Chapter 3: Bull
I couldn’t wait until six o’clock. The last four days had been hell. After getting Jocelyn to agree to a date, I’d been unable to stop thinking about her. She was on my mind throughout the day while I should have been working on club business, and she starred in my dreams every night. I’d jerked off so many times, I felt like I was a teenager again! Seeing her in the Angel on Monday had only reinforced the impact she had on me.
She was even more beautiful than the first time I saw her. Pulled back in a smooth twist, her hair had looked soft, and my hands itched to run through it. It only emphasized her incredible bone structure and those green eyes. Unlike most blonds or redheads, her eyelashes were dark and made her eyes pop. Her skin was creamy without a blemish. Her understated makeup only emphasized her beauty. She didn’t need it. While her skirt was to her knees and her blouse had been a button-up business shirt, her killer body was one you couldn’t miss. I’d fought not to get hard right there in the bar.
I’d gotten pissed when her colleague tried to listen in on our conversation. I wish I knew what he’d done or said before I pulled in at the end of the workday. I know he did something. I only hoped she’d call me if he gave her any more trouble, no matter what it was. He or any man trying to touch or hurt her made me feel crazy. And that was insane. I didn’t even know her! Hell, I hadn’t had this kind of immediate and intense response to my wife, Kelly. I’d loved her, but we had known each other for a little while before feelings grew. Maybe this happened when you got old.
I stepped out of the shower. I slicked my hair back. I tamed my beard and mustache down with beard oil and balm. I rarely wore cologne, but I put some on tonight. I planned to take her to the new steak place in town. It wasn’t super formal, but they had great food. Usually I’d wear my jeans, boots, and a t-shirt. Tonight, I wanted to look a little nicer, so I had on a collared, long-sleeve button-down shirt, my black jeans, and my boots. I slipped on my silver ring in the shape of a bull’s head. Harlow had gotten it for me years ago, and I wore it all the time. The last thing I threw on was my cut.
As I picked up my keys, I realized I hadn’t told her to wear pants and closed-toe shoes, so we could go on the bike. Damn, I’d have to take the truck. Hopefully, she’d agree to go out with me again, and I could take her riding on my bike. I had never allowed any women, other than Harlow and Kelly, on the back of my bike. But I found I wanted to feel Jocelyn hugged up against me as we rode on mine.
Out in the garage, I pulled out my Black Chevy Sierra HD truck. For a cage, it wasn’t bad. It hauled things and had four-wheel drive. I’d gotten the double cab, so I could haul the grandkids around when they came to visit. I headed toward the front gate. I’d moved inside the compound a few years back after we started building houses inside the fence like Terror had done in Dublin Falls. It was safer for my daughter and grandkids.
At the gate, Tate, one of our prospects, waved me through with a smile. I could see he was wondering why I was driving my truck and not my Harley. I had told no one I had a date tonight. They would have been asking me a bunch of questions about Jocelyn, and I wasn’t ready to talk about her yet. Though, if we continued to see each other, I’d introduce her to the guys.
It only took me a couple minutes to get to her house. As I pulled into the driveway, I saw Devyn outside. I jumped out of the truck and headed for the porch and her.
“Hi, Bull. Mom is almost ready. Do you want to come inside to wait on her?” she asked. I nodded.
“Sure. How are you doing, Devyn? Haven’t been out walking along any unlit roads at night, have you?” I gave her a stern look. She blushed and shook her head.
“No, I’ve been behaving. I promise I won’t do that again. Here, have a seat. Can I get you something to drink?” She gestured to the couch in the living room. I shook my head no and looked around the room. The house was older, but it appeared kept up. Their furnishings weren’t new, but they were all homey. It had a warmth to it.
“I’ll tell Mom you’re here.” She went down a hallway. I could hear voices murmuring. She was back in less than a minute. “She’ll be out in a few minutes. So, mom said you brought food to her office on Monday. That was nice of you.” She grinned at me, and I smiled back.
“Yeah, I had to find some way to talk to her again and convince her to go out on a date. Though, I don’t think one guy she works with liked it.”
I saw Devyn grimace. “That would be Jonathan. He’s the other lawyer in the office. He’s been after Mom to date him since we moved here. He’s a creep. I can’t believe he grabbed her in the parking lot and forced a kiss on her before you drove up. Thank goodness you came.”
I felt rage burst through me. He’d touched her? I thought he might have been saying something to her, but I never imagined he’d forced himself on her, especially out in the middle of a public parking lot! Devyn continued, oblivious to my anger. “I’m just glad she bit his lip and stomped on his foot. Maybe that’ll teach the creep to leave her alone.”
“He grabbed and kissed her?” She looked startled at the growl in my voice. I saw her get nervous.
“O-oh, I thought you knew.”
“Devyn, I need you to tell me what he said when he did that.” I could see she didn’t want to say anything more. “I can’t protect her if I don’t know what happened. Has he done something like this before to her?”
Devyn looked down the hall, then lowered her voice. “He’s always staring at her and undressing her with his eyes. And he brushes up against her all the time. You know, so he can feel her up on the sly. This is the first time he’s ever outright touched her. He got upset about you and asked her if she was seeing you and made some kind of comment about it. She wouldn’t tell me what he said. He also called her a bitch. I told her she needs to tell Mr. Sanders, but she doesn’t want to risk getting fired.”
“Thanks for letting me know. I’ll take care of it. Don’t worry about him anymore. Now, what’s your plans for the night?”
“I’m staying in. I have a paper due on Monday for one of my classes I need to finish.”
Before I could ask her what she was studying, Jocelyn came into the room. My heart fluttered. She looked even more beautiful! She had on a dress that came to right above her knees. It wrapped around her waist and emphasized her curves. The neckline was modest but showed off her breasts. She had on a light sweater. Her hair was down in waves. I wanted to run my fingers through it. It looked so soft. I stood up and crossed the floor to take her hands. “You look beautiful, darlin’. I’m gonna be the luckiest man in town tonight. Are you ready?” I grazed her cheek with my lips. What I wanted to do was kiss that sexy mouth of hers. I restrained myself.
She blushed. “Thank you.” She turned to Devyn. “I’ll be back later. If you go out, text me, please.” Devyn kissed her and told her to have fun. I wrapped her hand over my arm and walked her out to the truck. It wasn’t overly tall, but she had a dress on. As she looked at it like she was trying to figure how she would get up in it, I picked her up by the waist and set her in the seat. She let out a squeak of surprise and threw me a startled look. I grinned and winked. Once she was settled, I got in the driver’s seat. I looked over at her as I started the truck.
“I hope you like steak. I figured we’d go to the steakhouse in town unless you have another preference.” She shook her head.
“No, that sounds great, Bull. I love steak or just about anything. I’m not picky.”
As we pulled out, I told her, “When we’re alone, I’d like it if you’d call me Nick or Nicholas. Bull is my road name, and I only want you to use it when we’re around the club or other people.” She gave me a shy smile.
“Okay, Nick. I’ve heard of road names. How did you get yours?”
I laughed. “Well, some said it was because I was as big as a bull. If you asked my daughter, Harlow, she’d tell you it is because I’m as stubborn as a bull.”
She laughed. “Is there any truth to that? Are you as stubborn as one?”