Chapter Fourteen

Talon

Iwake at the crack of dawn because we slept half the day yesterday, and all night. I'm itching to get out of bed and do something productive with my life. But I stay right where I am, because I don't want Kelly to wake up alone and confused in a new place.

Yesterday was a roller-coaster of emotions for me. I'm growing hardcore feelings for her but a nice strong hatred for the fucking prick who put his hands on her. I'm glad that I checked up to make certain she arrived at work safely yesterday. If I hadn't done it, the crazy fucker who abducted her would have made a clean getaway. God only know what he had in his handy bag of tricks in the way of persuading her to tell him what happened to the woman he's clearly been abusing.

I was torn last night between staying beside Kelly to protect her, and leaving her to join my club brothers in tracking the fucker down and giving him the dirt nap he so richly deserves. In the end, she needed me more than I needed to put a bullet in his brain. So, Jerod Cooper survived another day.

I wasn't joking about turning my club brothers loose on his ass. Since my phone hadn't jingled overnight, I'm fairly certain he hasn't been caught. We would never give up tracking him. Lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling I vow to myself that no matter what, Cooper was going down.

When a soft hand moves over my chest, I realize that Kelly's naked body is pressed against my side. It's the soft glide of her skin against mine that draws my notice.

"Aren't you an enthusiastic cuddler today, especially while being all glorious and naked underneath the blanket."

She makes a faint snort of amusement.

"If you don't want me close, just say so and I'll give you some space."

"Just slowing my roll, darlin' like you wanted," I shoot back with a grin. I can feel my cock stiffening at the thought of her body. Yesterday, when I helped her in the shower, I wasn't in the right headspace to appreciate her curves and to do so would seem like I was perving on her—but today, now she's rested and playful? Fair game.

Her hand rests on my chest, and it feels like her fingers are burning a trail, "I can stop doing this if you want?"

"Oh hell no, I like all your soft skin caressing my body. It's giving me a huge boner though, so you might have to do some avoidance maneuvers if he gets too friendly."

"Or I could paint a bull's eye between my legs, so he knows what to aim for," she says, raising her eyebrow teasingly.

I choke out a laugh because I was not expecting such a bold response from this sweet little social worker who tends to blush when I flirt with her. I quickly realize she's being bold because we're not looking each other in the eyes. That's all kinds of cute.

I murmur, "You're turning out to be easy to talk to. I've never had such an easy-going conversation with a woman. I'm glad you decided to give me a chance after giving me the cold shoulder at the park that night."

"We were strangers when we met in the park, plus I was in pain. We know each other better now and are working for a common cause. It makes sense that the conversation between us would flow better."

I decide to tease her, "You didn't warm up to me because you thought I was a homeless person."

Her head pops up so she can look at me and she gives a smirk, "I prefer making out in beds, not tents." Her expression turns serious, "That was wrong of me. Sometimes when your main tool is a hammer, everything looks like a nail."

I flat out grin. "And I guess when your tool is social working, every person you meets seems like someone in need of your help."

"You're a sexy man with an amazing sense of humor. That makes you unique."

"Yeah, I'm all kinds of amazing. Stop stalling and tell me about us spending the day in bed."

Her hand starts to move a little lower.

"You sure you're interested in me, or this some kind of thank you fuck?"

"I think you deserve both."

"Do I, now?" Truth be told, most women have wanted something from me. Club girls want the status of becoming an old lady and all the gifts and material support that comes from being chosen by a brother. My wife and her sister wanted to use me as an ATM. I'd say this sweet woman is the first who admitted to being interested in me as a person, but also wanted to give me pleasure as a thank you after the fact.

As if needing to convince me further, she states earnestly. "I'm really glad I met you and not just because you're useful when it comes to keeping me alive."

Something loosens in my chest. "I see this as a mutually beneficial situation. You know, you're saving my ass by proving an honest alibi for the time period when my wife was murdered. I might have wound up in jail at some point if it weren't for you agreeing to come forward."

Her expression morphs into one of regret. "I'm sorry I dragged my feet about it. I guess I was just scared to get involved in case her killer decided to eliminate me. I just didn't know at the time that I'd be the one to bring danger into your life."

"Danger and I are not strangers, not by any stretch of the imagination. Once you give your statement and sign off on that deposition in front of the police, it'll be a done deal when it comes to danger from my situation. I don't think whoever killed Sandra would benefit from killing you even if they were trying to set me up."

"I'm glad to hear that."

I give a sigh, because there's another possibility, "If that's the case then they'd probably just trying and take me out instead."

As soon as the words leave my mouth, I realize I shouldn't have vocalized my inner concerns. She fixes me with a concerned look and says, "I know you're trying to sooth my worries but all this talk about morally bankrupt men is ratcheting up my anxiety, especially if you've got a target on your back. Do you mind if we talk about something else?"

"Like what?" I say immediately.

She surprises me by jumping the conversation all the way into left field. "During our brief encounters in the past you seemed the pushy type. But not when I was naked in the shower, you were totally respectful."

"I might look like a rough biker, fuck, I am a rough biker, but I respect women. I'm attracted to women who are enthusiastic partners. I'm not desperate enough or despicable enough to make a move on an injured, traumatized woman who's barely hanging onto her calm. Only predators get off on that kind of evil shit."

"I'm only just starting to get to know you, but even I can tell you don't fit into that category." Running her finger along the edge of the blanket, she lowers her eyes. "I remember you saying your marriage had been dead for a long time and you're open to looking for a new relationship."

I did indeed say something to that effect, when we were in her kitchen having coffee. I do my best to clarify my stance. "Yeah, I don't know that I'm ready to jump right into a long-term relationship just yet, rebound relationships are always a mistake, but I'd love to find someone who was willing to take things slow."

Her eyes lift to mine, and she asks, "Do you worry that you might be trying to replace your deceased wife with another woman?"

"Not at all. Once I realized my wife never loved me and had been cheating on me this whole time, I was able to let go of any obligations I felt towards her. I see my club brothers in good relationships with supportive women, and that's what I want too. I want to find a woman who likes me for me, not what I can provide for her materially."

She encourages me to elaborate. "Tell me more about what you're looking for in a woman."

"My club brothers have found smart, educated women who are loyal and looking to settle down. That's a far cry from what I had before. I like women who are kindhearted, respectful and will let me take care of them and protect them. Being a protector is a big part of my personality."

"It sounds like you want a good, decent woman who has set personal goals for herself. That seems like easy criteria for a woman to meet."

"One would think good women would be a dime a dozen. My experience has been just the opposite, most of the club girls that hang around the clubhouse either want a good time with a brother they can walk away from guilt free the next morning, or are hoping to wind up in a property cut. Many women in my world have lots of chaos going on and an agenda of their own. I'm sick as fuck of always having to be on guard and trying to figure out what they really want. It's exhausting. I want honest and uncomplicated."

"Don't we all. I hate endless drama and chronic attention seekers get on my last nerve," she states with a frown.

"If I end up in another serious relationship, the woman will need to understand that I work for my money. I own a construction firm and although I have a site manager, I still work a standard forty-hour work week. That means I'm not available to run around all day with them or take vacations every other week."

"Were those problem areas with your wife?"

"Yeah. She was always wanting to travel, go out clubbing and every other thing under the sun."

"I remember you saying she didn't work. That means she probably had a lot of time on her hands. If your new partner had a job, they'd be working as well."

I shrug. "That's true." Smoothing down my beard, I point out, "Then there is the whole MC thing."

"I already know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Savage Legion is one of the most important things in your life."

"Damn straight it is. That's a deal breaker for a lot of women."

Her gaze turns assessing, "I know you love your club and your club brothers. You said your club wasn't a one percent club and that you were all law-abiding citizens, so that shouldn't be off putting for a woman."

"It doesn't matter what we say, lots of women can't get their head around the difference between law abiding clubs and one percent clubs."

"Well, you don't have to worry about that with me. I can plainly see your club is made up of decent men."

I feel like I've got to come clean with this woman, "We are decent, but sometimes we do things that might not be so decent."

She looks puzzled.

Shit, this woman almost sounds like she's trying to interview for guest spot as my next old lady. That shoots my anxiety through the roof, and I don't know exactly why. Kelly is a keeper by any man's standards, but I've got to let her know that we ain't no choir boys.

"Our club has to pick up the slack when the Las Salinas PD drops the ball. So far we've had to bust a crime syndicate and track down a man stalking one of the women associated with our club. Sometimes things turn nasty. I've killed in the past, and if my club or any of my brothers or their families are in danger I would not hesitate to do it again."

She gasps and I wonder if I've blown any chance with her. "I can see why a lot of women would feel some kind of way about bedding down with a killer."

"In my own defense, they were some of the worst people on the planet, we're talking about child abusers. It doesn't excuse me for putting a bullet through their head, but they were remorseless. If I'd gotten my hands on Cooper, I wouldn't have killed him, but I'd probably had given him the beatdown of a lifetime for abducting you."

"I suppose you have a right to protect yourself and the people you love. That falls into the category of self-defense. I try not to be judgmental about self-defense. From what I know of you, I don't think you'd ever take a human life if there was another option."

"Of course not. We're pretty clear on the difference between self-defense and murder. We ain't doing anything we don't have to do in order to survive. Our club doesn't run drugs or guns. We aren't into human trafficking of any kind. Nor are we thieves. We run legitimate businesses. Like I said earlier, I own a construction company. Smoke's an attorney, Tank has a tattoo shop, we've all got our own legitimate trades."

"I'm sure you're a good man and a hard worker who looks out for the people he cares about."

I shoot her an indulgent smile. "You'd best dial back all the compliments, sweetheart. Being all cute and understanding makes me want to throw you into a property cut and call it day."

"I'm not sure I know what that is," Kelly responds with a furrowed brow. She's cute when she's confused and trying to figure shit out.

"A property cut is exactly what it sounds like. You've seen the black vests that Mattie and Cleo wear. What you might not have noticed is that they say Property of Rigs and Property of Siege, respectively. I know it sounds antiquated but it's a longstanding tradition of our club and many other MCs, that our old ladies are covered in club protection. There ain't many people in this town who would bother a woman wearing their man's cut. Despite what's on the vest, we don't own them, but it's more of a warning to anyone who might disrespect them."

"Well, I can tell you that both Mattie and Cleo seemed really proud of their leather vests."

"Yeah, they are a credit to the brothers who covered them." Pausing for a minute, I look into her approving face. "You know, they're both social workers, like you."

Shock registered on her face. "I'm nothing like Mattie and Cleo. They're pretty high up in the pecking order. I just graduated from college a year ago and only recently got my social work license. I hope to be where they are one day but if I make it, it won't be for a long time. They've earned the respect of almost everyone in the tri-county area."

I tilt my head slightly, trying to figure out if what she's saying is true. Since Mattie is now in charge of Salinas County Child Protective Services office instead of just a department manager, I can see how other social workers might look up to her. Cleo is her right hand. I just never gave much thought to their career trajectory.

While I'm lost in thought, Kelly is taking about some ethics course they teach at an annual social work convention and how everyone loves their class because they get something called continuing education credits and they have to earn so many each year in order to continue having a social work license.

She slowly winds down. "Sorry, I got a bit carried away. I love my job and I guess my enthusiasm shows at awkward times. I didn't mean to bore you."

I lean over and drop a kiss on her forehead and pull back to smile at her. "I think it's adorable how you love helping people in need. It means you have a good heart. Also, I'm fascinated by hearing about how your discipline works. A lot more goes into being a social worker than I imagined."

She gives me an indulgent smile. "Yeah, we're heavily regulated because we're working with vulnerable people."

"Well, I admire the work you do and want to help you get back to it as soon as possible. How are you feeling today? Ready to get back in the saddle or do you want to take it easy for another day?"

"It's my weekend to work. I'm going to need to motivate myself to get with the program, although I'd like nothing more than to spend the day in bed cuddling you."

"Would it interest you to know that Cleo and Mattie are going to begin volunteering at your shelter? Your friend Belinda is showing them the ropes later this morning. After hearing what happened, and knowing Anabel's story, they thought CPS should have a better understanding of the women's shelters. Plus, after what happened to you, they thought you needed the weekend off."

Shock registers on her pretty face. I press her backwards onto the bed and crawl over her. "Want to tell me more about you'd rather say in bed and cuddle me all day?"