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“Then we protect them,” Buzz tells me.
“Billie has already had a run-in with the Brotherhood. After she found out where Ryan and Dylan had been, she went after David and Phoenix with a baseball bat. There was one other guy there, I haven’t figured out who he was. She’s on their radar and she’s on mine.” Buzz smiles at me.
“You admitted it out loud. I knew you would get there. You claiming her in front of the club?” Buzz asks.
“Not until we have the Brotherhood gone. I messed up earlier. Billie thought I was pushing her away and playing games with her, and I guess I was of sorts. The pushing away part at least. My first thoughts are to protect her. She called me on my shit and said she wouldn’t accept it. She said we were stronger together.” I think back to the words she said.
“A woman with some sense about her. You have your hands full, brother. You sure she’s worth it?” I don’t even need to think about it.
“She’s worth a hell of a lot more. I won’t let her get away from me. I will chase her straight to hell if need be. Not that I ever think my angel would be anywhere near hell,” I tell Buzz honestly.
“The love bug already bit you in the ass. My advice would be to run, but I think it’s too late for that.” Buzz is being a smartass again.
“Let’s get to the fish fry. I want to spend the rest of the day with my woman.” We both turn and head toward where the food smells damn good.
9
ONE WEEK LATER
Billie…
I have been looking forward to today all week. I know it isn’t ladylike to moon over some guy all the time, but Raider makes me feel special. Mooning over is not something you hear from someone my age say these days, but I’ve been reading some of my grandmother and grandpa’s letters they wrote each other when he was in the military. They were so romantic. I think everything was easier in their times.
Raider doesn’t make me feel like a daughter, a big sister, or friend. I have never felt this way around anyone. Raider makes me feel like I’m the only woman in the world, and he’s the only man in the world. Everyone around ceases to exist when I see him. I don’t openly flirt with him so anyone else can hear it, but when we find a minute or so by ourselves, I give him all my attention. I feel like one of the heroines in one of my romance novels I love to read. When he told me that his mom was Penny Anglene, I almost fainted. I would have if I hadn’t been so busy helping him load the produce into the trucks that he and his club brothers brought. Penny Anglene is one of my all-time favorite authors.
If Mama knew I read Ms. Anglene’s, books she would be keeping them for herself. Her books are on the spicy side. I know my face is always bright red when I read the sexy parts. That’s why I begged Mom to let me go to a book signing in Conroe. I’ve been saving all my extra money just so I can get all the books I want along with the ones I have paid for in preorders. So many of my favorite authors are going to be there. I hope to one day become an author. I’m telling Raider today that I get to meet his mom.
Mom has been more understanding since she met Raider, and she has been trying to give me room to spread my wings. She’s even let Raider come over and stay with me at night while she works, and I’m taking care of Ryan and Maggie. Mom has permitted me to have alone time with Raider without being upset with me and she agreed to letting me attend the signing event alone. That was a big hurdle for her. She’s letting go of her little girl, so I can become a woman. I know I hate the thought of leaving my family, but I know it’s time. Raider is my man and I’m not leaving my family but the relationship with my mom will change a little. It’s the circle of life showing itself. I just hope Mom is ready for me to be the woman that I want to be.
I respect my mom, but Raider has taken over my thoughts and sometimes I catch myself daydreaming about him. He’s the man who is my first thought in the morning and my last thought at night. I don’t know how I became so infatuated so fast. I almost told him I loved him last night when we were making out on the sofa. Raider and I have made out more than a few times in the last week. I want more but I’m not sure how to let Raider know. I’m not sure if Raider wants to take the next step in our relationship. He always pulls back before we go too far. I feel like a shameless hussy who doesn’t know how to give her man the signal that she is ready for more. I could deliberate this all day in my head, but a noise brings me out of my thoughts.
I see the trucks coming down the road and I know it won’t be long until I get to see the man who stars in most of my dreams. I already had a couple of the farmhands help me bring the produce up and it’s bagged in twenty-five-pound burlap bags in the back of my truck. We have over two hundred bags this week. My family never likes to think of families going without food so we donate as much as we can. If we didn’t donate it, we would be grinding it down and feeding the leftovers to our animals. We have plenty of corn left from last year and hay from our fields to cut and bail for the cattle, hogs, chickens, and horses. I back up and let Raider and Buzz park the trucks as close to my truck as they can get. Taylor, one of our farmhands, is bringing the rest as soon as he feeds the chickens and sows. I need to take Raider to get the extra eggs so not too many of them get broken.
“Hello, beautiful,” Buzz says to me when he gets out of the truck he’s driving. I duck my head and wait for Raider. “No need to be shy. I mean you no harm. Just admiring the view.” That makes my face turn red. I’m not used to compliments from men but Buzz is this way all the time.
“Thank you, I guess,” I tell Buzz without looking at him. I don’t want to give this man the idea that I’m being flirty. I save that for Raider. I’m just so inexperienced with men.
“Back off, Buzz,” Raider says as he comes from around his truck.
“Hello, Billie, it looks like you have a haul for us this week,” Raider says and I raise my head to look at him. He’s the most beautiful man I have ever seen. He has dark eyes that change colors with his mood. Yes, I have looked at him enough to know that. He also has muscles that bulge his shirt in the torso area and he fills his jeans out mighty fine. I know he has muscle ripples in his stomach. I would love to lick them one day. I feel my face getting hot at the thought. I’m just a woman and I’m attracted to Raider more than I have ever been attracted to a man. I just haven’t had time to get acquainted with any real men.
“What has you blushing this morning?” Raider asks me.
“Nothing that I wish to discuss with you. You just shouldn’t look so handsome this early in the morning. I look a mess from the work I’ve put in this morning.” I answer Raider as honestly as I can without embarrassing myself. I feel a bit shy now, so I keep myself busy, helping to transfer the produce from my truck to theirs. I bend over before I realize that Raider and Buzz are right behind me.
“Damn!” I hear Buzz say behind me before I understand he’s talking about me bending over in front of the two men. I stand up and drop the bag in my hand when I see what I’ve done. I feel my face getting red again.
“Buzz, go over there and help Taylor with his truck load. I’ll help Billie,” Raider says. Buzz has a smirk on his face as he turns and leaves.
“That wasn’t very ladylike of me. I was just into the work and not minding my unladylike position,” I explain to Raider.
“Buzz should have been minding his business and doing his work. He’s just ribbing me. He knows that you’re mine, and I’m too much of a jerk to claim you in front of everyone until we have that gang straightened out. He also knows I want to take you out but don’t want the gang to see us together.” I blush a little more. I can’t help but to keep smiling. He keeps telling me this, and I keep disagreeing with him.
“You mean you want to ask me out on a date?” I ask Raider shyly. I’m waiting for him to take the bait.
“Yes, that’s what I mean. I won’t take a chance of putting you in harm’s way. I thought I could take you for a ride on my bike. You said you wanted to try it one night. I’m offering you your first night ride.” I’m nodding my head yes. Then I bat my eyes at Raider and try to look innocent.
“Let me make sure I’m getting this right. You want to claim me but you don’t trust me to be able to take care of myself. You want to ask me out but won’t for the same reason, but you think it would just be safe for me to ride on the back of your bike. Am I getting this right?” I ask Raider with a smirk on my face.
