Raw: The Ultimate Mc Collection (65 page)

“He was outside my house today when I finished walking lil’ Mike.  When I left, he followed me all the way to the parking lot of Ralph’s.  I have no idea who it is, but just keep an eye out and let me know right away if you spot him.  It could be the DA sending someone to try to drum up some dirt on us.”

“Sure, boss, we’ll keep an eye out.”

“Thanks, brothers.  Reaper, can you come to my house at seven tonight to watch Rosie?”

“I’ll be there,” he said with a knowing smile.

“Thanks,” I grumbled before returning to my office to try not to think about Daisy for the rest of the day.

I failed miserably.

CHAPTER TEN

DAISY

When I opened the door at eight that night, Mike was standing there with two helmets in his hand and a mischievous grin on his face.

He held up the extra helmet and shrugged.

“I forgot to mention I’d pick you up on the bike.  Glad you’re wearing jeans,” he said, grinning like a madman.

“I’ve never been on a bike before,” I said, shyly.

“Never? Seriously?  Wow, you’re in for a treat!  I’m glad I’m your first,” he said, his expression turning serious as he gazed at me and leaned in to kiss my cheek.

I blushed, my insides melting as I felt the heat of his lips on my cheek.  I didn’t pull away, I didn’t lean in, I just let him kiss my smiling face and looked up at him when he pulled back.

“I’ll try not to be afraid,” I said, referring to the bike ride, even though the same could have been said about his kisses.  There was something about Mike that drew me to him, made me want to be closer to him, made me want him to reach into my heart and jeans all at the same time.  

I hadn’t seen him drive anything else, so I assumed we would be on his bike, which is why I eventually decided to dress down tonight.  I was wearing my favorite black, pearl-buttoned cowboy shirt, my best fitting pair of jeans and brown cowboy boots.  You could take the girl out of Texas, but not the Texas out of the girl, apparently.  I had been in Los Angeles for months now, and I still couldn’t bring myself to wear what seemed to be the style here.  The last thing I wanted was a pair of Manolo Blahnik pumps or a Chanel dress.  Give me comfort over fashion any day.

I was glad I had made the right choice today, at least in what I was wearing.  As much as I liked Mike, I had been wrestling with my decision to go out with him all night and day.  Part of me was extremely excited about it, aroused even, how could I not be excited that someone like him had asked me out?  But at the same time, I knew I wasn’t ready for another relationship.  Not after what had happened with Todd.

In the end, I decided I was jumping the gun.  Mike had just asked me out for a drink, that was it.  He probably just wanted to get in my pants, anyway.  What was I thinking about relationships for already?

Besides, I thought, I could use some fun for a change.  I hadn’t explored much of this crazy new city, telling myself I was healing, I was settling in, but in reality, I was afraid.  I was afraid of beginning another life.  What if I ended up making bad choices again?  Was dating an outlaw biker really that much of a stretch to think it might be a bad idea?

Sure, Mike was different.  He was sweet, he was kind, but Todd was too, in the beginning.  Sure, Mike had Rosie, and Rosie was the sweetest kid ever, but I was her teacher, and that was even more of a reason not to get involved with him.

So, I told myself, I just wouldn’t do it.  I’d keep it all superficial and light.  I’d keep my heart closed, and just have a good time with him.

It was just a drink.

And now, a ride.  A ride that turned out to be a completely sensuous experience.  Once I was on the bike, and he was seated in front of me, he grabbed my thighs and squeezed them around his own.  I blushed, thankful he couldn’t see me this time, as I sat behind him and felt his hips between my legs.  When he reached back and grabbed my hands, wrapping them around his waist tightly, I was hesitant to grip him too tightly.  Until he started the bike, and I jumped at the violent vibrations of the bike beneath us.  It was so much more intense than I imagined, and I was suddenly overwhelmed with fear for my safety and everything else melted away.

When Mike accelerated and we began moving down the street, I held on as tightly as I could to him.  I felt his abs moving in laughter as he reached back and patted my thigh reassuringly and we moved through the city, the bright lights passing by us in a blur.

After five minutes, I was able to relax and I was in love with it.  The rushing air, the vibrations, the warmth exuding from him, the confidence with which he maneuvered the bike through traffic, like it was an extension of his strong body — all those things served to not only thrill me to the core, but created a sense of safety I had never felt before.  It was ironic, considering in the back of my mind, I knew not having a metal cage around us and hurtling ourselves down the road with nothing between the hard pavement and our skulls but a fiberglass helmet was definitely more dangerous.

But it wasn’t our physical condition that made me feel safe.

It was the man I was wrapped around.  He was solid, he was strong, and yet he was kind and gentle.  

Todd had never been gentle. 

When we pulled up to the boardwalk at Venice beach, I looked around in awe and delight.  I hadn’t made it here yet, and it was everything you saw in the movies.  People everywhere, most in bikinis and beach wear, and some even roller-skating down the sidewalk as street musicians played their hearts out, their guitar cases full of crumpled dollar bills.

We left our helmets on the bike, and began strolling down the boardwalk.

“This is crazy,” I said, referring to the crowd and performance artists around us. 

“I know, I love it.  You said you hadn’t gotten out much, and so I thought you might enjoy a stroll along the freakiest beach in town before we go have a drink.  I hope that’s okay?” he asked.

“Of course!  I love people watching,”  I said.

“Awesome!” Mike grabbed my hand and didn’t let go as we walked along the promenade, stopping periodically to listen to someone sing a song or watch someone paint a picture faster than I had ever seen someone paint anything.  It was impressive, and I wasn’t surprised at all with the tips they were receiving.

“Obviously, this is a tourist spot, but I thought you might enjoy it.”

“I love it, Mike, thank you for bringing me here.” I said, looking up at him, as he towered over me, his smile warming my heart.  I was slowly getting used to being in his presence.  Being wrapped completely around him on the half-hour ride here definitely helped, because I was finally feeling like I could breathe around him. 

“So, East Texas, huh?” he asked.  I felt my stomach tighten.  I had known he was going to ask me more questions about my past, and I had told myself earlier to just be open and honest with him.  I may have fled Mineola in a hurry, but I didn’t do anything wrong. “This must seem like a whole different world here to you.”

“Yeah, I grew up in a small town called Mineola, not far from the Louisiana border.  And when I say small town, I mean small town.  Like four thousand people small.”

“Oh, wow, I can’t imagine living in a place like that.  LA’s been my home all my life.  It almost sounds like paradise, to be honest.”

“Well, in some ways, it is like paradise,”  I said.  

“Yeah?  Then why did you leave, Daisy?”  he asked.

“I um…well…it was time for me to go.  I didn’t have much of a choice, but I think I did the right thing.  I’d lived there all my life, and it just wasn’t the safe — I mean, the right place for me anymore.”

His eyes darkened as he listened to me.

I wanted to tell him, I really did, but when I thought about Todd, and everything awful that had happened, it was my first instinct to push it all to the back of my mind and pretend it wasn’t real.  I kept telling myself that if I just continued going to self-defense classes, kept working out, and kept going to the shooting range to practice, that was all I needed to do.  Until the day Todd showed up, I was determined not to let him ruin another minute of my life.  Especially now, standing here on this beautiful palm tree-lined pathway, with the ocean in the distance, next to this amazingly gorgeous and sexy man.  The last thing I wanted to do was go into it all.

“It’s kind of a long story, Mike.  How about I tell you another time?  I don’t really feel like going into it now.”

He cocked his head to the side, smiled and nodded.

“I completely understand,” he said gently.  “There’s plenty of time.  No rush.”

And with that comment, my mind began racing.  There’s plenty of time, huh?  That meant he had been thinking beyond tonight, too. 

“Thanks,” I replied, smiling at him before I changed the subject.  I thought about something to ask him, to try to turn the conversation to him, but then I thought about Rosie’s mother and I realized there was probably some stuff he didn’t want to talk about either.

“How long have you been in the club?” I asked, hoping that was a safe topic.

He grinned, his voice and face flooding with pride.

“I’ve been the president of club for the last ten years,” he replied.  “My best friend, Reaper, and I joined together.  Now, we’re the President and VP.”

“Oh, Reaper, yes I met him the other day,” I said, remembering the big, burly, wild man that had picked up Rosie.  “Rosie seems very fond of him.”

“Yeah, I heard you met him.  I’m sorry if he was inappropriate, he isn’t much on manners,” he said.

“Oh, no, he was fine. It was heart-warming, actually, seeing how much Rosie loves him,” I said. “She loves you like that, too.”

Mike grew quiet for a moment, his eyes lost somewhere else before he turned back to me.

“Yeah, Reaper’s great.  There’s not another soul I trust more in the world.  He and my other brothers were what held me together when Rosie’s mom died.”

“I’m so sorry, Mike,” I said softly, his hand still warm in my mine as I squeezed it gently.  

“Thanks, it’s been hard,” he replied, his eyes clouding with pain.  “But we’re doing okay, I think.”

“It’s obvious you are doing a wonderful job with Rosie, Mike,” I said.  “She’s a wonderful girl."

His face lit up when he spoke of Rosie.

“She is, isn’t she? I couldn’t be more proud of her.  But like I said, I couldn’t do it without the club.  I love those guys and I’d do anything for them.”

“You’re lucky to have their support,” I said.

“Yeah, I am,” he said, pulling my hand up to kiss the back of it as he stopped us in the middle of the busy boardwalk.  The crowd trailed around us, parting to the side as they sidestepped us.  Mike looked down at me solemnly, not caring that we were blocking traffic.

“Daisy, do you have any idea how beautiful you are?”

“Oh! Goodness…” I stammered.  He had a way of disarming me with his directness, and I hoped like hell I never got used to it. “You’re sweet, thank you.”

He reached up, catching a strand of hair that was blowing in the wind, and tucking it behind my ear.  What a vision we must be, I thought, as I caught the eye of a woman staring at us as she skated by.  Little miss wholesome teacher being tenderly held by a scary, rough and tumble, leather-clad biker.  

But I didn’t care.  I didn’t care what anyone thought, I didn’t know anyone here anyway, and the chances of me running into someone I knew from home were absolutely zero.  I could do whatever I wanted, I could be whoever I wanted, and the freedom of that was exhilarating.

As much as I knew I should resist him, having a man like him in my life could bring me a lot of happiness, in a lot of different ways.  I didn’t care what he did, or who he was, when he wasn’t right in front of me.  I had heard all about outlaw clubs and the rumors about what they did, but I chalked it all up to myth and stereotypes.

I couldn’t imagine Mike hurting anyone or doing anything immoral.  He was a good man, I could feel it.

And he was nothing like Todd.  In fact, he was the complete opposite of Todd, and if I was going to allow a man back into my life, then that was exactly what I wanted.

Someone as far away from Todd as I could get.

When Mike leaned down to gently press his lips to mine for a way too quick kiss, I kissed him back fervently, lest he for some crazy reason think I didn’t want that.