“I couldn’t have done it without you,” she said softly.
“We complement each other. We have each other’s backs. We have a helluva good time. And we fuck real good together.”
“Anything else?” she said winking.
“That about covers it. I never thought I’d settle down with a woman. You ground me, and it feels fuckin’ fantastic.” He reached out and clutched her hand.
“I can’t believe how fate brought you back into my life.”
“And it was all because you wanted a tat on your sexy ass. I wanna give you another tattoo. I’d love to cover you in them.”
Shaking her head, she said, “I don’t know aboutcovered, but I’d love to have another tattoo. I was thinking either on the back of my neck or on my ankle.”
“Why not both?”
“You’re right. Why not? My parents won’t like it, but parents aren’t supposed to like stuff like that, right?”
“I don’t know. My mom had some ink, and my dad had a ton of it. Anyway, if you want to do it, it’s your skin. I think you’d look wicked sexy in more tattoos.” He leaned across the table and kissed her deeply.
“I love the way you kiss me,” she murmured.
He reclined back in the chair. “We gotta get our own place,” he said.
Excitement flooded through her as she sat up straight. “You want us to live together?”
“Yeah. Now that your aunt’s home, I’m not that comfortable being there all the time, and you got too many purses, shoes, clothes and other stuff to live at the clubhouse, so I thought we should get a house. They have some nice ones over by Las Cruces Road. You wanna check them out this weekend?”
“Definitely.”
“So you’re down with it?”
“I’d love to live with you,” she answered.
“That’s good. Do you want to take it one step further and be my old lady?” He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it, gazing into her eyes.
“Is that like going steady?” Hailey had read up on the term in her research about the biker clubs, but she didn’t quite see herself as someone else’s “property.” She saw wearing the cut in the same way as wearing a promise ring.
“It’s way more than that. It means you belong to me and I belong to you, through all the good and bad times in life. I’ll always have your back and you mine. We’re entwined and will be until our last ride.”
It sounds like a proposal.“I don’t really understand everything about your world, but I’m willing to try. If wearing a leather vest means we’re bound to each other, I’m down for it. I’ll wear it proudly.”
“I love you,” he said, leaning over and planting a big kiss on her lips.
“Me too,” she said, kissing him back.
After a delicious meal of steaks and baked potatoes, they walked hand-in-hand into the night. When they arrived at his Harley, he opened the saddlebags and took out a black vest, handing it to her. “This is your cut that has my patch. I never thought I’d give a woman my patch, but I’ve never loved a woman before you.”
Turning it around, she saw the words “Property of Goldie” in white embroidery. A grin spread across her lips. “Pretty sure of yourself, aren’t you?”
“Fuck yeah.”
He helped her slip it on over her halter top. The buttery softness of the leather was cool against her skin. A shiver skated down her spine as she folded the cut around her. The pride in Goldie’s eyes almost had her bawling, but she blinked rapidly as she looked down at the ground to ward off her tears.
“You wanna go to Arrow Lake?” he said thickly.
“I’d love to.” Making love to him under the stars seemed like the perfect way to end their evening.
“I want you naked except for my cut, babe.” He swung his leg over his bike and she climbed on.
