Once Jax was gone, Lena tried her hand at the gun again. Even without his strong hands and the feel of his warm breath trailing down her neck, Lena was able to take the shot and send more cans flying. Proud of her efforts, she wished he was there, that he would come back and see what a sure shot she was. Lena thought she heard his bike come to a halt, and she ran towards the front of the house, hoping to see him already on his way back. She wanted to go with him, to be with him always. Biting down on her lip as she waited, her heart sank when the sound of the bike disappeared. Not him. Probably just some weekend warrior trying to get his rocks off, and she retreated back into the house and set the gun aside.
The feel of the empty space weighed down on her heart, and she slowly walked back to the bed. Falling into the rumpled sheets, she brought the linens close to her nose and inhaled more of his lingering scent. Lena curled to her back and imagined that he was still in her arms when the sound of a snapping twig just beyond the window caused her to shoot up straighter and push the sheets aside.
Maybe it was just another deer, maybe something far more sinister. She slipped into her shoes, nothing else but his t-shirt at her back as she retrieved the gun and poked her head out the front door.
Lena saw blades of grass blowing in the breeze, and she squinted at the sight of the sun creeping higher into the sky. Daylight should bring a kind of comfort, but without Jax close, she felt exposed and quickly closed the door, retreating to the sanctuary of an abandoned closed as she huddled with the gun.
His mother. To hear her uncle tell it, it was a fool’s errand if ever there was one. Aggie Monroe? Little redhead couldn’t wait to get someone else between the sheets. And her legs. Some true wife, huh?”
Sure he was five sheets to the wind, and Lena knew, or at least should have known, better to believe anything he said when he got like that. But it wasn’t just Uncle Tom. The word all over Deerfield was that Aggie Monroe got a taste a real man after her husband’s death, and she wanted Eric Stiles to take off at her side and never look back. But soon the word was that Eric kept his mind on the club and a dead man’s son.
The boy’s mother couldn’t be bothered with either, and in a flash she was gone. There were days beside the creek when Lena dared to press the point, but in those moments, Jax’ face grew hard, and the sharp line of his jaw had scared her into silence. She did nothing more than take his hand and rest her head against his shoulder.
“Jax, what didn’t you tell me?” she asked herself. “Why do you think she can help you now?”
Lena lingered in the closet for long minutes, but when the house stayed silent around her, she remembered that Jax wanted her safe and sure. And if he came back to find her cowering in a closet, he would kick himself for leaving. And Lena wanted to savor the sight of his return.
She kept the gun in her hands and left the house. Moving around the perimeter, she saw nothing but an endless expanse of grass, and she felt grateful for the lack of trees. Better to see anyone who might sneak up. But it still made her something of an open target just waiting for the next shoe to fall.
Stop it! He’s coming back. He won’t leave me now.
Clinging to that hope, Lena returned to the sheets and slowly set the gun down at the edge of the bed. If, when, he returned, she would want to feel him inside her again, his fingers surrounding her sides. And he would be tired. Probably filthy from the road. She imagined dragging him back to the shower and scrubbing the grime from his flesh, stopping only to kiss his cock and stroke him to a place where he would have no choice but to lift her from the shower floor with damp, rippling arms and bring her back to the bed. He would smile when he saw how she had prepared the place for his return, and as she folded the sheets around the corners of the mattress, Lena pressed her hands between her legs and sank back to the bed at the memory of his cock.
Lena’s stoke was slow, softer compared to the feel of him finding and claiming her cunt. But still she could almost see his eyes when she pushed deeper, and as her hips rocked against the power of her own hand, Lena arched her back and sighed at the feel of her body releasing. It was impossible; how could she want this so much after what Eric had put her through? But it was so very different with Jax. Hot to be sure, but also tender and caring, his hands gentle even as he marked her as his own. The sentence seemed long, but she felt sure that she would wait forever.
Slipping into sleep, Lena saw him come back, full of tales of triumph and assurances that they only had to make one more hard ride. In her dreams, he spoke of an even safer house and told her that nothing would ever come between them again. She felt his lips crushing into hers, and Lena saw no need to dress further as he led her away from the house. A veritable cavalry was suddenly at her eyes and their disposal, and Lena smiled into his neck when another roar hit the hair and turned her blood cold.
No… no it can’t be…
Eric Stiles dismounted and felled Jax with a single blow before he pulled her protesting body close to his chest. I’ll take her now. Want to have some more fun with her.
Lena started from her sleep with a sharp scream, and he eyes moved around the room. She took little comfort in the realization that she was still alone, but she fell to the gun again and curled her finger around the trigger. “I won’t let you touch me again,” she hissed under her breath. “Never.”
She set the gun aside for all of a second, her eyes fixed on the window until the moment when her gaze was covered by his shirt lifting up over her face. Shuddering around the space of her nakedness, Lena started to dress when she thought better of it. I need him at my back. Even without him, I like living in his skin.
Stepping through the silence and the smell of the barely-touched oatmeal, Lena started to fall back into the memory of his hands when a shadow passed across her face. Maybe nothing, maybe just a wild animal seeking shelter as the day started to turn to night. But Eric Stiles was his own brand of beast, and Lena was ready to face him head on when she stepped to the porch and took aim.
Only the wind seemed to move around her body, up her legs, and yet she still turned at the sound of something moving just a few feet away. She would ask questions later and fire hard. “Oh no…”
A tiny skunk scampered away on stubby legs in the wake of her shot and, despite the stench, Lena was grateful for the lack of spray. She still wished she had looked harder before flying off the figurative handle. What if it had been Jax, crawling back on his belly in an effort to get back to her side? She told herself she had to be far more careful with her trigger finger as she headed back to the house and locked the door behind her. He’s fine. I’m fine. I promised him that I’d wait. I…
She cleaned up their unfinished breakfast and dried her hands with a towel as soon as the dishes were set aside. Sitting at the table, Lena gripped the edge and kept her gaze on the gun. She wouldn’t be so quick to fire again. She would wait until he was back and ready to take her into his arms again. Then there would be no need for any bullet.
It felt so long without him; it seemed even longer, and when she finally raced back to the gun and felt the steel in her hand. Keeping the pistol close to her thigh, she heard a single motor creeping up the lane. It’s him! It has to be him!
Lena set the gun aside and moved to take him into her arms. She nearly felt her lips crashing into his cheeks and danced towards an approaching bike when her eyes narrowed at the sight of a hulking figure moving through the shadows. Big and broad, but not Jax. Whishing she had kept the gun closer, she hurried back to the house and picked up the pistol.
“I’m going to be here for him,” she said. “No way I’m just taking off without one word why.”
Returning to the porch, Lena took aim. Ready to fire at the first sight of any harm, she watched with carful eyes as a big man left his bike. His shoulders swirled closer as he stepped forward, and Lena kept her gaze on the target.