Biggs rose from his seat at a table in the front of the room, leaning on his cane as Jed approached.
“Good luck,” Biggs said with a nod, and then he returned to his seat.
Jed faced the men who had become vitally important in his life. While Biggs, Bullet, Bear, and Bones were family, the rest of the members were an extension of them. He knew that whether or not he was accepted as a Dark Knight, as part of the Whiskey family, he would always come under the protective umbrella of the Dark Knights. More importantly, because of Bones and Sarah, these men would always watch out for Josie and Hail.
“Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to bring the idea of a mentoring program before the club,” he said, catching an approving nod from Bullet. “Many of you grew up with the Dark Knights as part of your lives, guiding you through tough times, giving you role models like Biggs—men who valued and respected others, who worked hard, and put protecting their community high on their list of responsibilities. After my father died, I didn’t have any of those things. My mother fell into the bottle and she still hasn’t climbed out, and I had a little sister to take care of. As you know, I turned to crime as a means for providing for our family. If I’d had access to a mentor like one of you, I’d bet my bike that my life would have turned out different.” He looked at Bear and said, “And because of that, my sister’s life would have been different, too. She would have had an older brother who was doing the right things, learning confidence, solid interpersonal skills, respect for myself and others. And I believe I’d have used them for good, not manipulation. Instead of being embarrassed by what I had become, she could have been proud of me, and then”—she probably would have been less angry. She might have gone to the police after being raped, instead of burying those feelings—“many things in her life might have been different, too.”
He choked up with the truth of his statement, and as he looked around the room, he noticed a number of people nodding in agreement. He went on to talk about how the right role models could help kids affected by poverty, kids whose parents were incarcerated, and even children of single parents who simply needed attention and guidance. The longer he spoke, the more impassioned he became, feeding off the supportive comments of the group. He talked about different types of mentoring—tutoring, sports, teaching skills for the workplace—and the possibility of forming a nonprofit organization, holding fundraisers, and growing kids up within a program that would lead them to being better adults—and, one day, Dark Knights.
“I know we can’t change every child’s life, but there are good kids out there who are doing bad shit because they don’t know they have other options. It’s been proven that the right one-on-one relationships can not only change lives, but save them. I believe a mentoring program like the Young Knights could do just that. Thank you.”
Applause rang out, and Biggs, Bullet, Bones, and Bear rose to their feet. The other men followed suit. Every last one of them were on their feet, moving forward, clapping him on the back, commending him, telling him he’d have their vote. He didn’t think anything could measure up to how he felt when Josie and Hail had told him they loved him.
This came damn close.
AFTER THINGS CALMED down, Jed stood between Bear and Bullet watching Bones and Court shoot pool. Jed was still too shocked and elated by the positive responses to concentrate on anything the guys said. When he finally felt his head clearing, he pulled out his phone to text Josie and share the good news.
“Gonna tell your sweetheart how you kicked ass?” Bullet said.
Jed laughed. “Something like that.”
“She ought to be proud of you. You didn’t just present an idea; you came to us with a solid plan. That says something.”
“Yeah,” Bear chimed in. “That you’re not a dumb shit after all.”
Jed feigned a punch, and Bear dodged it with a laugh.
“I’m just giving you a hard time.” Bear draped an arm over his shoulder and said, “They’ll vote next week. Care to wager?”
Jed shook his head. “No, man. We have a lot to be thankful for right now, and I don’t want to jinx any of it.”
“Good move,” Bullet said. “Fin told me your girl is helping with catering events and working with Gemma’s boutique, too. That girl’s driven.”
“Yeah, she blows me away. I want to do more to support her efforts. I have a few ideas.”
Biggs limped over and said, “Mind if I talk to our prospect alone?”
Jed slipped his phone in his pocket. The text would have to wait.
Bear held his hands up. “When he used to say that about us, it was usually because we’d done something wrong.”
“When weren’t you doing something wrong?” Biggs chuckled. He motioned toward the next room and said, “Over here, son.”
Jed followed him into the other room. “Biggs, I really appreciate the chance you gave me tonight.”
“I know you do.” He waved to the couch, and they both sat down. “Tonight you showed us why you’re worthy of being a prospect. You saw a chance for the club to do something more for the community, and that’s what we like to see.”
“Thank you. I really want this to work. It’s already making a difference in Ricardo’s and Marco’s lives. I think that’s just the tip of the iceberg.”
Biggs nodded, his eyes serious. “Let’s hope so. I wanted to talk with you about something else. Bear told me you were asking about my brother’s house.”
“I was, but I hadn’t realized how important it was to you.”
“Axel’s house has a lot of good memories,” he said slowly. “He built that house with my old man. It’s where Axel started his business, working on the Dark Knights’ bikes. He made a name for himself among bikers. They’d come from other chapters to have him work on their bikes. After he outgrew that garage, he bought the bigger shop and built the house where Bear now lives. He let our members stay at the old house when they got too drunk to drive home, and visiting brothers from other chapters stayed there when they were in town. He let the guys tinker with their bikes in that garage.”
“I understand how important it is to you, Biggs. I’m not asking to buy it.”
“I know you’re not, but when the president of your chapter speaks, you listen.”
Shit. “Yes, sir.”
Biggs leaned forward, resting his forearms on his thighs. He held Jed’s steady gaze, but pain swam in his dark eyes. “When we lost my brother, part of me died right along with him. I couldn’t stand the idea of anyone else in that house. I go down there a lot, sit for hours, talking to Axel. I feel closest to him there. You remind me of him, you know.”
That surprised Jed. “I do?”
Biggs nodded. “He did some shit when he was younger. Bad shit, for good reasons. And then he became one of the best men I knew. Hell, he was always one of the best. I’ve kept up that house, maintained it. Not so much from the outside, but the inside is in good shape. Just needs some TLC, maybe a woman’s touch. That house belongs in the family, Jed, and you are family.”
“Sir…?” Was he saying what Jed thought he was?
“You call me Biggs, boy.”
“Sorry. I’m just not sure I’m following.” Jed swallowed hard, overcome with emotions.
“You’re following.” A crooked grin slid across Biggs’s face, lifting the right side of his beard. “You’re about to make some big changes in your life. You’ve got a good woman, and from what I’ve heard, a boy who looks up to you, and you’ve got a future with the Dark Knights. If you’re interested, the house is yours.”
“Biggs, I don’t know what to say. I’ve only just started working with Buck to prequalify for a loan.”
Biggs scoffed and set his cane upright. “No need for that garbage. I’ll have Court put together a contract. You can pay me directly.”
“I don’t know if I can afford it. What’s your asking price?”
“My asking price?” He pushed to his feet and said, “Make it into a home my b
rother would be proud of. Fill it with family.”
Was he a pussy for feeling on the verge of tears? Jed had fought tooth and nail for everything in his life. He didn’t know how to handle this, but he sure as hell wanted to try. “Biggs, the price? Dollars and cents.”
“I know what you’re paying in rent. We’ll work that into a mortgage and you’ve got yourself a house.” Biggs held out his hand.
Jed stood on shaky legs. “I don’t know what to say.” He took Biggs’s hand, and Biggs pulled him into a manly embrace.
“‘Thank you’ usually works wonders. God bless you, son. Now, how about we grab the boys and take a drive over to check out your new place?”
Chapter Seventeen
JED GOT INTO his truck feeling high. The club might actually give the green light to the Young Knights program, he had a set of keys to a place he would soon be able to call his own, and a woman and her son he wanted to share his good fortune with. Life couldn’t get much better than this.
He called Josie as he drove away from the clubhouse. “Hey, babe. Is Hail still up?”
“I just put him to bed. Why? How’d it go?”
“It went great. The program might actually get approved.”
“That’s fantastic! I knew they’d love it. You must be thrilled.”
“Thanks, babe. I am, and thanks for your support these last couple of weeks. It means a lot to me to have you by my side.”
“That’s my favorite place to be. Besides, you put up with my baking madness.”
He heard the happiness in her voice, and he loved that. “I love your baking madness. Is Scott around tonight?’
“Yeah, why?”
“Do you think he’d mind staying with Hail for an hour or two? I have something I want to show you.”
“I’m sure he won’t mind. He’s just lounging on the couch. Where are we going?”
“You’ll see. I’ll be there soon. Love you, babe.” Damn, it felt good to say exactly what he felt. He called Quincy next.
“Hey, Jed. I’ve got the books you asked for. I’ll leave them in your room.”
“Cool, thanks, man. We need to talk when you have time. I found a place to live.”
“Awesome. Can’t wait to hear about it. Listen, I’ve got to run. I’ve got study group.”
“No worries. We’ll catch up tomorrow.”
Half an hour later, Jed had Josie by his side as he drove toward the house.
“You’re really not going to tell me where we’re going?”
“Nope.”
She slid her hand between his thighs and began kissing his neck. “How about now?”
“I’m thinking about it.” He put his arm around her, pulling her closer as she ran her tongue along the shell of his ear and whispered, “Now?”
“Fuck, babe. You’ve got me hard as stone. But no. It’s a surprise.”
“A surprise…” She pushed her fingers into his hair, stroking his erection through his jeans as she sucked on his neck.
“Christ, Jojo,” he said through gritted teeth. “Why would I tell you where we’re going when I get your hands and mouth on me for not telling you?”
“Shoot.” She flopped back against the seat with her hands in her lap, pushing her lower lip out in a sexy pout.
She was so damn adorable he wanted to kiss that sexy pout off her lips. He placed her hand over his cock and squeezed her fingers around it. “Come to think of it, maybe you can convince me this way.”
“Why do I have a feeling this is a ploy?” She squeezed harder, and his hips bucked.
“Keep doing that and I’m going to pull over and take you right here.”
Her eyes filled with seduction as she unzipped his jeans.
“Jojo,” he warned.
“What? I’ve never had sex in a truck.” She put her palm to her mouth, dragged her tongue over it, and then pushed her hand beneath his briefs and fisted his shaft.
The feel of her warm, wet grip sent a blast of lust through him. She lowered her mouth to his neck again and sank her teeth into his skin. He ground out a curse and took the next road off the main drag—the one that snaked through the hillside to an overlook by the water. He parked at the overlook and captured her lips in a fierce and passionate kiss, pressing her down beneath him on the bench seat. She was so sweet, so feminine and sensual, angling and bowing off the cushion, pressing her softness against him, he was going to lose his mind. He tore her shirt up, taking her bra with it, and lowered his mouth over the taut peak of one perfect breast. She arched and moaned, clinging to his head and holding his mouth to her.
“Harder, Moon—”
Fuck. She slayed him every damn time they were close, wanting and begging for more, harder, deeper. He grabbed her wrists, prying them from his hair, and trapped them above her head. Her hot breath sailed over his lips.
“I fucking love you, Jojo. I want to give you the world.”
“Give me that and more. Right here, right now.”
She rocked beneath him, and as his mouth crashed over hers, his thoughts spiraled away. In a tangle of limbs and urgent kisses, they stripped off their shirts and he worked her jeans down. They laughed as he struggled with her shoes and his boots.
“Hurry,” she pleaded as he tore off her jeans and shoved his own down to his ankles, working them off with his feet as he moved over her.
He drove into her in one hard thrust.
“Moon,” she cried against his lips.
He stilled. “Too rough, baby? I’m sorry.”
Love and desire brimmed in her eyes as she panted out, “No. You’re perfect, Moon. So very perfect.”
She pulled his mouth to hers, and their bodies took over. Every slick of her tongue, every squeeze of her sex brought him closer to the edge. He knew every dip of her mouth, every sultry sound of her pleasure. When she sank her teeth into his lower lip, the desire in her eyes shot through him like wildfire. He reclaimed her mouth, and she wrapped her legs around his hips, taking him impossibly deeper. They moaned, making noises he couldn’t name as they ate at each other’s mouths. He was lost in her writhing, luscious body, in the feel of her mouth loving his, the pulse of her sex as her orgasm mounted.
“Come for me, baby,” he ground out as he quickened his efforts, anxious to feel her lose complete control.
She dug her nails into his back, her hips slamming against his. Her arms tensed, her thighs squeezed around him, and with the next thrust, her head fell back and his name flew from her lungs like a plea. He followed her up, up, up to the clouds. Every thrust earned a desperate plea for more, a cry of pleasure, and tight, erotic pulses around his shaft, drawing the come right out of him as he surrendered to his own mind-numbing release.
He buried his face in her neck, breathing her in as their hearts pounded out a frantic beat.
“I like your surprises,” she whispered.
He chuckled and gazed into her beautiful eyes. “Truck sex, check. What’s next?”
She pressed her lips to his and said, “Everything, Moon. Everything.”
JOSIE COULDN’T HELP but laugh as Jed tried to wriggle his big body into his jeans in the foggy-windowed cab of the truck. Everything had changed between them, around them, about them. Josie had known it that morning, when she’d woken up with Hail in their bed and Jed had told her what her sweet boy had said. In the first instant, when she’d realized just how deeply Hail loved him, she’d felt a flutter of fear. Why wouldn’t she? They’d loved and lost once before. But it wasn’t menacing fear like she’d had with her parents. That fear had been so big, so real and ominous, it had invaded every aspect of her life, like cancer. No, this fear wasn’t like that at all. It was a trepidation caused by the knowledge that she could lose something so beautiful, she wanted it to last forever. She knew just how short life could be, how days could be limited even without a hint that they were coming to an end. She’d decided then and there, that morning, as the sun had slipped through the curtains of her bedroom and her son’s footfall
s rushed across the hardwood floors that she wasn’t going to be afraid of moving too fast or loving too hard.
As Jed drove back toward the main road, she sat tucked beneath his arm, basking in the warmth of their love.
He pulled down an overgrown driveway toward the old shop she’d seen on New Year’s Eve. She squinted into the darkness as he parked beside the cute little white bungalow with an A-line roof. “What are we doing here?”
The yard was overgrown, but the house was adorable. The small front porch was the old-fashioned type, with a knee wall surrounding it and pillars at the corners. There were three second-floor windows with diagonal windowpanes. The front of the house was shingled above the windows, and those shingles were painted maroon all the way up to the peak, while the rest of the siding was white. From the parking lot at the bar, she hadn’t seen the enclosed breezeway between the house and the garage, the dormer above the garage, or noticed how long and skinny the garage was. The shop where Jed worked had bays that were side by side, but this garage could easily fit two cars bumper to bumper.
Jed put his hand over hers. Excitement danced in his eyes. “I want to show you my surprise.”
“I forgot you had a surprise,” she whispered, earning one of his low laughs. “I can’t help it. When we fool around my brain gets foggy.”
“When we fool around the entire world fails to exist.” He stepped from the truck and hauled her to the edge of the seat. “This is my surprise, Little Red.” He pressed his lips to hers in a chaste kiss and said, “This place will be mine soon.”
“You’re renting it?”
“No, babe. I’m buying it. Three bedrooms, two baths, and the garage has a bedroom and bathroom above it.”
“You’re buying it? Congratulations! I didn’t even know you were in the market to buy.”
“I wasn’t sure I could, but Biggs and I struck a deal. It’ll take a couple weeks to get the paperwork together and signed, but he’s holding the mortgage note, so there’s no loan applications or anything like that. Come on. I want to show you the inside.”
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