Lucky's Choice by Jamie Begley

recognize the others weren’t as sympathetic to her treatment of Willa.
    “I’ll drive you and Sissy home,” Drake offered.
    As they left the office, Willa and the others were the center of attention. Lucky, Rider, and another biker Willa didn’t recognize were standing in the waiting area. The teenagers lost what bravado they had when they saw the bikers waiting for them.
    Rider was the one who took a step forward, blocking Jace and Cal.
    “All you had to do was ask me to see my bikes. You didn’t have to resort to breaking and entering.” Rider’s reaction wasn’t what Willa was expecting. The biker was almost affable to the teenagers.
    Jace and Cal both looked shamefaced, while Sissy was too busy ogling the bikers.
    “We’re sorry, Rider,” Jace apologized when his father gave him a nudge forward.
    “Make it up to me. How did you find out about the bikes?” Rider’s voice was friendly, as if they were all good ol’ boys. Regardless, sudden comprehension filled Willa as she realized his true motive for coming across laid-back. He wanted to know who was talking about their club’s business. Willa had a horrible feeling she knew who had inadvertently supplied the information.
    “I told them,” Willa spoke up, turning bright red.
    With all the attention now focused on her, she felt the flood of red run up from her chest to her face.
    “How did you find out about the bikes?” Rider asked quizzically.
    She became nervous under his scrutiny. Unconsciously, she licked her bottom lip before tugging on it with her teeth. “I-I … must have heard it from somewhere. Drake was telling me he was going to buy Jace a motorcycle, and I told him maybe Rider would sell him one.”
    “Is that so?” Rider turned to Drake.
    Willa’s eyes wildly flew to Drake who was staring at her in bemusement at her flustered behavior.
    “Uh … That’s right.” Jace and Cal’s faces had lit up with excitement before Drake crushed their burgeoning hopes. “Of course, now after this lame-ass stunt, I wouldn’t buy him a secondhand tricycle to ride.”
    Their disappointment provided Drake with the opportunity to punish them more effectively than she would be able to Sissy. She never asked Willa for anything. The only thing Sissy would let Willa provide her with was food and a bed. Anything extra she needed was provided by an allowance from her mother’s insurance money, and Sissy kept track of every penny in the account.
    From the men’s expressions, they knew she was lying. She had deliberately made a fool of herself to protect someone else, which Willa didn’t regret. Everyone thought she was useless unless she was baking, anyway. She was just proving them right.
    Lucky’s eyes narrowed on her as she wiped her clammy hands on the side of her jeans. His gaze lowered to the tight jeans she had thrown on when Drake had told her about Sissy. The top she had on was an older, pink one that had faded from numerous washings. She always wore it when she was baking. The buttons were strained at the breasts, threatening to pop at any second.
    Becoming even more embarrassed at her appearance, she focused on the stranger with them and almost lost what little composure she had left. The biker was tall and muscular through his chest, tapering down to a lean waist that Willa was sure had a six-pack of abs hidden behind his T-shirt. His wavy, brown hair and finely chiseled features would have made him too pretty if not for the square jaw and the dangerous aura that clung to him.
    Willa wasn’t the only one having a hard time keeping her eyes off him. Sissy’s gaze was glued to him, too.
    “Ready, Drake? I need to get home.” She needed to get the hormone-riddled teenage girl away from the bikers. They were even affecting Willa, and she was older.
    Wishing she had the courage to act like one of The Last Rider women, Willa did what any sane Christian woman would do—she fled.
    “I’m ready.” Drake moved to the side, motioning for her