Page 31 of Trick or Treat

He fired it up, checked traffic then slowly pulled from the curb. He shook his head at the feel of a vibration against his back and knew she was laughing. He was happy to see that she liked the ride so far. With no particular destination in mind, he took them through town and out of city limits. They drove for a while, taking in the sights and enjoying the rumble of his bike beneath him. He always found his peace on the back of his bike, but with Lindsey on it with him, it was a whole other kind of peace taking him over now. What was it about this woman? How could she get past his defenses where no other woman had been able to?

Spotting a bar that the club frequented a lot when on a ride, Trick pulled into the parking lot and found a spot close to the front. He shut the engine off, kicked the stand down and waited for Lindsey to get off. When she didn’t make a move to get off, he half turned toward her. “Linds, it’s time to get off.”

“Oh. Right.” She accepted his offered hand and got off. She was working on the helmet strap without success. Trick swung his leg over the seat and stood before her. He swatted her hands away and unfastened the buckle himself. He made quick work of his own, then stashed the two of them in his saddle bags.

“Crooked Dicks?” Lindsey snorted in laughter. Her head tipped back to take in the neon sign mounted on the front of the bar. “Is there supposed to be an apostrophe between the ‘k’ and ’s’?”

“I don’t know,” he chuckled. “Looks like there’s supposed to be one, but for as long as we’ve been coming here, I’ve never seen one. Don’t know if it’s implying the owner, Dick, is crooked or if it’s implying there are a lot of crooked dicks inside. All I know for sure is they have the coldest beer and the best burgers in a fifty-mile radius.” He took her by the elbow and steered her toward the door. “Come on. You’ll love them.”

The bar was already packed, given that it was a Friday night. Trick scoped out the tables and spotted one toward the back, but still close enough to the dance floor to people watch. His hand slid down her arm and latched onto her hand. He wove his way through the crowd, pulling Lindsey behind him. He was trying not to rip her arm out of her socket, but the jostling crowd was making it more of a challenge than he’d have liked. One guy thought to stop and talk to her, but Trick quickly set him straight. “Fuck off.”

The man was about as tall as Trick, but outweighed him by about fifty pounds. He pulled Lindsey behind him so she wouldn’t get caught between them if the fists started flying. The man was already three sheets to the wind, but once his gaze dropped to Trick’s chest and saw the Sons of Redemption MC patch, he held his hands up and out to the side. “Sorry, man. Didn’t know she was with you.”

Trick nodded his head and left it at that. The Sons had a nasty reputation of fighting dirty if they thought it was warranted. This guy must have heard the tales and decided to err on the side of caution. He turned away and continued on his path to the table he’d spotted earlier. It was still empty. Thank fuck. He maneuvered Lindsey so that she was sitting with her back against the wall so he could better protect her if need be. He scooted her high stool over enough so that he was able to have his back to the wall beside her. Looking around, he thought maybe bringing her here wasn’t the best idea.

Crooked Dick’s was located outside city limits in the county so rules were a little looser here than they would have been inside Redemption. The crowd was a little rougher than some places she was probably used to with a few suburban couples and some single ladies looking to cut loose thrown in. He helped her get out of her jacket and hung it on the back of her chair.

“Hey, Trick! What can I get you tonight?” Their waitress for the night was someone he’d hooked up with in the back room a time or two. Her name was Macy and she was a really sweet woman. When she wasn’t working, she liked to come by the clubhouse and hang out. Personality wise, she reminded him a lot of Cami. She liked to have sex, when she wanted and with whoever she wanted. She wasn’t clingy and she was always up for a good time.

“Hey, Macy. I’ll take a beer, a cheeseburger with everything and fries.” Trick turned to Lindsey to see what she wanted. Watching her face, he didn’t see a single hint of jealousy. He didn’t know how he felt about that. Should he be upset because she didn’t mind another woman flirting with him when they were out somewhere together?

“I’ll have the same, thanks.” Lindsey smiled warmly at Macy as she placed her order.

He waited until they were alone, expecting Lindsey to give him the third degree about the other woman. Michelle would have been like “Who was that woman?” “Have you fucked her?” “Was she any good?” To his surprise and great relief, Lindsey turned toward the stage where a band was busy playing several covers.

He leaned in. “Beer?”

She turned toward him, their faces only inches apart. “What?”

He grinned at the way she stared at his mouth. “You like beer?” A lot of women didn’t care for the taste, opting for something mixed with soda or some kind of mixed drink.

“Yeah. Sometimes. Usually after I get done mowing the grass, I like to sit on my back deck and look over my pretty lawn.” She shrugged one shoulder and chewed her bottom lip.

Macy returned and dropped off their beers and promised to be back with their burgers as soon as they were done. Trick sat with his arm stretched over the back of Lindsey’s chair, absently playing with the end of her braid.

“I’m surprised that you’re not at the clubhouse since it’s a Friday night. Cami says weekends are when you guys like to party.” Lindsey had to lean in to be heard over the music.

“I can go to a club party anytime. This might be my only shot at getting you on the back of my bike so I’ll take it.” He spoke into her ear, nipping her lobe gently before pulling away and taking a drink from his beer.

“So how old is Reagan?”

A smile split across his face just like every other time he talked about his baby girl. “She’s four now. Can’t believe how fast she growing.”

“Are things any better with their mother?” Lindsey raised her glass and took a drink, a little drop of beer on her lip stealing his attention. “Trick?”

His eyes went to hers and he cleared his throat. “No. Nothing’s changed.” He was on the verge of leaning in and licking it off her lip until her tongue slipped out and stole it away. He shifted in his seat, trying to relieve the pressure on the erection she’d innocently caused.

Lindsey smiled, having guessed at his discomfort. She tried hiding it behind her glass as she took a drink.

“Evil woman. Are you teasing me on purpose?” Trick nuzzled her neck, his other hand resting on her thigh close to the bend in her leg.

It was her turn to clear her throat and fidget in her seat. “What made you decide to join the Sons of Redemption MC?”

He explained how he would come home on leave and hang with Jackson. They spent a lot of time at the clubhouse and Trick liked the way it felt like a family. He liked the loyalty the brotherhood had toward each other and it reminded him of what he had in the Marines.

“Why did you pick teaching?” he asked her.

“I don’t know.” Her brows dipped, giving it deeper thought. “I guess a combination of things. My aunt was an elementary school teacher and she loved her job. When I was in high school I got to cadet teach with her class my senior year. I guess that’s when I got hooked. I loved seeing all these cute little faces looking at my aunt like she was the coolest thing ever. It was fun to watch how they progressed and I really loved when a struggling student finally caught on to what she was trying to teach them. They’d get so excited and it made my aunt so happy. I guess I wanted that, too.”

---