Merry Blissmas (Biker Bitches #3)

  Leaving her short hair wet since it never took long to dry, she then went downstairs to make herself dinner. Ginny often volunteered to cook for the both of them, but Bliss was sick of shared meals and eating what someone else was in the mood for.

  She pulled a cup of microwavable mac and cheese out of the cabinet and heated it up. Then, curling up on the couch, she flipped on the television and was contentedly eating when Ginny returned with several packages.

  “I thought you were just going to buy Willa a thank-you gift.”

  “I was, but they had a clearance sale, and all my clothes are getting too small, so I stocked up on a few things I needed.”

  The young woman needed more than a few. She had three pairs of jeans and several T-shirts, and that was about it. It reminded Bliss of when she had been living on the streets and kept what few clothes she had in her backpack.

  Ginny packed her bags upstairs then came back down.

  “I was going to fix myself a hamburger, would you like one?”

  “No, thanks. I already ate.”

  As Ginny’s expression filled with hurt, Bliss kept her eyes on the television screen. She wasn’t about to become BFFs with her new roommate. The young woman was obviously naïve and innocent, so they would have nothing in common, and truthfully, Bliss was tired of losing friends.

  She was relieved when Ginny disappeared into the kitchen.

  Her program was almost over when Ginny returned, carrying her plate of food.

  Although the girl tried to engage in chitchat as she sat down to watch the program with her, Bliss gave only monosyllabic replies.

  “I guess I’ll go upstairs, put away my new clothes, and wrap Willa’s present.”

  “Okay.”

  Ginny walked toward the steps then paused, coming back to stand beside the couch.

  “Is there a reason you don’t like me?”

  Bliss gaped up at her. Women like Ginny never confronted someone when they weren’t happy.

  “I don’t dislike you.”

  “You’ve made it very plain you don’t want to be friends.”

  “Girls like you never want to be friends with women like me.”

  “What are you talking about?” A frown showed her confusion.

  Bliss sighed. “I’m a bitch. I’ve tried to be friends with women like you, but I fail every time. I make them mad and hurt their feelings. I try to steal their men, which really makes them hate me. So, I’m just saving both of us the pain of living in the same house once you decide to hate my guts.”

  “You actually try to steal your friends’ husbands?”

  “All but one, and that was Evie’s husband.”

  “Not that I know who Evie is, but why didn’t you try to steal her husband?”

  “If you knew Evie, you wouldn’t have to ask that question. She would knock my teeth out. Her husband is King. He opened the new restaurant and bar in town.”

  “I haven’t been in there yet. It’s a little out of my budget,” Ginny said wryly.

  Bliss rolled her eyes. “I’m sure there are a couple of guys who would be more than willing to treat you.”

  “I don’t need a man to pay my way when we go out.”

  “See, I told you I would make you mad.”

  “I’m not angry, I’m just stating a fact.” Ginny stared at her curiously. “Do you only go to places like that when someone else is paying?”

  “Of course.” Bliss shrugged. “My money goes into a savings account. I’m not going into a nursing home that hires God knows who. I’ll be able to afford my own caretaker.”

  “What if you don’t get old? What if you get killed in an accident or drop dead suddenly?”

  Bliss stared up at the woman, dumbfounded. “Morbid much?”

  “I’m not the one saving for a personal caregiver.”

  Touché. “What are you saving for?”

  “You have to earn more than you spend to save, and I’m still trying to make ends meet.”

  Bliss frowned. “I’m not trying to get personal, but Willa’s not even charging us that much rent, and I’m splitting the bills with you. You have two jobs: one, helping Willa with her baking and the other, working part-time at The Last Riders’ clubhouse, cooking. You should be doing more than making ends meet.”

  “I paid all the utility deposits, and Willa offered to sell me this house, so I want to come up with a deposit before she changes her mind or someone else buys it.”

  “Willa’s not like that. If she offered to let you buy this house, she will.”

  “I don’t want to take a chance. I would never get enough credit to purchase a home like this. Willa is willing to take less than market value because she and Lucky are building their own home. I want a place to call my own that no one can take away from me.”

  Bliss swallowed hard. Ginny sounded just like her when she was her age. She still remembered how naïve she had been. It had taken her a lot of years for the truth to finally smack her across the face.

  There was no such thing as home. It was a fictional word to describe a house, just like the people who lived in them calling themselves a family. As soon as trouble hit their door, however, they were quick to throw in the towel and toss it all away, exactly like she had.

  Every single time she had begun to believe she had a home when she was younger, she would come home from school to find her meager possessions sitting outside a padlocked door and her mother explaining they had to find a new place to stay. What followed were weeks at homeless shelters until she could make enough money to rent them another small place.

  It became normal to see a stranger taking her mother in a dark alley or the backseat of their car while she would patiently wait for her in whatever fast food restaurant was closest. She would eat her small hamburger and fries slowly so she wouldn’t get strange looks from people wondering why she was sitting by herself so long.

  But she was older and wiser. She could find a place to sleep anywhere, but she would never put her belief in having the dream of a perfect home with a white picket fence.

  Even being a member of The Last Riders hadn’t prevented her from losing the room she had thought of as hers. She had been able to share her bed or one of the brothers’ if she had wanted, but she had also had the option of closing the door and being left alone when she had wanted to curl up on her bed and watch television or read a book while knowing the other members would still be there when she opened the door.

  She was on her own, though. Neither the men nor the women talked to her anymore. Bliss knew it was because of her own behavior, but it still fucking hurt. They could have stuck a knife in her stomach, and she would have remained loyal to them.

  Her mom had always told her to obey the rules of whatever house they lived in, because it wasn’t their home and they could be thrown out. Her mother had been right.

  She had learned a lot of hard lessons in her life, but leaving The Last Riders had been the hardest of all.

  Chapter 3

  Bliss sat on the bleachers next to Ginny, surveying the large crowd. She had accepted Ginny’s invitation to go to the basketball game in hope of seeing a few of The Last Riders. They loved sports and supported the school activities, thanks to Viper’s wife, Winter, who was the principal of the local alternative school. She really left them no choice.

  “I’m going to get some popcorn. Want some?”

  “Yes, please.” Ginny reached for her purse.

  “My treat.” Bliss stood, taking off down the long flight of steps then walking in front of the crowded bleachers to the concession stand. She felt several eyes on her as she went. Bliss knew it was the wives of The Last Riders’ watching her.

  She was glad she had taken extra care with her appearance that night. Her leather leggings clung to her ass, and the black jersey sweatshirt had silver studs that flashed as she walked past.

  She breezed past Rider and Train, not giving them a second glance as she got in line behind Shade.

  “I’ll
take a medium with two bottled waters.” His deep voice brought an ache to her heart.

  “No butter?” She took a step forward so he could hear her over the roars coming from inside the gym. “You love butter.”

  Shade turned his head, his cold blue gaze making her take a step back.

  Turning back around, he paid then moved to the side to wait as the kid behind the counter rushed to fill his order.

  “It’s not for me, it’s for Viper and Winter.”

  “Lily’s not here with you tonight?”

  “No, she’s home with John. He has a cold.”

  Bliss paled at the reminder of Shade’s child. It never failed to thrust a blade through her heart.

  “I hope he feels better soon,” she said sincerely.

  “Do you?” He took the bag of popcorn and waters from the kid before turning to face her.

  Bliss paled even more. “Of course. I wouldn’t wish anything bad on your child, Shade.”

  Shade ran his eyes over her body critically.

  Bliss had never been self-conscious, but she had noticed the dark circles under her eyes, and if she had seen them, Shade would. No detail, however small, ever got past him.

  “You’ve lost weight.”

  “Shade, please—”

  “Don’t ask. You already know the answer.”

  “I’d do anything if you could talk Viper into letting me come back,” Bliss pleaded.

  “There’s nothing I can do to convince Viper of that, and I don’t want to. You pushed our friendship too far. Even when I kept telling you to stop being a bitch to the women, you kept pushing.”

  Bliss avoided his perceptive gaze, looking away and pretending she was interested in the basketball game. She noticed Drake Hall was in the gymnasium doorway, watching her and Shade instead of the game.

  “Why couldn’t you love me?” Bliss whispered to Shade’s retreating back.

  He stiffened yet didn’t turn back.

  “Can I help you?” the kid at the concession stand asked.

  “I’ll take a popcorn.”

  “With or without butter?”

  Bliss choked back a sob, unable to answer the simple question.

  “With,” a male voice answered for her. “She’ll take a soda, too.”

  Drake moved forward, handing the kid a ten.

  “How do you know I want butter?” she asked, thinking it was better to project anger than hurt.

  “Don’t really care if you do or don’t. I just want to watch you eat it.” There was a tone to his voice that made a shiver run down her back to the base of her spine.

  The student behind the counter turned bright red as he shoved popcorn into the cup and poured her soda. Reaching out, she took them, trying to ignore the part of herself that, so far, only one other man had managed to stir to life.

  “Jace is hanging out with his friends tonight. Want to grab a burger at the diner after the game?”

  Bliss watched Shade through the open doorway as he climbed back up the steps of the bleachers. Anything would be better than spending the rest of the night moping about what she didn’t have anymore. Drake was a handsome man, and he might be just the distraction she needed for a couple of hours.

  “Sure, I’m not doing anything. I’ll meet you there. I came with my roommate, so I’ll have to drop her off first.”

  “See you there in twenty minutes, then.”

  “Okay.”

  Bliss was aware of him watching her as she returned to her seat next to Ginny. He stood in the doorway, not taking his eyes off her as she ate the popcorn he had bought her. Teasingly, she licked the butter off her bottom lip before sliding the tip of the straw into her mouth.

  “What about mine?”

  “I forgot,” Bliss stated truthfully. “Here, you can have mine.”

  “Never mind. It would have ruined my dinner, anyway.”

  “What are you doing for dinner?” Bliss asked absently, her attention on Drake.

  “Lily, Beth, Winter, and Willa invited me to dinner at King’s after the game.”

  Bliss frowned. “I thought Lily was home with John because he’s sick.”

  “He’s better, I guess. Shade thought he was running a fever at lunch today, but Lily stayed home and kept an eye on him all afternoon. Willa texted me while you were getting the popcorn to say who all was going, and she mentioned Lily, so his fever must have gone away.”

  “Fevers generally last longer than an hour.”

  Ginny shrugged. “Babies his age run fevers all the time. He’s probably just teething.”

  “Maybe so.”

  Bliss searched the crowd for Shade, finding him sitting on the top row next to Jo Turner. What could those two have to talk about?

  Jo’s face was lit up like the Fourth of July at what Shade was saying to her. Rider and Train were sitting in front of them, blocking them from view. She had almost missed them herself. If she hadn’t been looking for Shade in particular, she would have never noticed them.

  Her jealousy over Shade was probably making her read more into it than there really was, and she had already learned that lesson. This time, she would mind her own business, despite the niggling feeling that something was up between the two. She didn’t appear to be depressed over her father’s murder a couple of months ago. Bliss couldn’t help the snide thought.

  “You ready?” Ginny stood, waiting. The game had ended, and she hadn’t even noticed.

  “Yes. Do you want me to drop you off at King’s or the house?”

  “King’s, if you don’t mind. Willa said she would give me a ride back. I’ll try not to wake you when I come home.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’m going out myself. I probably won’t be in until morning.” Bliss didn’t plan on hiding her active sex life from Ginny. She was used to getting a lot of sex, and it had been a while. She was going to break her dry spell that night. The surprising part was Ginny didn’t bat an eyelash at her.

  “Who are you going out with?”

  Knowing Ginny was still determined to try to become BFFs with her, Bliss almost didn’t tell her, but honestly, she couldn’t find a reason not to. It wasn’t like she was going to come home afterward and have a chat-fest about it.

  “Drake Hall.”

  A concerned look crossed Ginny’s face. “Be careful, Bliss.”

  Bliss couldn’t help laughing. “I can handle Drake.”

  “Don’t be too sure. He has a reputation in town for leaving women when they get too serious about him.”

  “Then he’s perfect for me. I have no intention of getting serious.”

  Ginny shook her head at her. “That’s what all the women say.”

  “Well, I mean it.” Bliss watched as Shade stood, blending into the crowd and leaving the auditorium. Jo’s eyes followed after him. “Besides, I can’t give what’s already taken.”

  Bliss started past her yet paused when Ginny laid a hand on her arm.

  “You have an itch any man could scratch without leaving marks. Drake’s not that type of man. Of all the women I heard gossip about regarding him, none have walked away unscathed. He’s always been the one to break it off. Some scratches go away after a few days, and you forget they ever existed, but others fester and spread until they consume you.”

  “Are you telling me I should be afraid of him?” Bliss couldn’t believe Ginny was giving her advice about men. Didn’t she realize what went on in the clubhouse? What did she know about men, anyway? She was barely nineteen.

  Willa had told her Ginny had lived with a foster couple until she had turned eighteen. Willa had wanted to help Ginny find a home she could call her own. Bliss knew that was why she had asked her if she would be interested in being roommates with Ginny.

  Bliss had thought they were mismatched but grudgingly had begun to feel a tendril of liking for Ginny.

  “That’s exactly what I’m telling you. A smart woman would steer clear of him.”

  “No one’s ever accused me of being smart
,” Bliss said wryly.

  Chapter 4

  The diner was crowded from the basketball game, but Drake was already seated at a table when she arrived. He stood as she approached, and when she stopped next to him, she felt surrounded by his size and couldn’t help appreciating the way he looked in jeans and a dark T-shirt. She was used to confident men, and Drake was also assertive, which Bliss always enjoyed. It was going to be fun to find out if his confidence was deserved or not.

  Once she slid into the booth, he sat down next to her. Bliss had to give him kudos, shy men didn’t appeal to her.

  “Hungry?”

  Drake wasn’t the only one who wasn’t shy.

  “I’m always hungry,” she replied suggestively.

  His gaze dropped to her lips. “Let’s feed you, then.” He motioned for the waitress to take their order.

  “What can I get for you?” the waitress asked.

  “I’ll take a cheeseburger and fries. No onion.”

  “I’ll take the same.” Drake’s amber-colored eyes stared intently into hers.

  She was used to taking a backseat to what men wanted, like how she loved onions but never allowed herself to eat them because the men at the clubhouse would complain about the odor on her breath.

  It was cute that he hadn’t ordered onions on his burger. He was becoming more interesting than she had expected.

  When the waitress left, Drake turned to face her in the booth, sliding his arm along the back until the pad of his thumb brushed her nape.

  “I am going to be upfront with you before anything happens between us.”

  Here it comes, the ‘I’m not going to get serious so don’t expect a ring’ speech.

  “Let me save you the trouble,” Bliss interrupted before he could begin. “I’m clean. I might have belonged to The Last Riders for a while, but I’ve always practiced safe sex.” Well, she had once she had been rescued by The Last Riders. Then she had been tested because Stark never cared to use protection with her. “I expect you to use a condom each and every time. If you don’t have any or run out, let me know, because I carry them in my purse. If we both run out, then you’re shit out of luck. I don’t fuck without a glove.