“Then talk,” I said. I was holding myself together barely—my reaction to seeing a man cozying up to Meadow had set me off. Then, to find out, he’d already asked her out, and she declined. I knew he hadn’t given up. The vibe and looks he gave her when she wasn’t looking made it clear as day. He wanted her and was trying to find a way to get her. His friendship act didn’t fool me.
Her astonishment at my confession that I wanted her and hated him working with her forced me to prove it. So, I kissed her. It was incredible. I hated to stop, but I owed her the chance to talk. I only hoped she wasn’t about to tell me she only saw me as a friend. The kiss didn’t make it seem that way, but I was dreading I was wrong. Waiting for her to start was making my anxiety climb. Finally, she sighed and began to speak.
“Iceman, nothing can happen between us. No, don’t interrupt. Please let me finish,” she said when I opened my mouth to protest. I closed it. I’d wait and then give my rebuttal.
“As I was saying, nothing can happen between us. First, I’m your PT. There’s a professional etiquette that I must adhere to. It’s unethical to date your patient. I know you probably want to say what about when you’re no longer a patient. It still won’t happen even then. No matter that I find you attractive, I don’t have room or time in my life to have an affair with anyone. I’m trying to get my sisters through college, keep a roof over our heads, and put food on the table. Having a fling doesn’t appeal to me. You’re a very sexy and good-looking guy. It’s hard to say no, but I have to. It would only cause more disruptions to my life when it ends if I did say yes. I’m sorry.”
While I didn’t like her dismissing me or her assumption that it was just a fling I wanted, I was relieved that she admitted she found me attractive. If that was the case, then I could wear her down. I would’ve backed off if she’d told me she didn’t find me appealing at all. However, she did, and that meant I still had a chance. But first, I needed to clarify a couple of things.
“Are you done?” I asked when she didn’t resume talking.
“I am.”
“Good. Now it’s my turn. I understand why you wouldn’t want to see me while I’m your patient. But I have the feeling I’m almost ready to stop my treatments. I know the exercises. My range of motion is greatly improved, and the stiffness and discomfort are nearly gone. You claim you find me attractive but won’t pursue anything with me due to not having time in your life, especially for an affair. And that when we’d part ways, it would cause disruptions.”
“Yes, that’s what I said. And you are making wonderful progress with your therapy. You are close to being able to do it one hundred percent on your own,” she added.
“I’m glad to hear that. But the rest is utter bullshit.”
She gasped as I continued. “If we’re both attracted to each other, we shouldn’t ignore it. And you’re making big assumptions. One of them is that I only want an affair. The other is that it will end.” I paused to let it sink in.
“Iceman, you can’t mean what it sounds like you’re saying,” she uttered.
“I’m saying that I want you, and you want me. We’ll be with each other. You can call it boyfriend and girlfriend if you wish to at first. What I’ll call it is you’re my old lady, and I’m your old man. It won’t be an affair, fling, friends-with-benefits, or anything else you may call it. It’ll be monogamous, and it’s for life.”
She sat there with her mouth open, blinking at me. Disbelief was written all over her face. I left her like that for a good minute or more before I had to push my suit home. I stood and maneuvered myself to straddle her, and then I retook her mouth. Only this time, it was all passion and yearning. I kissed her like I was dying, and she was my oxygen. And it was getting to be that way for me. Every day I went without seeing her, it made me crazy. I craved to know what she was doing and talk to her about so many things. I wanted to be with her all the time. To be able to see and touch her daily. It wasn’t just for sex, although God, I want that, too.
She was moaning and wiggling her body, which made her rub against mine. My cock was more than happy, and it rose to greet her. My erection was pressing hard against my zipper. It was painful, but I welcomed it. I’d never gotten this turned on from merely kissing a woman. I usually only did it briefly to get her in the mood, then went from there. With Meadow, I could do this for hours. I loved the feel and taste of her. There was even the faintest taste of whiskey from the drink she had.
Hoping I wasn’t going too fast, I raised a hand and cupped her tit through her top. I wasn’t able to find her nipple due to her bra, but I did knead it. My kneading caused her to moan louder. She wasn’t passive during this, either. She was kissing me back and matching my desire. Her pelvis ground into mine. I knew just from our kisses that we’d burn hot in bed.
Somewhere in the very back of my mind, a voice was warning me that I couldn’t strip her naked and take her here. Our first time wouldn’t be on the couch in Bear’s office at The Dark Angel. I wanted a bed so I could take my time and do it right. So, no matter if I was harder and more aroused than I’d ever been, I reluctantly broke our kiss and moved away.
Her face was flushed, she was breathing hard, and her eyes were cloudy with desire. I loved seeing her like that and knowing I was responsible. I got up to put more distance between us in the hopes it would stop me from attacking her and would ease my erection. I couldn’t go out there with a lump in my pants. I didn’t care who saw it, but she might.
It took a couple of minutes for her to be calm enough to speak. When she did, her voice was hoarse. “Iceman, I, uhm, that, shit, I can’t talk. You sure can kiss a woman and make her brainless.”
“Meadow, I’ve never kissed a woman like that. You caused that. I needed you to feel that I meant what I said. I want to be with you in every way, and it’s not casual or short-term. I’ll abide by friends only for a short period while we’re still patient and therapist, but you still have to spend time with me as friends. We can have others around if you want, but I need you close.”
“It wasn’t a dream. You really said all that,” she whispered and continued, “Iceman, this has hit me out of the blue. I need to think about it. The last thing either of us needs to do is enter into this and find out it was a mistake. You sound so sure, but after you sleep on it, you might change your mind. We have to be sure.”
“I am, but if you want time, I’ll give it to you. How about this? You and I get to know each other outside of my treatments. When those end, you tell me what you’ve decided. We won’t bring sex into it, or I should say nothing but kissing. I don’t think I can give those up after tasting you. However, we won’t have full sex until you say yes. But I want you to be prepared. I intend for you to say yes. When you do, there’s no going back. You’ll be my old lady, and I won’t let you go. You should talk to the old ladies at the club. They can explain their lives and what being in the biker world is like. Will you agree to do that?”
I held my breath as I waited for her to answer. I was surprised when she didn’t make me wait forever. Relatively fast, she nodded and said, “I’m willing to do that. But we won’t mention to everyone that we’re doing this. We’ll present as friends. Any kisses will be private. I don’t want anyone to get the wrong idea about us while I’m treating you. I have a reputation to uphold as a PT. Even kissing shouldn’t be done, but I don’t know if I can survive not having them.”
“I won’t tell the club, but I have to warn you. Loki and Renegade already know I want you and planned to see if you were taken. They’ll ask me. What do you want me to do?”
She hesitated and shrugged. “If they ask, you can tell them we’re waiting until you’re done with therapy to decide, but warn them not to tell anyone else. Please.”
Elation filled me, especially when hearing our kisses made her feel the same way they did me. I rushed back to her. I had to have one more kiss, but I made it short. She was still flushed, so she insisted on waiting until she was calmer. She wanted to check herself in the mirror, so I showed her the small bathroom in Bear’s office. I heard the water running and her muttering.
“Is everything alright?” I called out.
“No, I look like I’ve been kissed within an inch of my life,” she cried.
“Go out there and forget it. If someone suspects, they won’t say anything. You dance with the ladies and enjoy yourself. You need to relax.”
After the water shut off, she came out. Her face was barely pink. “Okay, I’m ready.”
As she passed me, I hooked her wrist in my hand. She stopped and gave me a questioning look.
“Before we go out there, I want to ask you to do something for me.”
“What is it?”
“Iceman is my road name. I like it, and I enjoy others calling me that. However, when it comes to you, I want you to call me by my first name. Only when we’re alone is it allowed. It’s frowned upon if we’re around the club or others. Will you do that?”
“So you want me to call you Jake? Or is that short for Jacob, and you prefer that?”
“No, it’s straight Jake, and yes, that’s what I want to be called.”
She smiled at me. “I think I can do that…Jake.”
Hearing her say it in that tone began to fire me up. Tugging her arm to bring her closer, I resisted kissing her and led her to the door. We had the office locked up in no time and were rejoining the club. I wondered what kind of looks and reactions we’d get for being gone so long. I hoped they wouldn’t say anything to make her self-conscious. Nothing could ruin this with her. I’d remove any obstacles to us ending up together.
???
Last night at the Angel went far better than I hoped. Not only did I get Meadow to agree to give us a chance, but the club had been great about not making her feel awkward when we returned to the table. They didn’t ask where we were or what took so long. I was surprised that her sisters didn’t either. We found those two up dancing with the old ladies. Meadow excused herself to join them. I knew my brothers had questions, but they didn’t ask. We sat there and kept watch over the women and talked about whatever struck our fancy.
When the night came to an end, despite her protests, I insisted on following her home to ensure they got there. Loki and Renegade came with me. She told us we didn’t need to search the apartment before we’d allow them inside, but I did it anyway while my brothers watched them. When it was deemed safe, the guys wished them a good night and went to our bikes. Her sisters said the same and went inside.
I watched them disappear into what must be their room. Knowing I was invisible to the street, I snuck a kiss. Meadow kissed me back, and it was hell again to stop, but we did.
“Goodnight. Lock the door,” I told her.
“Goodnight, and I will. Ride safe. Text me so I know you got home safely.”
“Will do.”
It was now Saturday morning, and I was at a loss. I didn’t know what to do with myself. I didn’t want to watch television, shoot pool, or anything else. Even fiddling with my bike held no appeal. I was sitting in the common room, trying to think of something to do, when Renegade and Loki joined me. They plopped down at my table. Two intense gazes were locked onto me. I pretended not to notice. I knew Renegade would be the one to break the silence.
“Are you gonna sit there and say nothing to your best friends while we die from curiosity?” Renegade whispered.
At least he didn’t yell it. That was unusual for him. I glanced at Loki. He raised his eyebrows at me but didn’t say anything. I fucked with them for almost a minute. I didn’t start explaining until I was sure Renegade was about to burst. Hey, what were friends for?
“What has you almost ready to die, Ren?” I teased.
“Listen here, fucker. It was all we could do not to say something last night. When you and Meadow finally came to the table, she appeared somewhat red-faced, and her hair wasn’t as neat as it was. And you wore a pretty satisfied look. So, did you and her, you know…have sex in Bear’s office?” Renegade asked.
“Do you think I’d do that and let Bear find out? He’d kill me. To answer your question, no, we didn’t have sex in the office. However, we did talk, and kissing was involved at the end,” I confessed. He held up his hand for a fist bump, so I gave it to him.
“So does that mean she’ll be around here from now on? How will it work with her sisters?” Loki asked.
“Here’s the deal. She doesn’t want anyone to know, so keep your mouths shut. She begged me to tell you not to blab to anyone, not even the rest of the club. She’s concerned her professional reputation might get smeared if anyone knew we were exploring a relationship. We’re taking the time until she’s done treating me to get to know each other better, and we’ll hang out in private. She might come to the clubhouse, but I don’t know.
“She’ll decide then if she’ll have a relationship with me. I’m determined she will. When she’s finally mine for good, I’ll want her here. She and I have to talk about where that leaves her sisters. She won’t just abandon them, and I wouldn’t expect her to. However, they are technically adults, so we’ll have to see what they want.”
“We won’t say a word. Congrats,” Renegade said.
“What about that guy at the bar, Scott? Where does he fit into this? He’s into her. I could tell,” Loki warned.
“He is. She has friend-zoned him. Earlier this year, he asked her out, but she said no. She claims he accepted it and hasn’t asked again, but I don’t believe for a second he’s given up hope he has a chance. I think he’s playing the long-wait game. The thing I hate is that they work together. He’s around her five days a week. He can drop in and talk to her anytime he wants.”
“That sucks. Are you afraid he’ll make her change her mind about you and her?” Renegade asked.
“No, she’s very attracted to me. I can build on that. She’s not interested in him,” I assured them.
“If you’re going to just be friends until then, I guess that means no sex?” Again, it was Renegade asking.
“I doubt she’ll allow that. She’s right to protect her reputation. People get squirrely ideas, and you never know how they’ll react. Better safe than sorry,” Loki muttered.
“Exactly. I’m close to the end of my treatment. She confirmed it. I think two weeks max is all I have left, and I should be good to go. I’ll know more at the end of our sessions this coming week. Alright, enough about me and Meadow. What’re you two up to today?”
Talking about her made me want to see her. But if we were trying to keep this on the down-low, that would blow it. I needed to think about something else.
“We were thinking of taking a ride. It’s another warm day. Maybe ride west toward Lebanon and Murfreesboro, then loop back,” Loki said.
A ride sounded good to me. While the club often rode together, sometimes a single guy or a small number would go out themselves. We didn’t bother asking anyone to join us this time. With our plan in place, we split up to grab anything in our rooms we might need, and then we’d meet in the garage where we stored our bikes during the winter and foul weather. No way would we leave them outside. The married guys usually had them in their home garages, but some still used the main garage. There was plenty of room. It made it convenient to work on them, too, if you did it yourself. If not, the club’s garage would do it. Several brothers worked there, and Maverick managed it while Tank oversaw the towing side of it.
By some miracle, we didn’t run into anyone. We made it to the gate, and as we waited for it to open, we saw Diego. I waved him over.
“We’re going for a ride. We’ll be back later if anyone is looking for us. We’re headed toward Lebanon,” I informed him. Letting someone know was a good idea, just in case something happened. Player didn’t, not long ago, and we hadn’t been able to locate him when Saylor was stabbed.
He nodded. “I’ll let them know if they ask. Have fun. Keep the shiny side up,” he added.
We all gave him a thumbs-up, then roared out the gate. I liked Diego. I was glad he’d come to us after his disastrous start with that other fucking club. I refused even to think of their name. They not only kidnapped Joker’s woman, Raina, and her daughter, Belle, but they also abused Aria, Slash’s woman, horribly. Due to Diego, Belle escaped, and later, we were led back to rescue Raina. That’s when we found Aria.
We took US Highway 70 rather than Interstate 40. It curved and meandered through the countryside. Even though the trees were bare except for evergreens and everything was brown, it was still a nice relaxing ride. The air smelled so clean. As we rode, the tension eased from my body.
I imagined what it would be like to have Meadow on the back of my bike. I’d never allowed anyone to ride with me. I knew that spot for most bikers was reserved for their old lady. There had never been a hang around or bunny on mine. That didn’t mean they didn’t ask, but I shut that down. I wondered if Meadow had ever ridden before. I’d have to ask her.
We ended up in Murfreesboro. We were hungry, so we stopped off at a bar and grill. Since we were riding, we didn’t have alcohol, but they had some of the best barbeque I’d eaten in a while. We filled up on food. After that, we rode around Murfreesboro and then headed back home. We were gone for four and a half hours. It took an hour and a half to get there when taking US 70.
It was late afternoon when we got home. There were more people in the clubhouse when we went inside. They yelled out, asking where we’d been hiding. When we told them we went for a ride, a few called us assholes for not asking them, but they grinned as they did. We teased them that if they didn’t stay in bed all day, we would’ve. They’d been up late by the looks of a few single guys. I doubted they’d slept alone or not the whole night.
I ended up hanging in the common room for hours, but I wasn’t just talking with the guys. I was texting Meadow back and forth. We were sharing information about ourselves. It was all part of our getting to know each other. I would’ve preferred to talk, but she was doing stuff with her sisters, so we stuck to this. I wanted her to come to the clubhouse tomorrow. She was thinking about it. I hoped she’d say yes. I needed to see her.
As the night progressed, I found myself wanting to go to my room. I did when the women showed up. That was for my brothers. I wasn’t interested in any of them. And if they bothered me, it would just piss me off. Getting up, I called out goodnight to those still there and got the hell out of there. I went to my room, showered, and then got into bed, where I dreamed of Meadow. Way better than dealing with unwanted attention. Sure, I got turned on and had to jerk off, but that wasn’t anything new. I’d been masturbating to thoughts of her since we met.
???
Meadow didn’t come to the clubhouse. She said it would raise too many questions. However, she did agree that I could come to her place. She invited me to come in the early afternoon. We’d get to know each other, and she said she’d fix dinner. I said yes. Even the prospect of her sisters being there didn’t deter me. She’d warned they’d be in and out. I knew they were extremely close, and they always would be. Which meant I needed to get to know them, too.
I insisted that if she cooked, I be allowed to bring dessert. I asked if they had any allergies or disliked anything. She laughed and told me they loved dessert and hadn’t met one they didn’t like. I hoped she meant it because I got a chocolate cheesecake from Madisen’s bakery. It was covered in chocolate icing and had a thin layer of chocolate cake on the bottom. Chocolate and cheesecake were both favorites of mine. I carefully packed it in my saddlebag on my bike so it wouldn’t get smashed.
It wasn’t a long drive to their apartment. I’d only seen it the other night in the dark. I could see its age in the daylight, even though it was kept neat and clean. As I parked my bike, I saw people out and about. They eyed me with trepidation in a few cases. Others were merely curious. I removed my helmet and locked it in my bag once I got out the cake.
When I reached her door, I knocked twice. I heard voices from inside. Moments later, the door opened, and there stood one of the twins. It was incredible how much they looked like Meadow and were identical. I doubted most people could tell the twins apart, but as I scanned her, I knew it was Sage. The only way she was different was that there was a tiny, barely perceptible scar above the left side of her upper lip.
“Hi, Iceman, I’m—”
“You’re Sage. Hello. Thanks for having me.”
Her eyes widened. “How did you know I’m Sage?” She had backed up to allow me into the apartment. I stepped inside and shut the door.
“You have the tiniest scar over your lip. That was the only way,” I admitted.
“No one ever can tell us apart, only Meadow. Wow, you’re very observant. Come in and have a seat. Meadow will be right out.”
“Could you put this in the fridge for me? It needs to stay cold,” I said, handing her the box.
“What is it?” she asked excitedly.
“No peeking until your sisters get out here, and then I’ll show you,” I told her with a wink. I bent to take off my boots.
“You don’t have to take off your boots,” she said from the kitchen connected to the living room.
“I’d prefer it if that’s okay.”
“Sure, go for it. I thought you were worried about the floor. We don’t wear shoes because we’re heathens and like to go barefooted.” She laughed as she put away the cake.
I was chuckling at her when a sizzle of awareness hit me. It ran down my spine like an electrical jolt. I glanced up to find Meadow coming toward me. I almost swallowed my tongue. She was wearing a long dress. It wasn’t overly sexy, but it molded her body to perfection. I wanted to kiss her.
Right behind her was Aspen. She and Sage were grinning. “I told you he’d love it. Don’t mind us. Kiss the poor man,” Aspen said, and Sage giggled.
Apparently, she told them. That was a load off my mind. I dropped the last boot and went to meet her as she continued toward me. She smiled up at me when we met. Without missing a beat, I swept her against me and sealed our mouths together. Like the last time we kissed, it lit a fire inside me, and I didn’t want to stop. It was hearing her sisters giggle and exclaim that they were about to see a sex show, and they didn’t think they could stand it that broke us apart. We were both breathing hard. I had a monster of an erection.
I turned Meadow to face her sisters with her between me and them. I whispered in her ear, “Woman, you’ve given me a helluva boner. Stay in front of me until I calm down, or your sisters will get a shock.”
She gently elbowed me, turned her head to the side, and whispered back, “Behave. You think you’re the only one turned on? My nipples are hard, and my panties are wet.”
I groaned. “Don’t talk about your panties and nipples, or I’ll lose it. I’m trying to be good.”
The entire time we were having our whispered conversation, Sage and Aspen stood in the kitchen, watching and smiling. When we stopped, Meadow directed them, “Anything you see stays between us, remember?”
“We know. It’s good to see you this way. We’ll leave in a bit, but first, Iceman brought a box, and I want to know what’s in it. He said I couldn’t peek until we were all here. We’re here,” Sage said excitedly.
I laughed. “Go ahead, show them. I hope you like it.”
As they oohed and ahhed over it, even Meadow, I did have to take it away and put it in the fridge, or they would’ve eaten it first. I sat down and was smiling at the prospect of getting to know her mischievous sisters and being alone with her at some point.