4/

I woke the next morning to a strange kind of silence stretching across the house. Despite the early hour I could hear someone moving about in the kitchen; probably Tig. He had always been an early riser. I knew this was probably the last day I would spend in this house; and Grandpa Nate's also. By days end he would be in the care facility that Grandma Rose had picked out before she died; a good thing too as Amelia was no longer here to care for him.

My spine tingled a little at the thoughts of what had happened the previous day. My skin still crawled at the thought of how that cleaner dude had made her completely disappear, but I supposed it was a good thing. Jax and the rest of the club could never know what we had done. Jax, my older half brother. I had barely seen him in years. Living in the same town you would think I would more often but I had made it clear after I completed med school that I wanted nothing to do with the club. After everything I'd been through with Tig and all the illegal shit I knew they were embroiled in I felt it best for my medical career to stay as far away from it as possible. To my surprise Mom had always backed me up on that; until now.

I rose and dressed, pulling on my favorite pair of jeans and a blue tank top. I pulled a sweater from my bag and thought about putting that on also before I spied my leather jacket lying discarded in the corner and chose to put that on instead.

"Morning Doll." Tig greeted me in a somewhat stoic manner as I entered the kitchen. I supposed I had brought it on myself by pushing him away the night before. "Coffee?" He asked pushing a mug toward me.

"Thanks." I smiled, quietly impressed that after all these years he remembered how I took it. I took a sip of the hot liquid. Perfect, hot and just enough sugary sweetness to combat the bitterness of the ground. "You still make the best coffee Tig."

He gave me a slight smirk back and I was reminded of how much I missed seeing that smirk directed at me. "Look Tig, I worked hard to get to where I am now and a lot of that was picking myself up after you left. I can't go through that again."

"I get that Kat but I meant what I said last night. There are no words that can tell you how sorry I am."

I nodded slowly. "Thank you for being honest Tig." I said. I knew him well enough to know there was nothing but honesty in his voice, his tone, even his eyes right now.

"Maybe we could take things slow, ease back into being together."

"Tiggy, I don't know ..."

"At least start hanging around the clubhouse a little more then."

"I'm not sure I'm gonna have any choice but to at the moment." I said as Mom walked into the room.

"I see you two are at least talking again." She commented as she made her way to the coffee pot.

"Yeah. So is grandpa all ready to go?" I asked deliberately changing the subject, knowing she knew it.

"I believe so." She answered with a heavy sigh.

"He's going to be well looked after Mom." I tried to reassure her.

"I know sweetheart. This is all just a lot harder than I thought it would be."

"Dad will be here soon to help you right?"

"Yeah. They should be here soon right Tiggy?" Mom asked. I knew how much she missed Dad whenever they were apart for longer than a few days.

"Yeah any moment now Gem." He said, brightening her mood with his words.

"I'm gonna go pack up the last of the stuff for the basement." I said placing my now empty coffee mug in the sink.

"Thanks sweetheart." Gemma said as I rose to leave the room.

I hung back in the hallway a moment to hear part of their conversation.

"Where are you two at?" Mom asked.

"I don't know Gem. She won't let me back in. I guess I hurt her pretty bad."

"I know you did. I was the one left picking up the pieces."

"You and Happy." I heard the scowl in his voice and could picture it on his face.

"She doesn't love him the way she loved you Tiggy. You were her entire world."

I sighed at my mother's words and continued toward the stairs. I hated to admit it but she was right.

He placed his hand on the band that held my hair tight at the nape of my neck and tugged at it letting my hair fall loose down my back. I bit my lip and gasped at his touch as he trailed his hand down my back.

I gasped as he brought his other hand to my cheek and ran his thumb across it. "Are you sure you wanna do this?" He asked me meeting my gaze.

I had no words. I could only nod as he took me into his arms and pressed his lips against mine. His lips were always so warm and soft. I was sixteen and had been back in Charming for a little over two months. Tig and I had been dancing in circles around our feelings for the most part of that time. It had been me that made the first move late one night out in the abandoned lot. Every moment since then had led to this.

He pressed his hand to the small of my back and used his other to hoist me into his arms using my upper thigh to do so. I pressed my lips against his as his carried me through the hallway to my room. He lowered me backwards down onto my bed and then prowled over me on all fours. I sucked in my breath as he pressed his lips against my neck and whimpered a little as I felt his teeth graze past my ear.

He pulled back and gazed into my eyes questioningly. I pushed his kutte from his shoulders and began undoing the buttons of his shirt, letting him know I was still okay with this. He pressed his lips hard against mine, kissing me with more intensity than he ever had. I drank in his taste as he slid his tongue into my mouth and relished the feel of his smooth skin beneath my fingers as I pushed his shirt down his arms. My heart was racing a million miles an hour and the heat in my belly and lady parts had risen to a near overwhelming crescendo as he pulled my tank top off over my head revealing my black lacy bra beneath. On account of my breast size I was forced to shop in the womens section. I saw a spark ignite in Tig's eyes as they rested upon it. I bit my lip knowing that my underwear below was simple and girly.

He cupped my breast in his hand as his lips continued to ravage mine. I toyed with his belt buckle, my fingers trying desperately to undo it. "Slow down Kitty Kat." He murmured against my lips as he brushed my fingers aside. "This is your first time yeah?" He asked quietly to which I nodded slowly with a small gasp as he circled my nipple with one finger.

"Then let's take it slow and make it right." he said with more sincerity than I'd thought him capable of. What had begun a few months ago as a simple crush had developed into an overwhelming desire to be with him. I let a small smile fleet across my expression before a moan escaped my lips as he took my nipple into his mouth, sucking it hard.

I allowed his hands to caress, pinch and devour every part of my upper body until I could take no more. I lowered my hand to his belt buckle again, my eyes pleading with him to allow me to undo it this time. He didn't stop me as my hand continued to the button on his jeans and then to his fly. Sliding my hand down his hip I pushed them down, my fingers brushing over the tightness of his ass. He kicked his jeans off at the end of the bed before tracing his hand teasingly along the waistband of my own.

"Please Tig. I'm ready for you." I moaned hardly believing the words come out of my mouth. The feelings and sensations raging through my body right now were beginning to overwhelm me. He undid my jeans and then slid them down my hips revealing my simple white panties beneath them. I thought I caught a flicker of doubt in his eyes before he pressed his lips hard against mine once more, plunging his tongue deep into my mouth as his hand reached behind to unclasp my bra and slide it down my arms.

I pushed his boxers down his hips and whimpered in growing anticipation as I felt his hard on brush against my thigh. He drew his lips away from mine and gazed into my eyes as he parted my thighs and ran his fingers across me through the white cotton of my panties. I moaned out a small whimpering gasp as I closed my eyes and allowed him to make my body feel things it never had before.

I bit my lip as I watched him fumble around in his wallet for a condom. He tore the packet open with his teeth and then slid it down the shaft of his overwhelmingly large member. I began to feel a nervous kind of fear rise up within me as he slid my panties down my hips. He must have seen the fear in my eyes because he lay beside me and kissed my lips so softly that my fear melted away at the tenderness of his touch. I knew he meant to make this special for me but I also sensed that going slow like this wasn't his style.

I gasped as I felt his finger brush delicately over my opening before sliding slowly in. the feeling as my walls involuntarily clamped around his finger took my breath away. I felt him slide another finger in, and then another, slowly stretching me, his lips still soft upon mine.

"You ready?" he murmured softly against my lips as he slid his fingers from me and positioned himself over me resting his member between my thighs.

I nodded and managed a soft breathy 'yeah', before I felt his tip slide gently into where his fingers had been moments before. I gasped as I felt my walls stretch further around him as he pressed gently and slowly further into me. His eyes never left mine as he watched my reaction. He felt amazing and warm inside of me until I felt a sharp scrapping pain like something had snapped inside me. I gasped in pain and I knew he saw it in my eyes before I made a sound. He kissed my lips softly again before sliding out of me and then slowly back in. the pain was brief and before I knew he was guiding me slowly to my first orgasm. I couldn't help but cry out as my insides tingled and burned like I'd never felt before.

"Oh Christ Tig! Oh Christ!" I moaned loudly as the tingling exploded into fireworks inside of me.

"Shit Kitty Kat!" He swore as my walls tightened almost impossibly harder around him. I felt his hips shudder at his release and he pressed his lips hard against mine as he slid from me.

I lay gasping below him once he drew his lips from mine. His expression was almost unreadable but his eyes were smiling. I knew he was thinking over and perhaps regretting what we'd just done. I reached up and placed my hand against the back of his neck and pulled his lips back to mine. He returned my kiss for a moment before pushing himself up from the bed and leaning down to retrieve his jeans and boxers. "I should go before your mom gets home." he said as he began pulling them on.

I nodded as I watched him buckle his belt. I bit my lip having no idea of what he was thinking about what had just happened. He buttoned his shirt and then lent down to kiss my lips one last time before picking up his kutte and moving toward the door.

"Change your sheets and take a shower." He said as he placed his hand against it.

"Okay." I said quietly.

"I'll call you later okay?" He said a small smile flicking across his expression, as he opened my bedroom door.

I smiled and nodded, pleased that he didn't seem to regret what we'd just done.

I picked up an ornament and tried to push my memories aside. I knew even after that first time I was already falling for him. Whether it was his bad boy image, or his inane quirkiness or something else I wasn't sure. All I'd known in that moment was that I hoped my schoolgirl fantasies of Tig and I developing into something more weren't about to come crashing down.

I heard the approach of dad and the rest of the guys before I saw them and it tore me from my thoughts. I glanced out the bedroom window down towards the driveway to watch them come rolling in.

I put aside the ornament in my hand and headed out of the room down the stairs two at a time to greet them.

Mom and Tig were already outside. Mom was in Dad's arms, his lips pressed possessively against hers. I stood silently beside Tig and smiled at how much my parents obviously loved each other. I looked across the yard to lock eyes with my older brother who looked kind of uncomfortable at their display of affection.

I smiled at him as our eyes met. He returned my smile and started toward me. "Hey Kat." He said placing his arm around me.

"Hey Jax." I answered. "You okay?" I asked

"Yeah." He answered pulling me closer into a hug. We may not have spent much time together in the past few years but it was always easy loving Jax.

"Are you sure? Where's Abel?" I asked quietly.

He gave a quick sideways glance toward my mother. "We'll talk later okay." He said turning back to me.

"You have to tell her." I said casting my eyes in the same direction as his.

"I will Kat. Just not now." he said a sense of urgency to his voice.

I sighed. "Okay Jax. I guess she does have a lot going on right now."

"Yeah. She does." he said casting his eyes to the doorway of grandpa's house and where Tig still stood his gaze in our direction. "What's going on with you two?"

"Who? Me and Tig? Nothing. You know Grandpa shot him when he caught him banging his carer right?"

"Yeah I did. Are you okay?"

"Of course I am. Where's Happy?" I asked looking around and noticing his absence.

"He's off with Piney and Bobby taking care of something." He answered me noticing my deliberate change of subject as he placed his arm around my shoulders and led me inside behind the rest of the guys who were already milling inside.

"Hey Daddy." I said approaching my father where he now sat at the head of my grandfather's dining table with a steaming hot cup of coffee my mother had just placed in front of him.

"Hey baby girl." He said wrapping his arm around my waist. I thought I caught a glimpse of that happy sparkle beneath the exhaustion in his eyes.

"What's going on? Who are all these people?" Grandpa's voice came from the doorway.

"Their family Daddy." Mom informed him. "You remember Clay?"

"He's no family of mine." Grandpa said in a firm yet wavering voice.

I heard Mom sigh from beside me. "And Jackson. You're grandson." Mom continued as Jax stepped away from the door frame and into the room a little.

"Hey Grandpa." Jax said.

"John was such a nice man Gemma. A better man that Clay could ever be." Grandpa said before he turned and left the room.

"I guess I'm still not his favorite person." Clay said.

"Don't worry Daddy. I love you." I said placing a kiss on his cheek.

He smiled up at me. "Good to hear Kat."

I knew the weight of everything the club had going on was hanging heavily on his shoulders and still he was here to support mom through putting Grandpa into a home. That's the kind of lasting love I longed for.