The largest, most magnificent bouquet of lilies obstructed the door. Standing behind the arrangement, barely visible was JT.

"Wow!" was all Gemma could manage to say. Smiling widely, she stepped aside so he could walk into the room. Sitting the vase on the table, JT said, "I just couldn't show up empty-handed."

Gemma grabbed his hand and pulled him toward her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and said, "I love them," before kissing him hard on the mouth. Looking into his eyes, she asked "How did you get them here?" when she thought of him on his motorcycle. He sure couldn't just strap them on the seat behind him.

JT chuckled and said, "After you told me to meet you here, I had them delivered to the lobby with instructions that I'd pick them up."

"My thoughtful, thoughtful man," Gemma said, kissing the tip of his nose between each word. "You are such a sneak."

"Am I?" Your man, I mean?" JT asked seriously.

Noting the tone of his voice, Gemma raised an eyebrow and said, "Do you want to be?"

"More than you'll ever know. I want it more than I want to breathe. I need to be. I don't know what happened but this last week I've realized that I have to be with you. You are a part of me now. IF you'd said no back at the diner, I would've died." As Gemma began shaking her head, JT went on, "No, listen. I'm being honest. After dropping you off that morning, I couldn't quit thinking about you. I drove back to the house and told Lorilynn she was nothing more than a cheap whore, that she'd never amount to anything more than a whore. I wanted her gone. I told her to take her rancid pussy and get out and never darken our doorstep again."

JT walked to the chair in the corner and sat down. "I was planning on coming right back over here that evening. To take you out on a real date. But then the cops came busting in and all my plans went to hell."

Gemma was perched on the edge of the bed when a thought hit her. "How long after Lorilynn left did the cops show up?"

"About two hours, maybe three. I was trying to clear up some things with the guys so I could have that night free. I don't know how long it was. All that was on my mind was being able to come back to you and be with you. Why?"

"So there was plenty of time for her to leave your house and go to the station and make a false report?" Gemma leaned over and placed her hand on his knee. "Do you think-"

"That bitch!" JT shot up out of the chair and starting pacing. "I cannot believe she did that. Fuckin' cunt." He ran his hands through his hair. "If I find out that psychotic cocksucker did that, I will kill her! Literally."

Stepping into his path, Gemma grabbed his face and said, "No baby. If WE find out she went to the cops, I will take care of it. Let ME. She kept us apart for a whole week. I want to make sure that she sees her little plan didn't work and that we are together now. She was asking for it last week with that remark about my panties." Touching her lips to his, Gemma smiled. "How about a ride. On your bike!" Gemma quickly added when JT smirked at her.

"As you wish, milady." And they left the room, hand in hand heading straight for his bike.

The next day, Gemma was relieved that she didn't have to work because JT and she had ridden for hours. JT had taken her to places she'd never seen or heard of before. They'd walked hand-in-hand down streets lit up with buzzing neon lights. They'd ridden down dark, windy roads. Gemma loved the feel of the man in front of her. The air on her face. And when he shifted gear and accelerated, his muscles tensed, sitting her on fire.

They arrived back at the hotel after midnight and had talked until the early morning hours. JT had noticed the yawn Gemma tried to stifle and reluctantly called it a night. Still he didn't leave for another hour. After an hour of kissing, petting and he murmuring the sweetest notions Gemma had ever heard. The semi-innocent make out session was one of the most hottest, most erotic of all Gemma's life.

Now with the door closed and locked-because JT had stood outside until he heard the lock click- and the sound of his motorcycle a memory, Gemma felt alone. More alone that when Nathaniel had died and her mom had ignored her. Alone because the man she was falling in love with was heading to his own home.

Falling in love? Where the hell had that come from? Gemma thought. All they had done was talked all night. She had told him about Nathaniel and about his death. That the reason she was so far from home, living in a hotel was because her mom had totally dismissed her and she had to get away before it had come to blows. JT had told her about his childhood and some horrific stories of the war. She was so glad that he had survived. That he was alive to be able to come into her life. They had lain on the bed, talking and holding hands, but they hadn't fucked. They had been so engaged in talking and getting to know one another that neither one of them had even tried. Crawling into the bed, Gemma hugged the pillow on her bed, inhaling the scent of his cologne left of the pillow and went to sleep and dreamed of her "motorcycle man."

It was late morning when Gemma awoke. She was still hugged up to the pillow JT had laid his head on the night before. She sniffed the fabric, drawing out as much of the aroma as she could. Even though, they had made plans for later today, Gemma couldn't get enough of it. Glancing at the table, Gemma smiled giddily as she eyed the gorgeous flowers. She got up to smell them. The essence was….sickening. Gemma raced to the bathroom and barely got the toilet seat up before she puked. "No fucking way." Gemma said aloud. She'd just had her period, she thought, counting the days. Almost a month ago! "Shit." How had she been so careless? Pregnant?! Gemma couldn't believe it. Just when it seemed like life was finally going her way, it gets fucked up. Gemma gave into the sobs trapped in her throat and laid on the bathroom floor and cried.

JT was drinking coffee at the dining room table when the rest of the guys wondered downstairs. "Hey boss," Clay said, making his way to the kitchen. Otto and Luanne were the next to come through the room, arm in arm. "Late night?" Otto asked.

"Yea, I spent the night with Gemma. " Noticing the smiles between the two lovebirds, JT added, "It wasn't like that. We sat up all night and talked."

"Aww, look honey," Luanne said. "I think John's found his mate. Good for you. I'm glad you two could get everything worked out. Is she moving in?"

As Luanne finished asking, Clay came back through with his own cup of coffee. "Who's moving in?'

"Gemma." Luanne answered.

"Oh, that sweetbutt that you brought home last week? That was one mighty fine looking piece of ass."

JT saw red. He pushed away from the table and got up in Clay's face. "If I ever hear you talk about Gemma like that again, you will be out. You understand me. OUT! And if and when she does move in, you make her uncomfortable, you make a move on her, I will slit your god damned throat. You hear me?"

Taken aback, Clay said, "Yea man. I get it. She's off limits. But damn brother, if you are going to go off like that whenever somebody gives your girl a compliment, you'll be seeing more of the inside of a cell than her face."

Turning to leave, JT said, "Just stay away." Then stopping, he looked at Luanne and asked if they could talk in private. Luanne agreed and followed him to the porch. JT lit a cigarette and sat on a bannister. "You don't think it's too early? I mean, we've only known each other a week. Shouldn't I wait before asking her to be my old lady?"

Luanne, sensing JT's turmoil, said, "JT, think about it. You two are soul mates. The way you two look at each other, it's hard not to notice. That girl is just what you need to keep you grounded. I think she'll make the perfect old lady. And after putting up with Lorilynn's shenanigans last week, that girl has spunk. So yes, I think you need to get her into this house as soon as possible. And I can tell you are worried about her, over there in that hotel room all alone. No protection. And I know you protect what is yours."

Luanne turned to walk away when JT said, "What about the age difference. She's young. Like really young and I'm an old man."

Laughing Luanne said, "JT you are not an old man." Adding as she walked back into the house, "Age ain't nothing but a number baby."

Flipping his cigarette out into the yard, JT decided that today was the day he would ask Gemma to move in with him. But first, he wanted to talk to his guys and tell him what Gemma had realized about last week's raid.