Fifteen minutes later another Harley pulled into her driveway, Duke got on his, and left. She watched whoever was in her driveway take off his helmet, and recognized Brain.
Still unsure of what had happened, she went down to talk to Brain.
“The bad news is you pissed him off so bad he needs some time to himself,” Brain told her before she asked. “The good news is he still cares enough about you to be sure you have protection today.”
Gen looked at him a few seconds and asked, “Don’t you have something better to do with your Saturday?”
He shook his head. “Duke needs some time away from you. You did worse than piss him off, you hurt him, and you hurt his wolf. He’ll never hurt you, as in harm you, but apparently his wolf wanted him to turn you over his lap and spank your ass, so he left before he was tempted.” He walked down her driveway to the back of her house, and Gen followed, not sure where he was going. “I think you’re good for him, and I like you. He needs me here, I’m here.”
He made it to the back of her property, jumped up to grab a tree limb, and climbed twenty feet up. “Damn, the view is as good as I thought it’d be. If you were mine, I’d spend half my time in this tree and the other half in your bed.”
Gen had no idea how to respond, so she said, “Yeah. I’m going inside. I’ll unlock the back door so you can come in when you want. My home office is downstairs, just past the dining room on the right if you come in the back. Make yourself at home, get whatever you want from the kitchen, but the pantry is my housekeeper’s domain and I have to make a list of what I take out of there, so let me know if you go foraging.”
Gen worked for nearly two hours before Brain came in, saying, “You have the most awesome backyard, and that view. How do you not spend all your time out there?”
“My bedroom is at the back of the house. I imagine my view is a little better than the one you saw from the tree. You can go up and look, if you want.”
He shook his head. “Duke won’t want my smell in your bedroom, no matter the reason. Are you into something big, or can you use some company?”
She shook her head. “I hadn’t planned to work at all today, but it’s surprising how much you can get done with no phone calls or emails streaming in. You’re probably getting hungry, want me to see what’s in the fridge, or would you rather go get something?”
“You have a housekeeper?”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes, I have a housekeeper. I know how to cook, but I worked in my mom’s restaurant most of my life and I don’t enjoy it. Frisco loves it, it’s like his stress relief, and I don’t mind helping him, but I’d rather stay out of the kitchen, if possible.”
“You and I are kind of reversed. I grew up with housekeepers and private tutors, and now I’m a biker.”
Gen could see it in him, had known there was more different about him than just his IQ, but now she could clearly see it. “It seems to suit you, you’re happy with your decisions?”
His smile was answer enough, but he said, “Yes, I am. And thanks for going there with it, not making it sound like I lost something with my choices, because as far as I’m concerned, I gained.” He was quiet a second and added, “Most of my brothers know, but none of the women do and I’d appreciate it if you keep it that way. I’m not sure why I told you, but…”
“No worries, Brain. Your secret’s safe, and if you like a view, there’s this great little marina in the middle of nowhere on the Hiawassee River with the most awesome burgers. It’ll take maybe an hour to get there on your bike — you up for a little road trip?”
Brain drove different than Duke, and it took her a little while to get used to it, but when she did, she relaxed and thoroughly enjoyed herself. As they crossed the county line he stopped on the side of the road, took his vest off, and put it inside a bag on the back of the bike. She looked at him in question, and he said, “We’re way out of our territory so I need to be here as me, not as a member of RTMC. I have no idea where we are, exactly, but riding into someone else’s territory without permission would be bad. I’m supposed to be keeping you safe, not endangering you.”
They took off again, and she pointed where he needed to go. Thirty turns over winding country roads later, they pulled into the marina.
“How the hell did you find this place?” he asked as they dismounted.
Gen took her own helmet off, and kind of missed having Duke do it for her. Not that she wasn’t capable, she just liked having him touch her, take care of her.