“Layne! Just the man I want to see.”
He and Layne had prospected together, but Jagger had moved up in the club faster. “Hey, how you doin’? Ribs okay?” Layne asked.
“Dude, they hurt like a motherfucker, and I can’t ride my bike. That’s what I was coming to ask you, by the way. Can I get a ride over to Wet Wanda’s?”
“I am always down for going over there. Sure.”
Layne’s giving me a ride over. See you soon.
Bianca grinned as she read the text message from Jagger and then stuck the phone in her pocket.
“What’s got you so happy?” Jasmine asked, as she saw the smile on Bianca’s face.
“Jagger’s coming by.”
Even as she said it, her heart fluttered. She had never had someone affect her like this. No one in her life had ever had the power to make her day better or make her feel better about herself and it was scary.
“I’ve never seen you excited about someone visiting you at work before,” Jasmine commented, eyebrows raised.
“I know, and don’t give me any shit about it.”
Jasmine put her hand on Bianca’s shoulders. “Girls like us, we don’t get excited when men tell us they are coming to see us. That’s not who we are.”
Bianca knew that her friend spoke at least a partial truth. No one looked at either of them and saw forever kind of girls, especially in this setting. They took one look at them and saw “get your rocks off” kind of girls. She decided to ignore that little voice in her head this time; she wanted to take this as far as she could.
“Whatever, just because your daughter’s father left you doesn’t mean all men are like that. And I’m not even talking about that here. We are just having a good time.”
“That’s how it always starts out.”
Jasmine was bringing her down, so Bianca was excited to see someone seated at one of her tables. “I gotta go get this.” She pointed to the group and walked confidently over to them.
“Hey, I’m Bianca, I’ll be your waitress tonight. What can I get for you guys?”
She noticed that while the two men sitting at the table gave off a relaxed air, they were still glancing around the room. Their eyes darted back and forth from her to the door.
“We need a few minutes,” one of the guys said, winking at her.
That made her feel uneasy, and she wasn’t sure why. When he leaned closer over his menu, the jacket he wore lifted off his arm, and she saw the beginnings of a tattoo. One she had seen a few times. These men were members of the Bosnian motorcycle club in town, the Vojnik.
“Yeah, just let me know when you need somethin’.”
She hurried back over to where Jasmine stood. “We gotta get those guys out of here now. Jagger and them are on their way.”
“Why?”
“They’re members of a rival motorcycle club. I have no idea what the fuck they’re doing here, but it’s not gonna be good when Heaven Hill gets here. This is their turf.”
At that moment a group entered the club, and Bianca knew by the jolt of electricity that traveled through her body that Jagger was with them. “Shit.”
“What the fuck are they doing here?” Layne asked, pointing over at the intruders sitting at the booth in Bianca’s section.
Jagger glanced over to where he pointed and rage went through his body. This was no coincidence. “Call Liam and Tyler.”
His eyes caught Bianca’s, and he gingerly walked over to her. When he reached her, he put his hand on her waist and leaned over, giving her a kiss on the temple. “How long have they been here?”
“Just got here,” she answered as she put her hand on his chest. “Please don’t start anything.”
“They started it by even setting foot in that front door.”
His eyes were hard, and this was the attitude that she had talked about earlier in the day. This was what made him dangerous. He didn’t seem to be scared of anything. Ever.
“I promise not to start anything. If they start it, I promise you though, I’m gonna finish it.”
That was all she could ask.
“Liam and Tyler are on their way. Liam seems to think this is them trying to figure out who we are now that William’s no longer president. They should be here in a few. They weren’t too far away.”
One of the guys at the table lifted his finger up, motioning Bianca back over. She grabbed her notepad and began to walk when Jagger caught her by the hand. His eyes never leaving the men at the table, he lifted her wrist and placed a kiss over the pulse point there, showing that she was his. The glow of his eyes warned these men not to mess with her.
Bianca took a deep breath and squared her shoulders before making her way back to the table. “You guys ready?”
Neither one of the men said anything for the longest time, and she had a moment to study them. They looked a lot like the members of Heaven Hill, but their features were distinctly European. One had dark blond hair, the other had none. Baldy was the first one to speak.
“Yeah, I’ll take a beer and a side of whatever you got sweet thing.”
She fought not to roll her eyes. Working here, she heard it on a constant basis. Usually it was an annoyance. Tonight it could be deadly. “Look at where you are and do not do this tonight,” she warned him through gritted teeth.
“It’s a free country, we can be wherever we want to,” the blond one said.
“That it is, but you and I both know you aren’t here to see some tits and ass.”
“But we are,” bald one interrupted. “We’re here to see yours.”
Her heart beat wildly, knowing that this was not going to end well at all. “Just stand up and walk out of here,” she pleaded.
Before she knew it, he grabbed her hand and turned it over, just like Jagger had done. She tried to jerk it away, but he landed a kiss, right where Jagger had. In the blink of an eye the man’s face connected with the hard lacquer of the table.
“Don’t you ever touch her again,” Jagger warned him from where he stood behind the two of them.
Baldy lifted his face up, his nose obviously broken. Blood poured from his nostrils, and he tried to staunch the flow by pinching the bridge.
“This isn’t over,” his friend warned as they backed out of the building.
“I didn’t even know anything had started,” Liam said, as he made his way through the entrance. “You tell Dino,” he referenced the president of the other club. “That if he wants to start some shit, he can talk to me first. Don’t involve my boys or the people they care about just to piss me off.”
Chapter Thirteen
“So thanks for coming to see me at work tonight,” Bianca smiled.
Jagger chuckled. A few hours later, they sat in her car, in front of the clubhouse. He hadn’t wanted to leave her at the club alone so she had offered him a ride home.
“You’re welcome. Sorry I made a mess.”
“I’m not,” she whispered. “It was kinda hot. You know, you protecting my honor and all.”
He liked this side of her. The side that was playfully truthful. “You bring out a protective side of me that no one else ever has,” he admitted.
They had been talking for almost an hour when she stifled a yawn with the back of her hand. “I really should be going.”
“What do you have going on tomorrow?” he asked, not wanting to let her go.
“Nothing actually. It’s a rare off day with no school. I need to do some homework and laundry, but other than that I have nothing planned and I am so excited about it.”
“Why don’t you stay here with me tonight and hang out with me tomorrow? I’m still on light duty thanks to these ribs, but I can have a little bit of fun.”
He had thrown that out, not even thinking about how it probably sounded to her. “I’m not trying to get you into bed by the way. With these ribs…” he trailed off at the grin on her face.
“You’re cute when you think you’ve offended me.”
She ran her ha
nds along the steering wheel and contemplated what he had asked her. What would it hurt to do this? She had nothing at home waiting for her besides a pile of laundry and a little bit of reading to do. Going home to an empty apartment and a package of Ramen held little appeal to her tonight. “Why the hell not? YOLO right?”
That was not in a million years the answer he had expected from her, but he would take this surprise and run with it. “Park your car over here in my spot in the garage, it might snow tonight.”
She rolled her eyes. “You and I both know that our weatherman is not known for being right when he forecasts that this city will be shut down because of a snowstorm. It’ll be fine.”
“Humor me? Please.”
She shrugged. “Whatever you say, boss.”
“Now that is what I like to hear.”
Walking into the clubhouse, she looked around. It was much quieter at this hour than it had even been at lunch earlier in the day. No one was in the main room, but she could see their tech guy in the computer room, his face illuminated by computer screens. She wondered if Steele ever slept. Catching the white end of a lollipop in his mouth, she decided probably not. They tried not to make much noise as they made their way to his dorm room. Once there, he opened the door, ushering her in. At that moment, he realized just how tired he was. This had all taken a huge toll on his body while it was still trying to recover.
“You okay?” she asked as his shoulders slumped.
“Yeah, just dead tired.”
He went over to the dresser and tried to bend over, hissing as he did it a little too quickly.
“Here, you show me what you want, and I’ll get it for you.”
“There’s some sweat pants and shirts in that bottom drawer. They should work for you. They’ll be big because they’re mine, but it should be comfortable.”
This was something she had never really done before, wear a man’s clothes. It was special, it was the hallmark of a relationship, and she knew that she was falling headlong into a very serious one with this man. She watched as he disrobed down to boxer briefs and then pulled the covers back. Shyness overcame her from somewhere deep inside.
“You know I’ve seen it all right? Harley weekend?”
Her face flushed a deep red. “That, Jagger Stone, was the most embarrassing moment of my life, and I can’t believe you were there to witness it.” That moment had been the culmination of a horrible week – both at school and personally. She had gotten berated by a professor who found out she worked at Wet Wanda’s, and a visit with her mom had ended with her leaving in tears. Every doubt she had ever had plagued her that weekend. Getting drunk and showing everybody what they assumed her to be had seemed like such a good idea until Jagger had shown up.
His long legs ate up the distance to where she stood. “I’m glad I was there. Would we be here right now if I hadn’t been?”
“I don’t know,” she answered truthfully.
Leaning forward, he brushed his lips against hers lightly. Her eyes closed, fully taking in the moment. His hands went to the button of her jeans and undid it, pushing them to her hips, then went to the hem of her t-shirt and pulled it over her head.
“There’s nothing to be ashamed about here, between us, Bianca. I’m here because I like who you are and I respect who you’re trying to be. There’s no need for either one of us to pretend to be something we aren’t.”
Uncharacteristic tears sprang to her eyes. She had to turn away from the sweetness of this man. He was beginning to melt away every wall that she had around every part of her heart. Quickly she dressed in the sweats, her throat thick with unshed tears.
“Let’s go to bed.”
Without her speaking, he knew that he had broken down some silent barrier she kept around herself. He gingerly climbed into the bed and opened his arms to her.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” she told him as she lightly rested against him.
“You aren’t going to. It’s going to hurt me a thousand times worse if you don’t let me hold you.”
She finally melted, plastering every inch of her body to his, almost purring when his strong arms wrapped around her. Never before had she felt this safe or this content. It was a feeling she knew without a doubt she could get used to, and that was more scary than she wanted to admit.
The next morning, Bianca woke up with a start. She wasn’t sure of where she was, only knew that she was warm and she wasn’t alone. Turning over, she caught a glimpse of Jagger and her heart warmed. He was so different in sleep, and she took a moment to study him.
His face was strong and weathered. Evidence of the hours he spent riding his bike. Crows feet were evident at his eyes and laugh lines around the side of his mouth. He was obviously a smiler. The ever-present scruff was there but looked darker as the beard on the sides of his face had grown in a bit overnight. His nose was just a little crooked; maybe he had broken it as a child and it hadn’t completely healed. No blemishes marked the smooth skin, not even dirty pores. It really wasn’t fair that he would have such beautiful skin and not be a model. His eyelashes were dark and long as they fanned out from his eye lids. His eyebrows were so perfect they could have been waxed.
She took a deep breath. She was in so much trouble with this man.
He stirred, almost like he knew she was observing him. “Hey,” he said, clearing his throat. The sound was much deeper than his normal voice, and it made goosebumps form along her body.
“Hey,” she answered.
His eyes twinkled. “Did it snow? Have you looked?”
The question was asked with such excitement, she had to laugh. “You are just like a little kid. Do you want me to look?”
“If you don’t care? It takes me just a minute to get out of bed.”
She had completely forgotten about his ribs. Getting up, she padded over to the window on the backside of the room. Standing on her tiptoes, she pushed back the blinds and gazed out. “Well I’ll be damned,” she laughed.
“It snowed, huh?”
“A lot!”
He cursed softly as he pushed himself out of the bed and limped over to where she stood. He put his arm around her shoulder to move the blind back better since he was taller. It took everything she had not to rub her body against his. “Let’s go see how deep it is. I can’t get a good look from here.”
She went back to the dresser and grabbed him a pair of sweatpants from where she had gotten hers the night before. He put them on quickly and grabbed her hand, pulling her behind him as they made their way to the main room. There were a few people there, and she immediately felt self-conscious.
“Morning you two.” Tyler saluted them from where he sat at the table with his mug. Meredith sat next to him, grinning.
Jagger put his hand over Bianca’s eyes. “Whatever you do, do not do anything with that mug he’s drinking out of. Don’t even look at the damn thing if you can help it. The motherfucker’s cursed.”
Tyler laughed, his eyes twinkling. “Jagger, now don’t go spreading rumors.”
“Read my damn lips, that thing will kill you.”
Ignoring whatever else Tyler was going to say, Jagger pulled her to the back sliding glass door and opened the blinds. There was at least eight inches on the ground.
“Damn, I didn’t realize it was that deep,” Tyler commented as he walked over to them. “We need to call Drew and Mandy and get the sleds out. Y’all up for it?”
“Hell yeah!” Jagger grinned.
“What about your ribs?” Bianca worried.
“They’ll be fine. Let’s go change.”
“Do you have anything that’ll fit me? I don’t think I’m going to be able to go home and come back. I’d venture to say this has shut the town down.” Snow like this was very rare in this part of Kentucky, and when it happened, it crippled the small town. Everyone used it as an excuse to act like kids and have a lot of fun.
Meredith spoke up from where she still sat. “You would be correct in that. There’s a sta
te of emergency right now; everything is shut down, and only emergency personnel are allowed out. They’re calling for another six inches tonight. So you’ll probably be here for a couple of days. I’ve got some clothes you can wear.”
Jagger watched as the two of them walked together, happy that they seemed to be becoming friends. He glanced over at Tyler and grinned. “Call the kids, let’s have some fun.”
Chapter Fourteen
“Do I need to tape your ribs?” Bianca asked as she saw Jagger sit gingerly on the bed.
“That would be a good idea. They don’t hurt so much today, but they’re still sore to the touch. There’s some medical tape in the bathroom. Not sure if it’s on the counter or under the sink.”
She nodded, heading into the bathroom. Glancing at the counter, she grinned. Jagger was not the cleanest of guys. He was very disorganized, and she couldn’t help but straighten up as she searched for the tape she needed. Not seeing it, she bent down and opened the cabinet door. There was a huge mess. Pulling things out, she continued to search when she came to a packet of papers. She knew she shouldn’t look, but she couldn’t help it. Glancing through them, she saw a birth certificate that read John Edward Stone, the date of birth was right with Jagger’s age. She wondered if it was his and Jagger was just a nickname. She snickered, he probably hated his real name with a passion. Tucking that information into her pocket for another time, she found the tape and walked back out into the bedroom.
“You are one messy man.”
“I’m a bachelor, what can I say?”
For some reason, she felt the need to tease with this new relationship. “Bachelor, huh?”
“Not anymore, of course,” he stuttered to correct his mistake.
“Really? Because we’ve never put a label on any of this.”
“Well, I sure as hell ain’t seein’ anybody else, and I assumed you weren’t either.”
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