June 2008
Another week of stupid pleasantries with Sara had passed and Happy was losing his cool.
His ego wanted to say 'fuck this bitch' and go sleep with all the sweetbutts at the clubhouse. They'd jump at the opportunity. The guys wouldn't bat an eye, hell they'd probably celebrate the liberation of their pussy-whipped friend.
In the back of his mind, he heard his Ma's voice chastising him. Drowning himself in pussy wouldn't make this shit better and, worse, there would be hell to pay of Sara found out. He wouldn't put it past the stupid bitches to run their mouths the next time Sara was in town. He was supposed to be convincing her to stay, not pushing her away. FUCK. What was this moral dilemma shit?
He wanted to blame her quarter-life crisis on gradschool or whatever but it'd really started before that. It was like something had happened when she had come up to Tacoma in March. She'd been weird the whole weekend, trying so hard to make sure he was happy with her and that his club liked her. Since then, they'd been out of sync. What had happened? She had gone from being this sassy, clever, sexy little pain-in-the-ass to being a docile, meek, little woman. Is this just what happened with chicks? They just suddenly snap and become someone else?
He knew she hadn't been spending much time with Gemma since she'd moved out of the Teller-Morrow household. It hadn't bothered him much since the matriarch scared the shit out of him and he didn't need his woman turning into a mini-Gemma. That aside, Gemma had a way of keeping everyone on the right track and staying focused.
Happy also knew that Sara had been spending an awful lot of time with Donna Winston. He didn't think much of the fact the girls were friends, but when he'd asked a couple of the SAMCRO guys what Donna's deal was, they shrugged and said that she didn't come around much anymore. It was something for him to keep an eye on. In the meantime, he was brainstorming ways to "show" his love without being a total fucking loser. He felt like he was some punk in highschool trying to ask a cheerleader to prom or some shit. So. Fucking. Lame. He couldn't deal with this bullshit for much longer. If he had to be the first one to bend on this shit then, fuck it, he'd do it—but he'd do it with his goddamn dignity intact.
Finally, an opportunity raised itself. Kozik had reminded him that her birthday was the following week. And then the asshole had teased him mercilessly for not knowing when his girl's birthday was. He'd known, at some point, but it'd slipped his mind.
The only issue left was that he'd agreed to go to Portland to do a recon trip related to that fucking rat. One of the guys had a cabin outside of the city and he'd offered it up as somewhere to stay. Happy could make this work. He could show her that he could balance club business and her.
"Hello?" The trepidation in her voice when she answered the call made his chest hurt. This girl was the ghost of his fiery little woman.
"You got any time off you can take?" Might as well cut to the chase; he couldn't sit through another series of the same fake questions and same fake answers.
"Uh… I don't know, probably… why?"
"Wanna get out of dodge with you."
"What? What does that even mean?" He rolled his eyes. Was it not obvious what he meant?
"We gotta work our shit out. Brother has a cabin in Oregon. Wanna go with you for a few days for your birthday."
"Wait, really?" Excitement was bleeding in the edges of her voice. Good. That was progress.
"Yea. Got the time off. Just gotta do one or two little check-ins while there, but no other interruptions."
"You can't promise that." Her voice deflated in defensiveness. "You're probably gonna get called away like three hours after we get there and then I'll be stuck in Oregon by myself." Fuck. Had he made her this way? Sure, he left a lot but that wasn't new. She grew up in the club, she knew this was the way things worked.
"Yea I can. I'll turn off my burner." The words felt weird in his mouth. It was true, but it still felt foreign to say. He'd told Lee that he'd be off the grid while he was there, and Lee had begrudgingly agreed to allow it, so long as he did a thorough job investigating the presence of Skip. He'd probably be on Lee's shitlist for a while but he knew that he'd earn his way back in with a few more faces added to his collection.
"Uh… Yea. Okay. Sure." She sounded stunned. He scored it as an improvement over the guarded shit she'd been sending his way. "You remembered my birthday?" the warm tone of her voice was all it took to remind him why he was dealing with all this bullshit. He also needed to remember to buy Kozik some good whiskey as a thank you.
Fuck, maybe he was as twisted up as the other guys said but he was so close to getting everything figured out. Her pops would be gone. She could move to Tacoma and be with him. She could go to some fancy school in the SeaTac area. Everything would be okay. For the first time, he found himself thinking of a future. A real future.
Sara made the ten hour drive to Portland that Sunday. The drive sucked but was uneventful so the best she could hope for, she supposed, although it did leave her with ten hours to pick apart every possible scenario for the outcome of their little trip.
She'd been able to take off a couple days although they were unpaid due to the late notice. Happy texted her the address early that morning and it was evening when she finally pulled down the dirt road towards the cabin. It was just outside the city but far enough to be surrounded by wilderness; she wasn't great at geography but knew that it was somewhere close to the Washington border. Light filtered through the thick trees and her heart fluttered when she saw his bike up next to the house.
The building itself was pretty much what she expected from a cabin owned by a club member. It was small, but on a very private piece of land. It looked a little run down from the outside but as she climbed out of her car, she could tell that a lot of work had been put into it. The wraparound porch looked new and the rocking chairs looked hand made.
Her racing heart stalled when the front door opened and Happy's large frame stepped out onto the porch. His intense stare fell on her and she was frozen in spot leaving her feeling as if time was somehow going slow and fast at the same time. Even after their months together, his black gaze heated her instantly. The way the shadows danced over his broad shoulders and traced the narrowing of his hips lit a primal fire in her but it was the lack of his leather vest that really caught her attention. It wasn't like he wore it around when it was just the two of them anyway, but its absence still made her feel better. In fact, she didn't want to see the Reaper this week if she could help it. Her eyes met his and she saw her own thirst reflected in his dark orbs. Then again, they'd never had any trouble with their sexual compatibility.
"Hey." She stated mildly, trying far too hard to appear calm. He nodded in response. A beat passed while they both just looked at each other over. She felt gross from the long drive; she knew her makeup was probably worn off and her hair was just messily pulled back. She wished she'd had the wherewithal to stop at a gas station and cleaned herself up a bit for him, but there wasn't anything she could do about it now. Happy finally moved towards her car and around to the trunk to lift her suitcase.
Wordlessly, she followed him into the house, pausing to take in her surroundings. It was modestly decorated, with a few deer gratuitously mounted on the wall over the stone fireplace. The wooden floors creaked beneath her feet as she peeked into the kitchen. It was clean, which was really all they needed it to be. She mentally noted that she should run out to the grocery store to grab some food for them. She heard the floorboards creaking further down the hall and she followed the sound, finding Hap setting her bag down next to his duffel on the bedroom floor. The bed had one of the woven blankets that looked like it had been purchased on a Native American reservation gift shop. She caught his gaze and blushed a little. A smirk spread on his lips as he sauntered to her, hands wrapping around her hips.
"What's got you blushin'?" He teased, his large hands giving her ass a playful squeeze.
"Let me go clean up. I look gross." She self-consciously pleaded. He shook his head.
"Nah. No reason to clean up for the plans I have." He responded with heat before his head ducked to capture her lips. With no room to argue as his tongue slipped into her mouth she simply forgot about her self-consciousness. He pulled back and peered down at her smugly. Her smaller, delicate hands wrapped in the fabric of his SAMTAC shirt.
"Take this off." She softly commanded, eyes on the logo. No room for the Reaper this week. He looked down at the shirt before shrugging. She watched as his arms reached behind his head to pull the shirt off in that sexy way that men do but she could never figure out. "Better." She appraised, eyes raking his chest. The colors of his ink jumped out at her. They always fascinated her. The intricate patterns that at a glance seemed to clash but somehow also looked like a single cohesive piece of art. The rough caress of his calloused fingers under the hem of her shirt pulled her from her reverie. Another blush burned on her cheeks as she met his eyes.
"What's got you so shy?" He murmured, his dark eyes black with desire. Her thighs clenched in anticipation.
"Just been a while… and with things the way they've been I didn't know if you'd still want to…" She rambled nervously. She was certain he'd cooled his anger with the girls in Tacoma. She'd seen those girls. They'd told her last time that they were down for whatever he wanted to do to them. What if he'd realized she wasn't worth the trouble? She'd spent most of the drive reminding herself he wouldn't have planned a trip with her if he was just gonna dump her, but she didn't think she could handle his sexual rejection.
"Don't ever gotta worry about me not wanting to fuck you." He grabbed one of her hands and held it to the growing bulge in his jeans. He'd never had a way with words, but he sure knew how to stoke the fire. She gave him a gentle caress and felt him press his hips into her palm. In one sudden movement, he lifted her, wrapping her long legs around his hips. Her hands stabilized on his shoulders, and she giggled at the unexpected interchange.
"Now how about you show your man just how much you've missed him…" He encouraged before burying his face in her cleavage. The gravel of his deep voice made her sigh with desire as he moved to press her to the door.
"Take your top off. I wanna see your tits." He grunted, grinding himself against the apex her jean shorts. It felt like electricity buzzing between her legs. He fit so perfectly; she wondered if he knew how good he made her feel with every grind or if it was just instinct. Soft lips were on her neck before her shirt had fluttered to the floor. "That's my good girl." He praised, and she found herself desperate for more of his approval, so her bra followed.
"I can't wait to bury my cock in you." He groaned as his lips found her mouth. It was sloppy and needy and everything she wanted it to be. She kissed him back hungrily, driven by his fervor. These were not the words and actions of man who had been getting laid. He was a hungry man, a starved man.
"I've missed you." She whispered, her arms wrapping around his shoulders desperate to pull him closer. Gently, he let her feet fall to the floor and he pulled back, gazing into her eyes. With one hand, he brushed the loose hair from her face.
"Then show me." His other hand worked the buckle on his pants. She caught his meaning and her gentle hands moved his away before taking over and unclasping his jeans. She could feel the intensity of his gaze as she dropped to her knees and gently pulled his boxers down with his pants. The weight of his Reaper belt buckle dropped them quickly but neither of them noticed as his cock sprang free. His low moan audible in the quiet room as her hand wrapped around his growing base. The dark, velvety skin made her smile before she licked the tip softly, his taste familiar.
"Don't tease me, little girl." He hissed. Little girl. It'd been a while since he'd called her that and it instantly brought back all the dirty little sexy memories attached to it. Her sparkling blue eyes caught his hooded ones. His bottom lip caught in his teeth as he watched her drag her tongue along the underside. One of his hands buried in her hair and the other held her face, thumb tracing her lips. "Open that mouth." He commanded barely above a whisper. She bit the pad of his thumb before acquiescing and sucking his tip past her lips.
"Deeper." He groaned trying to push further into the warmth of her mouth. She opened wider and leaned into him, letting the hot heat of her mouth engulf him. Her tongue slithered against the seam of his cock and he hissed loudly. "Fuck, that's good. Keep going." Her head began to move up and down his length, bobbing between his legs. His thighs trembled as one of her hands held his balls, rolling them between her fingers. With a moan, he moved to brace against the door behind her.
"Jesus Christ, Sara." He groaned loudly, and she smirked but kept moving. Happy's eyes closed as he felt his spine begin to tingle. He felt his balls tighten against his body Every hair on his body was standing at attention, preparing for the ultimate rush. Suddenly he felt cool air against his cock and he growled in distress.
"Why'd you stop?" He hissed, opening his eyes to see her standing, recklessly shimmying her shorts down her legs. Fuck, she was so beautiful.
"Because I want you inside me when you cum." She said provocatively, gazing up at him coquettishly through her lashes. Blowjob forgotten he slammed his lips to hers devouring her sweet taste and let hands freely roam her nude body.
"You wet for me baby?" His fingers slipped between her legs and groaned again. "That's my girl. So fucking wet for her man. You get wet like this for any other man?" He asked arrogantly, his so voice thick and raspy she practically felt the sound lick her pussy.
"No." She managed to squeak out between his forceful kisses. His lips moved to her neck as his fingers slipped inside her. She moaned loudly, grateful there weren't any neighbors nearby.
"That's right. You only get like this for me. That's my girl. So fucking hot. I can't wait to watch this hot little body take my whole cock over and over. You want that, huh? You want my cock shoved up your tight little pussy?"
"Yes…. Fuck, Hap. Please." She moaned desperately, clinging to his biceps as his fingers worked her. The absolute pleasure crinkling her forehead urged him on. He knew her as intimately as a man could. He could tell from her tremble that her legs would give out soon. In a heartbeat, he pulled his slick fingers from her and lifted her quickly, ignoring her protests. Kicking his pants from his ankles he moved to the bed, dropping her on it less delicately than he'd intended but his eagerness got the best of him.
The evening light streamed in through the windows and made her blonde hair glow gold. Her legs fell open for him revealing her bare pussy. Fuck, he'd nearly forgotten what a perfect cunt she had. So pink and warm and inviting. Her smell filled his nostrils as he took a deep breath. She was writhing eagerly below him, trying in vain to pull him down over her. To get to his lips. To taste him.
Unable to resist her, he fell forward lips crashing to hers. Their tongues moved sensuously together. Rough and then soft and then rough again. Her little fingers moved blindly between them desperate to line him up. Once his tip was wet, his hips surged forward. A delicious shiver raced up his spine despite hearing and seeing her wince and cry out beneath him.
"Sorry." He grumbled halfheartedly. He'd seen enough dicks in prison showers to know he was hung and the sadistic side of him roared with approval at her discomfort. He loved that her body had to stretch for him. Meant that no other man had been keeping her loose. She was tight for him. Only him. He felt her begin to relax around him and his pride swelled. "That's it baby. Open that tight pussy for this cock. Fuck, you're so fucking tight for me. You need a minute?" He urged, and she nodded breathlessly shifting beneath him growing wetter with each of his words.
"Fuck, Hap, you don't know what your voice does to me." She moaned, clawing at his shoulders.
"Yea, baby? My girl likes hearing all about how perfect her cunt is? You've always been a selfish little girl." She arched beneath him and he started to undulate his hips, slowly, allow her time to adjust. "I been thinking about fucking you so much. I should punish you for being such a fucking distraction." He moaned into her ear as his hips moved faster.
"Yea? You gonna punish me?" She mewed in response and his cock jerked inside of her.
"Fuck baby, I ain't gonna last long." He groaned, burying his forehead in her shoulder. She was just too wet. Too warm. Too much.
"You gonna cum? You wanna cum inside me?" She asked lewdly and yet somehow still sounding like the sweet, innocent, little princess that drove him wild. His teeth nipped her throat in response. Of course he wanted to. His feral side needed to mark her as his own. To coat her walls with his masculine scent.
"Do it, Happy. I want you to." She encouraged erotically. His body stiffened before he pushed deeper into her and frantically thrust through his orgasm. With a shudder, his body relaxed onto hers as he pulled deep breaths.
"Sorry." He grumbled quietly into her chest, a bit embarrassed by his lack of control. He'd intended to draw it out longer, to make her beg. Somehow, she'd managed to get the best of him yet again.
"Mmm don't be." She responded, kissing the snake on the top of his head and just relishing the feeling of him spent and still inside of her. She loved this moment. When the world was quiet and it was just the two of them connected. Her fingers traced the ink on his shoulders as he rested his ear to her chest.
His eyes fell closed, feeling spent and safe. The room smelled like their own brand of pheromones and the rhythmic thump of her heart filled his head, blocking out anything else including the voice inside. This shit was better than his meds for calming him. He wanted to tell her that he loved her, but the words got stuck in his throat. She'd implied she didn't believe him, so what would it even matter if he said it. This thought sobered him. Their relationship felt like a house of cards and if either one of them exhaled too hard it would all come crashing down around them.
"You know sex isn't going to solve everything." She murmured quietly, as if reading his mind. He lifted his head, the echo of her words in her chest too loud.
"Worth a try." He half-joked, his fingers tracing unseen shapes on her bare skin. She smiled in response but it didn't reach her eyes. "I don't know what to do." He finally admitted, his raspy voice barely above a whisper.
"Me neither. But I know I want to be here. With you." She reassured, squeezing his forearm comfortingly. They sat in silence, just enjoying the peaceful lull between them. Their fingers remembering and revisiting the planes of each other's bodies. It was the growl of Happy's stomach that finally broke the silence, followed closely by a feminine giggle.
"Guess we gotta feed the dragon." She teased, and he shrugged rolling onto his back and tried to pull her with him.
"Come on, I'll hoist you up onto my face. That'll keep me fed." He teased trying to pull her up towards his head. A shriek and a laugh escaped her as she fought free from him.
"No, you can have that later for dessert. I don't need you passing out on me because your blood sugar is too low or something." She teased moving off the bed. She flipped him the bird as he snickered watching her walk turn to scamper to the bathroom before his fluids leaked from her body. Upon her return, he was still in the same position although his eyes were closed. The small smile on his lips made her heart flutter with joy.
"Do you want me to run to the store?" She asked as she opened her suitcase and fished out some clothes.
"Nah, I'll come too." He stated and pulled himself from the bed, joints cracking at the movement. He pulled on the same jeans he'd had on before but rifled in his bag for a different shirt. She silently noticed the lack of logo on the plain black shirt. Keeping her smile to herself, she ducked her chin and pulled on her shorts and a black Jack Daniels tank top. Five minutes later she was standing in front of the bathroom mirror with Hap leaning on the door jamb.
"Can I help you?" She teased as he watched her pull her hair into a messy bun.
"Like watchin' you." He offered with a shrug. Her teeth bit into her lip to stop the smile from forming. He really was so cute sometimes. "But also hurry up, I'm fucking starving." He added. With a roll of her eyes she quickly applied a thin layer of makeup and mascara.
"Do you just wanna stop for some food on the way? Because you're gonna buy the whole store if you grocery shop while you are hungry." Sara offered as she pulled on her wedges and grabbed her purse. He held out his hand for her car keys as they exited the cabin. Happy locked the door behind them and they made their way to the car. "Well?"
"I was thinking." He buffered irritably. She rolled her eyes. The hunger was finally getting to him.
"And they say girls can never decide where to eat…" She grumbled under her breath.
"You wanna say that again?" He snapped back as they climbed into the car.
"Whatever, I'm hungry so we're stopping." She petulantly responded, knowing that he wouldn't make the decision himself.
"Fine, if you're gonna be a brat about it…" He grumbled, completely oblivious to her smiling out the passenger window as he pulled out onto the dirt road.
They'd stopped at some roadside diner to get some dinner before making their way to the grocery store. After bickering over just about every grocery decision, and particularly which meats to buy and who was going to cook them, they purchased their food and left.
When they got back and the food was unloaded, Sara found herself standing on the back porch looking into the woods. The sun was nearly set by now, but there were still some traces of reds and oranges in the sky. She heard the slide of the door opening behind her followed by heavy bootsteps.
"Hey, I gotta run out for a bit." His voice hung in the air between them. She hummed in acknowledgement but continued to stare into the trees. It'd been a long time since she'd been somewhere without the sounds of a bustling town or city. Even in Charming, car alarms would be going off or the static hum of street lights filled the air. Here it was nothing but nature. The wind rustling leaves. The songs of crickets and frogs.
"Sare?"
"Ok." She said calmly. What was she supposed to do? Get upset? She knew he needed to run out and do some stuff. He'd told her that. With a sigh she turned to face him. "What time do you think you'll be back?"
"I don't know. Couple hours." He shrugged. He'd pulled on a dark hoodie, but once again no logo. Her eyes narrowed. As much as she didn't want to see the Reaper, it was setting off red flags in her head. The only time they didn't want to be identified was when they were in enemy territory or didn't want to get caught doing something illegal.
"Is it dangerous?"
"Not really." He answered vaguely. They eyed each other for a few moments before she turned back around to look back at the trees. The light was almost gone from the sky now. She heard his approach before she felt the arm around her waist. His lips pressed to her temple before releasing her. "I'll be back."
"I'll be here." She stated distantly, her bare feet shifting on the wooden deck. The mosquitos were starting to come out in full force and she knew they'd drive her inside shortly. She heard his sigh as he departed, and once she heard the whir to signal the closing of the sliding door she let her head hang. Her body rested against the wooden railing. She hated seeing him leave. She hated that she couldn't be the dutiful MC woman and be proud of him going off into the night to get shit done. She used to be that way. Where had it gone? Why was it so hard to be that woman again?
Once the roar of his bike was long gone, she headed inside and poured herself a glass of wine. There were plenty of things to be happy about. This cabin, for one. Glass in hand, she explored every nook and cranny of the cabin she could find. She knew if Happy was here, he'd probably tell her she was being nosy, but whatever. The only notable things she found were a few guns—mostly hunting rifles—and some old Playboy magazines. Like from the 90s old. With a tipsy giggle and her second glass of wine, she flipped through a few of them, laughing at the outdated hairstyles and weird sets. Glancing at the clock, she realized it was after 10pm. Her tiredness from the drive and the wine hitting her, she tossed the magazines on the coffee table and finished her glass of wine before making her way to shower. Wrapped in a towel and her wet hair dripping around her shoulders, she looked through her bag, pushing aside all the slinky lingerie she had packed, and pulled out one of Happy's shirts that he'd left at her place. And by 'left' she meant she'd hidden it from him and when it came time for him to pack, claimed she didn't know where it was.
Dressed in his shirt and some boyshorts, she finally climbed into the bed. The mattress was firmer than she'd normally like, but she was so damn tired she couldn't find the strength to mind.
Happy cringed as he pulled up the house around midnight. The only light on that he could see was the front porch and maybe the kitchen, but the cabin was otherwise dark. He'd hoped he would make it back in time to go another round before she passed out tired, or even just watch a movie or something, but getting eyes on Skip was proving harder than it sounded. Then again, he was in WitSec so it wasn't supposed to be easy.
He had never met the guy personally, but he'd seen enough pictures, and they'd gotten some intel that he liked to hang at certain bars all down one strip of road. Happy had to park a pretty good distance away and walk, since the former SAMDINO Vice President would surely notice his bike. Happy didn't want to draw attention. He'd essentially bar hopped for a few hours, sitting for some time in each one, scoping out the crowds, waiting to see if the rat showed up. It was a Sunday night so there wasn't much of a crowd besides regulars, although he imagined it was pretty much only a regular clientele that were coming to these places. Most of the bars could only be described as a dive and that was being polite. A lot of them were big on Harley brand although none of the people drinking actually seemed like they'd be in the MC world, just a bunch of wannabes or civilians. After no sign of Skip, he eventually gave up and made his way back to the cabin.
Happy was glad that she had at least locked the front door. He didn't know what kinda people lived in the woods out here, but he was sure that regardless of who they were, he didn't want to find them standing over his sleeping girl.
He pulled off his boots and hoodie, absently noticing the empty wine glass on the coffee table. He moved to grab it, unable to leave it out all night, and was amused to see it nestled among old dirty magazines. Spotting a few familiar covers, he chuckled to himself as he imagined his little blonde flipping through them on the couch. Was she turned on by them? Did she touch herself? He washed the glass as his mind created more and more scenarios involving Sara and some trashy mags. After smoking a cigarette on the back porch and double checking the locks on all the doors, he finally made his way to the bedroom. He could barely see the outline of her small body under the blankets, but it still made his heart swell in his chest. Again, he kicked himself for getting back later than he intended.
Stripping off his clothes, he slid under the blankets beside her. She moved a little when the bed shifted and she turned to look groggily over her shoulder.
"Hey babe." He whispered.
"What time is it?" She asked, voice thick with sleep.
"After midnight." He answered, shaping his body to fit around hers. "Happy birthday." He whispered, kissing the side of her head and wrapping an arm over her waist, hand sliding under the hem of a shirt that was probably his at some point. He always preferred to touch her bare skin at night. It comforted him.
"Lov'you." She slurred sleepily, already falling back asleep.
"Love you too, baby." He chuckled, and realized he was truly happy for the first time in a while. The rest of the bullshit could wait.
A/N: Well. How do you think the romantic weekend will play out? Will they work it all out and finally have some smooth sailing? Also, how are we all feeling about Mayans MC? I have mixed feelings.
I'd like to apologize for the lengthy hiatus I have taken from this story. Frankly, I have been in a depressive state for the past few months, and couldn't find the interest or the energy to think about this story, let alone write or edit. Hopefully I'm on the upswing out of my blues but its hard to say. I want to thank everyone who continues to read and review this story, I'm constantly amazed by the love and support that this story is getting. Your reviews brighten my day and I reread them when I need some encouragement.