Losing Control (5 page)

J
agger put his leather chaps on over his jeans and buckled them before putting on his leather gloves. The abundance of leather was there to protect him from the elements just as much as road rash if he were to wreck. This was a long protection run, and he knew that he would need the warmth they provided. A knock sounded on the door to his dorm room, and his fellow newly-patched member, Layne, yelled out that they were ready to leave.

“Coming.”

He made his way to the bay that they kept the bikes in during winter and saw that he was one of the last to show up.

“Apparently, I’m late. Sorry guys.”

“Nah,” Travis Steele, the information officer, smirked as he walked up to Jagger. “We’re all still waitin’ on Liam to get here.”

“He’s goin’ on the run? He hasn’t gone on one since they found out Denise is pregnant.”

“Yeah, to tell you the truth, I think he’s getting on her nerves.”

Jagger laughed, “I can see that.”

He took a seat on his bike, waiting for the ride to start, and pulled his personal cell phone out of his pocket. Besides his bike, his one luxury was an iPhone, and he loved it. Seeing that he had a text from Bianca, he smiled.

Just wanted to tell u I had a good time! Thnx for the trip to Nashvegas!

The smile on his face got bigger. She’d had a good time. That boded well for their next meetings.

Glad u had a good time! Nashvegas next trip or someplace diff? I’m game for anything!

His hope was that they would go north this time, not just stay in the immediate area. Riding with her had been one of the best times he’d had in recent memory. She seemed as sheltered, although in a different way, as he had been as a child, and he wanted so badly to see all the things both of them had missed out on together.

“Let’s get this show on the road!”

Putting the phone in his pocket, he looked up to where Liam stood in front of the group.

“We’re going to try and make this as quick as possible. It’s colder than a witch’s tit outside, and I know I have a warm bed waitin’ on me. We’re heading to Louisville today, the truck will drop off there, and then we’re free to head home. You can do whatever you want after we get the truck safely there, but I suggest we all ride back together.”

Jagger nodded in agreement as everyone voiced that same opinion. Taking a bandana out of his back pocket, he tied it around the bottom part of his face. He liked wearing them because it secretly gave him a thrill. As a young boy he loved to watch westerns, and that’s how all the outlaws had kept the dirt and dust out of their faces. He wasn’t sure that he’d ever just flat out admit that to anyone, but he loved it just the same. Cranking his bike up, they filed out of the garage and hit Porter Pike, which would take them most of the way to I-65 where they could head north to Louisville.

Bianca was beginning to get stressed. She had two papers due in the next 48 hours and over 100 pages worth of reading to go along with it. It was nights like these that dread and uncertainty rolled up in her stomach, along with self-doubt. Would she ever be able to make her dreams come true? Would she ever be able to do anything besides be a waitress in a seedy dive? Luckily
Wet Wanda’s
had been dead on this cold night, but in exchange for the extra homework time, she would now be low on money.

A smile spread across her face. Maybe she could drag out paying Jagger his money back if they kept having a good time together. When he had suggested they do dinner, the reason she had accepted was so that she could get out and maybe have a good time. She hadn’t counted on the fact that he was a gentleman as well. In all actuality, she really shouldn’t have gone to Nashville the night before. It had put her even further behind in studying, but she hadn’t been able to say no, and regardless of her crazy schedule, she was still young enough that she needed to have fun. Her cell phone, which sat to the left of her, began buzzing. Glancing over at it, her heart skipped a beat when she saw it was a text from Jagger. When had that happened? Her heart going crazy because he had texted her. Something had taken hold of her the night before, she craved to see him again. She had known he would be gone on a protection run so she hadn’t expected another text after the last one.

Just got back from Louisville and I’m hungry. Wanna grab a bite?

She wanted to meet him badly, but she also knew that this homework wasn’t going to do itself.

I would love to, but I’m drowning in homework and starving!

She took the moment to pout. She really did want to see him, but she hadn’t come this far in life and in school to give it up at this point. Just as she was about to get back to writing, her phone buzzed again.

I’ll bring you something and sit with you if it’s ok? I don’t like eating alone.

A breath that she didn’t know she’d been holding released itself from the tightness of her chest. She had a feeling his unease had something to do with the childhood he’d told her a little about. In her experience, most highly religious families ate together, and maybe eating alone was something he couldn’t bring himself to do. What would it hurt?

Sounds good. Just surprise me with food and when I tell you to be quiet, promise me you’ll be quiet.

Within seconds he’d texted her back.

On my way!

Suddenly she panicked and hopped up, picking up stuff as she went. Her house was clean by nature, but for some reason she wanted to impress him. She had seen some of the expensive things that members of the club had. He was so far out of her league.

Jagger remembered the way to her apartment from the night her car had broken down and he’d taken her home. He’d committed that route as deeply to his memory as he could.

Gathering up everything he’d bought, he stuffed it all in a bag and walked up the steps. When he got to the door, he lightly knocked on it and waited for her to come let him in. He liked that she wasn’t one of those women who just yelled that it was open. She actually came to the window, looked out, and then decided if she wanted to let you into her home.

“Hey, you made good time,” she smiled as she moved back to let him in.

“Yeah, I was surprised they weren’t very busy,” he grinned back at her as he carried everything over to the counter in her small kitchen. The kitchen was so small she couldn’t even fit a dining room table there.

“We can set it up in here, but we’ll have to eat it out there, I don’t even have TV trays. I really am an embarrassment to bachelors and bachelorettes everywhere.”

“Nah, you’re good. I hope you like chicken.”

She watched as he opened the bag and pulled out a black Styrofoam box. As the smell hit her, her mouth watered. This was her absolute favorite. “How did you know I like mine dipped in hot honey mustard? I can smell it.”

Happiness bubbled in his chest and stomach. “I see you eat this at
Wet Wanda’s
all the time.”

“Just how long have you been watchin’ me?” she asked as she dipped a piece of the chicken into the sauce and brought it up to her lips.

“Long enough,” he answered evasively.

“There you go, acting like Tyler again.” She hit him in the stomach.

He wagged his eyebrows up and down, grinning at her. “It got him the girl, didn’t it?”

She couldn’t argue with his logic at all.

Chapter Seven

T
he two sat in a comfortable silence in her living room. She, working on her paper, he, reading a book on his phone. When they had finished eating, Bianca had grabbed her textbook and told him quickly that she had work to do. Not even bothering to question her, he’d taken off his boots and cut, then he’d gotten comfortable on her couch. With great interest, she watched as he had lain down and pulled his phone out.

“What are you doing?”

“Reading my book while you get your homework done,” he explained.

“I didn’t know you liked to read,” she grinned up at him from where she sat on the floor.

“There’s a lot about me you don’t know.” The way he said it was very matter-of-fact and it stung.

“Ouch,” she winced as his retort. “Maybe we should work on getting to know each other better then.”

He crossed his ankles, uncrossed them, and then crossed them again. “That’s just what I’ve been tryin’ to tell you.”

She laughed and went back to writing her paper on her laptop. This was one of the hardest papers she had written since deciding on her course of study. It counted for almost half her grade, and she was nervous about it not being good enough. A psychologist would probably have a field day with her and tell her that the feeling of her paper not being good enough resonated from her childhood feelings of never being from the right side of the tracks. Frustrated, she ran a hand through her hair and blew out a deep breath, she had to get out of her own head.

“You okay?” he asked from where he still lay on the couch.