Only ten minutes of darts passed before I felt a pair of arms settle around my waist right in the middle of my throw, which sent the damn dart off course and made it almost hit the really big prospect. Felix. He looked up at me like he was terrified of me all of the sudden and I rolled my eyes at him before I turned to face Juice. He grinned wildly down at me and I sighed, knowing he was drunk off his ass and there was no way I was getting him back to the house after I'd had five beers as well. He leaned down and pressed his cheek to mine so he could whisper, "I'm drunk."
"Yep."
"And I got my cut back. And I got you. And…and…and the prospect's been bringing you beers all night."
"Yes, he has."
"What's he been doing that for?" Juice's voice was gruff with jealousy and I rolled my eyes again.
"Because he is being my beer bitch because he doesn't know how to keep his mouth shut."
Juice's eyes snapped up and located Miles near Shepard on the other side of the club house. I reached up and grabbed his face, pulling his eyes back down to mine. I promised, "I handled it."
"You handled it." He repeated skeptically.
"I told him that I'm your old lady," I informed him.
"You handled it," he said with more certainty.
"Whatever the two of you are handling, could you do it out of the way of the dart board?" Kozik's voice rang out. I laughed and grabbed Juice's hand. I pulled him to the side and asked, "Do you still have the apartment here?"
"Yeah. You've only been back a week."
"It feels like a lifetime," I sighed. He shrugged and I shook off the thoughts surrounding Lyla and Opie and the club. Instead, I suggested, "We could make our way in there, lock the door, and have crazy wild drunk sex."
"I can get behind that. And I can definitely get behind you. Can I? Can I get behind you?"
"Yes, you can get behind me. And in front of me. And to the side of me. And any other way you can get."
"Then what the fuck are we doing in this room still?"
I laughed and started off to the bedroom, pulling him along with me. He followed quickly and I barely got the door shut behind us before his mouth was on mine and his clumsy hands were pulling at the clothes that separated us.
The next morning, I woke up half under Juice and burning up. We hadn't thought to turn on the air conditioning the night before and Juice's dead weight on top of me, pushing me down into the blankets was killing me. His breath was hot and heavy on my neck and when I tried to wriggle free, he moaned and his hand snaked out to push me back onto the bed. He groaned, "Uh-uh. No moving for you for a while."
"Juice, we have to…"
"Nope. I have a hangover. You lay here and you let me use you as a pillow."
"You're not using me as a pillow, Juice. You're using me as half a damn mattress."
"Well, be a quiet mattress then, Laura. I'm trying to sleep."
I couldn't hold back a laugh and I felt his lips turn up into his wide, face splitting grin that was his trademark. He buried his face deeper in my neck and made a slurping noise. I squealed and wriggled. He groaned and warned, "Stop that, Laura. I'm hungover."
"That's your fault, Juan Carlos. Now let me up, you ass. I have to pee."
He reached up and poked me in the bladder. I swatted at his hand and he rolled on top of me so he could tickle me. I laughed and pushed at him. God I loved my man. He had a killer hangover and he was still trying to make me giggle. He was still making the best out of our time. Until we heard the yell that came from out in the clubhouse. Juice rolled over me and his feet hit the floor with a solid thud. He grabbed his jeans and yanked them on quickly. I rolled after him and grabbed his t shirt off the floor. I pulled it on over my head while he grabbed his gun off his dresser. He stopped to stare at me and ordered, "Stay here."
"That's not going to happen, Juice."
I could see the conflict in his eyes. He couldn't stay in the room with me. It'd be a betrayal to the club. But he couldn't just let me run free into the line of danger. He snarled, "Then at least fucking stay behind me."
I nodded and he grabbed the back of my head to press his lips to mine hard for a second. He let me go and I followed him out the door of the apartment and into the clubhouse just as Lyla's hand shoved at Opie's chest. I didn't hear what he said to piss her off but I knew it couldn't be good. She turned on her heels and marched out of the clubhouse. And that was when I saw Ima coming out from the dorms and I couldn't stop the snarl that ripped from my throat. I demanded, "Did you sleep with that whore, Opie?"
"What?"
"Did you fucking sleep with that whore?" My voice rose and I came around Juice to slam my hands into his chest.
"I'm right here," Ima said drily.
I turned to her and warned, "You keep your stupid fucking mouth shut. Only time you need to let that hang open is when you want a dick to fall into it, you dumb fucking cunt."
"Oh, the college girl thinks she's big shit," Ima's voice floated over me. "She got out of this town. She lowered herself to coming back here. We all fucking know why you came back, college girl. You came back because you couldn't stand the world out there. You came back because you need your man to take care of you."
"Shut up," Juice's voice laced into the conversation.
"You came back because you can't fucking take care of yourself," Ima spat. "You've never been able to take care of yourself. Why do you think you latched onto a man so young?"
I lunged then, my bare feet lifting off the floor as I jumped at her. But Juice managed to get his arm around my waist quickly, keeping me pinned to his body while he snapped, "Get the fuck out of here, bitch. Get the fuck out of here and stay gone."
She shrugged and wriggled her little, perfectly manicured fingers at me. I braced my bare feet against Juice's knees so I could try to get at her again. Juice bent his back and lifted me up so that I couldn't brace my feet on anything and so she could leave. When she was out the door, Juice lowered me to the ground, keeping his arm anchored around my middle. I looked up at Opie and demanded, "Did you fuck her?"
"No! I'm trying to be loyal to Lyla here! I didn't fucking touch her!"
"Well then who the fuck had her in here with Lyla screaming at you like she was?"
"I had her here," Jax's voice rang from the doorway and I turned to look at the vice president. He stared at me with those calm, stormy blue eyes and I stared back. I knew Juice would be pissed if I started something with the vice president. I'd already picked fights with the president and with the sergeant at arms.
"I really hope it was a damn good fuck," I ground out. Jax nodded and I ripped myself out of Juice's arms so I could stomp back to the room. Juice apologized behind me and followed me to the room. He dropped his gun onto the dresser and wrapped his arms around me so I could cry. He promised, "You're not like that, Laura. You're not like that. You didn't come back because you're weak. You came back because I needed you."
