Page 78 of Paco
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chelsea sat ona faded couch in a room that looked more like a family room at her aunt’s house than a biker clubhouse. When they’d arrived in Findlay, Paco had said that they needed to take a detour for a couple of hours, and they ended up parked in front of a ranch home with wood siding—the Twisted Warriors’ clubhouse.
When they’d entered, a woman in a low-scooped T-shirt that showed off her more-than-ample cleavage guided her to the room she was now in while Paco, Chains, and Army went off with two guys who looked like they’d be on the FBI’s Most Wanted list.
She glanced at her phone: Paco had been gone for almost a half hour. A few club women—from the way they were dressed she guessed that’s who they were—sat on another large couch watching a reality show while giving her sideway glances. The club wasn’t nearly as big as the Night Rebels’ clubhouse, but it didn’t seem like there were as many members who lived there.
While Chelsea waited, she tried hard not to think about Paco going back to Colorado. Every time she did, a surge of loneliness rushed through her, stabbing her heart.It’s only been a half hour since he left to talk with those guys and I already miss him terribly. How am I going to do this? I love him.Heaviness filled her chest, and she pulled a tissue from her purse and wiped her runny nose. From the way he talked, it sounded like he wanted her to go back.He’s probably tired of babysitting me. But the way he kissed and touched me made me believe he cared about me as more than just a friend. I guess I can never compete with Cassie. I don’t know how he feels about me.
As she waited for him, she reflected on all the time they spent together, her emotions bouncing between jitteriness and sadness like a never-ending ping-pong game.
The familiar sound of his voice floated around her ears, and she looked over her shoulder and saw him walking into the room alongside Army, Chains, and the two scary-looking men. When he saw her, he winked, and a flutter of electricity ran through her body. Then he smiled at her, causing an instant warmth to radiate from within, and she smiled back.He’s so perfect. So awesome. So sweet.She wanted to jump up, run into his arms, squeeze him tight, and never let him go.
“You ready?” he asked when he came over.
His words were like blows to her gut. “Yeah.” She stood up and shuffled past him. From behind, she heard him say, “I’ll be back later,” and then his heavy footfalls followed her out the door.
He opened the car door for her and she slid inside. As they drove, she saw him looking at her from the corner of her eye.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“Nothing.”
“Are you nervous about going home?”
She shrugged and stared out the window. The truth was shewasnervous—it’d been so long since she was last home—but she was all mixed up about Paco. At that moment, she hated him for acting like it was no big deal that he was going to take off in a few days and be out of her life forever.
Snow-laden branches reaching up to the gray sky rushed past her, and memories of sledding with her cousins filled her mind. Craftsman houses dotted the landscape, and she smiled when they passed Riverside Park.I used to go there all the time in the summer with my friends. Dad used to love to walk by Blanchard River. I’m really home! I’m going to see Mom and Kate and sleep in my own bed.
“Memories?” Paco’s deep voice pulled her back into the moment.
A big sigh. “Yeah. I can’t believe I’m back home.”
When he took the Forest Lake exit, her stomach churned. “I should call my mom and tell her I’m almost there.”
“Do you live on a lake or something?”
“Yes, we live on the lake. We even have a dock. It’s pretty nice. Peter used to take us fishing, though I never liked it. He always drank too much. I wonder if he still does.”
Paco placed his hand over hers and a spark tingled through her. “It’s going to be okay, babe.”
“Is it?” Her belly fluttered, her heart banged, and her legs were like jelly.
He turned off the main road, pulled over, and set the car in Park. Locking eyes with her, he cradled her face and placed soft kisses from her temples down past her cheeks to her lips, licking the edges before nibbling them. Then he gripped her hair as he pulled her tighter to him, his mouth crashing down on hers as teeth, tongues, and lips tangled and meshed together. It was messy, passionate, and mind-blowing. It was like time had paused and all that mattered was how wonderful it felt to be in his arms. Sensation transcended all thoughts, and she lost herself in the moment.
A steady ringing sliced through the haze of arousal and love. Chelsea fumbled for her phone, and Paco pulled away. Instantly, her mouth missed the heat of his lips, and her body chilled from the absence of his warmth.
“It’s my mom,” she said as she put the phone to her ear.
“Why aren’t you home yet?” Her mother’s tear-filled voice was like a knife to her heart.
“I’m almost home. We just got off the exit. I’ll be there in ten minutes. I love you, Mom.”
“Just hurry home, honey.”
By the time she hung up, Paco had already turned the car around. She glanced at him, but his gaze was fixed on the road. She took out her light pink lip gloss and swiped it on her lips. Soon they pulled in front of a two-story house with dove-gray wood siding on the second floor and brown brick on the first.
“They painted the shutters maroon,” she said, unfastening her seat belt. “They used to be dark gray. I like the maroon better.”
