Bumpy Ride (Category 5 Knights MC Romance Book 3)

I
undress
and follow her into her tiny bathroom. Standing behind her, I look at her face in the mirror while she wipes a bit of toothpaste foam from the corner of her mouth.

"There's something really wrong here."

"Yeah, I know," she says. "I've turned into a blimp." She shrugs sadly, and I wish for the words to tell her how magnificent and desirable she is. But then I realize actions speak louder than words, so instead of shushing her, I press my erection against her back. She feels it and the sides of her lips twitch.

"Nah, what's wrong is that I'm the only one naked and I was looking forward to taking you with me in the shower."

You’d think I’d know better. 

Better than to fall for a biker, and one from a different MC. 

Better than to get knocked up by a Nomad who vanished without a trace.

Better than to try and hide it from my family. 

B
iker's Heaven
is packed tonight. Harleys by the dozens are parked in the small lot next to the bright color neon lights and a few prospects are watching over them.

I spot the kid wearing my colors and park my ride with the other Category 5 Knights bikes. The prospect squints at me; he's a newbie. He's about to protest my parking here when his eyes fall on the Nomad patch. He nods at me and turns his attention to the cute babe who tried to hide behind him as I drove in.

Standards are getting lax, I don't remember being allowed to chat up anyone when I was a prospect on guard duty. But then again my president was Stallion and he was a mean son of a bitch. Can't say I felt bad when I learned he'd been murdered by the asshole supremacists he had associated the club with. My home chapter closing was sad though.

Entering the bar, I scan the room. It's hard to see through the smoke, but I spot a handful of Knights sitting together and make my way to their table. There're a couple of locals I know, some I don't, and another Nomad I've shared bits of roads with.

Prince is an interesting guy, not a talker. He was the sergeant-at-arms of the South Florida chapter when the shit hit the fan. "It was rough, man ... but then Stallion got what was coming to him." It’s the only thing he ever said when I asked him about it, and it’s the longest statement I’ve ever heard him make. This one beat his previous record by three words, if I have my counts correct.

As soon as I get my butt on a chair, a waitress comes with fresh drinks. She's a skinny sort of girl, so tiny I half expect her to topple under the weight of her loaded tray. The twig notices me and comes closer, "Hey handsome," she purrs, "what can I get you?"

I smile at her attempt at seduction. Not my type at all. I like a woman with a lot more curves.

"I'll have a draft and a Bunny," I tell her.

She frowns. "A Bunny?"

Prince and the other guys laugh. She has no clue what I'm talking about.

One of the guy grabs her by the waist and says, "Don't you wrinkle your pretty nose. You're Bunny's replacement, sweetheart."

"Oh, that Bunny," she says as the light bulb flashes on in her mind. "Yeah, got it. Her name is still on my locker door."

"When did she leave?" My frustration is such that I bark the question at the poor girl who takes one step back.

"I don't know, Doc. End of August, I'd say." The local Prez scratches his head and then nods, "Yeah, that's right. It was 'bout a couple weeks ago. The time my kid started college. Bunny gave my daughter all her stuff before she left. So yeah, end of August."

Fuck. I'm too late. When I left in June, I'd asked her to wait and told her I'd be back soon. I didn't expect to be away so long. I should have called, but every day one thing led to another and I couldn't get free before the Labor Day weekend.

Did she wait? Maybe, maybe not. Maybe she did and then gave up on me. In her shoes, I would have thought I wasn’t coming back. Either way, it sucks.

Who's stupid enough to ride across three states for a woman without checking she'll be around when he arrives? Me, that's who. But then, the past months have been so damned hard, the only thing I could do at the end of my shifts was collapse into bed. I probably haven't had a coherent non-medical thought in weeks.

And now she's gone. Fuck me sideways. I need a place to crash tonight before I ride back tomorrow. I'm frustrated. A good old fashion bar fight would be perfect to let off some steam, but it's probably not a good idea. The last thing I need right now is to get arrested or injure my hands.

I don't need to give the chief of surgery an excuse to fuck with me. He's already resentful enough that my army connections forced the hospital to accept me in his program. I don't need to aggravate him more.

"Come on," Prince says after the waitress returns with my drink. "Looks like you need a change of pace. There's a pool table with my quarters on it."

I follow him to the adjacent room which houses a dozen pool tables, two of which are available. The chick in charge of running the place greets him with a big smile.

"Hello, my Prince," she says. "Your table is waiting and I kept your favorite one for you."

"Thank you, babe," he answers giving her a brotherly hug.

He sighs as he watches her walk away exaggerating the swing of her hips. "If she wasn't Sam's daughter..."

He doesn't need to finish his sentence. That temptress is forbidden territory to all patrons of Biker's Heaven. Sam runs his bar with an iron fist. He's made sure everyone knows his little girl is off limits. But she's twenty, sizzling hot, and provocative as fuck. Some day one guy's gonna flip, and he'll have hell to pay.

Prince grins as he looks away. It's the first time I’ve seen him so laid back and talkative.

"Did you decide what you were gonna do after your residency?" he asks.

I shake my head. I've given up on making long terms plans. Every time I do, they backfire on me. I'm just gonna go with the flow. My only plan is to lay on a beach somewhere for a full week after I'm done with this final term at the hospital from hell.

"'Cause I know just the place where you could fit in." He pauses to put the blue chalk away and place the cue ball. I wait for him to tell me more, looking at the rack of sticks. Pool is not my game, and I have no idea how to tell which stick would be the best suited for me.

"I'm moving back to South Florida," he says, breaking with a solid shot that spreads the balls around and sinks the eleven and the twelve. "Looks like I’m stripes, this round. A new chapter opened in the spring in Defiance and I'm going to be their Sergeant-at-Arms. It's a young crew and they're looking for new blood."

I nod and play with the idea in my head.

Still smiling, Prince continues, "And you know, a doctor is always a welcomed addition to a club."

Defiance is a few miles from where our old chapter was. If I remember correctly, there are a few hospitals in the area. Might be worth a shot to apply at the VA hospital. I could be useful there. They’re always damn understaffed, might be a sure thing. Also, I'd be closer to my grandmother who's not getting any younger.

"And there’s something else. Let’s call it a signing bonus." Prince looks up from the table at me with a malicious grin.
He’s dangling a worm in front of me. I can see the hook right there, shiny and barbed. But that worm’s just so tasty. Fuck it.
"Yeah? What would that be?"
Chomp.

“For such a smart guy, Doc, you’re a
dumbass
sometimes. Where’s Bunny from? Where’d she grow up?”

“Point Lookout. But, look, how do I know she moved back home when she finished her degree? She could have gone anywhere.”

“Right, right. How
could
you know? Maybe you could ask someone who rides through there every couple weeks.” In the smoky light, Prince’s grin looks positively satanic. “If only you knew
someone
who does that.”

No way. No fucking way. How had I not thought of this before? The last tiny ember of uncrushed hope in me glows, flickers, as fresh oxygen and fuel trickle in.

“Don’t fuck with me, brother.” My warning is soft, but it’s deadly serious. Prince spreads his hands and shrugs. He still has that grin.
Sign here, please. All your dreams will come true, and what do you need that soul for anyway?
“Is she there or not?”

“Yeah, Doc. She’s there.” His smile grows as he watches my expression change. So much for keeping a poker face.

"How do you know?"

"How the hell do you think? I
saw
her there when I went through there last," he answers. "She's working with her sister in the town hotel."

Figures. Her degree is in hospitality.

I hang around a while watching Prince play. He's got a point. South Florida is home.

And then there's Bunny ...

I
promised
myself I wouldn't, but I can't help myself. I dial Biker's Heaven. A few rings and someone picks up. The first thing I hear is the familiar background hum of the bar and then a voice.

"Yeah, what?" Sam's greeting is always the same. It cracks me up. He's the living proof that constant courtesy is not as indispensable as I was taught in college for success in our line of business.

"It's nice to hear your voice too," I tell him. Despite his bark, I'm not sarcastic. Working with him was easier than working with the stuffed shirts of Point Lookout Central Hotel.

They're all about rules and protocols that don't make much sense. Sam didn't set absurd rules. He didn't care how you organized yourself. As long as you got things done and the patrons were happy, he was happy.

"Hey, Bunny, sweetheart, how are you?" All aggression vanishes from his voice. "How's Florida treating you?"

"It's good. I mean, I miss you, of course, but I'm doing well. Working for you was more fun that what I'm doing now," I confess. "But you know, there's the family and all that. It's nice to be back home with them. I missed my sisters."

Sam laughs. "Is it true what I heard? Brains finally managed to produce a son?"

"Yes, he did!" We chat for a while about my dad's latest old lady and the baby boy they're so proud of. Not that he doesn't love us to bits, but let's face it, after six daughters, the man deserved a break.

Mimi, my Haitian friend suggested to call him Désiré which means
wanted
in Créole or French. It's a traditional name in Haiti for a kid who took a long time to come, but Dad went for Jack instead. Nice and simple.

"I guess you didn't call just to check up on me," Sam says when we're done talking about my family. The man’s sharp, he know why I’m nervous and talking a mile a minute. "Well, I'm sorry, honey, but your Knight came in a few weeks ago when I was out. I couldn't give him your note."

"Oh!" I try to hide the disappointment from my tone, but there's a ball in my throat that prevents me from saying anything else.

"Do you want me to give it to another Knight?" he asks.

I take a deep breath and find my voice, "No, it's good. Trash it."

"Fine, I will. Okay, kiddo, work calls. I gotta go. Later, gator!"

"Thanks, for everything..." He hangs up before I could finish my sentence. It's just as well, he doesn't like mushy and neither do I.

I drag myself away from my table to my rocking chair. It's old, battered and ugly, but I love it. My ma, sisters, and I were rocked to sleep in it. I put my hands on my tummy. There's not much of a visible bump because I was round to begin with.

Yet I know someone's there, slowly growing in me and I smile thinking my baby will be the next one to fall asleep in that chair.

A knock on the door startles me. Guess I catnapped. Before I make my way to the door, Everest enters carrying what looks like half a dozen pizza boxes and a large bag.

"Dinner is served," my handsome friend announces as he walks by me and sets the pizzas on my table. He makes quick work of putting in one pile all the papers scattered around. "You need a desk," he notes.

"That, a cradle, and a life," I answer.

"Well, life is coming."

I follow him into the kitchen where he pulls out from his bag an assortment of paper plates, plastic cups, napkins, and fresh beers. "You’re having a crowd tonight. Lisa and Ice as well as Mimi and David."

Mentally, I go through every room in the house trying to figure out if I have enough chairs when Everest says, "Your grandma had folding chairs in the garden shed. I'll get them."

The man has an extraordinary memory. Now that he mentions it, I recall we used to get patio chairs from the backyard when Grandma had those large barbecues where we could bring along anyone. Her shed is folding chair central. Everest remembers; he never missed any of those parties. His brother Ice also tagged along the summers.

What I want for my kid is a childhood as happy as mine was. Not that it was perfect, but all things considered, it was good. Yep, that's the best thing I can give him or her.

Everest is out and back in a dash. As he helps me wipe them clean of the cobwebs, he asks, "Any news?"

After a second of hesitation, I shake my head. Before I have a chance to tell him of my conversation with Sam, the door opens to Birdy and Kitty.

"We saw Everest arriving with the pizzas and decided it would be more fun having dinner here than at home," Birdy says.

"But we didn't come empty handed." Kitty pulls her hands from behind her back and shows triumphantly two giant containers of ice cream. She looks delighted with herself.

Everest winks at me. I know what he's thinking. How easy and carefree our lives were when we were their age. We didn't have a care in the world. Well, we did, but in hindsight we realize they were childish worries.

Now I worry that my two sisters have left my mother alone after she's prepared dinner for them. She's a horrible cook but still, that wouldn't be nice.

A glance through the kitchen windows reassures me. Only Birdy's car is parked in front of my mother's house. Since those two were left to fend for themselves, they were right to come over.

While Kitty puts her two containers in the freezer, Birdy looks around the living room and opens the two bedroom doors. The smaller room still houses the bunk beds we slept in when we had sleep over at Granny's house, the other hasn't changed much. I just got a new bed.

"You've been here for weeks and you haven't changed anything, have you?" she asks, not noticing my new king-size playground.

"Not for now," I admit. "I'll save up and redo one room at a time."

"And ours will be the baby's room?" Birdy asks.

I stare at her dumbfounded. I didn't tell my family yet. How does she know?

"Oh come on, don't look surprised," Kitty adds. "We can hear you puking every morning and you've been looking all weird. You know, thoughtful and shit." Kitty sure has a way with words.

"Yeah, everyone figured it out. What do you think, that we’re all blind and dumb?" says Lisa as she and Ice walk through the kitchen door which Everest left open as he brought chairs in.

"The only thing we don't know is who the father is," Mimi chimes in holding the door for David holding a huge box from the Cheesecake Factory. Mimi knows I have a passion for their Godiva chocolate cake. I wonder how it will taste with a ball of Kitty's vanilla ice cream.

David frowns at Mimi's question, but no one notices. He and Everest are the only ones of the group who have some sort of grasp on the concept of privacy.

"She'll tell you when she's good and ready," Everest snaps back curtly as he opens the pizza boxes on the large table. He then turns to Mimi and gives her his best smile. Typical Everest attitude. A perfect mixture of rough and sweet. "Come on, guys, dig in while it’s still warm."

Everest knows, but will never tell. I can trust him. All my secrets are safe with him.

As we take our seats around the table, I wonder what my grandma would say if she could see us. I'm sure she'd be happy to see I'm living in the house she left me. And I’m delighted to have it, even if it's a bit too close to my mom's place. What she would worry about is how I'm going to raise a child on my own. I worry about that too. I so want to be a great mom.

"Did you hear Prince was back?" Mimi asks to no one in particular.

"I knew a Knight with that name," I answer.

"Tall, dark, and handsome?" Ice frowns at Lisa's question. "What?" she protests. "I can think a man is handsome without any afterthought." She acts offended, but I know she likes when Ice acts jealous.

"Yep, very dark. Did he join the Defiance chapter?" I ask.

Ice answers. "Yes, he's back and he's their Sergeant-at-Arms again." He takes a deep breath and his gaze gets lost in the distance.

I'm suddenly connecting the dots. I'd heard that Julia--Ice and Everest's sister--had fallen head over heels for the member of another MC called Prince. This is interesting. There can't be that many Princes among the Knights. This may be why Everest looks preoccupied.

According to Lisa and Mimi, who can be chatty some days, when Julia and Prince were in the same room, there was enough electricity in the air to feed a small city.

Everest mentioned in passing that he was happy the guy was gone. For him, the problem was not so much that Prince was from another MC. He said he could work with that if it made his sister happy.

The problem was that even Wizz, the Tornado intel expert, was unable to get anything on the man. And if there's one thing Everest and Ice don't like it's a nut they can't crack.

"Good thing all your disputes ended with Stallion. You get along fine with the new team, right?" Lisa comments. "Also, Wizz has done a few favors for their VP so they owe you now."

"Yeah, they're mainly good people," Ice agrees a bit grumpily. "Chaser told me they were expecting a new interesting addition."

"Yeah, what kind?" Everest asks.

"A doc. The guy's about our age, maybe a little older. He's ex-military, like me and David ..."

My heart is racing and blood is pounding in my ears like a jungle drum. I don't hear the rest of Ice's answer. I can't hear a thing anymore. Everest notices and squeezes my hand under the table. His warmth soothes me and I stop fighting my feelings ... I'm letting hope in.

I'm a sucker for stories with a happy ending so--just for a moment--I'm going to allow myself to dream.

I'll dream it's no coincidence, and he's decided to come here. I'll dream he followed me here.

I'll dream the coming year will be happy.

I'll dream ... because I've always been a dreamer.