by Kara Jones
He shook his head, but walked up with me, then thrust some cash at the cashier when I went to pay. The ice cream was less than two dollars, but I thought it was nice anyway. Then, we walked to one of the metal tables on the patio. I perched on top of it, and he leaned beside me; we must’ve looked like quite a pair.
“So, you like ice cream,” he observed. “What else do you like?”
The question didn’t have any sexual undertone to it, but nonetheless, it had my mind going decidedly elsewhere.
“Most things, to be honest. It’s a much shorter list if you ask me what I don’t like.”
The corner of his lip twitched up. “What don’t you like, then?”
I licked at my cone and thought. “Long lines, people who walk slow…”
“Those are things everyone dislikes.” He angled his body toward me and stared down into my eyes. “What do you not like?”
I blinked, surprised by his sudden bout of seriousness. “I don’t like how nervous you make me.”
“Then, stop being nervous.”
“Do I have a reason not to feel nervous?”
He leaned down and took a lick of my ice cream; all the while not breaking eye contact with me. I don’t know why, but it was hands-down the hottest thing I had ever seen in my life. I nearly dropped the damn thing.
“That all depends on you,” he said.
Heat flashed through me. It wasn’t just my face from the blush that attacked me. It was everywhere—especially between my legs.
“What do you not like, Jax?”
“I don’t like that I can’t get you out of my head,” he replied. “Ever since I saw you at the bar that night, I’ve been wondering about you.”
Jax, the biker / sex god wondering about me? Was he sure he was thinking of the right person?
“What have you been wondering?”
He laughed. “Everything… more than I should be wondering.”
I took a big bite of my ice cream. He looked down at me, a twinkle in his eye. I smiled balefully.
Swallowing, I said, “What should you be wondering?”
“What you look like naked.”
“And, you’re not?”
He smirked. “Of course I am. But, I’m also wondering what kind of food you like and other mundane shit like that.”
I laughed, long and hard. He said it so casually, but I could tell it genuinely vexed him. He furrowed his brow at my outburst.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m not laughing at you.” I kind of was. Well, I was laughing at the situation. But. was I about to reveal that to him? Hell no.
He smiled.
“My favorite food is pizza,” I said. “I know that’s really childish, but shit it’s good.”
He nodded. “Pizza is pretty damn good, can’t deny that.”
Then, we began to talk. We stood at that drive in for an hour just chatting about our lives. I learned that he and his father ran the Brixton Motorcycle Club, and that they had a bike shop in Malton like something out of Orange County Chopper.
I told him what I had taken in school and where I wanted it to take me. He seemed genuinely interested in my ambitions, which I think was because they were a novelty to him. I’m sure he had ambitions, but it seemed like he hadn’t encountered anyone recently who dreamed about traveling and working on farms all over the world.
“Why farms?” he asked. “That’s what I don’t get.”
I shrugged. “Hard work is good for you. And anyway, I feel like that’s the best way to get to know the locals anywhere; learn the language, eat the food, get the culture. It just seems like the ideal experience.”
He nodded thoughtfully. “I’ve traveled all over America and Canada,” he said, “but I’ve never been on a plane.”
I stared at him with wide eyes. “You’ve ridden your bike everywhere?”
“Mhm.”
“That’s so cool!”
He chuckled. “Maybe I’ll take you sometime.”
That little suggestion had me feeling weak all over again.
We were still talking away when the drive-in closed, which meant it was midnight. I couldn’t believe that we’d spent the last three hours just driving around and chatting. And, I knew we could continue doing so if we really wanted. There were places all over the city that we could go, but I was tired and ready to snuggle up in bed and think about what the hell had happened tonight.
I asked him to take me home and he did so without even trying to convince me otherwise. I liked that. I’d been out with pushy guys before who had berated me for liking to get a decent night’s sleep, but Jax, whatever his end game might have been, was happy to let me decide for myself whether it was time to go home.
We rumbled to the front of my apartment building, and both dismounted. I handed my helmet back to him and shifted from foot to foot. I wondered whether I should invite him inside or not. If I did, there would be no going back. I knew that I’d end up doing the horizontal tango with him without delay, and it would probably be great.
But, when I looked up and met his stare, I knew that I’d be beyond hurt if I never heard from him again. Maybe we had bonded tonight, but I’d been in this situation before, and I wasn’t willing to put myself through that for one night of passion, even as amazing as it might have been.
“Thanks for the ride, Jax.”
“Thanks for coming.”
I saw the fire deep in his eyes. I knew he was about to kiss me, and I knew that if I let him, it would be game over for me.
So, I turned and walked away like a little scared bitch.
Chapter Five
Jax
Annabelle would be the end of me. With her perfectly curved little lips, and her big, green eyes, and her addictive sweetness, I knew I hadn’t had enough of her. And yet, I still hadn’t tasted her. She’d walked away from me, eventhough I could see in her eyes how much that killed her. And then, she’d disappeared into her apartment, and I hadn’t seen her since.
Granted, it had only been two days, but I was still on edge come Saturday night, and it was a bad night to be on edge. A few of the guys from Halberton MC were in The Cruise when I rolled up on Saturday. It wasn’t worth picking a fight over, but it had the whole club agitated. What kind of game were they trying to play? First, they creeped into our territory with their disgusting fucking drug ring, and next, they tried to hang out at our bar? I eyed them warily as I went in, but didn’t say anything.
I wasn’t going to start a fight; not tonight, but I sure as shit wasn’t going to welcome them with open arms. And, they weren’t going to get table service. I could tell by the looks they were giving Mandi that they had figured that much out already.
I leaned up against the table where Ronnie and the others were sitting. Gus was off down the coast this weekend checking in on a project. That was probably good. The last thing that old man needed was to get his ass thrown in jail for murder, and with all the stress he’d been under, the cockiness of the Halberton douchebags would have put him over the edge.
“You see this shit?” Ronnie said.
In the face of our enemies, all of our disputes were apparently resolved.
“Yeah, I see it. They said anything?”
Graham, the youngest, and yet cockiet guy in our club, scoffed. “As if they’ve got the balls.
I chuckled. “What would you do if you were them, Gray? Walk right up and introduce yourself?”
He nodded. “Hell yeah I would. That’s respect. They’re showing nobody respect right now—especially not poor Mandi.”
Mandi had been with a few of the guys over the years. She was under our protection almost more than anyone else in this bar because we all had a sweet spot for her. Watching the two douches by the bar make rude gestures behind her back was seriously trying my patience.
“How long should I give them before tossing their asses out onto the street?”
“Why not just do it now?” Graham asked.
I rubbed my hand over my face.
“We’re already so close to an all-out war, and war is bad for business. I’d rather not start anything until I have to.”
And then, suddenly, I had to.
Douche One, with the stupid sideburns, had just smacked Mandi’s ass. I moved much faster than the bouncer.
I grabbed his shirt-front in my fist and hauled him out of the chair, practically lifting him off the ground. “Don’t fucking touch her.”
The guy laughed in my face. “I’ll touch who I want to fucking touch.”
Graham was on the other guy who had started creeping around behind me with a bottle; coward. I guessed it was time to show these two idiots just what they'd gotten themselves into.
“You’re going to leave right now,” I growled, “because I don’t want Mandi to have to clean your blood off the tables.”
The bouncer, Jerome, had gone off to talk with Mandi. He knew we would handle this, and Jerome was a bit of a hands-off guy. For a bouncer, he wasn’t all that fond of violence. I pushed the guy away from me and he staggered back, that cocky grin still on his face. I turned to see Graham with his fists at his side, giving Douche Two a death glare.
“Fine,” said Douche One. “We’ll go.”
“And, we’ll go with you to make sure you do.”
Graham and I both followed them out front. The very fact that they’d chosen the front door over the back told me they weren’t actually going without a fight; good. I was going to relish beating that grin off Douche One’s face.
Chapter Six
Annabelle
“We should do this all the time,” Melissa said, spooning some ice cream into her mouth.
I nodded. “The sweet taste of ice cream and the sweet sounds of The Cruise; two of life’s greatest pleasures.”
We both laughed.
We were on our patio enjoying the first of hopefully many p.j. and junk-food nights. It was a clear, warm night, and we could even see a few stars. I loved hanging out with Melissa; just relaxing on our patio and chatting about life… though one aspect of that had become a little bit tedious recently.
“I still can’t believe you didn’t at least kiss him!”
Ah, there it was again.
“It didn’t feel right at the time, Mel,” I defended. “Aren’t you the one who always tells me not to go in unless I can go in with both feet?”
“Jump in.”
“What?”
“Don’t jump in unless you can jump in with both feet.” She sighed, twirling her spoon. “I suppose you’re right. It just seems like such a waste.”
“It’s not like I’ll never see him again.”
She gave me a flat look. “When are you going to see him again, Annabelle? I don’t see you jumping over yourself to get to The Cruise tonight and find him.”
“I know, it’s just—”
“Do you regret it?”
“What?”
“Do you regret not jumping in?”
My shoulders sagged. “A little bit, yeah.”
A lot, more like. It had been all I could think about all weekend. What was life, particularly adulthood, if not a collection of opportunities to seize the moment? I’d been so afraid of what might come after—or what might not come rather—that I’d made myself miserable anyway.
It’ll be what it’ll be,” I said.
At that moment, the doors of The Cruise opened and Jax walked out. Even from a distance, I could recognize him anywhere. The way he walked, so sure of himself; the way he stood, straight and proud; the way his eyes cut a path in front of him. But, he wasn’t looking at me today. He and the guy beside him were looking at the two men who had just walked out in front of them.
“It’s fine, boys,” one of the men shouted at Jax and the other guy. “I like mine with better tits anyway. Plus, I don’t wanna know where she’s been.”
Melissa gasped. “Are you seeing this? Cruise drama!”
“That’s Jax,” I said.
She peered closer. “Oh my god! I didn’t even recognize him.”
More words were exchanged between the two pair, but they weren’t loud enough for either of us to hear. We got the jist; however, because Jax then punched the crass guy across the face.
Melissa and I jumped to our feet, leaning over the railing to watch. There wasn’t much of a show. Jax and his friend were clearly better fighters, and the two guys had underestimated them. In no time at all, the two men were on the ground, bloodied and putting their hands up in surrender. Jax’s friend had been clocked a couple times, but it looked like Jax had only been hit once. He was rubbing his lower lip and jaw.
Nobody else on the street seemed to either notice or care about what had just happened; they just walked around it. And, no bouncers came out from the bar either, which was odd.
“It’s all so Malton,” Melissa commented, as we watched the two men scramble from the ground and walk around to the parking lot. Moments later, they rumbled onto the street on their bikes and tore off into the night.
I was about to respond when Jax looked straight up at us. My heart lurched as his stare found me even from so high up. I managed a weak wave, which he didn’t return. He simply walked inside the bar.
My heart sank. “He hates me now,” I said grimly. “I should have kissed him.”
“He doesn’t hate you,” Melissa said, patting me on the back. “He’s probably just not used to being rejected.”
I spun to her. “I didn’t reject him! I just didn’t kiss him!”
She shrugged. “I don’t make the rules.”
I hated the idea that he thought I had rejected him. I hated that I had probably missed my chance. I hated that I had screwed up.
“What do I do?”
Melissa put her hands on my shoulders and looked me in the eye. “You go get him,” she instructed. “Right now. I’m not sure why you haven’t already run down there because that was hella hot.”
It had been. It had awakened some primal part of me. Much as I was an educated woman, hell I would watch Jax knock around assholes all day if I could. Damn he was fine.
I didn’t waste any more time on words or on anything else. I barely had the clarity of mind to put shoes on before I ran out the door. I hustled down the steps like the building was on fire, and then booked it across the street. I chanced one look behind me, as I stepped over the blood on the pavement, and Melissa was giving me a thumbs-up. My resolve strengthened. I stepped up to the doors and walked in.
And, realized I had forgotten my ID.
I was about to think of some sort of line that would get me through the doors when the bouncer took one look at me and waved me in. I had no idea why. I was wearing pajama shorts and a t-shirt and a pair of Melissa’s Birkenstocks. And, I clearly had no wallet or ID. Then, I recognized him from the night Melissa and I had gone out. He couldn’t just be letting me in because of Jax, could he?
Didn’t matter. I had a job to do. I scanned the bar, panting from my run, and locked eyes with Jax across the room. He was leaning against his customary table, dabbing at his lip with cocktail napkins. When he saw me, his hand fell to the side.
And then, it was on.
Chapter Seven
Jax
The pleasure I felt at seeing Annabelle storm into the bar in her p.j.’s with fire in her eyes was only matched by the fiery rage that flowed through me, as I watched all the other guys in the bar turn to her. Even guys that had been chatting up girls couldn’t keep their eyes off of the tall redhead who was wearing what was essentially boxers and a t-shirt with no bra on. I clearly wasn’t the only one in the bar she was making hard.
But, she was mine.
I raised my finger and beckoned her; our little game.
She bolted toward me, straight through the dance floor, her hair whipping behind her, and she jumped straight into my arms.
I crashed my mouth against hers, even as my guys began to hoot. She was warm and soft, her lips velvety and generous. I ate it up, feeling her nipples harden through her shirt
against my chest. Our tongues tangled together, and I growled and wound my arms tighter around her, letting her know with my body that I wasn’t letting her go anytime soon.
I pulled back and she looked up at me with half-lidded, lust-filled eyes. It nearly put me over the fucking edge.
“Do you want to get out of here?” Her voice was so soft, and the music was so loud that I nearly missed it. But then again, I could have read the intent that she wore all over her face… all over her damn body.
“Take me to your apartment.”
I dropped her onto her feet and she nodded, grabbing my hand and pulling me along. I caught up to her and slung my arm around her shoulder, giving death glares to all the guys who had stared before. None of them were looking now, and if they knew what was good for them, they wouldn’t ever stare at her again.
We stepped into the street, and she tried to hurry me along. I wasn’t a hurrier. I strolled up to the front of her building, watching as she fumbled with her key in the lock.
“Am I making you nervous?” I asked.
“You always make me nervous,” she muttered.
I grabbed her chin and pulled her face toward mine, tasting her lips again. “Don’t be.”
She blinked and turned back to the lock, turning her key and opening it. We stepped through, and she directed me to the elevator. As we waited for it to come, I snuck a hand under the back of her shorts. Her ass was so firm and round, it was all I could do to resist pulling her shorts down right there and taking a peek.
She smacked my hand away playfully, a grin replacing the look of anxiety she had worn for much of the time I’d known her. I smiled right back. I’d been waiting a long time for this.
The doors to the elevator opened, and we stepped through. She pressed four and, as soon as the doors closed, I crushed her up against the wall; my tongue pushed between her teeth and I pulled a groan from her throat. I fondled her tits over her shirt, the soft cotton of the t-shirt doing little to protect her hard nubs from my exploration. She moaned again, as I teased her, a sound that may as well have sent a shock straight to my balls.