Page 52 of Dodge

Another challenge came with family. If my mother knew I was even thinking about dating a biker, she would hit the roof. She’d probably disown me. The narrow path she’d tried forcing me to walk all these years had no forks or variations, and the strained relationship we had would never improve unless I brought home a rich doctor, lawyer, or politician.

Then there was the race thing. He was all-American White, and I was not. Being mixed, I was still considered Black, but I’d been told I was too White to really be Black. It bothered me sometimes that I could be labeled and put in so many different boxes that had nothing to do with who I was. I’d spent a lot of my life dealing with prejudices I had no control over, but none of it seemed to matter to Dodge.

“Love is never a sin.”

For the rest of my days on this earth, I would forever remember and be grateful for Tambre’s words of wisdom.

The rock was getting uncomfortable under my bare ass. Dodge slid out of me and helped me up. I realized a problem I was going to have on the ride back—wetness from a combination of both of us ran down my inner thighs, and there was nothing I could do about it.

I wrinkled my nose as I slipped on my panties and leggings. Dodge came up to hug me from behind.

“I didn’t plan this, but I’m happy it happened. Really fucking happy it did. Look, I can’t tell what’s coming around the bend for us, but I know there’s shit I have to finish to make it right. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I’ve made a decision, and it’s time for me to take control of my life so I can have one with you. Can I ask you do to something for me? Can you be patient while I get it done?”

Like I have any other answer to give him.“Yes.”

He smoothed a hand over my rumpled curls and kissed the top of my head. “I need to get back, and you do too. I’ll come by after closing tonight?”

He voiced it as a question, but I recognized it as a statement. This man had become mine, and it felt right.

“Sounds good.”

He kissed me again before handing me the gargantuan helmet.

I didn’t need the words to recognize what this morning meant.

Dodge, a member of the Dragon Runners MC, had made me his old lady.

CHAPTER27

Fall had peekedaround the corner. Leaves were turning with red, yellow, and gold colors dotting the mountain landscape. I thought tourism would start waning, but if anything, it ramped higher. People flocked for those last few rafting trips and to see the changing season. The railroad was still going strong, and my restaurant was booming.

I found another assistant chef to add to my kitchen, which allowed me to expand my menu and take off one night a week. I also opened for a lunch buffet on weekends, and the response was phenomenal. The reviews poured in, earning me a 4.87-star rating. My restaurant appeared on the vacation travel sites as a place to visit.

One month. Four weeks of being Dodge’s girlfriend. Old lady. Whatever. It was tough sometimes, as he worked mornings and afternoons, and I worked afternoons and evenings, but we made it happen. He came by the restaurant and sat at the bar with Macie. Dewey was there occasionally. I brought him lunch at the garage so often, Brick asked if I’d cook for him too.

Then there were the nights. Those wonderful nights I spent looking up into his brilliant blue eyes as he moved inside me. Sometimes he made love to me slow, building the tension until I was ready to combust. Other times he fucked me hard and fast, driving me insane. He loved to go down on me and did it often. Once, while we watched a Netflix series episode, he lay behind me on the sofa and played with my nipples the entire hour. Then he pulled off my leggings, spread me open, and made me come on his tongue while the closing credits rolled. The man had no modesty and paraded buck-ass naked around whoever’s place we spent the night at. I didn’t think that was bad, as his body was a magnificent specimen of maleness.

I stayed with him a few times a week up at the Lair. Now, I was no longer a guest; I was family. I met more of the club members and their wives. Betsey introduced me to her grandchildren and the children of the others. She was grandma to all of them, which I thought was the coolest. She reminded me of my own grandmother, the one who left me the box of costume jewelry. I talked with Katrina over her swelling stomach and found out she and Mute were having a boy. I spent time holding Cameron, Table and Lori’s newborn son. She told me her story about how she wasn’t sure she could get pregnant after the abuse she suffered and thought her beautiful stepdaughter might be her only child. Eva and Stud had been a baby-making factory with their quintet of cute blonde girls.

No one said squat to me about Mallory and Dodge’s marital status. Either they didn’t know or didn’t care. As far as the Dragon Runners MC was concerned, I was Dodge’s woman, and he was my man.

I tried hard, but there wasn’t any other time in my life that I could say I was this happy.

So of course, something had to come spoil it.

Dinner service concluded for the evening. It was a Thursday night, and the tables turned at least three times between the hours of four and eight thirty. Most people had cleared out by nine, and I was waiting at the bar for Dodge to come get me for a night at the Lair. My people were in charge of cleanup tonight so I could leave earlier than normal. Dewey came into town that day and was hanging at the bar as well.

“Your restaurant is really nice.” He poked his glasses up on his nose. He wasn’t particularly social and didn’t stand out like Macie, who loved to wear full makeup when working. Plain clothes, plain hairstyle—Dewey was just plain. It was hard for me to see Macie with this man, but they were together, and it seemed to be working out so far. I hoped this was a good thing for my best friend.

“Thanks, D. I really appreciate you helping.”

His cheeks flooded with color, and he dropped his eyes. I barely heard his murmured“You’re welcome.”

Two arms came around me, and I was pulled back into a hard body that smelled faintly of orange and car engine grease. “Hey, sweetness. I need a shower somethin’ fierce. Mind if I go upstairs first?”

I grinned. “I’ll come with you. Macie? Dewey? I’ll leave you to it.”

“Make sure and check behind his ears,” Macie trilled. “Plus any other crevices or cracks.”

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