Willa laughed, wrapping her arms around his waist.
Lucky’s expression turned serious. “Are you having fun?”
“Yes. I can see how it can be addicting. There’s nothing like it, is there?”
“No, there isn’t.”
When Viper and the others began lining up to pull back onto the road, Lucky tapped the helmet she had taken off while he fueled his bike. “Back on.”
Willa made a face. “Can’t I just hold it on the way back? You aren’t wearing one.”
“Your ass isn’t on my bike unless you have one on.”
“Maybe Rider will let me ride with him to see what it’s like without one,” she joked then wished she hadn’t when Lucky’s expression went cold.
“You never ride on anyone’s bike but mine.”
“Why? The women switched bikes when we stopped. I don’t—”
“Did you see any of the old ladies switch?”
Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t. “I was just joking.”
“Riding on another brother’s bike is considered cheating unless you have my permission.”
Willa started to get upset at the chauvinistic attitude. “Do other women members get to ride with men who have old ladies?”
“It depends on if he wants her to.”
“That doesn’t sound very fair to me.”
“Biker clubs aren’t—”
“Fair. I know. I’ve been told that before by someone else,” she snapped, putting on her helmet. “Asshole.”
“Did you say something?”
“They’re waiting,” she yelled out over the sound of his motor.
The ride back was even more fun. The sky had grown darker, and she didn’t feel as if she were going to fall off. The hum of the powerful motor and the wind whipping at her clothes made her feel as if she were flying. She was disappointed when they arrived back at the clubhouse.
Lucky stayed upstairs with the men while she went downstairs to shower and get ready for bed. When she heard the music from above her head, she tried not to think about Lucky being up there with all the women. Then she opened the bathroom door and almost dropped her hairbrush when she saw Lucky undressing.
“Dammit. I was hoping to join you before you got out.”
Willa unwound the towel she had knotted at her breasts, letting it drop to the floor. “I missed my back.”
* * *
Willa rolled over in bed, stretching her hand and hitting Lucky’s shoulder. Rising up, she peered at him in the darkness, seeing him sleeping deeply. She lay back down, curling against his side and placing a hand on his flat abdomen.
A tear slid out of the corner of her eye, landing on his shoulder. Seeing her husband sleeping soundly was worth any price she had to pay. After all, he had been willing to live a life that was driving him crazy for her, so the least she could do was be willing to try to adjust to a different way of life for him.
Chapter 29
Willa poured herself another cup of coffee, trying to wake up. She had another forty-five minutes before she had to leave for the church. The deacons had agreed to let her rent the church kitchen after Lucky had left as pastor. She was happy with the way it had worked out. She still had all the space she needed to make her desserts to supply her growing customer base. Plus, she was able to sell in the church store. She had even been able to call Ginny and offer her a job. The girl had been thrilled about quitting her job at the theatre and had started two days ago.
“Would you like some help?” Willa offered Ember who was flipping bacon.
“No, thanks. I have it under control.” The woman flinched when bacon grease popped up. It was the second pan she had watched the woman fry.
Keep your mouth shut, keep it shut, Willa kept telling herself.
Ember flinched again when a bubble of hot grease landed on her hand.
“Damn.” Ember shook her hand in pain.
Willa couldn’t take it anymore. “It’s easier if you bake it in the oven. You can cook twice the amount and no popping grease.”
“You can bake it in the oven?” Ember looked at her questioningly.
“Yes. Do you need to make more, or is that the last of it?”
“With the way the men eat, I have two more packs to fry.”
“Where are the baking pans?” Willa turned the oven on to preheat then set her coffee cup down when Ember pointed to a lower cabinet.
Ember and Raci both watched as she pulled out two baking sheets then went to the refrigerator and pulled out the bacon. It took Willa no time to spread out the bacon on the baking sheets then slide them in the oven.
“Is it going to taste the same? The men can be picky.”
Willa stared down at the fatty mess that Ember had cooked. “The men won’t notice the difference,” she lied. Her own name wasn’t on the chore list for four weeks, and it was going to be hell for her. She had only been there three days, and each morning, she had watched instead of helping the way she wanted.
Winter stood up from the table to pour herself another cup of coffee.
“I’m on kitchen duty next week.”
Willa nodded her head absently, watching as Raci filled a kettle with boiling water.
Willa couldn’t help herself. “Are you going to boil eggs with that?”
“Yes. Why?”
“If you have a muffin tin, you can bake them in the oven, too.”
As Raci dumped the water back into the sink, going for the cabinet, Winter cleared her throat, drawing Willa’s attention back to her.
“Because I have to be at school so early, I have to get up at four-thirty to cook breakfast before I leave. I saw you down for laundry in three weeks. We can switch if you want. I can do that when I get home from work,” she said.
“Are we allowed to switch?”
Winter frowned. “Allowed?”
“We don’t get in trouble?”
Ember and Raci both stopped what they were doing to stare at her.
“We don’t get in trouble,” Winter explained. “We’re not children, and we’re not in boot camp. If you don’t do a chore, someone else usually steps up and takes care of it. The only time someone gets in trouble here is if you hurt someone within the club or show disrespect.”
“Disrespect?”
“Like, for example, you can’t tell Viper to go fuck himself. Only I can do that.” Winter smiled. “Seriously, Willa, we’re pretty laid-back. So, do you want to switch?”
“I would love to.”
“You just made my day. I get to keep my regular schedule next week.”
Willa didn’t no
tice Raci and Ember rolling their eyes behind her back.
“Is there any way to bake oatmeal in the oven?” Ember asked.
“Sorry, no, but you can do it in a crockpot. It’s too late to do it today, but you can start it tonight when you go to bed, and it will be ready in the morning.”
Ember’s disappointed expression brightened. “I’ll do that.”
The side door opened, and Lucky came into the kitchen at the same time several of the other members came to eat. The kitchen became crowded, so Willa moved out of the way, watching as her husband fixed his plate. When he sat down, she poured him a cup of coffee and placed it in front of him.
“Thank you.” Lucky tugged her down for his morning kiss.
Willa straightened when he was done, blushing at the show of affection in front of the other men and women.
“You have a busy schedule today?” he asked, beginning to eat.
“Yes,” Willa answered, moving to lean against the refrigerator as Winter, Viper, and Rider sat down to eat.
Shade and Lily came in the backdoor, and Willa melted when she saw Shade carrying his son. She and Lily had started driving in to the church together in the morning.
When Raci took the bacon out of the oven, Willa took two pieces for Lucky, setting them on his plate. Winter, who was chewing her own piece, lifted her brow as Jewell sat down at the table next to Winter.
“Aren’t you eating?” her husband asked, looking over his shoulder at her.
“I already ate.” She had eaten an apple while she had watched the women cook.
Willa poured Lucky a glass of orange juice, setting it down next to his plate.
“Do you always wait on Lucky?” Winter asked, her toast poised at her mouth.
Willa smiled down at her husband. “A wife serves her husband’s needs.”
The room went silent.
Jewell put her fork down on the table. “You’re kidding, right? Do you know what century this is?”
“I know it’s old-fashioned, but I like to make sure Lucky has a good breakfast. It’s the most important meal of the day. My mother would get up every morning and fix my father’s breakfast, and they were married thirty-seven years,” Willa boasted. “They never spent a night apart, and they were very much in love. They were so much so that they never planned on having children, content with each other.”