Page 9

Yesterday had been a whirlwind of activity for me, from the whole scene at the pool to the much bigger and longer one at the house with Haven. It had been draining. But we both agreed to have a relationship, so it was worth it. After an intensely satisfying kiss to seal the deal, we’d made ourselves presentable, although I would’ve rather stayed holed up in my house with her.

When we rejoined the others, there were a lot of looks, tons of questions, and several knowing smirks from the married guys, which I acknowledged with chin lifts and head nods. When Annie came charging up to me and demanded to know what in the hell was going on, with Gareth not far behind, I knew I owed them an explanation.

“Tinker, you have five seconds to tell us what has gotten into you and what the hell happened. You two have been gone for over an hour. I thought you were playing when you picked Haven up and took off with her. That’s why I didn’t let Gareth interfere. But then you didn’t come back. Reaper was the one to assure me that you’d have a good explanation and to leave you two alone. He said all we had to do was wait. Well, we did, and now it’s time. Spill,” she demanded.

“I do have an explanation, but I’d prefer if we talked in private. Please. Let’s go to my house,” I suggested because I didn’t think everyone in the club needed to know all the details. We were close, but they didn’t have to know everything.

It had taken a couple of minutes to get them there. I offered drinks, but only Haven accepted. She was quietly letting me take the lead at the moment. I wondered why. Now that I was facing them, I was surprised to feel slightly nervous, but nothing like I had been when working to get Haven to accept me. She was next to me on the couch. I relaxed when her hand burrowed underneath mine to hold it. I smiled at her. She winked back. I decided the best course was to dive straight in.

“I took Haven away from the pool because having all my single brothers making over her and seeing her in her bathing suit was aggravating me. I was afraid one of them would make a move, and she might decide to try having something with one of them. I had to speak to her before she did that.”

“Why would it aggravate you? And what did you have to tell her? I don’t like seeing my niece manhandled, Tinker. I like you and the others, but Haven is hands-off,” her uncle snapped.

I held up a hand. Gareth was cycling up to an explosion, and I couldn’t blame him. If I were in his shoes, I would’ve come after my ass. He had more restraint than me, but it wasn’t limitless.

“I’m sorry. It wasn’t meant to be manhandling, although I see how it could be seen as that. I was upset because I was afraid one of them would beat me to the punch. I brought Haven here to explain how I feel and what I want. The details of that discussion are between us. Those are personal, but she did agree to be with me.”

“And being with you entails what? She’s someone you sleep with but still sleep with those bunnies and hang arounds? Is that what you’re offering her?” he asked angrily. He went to stand, no doubt to cross over and punch me, but Annie placed a hand on him, and he stopped.

“Honey, Tinker knows better than that, and I don’t see Haven agreeing to a relationship like that,” Annie told him.

“Gareth, you know me. I wouldn’t agree to such a thing. Our relationship will be exclusive. If, at some point, Tinker finds he no longer wants to be exclusive or finds someone he wants more, then I expect him to tell me first, and we’ll end it.”

A growl of denial slipped out. Haven glanced over at me. I was shaking my head. “There will be no finding anyone I want more or wanting someone and you simultaneously. You’re it. You have permission to use my real name and be on my bike,” I reminded her.

Annie gasped. “You’ve already asked her to use your real name? And you want her to ride with you?” she asked excitedly. At my nod, she squealed.

“What the hell does that mean?” Gareth asked. He still didn’t look happy.

“It means he wants her to be his old lady. I’m right, aren’t I?” Annie asked to verify.

“I am. I have to speak to the club and get their approval, but there’s no reason for them to say no. She’ll be my old lady and wear a property cut.”

The property cut, and calling her my old lady surprised Haven. I guess I hadn’t spelled it out that exact way. It took a good hour before I had Gareth, not wanting to find a gun and ending me. When it was all smoothed over, with the obligatory threats of what would happen to me if I hurt her, we rejoined the others and spent the rest of the day and evening having a good time. There were plenty of questions, grumblings, and congratulations from my club. I kept Haven glued to me. I didn’t want us to be apart. Due to my stupidity, we’d lost two months we could’ve spent together.

When they eventually left that evening, it took everything I had not to beg her to stay with me. I had to build trust with her. The sight of Pepper had hurt her. I had to make up for it and my old attitude. I got a wonderful kiss, and she promised to ride with me today. I had to be content with that.

Rolling up to Gareth and Annie’s house, I stopped and cut my engine. They lived in a nice neighborhood. After Gareth moved here, Annie had gotten rid of the tiny cottage she owned, and they bought a bigger place. Her last place was cute, but I liked this one more. Walking toward the front door, I was greeted by it flying open and Haven smiling at me. I soaked in the sight of her.

She was dressed sensibly for a ride. People riding in shorts and flip-flops didn’t value their hides. That shit was stupid. Despite the heat, she wore jeans, a long-sleeved shirt, and sturdy boots. Her hair was secured in a tight braid. When I reached her, I yanked her to me and took her mouth. I was starving for a taste of her. She’d set up an addiction after just one kiss. I’d never get tired of kissing her, which was weird since I’d never been the kissing kind.

I didn’t let us come up for air until Annie’s laughter registered. I slowly, reluctantly, let go. “We’ll continue this later,” I whispered so only Haven could hear me.

She nodded. Her face was flushed, and her breathing had sped up. I bet if I could see her nipples, they’d be hard and her panties wet. A groan almost slipped out at that thought. Behave.

“You’re such a pain in my ass,” I grumbled to Annie, who just chuckled evilly.

“You know it. We want you to be careful. She’s never been on a bike before. Take it easy on her,” Annie warned me. Gareth had come up to join her. We were all clustered inside the doorway. Not wanting to be rude but eager to get going, I looked at Haven.

“You ready to go, or are you still getting ready?”

“I’m all set. Let’s go. I’m excited and scared. Let’s do this. I’ll see you later,” she informed her aunt and uncle.

“I’ll be super careful. I have precious cargo,” I assured them.

They both told us to be safe, then closed the door. I held Haven’s hand as I walked her to the bike. It wasn’t far, but I wanted to touch her. I made her stop while I got in the panniers on my bike. Why such a fancy name for what was essentially saddlebags, I didn’t know. I withdrew the item I got before coming over.

I handed her the helmet I’d bought for her. It was black, with white skulls painted on the sides, surrounded by purple roses. It had an eye shield that came down to protect her eyes but didn’t have a full-face shield.

“You got this for me?” She sounded surprised.

“Yes, I did. You can’t ride without one, and this seems like it fits you. If you don’t like it, we can get a different one.”

“No, don’t, I love it. Help me put it on. Show me how to secure it,” she said excitedly.

I had it on and tightened down in no time so it wouldn’t come off. Seeing her with it made me have to give her another kiss. When I ended it, I got on my bike and held out my hand for her to take. Haven used it to steady herself as she swung up behind me. I took time to explain where to put her feet, to keep her legs away from the hot pipes, and how to lean with me on the curves. These were things all new riders should hear. I had more, but this would do to start.

Once I thought she had it, I started the bike. Her arms were snuggly encircling my waist, and I could feel her breasts pressing into my back and her pussy into my ass. My cock half stiffened. To get my mind off it, I gently got us moving.

I took my time working us through the neighborhood to give her a chance to get used to the feel of it. I slightly increased my speed when we got out to a major street, but it was still reasonable. I rode us out of town, and when we got out on the secondary roads with less traffic, I opened up the throttle more. Another thing I’d told her was if she wanted to stop or was afraid, to tap my shoulder twice. So far, she hasn’t.

The countryside was vibrant in shades of green. In some places, blooming dogwood and flowers added pops of color. The air was fresh. I inhaled deeply. I loved many things about riding, but the incredible scenery and air were only a tiny part of it. The sense of freedom riding gave me, with the wind on my face, allowed me to let things go and relax. You couldn’t get that in a cage. I hated that my work required me to be in a truck so much, but it couldn’t be helped. It wasn’t like I could haul supplies on my bike.

I didn’t have anywhere specific in mind as a destination. I merely wanted to have alone time with Haven, to share one of my favorite things, and to give her a ride to see how she took it. We’d been into it a half hour, and she seemed to be doing well. She’d loosened her hold on me more and more. I could see her in my mirrors, turning her head to look at the scenery, and I saw the smile on her face. Seeing her enjoying herself was a huge worry off my mind.

If she’d hated riding, it wouldn’t have made me reconsider us, but it would have been a significant part of me that I couldn’t share with her. I wanted to be able to take her and get away like this, just the two of us, and go on club rides with everyone else. One day, when I had children, I wanted to teach them the joys of riding. Reaper, Ink, and Maniac were already doing it with their kids. They only took them around the compound, going fifteen miles an hour, but Lily, Arya, and Flynn loved it. With me making Haven my old lady, she’d be the mother of those children. She had to agree to share it with our kids.

As we enjoyed the ride, I recalled the conversation last night at the clubhouse after Haven, Annie, and Gareth left for the night. It was a quick one that centered around officially making Haven mine. Reaper asked all the guys to hang back for a minute before heading home or to do whatever.

“I won’t keep you guys long, but we have business to attend to. It seems our brother, Tinker, got his head on straight and asked Haven to be his. And she was dumb enough to say yes.” He paused to grin. Some of the others snickered while the rest booed—no need to guess who was booing. Once the noise died down, he continued.

“It’s in our bylaws that the club has to vote on old ladies. Tinker did it backward.” He narrowed his eyes on me.

“I know I did, and I apologize, Pres, but she was slipping away. I had to do it,” I lamely explained.

“I get it. But we still have to make it official. So, rather than making this poor fucker wait until church in two days, though we should, I suggest we do it tonight. If the majority vote says no, there’s no use in him pursuing her or taking her on a ride tomorrow.”

There were nods and chin lifts in agreement. I felt sick. What if the ones I’d beaten out to get her decided to band together and say no? They outnumbered the rest. My palms sweated, and my heart raced as Reaper called us to order, just like he did during actual church. As secretary, Spawn would record it in the minutes.

“Okay, let’s do this,” Reaper finally said. “All those in favor of Haven becoming Tinker’s old lady, I want you to raise your hand.”

It was agony. Some raised their hands immediately. Others took their time. I was about to hyperventilate by the time it was done. I sank into a chair and hung my head in relief. They laughed at me, the bastards. But the count was over, and all of them, despite them pissing with me, had voted yes. It was done. Haven was mine. When I could stand, I got up, shook hands, and thanked them. There was some smack talk, but I took it with a grin. After finishing that, Pres sent us off to do whatever we wanted. I went home to shower and crawled into bed to dream about my witch.

I might’ve been remembering that, but I still paid attention to what was happening around us. Inattention could get you hurt or killed. A tap on my shoulder had me turning my head and shouting back to her.

“What’s wrong?”

“I need to pee. Sorry,” Haven shouted.

Checking out where we were, I knew there was a place five minutes ahead. We had ridden for an hour so far. That was a long stretch when you hadn’t been on a bike before. We’d take a long break. I held up my hand, showing five fingers. I saw her nod in the mirror.

We were outside of Honaker, Virginia. We’d taken a few different secondary roads to get there. Honaker was a small town of just over a thousand people, so there wasn’t much there, but it had a couple of places to get food and a gas station. I had plenty of gas to get us home, so there was no need to stop there. I went straight to a small restaurant I knew.

The club and I rode a lot. There weren’t many places we hadn’t been through on our rides. We’d stopped in more than a few. Riding made us hungry, and we liked to try out different places. Some went on the visit-again list, and others were on the never-again list. Lucky for us, this restaurant was on the visit-again list.

After I stopped and shut down, I held out my hand to help her off. She stumbled when her feet touched the ground, so I gripped her hand tightly. New riders often did this. Even experienced ones could after a long ride. According to Lash and Reaper, it was akin to sailors needing to get their sea legs. They would know since they both served in the Navy. I swung off and helped her remove her helmet before removing mine. Putting them away, I smiled.

“How do you like it?”

“Riding?” she asked. When I nodded, her grin grew. “I love it. It’s a bit scary, and I’m afraid I’m leaning too far or not far enough, but it’s thrilling.”

Tucking her under my arm, I got us headed for the restaurant. “As long as you align your body with mine, you’re exactly where you should be. It’s when you don’t go far enough or beyond me that it’s hard. I have to fight the bike to keep it balanced. You’ve been doing great.”

She blew out a relieved breath. She glanced at her reflection in the window as we approached the door. “I see why you shouldn’t worry about fixing your hair. Annie said a braid would be best. No wonder. Helmet hair,” she said ruefully.

“Hey, you could have a bird’s nest on your head right now, and it wouldn’t detract from your beauty.”

She stopped walking. The next thing I knew, she pulled my head down and kissed me. I had no problem with it, so I eagerly gave in. I wasn’t sure how long we kissed before a throat being cleared somewhere nearby got my attention. I raised my head and glanced behind us to find an older couple standing there. We were blocking the door. I opened it and gestured for them to enter ahead of us.

I smiled at them as they passed and said, “Sorry about that. She makes me forget my name when she kisses me.”

The man winked and chuckled, saying, “Mine still does after forty years. I understand.” His wife blushed and shushed him, but she looked pleased as she shook her head.

The four of us chatted and smiled while we waited to be seated. They were friendly and weren’t afraid to talk to us simply because I rode a motorcycle, had tattoos, and wore a cut. We found out their names were Rodney and Gladys. Before going to our separate tables, we wished each other a great day. It didn’t take long to be shown to an empty one. Taking a seat and giving our waiter our drink order, I watched Haven check out the place. It wasn’t anything fancy, but they had decent food.

“It’s not the quality of Annie’s, but it’s good,” I told her.

“It’s hard to beat Annie’s, but I might be biased. She’s always worrying that Gareth isn’t happy or challenged enough by helping out in her diner. He assures her he is. He’s had years of working in high-stress environments. He enjoyed it and learned a lot but wants to slow down and enjoy life. Her place lets him do it while being useful and being able to help her develop new recipes. He loves talking to customers and getting to know the staff. You should see them cook together. They’re in their element,” Haven said.

“I can’t tell you how good it is to see Annie so happy. She’s been a part of the Punishers’ lives for a long time. She was never visibly unhappy but always alone. How she looked at Gareth, the first time she brought him to meet the club told it all. We’d never seen her that sunny.”

It no longer bothered me to talk about Annie or her happiness with Gareth. Since meeting Haven, I’d realized something important. My mild attraction to Annie didn’t hold a candle to what I already felt for Haven. Plus, I knew I’d pinned my hopes for a future on Annie because she was convenient. She was someone I liked, respected, and knew could handle the club. Yes, she was attractive, but Haven was more so to me.

“Gareth has had girlfriends and lovers over the years. We never met any of them, but we knew he did. He’d talk about them sometimes. But when he came home and told us about Annie after that first class, I knew she had the potential to be special. As the weeks passed, he talked about her more and more. It was clear he was interested in her as more than his student. When they started to date, I cheered. I told him not to let her get away. He was smart and didn’t. This is as happy as I’ve ever known him to be,” she admitted.

We spent a good hour talking, getting to know each other, and enjoying our meal. The food was good. I saw that Rodney and Gladys were in no hurry to leave either. They were holding hands and sitting beside each other.

“They’re so cute,” Haven remarked as I paid our waiter.

“Hold on. Take this. It’s to cover their bill, and there’s enough to get them dessert and your tip,” I told him. He was the waiter for both of us.

“I will. They come in here once a week for their date. Thank you. That’s really nice of you. Rodney and Gladys are favorites around here. Do you want it to be anonymous?” he asked.

“You can tell them if they ask. Just say Tinker and Haven said thank you for inspiring us.”

As he walked off, Haven stared at me with her mouth open.

“What’s that look for, Witch?” I asked. I stood and held out my hand for her to take. She did, and then, when we got outside, she responded.

“That was so sweet of you.”

“I can be sweet, but I try to keep it quiet. I wouldn’t want all the ladies mobbing me,” I teased as I flexed my muscles like I was preening. My teasing earned me a shove, and she marched away.

“Hey, where are you going?” I asked, trying to sound concerned and not laugh.

“To find a guy less full of himself,” she taunted.

Letting out a growl, I rushed after her. She took off running and laughing. It didn’t take much to catch her. I was kissing her neck as I made growly sounds. She was giggling and squirming. We were interrupted in a less-than-pleasant way.

“That’s disgusting. Why don’t they do that at home?” a woman’s voice asked.

“What do you expect from people like them?” a man replied, sounding disdainful.

Haven and I both stopped playing around and whipped around to face the assholes saying shit. We weren’t hurting anyone or doing anything wrong. A couple was standing next to a nearby car. They were just arriving. I hadn’t seen them inside, and I always kept track of who was near me. They were aiming looks of disgust at us.

“People like us? What the hell does that mean?” Haven barked at them before I had a chance to say anything.

“It means bikers and their whatever you are should stick to the bars and places that cater to your kind and stay away from wholesome places where regular people go. There are children around here,” the woman hissed.

“The last I checked, there wasn’t a no bikers sign on the door. Oh, and this is still a free country. We can go wherever we want. You don’t know a damn thing about us. We pay our taxes and work just as you do. You should learn to mind your own business,” I snapped.

“And as for those children you’re so concerned about. They’re inside. Even if they weren’t, we aren’t naked or having sex. We’re laughing and kissing. Get a life,” Haven said, rolling her eyes.

“It’s disgraceful,” the man stated.

For someone supposedly disgusted, he was devouring Haven with his eyes. I saw lust in them. While I had the urge to punch him, I didn’t. If I started that, I’d have to be constantly punching people. Who could blame him? She was a knockout. As hateful as it was, seeing what he was saddled with, I almost felt sorry for him. Plus, I wasn’t looking to fight. For one, it would interrupt our day. Second, the cops would likely haul us off and let them go. They weren’t worth it. It would be a different story if they’d done something physical.

“Babe, let’s go. They’re not worth our time. People like that are like your cousin.”

I placed my hand on her back and steered her toward my bike. I heard the couple whispering but ignored them. We were at the bike and putting on our helmets when they decided to say more shit.

“Good riddance,” the guy shouted.

I choked on a laugh as Haven and I simultaneously gave them the middle finger. Other laughter made me look back. There stood Rodney and Gladys, beaming at us. We waved and got on the bike.

“Thank you so much! That was so kind of you. Next time is on us,” Rodney called out.

“You’re so welcome. You inspired us,” I told him. Gladys blew us a kiss, and Haven returned it.

As we pulled away, I saw Rodney lecturing the couple. It appeared they knew them.

I’d like to reassure Haven that their bad behavior was an anomaly, but it happened more than I wanted. Bigotry was a part of life, no matter who you were or where you lived. Add on tats, a cut, and a lifestyle not understood and it was more prevalent. Her response to them told me she could handle it. The remainder of the ride was as pretty as the first half. By the time we returned to Bristol, it was early afternoon.

As we waited for a light to turn green in the middle of town, I asked her, “What would you say to coming back to the compound with me? We can hang out and get to know each other more. Shoot the shit with the club. Whatever. I’m not ready to leave you.”

She squeezed my middle. “I’d love to.”

I let out a whoop as we took off. It was a short ten-minute ride from there to home. No one was at the gate, so I triggered the opener. Riding past the clubhouse, I saw some people out by the pool. On a hot summer day, it was to be expected. I should’ve asked if she wanted to stop at her place to get her bathing suit, but then again, forget it if all she had was the one she wore yesterday. There was no need to have the dogs salivating again.

Opening the garage door to my house, I rode my bike inside and parked next to my truck. When I had the house built, I made sure the garage was large enough for three cars and a workspace. I had a crapload of tools and needed space to work without having to always go to the office. As I parked, I wondered what she’d think of it. Yesterday, with everything that happened, I didn’t take her on a tour. I was planning to rectify it today. I wanted her thoughts and input. She was my old lady, and I wanted her to make this her home one day soon. I kept reminding myself not to rush, but asking for input on what she liked, didn’t like, or would change didn’t have to be stressful. I wouldn’t mention her moving in. Yet.