Liam handed me the bucket helmet and I hopped on the back of the motorcycle. I slipped my hands around his chest with ease. We weren't strangers anymore. Liam was my boyfriend now.
I wanted to say it out loud just to make this was all real.
My heart jumped with glee. I was no longer a freak—no longer a virgin.
We drove off and Liam stopped outside of my apartment.
“So this is where you live?”
“Yep, this home sweet home.”
“Any roommates?”
“I did but she moved out at the end of last semester.”
“Why don't you invite me inside?” Liam grinned.
The thought of Liam taking me on every surface of my apartment was a tantalizing image but I shook my head. “I would but I know what would happen if we were alone again. I just have to work on my anthro paper for a little bit.”
“You sure you're not going to run away.”
“I can't, my car is still at the MC.”
Liam smiled. “How about I pick you up in a few hours.”
“That would be perfect.”
Liam leaned over on his bike and planted a kiss on me cheek. He put his sunglasses back on started his Harley. The thunderous roar of the engine vibrated in my chest. I waved and exhaled as he drove away.
I went into my apartment and everything looked foreign. I had only been away for a day but it felt like an eternity. I went to the kitchen and opened the fridge for something to eat—completely empty. I fixed myself a cup of tea instead and opened up my laptop to a blank Word document. I wanted to get down as much information as I could before I forgot. My notes from yesterday were pretty much useless.
Flashes of last night distracted me from my work. How could I get any work done when Liam was the only thing on my mind? I thought long and hard until the perfect title came to me:
A Pound of Flesh
Chapter Twelve
Liam
I rode back to the MC, thinking about my love for Charlotte. My entire existence was built around the MC. It was who I was. But my feelings were changing. I no longer desired to be the Vice President. If I could go somewhere safe with Charlotte and live the rest of my life in peace—no more bloodshed—then isn't that what I should do?
I found John, Hudson, and Bryce sitting around the Wheels of Ash oak table. Their faces were long but their eyes lit up when they spotted me. Bryce shook my hand as Hudson gave me a one-armed hug; a white shoulder-sling kept his arm close to his chest.
John stood up and put his hands on my arms. “I'm glad you're okay, Liam.”
“Me too,” I replied.
We sat down at our seats. Our club had become so small. I ached inside for the loss of Wyatt. He was like a brother to me.
Brotherhood. That's what this MC meant to me. I couldn't leave my brothers when they needed me most. I had to get revenge for Wyatt. I had to make sure the MC was whole before I got out.
John hit the gavel down. “We all want the Russians to pay but we need to think this through. We're hanging on by a string here. If we went against the Russians now, we'd all end up in body bags. As of right now, all the Russians involved in that deal are dead. Give me a chance to talk with some of the higher-ups in their organization. For all we know, Boris was doing this alone. Once I get more information, we can make an informed decision. Everyone agree, say Aye.”
Each one of us shouted, “Aye!”
“All opposed,” John said.
John brought the gavel down. “Onto the next order of business—the Vice President seat. All in favor of Liam becoming the Vice President of the Wheels of Ash, say Aye.”
What the hell!
Hudson nodded at me and grunted, “Aye.”
“Aye,” Bryce added.
John smiled at me and threw a white patch at my hands. I flipped it over and it said: V. President.
Everyone gave me a hug while I stood there dumbfounded. The one thing I wanted in the world was finally in my hands but I didn't feel complete. Charlotte wasn't by my side.
Chapter Thirteen
Charlotte
My paper was nowhere close to being started. All I had was a title that seemed very scary. Was that what I wanted to convey? What did I want to tell the world about the club? The crime? The violence?
Those were all things everyone knew already.
The family aspect was the key.
The words flowed through my fingers and into the computer. I wrote and wrote until my wrists began to cramp up.
Outside the booming engine of a Harley-Davidson approached. I saved the document and slammed the laptop shut. My paper would have to wait—Liam was here.
I checked my makeup in the mirror and brushed my hair quickly.