“Thanks for the hamburger,” I tell him, garnering another laugh. The sound is muffled in the trees, but pleasant. It's nice out here, peaceful. “And tell Gaine thanks for the … badger story.” Beck full on chortles at that one, pausing to bend over and put his hands on his knees. “Way too much information, but it was interesting. I'm still having trouble figuring out how the badger got into the gym in the first place.”
“Stick around awhile and he's sure to tell it again. You'll get the full story eventually.”
“I don't know that I want the full story,” I say as Beck stands up and we continue our walk. The urge to reach over and grab his hand is overwhelming. I feel like a teenager again. What thirty year old biker wants to walk around a forest holding hands? “And thanks for coming on this walk with me. I can't imagine it's something you do often.”
“Shit, sugar lips, this is the best day I've had in years. And not just because of the sex.” He raises his brows at me, and I meet his gaze, remembering the feel of his lips down there. It truly makes me question why I waited so long to try oral sex out. Given, I doubt either of my previous boyfriends could've won me over like Beck. He went down on me like he kisses – hot, searing, stabbing straight into my soul. They might've just drooled all over down there and scarred me for life. I shiver. “And you're right. I don't do shit like this often. Hell, I don't do shit like this ever. I drink, party, and screw around. I beat the crap out of people and I ride my bike. That's about it. I ain't all that interesting.” I bite my tongue to stop myself from blurting out: you're interesting to me.
“Neither am I. The hardest part of my day is choosing which set of heels to wear or what shade of lipstick to apply. I hang out at the clubhouse on Tax's good graces, just waiting for somebody to snatch me up as their old lady.” I breathe in, out. I can feel Beck's gaze burning into the back of my neck as I stare down at the purple heels, so out of place against the dirt trail. “Even though I don't want any of them to. I feel like I'm on borrowed time, that someday soon, Tax will just give me away.”
“So why stay?” Beck asks, and I cringe because that's a loaded question that I don't even know how to answer. I love my brother. I love my club. I belong. It sounds so hollow in my head that I don't bother to say it aloud.
“My sister didn't,” I tell him instead, looking up and finding myself at a crossroads. How fucking poetic. I glance down one side and find a couple making out on a rock. Nobody from the club, just some teenagers, probably around my age. I wonder how they ended up here together, what their parents think of their relationship, if they even care. Beck decides on our path for us and starts down the right fork. “As soon as she could, she left the club, my brother, and me behind. Since I turned eighteen, she's been coming around, trying to convince me to leave, but I don't know. I don't think I'm cut out for the real world.”
“Doesn't get any realer than this,” Beck says with a whistle and another grin. “You can cut it here, you can cut it anywhere. But I get where you're coming from. That's why I'm trying so hard to preserve Triple M. This is where I'm meant to be. Second I met the folks in the club, I knew.” We walk for a little while in silence before he adds, “We're here for the folks too fucked up for society, too fragile for anywhere else on earth. Guess you could just say we serve a niche market.” I smile, too widely maybe. Whether he knows it or not, he's really, really tempting me. Traitor.
“Motorcycles, madness, money. I like the whole Triple M thing. I guess you know where our club got its name? That my brother always rides out with seventy-seven men?”
“I've heard the rumors,” Beck says, green eyes catching the light and shimmering. “But I didn't believe it until I saw it. Impressive set-up your brother's got going there. I'll give him that.”
“He's driven, that's for sure. He knows what he wants, and he works hard to spread his beliefs.” I sigh. “Should the Need Arise. He put that on the back of the club's jackets after my father passed away, and he was voted in. Darren … ” Damn it. “Tax believes in family first. Respect second. Dignity, honesty, and pride. If he thinks those things are missing somewhere, that's where he goes. Where the need is. I guess he was trying to teach you all a lesson.” I hang my head, but Beck mistakes it for shame, touching my chin and raising my face to his. I can't take my eyes off his lips, standing there on the path like I've been rooted in place.
“You're a good woman, Tease. And you come from a good family, I see that. But you're you. Not your brother, not your club. They're your family, but they can't define who you are or control you, not if you don't want them to. The best way for us to connect with the folks in our lives is to find ourselves first.” And then he leans over and kisses me, tongue sliding between my lips, hand curling around my waist. We stand there, just kissing for several moments, the sunshine dappling our faces, before we hear laughter.