Bad Boys of Romance - a Biker Anthology (49 page)

Chapter 6

Chauna

During the entire ride to my house, I’m second-guessing everything that is going on between Walker and me because of our past, but when we arrive at the house, and he looks at me, I know
this
is right.  I’ll worry about the consequences and what ifs later.

As I open the door, he tells me to hold on. He hurries around and opens it for me, and I smile at him. I stand and kiss his lips again. Walker wastes no time picking up where we left off in Boondocks’ parking lot. He lifts me off the ground, and I wrap my legs around his waist.
 I can feel him harden with every step he takes toward the house, and the butterflies I once felt at
our
spot are alive again.

By the time we get to the door, we are both breathless and smiling like we are teenagers again.  “I’ve missed you,
Chauna,” he says. Once the door is unlocked, he kicks it open with his boot and then slams it shut as he pushes me against the wall. With his hands placed firmly on my bottom, he breaks away from my lips and trails down my neck.

“Walker,” escapes my lips as a pool of wetness fills my panties.

“Are you sure?” he asks as his hands cradle my neck, and he looks directly into my eyes.

"Yes, I’ve always been sure."
 I see passion in his eyes as he lowers his lips to mine. Carefully, we walk into my bedroom. He gently lays me onto the bed and stares as he removes one article of clothing at a time.

When I’m completely exposed, his eyes scan over my body.
 “Pumpkin, you’re more beautiful than I remember,” he says as he moves his calloused hand across my cheek. Staring into his eyes, I know this could be the end of life as I know it. If he doesn’t give up his way of life, I’ll never be the same, but if I don’t follow what my heart is saying is right, I’ll be alone forever.

I take my hands and grab the hem of his shirt and push it over his head. After sliding my hands up his washboard stomach, I roll him over. “What?” I ask.

“Nothing.” He smirks. After removing the remainder of his clothes, the memory from all those years in
our
spot are brought to the present. He’s still the same Walker, but now he’s a picture of pure perfection. Our eyes meet, and I know this is exactly where I should be.

Walker takes charge and rolls me underneath him.
 He slowly lowers himself on top of me, settling between my thighs. 
Oh my gosh. I think I might combust.
 "Walker, please,” I say softly.

As I squeeze my legs tighter, he flashes that perfect grin. His hands start to move lower on my body as his heavenly mouth caresses my breast.
 His finger skims over my body, and goose bumps rise on my skin. Walker begins to kiss my body from head to toe, and when he knows I’m at my breaking point, he enters me slowly as my back inches off the bed from the absence of his touch. As our bodies do the talking, thirteen years of pent-up emotions are completely out on the table. When I’m no longer able to hold in my emotions, I say his name as I climax. Walker follows behind me, and when we both are spent from letting all our bottled- up emotions explode together, I lie in his arms.

As Walker’s hand grazes up my side, I fall asleep, feeling like I’ve found a piece of heaven tonight. I pray to myself this will work. He’s all I’ve ever wanted, and regardless, if tonight is it, I don’t regret it one bit.

Waking up with his arms around me, I smile. Last night was different than when we were sixteen. We were still hungry for each other, but each of our movements told a story, one that was the start of forgiving the last thirteen years of our lives.

Gazing at his beautiful face, I never want to leave this room. I glance at his arms and wonder about the meaning of each tattoo. They are so intricate, and each tattoo bleeds into another.  When my eyes land on the outline of a shoe, I stop. If I weren’t looking closely, I wouldn’t have noticed it, but since I’m trying to memorize each of them, I can’t help but stare. 
A glass slipper, just like Cinderella’s. 
What guy gets a tattoo of a glass slipper?
  As I trace it, I smile as I remember my childhood prince.

“Hey, Prince Charming, are you
gonna save me from my mean stepmother or what?” I ask in my Cinderella dress with my hands on my hips.

“Hold on. I’m killing a dragon over here!” Walker says with his pretend sword.
“Got ’em!”

“Pumpkin,
whatcha doin’?” he mumbles.

“Just admiring your tattoos,” I say as I lay a quick kiss on the glass slipper and fall back into his arms.

Walker

Waking up to Pumpkin in my arms is pure bliss, but when I realize what she is doing, I begin to panic. I’m not ready to explain
that
tattoo. I know she’s wondering why I have a glass slipper, but she’s a smart girl, and I’m sure she’s figured it out already.

When she falls back into my arms, I recall that day.

“Dude, you want a glass slipper?” Justin asks.

“Just shut up. You don’t get it. It’s for Pumpkin,” I say.

“Damn, dude, you haven’t seen her in years, and you’re still hung up on her?  I swear, I hope she’s as perfect as you make her out to be.” He laughs.

“Just shut up, Justin.”

The glass slipper is hidden inside my right arm sleeve, and only if someone is investigating my arm carefully will they see it. I know it’s not manly
,
but I needed her with me. When we were kids, we’d play like she was Cinderella, and I was her Prince Charming. Funny how life isn’t a fairytale, but then I look at her sleeping in my arms and think my life might be changing for the better.

Looking at the clock, I know I have to get moving. I’ve got to get my bike and talk to the gang. I try to sneak out of her arms, but she snuggles harder to my side, and I want nothing more than to bury myself back inside her and hear her scream my name again.
Instead, I try to slide out of the bed and throw on my jeans and shirt without being noticed.

Chapter 7

Chauna

I wake up when the bed moves, and I see Walker’s perfectly sculpted ass sliding on his jeans.

“Where are you goin’?” I ask as I perch my arm on my head and admire the view.

“I
gotta get my bike and talk to the guys.”
What the hell?  Does he not remember what he said last night?

“But, I thought you said…” He walks toward me, placing a finger over my mouth.

“Shhhhh. Stop thinking. I promise I’ll give it up, but just not today.”

“Walker, I can’t do this. I can’t let you ride away on that bike. They destroyed my life,” I say as I begin to slide on my clothes as well.

“I can’t just leave it at Boondocks, but I don’t see how a bike destroyed your life.”  Those words infuriate me.

“You don’t know, because you weren’t here. They killed my daddy!”  I yell at him and then begin to cry in a puddle on the floor.

“What do you mean?
They
killed your daddy?” he asks with uneasiness in his tone.

“The Barber Bikers.
They killed my daddy.” There, I said it, and saying it out loud makes an elephant lift off my shoulders.

Walker

When Chauna says those words aloud, they are the words I had feared my entire life. Growing up, I was the kid whose parents were always out riding, and one day we just had to up and move.  Barber was the longest place we had ever stayed, but I knew there was a reason for us leaving.  Someone had done something stupid.

Dropping my shirt into my hand, I move to her quickly and hold her in my arms. “Pumpkin, it’s okay.  I’ll sell it tomorrow.  I’ve just got to handle a few things first. Just know because someone has a bike or a group of friends that ride together, that doesn’t make them like my parents.”

She pulls back and looks me in the eyes. “You knew?” she whispers.

“I didn’t know exactly, but I knew something bad happened. We always moved when bad shit happened. It was just normal for us.”

“How can you call that ‘normal’?” she questions.

“
It’s how I was fuckin’ raised,” I say, but as I begin to finish my sentence, she unloads like a shotgun on me.

“Get out of my house, and don’t you ever speak to me again. I don’t give a shit if it was how you were raised. They hurt innocent people. My daddy never did anything to them but play music while they all got drunk as shit. So, tell me one thing. If that’s how you were raised, then is that how you believe?”

“No, I don’t believe that. That’s why I came back. I had to show you that I’m not like them.”

She laughs hard.
“Really? Because you rolled right back into town without a care in the world, no explanation, like you owned the place. I think that fits them just right. I’m so done, Walker. I won’t be with someone that is like them. It would be like selling my soul to the devil.”

In this moment, I know it doesn’t matter what I say. She won’t believe me. I just know I’m going to do everything in my power to prove her wrong.

Chapter 8

Chauna

Hearing him say he knew breaks my heart. How could he have known and not left as soon as he was old enough to run? I lived a life where I didn’t have parents because my mama ran off a long time ago, and my daddy got taken too soon. If Gran hadn’t still been around, I don’t know what I would have done, but she was taken too, and then it was me against the world. I prayed every night Walker would come and rescue me. He
was
Prince Charming, and he
was
supposed to rescue me.

I don’t say anything else, and eventually when Walker doesn’t know what else to say, he takes his shirt and starts to make his way out of the house, but then he returns to my bedroom.

“Pumpkin, is there any way you can give me a ride to Boondocks?” he asks quietly. 
Is he kidding?

Wiping away the tears, I nod and glance in the mirror. 
Damn, I look like death warmed over
.  I slide on a ball cap and pull may hair through the back, grab my keys, and head toward my car.  The ride to Boondocks is uncomfortable and quiet. When we pull into the parking lot, Walker places his hand on the door handle and pauses.

“This isn’t the end for us. I’m
gonna make you believe me. Just wait. I love you, Chauna, and I promise this time I’m not going to let you go,” he says as he exits my car. I stare as he walks over to his bike, and tears begin to stream down my face.

I watch as he places his helmet onto his head, revs the engine, and takes off down the road as I break down with no one watching.

Walker

Riding away from her this time is worse than the first time. I don’t want to leave, but I know the only way for her to know I am serious is to let her think I have left. Leaving is what I was brought up to do. When it gets rough, just ride away, but not this time.

Everyone that I rolled into town with rolls out of town without me. They aren’t excited about it, though. I hand over the reins of the gang to Justin. Hell, they give me a ton of shit, but they know why we had come to Barber in the first place.

I stay behind, sell my bike, and try to make an honest living without her knowing. In this small town, it is hard as hell, but growing up here has helped more than I imagined.

“Hey, Justin, I need a favor,” I say as I call him from the hotel. “I need you to be the buyer on a property for me. Just the middleman. I’m trying to stay low.”

“No problem, man. I just can’t believe you’ve not been spotted yet,” he responds.

“It’s been hard, and I’m ’bout to lose my damn mind. Mr. Waters is a lifesaver.”

Among my friend Justin, my old neighbor Mr. Waters, and my savings account, I have been able to start a new life, and
Chauna will be a part of it very, very soon, even though she has no clue I am still around.

Epilogue

Six Months Later

Chauna

“Paige, I’m going to help Pam and Kristina unload real quick,” I say as she stocks glasses onto the shelf.

“
A’ight,” she says as she continues to work.

“What y’all need me to get?” I ask Pam.

“Just grab whatever you can. We’ll set it up once we’re inside. I know y’all got a lot to get ready for tonight. I can’t believe they’ve added a full food menu. Don’t they know they work you hard enough already?” Pam says.

“I know, right? I swear, since that new owner bought Boondocks, there have been some changes. Some better than others, but at least the food is good. I just don’t understand why someone would buy our little hole in the wall, especially someone from the city,” I say as I carry a guitar.

“You never know, but they aren’t stupid, because the place brings in the money. There’s nothing else to do for miles, and the music kicks ass,” Pam says.

“It’s just weird. I
mean, all we know is some bigwig businessperson bought it without even meeting us. Who does that?”

“People with money.
That’s who,” Kristina chimes in.

“I guess you’ve got a point,” I say as I carry inside a few more items for them. “Y’all want anything to eat? We’ve got the best wings in town.” I smirk, and they die laughing.

“Please, tell me they don’t make you say that,” Kristina states.

“Sure do. Okay, maybe not, but Paige and I say it just for the hell of it. You wouldn’t believe that one line sells the hell outta some wings.
Nowhere else in town sells them. Duh!”

“On that note, we’ll take a dozen,” Pam says with a laugh.

We all grab a bite to eat while it’s quiet in Boondocks. I have to give the wings credit. They are good and definitely the best wings in town, but our cheese fries are out of this world. As the crowds begin to roll in, we all assume our positions, either behind the bar, on the floor waiting tables, or on the stage. Over the past few months, Walker fills my mind less and less, but regardless, he is always in my heart. I knew the day he rode away I’d never see him again. I’m not okay with that, but I’m learning to live with his decision. I’ve got to live my life, and I always planned on remaining at Boondocks in Barber, which hasn’t changed.

As the evening progresses, the bar becomes packed to where we are close to breaking fire code.  The kitchen is slammed, and the bar is like a war zone. 
I swear, you will get your beer!
  Since our change in owners, I’ve been so busy I haven’t been able to sing with Schaffer’s Story, and I do miss my five minutes of fame.

Around midnight, the crowd seems to level out, but the bar is still crowded. As Schaffer’s Story begins to cover
Gloriana’s “Good Night,” I can’t help but get lost in the lyrics. The second verse leaves me floored when they mention a window. I think about Walker watching me through the window at Boondocks six months ago.

As the song evaporates, I’m brought back to reality by a voice. “Good song, isn’t it?” The voice is familiar, rough, yet tender, and I don’t want to look up. I swore he would never return, but now, I have no choice but to confront him, again.

“Yeah, it is,” I say as I fill a shot of Coke and place it in front of him.

“I like that you remember what your customers order. That makes a great bartender,” he says as my eyes finally move from the counter to him.  Once my eyes leave the wooden bar, a charcoal suit that looks like it cost more than my paycheck meets me. Then, I see a crisp, baby pink dress shirt, no tie, and a clean-shaven face, but his earrings and skull ring are still in place, and that makes me smile. When my eyes meet Walker’s, I want to jump across the counter, but my mind tells my heart to slow down, because this has got to be a sick joke.

“Walker?” I question, even though I know the answer.

“Pumpkin,” he says.

“What are you doin’ here? Dressed like that?” I inquire with concern.

He stands and smiles.
Oh, that smile.
“See, there once was a girl. She was my Cinderella, and one day I lost her, or so she thought. Instead, her Prince Charming had been making a plan to walk back into her life. Chauna, I’ve not stepped out of Barber since the day you thought I rode away on my bike.”

“But, I though y’all left.”

“Looks can be deceiving. They left; I stayed. I promised you that I would prove I could get out of that life.”

“Okay,” I say, still unsure and trying to decide if I should go around the bar to talk to him.  “Where are you going with this?” I ask.

“There’s a lot I need to say, but I know you’re working. Can we talk after?” he says.

“Sure.” For the first time in months, I feel alive again.  How can one person make me feel completely whole?

“Oh, and can I get a basket of wings? I’ve heard they’re the best in town,” he says, and I look at Paige, and we burst out laughing. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing.
I’ll get that order in,” I say.

Walker stays perched on the bar stool for the remainder of the night, and I catch his eyes following me around as I work. He stays true to his word, waiting until the bar is closed and the customers are gone. He even helps Paige and
me clean up.

“Thanks for you help,” Paige says as we lock up and make our way outside.

“No problem. It was good seeing you, Paige,” he declares. “Pumpkin, wanna ride with me, or do you want to follow me to my place? I think it will be easier there.”

“I’ll follow you,” I say as I walk to my car and notice a beautiful new Chevy Silverado parked beside me.
“New ride?” I question.

“Yup, there was this girl, and well,
ya know,” he answers with a shoulder shrug. I grin from ear to ear and follow him to the outskirts of town.
Why is he taking me this way? There are only a few houses out here.

When we pull up the driveway, I’m blown away when I realize what house he is now living in.  It’s the house I always loved growing up. I had planned on buying it one
day, but it was occupied when I was old enough to move out on my own. Plus, it is too big for a single person.

Once I put my car into park, I get out and walk to meet Walker. “You live here?”

“I do. Come on. Let’s sit on the porch. Wasn’t that what you always wanted to do? Sit on the porch and just talk?”

I laugh. “Yup, funny how
that dream hasn’t changed.” We take a seat on the front porch swing and swing without speaking for a few minutes.

Walker stops the swing and faces me. “The day I rode away, I didn’t leave. I made it look that way because I wanted to prove to you that I’m not like my parents. I could never hurt you like that.  The fact my family is the reason you don’t have yours breaks my heart.  So, instead, I used my resources and did a few odd jobs out of sight. Over the years, I had done pretty well. In fact, I even got a degree in marketing.”  He pauses for a minute.

“You mean, you got a degree, and I thought you just rode your bike all day and found trouble?”  He shakes his head, and I bring my hands to my face, feeling completely embarrassed.

He takes my hands from my face and holds them in his. “Before I came back, I worked for a small marketing firm during the week and rode on the weekends. The guys I rode with were just like me. We had great jobs and just liked to ride. We aren’t the people you thought we were. In fact, if I remember correctly, you used to love to ride.”

“Maybe, but it was really the driver that made it worth the risk,” I say as I look into his eyes.

After working a month or so at Mr. Water’s farm, I noticed this house was for sale. I knew it was your dream home, and I wanted it for
us
. I also wanted to make sure your second home was always taken care of.”  I begin to put it all together. As my hand goes to cover my mouth, he says exactly what I’m thinking, “With the help of Justin, who lives in the city, I bought Boondocks and this place. I needed someone I trusted to be the middleman, and that’s Justin.”

“Walker! Oh
my gosh! Never in a million years did I think I would see you again, let alone do all of this for me.”

He stands from the swing, takes my hand in his, and pulls me in front of him. “Pumpkin, I’ve known since the first time I left that I had to come back for you, but it wasn’t until I rode back into this town that I knew why I could never leave again. You are
it
for me. My parents are long gone, and all we have in this world is each other. I’m you’re Prince Charming, remember?”

“And, I’m your Cinderella,” I reply as I close the distance between us and realize my happily ever after is just beginning.