Chapter 6

Winnie

Why did I say yes?

I’ve been freaking out all day as I took care of animals and picked up around the sanctuary. I’ve never been on a date before. My parents were strict and only wanted me to be seen with the top of New York society. Those stuck-up guys never interested me.

I wonder what my parents would think about me going out with the president of a small-town motorcycle club. I’m sure that they’re rolling over in their graves. I’m also sure that my grandma is cheering me on. She was never as wrapped up in status and all of that.

I had to run back to my apartment on my way home to grab the one and only dress that I brought with me from New York. I spend most of my days in jeans or yoga pants and old t-shirts. I have a few nicer things, but I didn’t pack or bring them to Aldis’s house when I moved in with him.

Now I’m dressed, my hair styled, and ready to go on my first date. My palms are sweaty and I wipe them on my dress. It’s just a date. I’ve been hanging out with Aldis for the last few days and know he’s a good guy. I’m sure that we’ll have fun.

This just feels so… big. My feelings for Aldis have grown so much and so fast in the last few days. It kind of scares me how deep my feelings for him run. Maybe it’s just because he saved me and the cats.

Maybe it was meant to be like it was fate that brought us together that night. There’s just something about Aldis that feels so right and easy to me. It was natural to be with him, even from the beginning. I trusted him from that first moment and I know that he’ll always have my back. He just… he feels like home. He feels like the first bit of home that I’ve had since I lost my grandma.

“Wow.”

I gasp, jerking out of my thoughts and turning to see Aldis leaning against the open door.

“Hey. Are you ready to go?” I ask him, smoothing out my dress as I head towards him.

“You look incredible. I mean, you’re always beautiful,” he corrects, and I pause.

I could swear that Aldis almost seems nervous, like maybe tonight feels important to him too.

“Hungry, Red?” He asks as he takes my hand and leads me down the stairs.

We head outside, and he pauses next to his bike.

“Are we taking that?” I ask, and he smiles.

“Do you want to?”

I’ve never been on the back of a motorcycle before, and I can’t deny that I like the idea of being close to Aldis.

“Yeah, let’s do it.”

He grins down at me, looking like a kid on Christmas, and I can’t help but match his excitement. Aldis passes me a helmet and helps me buckle it before he slips his helmet on. I wait for him to climb on the bike and then he offers me his hand and helps me climb on behind him. I tug my dress down, tucking the fabric around my legs and making sure I’m covered.

“Hang on!” Aldis calls as he starts the bike, and I wrap my arms around him.

I’m practically plastered against his strong back, and my whole body tingles, or maybe that’s just the vibrations from the bike. I can feel my panties growing damp, and I squirm on the bike seat, trying to find some relief.

Then Aldis is gunning the engine and we’re taking off. A thrill rushes through me as we race down the road. The trees and fields pass by in a blur and I cling to Aldis tighter.

The ride is over way too fast, and I try not to be too disappointed as we park outside the best steakhouse in town. Aldis kicks the kickstand down, and I climb off, making sure that my dress is in place.

“Let me help you with your helmet,” Aldis says, and I step forward, letting him handle the helmet strap.

“Thanks.”

“Of course.”

He sets the helmets on the bike and takes my hand.

“Have you been here before?” He asks me, and I shake my head.

“No, I haven’t been to many places in town besides the grocery store and that taco truck that parks by the library.”

“You don’t like eating out?” He asks, and I pause.

I do, but I guess I never really tried to here. I was so focused on the animal sanctuary and getting things running smoothly there that everything else just fell by the wayside. Or maybe I was afraid to put down roots here in case the sanctuary and myself failed.

“I guess I just didn’t want to go by myself,” I admit as we head inside the steakhouse.

“Well, now you don’t have to. We can have a standing date. Try a new place every week until we’ve been to them all.”

“How many weeks would that take? Four?” I joke, and he laughs.

“Well, there’s other towns nearby. We can check them out too.”

I smile, feeling my cheeks heat with a blush.

“I’d like that,” I admit.

“Good.”

He approaches the hostess, and I look around the restaurant. It’s a dimly lit place with tables scattered in dark corners. The hostess leads us to our table along the back wall, and I smile, letting Aldis pull out my chair for me. I smooth my hand over the white tablecloth and smile at Aldis as the hostess hands us our menus.

“Your waiter will be right with you,” she says before she heads back to the front.

“Welcome to Prime Grill. I’m Justin, and I’ll be your waiter tonight. Can I get you started with something to drink? A bottle of wine or some cocktails, perhaps?”

Aldis glances at me, and I shake my head.

“Just water for me, thanks.”

“Same.”

“Of course. I’ll give you a few minutes to look over the menu.”

He leaves, and Aldis and I open our menus.

“It all looks so good,” I comment, and Aldis nods.

I decide on the sirloin and close my menu, setting it on the table.

“Did you want an appetizer?” Aldis asks, and I shake my head.

“Do you come here often?” I ask him, and he shakes his head.

“No, I’ve been here once before when some old friends from the SEALs came to visit, but that was it.”

“Where do you usually eat in town?” I ask as he closes his menu.

“There’s a burger place down on First Street that’s close to the office, so I go there or to that sandwich place on Main quite a bit. Sometimes I go to the bar with some guys from the club. Other than that, I just eat at home.”

“Don’t like eating out?” I ask him with a teasing smirk, and he grins.

“Not by myself.”

There it is, that same connection between us like we’re each half of a heart that belongs together. He’s my missing half. I know he is,, and I’m tired of fighting my feelings for him and trying to slow us down to match other people’s timelines or idea of what dating and love should look like.

Our waiter comes back and Aldis and I both order the sirloin. Aldis orders us a few side dishes, and I pass my menu to the waiter as he turns to leave.

“So, tell me more about yourself,” he says.

“There’s not much to tell. I was pretty boring growing up.”

“I doubt that.”

“My parents were workaholics, and I was pretty much raised by my grandma until she passed.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, she was the best,” I tell him softly. “I always wished I was closer to my parents, but I don’t think they felt the same way. I just never seemed to be as high on their list as making more money or hanging out with all of the big, important people.”

“They’re idiots,” he seethes, and I smile.

“Were. They passed in a car accident last year.”

“Shit, I’m sorry, Winnie.”

I nod, grabbing my water and taking a small drink.

“You already know that I grew up in New York,” I say, steering the conversation back to more neutral ground. “I never really felt at home there. My grandma took me to this tiny town in Connecticut once, and I fell in love. I knew that I wanted to live in a small town then. I liked the pace of it all, the sense of community.”

“So, Maplewood is perfect,” Aldis interjects, and I smile.

“Yeah.”

“I think it’s great what you’re doing with Furry Haven. You’re amazing for taking care of all of those animals.”

“It feels easy, like a dream come true. I mean, I get to be outside around such sweet creatures who just need a little help. Someone to care for them.”

“See? Amazing.”

I blush and clear my throat.

“What about you?” I ask him, wanting to know more about him.

“Well, I grew up in Chicago. Broken home. I lived with my mom, and after the divorce, I rarely saw my dad. I joined the Navy as soon as I could and then joined the SEALs after that. I went on two deployments and was shot on my last one. The bullet hit a nerve, and I was medically discharged.”

He says all of this very clearly and concisely, but I can tell that it still bothers him. His parents’ divorce, being shot and discharged, all of it bothers him still.

“And then you threw a dart,” I continue, and he smiles.

“And then I threw a dart and moved to Maplewood,” he says, leaning forward towards me. “And one day, I was in town when I saw the most beautiful woman. She was checking out at the grocery store.”

My stomach drops, and I frown at him.

“Me?” I ask, and he nods.

He seems nervous all of a sudden as he studies me.

“Yeah, it was you. You stopped me dead in my tracks, but you walked out before I could try to talk to you.”

“When was this?”

“A few months ago,” he admits. “You had just moved to town a couple of weeks prior.”

“Months? Why didn’t you ever say anything to me?” I ask.

“I…” he trails off, and I could swear that he was blushing. “I was working up to it.”

“How?” I ask with a laugh.

“By following you back and forth from work,” he admits quietly, and now I know that he’s blushing.

“So, your plan was to stalk me?”

I should probably be concerned by that. I mean, I had a man I didn’t know following me around for months and I had no idea, but all it makes me feel is protected and cherished.

“Yeah,” he admits sheepishly. “I was trying to work up the nerve to talk to you.”

“That’s kind of… sweet,” I finish, and he looks surprised.

The waiter comes over with our food, and we’re silent as the food is laid out in front of us.

“How many girlfriends have you had?” I ask him as we both dig in, and he freezes, looking surprised.

“None,” he finally says, and now it’s my turn to be surprised.

“None? Really? How is that possible?”

“I never had the time,” he says, but I can tell that’s not quite true. “I just never met anyone who interested me. Until now.”

His eyes heat as he looks at me, and I flush.

“What about you?” He asks, and I pick up my knife and fork.

“None. My parents would have only allowed me to date one of their friends’ preppy sonsand they didn’t interest me.”

“Until now?” He asks, and I snort.

“You are not preppy, and they definitely wouldn’t have wanted to be your friend. They were too snobby for that.”

He smiles, and we share a heated look.

“But yeah. Now there’s someone that I’m interested in.”

I look away from his blue eyes and down at my food. It looks delicious, and we both dig in.

“Oh my gosh. We need to come here more often,” I moan as the steak practically melts on my tongue.

“Every day,” he says in a strangled voice.

I moan again, glancing up at him, and he looks like he’s about to snap the fork in his hand in half.

“Are you okay?” I ask him, and he nods. “Are you sure? You look a little… tense.”

“Just hungry,” he says, and I smile.

“Try the asparagus. It’s so good,” I say, pushing the bowl closer to him.

We both eat and fall into comfortable conversation. By the time that we’re done eating and Aldis has paid the bill, over two hours have passed. I’m surprised to see how dark it is when we walk out.

Aldis secures my helmet, and I climb onto the bike behind him and wrap my arms around him. He seems to drive slower on the ride home, not that I’m complaining. I want to spend as much time pressed up against him as I can.

We pull up in front of his house, and I climb off reluctantly.

“Thanks for the ride,” I say as I pass him my helmet.

His blue eyes heat, and I swallow hard.

“Anytime, Red. Anytime.”

Red. I love it when he uses that nickname.

“It’s late. I should turn in.”

“Yeah. Me too.”

We both turn and head up to the front door. Aldis unlocks it and waves me in ahead of him. We walk up the stairs in silence, and then I pause outside my bedroom door.

“Thanks for dinner. I had a great time.”

“Me too, Red,” he says softly.

I lick my lips, and his eyes drop and lock on the motion.

“Aldis?” I whisper, and he nods, answering my unspoken question.

Then his head is lowering towards me and his lips claim mine. His lips are softer than I expected as they move against mine. The kiss is like a whisper, and I whine in my throat, wanting him to kiss me harder, deeper.

Aldis’s hands come up and stroke along my jaw, then tangle in my hair. He fists the locks, and I moan as the action has my scalp tingling.

The kiss changes, going from soft and light to more like a devouring. His lips slant against mine, and when he licks against the seam of my mouth, I open for him eagerly.

“Fuck, Win,” Aldis murmurs against my lips, and I groan.

“Don’t stop,” I whisper, and he slips his tongue into my mouth again.

We kiss for minutes or hours. We kiss until my lips are puffy and swollen, and we’re both running out of air.

When he finally pulls back, we both suck in a deep breath. I stare up at him, and he brushes some of my hair away from my face.

“Good night, Red,” he whispers, dropping one last kiss on my lips.

“Night.”

I turn and head into the bedroom, but as I close the door, I see Aldis adjusting his pants as he walks away.

My body flames at the sight of his arousal, and I want to invite him in; I want to tell him just how badly I want him, but before I can, he’s heading into his bedroom.

I close the door and lean back against it. My body feels like it’s on fire, and I know I won’t be falling asleep for a long, long time.