Page 15 of Deacon

“Having regrets already?”

Deke sat on the edge of the bed next to her hip. “No. No regrets, just second thoughts about how to approach him about this.” He bent and kissed the end of her nose. “I think I’ve spent a long time running from something I should have embraced. The trouble is going to be getting your brother to see it that way.”

“I know you’re worried about it. I’m not. I love my brother, but I learned long ago that I have to live my life and he has to live his. I can’t let his likes and dislikes rule my life any more than he lets mine run his.”

“That’s a good way to look at things. Still. He’s been my best friend for most of our lives, and he is still technically my boss. He could make my life difficult if he wants to.”

“He could, and he might, for a while. But I think eventually he’ll get used to the idea. I’m willing to tough it out if you are.” She wiggled out from under the blankets where he had them stuck where he sat and went up on her knees next to him, not caring that she wasn’t wearing a stitch. “I never said it would be easy. But I think it could be worth it if we’re both willing to take the risk.” She leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on his mouth.

Deke’s arm wrapped around her, holding her against him for a moment, then he stood, still holding her, and headed for the bathroom. Lisa giggled as he carried her.

Maybe this would be easier than she’d thought.

11

Deacon continued to spend his spare time with Lisa over the next few days. Cowboy seemed to forget his concern about her, and things seemed to go back to normal, except for the new routine of going to her place instead of his own.

On Saturday, Miles had planned a run for the Kings of Destruction. This was a member’s only run and one that Deacon had committed to riding on weeks ago.

At first, he was hesitant to leave Lisa. He didn’t want to get out of bed and leave her sleeping, but he did it. She knew where he was going and hadn’t seemed disappointed or upset by it, but still, he found it harder than it should have been to slide out of that bed and get on his bike.

They’d been gone for a couple of hours and Deacon had relaxed a bit when they stopped for a few minutes to gas up and give the men a chance to get a drink or use the restroom, and Cowboy approached him.

“You seen Lisa this week?”

“A couple times, why?”

“Did you ever figure out what’s wrong? Her behavior is still bugging me.”

“I don’t think it’s anything to worry about,” Deacon said with a shrug. He wasn’t going to tell Cowboy he knew exactly what it was and while it wasn’t nothing, he thought he had things handled. Especially since he was there with her most of the time. Again, he wasn’t ready to share that with his best friend.

Cowboy nodded and they went back to their bikes. Deacon sent Lisa a quick text while he waited for the others to mount up, and they hit the road again. They were going to spend much of the day on the road, as they were headed to Devil’s Lake.

What they were doing there other than grilling some burgers, he wasn’t sure. But it wasn’t about where they were going. It was about the ride. They were a motorcycle club, and they rode just to ride.

Deacon had to admit, at least to himself, that he’d needed this. The getting away, the feel of the wind in his face and the bike between his thighs. Though lately he’d come to enjoy something entirely different between his thighs.

He pushed that kind of thought out of his head before one of his brothers caught him grinning like an idiot or worse, he caught a bug in his teeth.

When they reached the campground Miles had chosen as their destination they parked their bikes, lining them up so it would be easy to get out when it came time to hit the road again, then he put them to work.

Miles assigned Deacon to oversee the parking and lighting of the grill. It took a couple of tries, but the prospect driving the truck towing the club’s grill trailer got it where Deacon indicated, then they got busy lighting the thing. It would take a little while for the charcoal to be ready to cook on, and that was fine with Deacon. His part was done for now.

Ready to take some time to himself, he headed down by the water to enjoy the view for a few minutes. He pulled out his phone and took a few pictures to share with Lisa later, then checked to see what she’d said about his text earlier.

He frowned. She hadn’t replied. He dialed her number and listened while it rang then rolled to voicemail.

“Hey, it’s me. I’m worried about you. Send me a message and let me know you’re okay.”

He sent another text saying basically the same thing then turned and looked for Cowboy. It only took him a moment to spot the club president. He was talking to a few other brothers at the far end of the parking lot, near where they’d set up their little day camp. Deacon headed that way to see if he’d heard from his sister.

A ball of dread formed in Deacon’s stomach as he closed the distance to his best friend.

“Hey,” he said as Cowboy turned toward him when he joined the group. “You heard from Lisa since we left this morning? Has she texted you or anything?”

“Not that I know of.” Cowboy pulled out his phone and checked it. “No. Is there a reason she would?”

“I’ve got a bad feeling, and she hasn’t replied to me and isn’t answering my call. Can you try calling her and see if she answers?”

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