The Biker's Fate Chapter 144

Darien

"Pauley was my only constant. Mom was never a mom, even when she was "happy," she wasn't there. It was always all about her, so I had to navigate being the fat, freckled, red-headed, brace-face dork with Pauley as my guide. She tried, she really did, but she was a kid as well, and she'd lost far more than me because she knew our dad. She also had a real mom, even if it wasn't for long. And she was gorgeous. Me, not so much, so she couldn't relate to what I was going through. She was popular, I was not. She was sexy, I was not. Just before I turned eighteen, Mom died of liver cancer, and Pauley had to petition the courts to keep us together for the three months I had before I turned eighteen and it sucked, but she did it. Then I started working full time, she'd already been working full-time, but college wasn't really an option, so we did what we had to do. By the time I figured out I was no longer the fat, freckled, red-headed, brace-face girl... still the dork, mind you, but starting to feel a little more comfortable in my skin... I had no time or energy to date. Let's face it; I wasn't going to find an eligible man under the age of eighty where I work, so here I sit, twenty-two, still fully complete with hymen."

Mack tried to keep from laughing, but he failed. "Sorry, baby, I don't mean to laugh, honestly, but you really are fuckin' funny when I least expect it."

"Defense mechanism."

"You're beautiful, Darien. Last night proved it for me."

I smiled. "The bun was workin' for you, huh?"

"Everything about you works for me. I'm tryin' not to let that freak me out too much."

"Well, you kind of failed a little bit today."

"I know I did. I wish I could say it won't happen again, but you're not what I expected."

I got that. More than he probably realized. "Ditto."

"Will you forgive me?"

I smiled. "I will if you feed me."

"Out or in?"

"I guess that depends on if you cook."

"Yeah, I cook, but lunch is usually sandwiches."

"That works."

Mack grinned and slid his hand to the back of my head, pulling me in for a kiss. I relaxed my defensive stance and laid my hands on his chest to deepen the kiss, before breaking the connection and dropping my forehead to his. "I want your life story over lunch."

"Deal."

I cupped his face. "I'm sorry I was kind of reactive."

"Darien, I get it. We're gonna make mistakes. We just gotta try to move past them."

"Deal," I retorted, and kissed him gently.

Mack helped me off his lap and then he removed his jacket and headed to the kitchen. I took mine off as well and slid it over the back of the sofa. "What can I help with?"

"If you want to grab the bread from the pantry, I'll get everything else."

"Okay," I said, and stepped into the small pantry. I found two types of bread and set them on the island.

Mack had turkey and ham, tomatoes, lettuce, pickles, and condiments on the counter within seconds of me grabbing bread, so we made our lunch in easy comfort, opting to eat on the sofa. He grabbed beers and followed me with the sandwiches, and we took a few minutes to eat before I pressed him for his history.

"My life's a bit like yours, I guess. Although, it's my mom who ran off and Dad's not dead, he's doing twenty years in Salem for armed robbery, drug running, you name it. Got a sister, Eve, who married some dentist and lives in California, but we don't talk. My grandfather left us some money when he died, so it paid for law school, this house, and a few other things. As far as family, the club's my family, and we're closer than blood. They've got my back more than my blood did anyway, so it's all good."

I smiled. "I need to learn how to give my life story in six sentences or less. Much more efficient."

"Not much to tell."

"What about your grandfather? Were you close?"

Mack shook his head. "Granddad was a dick, but he felt guilty at the end, so he left us money. Shocked the hell out of me and Eve to get a call from a lawyer informing us of our inheritance. Pissed Dad off too, so bonus."

"Are you burying this or do you really not care?"

"I really don't care," he said. "It's done. My dad was violent. Knocked me and Eve around more times than I can count. I separated myself from him a long time ago emotionally, and in law school, dated a psych major, so she "practiced" on me. It helped to talk, but I don't dwell."

"What do you do for the club? Do you practice law part time?"

"No, I work pretty much full-time, although the hours are somewhat flexible. I'm on retainer with the club and I have an office there. Plus I work out of here when I need quiet."

"I wish I had a job I could do from home."

He chuckled. "Like what?"

"I love to write. I've actually written a book and self-published, but it's super slow going."

"What's the book about?"

"It's an erotic romance."

"Erotica written by a virgin?" he challenged.

I giggled. "I know, it seems weird."

Before he could agree or disagree, his phone rang and he pulled it out of his pocket frowning at the screen. "Sorry, babe, gotta take it."

"It's okay."

"Hey, Booker. Yeah? Damn it." He glanced my way with another frown. "Can it wait? Shit. Yeah, okay. Give me an hour." He hung up with a sigh. "Sorry, Darien, I have to drop you home. Club business."

"No worries," I said, and rose to my feet.

After gathering the dishes and putting the food away, we grabbed our jackets and Mack drove me home... in his very nice BMW. If I was being honest, and if I chose to be some kind of a whore, I'd be a car whore. I loved nice cars and this one didn't disappoint.

Mack walked me to my door, promised he'd call later, and then took off. I locked up the apartment, saw the note from Pauley that she'd picked up another shift at the restaurant, so I took Barney out and then settled in for the rest of the day.

I missed Mack about ten minutes after he left, so I put on a sappy movie and curled up on the sofa with my dog.