Page 9

Chapter nine

Knox

I could have left Mia alone in her house and called one of my brothers to come get me. But I didn’t. Instead, I made myself comfortable on her couch for the night. I’m not sure why. Maybe I wanted to make sure she didn’t wake in the middle of the night and get sick again, but that’s not entirely true. With the amount the poor girl threw up last night, I don’t think there was a chance there was anything left in her system to get rid of. No, the reason I stayed was because I wanted to be here in the morning when she woke up.

When we were in Michigan, I decided that the time for talking myself out of what I really wanted was over. I don’t know where this is going, but I have every intention of figuring that out. At least now, I know she has similar feelings toward me if her drunken attempt at a kiss is any indication. I know she’s attracted to me, but that could mean anything. If I wanted just a night with her, I may have taken her up on her offer when she tried something. But having a drunken one-off with her isn’t my end goal, and I’m afraid that’s what she would’ve considered it. I need her completely sober and able to understand that I want more than that.

I head up the walkway to Mia’s house, juggling the cups of coffee and the breakfast I picked up from Cool Beans. I figured she wouldn’t mind if I stole her car for a few minutes as long as I came back bearing gifts.

When I checked on her this morning, she was still out cold. It took a hell of a lot of willpower to not crawl in bed next to her. She looked so damn comfortable lying tangled up in her blankets, snoring softly. To be honest, I doubt she thought I would stay the night, so waking up with me next to her would have probably been the shock of a lifetime.

I unlock the door and walk inside her little cottage. The folded blanket and pillow I slept with are still on the couch. I veer right toward the kitchen, and there stands Mia, hunched over her sink, the smell of brewing coffee in the air.

“You gonna puke again?” I ask.

She jumps about three feet in the air, obviously not hearing me walk in.

“Jesus Christ, are you trying to give me a fucking heart attack?” Her hand is on her chest as she breathes heavily, her chest rising and falling rapidly against her thin nightshirt.

I smirk and set the coffee on her small dining room table, placing the keys next to it.

“I didn’t realize you were still here,” she says, tucking her unruly hair behind her ear.

She’s obviously embarrassed, and I’m obviously an asshole because I think it’s the cutest damn thing I’ve ever seen.

“I wasn’t. Took your car to grab coffee and breakfast.”

“You spent the night?”

I nod. “I did. Went out this morning and just got back. I’m surprised you didn’t realize I slept on the couch or stole your car.”

“The only thing on my mind when I woke up this morning was coffee.”

“Well, I have something I think you’ll like better than whatever you’re brewing.”

I pull the coffee cup from the travel container and hand it to her. “Caramel latte with a dash of cinnamon.”

Mia looks at me, stunned for a moment, before she accepts the cup I’m holding out for her.

“I didn’t realize you knew my coffee order.” When she takes a sip, her eyes roll back in her head, and she lets out a little sigh of contentment.

“There’s not much I miss. Not like you haven't been around the clubhouse sipping on that.”

“You should try it.” She holds the cup out to me and I grab it, taking a tentative sip. Do I enjoy a frou-frou flavored coffee? No. But it does make me wonder what would happen if I kissed her now so I could taste it from her lips instead of this paper cup.

“I’ll stick to black,” I say, handing the cup back to her. “I also picked these up.” I pull the breakfast sandwiches from the bag. “Wasn’t sure if you liked bacon or sausage, so I grabbed both.”

She turns toward her cabinets and grabs a couple plates. As she’s reaching for them, her shorts ride up the back of her thighs, exposing the smallest inch of the curve of her ass. Thankfully, I’m able to stifle the moan that’s ready to spill from my throat.

Jesus Christ, why was I such a gentleman last night?

When she turns, she takes the paper towels from the counter and walks over to the kitchen table in front of the little window that overlooks her front yard.

“Sit, sit,” she says, waving at one of the three chairs she has around the table before having a seat herself.

Mia grasps the bacon sandwich, takes a giant bite out of it and releases another moan. Fuck, at this rate, I’m going to be taking a cold shower the second I walk through my front door.

“Thank you so much for this.” She takes another bite and sets the sandwich on the plate, looking at her lap, then back to me. “Listen, about last night—”

“Mia, seriously, don’t worry about it. You got a little too drunk. I was more than happy to help you out.”

“I appreciate it. Honestly, I don’t remember anyone ever taking care of me. It’s usually the other way around.”

“To be fair, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you that drunk.”

The embarrassed chuckle that escapes her makes me smile. “Yeah, can’t say I've ever invited a guy in and then had to run to the bathroom before I puked on his boots. Or tried to make out with a guy after eating shit on my own damn floor.”

“I didn’t mind that part. Any of it really. I mean, I could do without the puking again, but everything else was cute.”

She sends me one of those looks that says she thinks I’m full of shit. “Are you so used to drunk women throwing themselves at you that it’s second nature to turn them down?”

I set my sausage breakfast sandwich on my plate and cross my arms over the table, looking her dead in the eye. “There’s a reason why I didn’t take you back to your room and make you scream my name until the sun came up. Let me make sure you understand because I think you may have one idea that’s pretty far from the damn truth.”

Her eyes widen but she stays silent and allows me to speak.

“We’ve never kissed. Until last night, I wasn’t even sure you thought of me in that way. Or if you saw me as just another brother in a club you occasionally hang out with because two of your best friends have men in the club. True, last night confirmed it for me—”

“And I’m the cute little friend that has no business thinking she has a shot in hell with you. It’s okay; you don't have to sugarcoat it.” She clears her throat, but her gaze has dropped to some spot on the floor she feels the need to stare a hole in.

“Mia, look at me.” Her eyes meet mine, and she’s wearing a smile I’m not fond of. It’s one that says she’s used to hearing the bullshit that she just spewed and she’ll put on a brave face in front of me.

Fuck that.

“I didn’t let anything happen because you were too drunk. Not because I didn’t or don’t want to. When we take that step, it sure as hell isn’t going to be some drunken night that you might not even remember.”

“Trust me, I’d remember,” she mumbles, more to herself than to me, so I continue.

“I stopped it before it started, so you didn’t wake up thinking I’d regret it, or worse, I was afraid you’d have regrets.”

She nods slowly and grabs her sandwich, taking another bite. “That…makes sense.”

“I’m not some dumb biker out for a good time. I respect you too much to take advantage.” No matter how much I wanted to.

“I would never call you dumb, Knox. And I certainly would never accuse you of taking advantage.”

She looks like she wants to ask another question, but before she does, she thinks twice and stays silent.

“What?”

Mia shakes her head and takes a sip of her coffee. “Nothing. I’m sure you have a million things to do today. I don’t want to keep you.”

She’s putting that wall up again. The one I hate because it means she’s overthinking everything and selling herself short like she seems to do too much. Since I'm more of an actions-speak-louder-than-words kind of guy, I finish my sandwich in one last big bite and wipe my hands on a paper towel.

“You know what always seems to help me when I’m hungover?”

Mia turns her head slowly from side to side with a confused look on her face. “No…”

“A long ride on my bike.” I stand from my chair and hold out my hand. “Come on. Let’s see if it works for you, too.”

It doesn’t take Mia long to get ready before we drive to where my bike is at the bar. There aren’t a lot of places I’d feel comfortable leaving my motorcycle overnight, but everyone knows Thorn and Thistle is owned by the club, and no one would dare fuck with it, not if they wanted to avoid a trip to the hospital with shattered hands.

Mia follows me out to my place in her car so I can grab her a helmet and jacket. I bought a little piece of land, and on it sits my small three-bedroom house. The outside isn't much to look at right now, but I’ve been fixing it up. As soon as it gets a touch warmer, my mom swears she’s going to come over and finally get the yard in order. Lord knows what the woman has in mind, but she fucking loves that kind of shit, and honestly, I can’t be bothered with picking out flowers and bushes or whatever shit she has planned. All the work I’ve put in has been on the inside.

“I didn’t realize you lived so close to my grandmother,” Mia says when she parks her car behind my bike.

“It’s a left instead of a right and you're at my place in a few miles.”

I’ve always thought it was strange that the “other” side of town is so close, but my entire life, I was made to feel like it was worlds apart. At least when I was younger. These days, those lines blur more and more.

We walk up the steps to the front porch that I spent a shit ton of time sanding and staining over the summer. When I open the door, Mia steps through, and I take no small amount of pride at the impressed look on her face. The small entryway opens up to the living room with the kitchen to the right, nothing separating the two rooms except a black marble breakfast bar. I refurbished the wood ceiling and beams before painting the walls a deep hunter green. My mom thought it was going to be way too dark, but I fucking love how it turned out. And I love seeing the look on people’s faces when they walk in and see all the work I’ve put into the place.

“Wow, Knox. This place is beautiful.” Mia walks across the plush throw rug covering part of the original wood flooring and looks out the French doors I put in that lead to a deck my brother and I built last year. “I bet you can’t wait for it to warm up so you can spend more time out here.”

“That’s what firepits are for,” I say, pointing to the one that’s surrounded by overstuffed outdoor furniture.

“You don’t strike me as the kind of guy who does a lot of entertaining.”

I bark out a laugh. “I’m not. But my mom and brother like to show up here and force me to be social.”

“You like the solitude life,” she says, looking around the expansive property without another house in sight.

“Depends on who wants to come over, I guess.”

I’d be lying if I said seeing Mia in my space didn’t feel right. It’s almost as though something has settled in me even though we haven’t really talked about this change in our dynamic. Seeing as I have no real experience with any kind of relationship beyond the typical friends-with-benefits situation, I’m going out on a limb here suggesting we should at least have a few words about where I’d like us to go. It doesn’t take a genius to realize Mia is the type to need things spelled out. Her mind is amazing, but it tends to run in the opposite direction of what I’m trying to convey if I don’t use my words with her carefully. Novel concept for me, but here we are.

“Let me grab you a helmet and a jacket.”

Leaving Mia in the living room, I head to my garage and find a helmet and a jacket that my mom left over here. When I return, Mia eyes the contents of my hands with suspicion.

“Just had that lying around, huh?” she asks.

“If you think this belonged to some woman I used to have over, you’re wrong. My mom likes to ride, and sometimes she goes out with me, so she keeps a jacket and helmet here. Plus, I don’t have random women in my space.”

“So what am I?”

“Not random.”

The shy smile that covers her face lights me up inside.

“Put this on, and we’ll get on the road,” I say, handing her the jacket before she slides it on over her light-gray sweater.

When we walk back outside, Mia puts the helmet on, and I help her with the chin strap. When I’m sure the helmet is secure, I put mine on and sit on my bike.

“Remember what I told you about getting on?”

She nods and I start the bike before she slides her leg over the seat behind me and settles in. Mia is more comfortable than she was a couple weeks ago when I gave her a ride home. Instead of tentatively placing her hands on my side, she wraps her arms around my middle, and I feel her relax into me almost immediately. Nothing like her rigid posture from before.

I ease out of my driveway and hit the main road. Mia laughs when I open up the throttle and go a little faster. I’m not breaking any speed limits, far from it, but I feel the excitement radiating from her. My property sits on the outskirts of Shine, and instead of going down the main street, I take us in the opposite direction to a little town about an hour from us. It’s a relaxing ride, and we’re treated to the beauty of spring blooming everywhere. Trees have fresh green leaves, and wildflowers are blossoming in the fields we pass.

I rest one hand on Mia’s thigh as we travel the country roads, soaking in the pleasure of being able to touch her without her becoming wooden and nervous. I was a little apprehensive this morning about whether or not she was going to overthink last night, but the way she’s relaxed behind me tells me the only thing she’s thinking about is experiencing the openness and freedom of being on a bike. Just like I do every time I take a long ride, and just like I was hoping she would.

I pull into the parking lot of a small park with a lake. Ducks float peacefully in the water, and a couple families are here with their kids, seeing as the weather is starting to warm up.

When I park the bike and turn it off, Mia uses my shoulders to steady herself as she slides from her seat to solid ground. The smile tilting her lips reaches her eyes when she removes the helmet from her head.

“Feeling better?” I ask after dismounting and removing my own helmet, setting it on my seat.

Mia releases a deep breath and lets her head fall to her chest. “So much. I think the fresh air really does help.”

I smile and grab the loaf of bread I brought with us before taking her hand in mine. It hits me that I’ve never held a woman’s hand, at least not like this.

“Let’s go feed the ducks.”

A burst of laughter escapes me at the look on Mia’s face.

“What?” I ask.

“You never struck me as the type to go around with duck food in your saddlebag.”

“I think there’s a lot you don’t know about me,” I say as we walk to the edge of the lake.

“I think I’ve been too scared to ask,” she says.

I tilt my head, confusion in my gaze. “Why?”

Mia laughs again, but this one is in stark contrast to the light one a moment ago. “Do you remember being at Charlie’s house when someone broke into Lucy’s? You weren’t exactly giving off the warm and fuzzies.” She removes her hand from mine, and I hate the cold feeling it leaves me with.

“I know,” I say on an exhale. “But you have to understand there were things happening that could have landed us in a shit ton of trouble if anyone found out what was going on.”

“Why? Not saying I would have, but what would have happened if I told anyone what I saw that night?”

“Mia, there are certain things that happen in this life. If the wrong people find out about those things, there could be deadly consequences. Not just for us, but for anyone involved with us.”

“I'm not an idiot, Knox. I know not everything you do is on the up and up in the eyes of the law.”

“I would never call you that, but you have to understand—it's my job to make sure my brothers and their women are protected.”

“I’m familiar with the responsibility,” she mumbles as she looks at the water.

“Most of the time, I don’t have the luxury of making sure everyone understands what’s at stake in the nicest way possible.”

She scoffs. “Gee, you think?”

“I don't think it works to ask nicely. Not in this life, anyways.”

“You could have tried. With me, you could have asked, and I would’ve done that. For you, for Lucy, for the club,” she says with irritation mixed with something that sounds like hurt.

“You’re too good for this. Too good for me, but that’s not going to stop me from taking it.”

Mia releases a frustrated growl, and I have to smother my laugh. She’s upset, but damn, she’s also adorable as hell.

“You confuse the hell out of me, Knox. You barely talk to me when I get to town, then when you do, it’s to threaten me to stay quiet—”

“I didn’t exactly threaten you,” I say, interrupting her, which seems to be the wrong move when she shoots daggers at me.

“You’ll remember it how I say you remember it,” she says, lowering her voice into a gruff impersonation of what I’m assuming is supposed to be me. “Then you barely talk to me for the last year, barely look at me.”

“I did look, Mia. A lot. Just not when you were paying attention.”

“See?” She waves her hand in front of me. “Then you go and say stuff like that. Last night, you pushed me away, then you stayed the night. Brought me coffee this morning and talked to me about when things are going to happen, not if .”

“It sounds like you’re upset because I’m not clear enough. Am I getting that right?”

“Uh, yeah, Knox. You haven’t exactly been an open book.”

Fuck it.

I drop the bag of bread to the ground and take a quick step toward Mia. My hands go to the side of her face before I crash my mouth to hers. She’s still for a moment, and I worry I’ve made a mistake. Until her hands clutch my waist and she pulls me harder against her warm body. Kissing Mia is everything I dreamed. When I part my lips, my tongue darts out, tasting her lips for the first time, and she opens for me. No hesitation. Her taste is sweet, like the coffee she was drinking earlier, and I wonder why the hell I waited so long to do this. We lose ourselves in each other the way both of us have been wanting to.

I break the kiss and press my forehead to hers. “Is that clear enough for you?”

“Mm-hmm,” she hums in response.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t clear. I had to work out a few things in my head.”

“Better late than never, I guess,” she says with a light chuckle.

“To be fair, until last night, I wasn’t sure I didn’t scare you.”

“Oh, you scare me. Just not for the reasons you probably thought.”

My brow furrows before I press a gentle kiss to her pink lips. “I’ve never really done this before.”

“Ah, a virgin. It’s okay, I promise to be gentle.” The corner of her mouth tilts in a smile as I remember her comment when she first rode on the back of my bike.

“I’ve never dated anyone.”

Mia pulls back and looks me in the eyes. “Wait, what about Heather?”

“Heather?”

“Yeah, the girl who came to your party. She felt pretty comfortable touching you. I thought maybe something was going on between you two.”

A smile ticks up the corner of my mouth. “Were you jealous, sweetheart?”

“Ah, yeah. Obviously. She’s gorgeous and tall and—”

I cut her off with another kiss before she can keep talking. When her body relaxes into mine again, I pull my lips from hers.

“And you’re beautiful and kind. The woman I want to take out on my bike, spend the day with, and take to dinner tomorrow night.”

“Like a date?” she asks, the smile returning to her face.

“Not like . We’re going to feed the ducks, then I’m going to take you home. Tomorrow night, I’m picking you up to take you out to dinner.”

“I realize you’re new to this, but most men ask, not demand , to take a girl out.”

I bend and kiss her again, loving the little moan that escapes her throat.

“Good thing I’m not most men.”