She was quiet.
“Red?” Mac said. “Are we scaring you? You need to know that we’d never lay a finger on anyone who didn’t deserve it.”
“Yeah, I know,” she said. “I’m not scared of any of you.”
“OK,” Aidan said, relieved. “So where is the dickhead?”
She sighed. “He’s gone.”
“Where?” Jax said.
“Back to New York. He’s from there, and according to Richard and Elise, Dave took off back home within hours of beating me up. Dave told Rich that he was sure he’d have an angry biker looking to kick his ass.” She smiled shakily. “Turns out, he was right, huh?”
“So, his family knows what happened?” Mac said.
“Oh, for sure.” Sarah twisted her fingers. “I – I heard from the family lawyer on Monday afternoon.”
“You what?” Jax sat at attention; the other men did too
“Yeah. He said that Dave’s father had asked him to call me… said that if I caused any trouble for Dave, they’d bury me and any lawyer I found in paperwork and depositions and God-only-knows-what.”
“Fucking frat boys and their Daddies,” King said. “So, his father’s protecting him? After he beat up a woman?”
She nodded. “They – they offered me a payout to shut up and go away.”
“How much?” Aidan asked.
“I have no idea. I told him to fuck off and hung up on him.”
They stared at her, knowing how much she could have used that money.
“Yeah?” King said.
“Yeah.” She drank the last of her Cosmopolitan, set down the empty glass.
“But doesn’t he have to come back at some point?” Mac said. “I mean, he’s at college here, right?”
“Yes. But according to Elise, Mr. Townsend’s private physician has written an official medical certificate, claiming that Dave has some serious health issues. The college has agreed to let him take as much time off as he needs.”
“Fucking hell,” King growled. “Rich boys and their rich families, huh?”
Sarah shrugged.
“Will you let us know when he comes back?” Mac said.
“Well,” she said. “It may be a long while, you know.”
“We can wait,” Jax said. “That’s not a problem.”
She looked up at them now, met their eyes. They were gazing back at her, warm and gentle, and despite herself, she smiled. “I’ll think about it.”
“Good enough.” Aidan got to his feet. “How about one more drink?”
She looked at her watch. “Uh, no. I’d better get going.”
“One last one,” Jax said. “Then I’ll take you home. I promise.”
She glanced at him. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“OK, then. One more.”
The men left the table now, and Sarah and Jax were alone again. He looked at her, saw that she was looking uncomfortable for the first time all evening.
“What’s up, Red?” he asked.
“Oh, nothing, really.” She set down the gum wrapper that she’d been tearing in to pieces. “I guess – I mean, I shouldn’t be surprised by anything that guys like Dave and his father do, but I am. Spoiled, rich bastards running over people, just because they can. It still kind of catches me unawares.”
“I know what you mean.” Jax ran his hands through his dark hair. “I’ve known guys like that in my life, too.”
“You have?”
“Yep.”
Aidan brought Sarah her drink now, and Jax knew that the clock was ticking down on his time with her. If he wanted to see her again – and he did – then he had to figure some shit out, and fast. He decided to take a page from King’s playbook and just come right out with it.
“So,” he said. “You want to see me again?”
Sarah stared at him. “What?”
“Yeah. Another date. A real one this time… maybe dinner?” He grinned. “And I don’t mean here. Like, in a real restaurant. Candles on the table. Maybe even a wine list.”
She blinked. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”
“Why not?”
“How much time have you got?”
Jax leaned back. “All night, baby. Shoot.”
“OK.” She sat up straighter. “You know about Noah, and he’s my priority. I’m not really free with my time.”
“Yeah, I know. But as far as I understand, your evenings are free sometimes. Right?”
She paused. “Right.”
Jax smiled. “Well, what’s wrong with seeing me two or three times a week?”
“Ummm. Nothing, I guess.” She looked confused. “You’d be OK with that?”
“I’m OK with whatever you can give me.” He touched her hand. “I promise.”
“Oh.”
“And?” Jax said. “What else?”
“What else what?”
“Well, you made it sound like you had a whole bunch of objections to seeing me again.”
She looked down and he got a strong feeling about what was worrying her.
“Hey,” he said softly. “Is it this place?” He gestured around the room. “You worried about the kind of business I run?”
Sarah glanced around the bar, took in the bikers and scantily-clad women. “Well… yeah. A bit. And I’m worried about… about you. What you do to earn a living.”
“Full disclosure, Red. Deal?”
“Deal, Stud.”
“I know that shady shit goes on here. My clientele includes drug dealers, motorcycle gangs, ex-cons, hookers, bounty hunters.” He held her eyes. “They’re all mixed in with college kids, weekend riders, and the occasional tourist. It’s a real mishmash of people and interests, but here’s what you need to know: whatever business goes on here, I don’t take a kickback on any of it. No cut, no percentage. Nothing. My money is clean, one hundred percent. I earn on the food and drink I sell, and I rent out the crash rooms for people looking for a place to sleep. Bikers on long trips, tourists looking for an unusual hotel experience, kids looking to have sex someplace safer than a parked car.”
She nodded.
“It ain’t an upscale, classy place, baby. And most nights, those crash rooms are basically fuck rooms, and I’ve spent quite a bit of time in them, with lots of different women. I haven’t been a saint.” He took a deep breath. “Do you think – is this all below you?”
She was startled. “Below me? God, Jax… you know I’m not exactly from the world of white picket fences and holiday homes on the French Riviera.”
He thought of her rundown house, the lot across the street. “No, I know.” He paused. “And as for me, like personally? I’ve done some… things in my life.”
“What things?”
“Bad things. Criminal things.”
“Like?”
Jax exhaled, hard. “I don’t want to talk to you about that. I’m sorry.”
She examined him closely. “Because?”
“Because it’s all way in the past, and everyone deserves the chance to start again, if they really want to. I’ve been a model citizen for years now, and I have no interest in going back to any of that, OK? I barely got out in one piece the first time. Now, I have my business and it’s legit. I have guys who’ll watch my back, and some of them are even my friends. I have a house and I have a bike and I have a truck. You get me? My life is good. I’m not going to fuck that all up.”
Sarah bit her lip, considering.
“So.” He watched her face carefully now, wondering if she was going to bolt the hell out the door. “You gonna run for the hills now?”
“No.”
“…No?”
“If you say that you’re not a criminal or gang member or whatever, I believe you.”
“You do?”
> “Yeah.”
Wow, that was easy. Almost too easy.
“OK, so… anything else on your mind?” Jax said.
She nodded. “One more thing.”
“Tell me.”
She looked around again, looking increasingly panicked.
“Sarah? What?”
She downed her drink in one.
“OK, I can see that this is one hell of an objection.” Jax tried to keep it light, but his eyes were zeroed in and locked on her; he knew that whatever it was, this was the real issue. Her taking care of Noah and Jax’s possible criminal connections were major considerations, but maybe not the biggest ones.
“Can we – can we talk somewhere more private?” she asked.
“We can go for a ride,” Jax said. “Drive somewhere nice and talk.”
She looked unsure.
“I promise, Sarah. We talk, I take you home after.”
She sighed. “OK. Let’s go for a ride.”
**
Jax drove to a secluded spot in the Rocky Mountains, to an overlook that was quiet and which the parking teenagers didn’t frequent for their sex escapades. He came up here alone a lot, just to clear his head. It was one of his favorite places in Denver, and he’d never brought anyone else up there with him. It felt right to be there with Sarah, though.
He unstrapped her helmet and she looked around. “It’s amazing up here, Jax.”
“Yeah.” He dangled their helmets by their chin straps over the handlebars. “It’s pretty gorgeous.”
She climbed off the bike and looked up at the night sky. “Look at those stars.”
But Jax was looking at Sarah. Her face was just beautiful in the moonlight, all big eyes and full lips. It was astounding how looking at a woman in the right light could just change her whole face, make her as close to perfect as she could be. In this light, Sarah looked calm and happy. Or maybe she actually was calm and happy. Maybe she liked being with him, too.
Jax got off the bike and stood over her. Sarah looked at him now, really saw the whole man. Was it her imagination, or did he look even bigger in the moonlight? More muscled, more domineering? Stronger, sexier, hotter? She shivered.
“You cold?” he asked her.
“No.”
“Come over here for a sec, doll.”
She stood stock-still, suddenly afraid.
“It’s OK.” He gave her that grin that made her stomach flip. “Before we talk, there’s one thing we need to get out of the way.”
“What’s that?”
“Come over here and I’ll tell you.”
Slowly, she covered the distance between them and stood in front of him. “Tell me what?”
“This.” Jax gently took her face in both of his hands, avoiding her bruised cheek, and leaned down. She gasped, then his mouth was on hers, and all thought stopped.
The kiss was unlike anything Sarah had ever experienced in her life. His lips were surprisingly soft, and when she balanced herself on his chest, she felt his incredible muscle under her fingertips.
The contradiction of hard and soft, of pure animal strength tempered by a tender touch, shocked her, moved her. Sarah felt her legs weaken with lust, and she swayed forward. He moved his hands off her face then, and Jax wrapped his arms around her shaking body. He held her close, held her up. Jax cradled her, and Sarah felt protected and secure for the first time in a long time. Maybe for the first time ever.
Jax couldn’t believe how it felt to finally touch her the way that he wanted to. She was warm and sweet, and her response was incredible. Total surrender; aching want; hot need. He’d never have guessed that Sarah would give over so completely, and he kissed her over and over again, loving how she tasted.
He finally pulled back, fighting with himself to do so. He opened his eyes and saw that hers were still closed. Her mouth was swollen and she trembled against him a bit. He ran his fingers through her curls, brushed her hair back from her gorgeous face.
“Open your eyes, baby,” he said, his voice deep and husky. “Look at me.”
She did and he smiled at the heat in those blue depths.
“I’ve wanted to do that since I first saw you,” he said. “It’s all I’ve been able to think about all night, and I had to do it. Now that’s done, I can focus again.” He touched her mouth with the tip of his finger, ran it over her lower lip. “So, what did you want to say?”
Sarah stared at him. She literally did not have a clue what the hell she had wanted to talk to him about. Her whole body was hot with wanting to be close to him again. Her legs shook, her heart pounded faster than she thought possible. And she was wet, her pussy completely open and soaking her panties.
And that was just one kiss. God, I can’t help myself around this man, can I?
“Uh. Yeah.” She tried to gather her thoughts. “I – yeah.”
Jax smiled. “Come on, let’s sit down, OK?”
Before she knew what he was doing, he picked her up. She shrieked and clutched at his arms, then relaxed when he sat her on the bike again, her legs straddling the seat, her feet dangling off the ground. He climbed on the back, straddling the seat too, facing her. Unable to help himself, he reached out again, touched her silky cheek.
“OK,” he said. “I’m listening.”
“Oh, God,” she said, dropping her eyes. “It’s so embarrassing…”
“You can tell me anything. You know that, right?”
“Uh-huh.”
“OK.” He gazed at her expectantly. “What’s up?”
“The thing is, Jax…” She took a deep breath. “I’m a virgin.”
He stared at her, blinked a few times. “I – I don’t understand.”
“I haven’t had sex with anybody.” She swallowed hard. “Ever.”
He stared some more. “But – but you’re what? Twenty-five?”
“Almost twenty-six.”
“And – and you look like this!” He gestured at her lush, amazing body, her sexy curls and beautiful eyes. “I mean… how? How are you still a virgin?”
Sarah looked down.
“And what about Dave?” Jax said. “You never – you didn’t…”
She shook her head, still not meeting his eyes.
“Oh, baby.” He gently lifted her chin and saw her tears. “I’m sorry… I was just surprised. Don’t be upset, OK?”
“OK,” she whispered.
“Let’s start again, yeah?”
She nodded.
“So.” Jax gathered his thoughts. “Are you saving yourself for marriage?”
“No,” Sarah said. “I’m not religious.”
“Did – did you have a bad experience? Something that scared you off sex?” His eyes darkened. “Somebody hurt you?”
“No.”
“OK. So…” Jax’s voice trailed off. He waited.
“It’s mostly because of – of Noah.” She wiped the tears from her eyes. “It’s been… hard to have any kind of social life.”
“Tell me.”
“We’ve always been close, me and Noah. Maybe because we’re twins, maybe because we were the only kids around when we were growing up. But from the time we were small, Mom and Dad really struggled with Noah. They couldn’t understand him, or communicate with him, at all. When he was about four, he stopped letting anyone touch him except me. Lots of stuff just – fell on me, I guess. And it started so long ago, I never really knew anything different.”
Jax nodded.
“When it came time to go to school, Noah had babysitters and special programs, and I went to regular school. The separation was really bad for him, so my parents would get me home right after school, just to calm him down. And – and that was how it was. I’d go to school, then rush home to help with Noah.” She shrugged. “I never joined a club, never went to a school dance
, never met friends for shopping or a movie. No social life at all – so how was I supposed to have a boyfriend?”
“I can see that,” Jax said.
“Then about eight years ago, right after I graduated from high school, my Dad left. He just disappeared and we have no idea where he is, so we can’t go after him for any kind of financial help. Since we lost his income, we can’t afford to send Noah to his special assistance care during the day anymore. We get help twice a week on a government program, so that’s free. But Mom had to take extra shifts at the diner and I had to figure out a way to work from home.”
“Shit,” Jax muttered, thinking how much pressure that must have been on a teenager.
“Anyway, I took night courses at a local community college – marketing, web and print design, computer programming – and started my own business. Freelancing works for me in most ways, but again, it doesn’t leave lots of time for dating. And I hardly ever meet anyone since I’m alone with Noah most of the time.”
“So how did you meet the dickhead? Your ex?”
“Through Elise.” Sarah sighed. “Elise, Dave and Richard all did their MBA’s together. Elise and Rich graduated and work now, but Dave is doing a PhD in Economics. He was – he was my first boyfriend ever, and I was so flattered that he’d actually want to be with me. Nobody had ever been willing to work around my crazy life before, you see.”
“And how long did you two date?”
“Almost six months.”
Jax paused. “And you never slept together?”
She shook her head, tracing a pattern over and over again on the leather seat.
He took her hand. “How come?”
“I just – I don’t know. He pushed me so hard to have sex, and I wanted to, I guess. I mean, I was curious, and he’s a good-looking guy and he really wanted to be my first. But… something was off about him. I just didn’t trust him.”
Good call, doll. The guy is an abusive fuck.
“And so that’s why I’m not going to see you again, Jax.”
He frowned. “Why is that now?”
Sarah glanced up at him. “Because you frequent the crash rooms with strangers from your bar. You’ve been with – I don’t know, hundreds of women, right? Thousands, even? Sex is obviously important to you, but it’s also no big deal, if you’re willing to have it with anybody at all.” She shrugged. “You propositioned me within an hour of laying eyes on me for the first time in your life. Looking the way you do, I’m guessing that you do that a lot, and that women just fall in front of you with their legs open.”
Dangerous Curves Page 6
