Page 16 of Wire
“Texas. A small town called Pine Ridge. I’m part of the Sons of Havoc MC. But I’m taking a little road trip of sorts.” I’m trying to be as vague as possible.
“Is Pine Ridge as small a town as Madison? Where everyone knows everyone’s business? Where nothing is private?”
Okay, it definitely sounds like she’s not happy living in Madison.
“Not quite. Pine Ridge is bigger than Madison, but our clubhouse is on the outskirts of town, and we pretty much stick to ourselves.”
“Sounds lovely. I grew up here, so the town has watched me grow. My dad’s family has been here for generations, so the whole town knows our business. Which wouldn’t be so bad if you weren’t clumsy or accident-prone like me. Every embarrassing moment of my life was witnessed by people with long memories and no filters.”
“That doesn’t sound like it would make life easy.”
“It doesn’t. I sometimes think about leaving, going somewhere new. Starting my life over. But where would I go? I don’t know anyone outside of Madison. The thought of leaving alone scares me. Plus, I don’t want to leave my brothers. They are all I have.”
“It would be hard to start again somewhere new and not know anyone. But you also can’t live your life for other people.”
Listen to me, being all full of good advice and shit. I sound like I have my life together rather than the mess it is.
“Easier said than done when it comes to family.”
CHAPTERSEVEN
Tallulah
Watching Wire thrash around the bed during his dream hurt my heart. I really tried to calm him from the edge of the bed, but nothing was working. Crawling into bed with him and running my fingers through his tousled blonde locks really seemed to help him. Plus, it was actually nice for me too. I felt needed.
I even enjoyed our brief chat about his home life. I feel some sort of connection to him and want to know more about him. I want to know everything.
“How are you feeling today?” I asked as Wire joined me in the kitchen.
“Better, still a little sore, but I’ll be fine.”
Pulling a chair out at the kitchen table, he takes a seat very slowly. His muscles must be killing him. I move to the first aid cupboard and grab him some painkillers. Pouring a glass of water, I go to him.
“Here, take these. You must be in pain?” I hand over the tablets and water.
He quickly takes them. Clearly, he is in pain. Stupid men thinking they need to be brave all the time. Drives me crazy. My brothers are the same. Hurt themselves around the ranch but just suffer rather than get the help they need. This is why women live longer.
“You hungry?” I ask as I go back to cooking a hearty breakfast.
“I could eat if it’s not too much trouble,” he says, licking his lips. Lips that I want to kiss and have dreamed of having on every inch of my body. A shiver runs through me at the thought of his big hands following his lips, caressing my curves.
“Do you need help with anything?” His question pulls me from my musings, causing my cheeks to heat.
“No, I’m okay,” I say and hurry back to the stove. His chuckle follows me. Yeah, he knows what I was thinking. I finish off the eggs and pull the bacon from the oven. Buttering the toast, I fill his plate and put it in front of him.
“Thank you, this looks delicious,” he says, tucking in.
“You’re welcome. I have some chores to do around the ranch today. The stalls need mucking out, and the horses put into the pasture. I know you can’t really do anything to help me while you heal, but if you want, maybe, you could come out with me for some fresh air?”
I patiently wait for his reply while I eat my breakfast. It would be nice to have company while doing my chores, other than the horses. But also, it would be nice to spend some time with Wire and get to know him a little more.
“Yeah, actually, that would be nice. Fresh air and good company would be good.”
I try to refrain from doing a fist pump and looking like a complete dork. To stop my geek showing, I clear the table and set the dishwasher. Grabbing my boots, I head for the door.
“You’re coming then?” I ask over my shoulder.
“Right behind you,” he says from literally right behind me, making me leap out of my skin and make the most unladylike squeal.
