“Cover for me, okay?”
“Are you outta your damn mind? Grim will skin your ass, and it’s not gonna be high heels or cleaning next time if you’re caught sneaking out.”
“I need to see Stefanie. Come on. I’ll make it up to you. I swear.”
“Fuck, man. You’re too hung up on that girl.” He scrubbed a hand down his face and then nodded, picking up one of the tires from the stack Grim asked us to move. “I can’t believe we had to transfer this whole stack of tires from one side of the shop to the other. Doesn’t make sense.”
“It does if you want to give your prospects bullshit work to do,” I deadpanned.
“Fuck. You’re right.”
“There are only two tires left. You can do it, honey.”
Toad flipped me off and then picked one up, lugging the tire around the back of the auto shop. He didn’t mind the work as much as he let on. Gave him something to do since he didn’t work in the shop and the club didn’t always have errands for us to run.
Three weeks had elapsed since the night I met Stefanie, and I hadn’t gone a single day without seeing her, even if it was only for a few minutes. I usually picked her up from school and started the routine on purpose as an excuse to spend more time with my girl. We hadn’t referred to our relationship with labels yet, but I wasn’t worried. She’d come around.
The day had grown unusually warm for this time of year, and I went inside to take a shower before I left. Over the last month, I saved enough money to put a down payment on one of Grim’s motorcycles for sale in the shop. He let me choose, and I was excited to own my first Harley.
Backing out of the garage, I grinned like a lunatic at Rael as he wiped a fake tear.
“Damn, son. Your first Harley.”
Patriot chuckled, slapping Rael on the back as Diablo lit up a cigarette and puffed hard, watching how I handled the bike.
Grim crossed his arms and ticked his head, giving me his approval. “Take her for a nice long ride and break her in.”
“Oh, I will,” I quipped as the guys chuckled at the double meaning. There was only one girl in my life, but they didn’t need to know that. I wasn’t planning on pressuring Stefanie into bed and knew it would happen when it was right. Not that any of the club members knew what I was doing in my spare time. I didn’t say shit in fear that Grim would forbid dating Stefanie, and I’d lose the one person who was becoming my everything.
The road was dry and the sky clear as I rumbled to a stop in front of Stefanie’s high school. I’d worn my cut and looked the part with dark sunglasses and my shitkicker boots.
School buses lined the curb in front of me as I scanned the crowd for any sign of my girl.
“You can’t park here,” a voice announced, a little too cocky.
The guy couldn’t have been a day over seventeen with his letterman jacket and slicked hair. Expensive clothes, shoes, and a watch proved he was one of those jocks who thought money and power ruled the world—all funded by his family and not through any effort of his own.
“Tell you what, you shut your mouth, and we won’t have a problem. Then I won’t have to kick your ass and send you back to your daddy.”
The guy’s face turned red as his friends burst out laughing. “You sorry piece of shit thinking you can ride here and—”
“Got a light?” I asked, pulling a pack of smokes free and placing a cigarette between my lips. I was goading him on purpose, and he knew it. The old Shadow would have backed down to bullies. I wasn’t that kid anymore.
He sputtered and then grew so livid his face took on a shade close to purple. “What the hell—”
“Hey, sweetheart,” I announced as Stefanie rounded the corner of the bus and headed my way. “Ready to ride?”
The girls with Stefanie giggled. A couple of them stared with wide eyes. One blinked and clutched at her books. Another gave me a once over that was as close to an eye fuck as I’d ever seen. I’d drawn a crowd, and the students all seemed curious since I’d never left my vehicle to pick up Stefanie before today.
I guess the biker persona still intimidated some people. Hell, maybe they were intrigued and wanted a glimpse into my world. Wouldn’t happen, but it was amusing. Perhaps it was just the reputation of the Royal Bastards that preceded me, but I held out my hand, and Stefanie didn’t hesitate to take it, swinging a leg over my bike and then placing her fine ass on the seat behind me. Her arms wrapped around my waist as she leaned forward and placed a kiss on my cheek.
“Hey, handsome.”
“Ready, baby?”
“With you? Always.”
I wasn’t paying attention to anything around us or the reaction of the other teens. My head was wrapped up in the fact that Stefanie was pressed against my body while the breathy words that left her luscious lips echoed the yearning I had felt since the night we met.