“You’ll be suspended if you keep that up,” Sharon said.
“Please, I can handle whatever a parent can throw at me.”
Thomas pulled up in the parking lot, and ran toward Sharon. Cora watched the couple, and saw there was still some tension between them. She felt sorry for both Thomas and Sharon. They were two beautiful people, and yet they were struggling to find some happiness. She didn’t know what happened behind closed doors, but that wasn’t her problem.
“So how’s married life?” Stacey asked.
Cora frowned when she saw that Stacey was looking at her. “What?”
“You heard me. You and James are pretty much married.”
Rolling her eyes, she looked at the students leaving. “Shut up.”
“Come on. You’re practically married,” Stacey said.
“We’re very happy, actually.” They had moved in together, and when they weren’t at her place, they went to the club. She’d been shared with Caleb a couple of times, and each time was as hot as the last. Cora would do anything for James. She finally knew what it was like to be in love, and she could just about handle that.
The sound of bikes, a lot of bikes, coming toward the school met her ears. She turned away from her friend and moved toward Ryan.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“It’s a surprise.”
She looked down to find Ryan smiling.
Her heart was pounding, and she saw the club turn a corner, and ride toward the school. She licked her suddenly dry lips, and watched as they pulled up outside of the school. James was in the lead, and she stayed still as Ryan gripped her arm when she made to move toward him.
Staying still, she watched as James climbed off his bike, and moved toward her.
“What’s goin—”
She didn’t get to finish what she was saying as his lips were on hers, cutting off all of her words. She moaned, wrapping her arms around him, and he pulled her close.
Running her hands up his chest, Cora forgot about where they were, and cocked her leg over his hip.
Finally, James pulled away from her, and got down on one knee.
No, no, no, no.
She loved James with all of her heart, and she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. She still didn’t want to get married.
“I love you, Cora. This is not a wedding ring, or a marriage proposal. Get that look off your face.”
&
nbsp; She giggled and pressed her hand to her lips. They must look like a weird couple. She was wearing one of her pastel summer dresses while he was dressed in leather.
“You’re my woman in all the ways it matters to me. I’m not going to change my own beliefs with you.” He reached inside his jacket, and started to unfold another leather jacket. “I’m going to ask you to be my old lady, to ride at my back, and to be by my side. This is my version of a wedding band, Cora. This will make you my woman, and you can’t leave, not ever.”
She took the jacket from his fingers, and saw the words, “James’s old lady” printed on the back, with the words, “Bad to the Bone”, underneath the club insignia of “DFMC”.
Running her hand over the patch, she smiled at James.
“You know how to surprise a woman.”
“It means you’ll be mine, have my kids if we decide to have any, and be mine always.”
Tilting her head to the side, she glanced behind him at the club, then back at him.