Chapter 2
Jessie awoke the next morning with a headache. Reaching blearily for two aspirin she knocked her phone off the bedside table. The device flashed on and she saw she had several messages. After picking up the phone and taking the pills with a bottle of water she felt like she was ready to face the world, and the consequences of her actions last night.
Jessie scrolled through the messages, several asking where she’d disappeared to and one from Jax. How did he get her number? One of the girls must have given it to him. Pressing a hand to her head she went into the bathroom to shower away the night before, or try to.
Jessie walked out of the house an hour later to check her mail and stopped as she saw Liam outside, washing his car without the armor that most women would need to look at his glorious chest. Namely a shirt. She slowed as she walked out, watching him as he soaped up the car on the concrete driveway only twenty feet from hers.
He looked up as if sensing her presence and waved with a grin on his devilishly handsome face. Jessie waved back, feeling like a complete fool over her behavior last night. Sure she’d finally got her divorce papers, and yeah she’d had a few drinks, but really! Thinking those two men would take her home and make her their queen. She must have been drunk, she told herself. Really drunk.
Jessie was walking back from her mailbox when Liam called out to her.
“Hey, do you need to get your car? I was thinking about going out for some food over in that direction if you need a ride.”
“Oh, uh…” Jessie hedged, looking at her empty driveway for a way out. Finally she shrugged and gave up. The girls were probably still passed out and wouldn’t be any help to her at al. “Sure?”
Jessie gave a tentative smile and walked into her house to get her things. She came back out and offered to help Liam finish washing the car.
“That would be mighty kind of you ma’am. And I promise not to spray water all over that nice white top of yours in the process.” Liam spoke with a straight face but his mouth kept twitching and he couldn’t hide the mirth from his eyes for long.
“Oh, I just bet you’ll try very hard, won’t you? Not to I mean.” She decided to tease back, some of the shyness leaving with his comment.
“Well, after last night I’d say you might deserve it but that was a strange night for you wasn’t it?” He broke into the one topic that had her panicking as if it was no big deal.
“It was, yes.” She muttered, staring a hole into an invisible spot she was trying to wash away with a soapy cloth.
“So what was it? I’ve lived here for weeks now, the only visitors you ever have are your female friends. I’ve never seen a man going into or coming out of your home, then there you were last night, ready to go. Mighty beautiful I might add, but acting very out of character for a woman who’s barely done more than wave at me in all that time.”
“We’ve chatted a couple of times.” She protested, looking defensive.
“A few but not for long. About the weather, about the seasons, but nothing involved. So what was the occasion? New job? Moving?” Liam looked curious as he picked up the hose pipe to rinse the car off.
Jessie looked away from him, that chest too much temptation to stare at. She noticed a tattoo across his back, it looked like angel wings but she wasn’t sure yet. When he turned to spray the car she saw they were wings in a tribal style that spread from shoulder blade to shoulder blade. Her mouth became a pool of saliva as she looked at him from the back, his body gloriously cut and shaped.
Liam finished rinsing the car then went to the garage to open the door. He came out on a black BMW motorcycle. Being a novice to motorcycles Jessie didn’t know anything about it other than the fact that it said BMW on the side.
“Are we going to wash that too? Is this my penance for going home early last night?” She joked.
“Oh no, it’s a nice day so I thought we’d take this instead of the car. Unless you’re afraid? I have an extra helmet.” He held the helmet up, waving it at her with a quirked eyebrow.
“Ah. I’ve never been on one before.” She told him, looking at the bike with anxiety.
“There’s nothing to it, you just lean with it and don’t try to jump off.” He told her, pulling a shirt out of the car and putting her things in a saddle bag. “Hop on, you’re perfectly safe.”
Jessie took his words as a promise and hopped on, her legs sliding along his thighs as he started the motor. It wasn’t as loud as some she’d heard but there was a quiet vibration she found rather enjoyable. Jessie suppressed a giggle and put her feet on the pegs as her arms slid around Liam’s waist. This was going to be an experience.
Jessie had settled in for the ride, hoping she was sitting correctly, when she heard Liam’s voice in her head. Or maybe it was the helmet.
“You alright back there? You can talk to me, there’s a mic in your helmet.” He ended the speech with a slight chuckle as he felt her jump.
“Oh that is really cool.” She said, then realized he could hear her when he chuckled again.
“Yes. So about last night? Did you win the lottery by any chance? Or maybe you finished college?”
“Oh, no, I finished college three years ago. I’m a web designer. I work for a company over on the other side of the city but I work from home when I can. Nothing can beat working in your pajamas.”
“I believe I could think of a few things. If not graduation then what? Something set you off last night.”
Jessie gave him credit; he was definitely an observant fellow. She realized then she’d evaded his question many times, though she hadn’t meant to exactly. She was distracted by his presence, not avoiding the question.
“My divorce papers came yesterday, the final decree that means I’m a free woman. It wasn’t a happy marriage so I went out with my friends to celebrate being free of that lunatic finally.” Jessie made herself stop, she knew men didn’t like to hear about a woman’s crazy ex-husband any more than women liked hearing about crazy ex-wives.
“Now that is a reason to celebrate.” Liam said with a fake southern drawl. “We gonna have to take you out for a real meal then, missy. Make this a proper celebration. I bet I can even put a barbecue together later. You want to invite some of your friends and I’ll invite mine?”
“That actually sounds really nice. I can stop on the way home and pick up whatever is needed.”
They discussed a menu and made a list. Liam gave her some money to help pay the costs because she insisted on paying for half, and she headed off to the grocery store.
Three hours later her friends were standing around Liam’s back yard, once more discussing the fine quality of the man’s bottom when Jax sauntered in. He was dressed in dark blue denim, a black t-shirt, with a black bandana over his head. Obviously he’d come in on the motorcycle they’d heard.
He walked over to Liam to greet him and Liam pointed out Jessie. She felt her cheeks turning red and waved as he walked over to her.
“Hi there. I hear we’re celebrating you being a free lady. Congratulations.” He leaned down to kiss her cheek politely, his eyes hidden behind a pair of black sunglasses.
Jessie squinted up at him and wished she’d brought her own, they’d have been something to hide behind if nothing else.
“That I am. How are you today?” Jessie thought it was a stunted, typical question but it was all she could think to say. Her brain was going into overdrive again.
“Doing alright now that I’m here.” He said, obviously not in the mood for a lot of words. He pushed his sunglasses up and she could see his gaze was locked onto her. “So what do you want, sausage or chicken?”
For a moment Jessie looked confused then realized what he was asking her. “Oh, I’m going to have one of both. That special sauce Liam made up tasted heavenly when I tried it earlier and I love smoked sausage so yeah, greedy cow, aren’t I?”
“Hey, that’s cool. I like a girl that knows her own mind and likes to eat. Should I bring you a plate?” He asked with a smile that melted Jessie’s knees.
She plopped down in a seat beside her friend Megan and shook her head, a besotted look on her face.
“Girl, you got it bad. For two of them. I’m surprised they aren’t fighting over you already all the signals you’re throwing out to them both.” Megan didn’t look judgmental or put out and Jessie smiled.
“How hot would it be to have both?” She whispered in Megan’s ear, earning her a shocked look from her friend.
“Seriously? Have they offered that?” Megan gasped back quietly.
“No, but it’s all weird, they aren’t fighting or being asses, they’re both acting like normal men interested in a woman. I kept thinking about it last night and was on the verge of begging for it, oh, I’ll tell you later.” Jessie said as both Jax and Liam came over, Liam bringing chairs with him.
“Liam said you made this potato salad, Jessie. That’s the best potato salad I’ve tasted in years, girl.” Jax said as he handed her a loaded plate, and one for Megan. “I didn’t know what you’d want Sweet Meg, so I brought you a little of everything.”
Megan twittered as she took the plate and filled her mouth with potato salad in a move Jessie knew was meant to keep her from saying something embarrassing. She’d done it herself. Jessie looked over at Megan and winked, teasing her friend, and Megan spluttered, laughing as she tried to swallow her food.
Liam walked off, and then came back with two bottled beers, handing them to the ladies.
“I think you two need these to cool yourselves down a little. Something’s got you all flustered.” Liam used that fake southern drawl again and Jessie howled with laughter, something incredibly funny about the situation.
The rest of the day went well and Jessie stumbled home with a very tipsy Megan in tow around 2 am. They’d laughed, they’d joked, they’d been serious and discussed Jessie’s past, and the others told their tales, though she doubted anybody would remember the next day.
Around lunch time Jax and Liam came over to ask the ladies if they wanted to go out for a ride. Megan pleaded with her tummy and head, saying she didn’t want to be sick all over anyone but she insisted Jessie go with them. Megan was curious about how this was all going to turn out and whispered to Jessie that she’d better not chicken out before pushing her friend out of the front door.
Jessie rode with Jax this time on a bike Jessie couldn’t identify but it looked like the typical biker’s bike to her, even if she didn’t know what the insignia meant. Jax had the same kind of helmets as Liam and they spent the ride talking about him, Jessie insisting he stop making her talk about herself.
“I don’t think I know what you do for a living, Jax.” Jessie thought to ask.
“I was a fireman, I worked over in the city, but I left that when my father passed away and left me his bike shop. This bike is one of his creations.” Jax told her, and Jessie was stunned.
“Wow, you create machines like this? That is awesome. And you were a fireman. Wow, hats off to you Jax, you’ve lived an interesting life so far.”
“It pays the bills.” He said without giving away that his business was one of the most profitable on the east coast and had netted him a rather large bank account.
They drove out of the city and into the countryside, the summer air cooling the heat from the pavement of the road. Jessie loved the exhilaration of being on a bike and watched the scenery going by. Before long they pulled off at a farm and drove back into a long stretch of woods to the farmhouse.
“This is our friend Jakes place. I guess to an outsider, we kind of look like a gang but it’s really just a group of us that get together from time to time. Keeping it closed keeps people from peeking in, asking questions about what we’re doing. Nothing illegal, mind, just things we’d like to keep to ourselves.”
Jessie found his words ominous but the laughing smiling people around her proved she had nothing to worry about. As soon as the bikes stopped, the crowd gathered around, pulling Liam and Jax to one side with the men and Jessie to the other with the women. Both sides were busy cooking on grills and camp stoves, chatting back and forth as though Jessie had always been a part of the group.
Jessie learned from watching them all that the women were treated as equals, they weren’t property, as she’d expected from stereotypes about bikers she’d absorbed somewhere along the way. Many had their own bikes, their own businesses, and lived a happily married life. None of them seemed to be the housewife, stay at home and be a doormat type that Jessie’s ex-husband had wanted her to be, something she’d expected the men here would want from their women.
Jessie wasn’t sure why she expected subservience really but what she saw at that party was nothing like it. If anything the men catered to the women, helping them when they needed help the same way the women did for them. Jessie tried to stay in the background where she could observe what was going on and watched as Liam and Jax joined in a game of horseshoes and other games. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected now but this happy group of people wasn’t it.
A few hours later, as the sun was going down, Jessie started to get tired. She couldn’t find Liam or Jax, however, so she started wandering around and found herself over by a barn. There were a lot of voices and noises coming from the barn and Jessie assumed the men might be in there. Then she noticed what sounded like moans and delighted cries of pleasure. Her eye widened as she stood still listening at one window placed just over her head.
Then Jessie heard what sounded like words of encouragement and the cries of pleasure grew louder. Far too curious now she looked around for something to stand on and found a plastic crate. She was just stepping up on it when she felt an arm go around her waist and she was pulled into someone’s arms.
“Oh madam, I don’t think you’re quite ready for that yet.” She heard Jax say just before his lips came down on hers.
“But what is it?” She asked when he pulled away. The thought was left over from before his lips came down to hers and stole all of her thoughts but that one. Jessie lifted her fingers to her lips and felt them, marveling at how wonderful Jax' kiss had felt. She could feel a path of warmth burning all the way down to her toes from that kiss. Now what was it she’d asked him about again?
When a loud shout of satisfaction came from the building Jessie’s eyes widened once more and she looked at Jax. He just chuckled and pulled her away.
“No. You aren’t ready for what’s going on in there at all, missy. Let’s get you home.”
Jessie went home alone, disappointed that there were no more kisses in store but she had a lot to think about. Such as that kiss, and what exactly was going on in that barn? Jessie fell asleep with the sounds coming from the barn coloring her dreams while Jax’s kiss was the theme. Except in her dream Liam joined him and they took turns, their tongues exploring her mouth one at a time. Their fingers had both touched her and were travelling down her stomach when a loud banging woke her up.
“Jessie! Jessie! Get your worthless tail out here!”
Jessie awoke with fear clutching at her heart. She knew that voice and she knew the sounds of those fists. Her ex-husband had come for a visit.