Page 13

Birdi e

I wasn’t expecting Rocky to leave last night. When he did, I checked my pits, my teeth, and even smelled my panties. Nothing was off. Still, I frowned into my mirror. And I sure as hell didn’t expect a knock on my front door the next day at noon. But there was Rocky standing there with that smug, sexy half-grin and two brain buckets, like he called them, dangling from his tattooed fingers.

“Get dressed, Sunshine,” he said, voice rough like whiskey and smoke. “You’re comin’ with me. And Knox.”

I blinked at him, still in pajama shorts and a tank top with a coffee stain on the chest. “This some kind of twisted biker menage?”

He chuckled. “Don’t tempt me. We got plans. Knox wants help pickin’ out a ring for your bestie.”

“Eliza?” My hand flew to my mouth. “He’s gonna propose?!”

“At the prom she’s chaperonin’. Man’s got a flair for the dramatic.”

I squealed, already backing into the house. “Give me five minutes and a gallon of dry shampoo.”

Rocky just leaned against the doorframe, looking too damn fine in jeans, boots, and a black Henley that stretched across his chest like it was made to test my self-control. As I scrambled around inside, I shouted, “Is it weird I’m more excited for this than my own love life?”

“Sunshine, your love life’s just gettin’ warmed up,” he said loud enough for me to hear, and I swear I nearly dropped my mascara wand.

Ten minutes later, because I am a miracle worker, I was hopping on the back of Rocky’s Harley like a damn Pinterest board exploded on me. Oversized sunglasses, fresh mani in electric pink, hell, even my purse matched. Knox was already waiting on his, sunglasses on, smirking like he knew some secret the rest of us didn’t.

We rode out, the wind in my hair and sunshine on my cheeks, heart racing with joy and confusion. Rocky’s back was warm under my hands, and the feel of his body moving beneath me had me thinking very unholy things. Again. Why didn’t this biker come in last night?

By the time we pulled into the little jewelry store in Knoxville, my thighs were warm, and my brain was mush. Inside, the place glittered with glass cases and gold trim, but I couldn’t stop thinking about the man beside me and the one about to pop the question.

Knox scanned the cases like he was casing the joint. “I want somethin’ special,” he said. “Not too fancy. But it’s gotta mean somethin’.”

I wandered past rows of glittering bands until one caught my eye, delicate, shaped like a butterfly in mid-flight.

“This one,” I whispered, my throat thick. “She said once you gave her butterflies. This… this feels like my Eliza. ”

Knox stared at it for a long moment. “My Eliza,” he challenged. “That’s the one.”

He bought it without blinking, like money was no object when it came to Eliza. I tried not to cry in a public store like a fool, but I felt every ounce of love in that little box. Watching a biker like Knox go soft for someone. Well, it was enough to make a girl believe in fairy tales.

We walked out into the sun, and Knox pulled me in for a half hug. “You picked good, Birdie. She’s gonna love it.”

“You better make sure she cries,” I teased, wiping a tear from my own cheek.

“I’ll make her cry,” he said with a wink before hopping on his bike. “Y’all behave.”

He roared off down the road, leaving me alone with Rocky.

We didn’t speak for a second, just stood there in the hum of engines and late-morning traffic. Then he reached out and brushed a piece of hair from my face.

“Wanna come back to the clubhouse? Help me wrangle the boys for tonight’s celebration?”

“I don’t know,” I said, biting my lip. “Will there be cake?”

“No cake unless Jolene’s bringing one later,” he said, grabbing my waist. “Look, I don’t know the particulars. Womenfolk plannin’ it mostly. But there’s beer. And me.”

“Well, hell. That’ll do. ”

Back at the Wild Dog, the party prep was in full swing. Bikers moved tables and cursed at decorations, and I found myself hauled into a whirlwind of activity. Someone handed me a box of plastic champagne flutes, and Smokey, yes, the fire fighter, pulled me into a corner with ideas for mood lighting.

But the best part?

Rocky didn’t leave my side. Not for long.

He didn’t say we were together, not out loud. But the way he touched the small of my back, the way his hand lingered on my waist, the way his eyes tracked me across the room like a hawk—yeah. It was starting to feel like something.

Until Bandit showed up.

Now, I’d seen Bandit around before. He was my age, cocky, charming, and always wore sunglasses indoors like he thought he’d give me a run for my money. He also hit on me once and had been smirking my way ever since.

“Hey there, pretty girl,” he said, sidling up while I was hanging a banner that read CONGRATS, ELIZA & KNOX in crooked letters. “You lookin’ mighty fine for this shit hole.”

I laughed, trying to play nice. “Thanks, Bandit. I’m just trying not to staple my own hand to the wall.”

He moved closer. “If that big bad wolf ain’t treating you right, you let me know.”

I stiffened, caught between annoyance and shock. “ What?”

That’s when I heard it, a deep, throaty growl behind me.

“Back off,” Rocky said, voice like a clap of thunder.

I spun around and there he was, all clenched fists and tight jaw. His eyes looked… different. Brighter. Wilder.

“She’s mine,” he snarled.

The room went quiet.

Bandit chuckled, holding his hands up. “Ain’t tryin’ to start nothin’. Just talkin’.”

Rocky didn’t move. “Talk with someone else, dick lips.”

Bandit backed away, muttering under his breath, and the moment passed. But I was left reeling.

Mine?

That word… it did something to me. Made my chest ache and my thighs clench and my brain scream what the hell is happening.

Later, I pulled Rocky aside near the bar. “You really think you can just growl mine like I’m your damn property?”

He didn’t flinch. “You got a problem with it?”

“Yes,” I said, heat rising in my face. “And don’t go thinking I’ll ever wear some sweaty “Property of” vest. It’s not my style.”

He stepped in close, eyes dark and hungry. “You’re mine, Birdie. You ain’t gotta say it. You ain’t even gotta believe it. But I know it. I feel it.”

I swallowed hard. “Well… you didn’t ask.”

“Didn’t think I needed to,” he said, brushing his fingers down my arm. “But I will. You wanna be mine, Birdie? Just say the word.”

I didn’t say anything. Couldn’t. My whole body was humming like an electric fence.

Before I could even think up a reply, the clubhouse doors swung open and Eliza came in, glowing like she was lit from the inside.

“Y’all,” she called out, holding up her hand. “Look what I got!”

Everyone gathered around to see the ring, and Eliza held out her hand to show off the delicate butterfly design. Her smile was so wide, so full of love, I thought my heart might burst.

I ran to her, squealing, hugging her tight. “It’s perfect!”

“You picked it?” she whispered.

I nodded, tears in my eyes.

She looked over at Knox, who was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, eyes only for her.

“I told him you said he gave you butterflies,” I explained.

She beamed. “That biker…”

“I know,” I whispered back.

As the party ramped up, I sipped a beer, watching the people around me. This rough, rowdy, loud-as-hell family that had slowly started to feel like mine .

There was that word again…

Rocky’s arm wrapped around my shoulders.

“You good, Sunshine?”

I leaned into him without thinking. “Yeah. I think I am.”

But my heart was still beating fast. Because I’d seen something in Rocky tonight, something possessive, maybe even dangerous.

And God help me, I wanted more.

Regardless, I went to bed alone again. We spent the next day riding, just us and the wind. The wind tore through my hair as we climbed the back roads on his Harley, the sunset turning everything golden-orange, like God had dropped glitter over the trees.

I clung to Rocky’s waist, my cheek pressed against the leather of his cut, breath catching every time we leaned into a curve. There was something about riding with him that made the world go quiet. Like every bad thing I’d ever carried just drifted off in the wind.

He slowed when we hit a turnout overlooking the valley. The mountains sprawled below us, dusk settling like a soft blanket. He cut the engine, and the silence pressed in, only it wasn’t uncomfortable.

He got off first, offering me his hand like a gentleman, which was hilarious, considering how often I’d caught him cursing at inanimate objects. I took it anyway, letting him pull me close as I hopped down in my boots. We were alone up here, with the gorgeous sky and the smell of pine and leather and him. God, him .

“Pretty spot,” I said softly.

“You like the view?” he asked, not looking at the mountains.

I turned in his arms. “Yeah, it’s alright,” I teased.

He smirked, and before I could say something else smart, he kissed me.

Slow at first. Gentle. Like he was testing the edges of something dangerous. But then he deepened it, hand curling into my hair, the other pressing low on my back, pulling me into the heat of him. Against his erection. His big erection. Holy shit. My knees nearly buckled. I kissed him like I needed to breathe him in. Like every nerve in my body had been waiting for this man to touch me.

Like they had.

And then.

His hands cupped my ass.

I slid my hand to the bulge in his pants.

Rocky groaned into my mouth.

He broke the kiss.

Abrupt.

Too fast.

His chest rose and fell like he’d just run a marathon. He took a step back, like I’d burned him.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, my lips tingling.

He didn’t meet my eyes. “We should head back.”

“Did I… do something?”

“Nah.” His jaw ticked, like he was wrestling with something bigger than me. “Just… I wanna take this slow.”

Slow.

That word cracked something in my chest.

All this time I thought he was the kind of man who kissed hard and didn’t look back. Who didn’t have a slow gear.

And now, he wanted to pump the brakes?

He handed me my helmet, quiet-like. I took it, confused and stung.

The ride home felt different. Cold, even with his body pressed close. I didn’t lean in this time. Didn’t rest my cheek against his back. Just stared out into the blur of headlights and shadows, trying not to feel like a girl who’d just been rejected on the side of a mountain.

When we got to my place, he walked me to the door like always. Said goodnight like always. Kissed my cheek like we hadn’t just made out like sinners under a Sunday sky.

“You okay?” I asked as he backed down my steps.

“Yeah, Birdie,” he said, voice gruff. “Got to be up early.”

And then he left .

I stood there in my porch light, heart twisting in ways I couldn’t explain.

If I didn’t know better, I’d say he was scared. Just like Eliza had said.

Of me.

Of us.

But what kind of man like Rocky got scared of a girl like me?

I went inside and kicked off my boots, heart still thudding, mind racing.

Maybe there was something wrong with me.

I never thought I’d be one to complain about a guy taking things slow as I spent another night alone. Part of me understood, Rocky saying he had to be up early. He worked almost an hour away. And I was thankful the biker had a good job he wanted to keep. But part of me was restless.

I stared at the drawer for thirty minutes before I decided to open it. It was better than redownloading Tinder. I was saving myself for the biker. My fingers wrapped around the egg-shaped device. Even though I lived alone, I discreetly wrapped it in my towel and took it to the bathroom and locked the door.

Sinking deep in the hot water, the vibration on my clit, I thought of Rocky. The heat that rolled off of his tattooed muscles. The big bulge in his jeans. The taste of his reckless kiss. My juices on his tongue. The way his fingers felt as he took control of me. The way he’d made me feel. Wild. Fuck. I wanted the real thing .

Needless to say, I found myself back at the Wild Dog any chance I could get.

“Come here,” Rocky growled low, hand on my lower back when I stepped into the clubhouse. His touch was warm, protective. Like I belonged.

I smiled, a little shy, a little smug. “I could get used to this.”

But no sooner had I settled onto a barstool and ordered a sweet tea, because I needed to pace myself around these bikers and their moonshine, than the damn air changed.

And by changed, I meant it dropped about ten degrees as the door swung open and a woman stepped in like she owned the place.

She towered over me with long legs poured into tight denim, black boots that had seen a fight or five, and hair the color of spilled ink. Not messy like mine when I went riding. This was intentional teasing that she unfortunately pulled off too well. Eyes dark as secrets, and lips painted cherry red, striking wasn’t the word.

She walked like she knew every man in the room had once begged to unzip her dress. And I bet they did, a body like hers.

And then her eyes locked on Rocky.

I felt his body rigid beside me. That told me all I needed to know.

“Well, shit,” she purred, voice venom. “Didn’t take long for you to replace me, huh, Top?”

Top ?

The pet name landed like a slap. The room went real quiet real fast.

“Delilah,” Rocky said flatly, standing up from his stool like she was a threat, not a memory.

Delilah. Of course. The ex.

I stayed seated, back straight, smile polite, but my hackles were up.

“I thought you were still down in Birmingham,” he muttered.

“Changed my mind,” she said, eyes flicking to me with a once-over that’d strip paint. “Didn’t expect to see you playing house with a little blonde influencer. She your new pet project?”

Before Rocky could speak, I stood up.

“I’m Birdie,” I said, extending a hand with a smile that said bless your heart and screw you in equal measure.

She didn’t take it. Just arched a brow and smirked.

“Cute,” she said. “Bet you make him feel real special.”

“Delilah,” Rocky cut in, voice harder now, the grit scraping up through the gravel. “What do you want?”

She leaned in close, too close, dragging her finger down the patch on his cut. “Just wanted to see if you even missed me.”

“I don’t.”

That shut her up. For about a second .

“I see,” she said, glancing at me again, lips curling like she smelled something sour. “Well, if things don’t work out with barbie here, you know where to find me.”

She turned on her heel and strutted out like the world was her catwalk, leaving a silence thick enough to drown in.

“Delilah, huh?” I raised an eyebrow. “She seems real nice.” I turned to Rocky. “That your ex?”

“Yeah.” He sighed, raking a hand through his hair. “I called it off.”

“When?”

“Last year.”

Damn. “And now?”

He looked at me. Really looked. “Now I’m sittin’ next to the only woman who’s made me really feel something in years.”

My phone buzzed. It was Eliza. I didn’t think I’d hear from her so soon after her and Knox got engaged.

Eliza: Can you come over? Alone.