by Lilly Atlas
He didn’t bother to tell her that his dad had borrowed money from the club, money he never intended to pay back. He got worked over real good, and sank even further into a drunk and drugged out state, completely unable to care or provide for his teenage son.
They’d never spoken about it, but Jester was pretty sure that was the reason Shiv let him hang around at such a young age. He was beyond grateful. The club had become his family and they had one hundred percent of his loyalty.
“That satisfy your curiosity, baby?”
Emily nodded.
“Good. My turn to ask the questions.” Was it his imagination, or did she tense and shift away from him a fraction of an inch?
Emily swallowed down her nerves, praying Jester wouldn’t ask her anything she would have to lie too badly about. The thought of being further dishonest with him made her stomach clench and her head throb. She’d already decided to keep any information she gave him as close to the truth as possible. For one thing, it would be easier to keep her story straight if she wasn’t making up wild tales, and maybe when this was over, he could find some comfort in the knowledge that she told him as much of the truth as she felt she could.
“Well, what would you like to know?” Despite the impending doom of their future, she loved being with him like this, their bodies drained and sated while they quietly spoke well into the night. It was an intimacy she’d never shared with a man before, and she found it both comforting and arousing.
“You never mention any of the people in your life. Do you have family, friends?” The look in his eye was one of genuine interest, not nosy curiosity or mistrust. It helped to relax her. Maybe it would be okay to share a little of the truth with him without putting herself at any further risk.
“My parents died when I was eighteen. Car accident. A drunk driver hit them as they were coming back from some work dinner of my father’s. They were only two miles from our house.” She shook her head and lowered her eyes, a familiar sadness swamping her. It surged whenever she recalled that time in her life, which she tried not to do often.
“Jesus, baby, I’m sorry.” Jester brought his arm up to stroke her hair and down her back, providing more comfort than she’d received from another human being in the eight years since their passing.
“It was a long time ago now, but I do have a brother. He’s five years younger than I am.”
Shit! Why did she say that? She’d meant to leave out any mention of Johnny. When this was over, and she was gone, she didn’t want the No Prisoners to know about him. Jester may be a generous and attentive lover, but he’d make a deadly enemy.
Jester’s powerful hand caressed her bare back and she wanted to purr like a contented kitten. Unfortunately, her racing thoughts won out over her desires.
“Where is he?”
Emily’s mind spun and she shrugged. “Still in…um…Colorado, where I moved from. We’re not that close.” The lie tasted bitter in her mouth. Denying him when he needed her most felt wrong, even if it was to protect him. She wanted to spill every last detail to Jester and beg for his help, but she was too afraid. Johnny wasn’t an innocent victim in all this. He was a prospect for the Grimm Brothers. The risk of coming clean was too high. “So there’s one answer. Next question?”
He was silent for a moment and she held her breath. Did he not believe her?
“Why did you move here?”
This she could handle. This she’d prepared for. “I was spinning my wheels in L—uh, Colorado. The school I worked at underwent major budget cuts, and since I was one of the younger teachers, I was laid off. A college friend of mine grew up around here, and I was always intrigued by what she told me of the desert, so here I am.”
Short, sweet, succinct. Maybe too succinct, if Jester’s raised eyebrow was any indication. Again, he remained silent for a minute. Did he believe a word of it? The story was so flimsy she could tear it in half with her bare hands.
“I know it’s summer, but do you have a job lined up for the fall?”
There it was, a sliver of an opening, a window cracked open just an inch, but it was more than she’d had so far. “I have an offer at an elementary school in Sandy Springs.” She’d taught there since she and Johnny moved to the area. She loved that school and the staff that worked there. “I’d really like to take it, but I’m not sure. I’ve heard the town has some trouble with, uh, well, with their own MC.”
She bit her lip and waited for his reaction. It was swift and fierce. Jester sat straight up and she tumbled off his body. He turned to stare down at her, an angry scowl on his face. “There is no fucking way you’re working in Sandy Springs.”
Ookay…that was not what she expected. “What? Why not?” She sat up as well, not that it put them on an even level; he still towered over her. The sheet fell to her waist and she pulled it back up. Having this discussion naked left her too vulnerable.
Jester placed his hands on the bed, caging her against the headboard, and leaned his face close to hers. “It doesn’t matter why not, it’s just the way it is.” Warmth and teasing were completely absent from his voice.
Despite the ferocious look on his face, Emily laughed out loud. “I’m sorry, what?” She should probably be intimidated by him in this moment, but she found it so ridiculous that he felt he could order her around after knowing her for a week. “If there’s a real reason you think I shouldn’t work there, I’m more than willing to listen, but you’re going to have to do better than ‘because I said so.’”
Some of the tension seeped out of his shoulders and he rested his forehead against hers. “You do realize that most of the MC steers clear of me when I make that face, don’t you?”
“Guess I don’t find you that scary.” She rubbed a hand up his firm inked arm.
Jester snorted and tugged at the sheet covering her breasts. She allowed him to draw it away from her body, and her eyes drifted closed when he traced a thumb around one nipple. It stiffened immediately. She was so easy when it came to him.
“I can’t, and if I’m being honest, won’t, give you details about it, because I don’t want you tainted by that world. Sandy Springs does have problems with their MC. The Grimm Brothers. We hate them as much as they hate us. They are a group of sadistic motherfuckers who wouldn’t blink an eye at harming you if they thought there was a sliver of a chance it would hurt me or the No Prisoners. I wouldn’t be able to function if you were spending all day in Sandy Springs. It’s their turf, we have no power or control there.”
“Jester—”
He cupped her face between his hands and kissed her, hard. “I know it’s crazy, baby. We’ve known each other a week, but I need you to trust me on this. Please don’t take a job in Sandy Springs.”
Her heart ached so bad she almost couldn’t speak. The lies wouldn’t matter. She needed to remember that. In another week she’d never see him again and none of this would matter. Johnny would be safe and that’s what did matter. “Okay, I won’t take the job.”
“Thank you, Em. Lila knows quite a few people on the school board here in Crystal Rock. I bet she could get you an interview, easy.”
“Sure, thank you.” She wanted to cry. Why couldn’t she have met him under different circumstances? Why couldn’t Johnny have stayed away from drugs?
“It’s getting late, let’s just get some sleep. You’ve been wearing me out, I need to recharge.” Jester laid back on the bed, drawing her down next to him.
She forced a laugh and tried to get back to where she’d been before they started talking about her job. “That’s because you’re so much older than I am.”
He scoffed, “No way. I bet I’m not that much older than you.”
She raised an eyebrow at him. “How old are you?”
“Thirty-seven, you?”
“Twenty-six.” She chuckled as his features transformed into a look of astonishment.
“You’re shittin’ me! Eleven years? I’m eleven years older than you? I didn’t realize you were that yo
ung. Huh, I’m practically robbing the cradle.”
Emily shoved down the last of her sadness and tweaked his nipple. “How old did you think I was? And I’ll advise you to think before you answer.”
A playful growl erupted from Jester’s massive chest and he rolled her to her back, hovering over her with a hand on each nipple. “That how you want to play, baby?” He pinched her nipples, giving just enough pressure to have electricity shooting directly to her clit.
She gasped and pushed her hips against him as a punch of desire slammed into her. “I’m not playing anything. Oh God.” Her eyes rolled back in her head as he increased the pressure on her nipples. “I’m…just…ah…saying, thatyou’reold!” The last part came out in a rush as he bent his head and lightly raked his teeth over one nipple.
“I’ll show you old, missy.” He rumbled, sliding into her in one fierce thrust.
“Oh!” She cried out, a mixture of shock and pleasure.
“Ain’t nothing old about this, baby.” Jester pulled out and pushed in, starting a heavy rhythm.
Emily gave herself over to the power of their connection. She wanted to forget about dead parents and MCs, drugs and everything she needed to do and hadn’t been able to yet. She wanted to feel peace, even if just for a few minutes.
Chapter Twelve
The next afternoon Emily sat at her kitchen table staring at her cell phone. Snake had texted her earlier in the morning, saying he’d be calling to discuss their business around noon. Jester was due by to pick her up around two and she was relieved that she didn’t have to make up a reason to delay him.
Her fingers drummed on the table at the same time her right foot tapped out an anxious rhythm on the floor. She was no closer to finding out any club business. Did Snake know this would be an impossible task? Was it all part of his plan? Play with her until she failed, then kill Johnny? Nausea swamped her and she breathed through her nose to calm herself.
The shrill ring of the phone caused her heart to skip a beat even though she’d been expecting it. “Hello?” She answered before the first ring ended.
“Hello, sweet Emily. What’d ya got for me?” His voice gave her chills and she rubbed her free hand over a bare arm.
“I…I’m not going to speak to you until I talk to my brother.” Her voice shook, betraying her nerves.
He laughed and she wanted to throw the phone across the room, but that would only anger him. “Emily, I think you watch too much TV. You don’t have any power here. I hold all the cards and you’ll jump when I tell you to.”
She pinched her eyes tight and held her breath, determined to speak to Johnny. As the seconds slipped by in dreadful silence her resolve began to slip. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, Snake beat her to it.
“All right, Emily. What could a little chat with your idiot brother hurt? Here he is. You have thirty seconds.”
“Emmie?” Johnny’s voice sounded so dejected she wanted to cry.
“Johnny, are you okay?” Tears thickened her voice, but she refused to let them fall. She had to be strong for him. She’d always been the strong one, the one he could depend upon. And he needed her to be that now, more than ever.
“Emmie, listen to me. You have to get out of town. Forget about me. It’s not worth it. Snake won’t—” His voice disappeared, replaced by a thud and a low moan.
Emily couldn’t prevent the cry of distress from leaving her throat.
“Satisfied? You got what you wanted, now give me what I want.” Snake’s voice replaced Johnny’s.
Emily started to shake. The situation was beginning to seem hopeless. “I—” She choked on a sob. “I don’t have anything yet. You have to know they don’t tell women any club details.”
“Then I suggest you fuck someone. Men tend to let things slip when their dick’s are happy.”
Not Jester.
Snake laughed when she didn’t respond. “No? Well, I guess you better get creative. Break into the clubhouse at night. I don’t give a shit how you do it, but you have a little under a week to get it done.”
He hung up without waiting for a response and Emily dropped her forehead to the table. Break into the clubhouse. If the situation wasn’t so dire, she might have laughed. First of all, she’d have a hell of a time getting away from Jester for one night, the man wanted her with him all the time. Secondly, she wouldn’t have a clue how to break into the clubhouse.
Emily wouldn’t allow her mind to fathom what they would do to her if she was caught in the clubhouse when she wasn’t supposed to be. Breaking in was out of the question, but maybe she’d be able to find a time when no one else was around and do a little snooping. It was so risky, she didn’t want to entertain the idea, but her options narrowed by the second.
She stood and paced the apartment, her breath coming in shallow pants. All of a sudden the room spun and her chest tightened to the point of constricting her breathing. On shaking legs, she stumbled to the den and sat on the couch, bending her head forward to rest between her knees.
After a few moments of forcing one slow, deep inhalation after another, the panic attack subsided. She was going to need therapy, or maybe medication if she survived this. A glance at the clock on the DVD player revealed there was still over an hour until Jester was scheduled to arrive. No way she could wait in this state of stress for an hour.
Emily stood and stripped off her shirt and pants, leaving her clad only in a sports bra and bikini panties. She grabbed the remote control and turned on the television. Her favorite yoga DVD was still in the machine. Physical exertion was exactly what she needed to calm her nerves and give her mind a chance to think of a plan and not just of how terrified she was.
At one thirty, Jester jogged up the cracked concrete steps toward Emily’s hole of an apartment. He hadn’t been inside yet, but he was astounded she lived in this complex. Surely as a teacher she made enough money to rent in a safer and slightly more upscale neighborhood, didn’t she?
Maybe the move drained her finances. She didn’t act like someone who was acutely worried about paying the bills. But she did act like someone who hated sharing personal information. He shouldn’t make assumptions about her financial situation when he really didn’t know that much about her life.
For the foreseeable future, she’d be staying nights at his house. He made that executive decision on the ride to her place. While whatever this was between them lasted, he wanted to spend every spare second of his day with some part of his anatomy deep inside her. There was no way he was staying in this dump when he had a perfectly good house with a perfectly comfortable and very large bed. That left one viable option: Emily was coming with him.
He reached the door to her unit, and rapped a meaty fist against its dusty surface. When she didn’t answer after a few seconds, Jester glanced at the unit number to make sure he had the right place. Apartment 2C, just like she’d said. Muffled voices, what sounded like the television, came from inside the unit.
Maybe she just couldn’t hear him knock. Pounding on the door would only annoy the neighbors, so he tried the knob.
It turned easily. Jesus, he had to talk to her about keeping her door locked. Especially in this shit neighborhood.
“Em?” he called as he strolled down the hallway, taking in the sparse decorating and minimal furniture.
The white walls were bare, and what little furnishings she owned were worn and shabby. This place didn’t jive with Emily’s warm and fun personality at all. He’d have to ask her about it, after he got on her about that unlocked door.
His list of items to bring up to Emily flew right out of his head as he stepped into her living room and took in the sight before him.
Holy.
Shit.
Emily lay on a towel on the floor, eyes closed, doing what he assumed was some kind of yoga, while a woman on the small television screen voiced encouragement in a soothing tone.
All of the blood in his body surged and traveled to one throbbing location as he shifted
his gaze from the TV to Emily, drinking in the sight of her where she lay on the floor. She was in a bridge position, with her shoulders and arms on the ground, and her back and hips in the air. One shapely leg was extended straight up, yet, somehow, she balanced without wavering.
All she wore was a black sports bra and a tiny pair of hot pink panties. She must have been at it for a while. A sheen of sweat coated her skin. He pressed his tongue to the roof of his mouth, wishing it was running over her body instead.
Christ, she was every hot yoga fantasy come to life. Forcing his feet to unglue from where he’d been stunned to immobility, Jester walked until he stood in front of her, gazing down at the erotic picture she made.
As though she sensed his presence, her eyes popped open so wide he almost laughed. “Oh, Jester.” She gasped on a breathless whisper. “You startled me, I wasn’t expecting you for another half hour. Do you mind if I finish this? I’m supposed to hold this pose for two minutes per leg. I’ve been close, but haven’t made it the whole time yet.”
He didn’t respond and her face took on an apprehensive expression.
“Sorry,” she said. “I can do this another time.” Emily started to lower her hips, but Jester reached out to hold her shapely leg in its place in the air.
“Don’t,” he said with a shake of his head.
“Thanks. I only have—” She turned her head to look at the television where a timer counted down the remaining minutes. “—three minutes and thirty seconds until I’m done. At least I hope I can make it that long.”
Emily was almost unbearably sexy in that position, with her small but toned muscles straining to maintain the posture. A faint outline of muscle was visible on her flat stomach, subtle enough to still be feminine but it showed what great shape she kept herself in.