Page 7 of Hurricane's House

She was never very savvy about men. In fact, she was quite naive, but there was something about Hurricane that didn’t make her feel as though she was at a total loss for words every time they were in the same room together. She found herself chatting away and having no trouble telling him exactly how she felt about things.

By the time she worked up the courage to start the car and drive over to Hurricane’s house, she was ten minutes late. Getting up the nerve to walk to his front door was decided for her when he opened the door and stepped onto the porch. Tina sighed and cut the engine, grabbed her purse, and stepped out of the vehicle, ready to face whatever the sexy biker had planned for her.

“Hey,” she breathed, not sure what else to say. She stood in the driveway and looked up at him like a loon.

“I honestly didn’t think that you would show,” Hurricane admitted.

“Oh, well, if you’d like for me to just go,” she said, turning back to her car.

“I didn’t say that,” he growled. “I’m glad that you’re here, Tina. I think tonight will give us a bit of time to get to know each other better.” She shivered at the idea of getting to know Hurricane better. Tina was pretty sure that the guy would be fun to “Get to know,” but she was also sure that he didn’t mean it the way that she was thinking. At least, she hoped not because as of right now, she had no willpower when it came to telling Hurricane no apparently. Otherwise, she’d be sitting at home in her pajamas, eating the same takeout that she had the night before.

“Come on in,” he said, nodding to the door. She realized that she hadn’t made a move to the porch from the driveway.She quickly walked up the steps and followed Hurricane into his house.

Tina looked around and whistled, “Wow, this place is great,” she said.

“Thanks,” Hurricane said. “I decided to buy it when I got the club. I’m originally from Queens and wasn’t sure where I wanted to put down roots, but Yonkers felt right for me. I rented for a while to be sure, but I knew that sooner or later, I’d have to bite the bullet and get a bigger place.”

“Why would you need a bigger place for just you?” she asked.

He shrugged and took her jacket and purse from her, hanging it neatly in his coat closet. She wasn’t sure if she was shocked or impressed by his tidiness. “I thought that I might like to start a family someday, and well, this place has four bedrooms, three bathrooms, and is perfect for something like that. The problem is, I haven’t found anyone who I wanted to settle down with.”

“Oh, come on,” she said, “you can’t tell me that there aren’t a ton of women lining up at your club to go out with you,” Tina insisted.

“Not really,” Hurricane admitted, “I mean, there are women who try to get my attention, but they are mostly bar flies—you know, trying to take a biker home for just a night?”

“Isn’t that what most guys want?” she asked. From her experience, not too many men were into long-term anything. They wanted a good time, and then, they’d move on. Maybe that was why she never really gained any experience with the opposite sex.

“No clue what guys want,” he said. “I just know that I’m not into the whole casual sex thing. Don’t get me wrong, I was that guy in my twenties, but I’m thirty-five now and honestly, I’d like to have a family.” Hearing Hurricane say that he wanteda family, and a long-term relationship had her thinking about things that she knew she shouldn’t.

Tina followed Hurricane into the kitchen and groaned. “Something smells fantastic,” she admitted. She looked around the room and realized that the table had only been set for two people. “Um, where’s Chasity?” she asked.

“I’m afraid that she’s not here,” Hurricane admitted.

“Shit,” Tina shouted, “why didn’t you tell me sooner that she ran away?” He reached out and touched her arm as if trying to calm her.

“She didn’t run away,” he said. “She’s hanging out with Yonkers and Wren from my club. Apparently, Wren and Chasity got to know each other when she was crashing on the sofa in my office. They just had a baby and they’re having Chasity babysit for them while they have a stay-at-home date night. You know, to check her out to see how good she is with the kid. Does Chasity like to babysit?” he asked.

“Honestly, I have no clue,” she admitted. “How bad does that make me sound? I don’t even know what my teenage niece is into anymore. I used to know her when she was little. I always knew what toys she wanted, and I was the cool aunt—but not anymore. She didn’t go over to your friend’s house just to ditch me, did she?” Tina asked. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to know the answer to that question, but the masochist in her needed to know.

His sheepish grin gave away his answer—Chasity had gone over to babysit to avoid having to see her. “If it makes you feel any better, she’ll be home at about ten. How about you stick around to tell her goodnight when she comes home?” he asked.

“Oh, I couldn’t do that,” Tina insisted. “I mean, I don’t want to take up too much of your time. You should have just called me to cancel if tonight didn’t work out for you.”

“I think that it worked out just fine,” he said, taking her hand into his. The simple touch had her feeling sparks that she shouldn’t have. “As I said at the front door, I’d like to get to know you better, Tina.” He almost whispered her name and damn it if her traitorous body didn’t lean into his just a bit.

“I see,” she whispered, “and how do you propose we get to know each other, Hurricane?” she asked. She could think of a few ways that she’d like to get to know him. His chuckle gave away that he could probably read her mind, and Tina could feel the blush that had covered her cheeks. She hated how easily she got embarrassed, but he didn’t seem to even notice.

“How about we have some dinner, and then, we can sit and talk until Chasity comes home,” he offered. Yeah, that wasn’t exactly what she was hoping for, but maybe it was for the best. Tina usually read the situation wrong, but this time, she was on a whole other planet. Hurricane was right though, it would be good for them to get to know each other better if he was going to help her out with Chasity, and right now, she needed all the help she could get.

Hurricane

He knew that he was sending Tina mixed signals, but he just couldn’t seem to help himself. He liked her, and God help him, he wanted her. But that would have to wait until after dinner because he wanted to do this the right way. He didn’t want to fuck things up with Tina because that would hurt Chasity, and the kid was really starting to grow on him. He would need to tread carefully if he didn’t want to fuck up everything that he had put in place to help the kid.

When she asked if she could go over to Wren and Yonker’s place, to babysit for them, he wanted to tell her no, but then thought better of it. If she was away for the evening, he’d be able to talk to Tina without snarky, teen remarks, and that might be better for the both of them. He knew that Chasity was trying to avoid her aunt, but he couldn’t blame her. Everything was so complicated and new that she probably just needed a few minutes to catch her breath.

They had spent the afternoon unpacking her stuff and getting Chasity settled. Well—she unpacked, and he followed orders about where she wanted stuff. It felt right having her in hishome, as though it was something that was meant to be. He had always imagined his home filled with kids and laughter—but especially love. The love loss that Chasity had for her aunt wasn’t going to help fulfill his wishes, but he was sure that if he put his mind to it, he’d be able to figure the teen out. How hard could it be?

“I hope you like chicken,” Hurricane said, holding out the chair for Tina. She sat down and nodded as he grabbed the food from the stove.

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