Ruined #5 (The MC Motorcycle Club Romance Series - Book #5) (5 page)

“Hey, enough about all of that nonsense,” he said.
“Let’s plan a night out.”

“A night out, really?”

“Yep, let’s go to Mel’s and have dinner and do some
dancing.”

“You just had major surgery,” I told him.

“Okay then, not tonight.”

“When?” I asked, expecting next week or the week
after next. No, this was Dax
I
was talking to. For a
few seconds I had forgotten.

“Tomorrow night. I’ll sleep all day and rest up for
it. We’ll take your car instead of the bike and I’ll only dance to the slow
songs.”

I laughed. He had known exactly the questions I was
going to ask, except one. “Are you even on a regular diet yet?”

“My mom’s making lasagna tonight. I’ll see how that
stays down and let you know.” He really was crazy, but after the other day, I
wasn’t going to say so.

“Okay, let me know what time. I’m up for it.”

“Pick me up at eight,” he said. “Hey Liv.”

“Yeah.”

“Our lives aren’t always going to be like this.
We’re going to be completely happy one day.”

“I believe it,” I told him, and I did believe it. I
just hoped it would happen soon.

I was in front of his parent’s house at eight. I
started to get out of the car when I saw him coming out the front door. He had
on a rust colored long sleeve shirt. The way it fit him made me
want
to take off the wrapper and get to the candy.

His blue jeans looked brand new and fit just as
nice. He had on a pair of brown boots and when he got closer and I stepped out
of the car, I swear I could see his green eyes glitter in the moonlight. I’d
known Dax for quite a few years, and it still never failed to amaze me how just
the sight of him could take my breath away.

“Wow,” he said when he saw me. I had used most of my
paycheck to buy a new outfit for that night and after I saw the look in his
eyes, I was glad I did.
I
was wearing a green dress
that was made out of clingy material. The neckline
was cut
low enough to be sexy but not low enough to reach the slut level and the same
with the bottom hem, only the opposite. It fell to the tops of my thighs but it
covered everything that I didn’t want to share with just anyone.

I had also bought a new pair of boots. They were tan
and came up to just below my knee. They were super soft leather and super
expensive, but once I tried them on, I was hooked. They had a two-inch heel on
them so they gave me a little bit of height but I could still walk a straight
line in them. I had left my hair down and curled it just on the ends so it lay
softly across my shoulders and back.

“Thank you,” I said. “Wow yourself.” He grinned and
bowed slightly at the waist. Then he took my hands and pulled me in close and
kissed me. It was another thing about him that always took my breath away. When
we broke the kiss it took me a full minute to even remember my own name, every
single time.

“You ready?” he asked. I still couldn’t really
speak, so I nodded. He got in the passenger seat and I drove.

“Are you feeling okay?” I asked him.

“Good as new,” he said.

“Really, new?”

“Okay, day old, but I’m getting there. I only took
two Ibuprofens all day and I can walk upright. I’m wearing the girdle thingy
they gave me though so don’t judge.”

“I’ll try not to,” I told him and we both laughed.

When we got to the restaurant, I parked and he said,
“Before we go in, I just wanted to clarify the rules of the date.”

“There are rules?” I asked, amused.

“Oh yeah, there are rules.
First
of all
, this is a date. I am the man. I open doors, I pay for drinks and
meals, and I lead on the dance floor. Second of all, no talking about any drama
tonight.”

I giggled and said, “So what will we talk about?”

“I thought of that,” he said. “I made a mental list
of things.”

“They don’t all involve sex, do they?”

“No, I can think of other things to talk about,
thank you very much.”

“Of course you can,” I told him. “Can we go in now,
I’m hungry?”

“Okay, but don’t touch that door, I’ll be right
there.” I felt kind of silly sitting there waiting for him to open the door but
it made him happy. He pulled it open and took my hand, making me feel like a
VIP as he gently helped me step out. Then he closed it and held my hand on the
way into the restaurant. He had thought to call ahead for reservations, so we
were shown
right to our table. When the waitress came to
take our drink orders, she lit a candle in the middle of the table. It was
really nice
and it reminded me of old times, good times.

After she brought our drinks Dax asked, “How was
work today?”

“It was good. My uncle wants me to start learning
about mechanics and modifications.”

Dax looked at me funny and asked, “Do you want to do
that? Work on bikes?”

I laughed. “No, I was actually thinking about being
a nurse.”

“Really? That would be cool. Have you checked on
programs yet or anything?”

“Well, I never got a chance to tell you when things
got so crazy, but I’ve already been accepted for the fall semester. I got
financial aid too.”

“That’s fantastic,” he said. “I’m so proud of you.”

“I’m relieved. We had just got each other back and I
was afraid that you’d be upset with me. I’ll be around a lot less.”

“I would never be upset with you for doing something
to better yourself or your life. I’m so proud of you for taking that first
step. I think you’d make an awesome nurse. Hell, I think you’d make an awesome
doctor.”

“Whoa there,” I said with a laugh, “I don’t think I
want to look at ten years of school right now. Let’s start with nurse and see
where that goes.”

“Well, congratulations,” he said, sincerely. I was
so glad I’d finally told him. His reaction just re-enforced why I loved him so
much. He picked up his iced tea glass and held it up. “Onward and upward for us
both from here on out,” he said.

I
clinked my glass with his and said, “Onward and upward.”

The waitress came by and took our orders and then we
just listened to the band quietly for a while. Making me giggle again he said,
“I think we’ve ran out of safe topics. We’ll have to delve into my mental
list.”

“Okay, lets,” I said and laughed.

“Okay, tell me the top three countries you want to
visit. Keep in mind that your husband will be a tattoo artist and likely a very
successful one, and you’ll be a successful nurse so money for these trips is no
object.”

My
stomach felt like it was filled with butterflies when he said,
your husband
. We used to talk like that
all the time, but it had been so long ago. I wondered if we’d ever get that
back.

I smiled and said, “Ireland, Italy and Egypt.”

“Whew, you were going for all
the
I
countries so there for a minute
I thought you were going to say Iraq. But, good choices. Tell me why...”

“Ireland, because I’ve always wanted to stay in a
castle for the night where you could wake up and look out on rolling green
hills. Italy, for the food and gelato of course and Egypt because…well, Egypt
speaks for itself. Who doesn’t want to see giant pyramids and sphinx?”

“I shudder to think there is such a person,” he said
with a smile.

“Are you making fun of me?”

“Yeah, but just a little. They all sound great. I’m
throwing my list away and going with yours.”

“No, you have to tell me yours now,” I told him.

“They sound pathetic next to yours,” he said. “But
if you insist…Australia, Russia and Hong Kong.”

I couldn’t help it, I laughed.

“Oh now look whose making fun,” he said.

“I’m sorry, but Australia, I get. The other two I’ll
need an explanation.”

The waitress brought our food so he waited until she
was gone to finish. “Well, Australia’s just cool. The men are all tough and the
women are outdoorsy. Russia is old and harsh and I hear everyone drinks Vodka
all day long, but only the coolest of the cool drive motorcycles and wear
leather jackets and Hong Kong, come on they have even more history than Egypt.
Plus, they have some of the hottest clubs in the Eastern hemisphere.”

“Interesting,” I said. I wasn’t being facetious
either. If I had picked countries for Dax, not one of those three would have
been on the list. It was fun to discover that we didn’t really know
everything
about each other.

“This steak is so good,” he said as he shoveled in
half the cow in one bite.

“Take it easy,” I told him. “You just got back on
solids. I don’t want you to get sick.”

“Yes, mother,” he said and grinned.

My dinner was delicious too and after we finished
eating, we both decided to splurge on dessert as well. I had a slice of the
best cheesecake in the whole world. They made it fresh at Mel’s and I had tried
to duplicate the recipe more than once at home. It never came out the same. It
was thick and creamy and I wouldn’t tell Dax this but it was a close rival to
sex.

After dessert, he asked me to dance. It was a slow
song and when we got out to the floor, I tried to get into position to let him
lead. Instead, he just wrapped both of his hands around behind my waist and
held me like that. I slipped my arms around his neck and while we danced, I
laid my head on his chest and closed my eyes and let myself revel in being
happy. Every time Dax and I were alone together like this, I could completely
imagine the life we both wanted that seemed to be eluding us for so long.

CHAPTER
EIGHT

DAX

“Hey!” I woke up to my dad’s gravelly voice and his
palm banging against my bedroom door.

I started to get up but I moved too quickly and
pulled on the muscles in my stomach that still hurt. Shit!

“Yeah Dad, come in!” I asked. The door
was pushed
open and my dad stepped in.

“Hey, get up and come on down to the club. Everyone
will be there by noon.”

I wasn’t quite awake yet so I thought I had
misunderstood. A week had passed since we’d had our
family talk
, and none of us had mentioned it again.

“You called the meeting?”

“Yes, I said I would, didn’t I? Don’t go down there
looking for a fight though. Say what you need to say and leave, you got that?
If you get hurt again your mother is going to cut off my left nut.”

“
Ew
,
jeez, Dad. Why wouldn’t you just say, kick my ass or something?”

“Not my words, son. I’m just repeating what she told
me. It’s almost ten already, get your lazy ass up.” He closed the door behind
him and I lay back down against the pillow. Not ten seconds later there was
another knock, my mother’s knock this time.

“Yeah, come in,” I told her.

“Oh, your father said you were up. I wanted to
change your dressings before you went out to the bar.”

“Thanks Mom, but I haven’t showered yet.”

“Okay, I have to go but I’ll leave them in the
kitchen on the island counter. They will be ready to go and you’ll just need to
stick it on.”

“Okay, thanks Mom. Where are you off to?”

“I just have some things to do,” she said. “You say
what you need to say today, but make sure you stay safe, okay?”

“I will, Mom.”

She kissed my cheek and said, “I love you.”

“I love you too,” I told her.

Once she was gone, I dragged myself out of bed and
into the shower. After the shower, I dried off and put on my shorts and went
out to get my dressings. I was surprised to see my dad still sitting at the
kitchen table. He was going through some kind of record book.

“It’s alive,” he said, without looking up from his
work.

I couldn’t think of a snappy comeback, so I just let
it slide. I picked up the first dressing and put it over the wound on my
stomach. The stitches were dissolvable, but they still hadn’t dissolved. They
were starting to itch like hell though, so I hoped they’d hurry. The other
wound was in my back where the bullet came out. Finding and covering that one
was going to be trickier. I turned to go back to the bedroom where I could use
the mirror and my dad was looking at me.

“You need some help?” he asked.

I looked at the bandage in my hand and said, “Yeah,
if you don’t mind.”

He took it from me and said, “Turn around.” I did,
and I felt him put it on and even smooth out the corners. Who knew?

“Thanks.”

“Yep,” he said. “I’m taking off soon. It would
probably be wise if you showed up right before you talk. I don’t want any of
them to know what this is about until it happens or they’ll run.”