Inferno：A Devil Chaser’s MC Romance(27)

Chapter 16

Tessa



What the hell was that? Tessa was totally confused by Bishop’s actions back at the clubhouse. It had been such a long time since she had been with a man. She began to wonder if he had changed his mind about her. Did I do something wrong? Maybe he didn’t like the way I kissed. Maybe he wasn’t attracted to me the way I was to him. As they rode along the old curvy road, Bishop didn’t even speak to her. He seemed preoccupied, so she waited patiently for them to stop.

She enjoyed riding on his bike. His scent surrounded her as she clung to his body. She couldn’t hold back her smile as he drove faster through the night. It was hard to have negative thoughts sitting so close to him with the wind whirling around her. She closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder. She tried to keep her hands still, but she couldn’t help exploring his defined chest. Her fingertips gently caressed the unmistakable outline of his six-pack.

“Tess, you keep touching me like that, and I’m gonna have to pull over,” Bishop told her with a deep chuckle. She smiled when she felt the vibrations of his laughter on her fingertips. She liked hearing him call her Tess. Until tonight, he had only called her Teach. Hearing him say her name triggered her traitorous body. Her arousal only intensified as the vibrations of the seat moved through her. She inched closer to him, seeking the warmth of his body. She loved being this close to him, and it surprised her how her body reacted to him so quickly. She was in a constant state of arousal whenever she was near him.

As they crossed the Paris Landing Bridge, she was astounded by the absolute beauty of the night. All of the stars seemed brighter under the darkness of the night. The reflection of the moon bounced across the water. It was absolutely breathtaking.

Bishop pulled into the boat dock and cut the engine. He got off the bike and took her hand. “Let’s go for a walk.”

She followed him over to a bench facing the water. She felt so comfortable just being there with him, holding his hand. Without thinking, she nestled into the crook of his arm. He was still quiet, but she wasn’t bothered by his silence. She looked around at all the boats at the dock. She was amazed by the size of several of the larger houseboats. They must have cost a fortune and seemed so out of place here in their small town. They were beautiful nonetheless.

Tessa asked Bishop, “Do you have a boat? These houseboats are out of this world. I can’t imagine who could afford something like this. Must be nice to have that kind of money.”

“Yeah, we have a ski boat, but nothing like these. We haven’t been out on the water lately. I’ve just been too busy with club stuff to take it out on the water. Maybe we can take the kids for a ride sometime soon before it gets too cold.”

“They would love that. My parents have a pontoon boat, but they don’t get it out much anymore. It’s harder for them now that they are older. My brother, Sam, and I loved to come visit here in the summer. We would spend every day out on the water. We used to be really close…. I miss spending time with him.”

“What happened? Why don’t you see him anymore?”

“We grew apart back when we were younger. He started getting into trouble when he turned eighteen, and even got arrested a couple of times. After I had the kids, he slowly stopped coming around. I’m pretty sure he was dealing drugs the last time I saw him. I haven’t heard from him in years. Mom has been heartbroken about it, but my dad still believes he’ll come back around one day.”

“Stranger things have happened.”

Bishop pulled her closer as they continued to sit quietly, looking at the boats. They were enjoying the comfortable silence when Bishop’s phone began to make a strange buzzing sound. It reminded her of the alarms they had at school for fire drills.

He quickly removed it from his pocket and panic spread across his face. “I gotta get back. There’s a fire at the garage.”

They quickly made their way back to his bike. Before he pulled out, he punched several numbers on his phone, and shouted, “You at the garage? Good. Is everyone alright?” He paused before he said, “I’ll drop Tessa off and get there as fast as I can. Any idea how it got started?” He paused briefly before saying, “Well, fuck. Get Bobby on it. I’m on my way.”

As they raced away from the dock and entered the highway, Tessa held on tightly to Bishop’s waist. The muscles in his body were tense as he sped across the highway. He didn’t speak as Tessa tried to keep her focus on holding on. When he pulled into her driveway, she hopped off the bike as quickly as she could.

“I hope everything is okay,” Tessa said backing away from his bike.