by K E Osborn
“Fits.”
I shrug. “Yeah.” We walk in placing my new clothes on my bed. “I don’t know what to do to thank you, Cherry.”
She waves it off. “Just enjoy your time here. Be part of the club. Embrace the lifestyle. That’s all I ask. I hear you’re thinking of going to work with Finley? Just know she works with us, not against us with the law… do you hear what I’m saying?”
She’s telling me the club isn’t always on the right side of the law, and as an attorney, I might have to look the other way or even bend the law to help the guys here.
Can I do that?
Put my career in jeopardy before it’s even begun?
The light laughter of Sadie and Lucas echoes from their room which is all I need to hear.
I can do anything the club needs of me.
Because I will protect those kids and their father so that means having to protect the other members of this club too.
“I’m in, Cherry. I’m in so fucking deep.”
“You’ve decided you’re definitely sticking around, then?” Kevlar’s deep voice makes me jump out of my skin. As I spin around, he’s leaning against the doorframe. His arms are crossed over his chest.
He’s so damn hot right now, those biceps bulging, that cocky smirk on his face. Fuck, I could stare at him forever and not get sick of it.
“Yeah… I think I am.”
“So, shall we go see Fin about getting you back into school and shit?”
“I’d like that.”
I give Cherry a subtle nod. She grips my shoulder. “I had a great time, Jovie. We should hang out again soon.”
“Sounds good.”
“She’s a keeper. Hold onto this one, Kevlar,” Cherry states, then walks out of my room leaving me alone with him.
He steps in and over to me, wrapping his arms around my body. I loop my arms around his neck, not wanting to be anywhere but where I am right now.
“You sure about this?”
With my family history, me being here is a risk, a risk to Kevlar and the kids. But I know, without a shadow of a doubt, Kevlar would do everything to protect us all. No matter what.
“I’m sure! I’m staying here in Houston at Defiance. With you and the kids.”
Kevlar leans in, pressing his lips to mine. His tongue slides into my mouth, dancing with mine as I press my body against his. His hair tickles the tips of my fingers, running them through at the nape of his neck.
I’ve laid it all out there.
I want to be here with him and his family.
I want to be part of his family.
The way he’s kissing me back right now reassures me, he wants this too.
His strong hands move down to my ass, squeezing once, then he pulls his lips from mine. We pant for heady breaths, his eyes delving deep into mine. “Fuck, I want you so bad right now, but we need to see Fin.”
I gnaw on my bottom lip, letting out a long breath. “I don’t know when we’ll get the chance to take this further, with the kids being around and all, but damn, I’m looking forward to it.”
His cock jerks so forcefully, I feel it against the seam of my jeans. He clenches his eyes so tightly, I think he’s trying to rein himself in. “You kill me, Jovie.”
Pressing my lips to his again, he kisses me back, then we slowly pull apart straightening ourselves out. The promise of being together again lingers in the air. It’s just a matter of finding the right time.
“C’mon, let’s go find Bub, and ask her to watch the kids. We got an attorney to talk to.” He grabs my hand, and we walk downstairs and over to Fox and Bub, who are sitting with Sadie and Lucas by the pool table.
Bub grins wide, noticing us approach. “You two look cozy.”
Kevlar lets my hand go, then wraps his arm around my shoulders, pulling me to him. “Jovie has decided to stay. Permanently. We’re going to go talk to Finley about getting her back into college and a job.”
Fox’s eyes light up as Bub smiles wider than a Cheshire cat. “I’m so glad to hear this.”
“We need to see Finley. Are you guys okay to care for the kids while we head out and deal with this?”
Bub picks Lucas up, popping him on her lap, and he immediately cuddles into her. Lucas laughs as she fusses over him. “I think we can manage some overdue time with our grandbabies.”
“Thanks, Bub.”
We turn to head off, but Fox calls out, “Kevlar…” We peer over our shoulders. “I’m proud of you, son.”
Kevlar bobs his head at his father-in-law, then turns back to me with a wink. Then we’re off. We hop on his bike, and I swear I will never get sick of being on the back of this thing. The rush I get while being wrapped around Kevlar, holding onto him like he’s my world, is the best feeling there is. Not to mention the rumble of the engine and the wind whipping at my face is the most energizing, uplifting, emotionally-charged thrill ride you could ever imagine.
I never want to go a day without being on the back of his ride.
Pulling up at the law firm, I’m a little nervous. If Finley can’t help me, then I’ll have to start all over again, that is, if the college will take me in at all. If not, it will be back to bar work and look where that got me last time—in a back alley with my father aiming a fucking gun at my head.
We walk into the tall office building—the sleek lines and polished floors remind me of something from Suits. I imagine myself as Meghan Markle right now. She was a paralegal on the show, then in real life she found a prince who stepped back from the monarchy for her. I’m going to apply to be a paralegal for Finley, and I’ve found a prince who left the police force—not for me per se, but for love. That shows the kind of character Kevlar is, and the lengths he’ll go for the woman he loves.
Kevlar might not be Prince Charming riding in on a white steed, but I know I’d rather have a king on a black and chrome Harley any day.
The television on the wall catches my attention. I see Rush taking center stage, and I stop, pulling Kevlar with me. “Look!” He turns to the television, which luckily has subtitles switched.
It reads—Rush is doing a tour of Texas, including Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, and Austin.
My eyes widen as I spin to face Kevlar. “I wonder if he’s doing this because of Sav, or if it was already planned?”
“Tours are usually booked way in advance. I’d say that’s why he didn’t mention it. So, he didn’t get Sav’s hopes up.”
“Sav is having so much fun at the club. Honestly, I think Rush is nothing but a blip on her radar now. But I’d love to see him, though. I wonder if we can catch up while he’s in town?”
Kevlar shrugs. “You never know?”
Well, at least that distracted me for one moment.
We make our way up to the fourth floor, then to the front desk. The receptionist picks up her phone before we even reach her. By the time we get to her, she bobs her head. “Ms. Knight is waiting for you in her office. You can head on up.”
Kevlar tilts his head. “Thanks, Dani.”
I turn to face Kevlar, and he waves his hand toward the hall. “Thank you, kind sir.”
He chuckles as I walk, straightening out my shirt. I should have worn something more professional. Something more suited to a job interview. I’m better than this. I’m normally far more prepared, but Kevlar caught me off-guard before we left with his swoon-worthy kissing.
I sigh, touching my lips.
God, that kissing.
Focus, Jovie!
We reach the end of the hall, and Kevlar moves past me, knocking on the door. “Come in!”
“You ready?” he whispers.
Nervously, I nod my head once. “No,” comes out though, my thoughts betraying me.
Kevlar takes my hand in his. Leaning in, he presses a gentle kiss to my forehead. Then he opens the door, walking us inside. The sheer size of the office takes my breath away. It’s bigger than my bedroom was back in San Antonio. My eyes widen, taking in the view overlooking the McKinney St
reet Children’s Playground. It’s a calming environment with a warm atmosphere. She’s really made this space hers.
Behind her large desk, the wall is one massive bookshelf filled to the brim with reference books. My heart does a little flutter seeing all the law books waiting to be explored. I want to run my hands over them, reading every page. A potted plant with lush green leaves stands tall in the corner. The whole room is open and fresh.
Awards and certificates line the wall showing me just how respected Finley is in the industry. My respect for her grows even more.
“Kevlar, good, you’re here. Take a seat, we have matters to discuss,” she blurts out, not even looking up from her laptop.
I close the door behind me.
Does she even know I’m here?
Should I say something?
Introduce myself?
We walk over to the two oversized white leather armchairs, then sit.
“Fin, this is—”
She holds up her hand stopping Kevlar from talking mid-sentence. She continues to type, then picks up her coffee, takes a long sip, then types some more. A swoosh sounds, signaling the sending of an email, then she closes the lid of her laptop and looks up. Finley shoves her hand out across the table toward me. “Jovie Hannon, it’s nice to meet you. Your scores at St. Mary’s University were impressive before you left.”
I lean across her desk to shake her hand. Her grip is super firm. I try to meet it but don’t grip too tight, letting her be the dominant one in this handshake. She lets go, sitting back in her seat, her red hair hardly even moving when she shifts. It’s styled perfectly.
The woman is flawless.
It’s kind of intimidating.
“Thank you. I worked extremely hard. Law is my passion, and—”
“Let me stop you right there! Is law your passion because you believe in justice, believe in the system, or because you’re doing it for a reason, based on an event… some sort of life trauma?” My heart begins to race as I glance at Kevlar. “Don’t search for guidance, Jovie. I need your honest answer, or I can’t help you.”
I turn back to her, my palms sweating as I wipe them on my jeans. “I want to be an attorney so I can put my father in prison.” Finley pushes back further in her seat. Now she’s assessing me. “I’m sorry if I’m not doing it for the right reasons, I just—”
“Stop! Stop trying to impress me, Jovie. Just relax, be yourself. The thing about law… not every case is structured. Not every case is textbook. It’s fluid. There are moving parts. Just because on paper someone appears guilty, it doesn’t mean they are. It’s your job to be able to find the truth, and sometimes it means being able to break the rules. There are two types of attorneys. The ones who are in it because they’re sticklers, those who follow the rule book, who love the law, look at everything in black and white… there’s nothing gray in the world. Then there are attorneys like you and me, who want to do this because we have something to fight for, which means we see the gray. Hell, I’ve been in this long enough to know there’s a whole fucking rainbow out there to look at… a good example is sitting right next to you.” Kevlar raises his brow.
“So, what are you saying?”
“I’m saying… if you see the gray, if you’re open to the fucking rainbow that I see… then I’m happy to take you under my wing. But I need to be sure you can handle this. Things can seem bad, but I promise I only fight for good people. We might do some crazy stuff to help those good people, we might bend those goalposts to get the win, but if you’re not afraid, then I’ll bend the rules for you too, Jovie.”
She’s so fucking inspiring.
I want more than anything to see the Slavers wiped off the face of this earth, whether by incarceration or something even more permanent.
Whatever that may be, I want a hand in it.
If Sadie can bake her cookies with one hundred percent rainbows, then fuck the gray. I can go into this looking at the clients with one hundred percent rainbow colors too.
“I’m in. Kevlar and his kids mean so much to me. I don’t want to go into this without both of you knowing I’d do anything to protect them. Bend the rules, break the rules… I love the law. It’s there for a reason, but I also want vengeance. I want justice. I was good at what I did. I believe learning from you, Ms. Knight, I could be extraordinary.”
Whoa, where did that confidence come from? Her pep talk must really be working.
Finley smiles, opening up her laptop again, and she starts typing but doesn’t say anything.
My sudden rush of confidence is immediately shoved back inside the closet in deflation. She types frantically, then picks up her coffee, taking another long drink. I turn to Kevlar, who shrugs, obviously unsure as to what she’s doing like I am.
My foot begins to agitate on the spot, bouncing it up and down, nervously waiting for her to say something. Anything. Then, the email swish sounds again.
She places her coffee mug down on the desk and slumps back in her chair, folding her arms over her chest. “I just sent a very favorable email to the dean of admissions. I went to college with her, and we do yoga three times a week. I also got her son out of an extremely tricky situation without it ever getting into the court system. The woman owes me. I’ve requested an application for you to receive credit for the subjects you’ve already completed at St. Mary’s, and also mentioned you will be working here under my employ as a paralegal twice a week with me as your mentor. Any questions?”
My eyes shoot open wide. “Y-You’ve already sent it?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“So, this is going to happen?”
“Mm-hmm,” she repeats but slower this time.
I stand abruptly because I can’t keep still. I let out a loud laugh, bouncing on my toes. “Holy shit.” I slap my hand over my mouth. “Fuck, sorry! Shit, sorry…” I take a breath. “Sorry! I’m just so grateful!”
Kevlar smiles wide as Finley shrugs. “Wish I had someone looking out for me when I started in the industry. But this won’t be a free ride, Jovie. You’re gonna need to work hard. I won’t accept complacency or anything less than brilliance from you.”
“Brilliance. Got it!”
“I’ll inform you when I hear back from the dean, but as for your job here, you start in a month. I’ll give you time to settle into the club properly. Spend the time with your new family. Get up to date with the legal system. And Jovie… there is a dress code here.”
I glance down at my simple tee and jeans, then grimace. “I know. I would have dressed for this, but I honestly wasn’t aware this was happening. I was kind of ambushed.”
“It’s my fault, Fin—”
“Don’t care what you look like right now, honestly, but when you come in here to work, you will be impeccable. We have a reputation to uphold,” she interrupts Kevlar. “And absolutely no swearing in front of clients… unless they’re bikers.” Did she just make a joke? “Now get out of here, I have a meeting in half an hour, and I need to prepare.”
I walk over to her desk placing out my hand for her again. “Thank you… honestly… thank you.”
She relaxes her stature a little and shakes my hand. It’s much softer this time. “You’re welcome… now don’t make me regret this.”
I let go, standing a little taller. “I won’t. I promise.”
Kevlar bobs his head. “Appreciate this, Fin.”
She waves her hands through the air, then she turns her head back to the laptop. “Go, go, go. Get out!”
Kevlar grabs my hand, and we head for the door. Just before we exit, I turn back. She’s working on her laptop, but she’s smiling. Warmth fills my chest. I think half of it was for show—the tough attorney act. I honestly believe once I get to know her, she’s going to be a nice person.
Bossy, but lovely.
I close the door behind me with a gentle click. Kevlar turns to me, my eyes widen as I mouth ‘oh my God’ to him, bounce up and down on my toes, and he pulls me into a tight embrace.
> “I knew you could do it! I’m so proud of you, sunshine!”
I squeeze him back with all the gratefulness I have. “Thank you. Without you, this wouldn’t have happened.” I pull back, gazing into his gorgeous hazel eyes, the flecks of gold shine so brightly against the deep dusky shades of green.
“This is all you, Jovie. You put in the hard work to get here. I just found the right person to help make it happen. You are an amazing woman to do all this. Take on school, a job, the club, my family... I just hope it’s not too much.”
My hands run up to the side of his face, caressing his cheek. “I didn’t know I wanted a family until I became a part of yours… mine was always so torn apart. I had no clue this, with you, was what I was craving, what I needed. Kevlar, I don’t want to be anywhere else than at the club with you and the kids.”
A low growl emanates from his chest. He wraps his arms around my waist and starts pushing me backward.
I giggle, moving with him. “What are you doing?” I whisper under my breath.
My back hits something, and he leans in pressing his lips to mine. Being here with him in this moment means so fucking much to me, and I can’t help but get lost in it. His hand leaves my waist, fumbling with something on the door. It clicks, the door flies open, then he pushes me backward into a small copy room and shuts the door behind us flicking the lock.
I widen my eyes. “Kevlar!”
He brings his finger to his lips, gesturing a ‘shh’ motion as he swoops in, his hands shifting to my ass, hoisting me up. My legs wrap around his waist as I bite down on my lips to keep myself quiet. My heart races frantically while I take a look at the place, where I will spend a lot of time.
He moves us to an island bench, where I imagine I will be collating many legal documents, and he backs me up against the edge. He swipes what’s on top to the side while I let out a giggle.
“This is bad. I haven’t even started working here, and already I’m defacing property,” I whisper.
He waggles his eyebrows. “Oh, sunshine, I haven’t even started defacing you yet.”
JOVIE
