by Eliza Marsh
“Yes, well, you make sure it stays that way. You need a woman that works hard for a living. How long have you been dating? Are you treating her right?”
Rolling his eyes, he motioned for Murphy to stop digging and pointed at the two dead bodies. Bending down, he grabbed a motionless arm and began dragging the body towards the grave. “I'm a little busy right now, Ma. Did you need something?”
“I need to know about you and this girl,” she said matter-of-factly, waiting patiently on the other end of the line to get her answers.
“Ma...” He grunted as he dropped the hefty body in the hole for Murphy to situate. “Can we talk about this later, please? I'm working.”
“Fine, don't humor your poor mother. I'm only waiting desperately for some grandchildren to spoil.” Dean sighed at her dramatics and grabbed the second body as she continued. “When are you coming to visit? You live an hour away, and yet I never see you.”
“I'll be up there as soon as I can. It's just been busy around here the last few months.”
“Busy? Yeah, I can see you've been getting real busy, sweetheart.”
He dropped the body in the grave next to the first one and turned away from the scene to finish his conversation. “Ma, I'll come to see you in the next week or two. I promise.”
“You better or else I'm coming down there.”
“Yes, ma'am, I hear you. I gotta go now, though. I'll see you soon.”
Dean could hear an ungracious scoff on the other end of the phone. “We'll see about that. Love you, dear.”
“Love you too, Ma,” he replied with a small smile and hung up the phone, grabbing his shovel from the ground to start filling in the grave.
“That was beautiful, really.”
Dean threw a load of dirt at the blond man, who sputtered in mock disgust as he climbed out of the hole. “Don't make me tell your mother that you're being a dick.”
“Don't make me bury you in this hole.”
13
The bright morning sun filtered through the lone window in the only bedroom of Dean’s bachelor pad apartment, casting shadows across the walls and lighting up the whole room. Jackie groaned, turning around and burrowing deeper into Dean's side, trying to get back to sleep. Winter in Macon was pretty mild, the sun shining and warm despite it being December. She cursed herself for forgetting to close the curtains before going to bed. Dean was too distracting the previous night, and the thought had never even entered her mind.
Said biker grunted next to her and threw a hand across his eyes, unsuccessfully trying to block the sun. “Shit...”
Waking up next to him was nothing new for her at this point after six months together, and she knew he was awfully grumpy in the morning. That didn’t stop her from quietly laughing at his misfortune. She sleepily blinked up at him, a smile across her face. “Good morning to you too.”
His response was to glare at her and pull the sheet over them, still cursing. “What time is it?” His voice was raspier than usual due to sleep, and it sent a delightful chill through her.
“Dunno. It's early,” Jackie mumbled as she outlined the tattoos on his chest. Not only did they fascinate her, but she was also somewhat distracted by the thoughts running rampant in her head.
In the past, she wouldn't have questioned what was going on between her and Dean. It was just casual sex, plain and simple. No strings, barely even friends with benefits. A matter of convenience, if nothing else.
But a few weeks ago, TJ had casually referred to her as Dean's lady, and since then, he and Ian hadn't stopped calling her that. The words had brought some kind of longing to the surface. She was experiencing emotions that shouldn't have been there. What started as purely a physical attraction had morphed into something tangible she couldn't quite describe. He was her polar opposite - gruff, violent, and unrefined. But at the same time, he was also compassionate and kind in his own way, taking Tyler under his wing during his early days with the club. Dean kept her on her toes, made her feel confident in every way - if she could handle him, she could handle anything. He was an unlikely match that she never expected to find in a place like this.
She just wasn't sure he had the same feelings.
Deciding it was time to find out, she used the early morning hour to her advantage. Dean wasn't exactly awake, so if she passed some line with him, she could always tell him he was dreaming.
“Hey, Dean?” Her voice was hesitant at first, but at his confirmation, a half-asleep grunt, she took a deep breath and continued more steadily. “What is this? What are we doing?”
At her question, the biker slowly removed the arm he had over his eyes and looked at her. Jackie swallowed and did a mental shake of her head. Apparently, he was more awake than she had anticipated.
“What are we doing?” At her nod, he continued, trying to avoid the real question he knew she was asking. “We're waking up after enjoying three rounds of really great sex last night.”
She rolled her eyes and kept pushing for an answer. He wasn't going to dodge this one now that she'd finally worked up the courage to ask it. “Yes, I realize that. But what is this? Is it just fabulous sex? I don't care if that is all we are, but I need you to clarify what it is you want from this, just for my own peace of mind.”
Dean sighed and wiped his hand over his eyes. “Women always need to make it into something,” he muttered, before shifting himself to sit up slightly. “You wanna label this? Is that it?” She shrank a bit at his sharp tone. She was expecting him to tell her she was nothing more than a good lay, but she wasn't expecting him to be rude about it. He sighed again and looked at her, softening the tone of his voice as he tried to voice his concerns. “Look, Jack. You don't need a guy like me. You need a doctor or a lawyer, someone who will provide for you, take care of you. Not me.” He cursed under his breath, frustrated that she didn't understand he wasn't good enough for her. The look in his eyes was unreadable as he continued. “In case you hadn't noticed, I'm not the relationship type.”
“I don't want a doctor or a lawyer, Dean.” When he didn't say anything in response, she sighed, but still didn't accept it. Jackie needed him to say it, tell her she was nothing to him, so she could put her mind at ease and stop questioning everything she did, everything he did. “So tell me that this is just meaningless sex, and we'll leave it at that.” She watched him carefully, watched him close his eyes and think hard about the next words to pass his lips.
“We both know it's a bit more than that.” Dean looked at her again, dark eyes staring unwaveringly at her. He wasn't sure when it had happened, but he was starting to find himself completely drawn to her, to the way she made him feel. There was a certain weight gone from his shoulders as she had become a light in his life of darkness and destruction. He just didn't know how to tell her that.
She smiled slightly and laid her head back to its original position on his chest. “I'm not asking for a declaration of love or anything, so you can relax. I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't imagining something a little more than casual going on between us.”
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer, staring at the ceiling as the realization of what their relationship had suddenly become hit him. He needed her in his life - her patience, her understanding, her love. “No, you're not imagining things,” he whispered to himself.
14
Jackie pulled open the door to the clubhouse and stepped inside, rolling her eyes at the sight that met her. It was no wonder Tyler hadn't come home last night. He was currently lying on the pool table half-naked with a blond woman on top of him. There was a pair of bikers she didn't recognize on the bar with a few ladies of their own. Murphy was on the couch with a woman, and Ian was on the floor with three. The rest of the club members seemed to have been coherent enough to make it back to the bedrooms or their own homes. Beer bottles, glasses, and red plastic cups littered every available surface along with pizza boxes and plates. She let out a sigh as she shook her head.
Maneuvering her way through the bodies on the floor, Jackie headed to the small kitchen off to the side of the main room. She turned on the large, ten-cup coffee maker, knowing the guys would need it when they woke up. She then grabbed a trash bag from under the sink and tried to pick up around the bar. She tossed the bottles in the recycling bin tucked almost out of sight and took the glasses to the sink. None of the room's inhabitants seemed to register her presence as they continued sleeping soundly.
Heavy footfalls from the hallway alerted her to a rousing club member heading in her direction. To her surprise, it was Luke, the charter's president, who was sliding his work shirt over his head as he slowly walked into the room. He stopped when he saw her by the bar, then shook his head and continued into the kitchen.
Jackie had spent the least amount of time around Luke. She found him to be the most intimidating of the group, despite his very average appearance. He was never more than civil to her, and she thought he might not like her hanging around. She had seen him laugh and joke around with the guys a few times, and he looked almost kind in those moments, normal even. A man in his early fifties, he was of regular height and build, with no hair on his head but plenty on his face. She would go as far as to say that, sans the cut, Luke could pass as any other man that hadn’t seen a motorcycle in his life. When his cold, calculating blue eyes would land on her, though, all she wanted to do was run and hide. She shivered involuntarily just thinking about it.
He came back out of the kitchen, a large mug in hand, and leaned against the frame of the door. “Thanks for putting the coffee on,” Luke said quietly, watching her with an inquisitive eye.
She tucked her dark hair behind her ear and looked nervously to the floor. She was pretty sure this was the first one-on-one conversation they'd ever had. “I figured you guys would need it.”
He nodded, then motioned to the garbage bag in her hands. “You don't have to do that,” he said, his deep voice carrying lowly across the room. “We’ve got prospects for that shit.”
“I don't mind. I've been picking up after Tyler and his friends for years.”
He watched her critically, and she shifted under his gaze, moving past him and into the kitchen. “Ya know,” he said thoughtfully, turning around to follow her with his eyes. “You've been nothing but trouble for me since the first time you set foot in this clubhouse.”
She quickly turned to look at him, shock registering on her face. “Excuse me?”
“You're a sweet gal, Jackie. What the hell are you doing hanging around a place like this?” She stood stock-still, trying to form words, but failing. “And this thing that you have going on with Dean? You do realize it'll only end in disaster, right? He's not the settling down type. He's not gonna give you a ring. You guys aren't gonna buy a tiny dog together. When he gets bored, he will leave you for his next hookup.”
Silence filled the room as both parties stared intensely at each other. Jackie leaned back against the counter behind her and tried to comprehend what he was saying. Sure, people had told her not to get involved with Dean in the past, but she thought that her and the biker's relationship was commonly accepted knowledge by now. Everyone knew that they had something, some unnamed thing, going on. Even the women that hung around at parties hardly bothered him anymore. She thought that everyone had finally accepted her being in this world after all this time.
“Look, sweetheart, I'm not saying this to upset or anything. I just don't want a nice girl like you to get mixed up with a guy like Dean. He will hurt you at some point, guaranteed. Just ask all of the women that have been pining after him for years.” He sighed as he looked at her one last time. “Thanks again for the coffee.”
With that, he turned and walked out of the kitchen, barking at the slumbering bikers to wake up and get to work. Jackie was left leaning against the counter in complete shock at having found out that the Macon charter president didn't approve of her hanging around the club. She sniffed back tears and tried to shake it off as she heard loud voices coming from the main room.
“Coffee! I smell coffee!” Murphy yelled, barreling into the kitchen in very little clothing. He completely ignored Jackie as he grabbed hastily for a mug.
As he poured himself a cup, Ian stumbled in, looking a bit worse for wear. “Well, good morning, beautiful,” he said with a hint of a slur, winking at Jackie as he tried to stay upright.
Jackie grinned at the playboy as he passed her on the way to the coffee pot, her original purpose for coming to the clubhouse overshadowing the previous conversation. “I need someone to fix my truck,” she said, looking expectantly at the pair. Both men rolled their eyes and left the kitchen, coffee in hand. She followed after them quickly with a sigh, noting that the room's previous occupants had swiftly vacated. “Guys,” she drawled out with a whine. “It's making a funny clicking noise when I get above twenty-five.”
“Then I guess you'll just have to drive slow,” Murphy said grumpily as he threw himself onto the couch and closed his eyes. Ian sat down gingerly next to him and grinned up at her with a shrug.
“But I don't wanna drive slow.” She groaned as they continued to ignore her, throwing her hands in the air in defeat.
“Why don't you go wake up your boyfriend?” Murphy mumbled, not bothering to open his eyes. “I'm sure he'd be more than happy to help.”
“I wouldn't do that if I were you,” said a deep voice from behind them. A surprisingly sober Mack entered the room looking quite awake. “I think he drank a whole bottle of tequila last night.” He walked up to the small, pouting woman and slipped an arm around her shoulders. “What's wrong, princess? These boys givin' you a hard time?”
“My truck is making this weird clicking noise, and I need someone to fix it. These idiots-” she kicked Ian's legs from their position on the coffee table, causing him to curse, “-are too hungover to do anything at the moment.”
The pair on the couch mumbled incoherently as they tried to go back to sleep. Mack only laughed and began to lead her outside. “C'mon, let's go have a look at it.” He stopped long enough to yell for Taco to get his ass outside, then they exited the building.
Thirty minutes later, after Taco had finally managed to back Jackie's truck into the garage, Mack had successfully determined the source of the clicking noise and set the prospect to work fixing it. Jackie was now leaning against the front of the vehicle, enjoying the fresh spring sun and talking to Taco as he replaced the faulty parts.
A soft growl and a set of hands on her sides alerted her to Dean entering the garage. She giggled as he kissed his way down her neck, his hands trailing up her body. “You just woke up, how could you be horny already?”
“You know I love it when you wear those shorts,” he whispered as he turned her around and captured her lips.
“Yep, don't mind me. I'll just pretend I can't see you guys,” Taco muttered under his breath, causing Dean to flip him the bird. “Oh, that's real nice.” Dean lifted Jackie up and moved to set her on top of the counter.
“What the hell did I tell you guys about doing that shit in the garage?” Luke yelled, stomping into view with a scowl on his face.
Dean groaned and set Jackie back on the ground. She blushed and tried to hide behind the man in front of her, vividly remembering the conversation she'd had with the charter president less than an hour ago. Dean grinned wickedly at his friend and leaned down to Jackie's level, whispering loud enough for Luke to hear. “He didn't say anything about not fucking behind the garage.”
Luke glared at the pair while Jackie gasped, slapping Dean on the chest. “We will do no such thing.” Dean laughed and picked Jackie up once again, this time throwing her over his shoulder. She squealed and slapped at his back, demanding that he put her down. He began walking out of the garage, and Jackie gave up her fight. “At least the view is good from back here.”
Rolling his eyes at their antics, Luke turned and saw Taco watching them with a smile. “What are you looking at? Get back to work.” Taco cleared h
is throat and nodded before returning to the car parts.
Dean and his cargo made their way through the clubhouse, receiving a few knowing smiles and whistles. Jackie waved upside down at Tyler, who merely shook his head. As they entered an empty bedroom, he tossed her on the bed as he had done countless times in the past ten months.
The events proceeded as they usually did, with clothing flying to the floor and the sounds of pleasure filling the air. But it was somewhere in the middle of this routine occurrence that the most unlikely of things happened.
Jackie began to cry.
She began to sob hysterically, causing Dean to shoot up in surprise. He looked around rapidly for the source of her tears, and, finding nothing, he looked at her in worry. “What? Did I hurt you?” This seemed only to make her crying louder and more violent. He moved off of her and situated himself on the edge of the bed, afraid to touch her for fear of making it worse. “Jack? What's wrong?” He had no idea what to do and no idea what had caused the sudden outburst.
“Everything is wrong!” she shouted dramatically between sobs, pushing herself into a sitting position. “Your friends hate me, my only friend loves you, and I don't fit in here!” She began wailing, and Dean tried to shush her, which only made it worse.
“Maybe I should go get Tyler,” he said hesitantly and tried to stand from the bed.
“And now you want to leave me! Oh, everything is so wrong! I'm gonna be sick.” She pulled the covers over her head and curled into a ball. Dean stood with wide eyes, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.
“Definitely going to get Tyler.” He turned and quickly fled the room, shutting the door behind him. He paused in the hallway and shook his head, wondering if he was just dreaming. But a sharp wail from behind the wooden door told him he was indeed awake. “What the fuck?”
He jogged into the main room to a round of comments about his previous activities. “That was quick, bro. Losing your touch?” Murphy asked with a laugh as he shoveled a fork full of eggs into his mouth. Dean ignored him and walked straight to Tyler, grabbing him by the back of the shirt and dragging him down the hall. “I didn't know you were into threesomes with guys, Dean!” the blond shouted after them, frowning slightly when it evoked no reaction from his friend.