“I’m serious babe. I want you in my life.” He was serious. This un-believably hot guy wanted me in his life.
“Luke, I…,” I couldn’t find the words. How was I going to tell him that I wasn’t the girl he thought I was? I pushed myself away from people. I had lived in a bubble for years for a reason. “Luke, you don’t want to be with me,” I said defeated.
“Oh, I don’t?” He seemed surprised, but I could tell he was just being facetious.
“Look, I’m fucked up. I have issues. I’m not like most girls,” I said, staring at my hands in my lap.
“Baby I can do fucked up, and I have issues myself, everyone does.” He turned in his seat so that he was facing me. “I know you are not like most girls. That is why I’m so attracted to you. Do you have any idea how many women throw themselves at me just because I am the President of an MC? But you, you like me for me. For the man I am without the vest. I want you in every aspect of my life. The club, the job, my family… I want you to be a part of it.” I felt like the breath had been knocked out of me. He was laying his feelings out on the table and I had nothing to offer in return. I had no group of friends to introduce him to, my job consumed my entire life and my family was pretty much non-existent.
“Luke, I don’t have anything to offer you in return. I mean… I am self-centered and often ruthless, I have absolutely no empathy, I’m jealous and controlling and everyone thinks I’m a bitch. The only reason people even tolerate me is because of my name.” I was on the verge of tears. I had always known all of those things, but it cut deeper when I said them out loud.
“Hey,” Luke said taking my face into his hands and making me look at him. “You are also kind, and beautiful and thoughtful. And, who cares what everyone thinks. They don’t know the Dallas I know. You are an amazing woman.” His voice was so sincere and his face so thoughtful, that I almost believed him. “If it makes you feel better, we won’t make any promises. Let’s just try this and see where it leads.” Luke was amazing. He knew more about me than I knew about myself. It was clear to him that I had commitment issues and he was willing to revise the invisible “normal” contract between two people, just to make me comfortable. I would be a fool not to keep this man. I nodded my head in agreement. “So that’s a yes? You will be my girlfriend?” he asked, his facial expression that of a little boy. The comment immediately relieved the tension in the room and set my mind at ease.
“Yes, Luke. I will be your girlfriend,” I said, smiling back at him. A broad smile broke out across his face and he leaned forward, kissing me deeply. When he pulled away I was breathless.
Luke didn’t waste any time. The first thing he did, after we finished breakfast was take me to his “Harley Room.” I remembered the room from the last time I was in here, and just like before, the beautiful motorcycle was parked in the middle of the room. “I was three years old when I rode my first Harley. My grandfather, Pops, took me around the yard. I still remember it. Most kids were scared of the loud pipes and the big burly men that drove them, but not me. I have loved them since that first ride,” Luke said passionately. “When I was sixteen, my father bought me a truck. He wanted me to have things he never did. He was so proud when he handed me the keys. I had it for less than an hour before I traded it for an old Harley my Pops had at his shop,” he paused, laughing to himself. “My dad was so pissed. He didn’t speak to me for over a week. It took him years before he accepted my lifestyle. Now, even though he doesn’t agree, he is one of my biggest supporters.”
“Why didn’t your father ride?” I asked, intrigued with his story.
“My Pops wasn’t much of a father to my dad. He was constantly in and out of jail. When he did get out, he couldn’t get a respectable job because of his record. The bike world welcomed him with open arms. Once he knew all the connections, he and another guy started their own club.”
“Connections?” I asked. I knew what that meant, but I wanted him to tell me.
“Another time, babe. I want to show you something,” he said, dropping the subject completely.