Page 6 of Rider

Mrs. Lopez was being far too kind tonight but she knew that I didn’t go out on dates so this was something foreign to me. She also knew that I never let anyone in since I had Colton. She was trying to calm my anxiety and nerves and for that I was thankful. I smiled in appreciation and sat down on the couch beside her. Since Colton had missed his afternoon nap he had fallen asleep a little early and now that it was seven-thirty he was tucked in for the night. Hopefully, he wouldn’t give her a hard time once I was out. “That’s real nice of you to say, Mrs. Lopez. I hope Colton won’t be too much trouble tonight, and if he is or if you need anything just call me and I’ll come right home.”

“I will do no such thing. You deserve a nice night out. I want you to take your time and enjoy yourself. He’ll be fine with me, he always is. I’ll sit here and get caught up on my crossword puzzles and maybe even a little television.” She shook her head the whole time, not willing to give me an inch of leeway to worry about missing anything for Colton. Mom guilt was hard and every time I had to leave him even for work, I’d feel a pang of guilt. It was irrational because I knew I had to make money to support him and take care of him, but I just hated leaving him.

When a soft knock came from my front door, I knew it had to be Rider. Mrs. Lopez stood with me but hung back in the living room. I knew she probably wanted to get a good look at him and that made me chuckle to myself as I opened the door. Rider was standing on the other side of the door and his face matched mine. Not sure of what the plan was, I invited him in to introduce him to Mrs. Lopez and collect my things.

I could see Rider taking stock of my small home and meager belongings. I only purchased things for the house if it was necessary. All my money went into things for Colton and paying for necessities. I wasn’t into lavish things or collecting nick knacks around my home for aesthetics. Most of my furniture came from thrift stores but was in good shape. I wasn’t embarrassed by it like a lot of people would be. I was proud that I supported myself and my child and didn’t usually need a hand out from anyone. The battery Rider had installed in my car was probably one of the only things that I had taken without repaying in years, maybe even since Colton had been born.

When Rider had finished scanning my home, he zeroed in on Mrs. Lopez. His legs ate up the space between them and he was standing in front of her introducing himself before I could make the introduction myself. To Mrs. Lopez’s credit she didn’t even act like his height intimidated her when he stood a foot above her tiny 5’1’’ frame. When he shook her hand, it was as if her hand was that of a childs. While they made small talk, I got my jacket on and let my eyes roam over him.

He was wearing the same leather jacket with patches that he had been wearing the night we met. I tried to scrutinize the patches but I was too far away to see the print. He had the zipper open some and I could see a white shirt underneath and just the hint of a tattoo peeking out where his chest met his neck. He had on dark jeans that clung to his ass in all the right places. His hair had been combed and he had gel in the longer strands on top. He had on thick soled, black motorcycle boots and for the first time, I noticed he was holding a helmet in his hands. As if he could hear my thoughts, he turned away from Mrs. Lopez and met my gaze. I felt a small blush creep onto my cheeks at getting caught checking him out.

Whatever he had said to Mrs. Lopez must have charmed her because she was positively beaming when she turned towards me. I was now standing in my coat by the door waiting for Rider to finish chatting so we could leave. He followed my gaze to the helmet in his hands and for the first time I thought I saw a shy smile from him. We both said goodnight to Mrs. Lopez and stepped out onto the porch of the house. That’s when I saw a motorcycle parked in front of my home and knew it had to belong to him. I vaguely remembered it from that first night. Now sitting right in front of me it looked positively enormous.

Rider came up beside me and handed me the helmet. Apparently the look on my face wasn’t as concealed as I thought. He shrugged. “It’s a part of the club rules. We ride or die in rain, snow or shine. All members ride to events on their cycle. It’s a decent night tonight, no rain or snow, but I know it’s going to be a little cold. I promise to get us there as fast and safely as possible.”

“It’s no big deal. Just surprised, I just thought we’d be in your truck. I mean you are in a biker gang so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.”

His brows scrunched together and he pushed his lips into a flat line. “Rayleighn it’s not a gang. It’s a club and It’s been a part of my life since I became an adult.”

This was the only time I had seen Rider’s happier disposition absent and I didn’t want to be the cause of it. I needed to rectify this immediately. “I’m sorry, Rider. I didn’t mean to insult your club. I don’t really know anything about motorcycle clubs so I don’t really know the lingo. I only have old movies and television shows to base my knowledge on.”

He looked at me for a few seconds and shook his head. When one side of his mouth perked up in a smile I knew he had forgiven my slight. I put the helmet on my head and walked to his bike. I had never rode on a motorcycle before but there’s a first time for everything. I looked the bike over, trying to figure out how to get on. I bounced from foot to foot trying to figure out how to sit on it and not fall off.

I heard his laugh behind me and in spite of it being at my expense it made me smile.

“Sweetheart, have you ever been on a motorcycle before?”

“Nope. First time for everything though right? Besides, I get to spend time with you and I’m sure you won’t disappoint in entertaining me.”

He walked closer to me and the bike and it was like watching a panther stalk his prey. I stood there watching him and couldn’t take my eyes off his body. My legs pressed together with the sudden ache between my thighs. He glanced down at my lower body like he knew, never halting his stride. When he stopped right in front of me, he leaned down to whisper in my ear, “You telling me I’m gonna pop your cherry tonight?”

I was speechless. I didn’t know what he meant because he clearly knew I had a baby. “Umm… what do you m-mean?”

He chuckled but his face was laced with desire and his eyes were dark and hooded. “You’re cherry ladybug. First time on a motorcycle.”

Oh

“Yeah, I guess that’s true then. Should we get going?” I didn’t know what else to say. I knew my face was red and I felt very self conscious standing there. I fiddled with the helmet and tried to secure it on my head.

“Sure thing.” And with that he threw his leg over on the bike and motioned for me to come closer. He helped tighten the strap under my chin and while his hands touched my chin to secure it our eyes never left each others. When he was finished he took my right hand and placed it on his shoulder.

“Use me to get on and throw your leg over like I did.”

I did what I was told and got onto the back of his bike. I felt unsure and honestly a little nervous and scared. The seat was small but the leather soft. He dropped his hands from the handle bars and reached around to grab my hands. He wrapped my arms around his waist.

“Don’t let go and hold on tight.” That was the last thing he said to me before we shot off into the dark. My shrill shriek probably couldn’t even be heard over his tailpipes.

Rider

The ride was short to the clubhouse but the entire time all I could think about were Rayleighn arms wrapped around me. She must have been nervous because she clung to me like I was her only life line and honestly, I was okay with that. I loved the feeling of her arms wrapped around me. I never let girls on the back of my bike. It was one thing to date them or sleep with them but it was another thing to ride with them. I had always made a promise to myself that I wasn’t ever going to let a woman on the back of my bike till I knew for sure if she was worth it, but with Rayleighn it just felt different. Like this could really go somewhere, maybe even the distance. I knew I couldn’t drive her in my truck to the club so I took the plunge.

When we arrived outside the club Rayleighn dropped her arms from my body and I hopped off the bike. I helped her off and got her helmet off. I could see her looking around and my eyes followed hers. When we had events at the clubhouse we mainly did everything inside or outback to keep our business private and away from prying eyes. Today was a little different since we were open to the public for the toy drive. We were set up outside, out front of the clubhouse and toy barrels were set up everywhere. We had food being served one side to everyone who donated or volunteered. I could also hear Christmas music being piped in on the speakers set up behind donation tables.

I was itching to touch Rayleighn and I definitely wanted these guys to know that she was with me. She was wearing that black and red coat that would have looked ugly as sin on anyone else but on her she looked adorable. It was wool and when I reached out and put my hand on her lower back to direct her toward the masses it felt itchy on my hand, but I knew she was at least warm inside it. She stiffened all of the sudden. I wondered if she was having second thoughts about coming here with me. She suddenly stopped and looked up at me, panicked.

“Rider, I feel awful. I didn’t bring a gift for the kids. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it since you mentioned it was a toy drive.”

Relief flooded me. I thought she was upset by my touch. “It’s ok. Lots of people come here to volunteer. You can help sort toys if you’d like but I brought you to spend time together and get to know each other better.” Before I could even take another step towards everyone she was unzipping her coat and reaching inside it. “What are you doing? You’ll get cold.” She pulled out her hand and inside her fingers was a folded twenty dollar bill.

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