The meeting drags for another hour. By the time we’re done the sun is starting to go down. I head straight for the truck. I park in our usual spot a couple blocks from the clinic and wait.
She texts me when she’s walking out. A few minutes later she opens the passenger door and climbs in. She looks tired but her eyes light up when she sees me.
“Hi,” she says.
I reach over and pull her closer. I kiss her before either of us can say anything else. She melts into it right away. Her hands come up to my shoulders. I keep it slow at first. I just want to feel her. When we break apart I rest my forehead against hers.
“Missed you,” I tell her.
“I missed you too.” Her voice is soft. “Work was nonstop today.”
I start the truck and pull away from the curb. “You hungry?”
She shakes her head. “Not really. Can we just go somewhere quiet?”
I drive us out to the spot by the river we went to on our first date. The sun is almost down when we get there. I park facing the water and cut the engine. We sit there for a minute in the quiet.
Lucy unbuckles her seatbelt and climbs over the console into my lap. I slide the seat back to give her room. She settles against me and kisses me again. This one is deeper. Hungrier. I slide my hands under her cardigan and feel the warm skin of her back. She shivers but presses closer.
I break the kiss long enough to look at her. “You sure you’re okay with this? With all the sneaking around?”
She nods. “I hate lying. But I hate the idea of not seeing you more.”
I kiss her neck. She tilts her head to give me better access. I keep my mouth there while my hands explore. I slide one hand up her side under her scrub top. She makes a small sound when my thumb brushes the underside of her breast. I do it again on purpose.
“Tiny,” she breathes.
I pull back just enough to look at her face. “Tell me what you want.”
Her cheeks are flushed. “I want to touch you too.”
I nod. She reaches down and unbuttons my jeans. Her hand slips inside. The first touch of her fingers makes me groan. She’s tentative at first but she learns fast. I show her how I like it, my hand over hers, guiding her.
“That’s it,” I say against her mouth. “Just like that. Fuck, you feel good.”
She keeps going. I slide my hand into her pants and find her wet. I circle her clit with my thumb and she moans into my mouth. We work each other like that for a while. Slow. Learning. I tell her how perfect she feels. How much I love the sounds she makes. How I’ve been thinking about this all day.
When she gets close I add a finger inside her. She tightens around me and comes with my name on her lips. I follow right after, her hand still on me. We stay like that afterward, breathing hard, her head on my shoulder.
I rub her back slowly. “You’re mine, Lucy. I need you to know that. Not in a controlling way. Just… you’re it for me.”
She lifts her head and looks at me. Her eyes are soft. “I feel the same way.”
We talk for a long time after that. She tells me more about her dad’s latest comments. How he keeps bringing up Daniel like it’s still an option. I tell her about the club meeting. I don’t go into too much detail but I let her know things are getting tense with the Southside Kings.
“I worry about you,” I say. “If shit gets bad I need to know you’re safe.”
She nods against my chest. “I’ll be careful.”
We stay out there until it gets too late. I drive her back to her car and watch her drive away. The whole ride home I keep thinking about how she looked when she came. The way she said my name. The way she fits against me.
I’m in love with her. The realization hits me somewhere between the river and my house. It’s not sudden. It’s been building for weeks. But tonight it settles in my chest like it belongs there. I love Lucy Parker. I love her strength and her softness. I love how she fights for what she wants even when it scares her. I love the way she trusts me with her body and her heart.
When I get home I text her goodnight. She answers right away.
Lucy: Goodnight. Thinking about you.
I lie in bed staring at the ceiling. The club tension is real. Her dad is getting more suspicious. But none of that changes how I feel. I’ll keep her safe. I’ll keep us safe. Whatever it takes.
