Chapter Thirty-Six
Wind in his hair, fresh air in his lungs, the freedom of the open road in front of him - that was more than enough. Today was a beautiful afternoon, with a warm breeze sweeping around his face, heating and cooling it at the same time. He knew now, in light of these past few months, to appreciate those kinds of things because they were the kinds of things that made the good in his life that much more precious.
Over these last few months, he'd gone from flailing through this president gig, stuck in a horrible, unhappy marriage, desperate to right the ship and get the club out of guns once and for all, and just in general, deeply unsatisfied with the state of his life.
It was amazing what a little bit of time and a kickass lawyer could do.
And so, thanks to time and that kickass lawyer, he was en route to the studio with a few of his club brothers right behind him. They had some business to take care of, and after that, he'd be counting down the minutes until he could go home and unwind on his couch, with a beer in one hand and the other wrapped around his old lady.
At the end of the day, that was the only place he really wanted to be. At home, with her. Always with her.
When they pulled into the studio's parking lot, he found himself grinning when he caught sight of that familiar silver BMW. He swung a leg over the side of his bike, adjusted his cut on reflex, and nodded to Opie, who fell into step next to him, as Bobby, Chibs, and Tig trailed behind them. Chibs and Tig didn't necessarily need to be present for this meeting, but Jax felt like it was finally time they saw their lawyer in action.
They wouldn't be disappointed.
The hallways of Sweet Productions were bustling as usual, which was always a good sight to see. Filming was underway - in a few places, it seemed, but Jax didn't need to get a look at any of the action, regardless of the strict rules instituted by the studio's lawyer, who really just had the actors' best interest in mind. And besides, he was already reaping all the fringe benefits he could possibly want from this partnership anyway.
They meandered down the hallway, headed for the conference room Allie had given him directions to earlier, only slowing their steps when the club's lawyer materialized about thirty feet away. She tucked some dark hair behind her ear with a huff, resting a fist on her hips when their eyes locked. Even in her high heels, she was more pocket-sized than anything.
And, he noted with a slow smile, she looked pissed. Really pissed. And he found himself rolling his bottom lip underneath his teeth in response.
But still, her current mood also meant he was in a little bit of trouble now too.
"You're late," Allie called out to them, irritation flickering across her beautiful face. She crossed her arms over her chest, and he half-expected her to start tapping one of her high heels impatiently.
At least he had the good sense to wince. They were five minutes late, but for her, it might as well have been an hour.
"My bad, Attorney Levy," he called out to her lightly, holding his hands up in defense as he approached her. "I'm not gonna make excuses for somethin' there's just no excuse for."
Allie's lips curled into an annoyed smile. "Uh huh. Better not happen again, Mr. Teller."
"Or what?" he shot back. "You gonna drop me as a client?"
She narrowed her eyes ever so slightly, and hitched a hand onto her hip as she shifted her attention to the other club members who flanked him. Bobby seemed to waver a little, shifting from side to side, as he waved apologetically to her. Chibs and Opie followed suit with their own round of waves and apologies. Tig just winked at her.
Seeing as though there was still some distance between them in this long hallway, Jax seized the opportunity to let his eyes linger on her legs, which were mostly hidden by a tight black leather pencil skirt - the same one he'd watched her slide up over her hips this morning from his vantage point on their bed. She wasn't showing anywhere near enough skin, with her black silky button-up tucked into that skirt. Still, just the little flashes she did show, like delicate forearms, muscular calves, a slim neck - that was more than enough to tease him until they were both home later tonight.
And then there was the delicate gold necklace with the J nestled gently to the side, and right over her heart.
Always more than enough to make him smile. Just like the rest of her.
But it was the irritation flashing across her face that pulled him in the most. And he found himself reeled in, just like he always was, by the heat creeping into her dark eyes.
"The sellers are already here and waiting for us," Allie told him sourly as they ventured closer to where she stood in the hallway. "I wanted to go over a few things with you before the meeting started, and before the sellers showed up."
His lips pulled apart in another wince, and he quickly tried to make up for his mistake by leaning in to kiss her cheek when he was close enough.
"Sorry, baby," he murmured in her ear. "Won't happen again."
Allie's lips parted, and she blew out an exasperated sigh as he winked at her, stepping around her to head inside the conference room. The rest of the club members behind him dutifully followed his lead, greeting their lawyer and their president's old lady with friendly, easy grins as Allie gestured for them to step inside the conference room.
Jax nodded to the small group sitting closest to the door, already holding his hand out while Allie moved around to his left.
"Gentlemen," she started warmly. "This is Jax Teller, Samcro's president," she gestured to him as Jax stepped forward to start shaking hands, and then she moved right down the line, "and Opie Winston, the club's vice president. Bobby Munson, club treasurer, and these are club members, Chibs Telford and Tig Trager."
They each stepped forward as their lawyer introduced them, diligently shaking hands and nodding their heads in greeting, so Allie could get to the business of finishing the introductions. She went down the opposite line, introducing the sellers and their lawyer, and after the general niceties were over, she gestured to the conference table so everyone could take their seats.
Jax sat down near the end of the table, leaving a chair open to his left, and he nodded to the men sitting across from him. When she'd set up this meeting after initial negotiations, Allie had suggested both sides meet at the studio for a more neutral setting, and just like they'd done with other business meetings before. If the sellers were okay with taking a meeting at a porn studio, they'd be more than okay with doing business with an MC too.
Allie slid into the chair to his left, careful to keep a safe distance away from him. As far as they knew, the sellers and their attorney weren't aware of the personal, and very intimate, relationship between the club's president and their lawyer, and it was probably best to keep it that way for as long as possible.
Without even sparing him a glance, Allie slipped into work mode, setting a few folders down on the table in front of her. She also set a pen down in between them, careful not to make eye contact with him.
Then she flipped one of the folders open and pushed a set of papers across the table to start the meeting.
"Here are the details of my clients' offer," Allie started in a smooth, even voice, and Jax found himself biting back a shit-eating grin. "As you'll see, everything is in order and exactly as we discussed."
The sellers' attorney pressed a tight smile on his face as he slid the paperwork closer to him. He glanced down at it, and then after clearing his throat, he glanced at his clients, who nodded to him, and then he unearthed some papers of his own and pushed them across the table to Jax.
"Mr. Teller, we appreciate your initial offer, and after some consultation with my clients, they've decided to counter."
Jax didn't miss a beat, reaching across the table to get those papers, and then he slid them in front of his lawyer, right where they belonged. If he glanced at her, he guessed he'd probably see steam pouring out of her ears.
These guys weren't off to a great start, and completely by-passing the only woman in the room, who also happened to be the smartest person in the room, didn't exactly set the best tone either.
Allie took a moment to skim through the first page, and then she huffed out a laugh, pushing the papers away from her with the kind of aggressive control only a seasoned lawyer would have.
"An extra 20K? Really?" Allie bit out as she rested her elbows on the table. "That's not happening."
The lawyer sitting across from them just shook his head. "You're not even going to consult your clients? I believe they're the ones who need to okay this, and I believe they're the ones who expressed such strong interest in purchasing this rental property right out from underneath my clients."
At this point, it was all Jax could do to keep himself from leaning back in his chair so he could rub his hands together in anticipation. Instead, he glanced at his VP from the corner of his eye, and they shared a knowing grin.
Yeah, their lawyer had this under control.
"I don't need to consult them," Allie pressed a tight smile to her face, her back stiff and taut, ready to go to battle. "Because I would never let them sign on the dotted line of this offer even if they wanted to."
Now, Jax's lips pulled apart in a smirk before he could stop it.
"Well, Attorney Levy, that's a little presumptuous, don't you think?" the idiot lawyer sitting across from them had the balls to reply. "My clients have made a fair counter offer after your clients decided to go so far below the initial asking price."
Allie didn't miss a beat and didn't even blink. "You're right, Attorney Ramirez. My clients are very interested in acquiring this rental property, but only at a fair market price. They will not be nickeled and dimed, especially when there are plenty of other properties for sale in the area. Your counter offer is simply unrealistic, and if this is the offer your clients are going to bring to the table, then I think we're done here."
Jax's mouth quirked up in a cocky grin, and he leaned back in his chair just enough to gauge the reactions at the end of their side of the table. Chibs had stilled in his chair with his eyebrows lodged high into his forehead, clearly a little stunned by the abrupt 180 this meeting had just taken. Tig, on the other hand, leaned into the table on his elbows with a sly grin on his face, clearly enjoying the show.
"Well," Attorney Ramirez shot back with a wry smile on his stupid face. "Your clients, Attorney Levy, also happen to be a well-known criminal organization with a reputation for intimidation and muscle. It's no secret they run guns, and who knows what else, so as far as I'm concerned, and as far as my clients are concerned, your clients don't have a legitimate leg to stand on. We are well within our rights to counter, and to counter however we see fit. Or, did they not cover that for you in law school?"
Well, shit just hit the fan, and Attorney Ramirez was about to get his ass handed to him. Jax glanced at his lawyer, and grinned when he found her staring back at the man across from them with a dry smile curling her lips.
Oh yeah.
This was about to get really good. Where was some popcorn when he needed it?
"My clients are a legitimate organization with registered taxes on file," Allie started in a cool, poised voice that was practically lethal. "They have a fully-formed and functioning legal LLC that they use to purchase properties, such as the ones your clients are selling, and as I'm sure you're aware, they've had great success with that LLC and have been managing multiple legitimate properties for months now. Your clients, however, have a history of bungling their investments and needing a bail-out to stay afloat, and those particularly questionable business practices are exactly why they've found themselves in the position of needing my clients to bail them out with this transaction. Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the fact that they rolled into the parking lot in a truck with a Confederate flag on the back - in northern California, no less - so, in a litmus test as to whose clients are more politically correct, let alone palatable, your clients don't exactly have a legitimate leg to stand on, do they?"
Chibs barked out a laugh, quickly recovering by trying to pretend it was just a cough, while Tig made no such efforts to hide his amusement at this whole thing. Opie and Bobby were used to this by now, and they just leaned back in their chairs, grinning at the victory they were right on the edge of winning. And Jax just sat back, basking in it all with a smug smirk on his face and his eyes on the squirming sellers across from them.
Attorney Ramirez's eyes widened the size of saucers, as if he finally realized he'd just been bested by the only woman in the room, not to mention the smartest person in the room. And when his lips parted to respond, Allie swooped in for the kill.
"This property has been on the market for much longer than others like it," Allie pushed on, still calm and poised as ever. "Your clients really should recognize our offer as the gift it is so they can finally unload it. Asking for an additional handout, especially after we'd already negotiated and agreed on a fair market price, is a little presumptuous, don't you think?"
She paused there, letting every man sitting across from her sweat and squirm, and her lips lifted at the sight.
"Now, it's possible my clients have some room to move on their initial offer, but an additional 20K is out of the question."
At this point, Allie shifted her attention to her right, meeting Jax's gaze with a knowing, albeit professional, grin, and Jax just moved right down the line, glancing at the club treasurer for approval. When Bobby dipped his head into a nod, Allie flashed him a smile in agreement.
"The highest we're willing to go," Bobby chimed in, seeing as how he knew the club's finances like the back of his hand, "is an extra 5K. But that's it. We're not movin' another inch on this deal."
With a curt nod in agreement, Allie sliced her dark eyes back at the sellers' lawyer. "That's our final offer, or we walk," she paused there with a smirk, "Aren't you going to consult your clients?"
When Attorney Ramirez blinked back at her, he must've known by now that he'd been outsmarted and outgunned by the lawyer sitting across from him. And as Jax watched his lawyer lean back in her chair, knowing full well that regardless if the club walked away with the property or walked from the deal altogether, they'd still come out the winners in this meeting - his eyes darkened at the sight before him.
She really was something to behold. As smoking hot as she was smart, sharp as a whip, carefully poised and cool as a cucumber, not to mention dressed like a million bucks. He let his eyes flick back to her one more time, and he had to adjust a little uncomfortably in his chair.
"Alright," Attorney Ramirez pushed out with a sigh before glancing at his clients. "Can you give us a moment to talk this over?"
"Of course," Allie grinned. "We'll just be right outside in the hallway."
With that, she pushed out of her chair, gesturing for the rest of them to follow her lead, and they took that direction easily, filing out into the hallway one by one. Jax made sure to bring up the rear, and he flashed the men still in the room a cocky smirk on his way out.
Allie leaned up against the wall in the hallway and blew out a deep breath. Well, they'd literally left it all on the table, and now it was up to the sellers to decide if they wanted to move forward. Of course, they'd be stupid not to, but she also wasn't convinced they were actually smart, considering the political statement they so willingly and so proudly displayed on the back of their trucks.
Bobby bumped her with his shoulder as he joined her by the wall. "Nice work in there, killah."
"Thanks," she laughed, finally letting her eyes drift over the other side of the wall, where Jax was leaning with his hands shoved in his front pockets.
"No shit," Tig just shook his head with a slightly depraved grin on his face. He clapped her on the shoulder as he passed by. "I could kiss ya," and then his crazy eyes shot to Jax with his hands up in defense, "But I won't. Don't worry, prez."
Jax just huffed out a laugh and shook his head with a grin. "I wasn't."
He watched Tig meander down the hallway, probably to see if he could peep on some filming before they headed back inside the conference room. When Jax shifted his gaze back to her, his navy blue eyes were so dark they were almost pitch black. She knew exactly what that meant, and so she allowed him one slow smirk, and he matched it with an even sexier one, before it was time to check her professionalism.
She returned Chibs' nod as he flanked Jax by the wall and grinned at Opie when he moved in on the other side of his president.
"So you think they're gonna take the new deal?" Jax called out to her in an even voice, despite the heat flooding his dark eyes.
"If they're smart, they will," she shrugged easily. "If they don't, there are plenty of other options out there."
His head dipped down in a nod, but his eyes never left her, even when she felt the need to shift the focus elsewhere, and looked to Opie now with a smile.
"Hey, did you hear back from Donna yet?" she asked her former step-brother.
When Opie's face split apart happily, she already had her answer, but couldn't wait to hear it anyway. This had been such a long time coming - as far as she knew Opie hadn't seen his kids since at least last Christmas, and the fact that Donna had even been willing to put visitation back on the table was huge all on its own. It meant this was working. All their efforts, all the time and money and hard work - it was finally starting to pay off.
Maybe the club wasn't completely in the clear yet - after all, they still had a gun running deal with the Mayans, not that she knew the details of it. But they were further down the right path than they'd been before, if Donna's willingness to negotiate new terms was any indication.
"Yeah," Opie murmured with a grin and another nod. "I talked to her this morning."
That got everyone else's attention in the hallway, and Jax turned to his VP, clapping him on the shoulder.
"What'd she say, Ope?" Jax asked, his eyebrows lifted high into his forehead in anticipation.
Opie hesitated a moment, probably just for effect, and then he flashed them all a wide, elated grin. "She's gonna let the kids come to family dinner next week. It's just gonna be for a couple of hours, but it's better than nothin'!"
Cheers and whoops echoed around the hall as they gathered around Opie to congratulate him. Allie had to stand up on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around his neck, and when she stepped aside to let the others wrap him in some bro-hugs, she felt a familiar flannel-covered arm snake around her waist and pull her in against an equally familiar leather-covered chest. His warm breath kissed her ear, and she shivered at the heady contact.
She shot him a wary glance from over her shoulder and all she got was a crooked smirk in return. That gave her no choice but to stealthily step out of his grip, and when the hand at her hip just tightened to curb her efforts, she playfully swatted it away.
Jax smirked at her exasperation, opting to shrug his shoulders as if to say, So what? I can touch you whenever I want.
Lucky for him, that was right around the time Attorney Ramirez opened the conference room door again, signaling he was ready for them to join the others inside. She'd just have to remind Jax later, once the meeting was over, that he needed to at least try to maintain some professionalism and some distance whenever they had meetings like this. Sure, he'd been doing pretty well so far, and she was impressed at his ability to keep his hands to himself when they were sitting next to each other at the conference table. But two seconds earlier, and Attorney Ramirez would've caught them right in the act - it was one thing to do it in front of club members, who knew where things stood and why. It was a whole other thing to do it in front of potential sellers at a business meeting.
She also figured he knew that but just hadn't been able to help himself.
After rounding Tig back up, they all filed inside the conference room again, dropping back down into the seats they'd previously claimed.
Now, Attorney Ramirez had the good sense just to cut right to the chase.
"My clients have decided to take your counter offer," he told them with some exasperation, as if he couldn't quite believe the way this meeting had gone off the rails.
Of course, it hadn't gone off the rails for the club - Allie had always been perfectly in control. Attorney Ramirez obviously hadn't done his homework before showing up to this business meeting, but that wasn't Allie's fault, and it definitely wasn't her problem either.
Allie glanced at Jax out of the corner of her eye, just to make absolutely sure that he still wanted to move forward with these particular sellers. When she saw his head dip into a subtle nod, she took that as her cue to press ahead.
"Excellent," she grinned at the men across the table. "I'm happy to draw up the new offer. I'll email it to you as soon as it's ready, and perhaps we can skip the theatrics next time - I'm happy to initiate an electronic signing once everyone is in agreement on the new terms."
And, she didn't want to have to be in a room with these assholes again if she could help it.
"I think that's probably best," Attorney Ramirez pressed a tight smile to his face. "I'll be looking for your email, Attorney Levy."
"No problem," she grinned back as the disgruntled sellers stood up from the table, obviously eager to get out of there. She followed suit now, standing up along with the rest of the club to her right, and dutifully shook Attorney Ramirez's hand before he high-tailed it out of the conference room.
They waited just long enough for the sellers and their jerk of an attorney to clear out of the room before the celebration began. More cheers and whoops filled the room as Tig did a little victory dance before swooping in and lifting Allie right off her feet, planting a big, wet kiss on her cheek in the process.
"That was beautiful, Attorney Levy," Tig grinned down at her, even as Jax playfully grabbed him by the cut to haul him off her. "Just beautiful."
Jax gave him a little shove just to put some more distance between them with a grin on his handsome face. "Alright, alright. Don't get so handsy with our lawyer, bro. Only one of us in this room gets to do that, and it sure as hell ain't you."
Tig's hands flew up in the air, but Allie was already preoccupied by Bobby, who wrapped his arms around her in a much gentler, more respectful embrace.
"Congratulations, guys," Allie laughed as Opie pulled her in for a big bear hug.
Chibs even surprised her by wrapping her in a quick, side-arm hug, but that was a pretty good start, considering he'd mostly kept his distance since Jax had told the club how his relationship with their lawyer had shifted.
And now, this was just one more step in the right direction. One more checkpoint the club needed to really start earning legitimately and muster up enough regular and consistent cash flow to justify getting out of guns for good.
Every day they got closer and closer to making that dream a reality.
Jax knew it too, and he didn't hesitate to slide his hands around her hips the first opportunity he got.
"Nice work, baby," he murmured in her ear. "That guy was a real prick, but you handled him like the absolute pro you are."
"Thank you," Allie grinned back at him as he ushered her out of that conference room, draping an arm around her shoulders to steer her where he wanted her to go.
But when the rest of the club went left to head for the exit, Jax steered her to the right.
"You guys don't have to hang around if ya don't want to," he called to them over his shoulder. "I'm just gonna make sure our lawyer makes it back to her office okay."
Tig was already sprinting down the hallway to try to catch another glimpse of some filming, while Opie rolled his eyes up to the ceiling, but nobody protested, and nobody questioned them either. The meeting was officially over, which meant they could all go their separate ways if they needed to. And judging by the way Jax hustled her down the opposite end of the hallway, and right in the direction of her office, he definitely had something else in mind other than heading back to the clubhouse.
"What does the rest of your afternoon look like, baby?" he murmured in her ear, his arm still draped around her shoulders, but he picked up the pace a little bit too.
"Well," she laughed breathlessly. "I have to be on a call in about 20 minutes."
"No problem."
"And I think Piper is still on break for about another 15 minutes."
He shot her a roguish grin. "I can work with that."
"Can't wait until we get home, huh?"
Jax's lips parted to respond, but right as they passed her dad's office door, that door just happened to open as Jimmy and Gemma stumbled through the doorway. There was barely time to register the fact that her dad's salt and pepper hair was more than a little rumbled, or that Gemma was still straightening her Harley Davidson shirt because Jax just steered her down the hallway with a one-track mind.
"Hey, guys," Gemma called out in greeting, but Jax just threw her a wave from over his shoulder.
Then she felt his warm lips on her ear again: "If I've only got 15 minutes right now, I'm not wasting a second of it on those two."
She barely got a chance to laugh before Jax swore under his breath at the next distraction heading right for them. No matter how many times she'd seen Dan strut around the studio's hallways in costume, she still never really got used to it - today, he happened to be wearing those little boxing shorts that had quickly become a staple around the studio, and he also happened to be bronzed and greased and ready to film, right along with his husband, who was walking right next to him.
Dan grinned brightly as they passed each other, waving with a glint in his dark eyes that Allie wasn't quite sure she liked.
"Hi, Alexandra!" he called out to them. "Hey, friend! Where are you two crazy kids off to, huh?"
"No time to talk, bro," Jax jumped in before Allie even had a shot. "We'll see ya later!"
"Hey," Dan stalled in the hallway with his hands on his hips. "You still comin' over to our place tomorrow night for dinner?"
"Absolutely, bro!"
Instead of giving her the chance to chime in, Jax just kept right on ushering her down the hall, but she still managed to throw an apologetic grin over her shoulder as Dan batted a hand their way. But she was also pretty sure she heard Dan singing, and pretty off-key too, "Gonna find my baby, gonna hold her tight…"
Jax gritted his teeth in frustration, and he picked up the pace, hustling them the rest of the way until they skidded to a stop in front of her office. She barely got the door open before he shoved it shut behind them, whirling her around and pinning her against the door. Their mouths crashed into each other as his fingers slipped up her thighs to prop her up so she could hook a leg around his waist. When his tongue slipped inside her parted mouth, she sighed against his lips and shivered when his fingertips skimmed up the side of her leather skirt, gripping the fabric to slide it up and over her hips.
His calloused fingertips splayed around her ass, jerking her hips back so he could grind himself between her legs, groaning into her mouth. Then he slipped a hand around, letting it travel alongside her hip until his index finger dipped dangerously inside her panties.
Allie pressed her head against the door, sighing at the sweet torture, and spurring him on to brush his fingertip against the slick skin he found inside her panties.
"Jesus," he muttered hoarsely against her lips. "So goddamn wet."
"Just for you," she whispered.
His eyes darkened, his jaw clenching as he pressed two fingertips against her skin, moving them up and down and sending her flying to new heights, but she knew they were also working with limited time right now.
Jax swallowed hard, and he pushed out a rough breath as she unbuckled his belt, unzipped his fly, pushed his jeans and his boxer briefs down to his ankles, and dropped to her knees. As her lips slipped over him, he released one low, deep groan and she couldn't stop herself from smiling around him, her eyes drifting up to watch as he folded his hands behind his back. Her head dipped even lower as her neck moved her lips up and down as she swirled her tongue around him until he'd finally had enough, gripping her by the shoulders to pull her back up to her feet.
His lips crashed into her mouth as he backed her up again. Then he tore away to meet her in the eye, his blue eyes pinning through her, hooded with desire and pent-up frustration, like he had an itch that needed to be scratched and the only way to scratch it was to pin her against this door until her eyes rolled back in her head.
"What do you want me to do, Allie?" he asked her hoarsely, his eyes darkening with a dangerous glint that just made more heat pool between her legs.
She didn't hesitate. "I want you to make me come."
Jax's chest heaved at her words and his lips curled with a new sensuality that hadn't quite been there before. His nostrils flared as he stepped in between her legs and lifted her up to prop her body against the door, pushing her skirt up to her hips again.
His warm breath kissed her neck, and then, as he twirled some of her hair around his hand and gave it a gentle tug, he murmured in a tight voice, "You'll come when I say you can come."
On reflex, she wrapped her arms around his neck, ready to cling to him for dear life as he slipped inside her. He knew exactly what he was doing - knew just what she liked, how fast to go, how to angle his hips with just the right amount of pressure, and when to up his speed. Her head fell back as he swept her away into the waves. It was the best kind of falling, this black hole that she never wanted to crawl out of. Could they just stay here like this forever with her legs wrapped around his waist, pressed into the door, and him buried deep inside her?
Jax pulled his head back so he could look her square in the eye, new determination and fascination clouding his blue eyes as he watched her take what he was giving her. She couldn't look away from him if she tried. And then, when his hips jerked against her, his eyes flashed as her lips parted in ecstasy. He only needed to pump inside her two more times before she was right there, on the brink of tumbling over the edge.
His mouth curved in anticipation, and with his eyes still locked on her face, he leaned in to murmur against her lips, "Come for me, baby."
Her whole body stiffened as everything exploded around her, rolling down to her toes, arching her back off the door, jerking her hips against his waist, barely cognizant of the fact that he'd buried his face in her neck and trembled around her with his own release. This was it. The rest of her life, right here in this office. She'd never get enough of this. Would never be able to go a day without having this, without having him tucked in between her legs, pressing against her, filling her anyway he wanted to.
"Fucking beautiful," Jax breathed against her lips. His mouth curled around her, drinking her in, consuming her, and he whispered: "I'm gonna marry you someday."
She laughed breathlessly and gave herself a moment to calm down a little, smiling as he tucked some stray hair behind her ear. "Oh yeah?"
"Oh yeah," he flashed her a grin. "You're my ride or die, baby."
"That's good to hear because someday, I'm gonna marry you too."
His lips curled into a sexy smirk, and his navy blue eyes glowed with love, devotion, and promise.
"Someday, baby. Someday."
THE END.
A/N - In writing this last chapter, I thought a lot about how far Jax and Allie have come since the first chapter, both individually and as a couple. This just seemed like the perfect ending (for now!) because it brings them full circle and gives us a look at how things are going to be between them and with the club now. Given how they started, this also felt like the perfect bookend to the story. They've come a long way, and their bond is unbreakable now. They're partners in every way, and it felt right to end on that note, and show how their professional and personal relationships are able to co-exist.
All that being said, I don't have any immediate plans for a sequel, although I'd love to write a four or five-parter that shows them getting engaged, married, and have a baby. I don't want to write a sequel just to write one, mainly because things are so good and so solid between them - it just doesn't make sense to try to mess with that just for the sake of a sequel, you know? Since I'm working on Lost & Found and another story that will take Fly By Night's Wednesday posting slot (it's called 12 Rounds, and I'm so excited to start sharing it soon!), I probably will not get to this extended epilogue for a little while, but I will always keep you posted!
I started writing this story in July of last year because I was bored in quarantine and because I just couldn't find any Jax/OC stories that sparked my interest, I decided to write the one I wanted to read. I had no expectations, and definitely no idea it would catch on the way it has, and I'm so happy that this story has done for you what it did for me - we've all needed a distraction lately, and what is fanfiction for if not to let us live in another world for a while with characters we know and love? I wrote stories on this site about ten years ago now under a different penname, and writing this story has really rekindled my love for writing. Now I can't stop! I can't wait to introduce my new story to you in a few weeks. I still have more work to do before I'm in a place where I can start posting, but until then, I'll keep you updated on that story's progress in my author notes for Lost & Found.
I can't wait to hear your last thoughts on this last look at Jax and Allie. If you haven't commented before now, I think now is a good time to start!
To everyone who's read this, thank you so much. It was an absolute joy to write, even through the blood, sweat, and tears that came with writing some of these chapters - I don't regret it for a second ;)