Chapter Nineteen

Sam

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The last two weeks have rushed by in a blur. Every day, I rush to finish work early so I can be with Lila. Usually we grill out at her house or take long drives on my bike. At night, she falls asleep with her head snuggled on my chest while I lie awake for hours worrying about what the next day might bring.

Any minute now, I could lose her forever.

It’s on my mind all the time.

The month is almost over, which means our time is winding down fast.

Tonight we’re sitting out on Lila’s back deck overlooking the lake where it’s peaceful and quiet. She likes to sit outside at dusk every night to watch the lightning bugs when they first start flickering in the dark. I love seeing her face light up when they first appear.

“Do you want another glass of lemonade?” she asks, pointing to my empty glass.

“I’ll get it,” I tell her. “You sit still.”

I stand up and out of habit reach for my cell phone in my back pocket. It’s not there, and I realize I left it back at the shop. One rule of the MC is that we have to be able to be reached at all times in case we’re needed. In my hurry to be with Lila, I forgot it.

“I left my phone back at the shop. Do you want to take a ride with me to go pick it up? It won’t take but a few minutes.”

She swings her long legs over the side of her lounge chair and stands up. “Sure. It’s a nice night for a ride anyway.”

After locking up the house, I hand her a helmet, which she buckles on as if she’s been doing it all her life.

“Did you ever ride motorcycles before you met me?” I ask. She knows her way around a bike better than most women.

“Ride motorcycles as in ride behind someone else?” she asks. “No, I drove motorcycles.”

“What? You can ride a bike? Why didn’t you ever say anything?”

She slides on behind me and wraps her arms around my waist.

“What difference would it make?” she says. “Would you have ridden behind me and let me drive?”

I run my hand along her thigh. Damn, how I love her long, smooth legs.

“Uh...no, darling,” I say. “Sorry, that is not happening.”

“And that’s why I didn’t say anything.”

Trying to discover the truth about Lila is like peeling an onion. The more layers I peel away, the more I find.

And the more I want to find.

I want to know all of her deepest, darkest secrets.

No, I want to be her darkest secret, because she’s sure as hell mine.

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