sit over here,” Kat calls me over to her from a chair where she's sitting, and we both walk over there. She stands up with a beautiful sleeping baby boy in her arms. “Sit,” she commands, and I sit in the chair she just vacated. Carefully, she places the newborn in my arms, then walks over to stand with Tank, closer to Blade who’s next to Vegas. The tiny little boy doesn’t wake or even startle in the slightest.
My finger comes up to trace his adorable little face, “Which one do I have?” I ask Vegas and Blade. They both look so happy, it makes my heart squeeze.
“That one is Easton. His brother,” Vegas points over to a very pregnant Dana who is holding his twin, “Is Cortez.”
Solo rubs my back while I sit and stare at the cutest little bundle I have ever seen. “I’ve never held a baby before,” I absently say.
“Then you need to check out the rest of him,” Vegas encourages me.
“What?”
&
nbsp; Kat walks back over to me and helps me, “Lay him in your lap and look at those tiny baby feet and fingers.” She takes him from my arms and rests him on top of my legs, then opens the blanket. “It’s seriously the cutest damn thing I have ever laid my eyes on.”
Her smile at the little baby not only surprises me but the group, because I don’t think we have ever seen her smile like this before. My eyes go back to Easton and I read the writing on the little white onesie he’s wearing.
“Oh my God! How and who made this?”
Blade’s face barely changes with any emotion, but ever so slightly he beams with pride, “I had them made online. I sent in the wolf logo with their names to have them printed on the baby shirts.”
Vegas snorts at his mild confession, “He had about twenty made total. He wanted the boys to wear them every day of the week so he can tell them apart.” Blade turns and glares at her for announcing his secret to the group. The guys laugh but the girls all swoon at how sweet it really is. Myself included.
I look back down and read the onesie again. ‘Battle Born MC’ is the top rocker and ‘Easton’ is the bottom one.
“Look at these too,” Dana smiles and holds a pink and purple one that was resting on top of Cortez. “He had some made for little Maddison too for when she comes.”
We spend the next hour talking and listening to the stories Blade and Vegas tell us all about how the twins were brought into the world. Solo even takes turns holding the boys, and my heart beats a little faster at the sight. He looks up at me and catches me staring. He holds my stare and the intimacy that we share is so bright that it lights up my world.
I have no idea what is in store for us and our future, but he gives me reason to believe in us.
Vegas hides a yawn behind a hand, and I tug on Solo’s jacket, hinting for us to leave. He picks up on my gesture and takes my hand into his as we say our goodbyes. Vegas smiles and winks at us on our way out.
Being with Solo calms me. I feel centered when he is with me.
Together, we take the elevator down and walk out when a familiar brunette rounds the corner in front of us. I pick up my pace to catch up to her just as she steps into the cab that’s waiting curbside.
“Fuck me, what is she doing here?” Solo asks out loud. I have a feeling that he wasn’t asking me at all.
∞ ∞ ∞
Solo pulls into The Black Rose parking lot to drop me off. His bike dies, and I get off first, unclipping the helmet and then shaking out my long hair. He's watching me, and I make more of the job than I need to because I love his eyes when they smolder for me like that.
He takes the helmet from me and places it on the handle bars, then takes out a pack of smokes, shakes one out and takes it to his lips before lighting it. My eyes pop open never having seen him smoking before, and it’s freaking smokin’ hot, no pun intended. I look him over as he’s sitting on his bike in his black ribbed tank that exposes his chest, and black jeans.
My heart beats wildly while I watch him taking a drag and blowing it out. Shit, I’m in deep, those are the thoughts running through my head. Fantasies of me sitting on his lap on his bike as I’m running my hands through his dark, soft hair just won’t go away. My mind goes crazy and I stand there, stunned and enraptured.
“Hey, blondie, you better get that sweet ass to work.” He startles me out of my day dreams and I stumble on my feet, stepping backward. His eyebrow raises, and he smirks at my awkwardness. I raise one hand halfway, still not able to speak to him, and take another backward step, then turn to walk away. I never take my eyes off him or his smoking. His heated gaze stays firmly on my body, his eyes sweeping over my legs. Shit, we are in so much trouble, this will only end with us in bed.
I shut the door and hope that I’m ready for what comes next because there is no denying the chemistry between us any longer. The physical need between us is all consuming.
Solo is everything I’ve dreamed about.
∞ ∞ ∞
Pawn
The greenhouse is hot as fuck still from the hot summer days. I almost killed all these plants because my head has been so far up my own ass. “Shit.” I open the vents to let the heat out and circulate the air through here. I turn on an overhead fan and check to see if the plants are getting enough water, deciding to spray them down a bit.
Relief washes away my worries when the wilted leaves straighten back up. Thank fuck I didn’t kill all these plants. I continue my work out here before there are footsteps sounding behind me. I know who it is, and I’ve purposely avoided him all week.
“What’s up, brother?” Solo walks into the greenhouse. “It’s hot as fuck in here, like a sauna, man.”
“Yeah, it was hot today, for sure.” I look at him out of the corner of my eye, but quickly get back to picking some leaves to dry later.
“You didn’t go see the twins at the hospital, bro?”
“Nah, I’ve had shit to do.”
“Cute as hell, man, you should stop by later. Blade is a happy motherfucker.”
Solo continues to tell me about the little brats, but I’m in no mood to be happy for anyone else. I continue working, only picking up some words here and there.
“Hey, dick!” Solo’s angry voice catches my attention and I look up. He steps closer and watches me for a minute. His eyes bounce back and forth, trying to gauge what the hell is up with me. “What the hell is going on?” And there you go, exactly what I was hoping he wouldn’t say. “Why are you being such a dick for?”
Dropping the leaves on a table, I shove my body past him and hastily walk out while throwing back, “No reason, man, just drop it.” I keep walking toward the clubhouse, focused on leaving it alone and getting the hell out of here. Solo’s hand grips my shoulder and stops me. I stand like a statue and grit my teeth as I’m facing the building, wishing like hell he could just go on about his own business.
“What the hell, Pawn?” Solo’s concerned voice asks while he moves around to stand in front of me.
“I fucked up, Solo,” frustration laces my words, “I said shit to Tami that I shouldn’t have. I’m not any good for her. I let Feather suck my dick right after I was an asshole to her for Christ’s sake. And you know what? I don’t know that I would stop her if she tried again. I’m backing off, so, you can have Tami.”
Solo is staring, his eyes narrowing in anger at me while he takes in my words and my defeat to him. “Thanks for telling me that, asshole! I didn’t want to know. Fuck!”
I watch him as he’s struggling to find the right words. “I am only going to say this once, Pawn. You walk away, I have no problem taking Tami as mine. I know what I want. Think about what you’re saying. This will be your last chance and only warning from me.”
He marches past me while I stand there, and I watch his retreating back. With my hands at my sides, I feel helpless. Caught in this web I spun around the three of us. I can’t understand why the hell I care so much. She would be better off with Solo than with me. My head is such a fucked up place.
I walk over to my bike that’s parked out front, determined to take a long ride and clear my head. My body instinctively takes over and I start it. I take off down the road. The sun’s rays are so bright and hot, but the wind cools the burn from them.
I lose myself to the turns up the mountain to Verdi, California, and my mind runs through the harsh reality that I’m facing. I care for Tami and she makes me feel vulnerable. The only people that have ever been able to do that have been my parents. My father is an abusive asshole. My mother a sweet woman who’s never deserved his shit.
My bike stops outside a little café. I walk inside and sit at the counter. The waitress walks over and sets a coke down in front of me. “It’s been a while, sweetheart. How are you?”
“I’m good, Mom.” I grab the ice-cold drink and take a big swig from it. My blue eyes find her same ones. I scratch my fingers through my grown-out facial hair on my jaw. “How are you?”
“Good, I’m happy to see yo
u, but what is it that brought you in today?” She sits on the stool next to me and rubs my arm. “Who is she, Eric?” She scoots back in her chair with a happy look on her face.
“Tami,” I blurt out and focus on the drink in my hands and the knot in my throat that I try to loosen.
She eyes me with understanding. “You’re not him. You came from me too, you know?” She bumps my shoulder with hers. Mom always tries to make me feel better by reminding me of that.
“I know, but what if I got those parts from him, though?”
She sighs in defeat and looks ahead. The years of abuse are showing now that her guard has come down. “It’s always possible. But I would say you aren’t like your father. If you were, you wouldn’t be sitting here worrying yourself over it.”
She looks down at her hands and then back up at me. “My life is not your life. You have to find your own way. Don’t live my life, honey, you be a better man. Treat her right and do better than your father. That’s all there is to it.” Right then, another customer walks in and the door chimes in greeting. She stands and kisses my forehead before leaving to greet the couple and take their orders.
I watch my mother work and smile like a woman with confidence and happiness. These people have no idea the asshole she puts up with at home. She winks at me from across the room and finishes cleaning a table. I chug the rest of my soda, walk over to her, and wrap my arms around her in a big bear hug. Mom chuckles and hugs me back fiercely. “Love you,” I whisper and kiss her head.
“Love you too, Eric. Go to her and don’t give up on yourself, you are a man worth loving.”
My heart squeezes at her words and I tighten my arms around her before letting her go. I pull out my wallet and take out a few hundred that I slip into her apron. “Call me if you need me.”
She looks down at the floor with the shame she feels at taking money from me. “Hey,” she looks up, “I’ll see you soon.” I smile just for her, wanting nothing more than to give her something for the comfort she gave me.
Always & Forever (Battle Born MC Book 4) Page 4