6

Chapter 75 Escaping the Zone

"

Jax decided to focus on having fun with Ava. As he thought back on his life, he realized in addition to never having had a girlfriend, he'd never actually been on a date. If he went to a bar with some of the guys, he'd just start talking to the girl he wanted for the night. He might have missed a whole world of good times with girls, but he'd also doubted spending time with a girl outside of sex could be as much fun as spending time with his brothers.

He found himself actually looking forward to spending time with Ava.. That was something that he never thought he'd experience with her, but she had a great sense of humor and wasn't the entitled, spoiled, princess she'd been when they started out on this honeymoon.

After their plane landed, they caught the shuttle to the hotel located in the French Quarter and checked into the room that Jeeves had booked for them. They decided to wander around a little and have an early dinner.

The French Quarter was as beautiful in person as it was in pictures. The three story buildings with the intricate wrought iron work were amazing. It was a very tourist oriented place with at least one souvenir shop on each block selling almost identical merchandise, but it didn't lessen the beauty of the charming streets. Some places had their doors open with Zydeco music spilling out.

Jax was fascinated by the various accordions including the Cajun accordion used to give Zydeco its unique sound. He'd found that out thanks to Ava's phone. He was going to get a CD or two to bring back to Charming. He and Ava were going to have to find a place to listen and dance to Zydeco music. He'd never danced much other than a little bit at bars and sometimes the clubhouse, but he discovered he really enjoyed it and Ava loved dancing. It was nice for them to have something physical they could do together besides sex.

When they got back to Charming, they could have a Zydeco/New Orleans party at the clubhouse. That would be a lot of fun and be a good way for Ava to get better acquainted with the MC.

The atmosphere was oppressive. It was overcast and gray but also hot and humid. Jax could feel the moisture in the air thick against his skin. He was used to the comparatively dry Cali air. The humidity was something that would take some getting used to.

They decided on a small place just off one of the main streets in the French Quarter. They ordered sweet tea which is the cold nonalcoholic beverage of choice in the South and deep fried shrimp with French fries because you can never eat too much fried food.

New Orleans has a well deserved reputation for food. The big juicy shrimp were perfectly battered in a crispy coating. The French fries were thin and seasoned with Cajun seasoning making them spicy. Even the cocktail sauce was special. It was a deeper richer red than ketchup with a mix of heat and sweetness making it the perfect accompaniment for the shrimp and fries..

"I don't remember much from when I was here with my parents," Ava said. "It was one of the few times we were together as a family. I remember eating shrimp like this."

"You never came back here?"

"My father promised me that we would go back. Even after my mother overdosed he promised. I guess this is his way of taking me back here," Ava said with a touch of bitterness in her voice.

"It was nice that he remembered how much you wanted to come back," Jax said. Defending TB was practically a reflex for Jax. The man had spent millions to get him out of prison and Jax never forgot it. Right now if it weren't for TB, his ass could be up for grabs in the exercise yard because you could never tell when your protection was going to run out.

"I suppose so," Ava said a little doubtfully. "Jeeves was probably the one behind it."

"I've never traveled much," Jax said changing the subject. "I've been on bike runs including a couple to Sturgis, but I've never gone somewhere just to look around and vacation. I am enjoying myself. You really can be a lot of fun and you were really great on the bike trips."

"I'm having a lot more fun than I ever imagined," Ava admitted. "I thought it would be pure hell."

"It was bound to take us a few days to get to know each other and learn how to get along," Jax said easily. "We haven't had the most normal of relationships."

"I'm so glad we're here. There's a midnight tour of the above ground cemeteries including the one where Marie Laveau the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans is buried. People still leave offerings there to her. I've always wanted to go on the tour. Will you go with me?"

"Sure, I've never been on a cemetery tour at night. I take it it's supposed to be haunted."

"Yes. Maybe we'll see a ghost. I'll make reservations for tomorrow night."

When Ava was enthusiastic about something her blue-green eyes sparkled and her face flushed. She could be pretty irresistible when she wanted to be, Jax thought as he looked at his wife.

"I can hardly wait."

"I don't know if I would have the nerve to go alone. I'm kind of afraid one of the ghosts might attach itself to me," Ava confessed.

"I'll keep you safe," Jax promised.

"I don't think it's as easy to punch out a ghost as it is a person."

Jax laughed.

"I'm resourceful. I'll figure something out."

They finished their meal and wandered around going into various stores and sightseeing. Suddenly it began to pour rain. Both Jax and Ava got drenched. Jax grabbed Ava's hand and ran pulling her along into a small alcove he spotted in front of a closed souvenir shop.

Ava looked up at him, her eyeliner smudged all dark and sooty looking around her eyes that made her look sexy as hell, her hair plastered against her head and her thin sundress clinging to her body and laughed.

"This happened when I was here before. My dad was furious. My mother thought it was fun and she danced in the rain with me."

Jax felt something stir inside him as he looked at her. Not just physical either. Something emotional. It was this warm feeling for her. Maybe it was just physical. He wasn't a chick that overanalyzed this stuff so he shoved it out of his head.

He slipped his arm around her pulling her close, bent his head and kissed her soft and gentle at first, but as she put her arms around him her body molding to his, he deepened the kiss, kissing her hard and long with no tongues because he didn't want to go through dog kiss comparisons.

She was so warm and responsive, he could have spent a long time just kissing her but the rain had let up and there was a limit to how passionate a kiss could get in public. Ava was shy and that meant she wasn't the kind of girl who did certain things in public.

He slowly released her and discovered something shocking.

"Ava, your dress is transparent."

"Oh no," she cried blushing furiously.

Jax swiftly stripped off his dark blue T-shirt and handed it to her.

She quickly pulled it on. It came to the middle of her thighs so all of her nude underwear was concealed so she no longer looked naked.

"Thank you for looking out for me," she said before standing on tiptoe and kissing him softly on the lips.

"Let's get you something to wear."

This sweet vulnerable side was the Ava he really liked. There was something a little childlike in her gratitude for looking out for her. He realized that the only people who had looked out for Ava in her whole life once her mother died were people who were paid to do it by her father.

"Jax," she said softly, a little nervously, "the kiss was nice."

He kept himself from telling her there was more where that kiss came from because he figured that it would piss her off. His goal was to be romantic and not witty.

"Yeah, it was," he said giving her a sweet smile and a gentle kiss on the cheek.

He discovered that Ava responded to him when he was kind and caring. He'd figured out his difficult bride and in the process gotten himself out of the friend zone. And she wasn't even drunk!

"

Author's Note: The New Orleans details are actually correct including the late night cemetery tours.

There's a great movie called The Big Easy set in New Orleans (the city's nickname is The Big Easy) that captures the flavor of New Orleans and it's got a steamy romance at its core. If you've discovered the wonderful world of streaming, you can watch it for free on Tubi. If you watch it, let me know what you think.