Until Brew

by CC Monroe

  “This is so exciting. I officially feel like an old lady.” JJ laughs with the girls as we men start up our bikes. As I rev the engine, she holds on tighter, leaning to whisper in my ear, “That was hot. Don’t make my hormones too wild.”

  Slightly turning my head, I give her a kiss.

  “Ready?” I direct my question to Dom and Evan. When they nod, I lead the way, and they follow suit.

  We enjoy the sights as we ride along the countryside, enjoying the sunset, the summer breeze, and everything beautiful that Tennessee has to offer. Looking in my side mirror, I watch JJ, and though she has sunglasses on, I can see the wonderment on her face, seeing Tennessee like this. Most would argue with me, but the best sight of all is JJ and watching her enjoy the state she now calls home.

  I no longer find our situation unbelievable or find myself confused on how we got here. Falling in love with JJ was so fucking easy, and building a life with her feels like it was always in the cards. It feels like I’ve known JJ my entire life. She’s my best friend, my woman, the one I would fight a fucking war for. I’d defend her and our child with all I have. When June had a close call a few weeks back, something shifted in me. Needing to know where JJ is at all times has become an obsession and my main focus. I’ve installed even better security on the house. With a great fight, I convinced her to turn on her Find My iPhone.

  There is no world where JJ won’t be mine or could ever leave. I need her. Breathe for her. Weaken my harsh exterior for her. JJ changed me into a better man.

  “All right, we’re here.” The bikes power down where we parked in front of a lake surrounded by mountains and trees. The smell of pine trees fills my nose, and that’s the first thing JJ comments on.

  “It smells so good, and this is beautiful. Ladies, be on watch. They may have brought us out here to kill us,” JJ jokes, and the girls laugh with her. I climb off my bike after she does, and she, Chrystal, and June walk to the water’s edge, while Evan, Dom, and I take out the things we brought for the picnic and fire.

  “Look at us. How did a group of bikers become the kind to do a triple date with a fucking campfire for ambience?” Dom asks.

  “Right. My wife’s family call it ‘the boom.’ They say we change when we meet the right one,” Evan answers.

  “Boom,” I say under my breath, shaking my head.

  “What?” they ask in unison.

  “Nothing. I’ve just been trying to place how the fuck JJ and I came to be like this and so damn fast. Literally, we both changed our lives for one another. Boom. That’s the best word to describe what she did to me.”

  “Yeah, same. Fuck, we need beer. Listen to us talking like a bunch of women.” Dom tries to steer the conversation elsewhere.

  I laugh at his statement. Out of the three of us, he is the least likely to talk about things like this. He can’t seem to open up and admit that it doesn’t make you a pussy to love a woman or have emotions over it. But that’s a fight I’m not going to get wrapped up in.

  “Evan, hurry! You have to come look at this,” June calls. We all look up at the same time. JJ is still taking in the sights, not even paying attention to anything else. City life is really all she’s known, and this place is the polar opposite. Making our way down to the waterline, we set up camp.

  I work on the fire, Evan on the food, and Dom on the drinks. The ladies have taken a seat on three of the logs, chatting, laughing, and cracking jokes about us tending to them.

  Grabbing water and the chili I made, I take it to JJ, and we sit together. She nuzzles in close, wrapping both arms around my bicep.

  “You cold, baby?” The sun has officially set, and the cool breeze has made its way to us.

  “No, not yet. You and the fire are warm. That chili looks amazing.”

  “My mother’s recipe. I can’t say I did it justice, but we can try.” Taking a spoonful, I bring it to her mouth, and the second she tastes it, she moans her appreciation.

  “This is amazing, so if your mom’s tastes better, then I’m convinced she is superwoman.” I laugh.

  “Hey, JJ, tell us about New York. Is it fancy there? My mother is actually from there!” June chirps.

  “How am I just now finding out about this? Yes, it’s fancy but busy, and honestly… dirty. They don’t really keep the city clean. Trash everywhere, and the pollution—don’t even get me started.”

  “That’s what my mother says. She said she could never go back after being here.”

  “Her and I both.” JJ winks at me before taking a bite I offer her and looking back to June.

  “Maybe one day we can do a girls trip there. I kind of miss it sometimes,” Chrystal adds.

  “Oh, that sounds like so much fun!” I stick with water, and Evan and Dom have one beer, then stick to water after that. We make small talk, June, Chrystal, and JJ mainly doing the talking. I get up to go get a blanket, when my phone chimes, warning me that my alarm system at home is going off. I pull up the cameras, and I see a figure dressed in all black and a ski mask, running from my porch, into the street, and out of sight.

  “Fuck!”

  “What? What’s wrong?” JJ asks, standing and rushing over to me.

  “Someone just broke into the house. I need to run home and check it out. You stay here with everyone. I’ll be back.” As I slip my phone into my pocket and climb on my bike, JJ grabs my arm.

  “No, you can’t go alone. I’ll go with.” She tries to climb on, but I stop her.

  “Baby, I got this. I’ll call Deacon to meet me. You stay here and stay safe. I can’t worry about you and the baby and something happening.” We lock eyes, and I know my answer isn’t what she wanted to hear, but she doesn’t have a choice. I won’t risk it.

  “Guys, I’ll be back. Watch JJ.” They don’t ask questions; I get a nod and give JJ a long kiss. Pulling away, I grasp her neck gently. “I will be okay. I love you, and I’ll be back. Promise.” She nods, fear still eating her up, and it takes great strength to back out and leave her. Tonight was supposed to be the night I proposed, and now I have to do this shit. That fucker better hope he is long gone when I get home.

  Waiting to turn on the highway as cars pass, I text Deacon.

  Me: 911. My house. Now. I’ll be there in ten.

  And like I said, I’m home in ten minutes, Deacon already there. Shutting down the bike, I meet him at my wide-open door.

  “What the fuck happened?”

  “Break in. It showed them running off once the alarmed sounded, but I don’t know if they came back or are watching the place. Check around the outside and the guesthouse. I’m going to check inside,” I tell him, and at the same time, we draw the guns we always carry on us.

  “Got it. Careful, brother,” Deacon replies.

  “Same to you.” I enter, my gun pointed straight out, and I call out, “If you’re still in here, I will pull the fucking trigger if you try anything. Give it up.”

  There is no noise. I check the entire house, but nothing is touched, as if no one even made it past the front door. I soon realize that I’m wrong when I get to the bedroom and see it is torn apart. JJ’s clothes are everywhere, and the walls are spray-painted. The saying left from the perpetrator making my skin crawl and boil to the point of no return.

  “Hey, we were clear out there— Holy shit,” Deacon announces himself, stopping next to me and reading the red paint above our bed.

  Next time, bitch. You are dead.

  “Fuck,” Deacon hisses, putting his hand on my shoulder, a failed attempt to comfort me. I shrug him off, standing straight, and I bark out an order. “Call the boys. I want this place cleaned up and the walls painted. I’m taking JJ away. She can’t fucking know about this.”

  I know who it was.

  Lacey.

  No doubt in my mind. That woman won’t stop until forced to, and I’m at the point that I plan to enforce it. “Also, handle Lacey. Threaten her and her family if she keeps this shit up. Call me when this is all done.”

  �
�Got it, boss. Where are you and JJ going?”

  “New York.” I move around, taking any clothes of hers that I can find, packing her a bag, and doing the same with my things. Climbing in the truck, I leave Deacon as he makes calls and works on the mess.

  I’m back to JJ in just over an hour, and she is at my door by the time I park. “Baby! Is everything okay?” Everyone follows behind her, meeting me at the hood of the truck. June and Chrystal are on each side of her. I have to lie. I can’t scare JJ right now. We are going to finish this night, and then we are going to get in the car and drive to New York. I can’t wait to talk to doctor about flying, and to be honest, I need us out of here as soon as possible.

  “Yes, just an intruder. Everything was fine, no permanent damage. Where were we?” I shrug it off, leaving JJ speechless, her brows furrowed as though she can’t believe me.

  When I give Evan and Dom a look, they take their ladies back to the fire, leaving us for a moment.

  “Brew, what happened? I can tell something is wrong. Was it Lacey?” The mention of her name fills me with rage. The threat left on the walls I share with my woman has made me volatile. How dare she threaten JJ, threaten what’s mine?

  “No, baby, it’s fine. Everything is fine. Let’s go back to enjoying our night. It was just an intruder.” I’m doing my best to hide this from her, but hiding means lying to JJ, and I’m no damn good at that. Questioning me with her eyes, debating if I’m telling the truth, she doesn’t say anything for a few seconds.

  Finally, she prompts, “Promise?”

  Fuck.

  “Yes.” I won’t say promise, because that is a guilt I can’t carry.

  “Okay. I’m just glad you’re all right.”

  “Of course. Come on now, let’s finish the night and enjoy the company we have. We don’t get to do this often.”

  JJ has taken the past couple of weeks off, looking for an office to start up her business. Hanna is finishing up the previous project, and her team are heading back to New York soon. In just a week, JJ will be starting a project on a cabin in a nearby neighborhood—not too far from here, actually. It’s hidden in the pines. We’ve been busy with work and life, and tonight, I want her to focus on her friends and take a moment to breathe.

  “So, JJ was just telling us that Hanna might be coming out here to work for her,” June catches me up on what I missed out on. My brows rise, the mess at my house fighting to resurface from the back of my mind. But I bury it down.

  “Oh really? And that’s all to help you, baby?”

  Biting her lip, she smirks. “Yes, of course.” God, this gorgeous woman is terrible at hiding the truth.

  “Hmm. Deacon told me that he’s been talking to her. You sure that’s it?”

  “Oh my God!” June laughs.

  “Seriously? Deacon?” Chrystal adds, shocked, since she knows Deacon as well as we do.

  “Okay, so they may be talking—a lot, but I think it’s cute. She’s all sweet and giddy, and he’s this take-no-shit biker, and they’re totally smitten. But don’t you dare tell Deacon I said that, Brew Axton, or you will not get me for a long while,” I growl.

  “Don’t get any ideas, baby, you can’t keep yourself from me,” Evan adds.

  June’s eyes widen like saucers. “Evan! That’s so inappropriate.”

  “No, it ain’t. I wouldn’t let Chrystal do that. Besides, she’s the one who wouldn’t be able to follow through. You can’t get enough of me, can you, baby?” Dom nips at his woman’s ear, and she hollers and slaps his chest, and suddenly, he stands, picking her up and tossing her over his shoulder.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, it’s that time of night where I take this little naughty thing home. I would say I’d love to stay, but really, I’d rather be at home with this minx.” As he slaps her ass, she kicks her legs, laughing hysterically.

  “Put me down! Oh my God, this is so embarrassing!”

  “I think I just might follow suit. You ready to go, baby?” Evan asks June, kissing her neck sweetly. I look over at JJ, and her face is lit with pure joy. This is what she loves, seeing her friends so happy.

  “You plan to take back that statement?” June crosses her arms and looks at him. Leaning in, he whispers in her ear so we can’t hear what he says, and she’s up instantly.

  “Um, it was fun tonight. Sorry you had to miss it, Brew! Next time?”

  I nod, standing and giving Evan a handshake and pat on the shoulder. JJ gives June and Evan a hug, waving them off as they go.

  “So, it’s just us,” JJ says the moment the bikes can no longer be heard, and the crackling of the dying fire mixes in with the sounds of the crickets.

  “It is. Come here.” I pull her into my lap, needing to be close to my woman. Sitting on my knee, she’s in the perfect position for me to rub her stomach. Placing my hand atop where our child is growing, I look at the flickers of fire mirroring in her eyes. My fuck, she is beautiful.

  “I love you. You know that, right?” I ask her, kissing her chin, her neck, her lips, and anywhere else I can.

  “Of course, and I love you. What’s going on, Brew? I see it in your eyes. You can tell me anything. Please don’t hide things from me now.” Those orbs of ember peer into my soul, and I decide to only tell her what I know for sure. She’s right. Lying will get us nowhere, and I would hate for her to ever have to lie to me.

  “I don’t know much, but someone broke into our house, and I believe it was Lacey.” I expect to find fear in her expression, but instead, I’m met with anger, annoyance, and dare I say volatility like I had when I saw what she had done.

  “Why will she not leave you alone? Is she always going to be in our lives? Coming around when the baby is finally here? I don’t think I would be able to live where she has access to our child.”

  “What does that mean, JJ?” My voice becomes less soft.

  “Exactly what I’m saying. I will not live somewhere she can just show up. She’s crazy, Brew, and I’m not going back to that house.”

  “That house? That is our home, JJ.”

  She stands, and I don’t stop her. “No, it’s your home, one you shared with her before and that she clearly thinks she still owns.”

  “So, you’re telling me you’re leaving me? Is that what you’re saying?” My fists go pale as I tighten them, my heart rate skyrocketing

  “No, God. Why would you think that? You’re the father of my child. I wouldn’t leave you.”

  “Is that all I am?” I ask, hurt by her statement.

  “Brew, no! What the hell is going on? I’ve never seen you so irrational. You’re the love of my life. I can’t live without you,” she tells me, her voice matching mine.

  “Then prove it. Fucking prove to me that you are mine, JJ, and you aren’t going to run from me.”

  She scoffs. “Are you serious, Brew? I changed my life for you. I met you and fell in love with you faster than it takes someone to change their clothes. I quit my job to be with you and left my life behind in New York, and that isn’t enough? To top it off, I’m pregnant with our child!” Bending, she grabs some of the things we brought, then heads for the truck.

  “Where the hell do you think you’re going? Get your sweet ass back here, JJ.”

  “No, not when you’re being an ass!” JJ hollers over her shoulder. I move fast, on her before she can open the passenger side of my truck, caging her in. Her front is to my truck, but her back is pushed up against my front.

  “Take me back to the house. I don’t want to do this tonight. You have made this such a terrible night. This was supposed to be romantic, and you are being a complete ass about everything.” Hearing the crack in her voice, I know she’s crying. What the fucking hell has come over me? I am being an ass, but why to her? She doesn’t deserve it. She deserves none of this.

  Waving the white flag, I move her hair to one side of her neck, instantly latching my lips to the soft skin when my path is clear. Putting my hands around her, I place them over our deepest connection. Ou
r biggest proof that we are one together and we can’t let Lacey get in our way.

  “Baby, fuck. I’m so damn sorry.” I kiss, suck, and lick her neck, tasting her sweet skin.

  “Why would you say such awful things?” she cries.

  “Because I’m angry that someone is coming between us. I’m mad, because I’m so damn in love with you and can’t get enough of you. I’m pissed that I love you so much.”

  “You don’t think I feel the same way? I didn’t need anyone, and now I need you and our child more than anything.” She places her hands over mine and cranes her neck to meet my lips, kissing me with a hunger as equally needful as mine.

  “You really love me?” I ask between gasps of air.

  “Yes, I do. What can I do to prove it to you? Please tell me. Don’t make me beg. It’s not who I am.”

  “Marry me. Be mine. Take my last name and let me fucking own you, possess you, and control you in ways that you want.”

  She whimpers, kissing my bottom lip and nipping at it. “Yes. I’ll marry you right now. This moment. The second you want, I’m yours, Brew.” Turning in my arms, she jumps, placing her arms around my neck, crying into our continued kiss. Each time our tongues touch, we both moan, wanting each other past the point of physical. It’s a soul-deep need and a crazy love that shouldn’t have happened but did.

  “You need me, don’t you?” I challenge her, needing that last bit of the independent JJ to break under me, to yield and fall at my feet. I already did that for her, and now it’s her turn.

  “Yes.” This time, she dips her head in the crook of my neck and starts sucking at my skin. I hope she’s marking me. Goddamn, do I ever.

  “You have to say that I own you and you’re mine. I won’t stop until you do.”

  “You don’t have to ask me. I’m yours, damn it, Brew. I’m all yours, and I’m not going to ever let another man have me. Ever. You’ve destroyed every part of me for any other man.”