Romance: Motorcycle Club Romance: Outlaw Biker's Baby (Contemporary Alpha Male MC Biker Romance) (Bad Boy MC Biker Pregnancy Romance) (83 page)

“You okay,” he asked
simply
.

I nodded and gestured toward the seat across from me. 

He eased himself into the booth and ordered another drink. 

“Looks like you have experience,” I said with a nervous laugh.

“If I don’t keep them in line, they
would
run wild,” he said.

“Are you some
kind of
leader?” I asked.

“I will be,” he replied.

“So Duke is the man in charge then,” I asked.

He nodded.

“You’re not one for talking, are you,” I said.

He nodded, and I felt a little frustrated by his stoicism.

“Can we go somewhere you’d be more interested in talking?  We’re going to be step-siblings soon, and it might be a good idea to get to know each other a little better before then,” I commented.

He sighed, and by now his drink arrived which he took a large gulp from before setting the glass down.

“Look, you’re
a pretty
, city girl.  More than a few of the boys here wouldn’t mind a night with you and that’s a fact.  But, I don’t think you’ll be here long enough for it to matter.”

I took another sip of my drink in an attempt to buy time while I figured out what he meant. 

“So, you don’t want to know me because I’ll be leaving soon?” I asked.

“Exactly,” he replied.

I leaned back in my seat and could feel the bar spinning around me.  It was probably best for me to stop drinking, but I
was past
the point of realizing that I should stop.

“You might not want to get to know me, but I want to get to know you.  We’re going to be siblings, and
that’s, at least,
a little
important
to me.  So, just humor me for a bit, will you?” I pleaded.

He crossed his arms and scrunched up his fast in a look of frustration.

“Okay fine,” he said amidst a sigh, “what do you want to know?”

I leaned forward in the booth again; my curiosity about this enigmatic biker was palpable.  He threw punches and smelled like engines; he was a different breed of
man
and I was intrigued.

“What do you do for a living,” I asked.

“Mechanic,” he replied
straightaway
, “next question.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“This isn’t an interrogation,” I said.

“Next question, please,” he added.

I giggled, and I don’t think he understood the humor.

“What made you want to be a mechanic,” I asked.

“I know engines, been tuning them since I was 5,
or, at least,
that’s the earliest I can remember,” he replied.

“When did a mechanic learn how to throw a punch like that,” I asked.

“I’ve been fighting since before I was 5,” he said.

I stared at him, doing my best to keep my eyes focused through my drunken gaze. 

“So you’ve been working on cars and fighting since you were a kid?”

He just nodded at my question.  He
really
wasn’t one for many
words,
and I had no idea how to coax a conversation out of him.

“Alright, I gotta get out of here.  I can’t do this tonight.  Maybe you’ll be more talkative some other time-”

“What do you do,” he asked, cutting me off.

He startled me for a second, and for some
reason,
I couldn’t think of the obvious response.

“I’m a nurse,” I finally managed to say.

“Why?”

“I like to help people,” I said.

“Do you like it,” he asked.

I wanted to say that I did, but I
really
didn’t know.  It was becoming more of a chore to wake up every day and go to work.  The
wide-eyed
look I had once had was diminishing every year that I continued my work.

“I do,” I sighed.

“It doesn’t sound like it,” he said coldly.

“Whatever I might feel about the work now, it’s what I chose to do.”

“Why don’t you find something else that you want to do,” he asked.

“Because all my training is in medicine; what else could I do?”

“Anything,” he replied.

I picked up the remaining half of my beer and guzzled it down.  He still continued to stare at me with that intense look in his eye.  I didn’t have any idea of what he wanted me to say.

“I should get some sleep,” I said, excusing myself from the table, “It was a pleasure to meet you, Axel.”

I offered a
hand,
and he stood up to accept it, but instead of shaking it he kissed the back.  I deign to say that I felt more than a little flush at this behavior.  Perhaps the alcohol was finally taking its due, or
perhaps
the travel was making me more lightheaded than I thought; either way there was no way I was attracted to Axel, I think.

I pulled myself away and sidled up
behind
me mom.

“I need to sleep,” I said.

She just nodded and pointed to the motel just up the road.

“I’d offer you your old
room,
but I’ve since turned it into my craft room.  I hope you’re okay in the motel.  Here’s the key.”

She shoved a small hunk of metal and plastic into my hand, and then turned back to her company. 

I grabbed my bag from the back of the truck before finding my way to the room I’d be
staying in
.  The entire walk had my head going in circles.  I know that some of it
was
due to
the large amount
of alcohol, but the other part was still reeling from the kiss I’d received. 

There was nothing wrong with Axel,
in fact,
there was a lot that I found more than attractive.  But, I knew that by Sunday he would be my
brother-in-law,
and that would be the end of it all.  With that
clearly
being taken care of, my head cleared a bit.

4.

I don’t remember falling asleep at
all, but
I must have done it quickly as I wasn’t under any blankets and I was still wearing my clothes from the previous night.

My phone woke me up, flashing the big words ‘mom’ across the front.

“Hello?” I said.

“Hey sweetie, hope you didn’t drink too much last night.  The fitting is in two hours for your dress.  I’ll be by to pick you up.”

Then the line went dark. 
At least,
she was brief.  Still, I had a lot to get ready for and not a lot of time.  First things first, a shower was in order.

The water worked wonders for waking me up, and I took my sweet time.  My mind still lingered on Axel.  His powerful build was a sight to behold.  He would have made Mark look like a marshmallow by comparison. 

I giggled when I thought about Mark as a marshmallow.  Then the thought of Axel joining me in the shower popped in my head.  I wondered what he would
really
feel like against my skin.  Would be gentle when he held me, or would he take the lead and show me what to do? 

I tried to suppress the thought of it, but like any
thought
you try to deny, it just comes back stronger.  I ran my hands along my soapy skin, lightly caressing the curves of my body. 

I paused and smacked my cheeks a
couple of
times
in an effort to
stop myself before I went too far. 
This was
wrong, and I knew better than to let myself get wrapped up in my
own
fantasies.  So, I quickly finished the shower and toweled off.

A knock
rang
out in the small room and with the towel still wrapped around me I took a glance out the window to see my mother waiting, so I let her in.

“I’ll just be a minute, I just need to get dressed,” I said.

She nodded and took a seat in the one available chair in the room. 

“What do you think of Duke,” she asked.

I continued to towel off my hair, but the question had caught me by surprise.

“He is different, but he seems like a good guy.  You
seem
happier when you’re with him.  I’m glad there’s someone who can make you that happy, mom.”

She smiled from ear to ear.  I think she was hoping to get my approval before Sunday, and hearing my positive praise must have set her mind at ease.

“I’ll go one further, what do you think of his son, Axel?” she asked.

I opened my mouth to speak, but I didn’t have the words. 
My head was still wrapped up in my thoughts from the shower, and I knew if I spoke now the words wouldn’t be so honest.
 

“Give me a minute,” I said, buying some time to think of an adequate response.

“He runs the local auto shop.  He’s quite good, I hear.” She said.

“Mom, whether he’s a good mechanic or not shouldn’t affect my opinion of him,” I said.

“I know, but he’s a pretty quiet guy.  I think I saw him talk more to you last night than I’ve seen him talk to anyone.”

I set about putting on my underwear.

“He seems alright,” I said, just looking for something to say.

“Alright?” she asked.

“What are you expecting me to say; he’s going to be my new brother-in-law.  Should I say that I think he’s attractive, or that I want him to fix my car?”

She laughed.

“I just wanted you to say that you think I’m making the right choice.  Your approval means a lot to this old woman.  And, while I’d still probably get married without it, you’re the only one I can count on right now.  I love
you,
sweetie,” she said.

I slipped on a
pair
of leggings and a comfy shirt. 

“I love you too, mom.  Let’s get out of here,” I said.

She led me out to the
truck,
and the two of us set upon the road.  We didn’t travel extremely far, and we continued to chat like we had when I was still living at home.  She grilled me on my situation with Mark, and what a creep he is.  I assured her that his chance was
over,
and I had no interested in returning.   I was glad that my mom always had my back when it came to matters of the heart. 

Once we had arrived at the small bridal shop in the town our conversation changed; partially because a lot of the details of the wedding were still a secret to me, and
partially
because Duke and Axel had arrived as well.

“Hello,” I said, looking at Axel.  I could feel myself blushing slightly.

He shot me an awkward smile as he pulled himself off his motorcycle.  His bike was matte black; it looked old, but incredibly well maintained for its age. 

“That’s a nice chopper,” I noted.

“It’s my favorite,” he replied.

“I’ve never
ridden
on one before, is it dangerous?”

“Only if your driver is an idiot,” he replied.

I looked at him, with the intention of asking the obvious question.

“I’m not an idiot,” he said plainly.

My mother ended the conversation while tugging me inside the store.  I rolled my eyes and followed her in. 

After twenty minutes of shopping around the store and trying on a
couple of
dresses, she settled on one that looked
fine
enough.  I wasn’t incredibly
impressed,
but I knew I only had to wear it once.  Granted this would be the third time I’d have to wear a dress to one of her weddings.

I caught up with Axel as we were leaving the store.  He was already throwing a leg over his bike.

“So, when are you going to take me for a ride,” I asked, playfully.

He plucked a helmet from the back of the bike and offered it to me.  I turned to my mom waiting for a sign of approval.  She just shrugged, letting me decide for myself.  New experiences are always hard to turn down.

I grabbed the helmet and stuffed my hair inside.  My mind was full of giddy anticipation.  At the same time, being a nurse, I knew all the injuries that could come about.  I wrapped my arms in a death grip around Axel as he pulled us away from the store.

I was scared to death, the wind rushed through my jacket, biting my skin with the cold.  Axel wasn’t even wearing a
coat
and didn’t even seem to be shivering. 

I lifted my head from Axel’s back and looked around.  The landscape was open; barely a single house could be seen; just rolling hills crashing into each other, with spotted fields of seasonal crops jutting from neatly trimmed rows.