Chapter 3

THREE

SMOKE

Stepping into my hotel room, I remove my cut before I rip off my shirt and then fall onto the bed. I need to get up and take off my boots and get in the shower so I can meet up with the guys and tell them about the property, but my thoughts are too consumed with her.

Kelly.

Goddamn, is she perfect. My cock twitches as I think about how her cheeks were flushed and her eyes shimmered after riding on the back of my bike, and I didn’t miss the way she rubbed her curvy body against mine as we rode.

My hand moves down and flicks open the button on my jeans. Lifting my hips, I free myself and grab my cock. Slowly, I jerk myself as I think about her.

She is innocent, and that is part of the draw, but it’s more than that. It’s like the moment I saw her, I knew she was special. It’s like this little voice in the back of my head whispered mine.

Just like now. I’m squeezing my dick, stroking it over and over again, and the only thing I want to think about is her. The way she felt pressed against my back. Her hands hovering right above my dick as if teasing me the entire ride. God, I didn’t want to let her off my bike. I almost kissed her right there in front of her office.

I remember the way she bit her lip. As if she wanted it as much as I did. I bet her lips would be soft, plump. They would look so good wrapped around my cock.

My dick jerks in my hand as I think about her on her knees, peering up at me with those wide eyes, her pink lips spread around my cock as I fuck her face until she couldn’t breathe.

She would be soaking wet for me. She would beg for me.

I can almost hear her voice.

“Jax.”

My cock starts twitching as I come into the tissues I snatched up from the nightstand. My dick keeps jerking until it is spent. I even feel a little dizzy.

Motherfucker, that was good. I don’t remember the last time I came that hard. Grunting, I sit up and lean forward, unlacing my boots. On the way to the bathroom, I kick off my jeans. I don’t even wait for the shower to heat up as I step inside. I hiss when the cold water hits me, cooling me down.

While I wash my body, I think about her.

What is she doing right now?

What is it about her that pulls me in?

Getting out of the shower, I quickly dry off and wrap the towel around my hips. I head back into the bedroom and pick up my discarded jeans and dig my phone out of my pocket. I pull up her number that she gave me before I left her office and hit call. It rings three times before her sweet voice fills the line.

“Hello?” she asks, sounding distracted.

“This a good time?”

“J-jax?”

“Yeah, dollface?”

She clears her throat. “Hi, what can I do for you?”

“This a good time?” I ask again.

“Of course. Sorry, I was just feeding the cat that lives outside of my apartment building.” She pauses. “I don’t know why I just told you that.”

I can’t help but smile even though she can’t see me.

Again, she’s fucking adorable.

“Tell me, do you have plans tonight?”

“No, why?”

“Well, I was hoping I could take you out.”

She’s so quiet for a minute that I pull the phone away from my face to make sure that the call is still connected.

“You there, Kelly?” I ask when I bring it back to my face.

“Yes,” she quietly groans. “Yeah, still here.”

“So you wanna go out with me or not?”

“You want to go out…with me?” She sounds so hesitant, like she can’t believe I would ask.

I’m going to change that. By the time I’m done with her, there is no way she will believe a man wouldn’t want to be with her. By then, though, she will only want one man. Me. Her old man.

“I do.” I say quickly.

“Okay…” she says slowly. “Yeah, I think I would like that.”

“Good. How about you send me your address, and I’ll pick you up in an hour. That work for you?” I ask her.

“Yeah, that works for me.”

“Awesome, and dollface, make sure you wear a pair of jeans, yeah?” I tell her, remembering her cute little outfit from earlier.

While adorable, not the best riding outfit.

“I can do that,” she says softly before hanging up.

I toss my phone onto the bed and hurry up and get dressed. After putting on my boots, I head into the bathroom and check myself out in the mirror before grabbing my cut and phone off the bed. I head to the room next door that Gunner is staying in and knock.

“Come on in,” he says as he opens the door.

“What’s up, Prez?” Bear asks.

Shit. It’s still weird hearing the guys call me Prez, and I don’t know if I will ever get used to it.

“I have some news,” I tell the guys.

“What’s up?” Tank says.

“I put in an offer on a place today.”

“Which one?” Gunner asks as he leans against the wall next to me.

“It’s the one with two shops and eleven acres. One shop is completely bare inside, but it has a prefabbed kitchen and a bathroom. If we throw up some walls, we can turn it into a clubhouse. Dollface said that it shouldn’t be hard to expand when the time comes. Then the other shop has a bunch of tools already, and from what I could tell, all in good condition. The thing I liked about it is it already had a perimeter fence.”

“Who’s dollface?” Bear asks.

“His woman,” Gunner says before I can speak.

My woman. I like the sound of that.

“So we’re setting up shop here, huh?” Tank asks as he leans back on the bed and crosses his ankles.

“Seriously, motherfucker, get your dirty boots off my bed,” Gunner gripes.

“I know I should have talked to you guys about it first, but it feels right,” I tell them.

Gunner nods. “I agree. I think we can settle down and set up shop here without a problem.”

“I like the area,” Bear adds.

“Same,” Tank says.

“Mac, what do you think?” I ask our most quiet member.

“I’m good with it.” Mac nods.

“Awesome. Now I have some things I was hoping you guys could do for me before I go out.”

“Name it,” Tank says as he swings his legs off the bed.

“What do you want us to do?” Gunner asks.

Gratitude fills me that they will do whatever I need, zero questions asked. This is what being a brother is all about, and as far as I’m concerned, I have the best ones around.

Kelly

With shaking hands, I pick up my lipstick and apply it as best as I can, only for it to slightly smear on the corner of my mouth.

“Dammit,” I mumble as I put the lid back on the nude lipstick.

I take a deep breath to try and calm my nerves as I fix my mistake. Taking a step back, I pull on the front of my shirt before running my hands over my jeans-clad hips.

I don’t know what it is about Jax, but he makes me nervous. Not because he’s a little rough around the edges, but because there’s just something about him that pulls me in. It’s like he’s a tornado, and I’m standing in his path. I only hope he doesn’t spit me out and leave me worse for wear when he leaves.

If he leaves.

He is buying a property in town. That means he probably won’t leave. Right?

Would that be better or worse, though? Having this man in my life for a little bit then having him leave or knowing that once he breaks whatever this is off that he will be right down the street?

Shaking my head, I head to the kitchen and grab my small crossbody purse and make sure I put my cards and ID inside. Usually I wouldn’t be so reckless. I’ve dated before, sure, but never for long. Usually I’m leery with men and can never find myself relaxing in their presence.

Yet with Jax, it’s different. I want to throw caution to the wind with him. For some reason, I feel safe with him. Knowing that he’s part of an MC should scare me off, but it doesn’t. I believe him when he says he won’t hurt me.

As I zip my purse shut, I hear a knock on the door.

This is it.

I put the strap over my head and walk toward the door. Reaching forward, I open it, and my breath catches when I see him. He’s not classically beautiful. He isn’t wearing some suit and tie, ready to wine and dine me. No. Instead, he is wearing practically the same thing he was wearing earlier. He’s just ruggedly handsome.

“Hey, dollface. Are you ready to go?” he rasps.

“Hi, just let me lock up.” My cheeks already feel warm.

Why did I think this was a good idea? The guy has me embarrassing myself left and right.

I step forward, shutting the door behind me. Quickly, I unzip my purse and pull my keys out. He takes them from my hand and locks the door for me before ushering me to his bike.

“Did you borrow a helmet from someone?” I ask.

Jax shakes his head as he picks up the helmet. “Nah, I made a stop on my way over and grabbed this for you.”

It’s a pretty yellow color. A color that I love. The same one I told him about when he asked me what was my favorite earlier.

“Y-you bought me a helmet?” I stammer.

“I did. I figured if I’m going to have you on the back of my bike, you should have one that fits you.” He smiles like he is so proud.

“That’s so sweet. I’ll pay you for it,” I say as I reach for my bag.

Jax scoffs. “Absolutely not. It’s not a big deal.”

“Really, I don’t mind. I’m sure it was expensive.” I’m still messing with my bag, but his hand covers mine.

Jax pulls me into his body and tips my chin up, forcing me to look at him. “Let’s get one thing straight, dollface. When we’re together, you won’t spend a penny. Anything you need, I’m buying. Now be a good girl and let me put this on you so we can head out and grab some food, yeah?”

That shouldn’t do it for me, but it does. Somehow his demanding tone has me ready to melt into a puddle for him.

“Yeah,” I answer wistfully.

With a smile playing on his lips, he pulls away and places the helmet on my head and buckles it before putting his on. He swings his leg over his bike and sits down.

“You know, it’s kind of hard to believe that only this morning was the first time I rode on a bike,” I tell him as I get on.

“You like it though, yeah?” he asks as he squeezes my leg with one hand.

“I do. Where are we going?”

“Do you trust me?”

“Yes.”

Jax smiles over his shoulder. “Then just hold on and enjoy the ride.”

“I think I can do that,” I say as I wrap my arms around his waist.

Jax turns on the bike and takes off. Thanks to the time of day, the ride is a little more stop-and-go because of traffic, but it’s enjoyable nonetheless. All too soon, we pull into a little beachside restaurant, and he cuts the engine.

“Have you ever been here?”

I shake my head. “Never.”

Hand in hand, we walk into the restaurant. There’s a sign by the door that tells guests to seat themselves, and Jax leads me to a table outside.

“I’ll be right with you,” a server with a tray of food for another table says as she passes.

“Take your time,” Jax tells her as he pulls out a chair for me.

“Thank you,” I say softly.

“You’re welcome,” he says before sitting.

The server comes over and hands us menus and takes our drink order before running off.

“This place is cute. How did you hear about it?” I ask.

“Gunner and I rode by here the other day. I have a soft spot for mom-and-pop type places.”

“Me too.”

“So, do you think we should do it?” he asks as he scoots down in his chair, making himself comfortable.

“Do what?”

“The typical date thing. Ask all the boring questions like what’s your favorite color until we get down to the important things.”

I chuckle and shake my head. “You make it sound so appealing. Besides, you already know my favorite color.”

He shrugs, and I don’t miss the way the corners of his mouth tip up.

“Okay, well…my birthday is March first, I’m twenty-two, and I’m a Pisces. My favorite color is yellow, as you already know. I know how to drive a stick shift, and I’ve only ever lived here in Pensacola.”

“Interesting,” he says as he nods. “Well, My birthday is April sixteenth, so that makes me an Aries. I like the color black, but I’m pretty fond of the shade of pink your cheeks get when you blush. I also know how to drive a manual, and I’m from Boston.”

I lean forward and rest my chin on my hand. “I’ve always wanted to go to Boston.”

“Yeah? Maybe I could take you sometime.”

“I’d like that,” I say softly as the server comes back.

She drops off our drinks and takes our food order before moving onto another table.

The longer we talk, the more I feel like we’ve known each other forever. Being with Jax feels natural. He pays for dinner, and he drives us home with one hand on the handlebars with the other covering my hands on his stomach.

He comes to a stop and shuts off the bike. Jax walks me to my door, and I fish my keys out of my purse.

“Would you like to come in?” I ask as my nerves come back.

I want him to say yes, but at the same time I know it would be best if he didn’t. It’s too soon to move this fast.

Jax pulls me into his arms and brushes his fingers along the side of my face.

“I would love to, but not tonight. I want to make sure I do this right with you.”

“Okay.” I nod.

“Are you going to let me kiss you though?”

“I think you should,” I say, breathlessly.

I close my eyes as he leans in, his lips covering mine. His lips are softer than I thought they would be, and I love it.

All too soon, he pulls away and rests his forehead on mine. “I’ll see you soon, dollface.”

“Okay.”

He kisses me one more time. “Go inside before I forget to be a gentleman.”

I open my door and slip inside. While resting my head on the door, I flip the lock and sigh.

He’s the one. I don’t know how I know it, but I do.