Page 42 of Hope's Heartlands

I cup her hand, holding her against me. “You keep this up, we won’t be going anywhere but back to my bedroom.”

She laughs and pulls her hand away. “No way, mister. You promised me a ride, so you’re giving me one.”

She was worried a second ago and now she seems to be looking forward to it. So before she can change her mind, I start the bike, pull out of the driveway, and head straight to Hollow Oak Hill.

It takes twenty minutes to get there, but only because I’m taking it slow. When I stop, with the view of Hollow Lake in front of us, you can’t help but take in the beauty of it all. There’s a sigh at my back and I ask her, “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

She nods her head, but still doesn’t say a thing.

“You want to get off and stretch your legs or ride some more?”

I hold my breath, waiting for her answer. Her thighs tighten around me. “I think I’d like to ride some more.”

I squeeze her hand at my chest before taking off again. We ride all the back roads and down into town before circling back and ending up at the Ride or Die.

When she gets off, her legs start to buckle, and she would fall to the ground if I wasn’t there to hold on to her. As soon as I have her upright, she’s looking up at the sign for the bar. “This isn’t a good idea. I mean, look at me. My hair’s a mess, I’m a mess…”

She’s running her fingers through her ponytail, trying to show me what a mess she is, but in my eyes, she’s perfection.

“You’re perfect,” I tell her, holding her to me. I’ve discovered that if I have her in my arms, she’s more likely to do what I ask. “Come in with me.”

She takes a deep breath and pulls back her shoulders. “Fine, let’s go.”

I have no qualms on how my brothers will react to Kate. I hold her hand and keep her near me, wanting her to know that no matter what, she’s safe with me.

Luckily, Roxy and Gage are here tonight, and they hang out with us. I turn down the beer that Peaches, the new bartender, is offering me and go with water instead. I’m driving around precious cargo and I know I need to keep a clear head.

Kate is a bundle of nerves, but Roxy makes her feel right at home. They spend a lot of time talking, and although I can’t hear them, it must be something good by the way Kate is smiling at me. Even when I pull her to my lap, she doesn’t resist. She just melts into me with one arm around my back and the other on my chest.

Roxy is complaining about the music. Conley, the club president, loves his seventies rock. Roxy goes to the jukebox and comes back as a new popular dance song comes on. “Conley isn’t happy that I’m trying to update his music selection, but he did compromise and lets me play a few current hits a night. Let’s dance, Kate.”

Roxy doesn’t even give Kate a chance to refuse. She pulls her from my lap and I barely get a kiss before she’s on the dance floor. I don’t take my eyes off her. She’s having fun and I’m so glad that I brought her here. It’s nice to see her let loose.

“Earth to Bulldog. Come in.” I shake my head as Gage waves his hand in front of my face.

“Sorry,” I mutter, still watching Kate.

“You can take your eyes off her. Everyone saw you come in with her, and no one is going to mess with her,” Gage says.

I take my eyes off Kate and look over at Gage. I can’t help but smirk. “Really? Is that why you can’t take your eyes off Roxy, Mr. Vice President?”

He laughs and shrugs his shoulders. “She’s a lot better than looking at your ugly mug.”

I don’t disagree with him. Instead I get down to business. “How’s it going? Anything I need to know?”

There’s a vein throbbing in his forehead, so I know there’s something going on, even though he’s trying to act like he’s just having a night out with his wife and the mother of his child. “Yeah. No matter how much we try to stay clean, our past keeps catching up with us. The Blue Devils are encroaching on our territory. We’ve spotted them in town a few times, and although they haven’t tried anything, I know something’s coming. I can feel it in my gut.”

I know exactly what he’s talking about. I’ve learned to trust my gut over the years and it’s never steered me wrong. “I’ll keep an eye out. Let me know if I need to do anything.”

We sit there and talk about the happenings in the club before a slow song comes on. I get up and walk out to the dance floor and open my arms, and Kate instantly steps into them. Gage does the same with Roxy. I never thought I’d see the day when our gruff vice would be on the dance floor, but I’ve learned that women can do some amazing things to a man in love.

Kate running her hands up my chest brings me back to the present. She looks so happy, so at ease, and I wish I could keep her like this always. She doesn’t have to tell me that our worlds are different. I know they are. My world accepts us, no questions asked. The men of the Heartlands would defend her to the death if I asked them to. But her world? I have a feeling it’s not going to be the same. She can try to shy away from this all she wants, but it’s happening. We’re happening.

Chapter9

Kate

Istretch in my bed and snuggle into Bull’s heat. He’s right; last night was perfect. We had a good time. If his friends had any qualms about my age, they sure didn’t show it. They all went out of their way to make me feel welcome. Gage, Roxy, Ranger, Jaxon, Beckham, all the names started running together. They were a wild bunch, but it’s obvious they care about each other like family.

---