Biker Bound: The Lost Souls MC Series (8 page)

I know he understands me, he just doesn’t reply.

After a quick change and a last minute check to see he has both his sneakers on still, I grab my keys and we head out.

The day isn’t as hot as yesterday for which I am grateful for. When I woke this morning I noticed the air-conditioning hadn’t just been repaired, it had been replaced completely with a new system.

Compared to back home Willows Peak is so small it is borderline empty. You can always get a table at the diner yet it is always busy. People are always checking in and checking out of the motel yet I never see them around town. I wonder how Billy came across this place.

So many questions left unanswered now. I never thought I would be a single mom and now I always will be. Come on Kristen, time to get a handle on this.

“Just me and you baby,” I say, as I click the last belt into place across Zachery.

The ridiculously loud booms of a bike engine approaching causes me to jump and bang my head on the door frame. When I look up I see Zachery smiling.

“Momma in pain makes you happy huh?” I tease, rubbing the back of my head.

I turn to find it is Slade. All of a sudden it’s like I am back in high school and feeling queasy because the captain of the football team smiles at me. Only this time, I’m feeling queasy with excitement to see a bad boy biker who I only met last week.

If I thought he was hot yesterday with his shirt off then today he just went off the scale. He stops in the bay a couple up from my car and every movement he makes has me fighting to remember how to breathe. The way he swings his leg over the bike nearly topples me over. It is the hottest thing I’ve ever seen a guy do.

The way his jeans hang around hips is fucking unbelievable, his leather cut which normally isn’t my thing has just become top of my list of gear on guys.

Above all, it’s his lop-sided grin that gets me, his brilliant white teeth encased by those luscious lips of his.

“Are you going somewhere?” he asks, striding over.

“I was about to take Zachery out before it gets too late, then stop off at the diner for dinner. You’re welcome to join us,” I offer.

“I’ve got a better idea, why don’t you both come over to my place, I can cook us something better than Hank.”

“Sure.”

My reply is instant. All rational thought gone the moment he turned up.

As he walks over to his bike I expect to follow him over to his place instead after doing whatever he does on his bike he walks back over to me.

He comes so unbearably close that I actually think he’s going to kiss me, but he takes my car keys instead.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

“It will be easier if I drive. I’ll drive you back later and pick my bike up,” he explains, moving away.

“Are you implying I can’t manage to follow you without keeping up?” I don’t know if I’m insulted or thrilled.

“I’m not implying anything darlin’…get in.”

“You’re quite bossy you know. Is it your natural charm or does it come with the bike?” I ask once I’m in the car.

“A bit of both,” he laughs, “How was your room last night?” he asks.

I did think Slade could have had something to do with the air-conditioning but I didn’t really believe he would.

“What did you do? The manager couldn’t care less when I spoke to him yesterday.”

“Let’s just say, my image is more intimidating than your assets,” he chuckles.

His image definitely intimidated me at first, now he’s using it for me makes me smile.

“However you done it, thank you.”

We pull up in front of a well groomed townhouse. I look around for a shabby looking place but there isn’t any around. All my illusions of how these bikers are and how they live are slowly being shattered the more I spend time with them.

With Zachery in my arms, I follow Slade up to the door and into the house.

It’s totally not what I was expecting. The bad boy biker image he exudes does not reach to his home. It is decorated cleanly and neutrally. He has the original wooden floors unhidden from carpets, modern furniture with a huge TV hanging on the wall. Everything about it is so normal.

“Your home is gorgeous,” I state, continuing to look around.

“What was you expecting?” he asks, amused by my gawking.

“Honestly?” I ask.

“Honesty is always best.”

“I expected shaggy carpets and curtains, broken furniture, holes in the wall and beer bottles everywhere.”

“And yet, you still came,” he said, looking at me directly in the eye.

“Yeah I did.”

There is so much more behind the spoken words between us. I’m positive it isn’t just me feeling like this.

I break eye contact first and take a minute to look around his photographs. Some of them are of his bike. It’s the ones of an older lady and of a woman who looks around my age that catch my interest. The woman who looks my age is beautiful, her dark hair falling in loose curls as she smiles widely for the camera. Before I know what I’m doing, I’ve picked up the photo.

“She’s my sister,” Slade murmurs behind me.

Relief surges through me, for a moment I was wondering if she was an old girlfriend.

“She’s beautiful,” I say, putting the frame back down in its place.

“Many guys agree with you,” he grunts.

I turn and smile.

“Protective older brother huh?” I guess.

“As much as I can be from here. She doesn’t exactly see the wrong in people, only the good and she never picks a good one.”

“Is this your mom?” I ask, pointing to the other photos.

“Yeah, she lives in Texas now with Lily, my sister.”

“Have you lived here all your life?” I ask, intrigued into his life.

“Nearly, my mom moved us here when I was four years old after a bad divorce from my dad.”

“Do you still see your dad?” I ask.

“Not really, he has his life and I have mine. They don’t mix well.”

If my dad was still alive I couldn’t imagine not having him in my life.

“Is there anything Zachery can get if I put him down?” I ask, quickly moving on from father talk.

“No, he should be fine unless he can climb. I’ll get us something to drink.”

I put Zachery on the large leather sofa, handing him his bag of bricks and carry on looking around.

Slade comes back in with two beers and hands me one.

“If you’re driving us back to the motel then you’re not drinking,” I warn him.

His eyebrows shoot up into forehead as the bottle is about to hit his lips.

“Don’t you think I can handle one beer?” he asks, cocking one eyebrow at me.

“I think you can handle a lot of things but you’re not driving us if you have a drink, especially with my son in the car.”

“Fair enough.”

For the next hour I continuously ask him questions about this town and his life here. He answers every time and I’m left wondering what made him join a motorcycle club? I leave that question for a different day.

Earlier Slade had put the TV on choosing a cartoon channel for Zachery, so far I haven’t heard a peep out of him.

Slade’s been in the kitchen for the last twenty minutes, with the doorway just off the living room I wander over and lean in the doorway so I can speak with Slade and still keep an eye on Zachery.

“You constantly surprise me,” I tell him, watching him stir something in one of the pots.

“How so?” he smirks.

“You don’t strike me as a cooking type of guy, that’s all.”

“You’ve judged us from day one haven’t you?” he laughs.

“Pretty much, I’m sorry about that.”

“It’s okay, most people do. And just so you know, I know how to look after myself. I can also use a washer and a vacuum.”

“Quite the domestic biker aren’t you,” I tease him.

“I have more talents than that,” he winks.

“You’ll have to prove it,” I flirt.

For once he looks like how he makes me feel, hot and needy. I don’t think it is just me.

“If you stick around, I will.”

I can’t help but smile at him. I feel like I should be embarrassed or horrified at how I am acting around him, but it is him who makes me feel comfortable to do so. Even with Billy I was never this forward.

“I should get Zachery washed up for dinner,” I say, before fleeing into the living room.

When Zachery is in ear shot the conversation doesn’t veer into flirting territory too much.

There are no awkward silence through dinner. He tells me about the club, although I get the feeling he isn’t telling me everything. Zachery does his copying everything the biker does thing again, eating when Slade does, drinking his juice when Slade drinks his coke. Slade notices this time and eats slower so Zachery finishes his meal this time.

An act so small to someone else is gigantic to me, not everyone would care enough to do that.

“If your food is going cold, you don’t have to wait for Zachery,” I tell him knowing Zachery could take another fifteen minutes to finish.

“If he eats more because of me then I don’t mind,” he smiles across the table.

Slade had plumped up one of the chairs with pillows so Zachery could have his own seat and still reach the table.

“Did you have a nice time with Alannah yesterday?” he asks.

“Yes, she’s very nice. I now believe her and Billy weren’t together.”

“You couldn’t be more wrong about them two. Would it be a problem if they were?”

“No, he was my friend that’s all,” I am getting fed up saying it, “I didn’t come here for me, only for Zachery.”

He hears the irritation in my voice and drops the topic of Billy.

“Looks like Zach is finished,” he says, drawing my attention to the empty plate.

“That’s the first meal he’s ever finished,” I admit happily.

“He doesn’t say much does he.”

“No, the only noise you hear from him is crying or the occasional giggle.”

I am about to clear our plates when Slade beats me to it and loads the dishwasher.

Very domestic indeed.

After cleaning up Zachery, I am back on the couch feeling content after our steak dinner with him falling asleep on my lap.

Slade comes in from the kitchen and when noticing Zachery, joins us cautiously as not to wake him.

“I’m glad you came over,” he says, quietly.

“Me too, thank you for offering,” I reply.

“I should get you both back but I don’t want you to leave.”

“I’ve decided to stay for a while so we can do this again,” I offer, as much as I want to stay I have Zachery to think of.

He nods never taking his eyes away from mine and runs his knuckles across my cheek. I lean into his touch and feel the air sting my skin when he pulls his hand back.

“Come on, I’ll take you back to the motel.”

Once Zachery’s in his car seat still asleep Slade is standing by the passenger door holding it open for me.

Before I slide into my seat I lean up on my tip toes intending to kiss him on the cheek but his head turns at the last moment. I don’t pull away and neither does he. His lips are so soft and tempting that I wish I had done this sooner.

The kiss grows hungrier as I wrap my arms around his neck and his around my waist pulling me tight against him.

The longer we kiss the more intense it becomes. Every repressed feeling I’ve had since giving birth explodes into a million pieces and I hold on to Slade and kiss him with everything I have.

“Say the word and I’ll take you back in the house,” he growls breathlessly.

His mouth dragging down my neck is distracting me. My aching body screams at me to say the words but my head screams one word, Zachery.

“I can’t.”

“I know.”

I don’t know which of us sounds more dejected, him or I?

“Believe me, I really want to but it isn’t right with Zachery here.”

“I understand, go on and get in the car before I forget I have a few gentleman tendencies left.”

I can’t help myself, I kiss him once more before sliding into my seat. Turning around I make sure Zachery is still asleep, he is.

When Slade is in the car and turning the ignition on, he focuses on my bare legs and takes a deep breath.

Deciding to tease him a little, I kick my sandals off and rest my feet on the dash, my shorts were a very good pick this morning when I got dressed.

I hear him hiss in frustration and I hold in my giggle as he drives us away.

Chapter Eight

Slade

This is it. I am going to die. Keeping my eyes firmly on the road and trying to think of anything but Kristen’s legs up on the dash, I know I am failing miserably.

My dick has never been harder. Fidgeting in the seat I try to adjust myself so it’s not so fucking obvious I’m rocking a hard on. I know she knows what she’s doing and one day soon I will make her pay for it, because without a doubt I know she wants me just as much.

Halfway from my house to the motel, the back wheel gives out and the metal grates along the road.

Pulling over to the side of the road, I get out to find the back tire is fucked.

“What’s going on?” Kristen asks, getting out of the car.

“Please tell me you have a spare?”

“Sure, it’s in the trunk.”

Sure she had a spare but she doesn’t have anything to change it with.

Pulling my cell out of my pocket I dial Sparky’s number and hope he’s at home and not at the club. His house is roughly ten minutes from here.

He picks up on the third ring and for once it doesn’t sound like I’ve interrupted him and Bonnie. You can’t guess how many times that has happened before.

“Yeah.”

“It’s Slade, you busy?”

“Just got home, why?” he asks.

“I got a flat and nothing to fuckin’ change the spare with. I’m only ten minutes away from you on the main road towards the motel,” I tell him.

“I’ll leave now,” he says, before hanging up.

“You drove across the country without anything to change a tire with? What would you have done if this happened then?”

“I don’t know. I would have figured something out.”

“You should be more organized.”

“You’re being bossy again,” she says, pushing me back against the car.