Authors: Jamie Begley
“Where is she…?” Willa’s voice broke, but she managed to keep from shedding any more tears. Her aching heart felt as though she didn’t have any more to give.
“Knox buried her in Cash’s family cemetery.”
Willa liked the thought of her dog not being alone. She saw the sun in the sky. “What time is it?” Her voice broke despite her best efforts.
“It’s morning. You slept through the night. Do you want to go to the diner and get some breakfast?”
“No.” The thought of food made her stomach heave.
Lucky led her to his SUV.
“I can take my van,” Willa protested as Lucky opened the passenger door.
“Get in. I’ll see that your van’s at your house by lunch.”
She sat down, letting him shut the door. When Lucky had gotten behind the steering wheel and pulled out onto the main street, Willa closed her eyes tightly.
His hand took hers in a tight clasp. “We’re past the spot.” His low voice gave her the courage to open her eyes.
“I saw Lily and Rachel at the church store yesterday before…”
Lucky’s mouth tightened. “They heard the crash. Thank God Rachel was there. She wouldn’t let Lily out the door. Rachel had to push her back. She said they didn’t see anything.
“I’m glad. I wouldn’t want Lily and Rachel to have that in their head.”
Lucky pulled into her driveway, bringing the Yukon to a stop. “Like it’s in yours?”
“I keep seeing Ria, she saved my life.” She was wrong; she did have more tears left. As another one found its way down her cheek, Lucky wiped it away with a tender smile.
“Yes, she did.”
“Do you think she knew I was coming back for her?” Willa’s voice broke.
“Yes, I do.”
“What do I tell the kids when they call and ask about her?”
“Tell them she found a better home.”
Willa agreed it would be kinder to not tell them. Besides, the dog would eventually slip from their memories as they made new ones.
“She was the only dog I ever had.”
“I can get you another—”
Willa vehemently shook her head. “I don’t ever want another one. She can’t be replaced.”
Lucky stared down at her with a look she didn’t understand. “No, she can’t.”
Willa didn’t think he was talking about Ria anymore. Taking a deep breath, she reached for the door handle.
“Willa?” She turned back to him. “Will you go out with me tonight? We can go to dinner at King’s.”
Willa’s heart gave a lurch before she made herself calm down. “I’ll be fine, Lucky. I don’t need you to take me out to dinner to make me feel better.”
“Ria isn’t the reason I’m asking you out. I want to go out like a normal couple.”
“I don’t know…”
“Willa, you almost died yesterday, and there wasn’t a fucking thing I could do to prevent it. Please just give me a chance. That’s all I’m asking for now. Can you do that?”
“I can do that,” she said softly, unable to resist his husky entreaty.
“Good. I’ll pick you up at six.”
“Okay.” Willa slid out of the SUV then watched as he pulled out until he turned the corner back to the church.
She might be making a mistake by going out with Lucky, but she was done running. This time, she was going to stand still and see what happened.
*
*
*
Lucky walked through the front of the clubhouse. He had called Viper after he had dropped Willa off to ask for the club meeting, and now the members were waiting for him in the packed kitchen.
Viper was standing in the TV area with the other six original members as Lucky walked up to them, coming to a stop. He reached into his pant pocket, pulling out two sets of bike keys, handing one set to his president.
“Lucky…” Viper’s eyes went to his hand.
“My cut is in the saddlebag.”
“Brother, don’t.”
“I can’t be a brother and have Willa, too. I love her, Viper. I always have.”
The club members were silent, listening to every word.
“It doesn’t have to be either. You could choose both,” Shade spoke up.
“Yes, it does. For me to have Willa, it does.”
Lucky heard the women in the background crying.
“I don’t give a fuck if you wear our cut or not; you’ll always be a brother. I love you, man.” Viper took the keys from him then pulled him in for a tight hug before releasing him. The other brothers crowded around him, each saying their good-byes. However, Shade stood still with his arms crossed against his chest.
Lucky gave Rider the second set of keys when it was his turn, but the man refused at first to take them back.
“We both know I cheated in the first place. I was never going to let Moon have her.”
“Brother, the only one who didn’t know was you.”
Lucky slapped Train on the shoulder. “Glad you’re back. The women were having a hard time without you.”
Train’s dark eyes held the emotions that the former Seal would never reveal. They had been together since the service, and their bond would last until death. “Wasn’t the same without you guys.”
Lucky nodded then smacked Knox on the shoulder, grinning up at the brother wearing the police uniform. “I’m never going to get used to seeing you in that get-up.”
“I’m getting used to it. You’ll have to borrow one of the deputies’ uniforms some time. Makes Diamond hornier than hell.”
Lucky laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Cash and Razer both gave him grins before nearly breaking his ribs with their hugs. When he managed to break their grips, he turned to the women giving each a brief hug. Lucky went to the door where he stopped and looked back at Shade, who had made no move to tell him good-bye.
“Lucky, I told you that you don’t know shit about Willa.”
He stopped, turning back to Shade. “It’s myself I finally figured out. It’s what I want, too.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes,” Lucky said truthfully.
“You’re sure?”
“I’m sure.”
“What about Bridge?”
“I’m going to deal with him. You made your promise, and I expect you to keep it,” Lucky reminded the enforcer.
“I made that promise to a brother.”
Chapter 21
“I am not going swimming.” Willa stared ahead mutinously.
“Yes, you are. It’s hot as hell today, and where I’m taking you is private.”
“Just because I’ve been seeing you for three months, it doesn’t mean I have to listen to you.”
Until Lucky sees me naked, I’m not giving him any rights over me,
Willa thought to herself.
She cast a quick glance at his hard profile as he drove. The most intimate thing they had done during the time they spent together was the kiss he would place on her lips as he was leaving. It was respectful and chaste, but it was also darn frustrating. Her mother and father would have been happy at his courtly behavior. Her, not so much since she couldn’t figure out if it was because he cared for her or if it was because he wasn’t attracted to her.
She didn’t have any other dating experiences to compare it to, so she would often dissect their dates for hours after he had left as she lay in her lonely bed. They saw each other almost every day, spending hours in each other’s company. They would go for walks and watch television, but during all the time they spent together, he had never tried to take their relationship to a more intimate level.
A few times, she had even tried to tempt him, though she was ashamed to admit it. She would part her lips when he kissed her, but he would pull back. One time, she had even been brazen enough to sit down next to him on the couch close enough that the side of her breast had brushed his arm. She had hoped he would turn and give her a passionate kiss. However, he had merely scooted over so he was no longer touching her.
She had begun to believe he was going to The Last Riders’ clubhouse to see the women there, but he hadn’t. She knew this because Lily and Beth, whom she saw at the church store when she stopped in, had told her that he had left the club. When she had mentioned it to him, he had told her that he still saw the men in town and frequently hung out at the diner with them.
She had asked him, “Why did you stop being a Last Rider?”
And he had answered, “If I were to hang out at the clubhouse, would you believe I wasn’t with any of the women?”
Willa couldn’t answer without lying, so she had remained quiet.
“That’s why I didn’t want that in your head.” He had taken her hand. “The clubhouse isn’t about the sex, Willa. It’s about the brothers having your back when you need them. That’s why people in the military have such a hard time adjusting when they get out. They’re used to that camaraderie, being up each other’s ass all the time. We’re loners, and we respect each other’s privacy when we need it, but it’s nice to be able to walk into a room and be surrounded by friends just sitting around, shooting the shit, drinking a beer.”
“I don’t want you to give that up because of me,” Willa had protested.
“I didn’t give it up just for you. I gave it up for the church, too. Do you see the parishioners letting me be pastor while belonging to The Last Riders?”
“But they all know you lived there when you gave the church up.”
“That was different. They love to forgive a reformed sinner as long as the sinner doesn’t go back for their fix.”
Willa had wondered if Lucky knew how telling his statement had been by comparing The Last Riders to an addiction.
Like an addict, Lucky was trying to stay away from the worst part of his addiction—the clubhouse. It was what drew them together and made them whole. It gave them their bonds that would be hard to break. Then again, Lucky seemed to be happy with his choice, and Willa didn’t want to keep dwelling on his decision if it was truly what he wanted.
He still spent time with them, and when she saw them around town, they were all friendly, asking how she was doing since the children had left. During the holidays, they had even had a big party at King’s restaurant to celebrate, saying it was much easier to cook and fit everyone in there. However, Willa thought it was because they didn’t want to leave Lucky out.
Willa blinked back tears, turning her head to look out the window at the passing scenery, trying to shake the thoughts from her head.
“What are you thinking?”
Willa gathered her composure before turning back to him. “I was just thinking it’s a beautiful day.”
Lucky parked his SUV on the private land near the lake. Getting out, he took out the picnic basket she had placed in the backseat before opening her door.
“Are you going to sit there all day?”
His good mood was beginning to get on her nerves.
“I’m thinking about it.” She was too embarrassed to tell him she didn’t want him to see her in her swimsuit.
“While you’re thinking about it, I’m going swimming.”
Lucky set the basket down on the picnic table before taking off his T-shirt, already wearing his swim trunks. He walked into the cool water until it was deep enough to dive underneath. When he came up, he shook his hair out of his face.
“What kind of freaking pastor has tattoos?” she said to herself as she slid out of the SUV, tempted to start it with the keys he had left in the ignition and leave his butt in the lake. She almost giggled to herself, imagining his expression if she did.
She sat down at the picnic table, taking a bottled water out of the basket. She began to get hot sitting in the sun, wishing the table was in the shade. It was only April, but a hot spell had fallen over Kentucky, and the temperature was reaching the nineties.
Looking at the water, she saw Lucky floating lazily with his face turned up to the sky.
“I hope his nose gets burned.” She had plastered a whole bottle of sun block on herself before he had picked her up.
She saw the tats on his shoulder and back as he began swimming. Darn it, was she ever going to be able to see them closely? It was always a flash here or there. He would catch her looking at them and lift a brow, and she would look away quickly, but the jerk knew she had been staring.
“I’m melting.” Willa brushed the dampness off her forehead. Glancing back at the water, she was determined to tell Lucky she’d had enough, only to see his body gone. Willa stood up, her eyes searching the lake. When she didn’t see him, she yelled out.
“Lucky?”
Willa didn’t hear a sound. Becoming more frightened, she began walking closer to the water.
“
Lucky
?”
The silence made her even more frightened. She began running into the water, searching frantically for him, going deeper and deeper. How long did it take someone to drown? Wouldn’t he have called out if he had a leg cramp? Could he have hit his head when he had gone under water?
A hand wrapped around her ankle, pulling her under the water before letting go. Willa gasped when she came up, seeing the mischievous look on Lucky’s face.
“You ass!” She hit him on his chest with her fists. “You scared me to death! I thought you drowned!” Furiously, she put her hands on his head, pushing him back underneath. If the asshole wanted to pretend to drown, she would freaking help him.
Arms circled her waist, lifting her up into the air before tossing her backward. Her squeal was cut short when her mouth filled with water. She came up, sputtering water, her eyes narrowed in determination.
Her hands gripped his shoulders, and she used all her weight to sink him to the bottom of the lake. Lucky’s body twined with hers, his mouth finding hers in a passionate kiss that had her not caring if she drowned. Finally, he pulled them to the surface, releasing her mouth.
“Are you trying to kill me?” she sputtered.
“I’m trying to get you to have some fun.”
Willa slung her wet hair back from her face. “You seriously think this is fun? Is our next date at the dentist’s office?”
Willa couldn’t help joining in with his laughter as he pulled her closer to him. His hands went to her waist, tugging at the large T-shirt she had put over her swimsuit.
“What are you doing?” She tried to wiggle away yet was unable to before she found her T-shirt swimming away.
“Taking off that raft.”
“Are you insulting my clothes?”
“Just that T-shirt. It’s ugly as shit.”