The hospital held Tara for a few days, monitoring her vitals and making sure she would have full range of motion for her left arm. After a couple thousand dollars worth of tests, drugs, and opinions, they let Jax take her home. She got to ride in his truck for the first time, even though she was a little too strung out on painkillers to remember anything aside from how loud the traffic sounded.

It was nearly three in the afternoon until she was finally back in Jax's house. As soon as he got her inside, he forced her to lay down in his bed. She protested until her head hit the pillow, falling asleep instantly. He thought it best to let her sleep while he went about his business.

Not wanting to have the house, he settled for calling to check on the club. With such a public shooting, the local brass was all over the case, and at this point, Jax was ready for any sort of help he could get. Almost two weeks with no word on the Niners, three days with no idea who had shot Tara. It was enough to drive the president of SOA insane.

He had to get his calls in when he could. Taking care of Abel was his first priority. Now that the toddler was down for the night, Jax plopped down in his recliner and pulled out his phone. Sighing, he dialed Juice.

"Tell me you found something," he said when Juice answered.

"I went through all the channels and found out that the cops don't have shit," Juice replied. His voice was strained, as if doing something.

"So the pigs are in the dark, too. Anything else?" Jax asked, tilting his head back to stare at the ceiling as the cogs turned in his mind.

"Yeah. Me, Happy, and the prospects decided to try and find where she was shot from. Each of us picked an area to search. I'm in the alley right off of Main," he said before grunting.

"You okay?" Jax asked. It sounded like he was hurting himself.

"Yeah, hold on. I think I might have something," Juice said before the line went silent. After a few minutes, Jax heard a heavy sigh from Juice. "Shit."

"What?" Jax asked, impatient as he leaned forward.

"I think I found the gun. Sniper rifle, no serial numbers. Enhanced sights, silencer, extended clip. A custom order we ran for the Niners three, four months ago," Juice answered, careful not to get his prints on the piece.

"Jesus Christ," Jax muttered. "Those were dead accurate, too. Unless the user was a fucking epileptic, Tara was the target. Shit," he had hoped that he had been the target and Tara just an innocent caught in the mix. This news just pissed him off. "Take the piece back to TM. Tell them what you found, and see if you can get Unser to put word to local PD that we're looking for a Niner."

"We're helping the cops?"

"We're using the cops. They can question people, see what they saw without them clamming up like they would for us," Jax explained before sighing. "Can you get into out of state records?"

"Depends. What do you need, boss?" Juice asked. He was one of the best hackers in the club.

"See if you can find anything that would make sense of these people wanting her dead. Tara Caston, Pennsylvania. She lived in Philly before moving here," Jax said. "I'm going to have to asked if she might know why." He hated that he had to do that. One of the hardest things for most people was thinking of a reason for someone to want you dead.

"Anything else?" Juiced asked.

"Do what you can, brother. Someone call me if you find anything," he said before closing his phone. He closed his eyes as he leaned his head back. Mind racing, he tried to relax. Easier said than done.

He jumped slightly when Tara silently climbed onto his lap a few minutes later, not expecting it. A wearing smile came to his face as she straddled him, wrapping her arms around his middle and nuzzling into the upper part of his chest.

"How long have I been out?" she asked softly, breath hitting his neck ever so slightly.

"Just about six hours," he answered, wrapping his arms around her. "I figured you would need to sleep off all the shit they pumped into you. How you feeling?"

"Drunk," she admitted before wincing when she slipped, her injury landing against his shoulder. "And sore," she added, voice small. To be honest, she was more than just a little sore, but he didn't need to know that.

"Want me to grab those pills for you?" he offered, kissing her forehead, gently rubbing his hands on her back.

"No. I'd rather deal with the pain. I hate pills," she said before smiling softly. She hated anything that fogged her mind, other than alcohol around friends. Nothing was worse than being in your own body but not having complete control over it. Giggling softly, she smiled more. "I'm sure you could sell them."

"Shut up," he joked, nudging her face with his. "I have to say, you were pretty entertaining in the truck. You were so out of it," he said with a grin. "Petting my face while I drove, complaining about the radio - which wasn't on, by the way. Oh, and you tried feeling me up."

"Oh god," she whined, hiding her face against his neck. "I'm never going to live this down, am I?"

"Never, and it gets better. I would have let you keep going, but you got confused and moved your hand to the gearshift," he teased, a true laugh coming from his chest.

"Kill me," she replied, thankful that he couldn't see just how red her face was, though he could probably feel the heat of it on the skin of his neck.

"You're stuck with me, darlin'," he said as he pulled his head back a bit, shifting so he could press his forehead to hers. "I'm…" he started, trailing off when he lost his nerve.

Tara knew what he had been struggling to say since she woke up. Moving her hand to hold the left side of his face, she looked into those blue eyes of his. "Sorry I scared you," she whispered, kissing him a few loving times.

When he pulled away from her lips, he smiled ever so slightly. "How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Know what I want to say, and just what to do in return," he said, looking over the soft features of her face. He didn't want to admit how the thought of her dying affected him, but she seemed to already know. It was just one more thing he didn't understand about the woman in his arms.

"I just think about how I would act if this was switched," she said before sitting up on his lap, her fingertips dancing through his hair. "It works since we tend to think alike."

"To the point of being scary," he agreed, putting his hands on her sides.

"You are a wonderful man, Jax," she whispered, looking over his face as her dark eyes glowed. "I might be biased, seeing as we act so much alike, but you are just… amazing. I hate to say this so early, but after all we've been through so far, I really don't care. I honestly think that I'm falling in love with you, Jackson Teller." Her words didn't come as a surprise to either of them. They both felt it, she was willing to bring it to words.

"I feel the same way," he answered, hands moving to the back of her head. He pulled her into a kiss, sliding her body closer as he deepened it. It was a passionate kiss, loving in a manner he hadn't really kissed anyone before. Her hands buried in his hair as she savored the moment. His words, scent, and taste overrode her sense.

While he had intended to keep the actions soft and sweet, a tug at his hair caused him to pull her ever closer, his hands moving to grab her hips. There was just something about the little woman that got to him. She pressed herself to him and deepened the kiss, her hands tangling into his hair more, having realized quite soon after meeting him that pulling his hair turned him on quickly.

Expecting her to pull away yet again, he was stunned when she wiggled her hips over his. Not questioning it just yet, he slid a hand under the hem of her shirt, brushing over the skin of her back as it moved to the back of her bra. His touch set her on fire. Ever since they met, it was obvious to her that he knew just how to please, and tease, a woman. Or maybe it was just the fact that he was the best looking man who had ever touched her. Probably both.

Something didn't seem right. Jax kicked himself for wondering as he pulled away from her lips. Looking into her eyes, he raised his eyebrows. "What are you doing?" he whispered, attempting to figure her out.

"If you have to ask, I'm doing a terrible job at seducing you," she said softly, looking at him rather sheepishly. Her eyes, though, told just how true her statement was. She wanted him, consequences be damned. "Why'd you pull away?" she asked, pouting out her lower lip.

For her to come on to him like that, Jax was concerned. Maybe she still had some of the drugs in her system. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked, putting a hand on the side of her face. The last thing he wanted was to take advantage of her or push her before she was ready.

Unbelievable. The man who had been pawing at her for a week was questioning the time she actually went after him. If it wasn't such a show of concern on his part, she would definitely be miffed. At the moment, she was touched. "I nearly died, Jax. Everyone talks about those things they would regret having not done if they were to die in an instant," she said before leaning back a bit, putting her hands on his shoulder while she relaxed. "I thought about it and, well… You're that thing for me," she said before laughing softly. "That sounded so much better in my head."

"You'd regret not… doing me?" he repeated, unable to keep himself from grinning at just how bad that sounded. "I should be honored then, huh, darlin'?" he teasingly asked, twitching his eyebrows at her.

"Don't be a dick, you know what I meant," she whined before pouting again. Doubt circled her mind. "I must be out of practice, if you don't want to…" she said softly before starting to get up.

Uh-oh. Looks like his mouth got the better of him again. "Where do you think you're going?" he asked, grabbing her hips and pulling her back onto his lap, holding her to straddle his hips. "Of course, I want to. I have since we met. I just wanted to be sure that you causing this," he paused, biting at her pouted lip as he arched his hips, rubbing the bulge in his pants between her legs ever so slightly, "wasn't just because of whatever meds they put you on." His eyes quickly went from concerned to an almost devilish intensity, those blue orbs fixing her eyes with playfulness and desire as she inhaled sharply at the feel of him.

"I'm lucid, babe. And I want you," she whispered before looping her arms around his neck, hands returning to his hair as she kissed him. Her lips were passionate and needy as they crashed against his, and he had no complains. He kissed her back with twice the intensity she had, causing her to shiver each time their lips broke contact.

His hands slid down her back and over her rear to grasp the uppermost part of her thighs, pressing her body against his. He continued kissing her as he moved from the chair, picking her up effortlessly. Her legs wrapping tightly around his waist, she pulled away from his lips, kissing along his neck and behind his ear as he carried her towards his room. Sensual growls rumbled from his chest as her lips brushed over his skin.

She nibbled at the lobe of one of his ears before smiling softly. Fussing with his hair, she whispered, "You might have to be patient with me, Jax. It's been over six years for me."

Luckily for her, they were right in front of his bed when she said that. Why? He dropped her in shock, causing her to squeak softly when she landed.. Luckily for him, her legs were still wrapped around him, so she was sprawled on her back, legs open and around him, with her hair scattered over the sheets. "Six years without sex? That's just…" he shook his head, looking over her. "How?"

"Haven't met a man worth letting in," she said softly before holding her hands up to him. Her legs were pushing up at his beater, trying to get him to take it off.

He nodded a bit before grinning. Peeling off his beater and tossing it aside, he put his hands on her thighs and winked at her. "Looks like I get to make up for lost time," he said before crawling over top of her, hands sliding to the bottom of her shorts and pulling them off. Once her legs were bare, he settled his hips into the cradled they created, his hardened crotch pressed directly against her most delicate place. Putting his hands at either side of her head, he attacked her mouth, tongue sliding in and dominating her mouth.

She hoped the taste of his mouth never got old. God, did he taste good. No doubt he was using such a powerful kiss to distract her, but it didn't work. It was all she could do not to moan at just the feel of his erection against her, but to add in the sensation of his hands sliding over the bare skin of her chest and back as he moved her shirt was just cruel. If not for his tongue inside her mouth, she'd already be moaning. For once, she was thankful for him having control of her mouth.

One of her hands took its place in his hair, tangling and tugging as he commanded her mouth. The other moved to the bare skin of his back, groping the muscles as he moved. Her legs, having a mind of their own, remained locked around his hips, trapping him on top of her.

He pulled away from her mouth just long enough to pull her shirt off of her, tossing it in the same general direction his own had gone. He went to kiss her again, stopping himself to look over her almost bare torso. He could finally see one of her tattoos, a black rose that was surrounded by blue stars that spanned one side of her ribcage. While he could see parts of others, the full view could only be seen from behind. If he had his way tonight, he'd get to see them, too. Planting a quick kiss on her parted lips, he slid down her body, kissing down her neck, over her collarbone, to the delicate skin of her breasts as his hands slid under her to unhook her bra. As soon as he removed the piece of black fabric, he looked up at her with hungry eyes before dipping his head, mouth open.

She gasped and moaned as that sinful mouth of his came to suckle along her chest, the hand in his hair tightening its grip and not helping out either of them. Her ragged breathing only made his work much more fun, her breasts rising and falling against his face. His ragged facial hair teased her skin terribly, heightening the already potent sensation of his current position.

One he felt that he had enough of a taste of her chest for a little while, Jax kissed back up her chest, his lips leading him back up to her mouth. His thumbs hooked into the waistline of her panties before he removed them, snapping the seams instead of sliding them off of her. Not only was it a sign of impatience from the outlaw, but a surefire way to get her to jump, brushing herself over his hardness.
Tara waited until he had removed his pants before she pushed up on him, rolling them so that he was on his back. Her hands on his chest, she sat up and took a moment to look over his naked body. Better than she could have ever imagined, in every possible way. He was having much the same thought about her body as he grasped her hips. Looking up into her eyes, his own were glazed over with the same potent lust. Lifting her by her hips, he teased her by wiggling his hips directly under her moist area, skin barely brushing skin. He waited for the faintest moan to escape her before he thrust himself into her, pulling her hips down to meet his once more as he filled her.

The suddenness of the action along with just how much there was to him had her reeling, eyes fluttering back in her head the farther he went in. By the time their hips were connected again, her nails had dug into the skin of his chest, she was moaning, and he looked like he was ready to devour her.

Lust overcame him as he rolled them, putting her on her back once more before he showed her just how good he was. Finding a steady rhythm, fast and hard, his hips moved against hers as he absolutely attacked her mouth. Her nails squeezed at his back, his hands either rooting in her hair or grasping her hips. Once she got over the initial bliss of his body, she worked her hips in unison with his, moaning into his lips as growls came from his own.

He couldn't believe how good it felt to finally be able to have her in the way he had wanted since they met. Changing his pace, he moved faster and harder as he slid in and out of her moist folds. Unable to help himself, he kissed and nipped over her neck and chest, wanting to hear each and every sound he pulled from her. She did not fail to deliver, either. The moans and purred that came from her lips were almost enough to do him in. Almost.

For her, though, phew. It didn't take long at all for him to have her scream out his name with an intense orgasm. All it took was for his hands to be put to work, too. Her nails raked his back as he hit the perfect spot at the sweetest time, opening him up and pulling a guttural groan from him. Something about the way she dug him open had him release, burying his face in her neck as he moaned her name. He panted for a few moments before looking into her dark eyes.

"You're amazing," she whispered, running her fingers through his hair. Loosening her legs from around him, she seemed to relax.

He kissed her and winked before giving her the most mischievous grin she had ever seen. "And I'm nowhere near done with you yet, darlin'," he purred before going on to prove just how much he meant that.