Of course, returning to Lawrence and the Hensleys was no better. Lawrence refused to let me have more than two glasses of wine. Not only did I have to tolerate the dreadful company, but I also had to do it sober. I was contemplating faking a violent case of diarrhea when a regal looking middle-aged woman approached us. She introduced herself as Mrs. Jacquelyn Kingsley Marks. Recognition dawned upon hearing her name.
Mrs. Marks had been friends with my mother. I hadn’t seen her in years, well before Mom died. I had finished high school early and was off to college immediately so I could get away from Lawrence. Everyone seemed to have scattered from Mom’s life when Lawrence entered the picture.
Much to my delight, Mrs. Marks all but ignored Lawrence and focused her attention on me. “Keegan, you may not remember me, but your mother and I were good friends once upon a time. My, you have grown into a beautiful young woman,” she gushed.
I beamed, “Of course, I remember you. What a pleasant surprise seeing you here tonight. Tell me, how have you been?”
She grinned and focused on Lawrence, “My apologies for interrupting, Senator. My excitement at seeing Keegan got the better of my manners. Please excuse us so we may catch up without disrupting your evening any further,” she drawled.
She pulled me toward her table, and we spent the rest of the evening catching up and sharing fond memories of my mother. Something over my shoulder caught her attention. She looked at me, winked, and said, “Watch this.” I watched in awe as she walked alongside Lawrence toward the front of the building, all the while talking his ear off. Before I knew it, she had gotten him to agree to let me join her for a nightcap. He left with no argument, and suddenly, I found myself staring at the mystery man from the dance floor only to soon learn he was Jacquelyn’s son. Mortified didn't even begin to describe how I felt when she caught us kissing in the limousine, but to be frank, I was also seriously disappointed at the interruption. Never in my life had I been kissed like that, with such passion and need. I didn’t have a lot of experience with men, but I was no virgin either. Maybe it was his mysterious persona that made the kiss feel electric.
Jacquelyn didn’t allow any discomfort to take root. She joked with her son about catching him in the backseat of a car with a girl and then continued talking as if nothing had happened. Jacob sat silently, but I could tell he was listening intently to the conversation I was having with his mother.
“I see no reason to keep up the formalities now that we are in familiar company,” she said with a wink. “So, tell me, is Lawrence still the pompous jack ass he was when he married your mother?”
I gasped, “You didn’t like Lawrence?”
“I hope I haven’t offended you, dear, but no, I most certainly did not like him. I tried to talk your mother out of marrying him. I’ve often wondered if that’s the real reason we drifted apart,” she mused.
“No, you haven’t offended me in the slightest. I can’t stand the man, but I have to tolerate him in order to see Gabriella. If I do something he doesn’t like, or don’t do something he has ordered me to do, he won’t let me see her,” I said, not intending to blurt out my business to a woman I hadn’t seen in years. Although, she felt like family more than anyone had since Mom’s death, with the exception of Gabriella.
“I see. What sorts of things does Lawrence ask of you?” she asked gently.
“Tonight’s a prime example. He insisted that I attend the charity ball, more or less as Preston Hensley’s date,” I said, noticing how Jacob seemed to shift uncomfortably when I mentioned Preston.
“And you’re not interested in the Hensley boy?” she asked, grinning mischievously.
I wrinkled my nose, “Not in the slightest. Lawrence is pushing for me to date him, and I don’t want to, but I’ll have to play along until I figure something out, or he gets bored with this plan and moves on to something else.”
“Tell me, dear, are you still living at home?”
I shook my head, “I haven’t been back to live there since I left for college when I was 17 years old. “
She tapped her index finger against her chin, “Hmmm. Seems odd for him to try and marry you off when you aren’t a burden to him or his household.”
Surprise washed over my face. “I didn’t— How did—” I sputtered.
She smiled sadly, “I know how these things work, dear. The only reason he would push for you to date someone in particular is because he wants it to end in a marriage, but you already knew that, didn’t you?”
I nodded and fought back the tears. “Yes,” I rasped.
She wrapped her arms around me, “Oh, sweet girl. All will be okay. I will help you figure this out.” Her words had the tears I was fighting falling down my cheeks. “Keegan, has anything else happened that I need to know about?” I looked at her with panic in my eyes. “It won’t leave this car. I just need to know what we are dealing with,” she promised.
“H-he, he’s sometimes violent...with me,” I whispered through my tears. I chanced a glance at Jacob. He was sitting ramrod straight with his fist balled by his sides. He looked a lot like the men from Blackwings at that moment.
“Oh, honey. He won’t be doing that again. I promise,” she said vehemently.
When we arrived at her estate, she promptly called Lawrence and told him we passed several accidents along the way, and in the interest of my safety, she would prefer for me to stay the night in her guest room. She was good at handling him. I made a note to ask for lessons. Once finished, she showed me to the guest room and provided me with something to sleep in—a red, silky negligée with a matching robe. After bidding me goodnight, she left me alone in the decadent guest room.
I took my time with my nightly ablutions before sliding into the luxurious nightgown. Normally, I slept in a tank top and shorty shorts, but I would definitely be purchasing a few silky negligées for myself in the near future.
I audibly groaned when I slid into the bed. The mattress was soft and pillowy yet firm and supportive. Oh yes, Jacquelyn was officially in charge of approving all my future large purchases.
I turned off the bedside lamp and tried to relax. My body was tired, but my mind was working overtime. The moments I spent with Jacob were playing in my mind over and over again. I wanted to see his face. I wanted to hear his voice. And, more than anything, I wanted to kiss him again.
Somewhere in the state between wakefulness and sleep, I thought I heard a noise, but it didn’t concern me enough to investigate. It was probably my mind playing tricks on me. I had been desperately trying to fall asleep, and I was almost there. Then, suddenly, I wasn’t. I felt the bed shift beside me and knew that I was no longer alone. My heart rate increased, and I fought to keep my breathing steady and even. For the moment, I wanted the intruder to think I was still asleep.
A warm hand landed on my cheek, causing me to flinch. “Relax, it’s just me,” Jacob whispered.
Even though I was pissed at him for scaring me, my body did relax. “What are you doing in here?” I asked, stupidly whispering back to him.
He leaned closer, continuing to whisper, “I think you know.” Then, he covered my lips with his. My arms wrapped around his broad shoulders, and I moaned into the kiss. He started slow and gentle, gradually deepening the kiss while his hands caressed my body.
He moved his mouth from my lips to my jaw, kissing down my neck. I tightened my arms around his shoulders and pressed my body to his, eliciting a soft groan from him. Threading my fingers through his hair, I pulled his head away from my body. “Jacob,” I whispered. Then, like the hussy I was, I fused my lips with his and used my body to roll him to his back, climbing on top of him.
With my legs straddling him, I kept my mouth on his, enjoying the feel of his soft lips as his tongue thrust in and out of my mouth with an unmistakable rhythm. His hands went to my hips, gripping me firmly. That was when I realized I had been rocking my hips and grinding down on him. I pulled back, utterly embarrassed. At least the darkness kept my face hidden fr
om him.
He fisted my hair and pulled me to him, whispering, “Not that. Not yet.” He nipped at my bottom lip before whispering, “Doesn’t mean I’ve had my fill.” We proceeded to make out like teenagers before falling asleep in each other's arms.
The sunlight streaming through the large windows woke me. The smile on my face vanished when I rolled to the side and realized I was alone. It shouldn’t matter. It was just a kiss. Okay, a lot of kisses, but I thought we had some sort of connection. Suddenly, I felt like a fool. I didn’t know what he looked like; I hadn’t even heard his voice. So why was I so disappointed when I woke up alone?
After using the bathroom and brushing my teeth, I realized I had nothing suitable to wear. As if I had conjured her myself, Jacquelyn softly knocked on the door before peeking her head around the corner. “Good morning, dear. I come bearing gifts.” She held up a garment bag before placing it on the bed. “I thought you might need something to wear to breakfast with Lawrence. We’ll leave in 20 minutes.” She laughed at my obvious confusion. “Didn’t I mention it? I’m joining you for breakfast.” With a whirl of designer fabrics, she left the room.
Chapter Eight
Shaker
A week had passed since I crept into the guest room at my mother’s house and broke a number of my personal rules. Even worse, I couldn’t stop thinking about her. Her eyes, her lips, the way she moaned and gasped with pleasure. The softness of her skin under my palm. The penetrating gaze of her startling blue eyes. The blind trust she gave to me.
I couldn’t stop thinking about her, yet I wouldn’t go to her even though I knew where to find her. She knew me as the mysterious Jacob Marks, not the Blackwings brother Shaker. I could have been wrong, but I assumed the realization they were one and the same wouldn’t sit well with her. My mother held a different opinion. She had called me every single day since the charity ball trying to convince me to pursue Keegan. Even if I truly wanted to pursue her, I couldn’t, and Mom wasn’t aware of that. What a clusterfuck. Keegan didn’t know Shaker was also Jacob, and Mom didn’t know Jacob was Shaker. I should have made my life easier and come clean with both women, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
Keegan was nothing more than a passing infatuation, which did not entitle her to know my secrets. My mother’s world would never collide with mine, so there was no need to divulge any information to her either. The only thing I needed to do was make sure I was never in the presence of my mother and Keegan at the same time, unless I was wearing a mask. Problem solved.
I was sitting at the bar at the clubhouse contemplating another beer when I heard her voice. What was she doing at the fucking clubhouse? “I know he’s your brother and you love him, so I’m going to apologize in advance for strangling him,” Keegan seethed.
“Girl, you don’t have to explain anything to me. I grew up with him. As long as you don’t kill him or permanently harm him, have at it. I have no doubt he deserves whatever you dish up,” Harper replied.
“It’s not worth the trouble,” Keegan mumbled, sounding defeated.
“What do you mean?” Harper asked.
“Nothing I say or do is going to change the way he treats me. He made up his mind about me on day one. That’s why I turned in my notice this morning. Stupidly, I thought he would back off once he found out I was leaving, but no such luck.”
“You what?” Harper and I asked at the same time.
Keegan looked at me curiously, “I turned in my notice this morning. His home is here, mine isn’t. The whole reason I moved here was to work at the horse farm so I could get some experience under my belt and hopefully get my own farm up and running one day, but I’m not learning anything new here. Duke micromanages me when I do anything other than muck the stalls. I’m tired of wasting my time.”
“Where are you going to go?” Harper asked.
Keegan shrugged, “I don’t know yet. Likely, somewhere that is closer to my sister.”
I stood and left the clubhouse. Climbing onto my bike, I peeled out of the forecourt with one destination in mind.
The ride over did nothing to cool my anger. I stomped into the barn and slammed Duke against the wall, pinning him with my forearm across his neck. “What the fuck is your problem with Keegan?”
His eyes widened at my question. “My problem? What the fuck is your problem?”
“You being such an asshat to her is my problem! She’s leaving because of you!” I roared. The look of surprise on his face told me he didn’t know about her resignation. “She gave her notice this morning.”
I shoved away from him and glared. “She came here to learn more about running a horse farm because she wants to have her own farm one day, but you couldn’t be bothered with her. That’s not the kind of man I thought you were, brother.”
He held up his hands, “Look, man, I didn’t know any of that. Keegan and I have different backgrounds with horses. She was always questioning my techniques and telling me how they did things on her stepfather’s farm, like she thought I knew fuck all about this business.”
“Did you ever stop to think that she was asking questions so she could learn? That maybe she was telling you about her experiences so you could explain to her if those methods were the best approach? No, you didn’t. You saw her as a pretty, little rich girl who was trying to undermine you.”
He looked to the floor and sighed, “I’ll talk to her.”
“No,” I growled, “you won’t.”
I left the barn without another word and headed to my next destination. I found Ember in her office. She was on the phone, but gestured for me to have a seat when she spotted me hovering in her doorway. She finished her call and gave me a curious look, “What’s shakin’, Shaker?”
I nervously shared my idea with her. If she shot me down, I could still put my plan into action, but it would mean sharing things about myself I wasn’t ready to share. I laid everything out for Ember and quietly waited while she seemed to mull it over. She sat back in her chair and scrutinized my face. “If you lose your infatuation with Keegan, are you going to march in here and demand I pull the plug on this?”
I choked, literally choked on my own spit. “Uh, no,” I sputtered. “This has nothing to do with an infatuation with Keegan. It has more to do with Harper,” I lied. “They’ve become close, and I don’t want Harper to lose her friend.”
She tapped her pen on her desk, “You and I both know that’s a load of crap, but I’m willing to overlook it because I do think this is a good idea. The money we could bring in from this will be more than enough to fund the animal therapy program Harper wants to start. Give me one second,” she said and reached for her phone.
I tried to school my face into a mask of indifference and waited patiently while she made her phone call. After a few sentences, I realized she had called Phoenix to get his approval to move forward with her plans. When she ended the call, she was smiling brightly. “Let’s make it happen. Do you want to give Keegan the good news?”
“No, no. You can handle that,” I said. “I would prefer to keep my name out of it if you don’t mind.”
***
It had been two days since I went to the farm to confront Duke and talk to Ember. Two days and I hadn’t heard a word about Keegan. Did she accept the offer? Was she staying in Croftridge?
“You want some company?” one of the new club whores murmured in my ear while trying to slide into my lap.
Shoving her away, I told her how it was. “You’re new here so maybe no one told you, but I don’t fuck with club whores. At. All. I don’t want your pussy, I don’t want your ass, and I don’t want your mouth. I won’t tell you again.” She glared at me as she slithered away. Like I gave a shit if I offended her.
“What’s the matter, Shaker? Not interested in the new girl?” Reese asked, taking a seat beside me.
I took a long pull from my beer before answering her, “Not at all. What are you doing here?”
“Tomorrow is my day to clean, and let me ju
st tell you how much it sucks to clean up after a party. The place usually looks like, well, like an MC clubhouse the morning after a wild party. I’m trying to prevent that from happening,” she snickered.
I shook my head. Reese was always getting herself into trouble, which was exactly why she was cleaning the clubhouse in the first place. “What are you up to now?”
She grinned, “Watch and learn.”
We continued to chat until Ranger walked by our table. Reese stopped him and asked if he was going to the bar. When he said yes, she smiled sweetly, “Would you mind grabbing a beer for me? Oh, and since you’re going that way, could you drop these empties in the trash?” Ranger grabbed the empty bottles, winked at Reese, and continued to the bar.
Reese smiled proudly, “I plan to move from table to table and do that all night. The drunker they get, the easier it’ll be.”
I threw my head back and laughed. The girl was clever. “You’re an evil little genius.”
“What’s so funny?” Harper asked, joining our table.
“Reese’s attempt to get out of cleaning the clubhouse after a party,” I blurted.
“Hey! That is not what I’m doing,” she said, feigning offense. “I’m trying to lighten the load. What are you doing here, Harper? I thought you had plans with Keegan tonight.”
“I did, but she called and canceled, so I came by to see my man,” Harper said, wiggling her eyebrows.
“Stop right there before you violate the terms of our agreement,” Reese shrieked, covering her ears with her hands.
“Why did Keegan cancel?” I asked, trying to sound nonchalant.
Harper shrugged, “I don’t know. She sent a text saying something came up that she had to deal with.”
Shaker (Blackwings MC Book 5) Page 5
