Author's Note: I could not help but post a little earlier than I had planned originally. I hope y'all enjoy!

Chapter 2 –

The patch over and gun deal went smoothly and the after-party was complete with liquor, beer, and half-naked, horny, girls. Even with a strong buzz, and a pretty brunette rubbing up on him Juice couldn't keep his mind off the beautiful strawberry blonde with the gorgeous smile and laugh. After much ribbing from Chibs and Tig, he fucked the chick in the back of the clubhouse, but all he could think of was Kayleigh.

Riding back to Charming seemed to take forever. Juice wondered if Kayleigh would still be there. Had the guys at the shop fixed her truck already? He doubted it, based on what she said happened, but she could have left already. When they pulled into the lot Juice spotted the blue truck parked near the bar doors of the shop.

The guys made their way into the clubhouse and Piney nudged Juice with his arm. "Saw you gawking around like an owl with your head turned half way around. Lookin' for a little blonde?"

Juice tried to play it off, but Piney gave him a shrug and a grin. "She ain't been here since we brought the truck in yesterday. The Prospect took her to the Bed and Breakfast with some of her stuff. Her truck's next on the line up to get looked at. You've got time to see her again, if that's what you're hoping for."

"She's hot and all, but she's just some random chick riding through, don't think she plans on sticking around Charming," Juice said nonchalantly, trying to play off his attraction and what was seeming to become obsession over the woman he had spent an hour and a half with two days ago.

Piney gave him one of the those knowing, asshole smirks. "Sure. How much did you enjoy the different scenery in the clubhouse in Nevada?"

Chibs clapped Juice on the shoulder, coming up from behind him and interjected, "He didn't. Sat around all mopey and shite. He got drunk and we finally ribbed him enough to go screw a lovely dark haired lass. A pretty little gash with nice tits and a southern accent's got Juicy-boy all fucked up in the head."

"Come on, man. Really?"

"Truth hurts sometimes, son," Piney stated after taking a shot of tequila.

"Yeah, whatever. Ain't like she's gonna stick around here," Juice replied quickly.

"Who says she has to stick around? If she flirted with you, fuck her before she leaves," Chibs mused. He took a swig of his beer and then added, "She was hot as hell."

"That all you noticed?"

"Well, you were the only one that got to spend any longer than five minutes with her, so yeah, her perky tits and nice ass were all I noticed."

Juice tried not to let his anger show, tried hard not to let his brothers see how obsessed he was over this random girl they had stumbled upon, but Chibs knew him too well and laughed loudly.

"Life too short, Juicy-boy. Take a chance with her while she's here, maybe she'll like you and fuck around. Hell, maybe she'll think Charming is charming and stay and you two can be fuck buddies."

"Man, don't ever say fuck buddies again," Tig said, coming behind the bar to swipe a beer. "It just sounds wrong coming from you."

After a few more drinks, a meeting at the table, and a couple rounds of pool, Juice headed out. The crow eaters were disappointed to see him go, he knew, but he didn't feel up to crashing at the clubhouse with some random chick.

The next morning Juice got ready as usual to head to the shop. As he drove down the street he spotted Kayleigh walking down the sidewalk. He shouldn't have recognized her from behind, but he couldn't get the image of the sway of her hips out of his head, and that was definitely her ass in those painted on jeans. The long strawberry blonde hair helped point her out to him, too.

He slowed down as he got closer to her and Kayleigh quit walking to turn and look at the approaching motorcycle.

"Hey," Kayleigh said as Juice pulled up to the curb and cut the engine.

"Did you walk all the way here from the B&B?" It was a long walk, and Juice didn't like the idea of her walking alone.

Kayleigh shrugged, putting her hands on her hips. "Yeah, not like I have a vehicle, and its not that bad of a walk. Nice way to see this small little town. Are you headed to the shop? Any word on my poor truck?"

"Yeah, I'm headed to work. The truck should be looked at today. I'll make sure it does if its not already in the garage."

"Cool, thanks, but you don't have to do that for me. I don't want to make anyone else have to wait because I jumped line."

"Nah, it's all good. The locals can wait, besides it's already in line to be seen today. You need a lift somewhere?"

"Oh, no. Thank you, though. I don't mind walking, less I have to run later during my workout. I planned to look around the center of town and then head back to the B&B. Wanted to see if Charming was really charming," she joked with a smile.

Chibs's words echoed in Juice's head and he grinned back at her. "Has it met your expectations of being charming?"

Kayleigh gave him a playful smirk. "Yeah, it's nice, has this nice homey, small town feel, cute little mom and pop shops, small school. I'd say it's a quiet, little charming place, but it has this motorcycle club with loud bikes riding around, makes it a little less quaint."

Juice returned her smirk with one of his own. "What are you talking 'bout? We put the charm in charming."

Kayleigh laughed, then clapped a hand over her mouth trying to stifle her outburst. He surprised her replying as he had, his New York accent had come out more, too. "Motorcycle clubs usually do add a little, um, excitement to a town," she finally replied after she uncovered her mouth.

Juice was about to respond when his phone rang. He pulled the little silver phone out of his pocket and answered. Kayleigh listened to the mostly one sided conversation that involved Juice saying yes or no ever so often. A quick "I'll be there soon." ended the conversation and he snapped the phone shut.

"Late for work?"

"Naw, motorcycle club stuff, but I do have to get going."

"Alright, I'll see you around, Juice." She started to walk off after giving him a small wave with her hand, but he called out her name and made her stop.

"Kayleigh! The uh, there's a fundraiser type fair tomorrow here in town… wondered if you might want to go?"

Kayleigh gave him one off those smiles that made Juice want to pull her close and kiss her. "That sounds nice. When is it?"

"Late afternoon, the guys will all get there around four or five."

"Okay, well, you know where I'll be. Have a good day, Juice. I'll see you tomorrow at four." She gave him another smile and then turned to continue her way down the street. Juice watched her as he started his bike and then took his eyes away only to pull out on the road and head to Teller-Morrow.

Kayleigh sighed in frustration at the contents of her suitcase that she had brought to the B&B with her. The rest of her bags were still in the bed of her truck at Teller-Morrow where Piney had promised they would be just fine until her truck was fixed. He even had told her he would get some of the guys to haul her things out of the truck and inside wherever she wanted them to go.

That sounded great, but right now, Kayleigh really wished she could decide what to wear tonight. She had showered and dried her hair to its perfect straightness and done her make-up. She had debated going heavy with the make-up, but decided against it, instead applying her dark brown eye liner some light pinkish-gold shadow and a swipe of mascara. Kayleigh had never been high maintenance or fussy when it came to her make-up and she saw no reason to start now.

Standing in nothing but her matching black panties and bra, she gave another frustrated sigh as she continued to rifle through her clothes. The navy blue halter dress would be nice in the heat, but Kayleigh knew better than to get on a bike without pants. She had trusted one man in her life to ride with when her legs were bare; and Ryan was gone and she hardly knew Juice or his driving skills well enough to trust him not to lay down his bike on accident.

Tossing the pretty dress to the side, Kayleigh grabbed her favorite pair of faded jeans, the ones with a hole in the knee because she had owned them since she was a senior in high school. They were worn, threadbare in some places along her legs, but were still holding up ten years later.

Now all she had to do was pick a top. Again, her mind drifted to thoughts of Ryan, as it did so often – even when she didn't want to be thinking of him. She would have no trouble picking a top to wear if he was the one coming to pick her up, but it was Juice and Kayleigh was unsure what she was going to wear. After rummaging through the bag once more she laid out three shirts on the bed, stuffing the rest of the clothes back into the suitcase and setting it on the floor.

The first shirt was a plain navy blue fitted tee that scooped low in the front. The second was a red halter with tiny white flowers stitched into the fabric. The last one Kayleigh had chosen was gray with black sequins and stitching across the front that created a swirly floral pattern. The shirt was loose fitting and hung off one of her shoulders.

Kayleigh threw on her shirt the gray shirt just as the loud knock on the door sounded. "Shit," she whispered, looking at the clock. It was five minutes past four. Looking in the mirror on the dresser, Kayleigh ran her fingers through her hair and then straightened her shirt. Not sure why she was really worried about if she looked perfect or not, Kayleigh went and opened the door.

Juice stood on the other side, giving her one of those big, toothy smiles of his that made butterflies drift around in her stomach. Before she could ask him how he knew which room was hers he spoke.

"I asked Mrs. Willows what room you were staying in, had to tell her it was 'cause of your truck or she wasn't going to tell me. Said you were a sweet, nice young girl and didn't need riffraff bothering you."

Kayleigh laughed as she stepped aside and into the room. "I take it Mrs. Willows is not a fan of the MC lifestyle. I need to grab my purse and shoes and then I'm ready."

Juice watched the gorgeous woman as she squatted down with her back to him and dug through a large black canvas bag. He let his eyes roam over her curves, and he really liked what he saw, but he liked her personality, too.

His eyes caught sight of the exposed skin of her shoulder as her hair fell to one side. The lightly tanned skin was painted in shades of grey and white. Kayleigh had a tattoo. Juice wondered what it was, it covered the small part of her back that was visible.

She jumped up with a quiet, triumphant ah-ha, short black heeled boots in her hands, and moved to sit on the edge of the bed. Her exclamation brought Juice out of his thoughts, but he couldn't help but to continue studying her as she put on her shoes. Her slender shoulder and delicate collarbone were revealed by her shirt, but he really wanted to see her full back, too. Kayleigh stood, grabbing her purse from the dresser and slipped the long strap across her body, making her breasts stand out more. Juice's eyes drifted away from her shoulder to her rack.

"Ready?" she asked, her lips forming into a smirk when she caught him staring at her chest.

"If you are," Juice replied, giving her a devilish grin of his own. He walked to his bike and sat down as she locked the door. Juice got a nice look at Kayleigh as she walked toward him. She mounted the bike behind him, shifting to get comfortable, before sliding her hands onto his hips.

"You did say you've been on a bike bef-"

"Drive Juice," she whispered in his ear.

Juice didn't waste any more time, he backed up the bike from its parking spot and then pulled out of the lot.

Kayleigh was close to him, close enough that their thighs touched, but she wasn't pressed against him. He wished she was closer.

Juice had never been attracted to a woman like he was to Kayleigh. It wasn't just because she was beautiful and hella sexy, or because of his curiosity about her ink, or even because of how much he wanted to fuck her. Juice wanted to know her. He wanted to know why she had moved alone. Where was she headed? Would she choose to stay in Charming?

They made it to the high school and parked alongside the row of Harleys already there.

"Looks like everyone else beat us," Kayleigh said when Juice shut off the bike.

Juice shot a glance at the bikes as Kayleigh climbed off and stood beside him. "Most everyone, not all. Let's go." He motioned with his arm for her to go, and fell into step beside her.

"You said this is a fundraiser, what for?" Kayleigh asked, striking up a conversation with the man beside her.

"Jax's mother Gemma does this thing every year to raise money for the school. Raises money for different clubs, athletics, or the library, sometimes just money to fix up the school."

"And who is Jax?"

"He's the club's VP."

"Oh, and what you are? I mean, what do you do, in the club?"

"I'm the intelligence officer," he stated proudly.

Kayleigh chuckled and smiled. "You're the one who's good with technology, right?" She was rewarded with one of his big, toothy grins that she liked… a lot.

Kayleigh liked Juice, and she was nervous to meet his club, lest they not like her. That would be the end of her and Juice hanging around each other, and Kayleigh was interested and attracted enough to Juice to want to stick around and get to know him better.

"Yeah. I'm the nerd."

"Naw, that makes you the smart one."

They reached the main area of the fundraiser and were instantly joined by three older men, all in jeans and black kuttes.

"Who's the beautiful lady, Juicy?" Bobby asked, looking Kayleigh up and down with a smile.

"Kayleigh, this is Bobby, Tig, and Chibs. Guys, Kayleigh."

"Nice to meet you, gentlemen."

Chibs smiled. "Nice to meet 'ya, lass."

"You got the truck with all the stuff? Girl on the side of the road?" Tig said suddenly pointing to Kayleigh, who started to chuckle.

"Yeah. You left Juice as guard dog until the tow arrived," she retorted playfully.

"You staying in Charming?"

"Not sure yet." Kayleigh didn't miss the look Chibs shot Juice.

"Well, I'm sure you could rope a few guys into helping you unload your stuff if you choose to stay," Bobby said.

"Thanks," Kayleigh said in reply.

Kayleigh didn't move away when Juice put his hand against her lower back starting to lead her away from the three other club members. "See ya later, guys," Juice called over his shoulder as they walked away.

"Where to?" Kayleigh asked as she looked around at all the booths and little games set up by different school groups, organizations, and businesses.

"Hungry? Gemma's makes amazing chili every year."

"Chili sounds nice, even if it doesn't ever get cold enough for chili here in good ole Cali."

"Gets fairly cold in the winter, January is the worst, and even that's not even close to winter in New York," Juice replied.

"Queens, right?"

He nodded, a little surprised she remembered.

"I've been to New York City one time, went with a group of friends. My daddy let me go in high school, said it was the craziest thing he ever did, sending his baby girl to the Big City. The only reason he let me go with my friends is because my brother went with me, too."

"Did he think you wouldn't come home?" Juice asked her with a chuckle.

"Something like that, yeah."

Juice watched as the corner of Kayleigh 's mouth turned up into that little smile of hers, a mix between a soft smile and a smirk. He wanted to know what she was thinking.

"What?" he asked.

Kayleigh laughed and shook her head. "Honestly, he was worried I would fall into the hands of the mafia and never return. I thought he was absolutely crazy."

"I think he's smart. The mafia loves pretty young girls."

"And you know how?" Kayleigh retorted as they weaved their way around a large crowd of people.

He shot her a look from the corner of his eye and her mouth dropped open. "No fucking way?!"

"Yes fucking way."

"Huh. Well, that's an interesting tidbit. For what it's worth, I'm glad you made it to Cali."

"Me too," Juice replied as they reached the food stands. Juice led her over to Gemma and the mother of the club smiled.

"Hey, Juice, who's this?" Gemma had started off sounding happy when she first saw him, but then her eyes cut to Kayleigh and she was more inquisitive than happy.

Gemma was the mother hen, and highly disliked any new women coming into the 'family'.

"I'm Kayleigh Hanners. The guys at the shop are fixing my truck for me, and Juice was kind enough to invite me to come along today."

"You gonna stay in Charming?" Gemma questioned.

"Not really sure yet. This wasn't exactly my destination to begin with, but here I am."

"What do you do, Kayleigh?" Gemma asked.

"Nothing right now. I used to work with my grandparents at their bakery in Houston, and I took it over when they passed away."

"Now that's what Charming needs," Luann said coming up beside Gemma. "A good bakery. You should open a shop here."

Juice didn't miss the glare Gemma shot at her friend, but luckily Kayleigh did. She smiled sweetly at Luann but shook her head. "I'm not sure yet if that's what I really want to do. I have some time to figure things out, heck I'm not even sure if I'm staying in Charming yet."

"Well, I think you'll make the right choice," Gemma said, handing Juice two bowls of chili.

Kayleigh found an empty table and they both sat down.

"I get the impression Gemma was not so happy to meet me."

"Gemma is Jax's mother and married to the Pres. She's kind of like the mother of the pack, the alpha female. She's not a big fan of new girls hanging out."

"I am not a hang around or whatever it is yall call chicks that like to fuck MC boys, if that's what she thinks."

"Crow eaters," Juice supplied.

"Crow eaters? Really?"

"Yeah, well we're SAMCRO, and they eat –"

Kayleigh cut him off with a round of giggles and a raised hand. "Oh, I think I can figure out what they 'eat' all by myself. Why would she think I'm a hang around anyway?"

Juice shrugged. "Not a lot of the guys bring dates to anything, and you're a new face. It's a conclusion she came to all by herself, swear."

Before they could continue their conversation they were joined by Chibs, Bobby, and Tig.

"Hello again, gentlemen," Kayleigh greeted them with a smile.

"We've got some business to take care of later, Juicy-boy." Chibs motioned with a nod of his head toward a tall short-haired man that was playing an egg toss game with a younger girl who looked to be his daughter.

Kayleigh wondered what they were going to do with or to the other man that Chibs had tried to discretely point out, but she knew better than to open her mouth and ask, or even make it known that she possibly understood who and what they were going to do.

"When?" Juice asked.

"Later tonight, we gotta handle some other shit, too," Bobby said.

Kayleigh looked at Juice and smiled as Tig stood and clapped Juice on the back. The other two stood as well and they left Kayleigh and Juice alone.

"I hate to cut this short, but I should probably get you back before I have to bail on you."

"I'd like to stay, actually. This is nice, and I'm sure I can find my way back to the B&B."

"You sure? Lemme ask Gemma if she'll give you a ride later."

"No, let's not. I'll be fine, Juice. Promise."

"Okay, if I can I'll swing back by and pick you."

Kayleigh stood and took their two empty bowls and tossed them in the trashcan behind her. When she turned around Juice had stood up too and was waiting with his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"I'm really sorry I've got to bail on you, not how I planned this night to go."

Kayleigh gave him a smile and gently nudged his shoulder with her own. "Don't worry about it. I'll just expect you to make it up to me another time."

"I can do that," Juice replied. "Let me give you my number, shoot me a text so I know you made it back to the B&B safe?"

Kayleigh handed her phone over to Juice, but gave him an inquisitive look. "Do you expect something bad to happen to me here in little ol' Charming?"

"No, but it would put my mind at ease to know your locked up for the night since I can't see to it myself."

Kayleigh gave him that breathtaking smile as he handed her back the phone. "I appreciate that." Kayleigh noticed the other MC members gathering together off to the side and watching Juice and her closely. "You, uh, better get going before they come drag you away. I'll come by tomorrow to get my truck. See ya later, Juice."

"Later, Kayleigh." Juice wanted to kiss her. He wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her hard enough to burn his memory into her brain.

Kayleigh watched Juice leave with his crew and decided to walk around the town square and see all the different booths and games.

"Well, hey there, Kayleigh right?" It was Gemma that spoke as she rounded one of the booths and caught Kayleigh's attention.

"Yeah, Gemma?"

The woman nodded and gave her a small smile. "The boys ran off to do their thing didn't they?"

Kayleigh shrugged. "Yeah, but it's cool. Juice offered to take me back to the B&B but I wanted to stay. Is there anything I can do to help out? Juice said you were in charge of this operation."

Gemma studied the strawberry blonde who had caught Juice's attention with a critical eye. She couldn't place it, but she thought the girl was too comfortable around the boys. She had watched them from afar as Juice had first introduced them and then as Kayleigh easily and without question said goodbye to Juice and watched him ride off with the club, leaving her behind and alone at a public affair. Was the girl tied to another club? Could she be informing on them to a rival? She'd have to talk to Clay, but for now she was going to put the young woman to use since she asked.

"Help would be nice. Luann is still over at the chili booth. Would you mind helping out with the food? She'll get you all set up."

"No problem, and hey," Kayleigh called as Gemma went to walk off. "Thanks, Gemma."

"You're welcome."

It was late at night when Kayleigh made it back to the B&B. Gemma had left to take someone's kids home and Luann had offered her a ride.

"You staying here, honey?" Luann asked as Kayleigh opened the door to get out.

"Yeah. For now, Mrs. Willows gave me a really good deal on a month's stay. I'm not real sure where I'm gonna go, or if I'm gonna stay, but the B&B is better than some of the other shady motels on the outskirts of town."

"Well, I'm sure you'll figure out something," the older blonde woman said with a genuine smile. Kayleigh decided she liked Luann a lot more than she did Gemma at the moment. The dark haired woman had been cold and kind of standoffish with her, but Kayleigh understood where the woman was coming from and didn't hold it against her, much.

"I really think you should open a bakery. That would be so neat, there's a store for sale on Main street, if it's still available. You could open there."

Kayleigh smiled at Luann as she climbed out of the car and gave her a smile. 'I'll think about it. Thanks for giving me something to do tonight. I had fun."

Luanna smiled back as Kayleigh shut the door. "Any time, lady. Have a good night."

Kayleigh unlocked her door as Luann pulled out of the parking lot. She shut the door behind her, flipping on the light switch and turning around to bolt the door. She latched the chain and took a picture of the lock.

Safe and locked inside, hitched a ride with Luann Delaney. :) Kayleigh typed under the picture and then sent the message to Juice.

As she was pulling an old t-shirt over her head the phone chimed and a message appeared on the screen.

Glad you didn't walk again, sorry again for having to leave. Goodnight – Juice

Kayleigh couldn't stop the stupid grin from tugging at the corners of her mouth. She should not be so giddy over a damn text message, but she found she couldn't help herself. She liked Juice, she was attracted to him more than she wanted to admit.

She sent back a quick text and then crawled under the covers and fell asleep.

Night :) – Kayleigh