Guys, I love you, so please don't be mad at me for prolonging this chapter. I had a chat with my Beta and had to rework the rest of the story because I'm taking some parts out and I couldn't have one thing because something else didn't happen.
Thanks for your patience and support :3
Chapter 16:
"You are the answer to every prayer I've offered. You are a song, a dream, a whisper, and I don't know how I could have lived without you for as long as I have."
―Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook
We're sorry, the number you've dialed has been disconnected and is no longer in service.
After hearing that automated message for what had to be the millionth time, the line clicked and the call ended, just like it's been doing the past few hours. I was sitting up in Jax's bed, eyes unblinkingly unfocused at the white wall behind his dresser. I could feel the dried tears on my cheeks and more started trickling down to slake the arid ones at the sound of that robotic memorandum.
The sun was up and shining through the tan curtains. I showered and changed into the clothes Jax let me borrow last night, but haven't gone to sleep. I couldn't rest not knowing if Kip was okay or if the club ordered his execution. I just barely knew how these operations worked, but I didn't know everything. I wasn't a member.
Unlike the Spartans, all the Sons had the tight brotherhood bond between them. Back in Scotts Valley, I could see how divided the members were. Madman Max and Beast Boy were always on each others side because they were blood. Scrap and Gage were the same, though I could tell they weren't too fond of the loyalty between the siblings. Grimm was only 100% loyal to his President and while Dutchman was probably the only man who could be considered his friend, the Martinet had a father-son bond with Lucky. Everyone in that MC was divided and there wasn't a mutual loyalty. I knew some of them would love to see a hole in Gage's head.
The thought of Tig or Happy killing Kip wasn't sitting right with me and I felt like there was a ball of vomit in my stomach waiting to be upchucked. One of the worst parts was that neither of them would tell me if they did. Happy was the kind of guy that only bragged about his work when he did something extravagant, according to Piney, and the only way anyone would know if Tig recently butchered someone would be by his increased sex drive. I was in blissful ignorance about what the Sons were into and I'm sure Dad was going to keep it that way. I wasn't complaining, but it wouldn't hurt anybody to throw me a bone about the important stuff...like if Kip was still alive or if rotting away in some hole deep in Sierra National Forest.
The partially distant sound of crying made me sniffle, coming out of my dazed state. I heard the waling again and guessed Abel was up. Even though Jax scared the hell out of me yesterday and I knew he wouldn't talk either, I'd give him a break to help with his son like I promised. Still clutching my phone with hope, I slid out of Jax's plush bed and went down the hall to the nursery.
"Good morning, handsome." I smiled at Abel as he yawned and balled his little hands into fists to rub his eyes. His sparking blue orbs opened and he looked up at me, burbling. "Let's get you some breakfast, little man."
Still smiling, I took Abel out of his crib and smelled his dirty diaper before he started fussing again. I took him to the changing table and got him into a clean nappy, tickling his soft belly just to hear his innocent laugh. Heading into the kitchen, Abel started cooing when I opened the fridge and grabbed one of the bottles his Dad made last night. I managed to eat a bowl of cereal while feeding Abel and he finished first, but he tried grabbing some of my breakfast.
Once Abel was burped, I still had him on my shoulder and was patting his back because he seemed like he was ready to go back to bed. I put the tiny Teller back in his crib and went to take a shower. Since I didn't have any new clothes, I slipped back into my skirt from yesterday and found a pair of scissors to morph the white shirt Jax let me borrow into a muscle tank.
I was brushing my hair when I heard my phone ringing, but I bolted to the bed with the implement stuck in my hair. I almost broke the prepaid when I flipped it open and put it to my ear.
"Hey, Marci." I quietly sighed when I heard Jax's voice on the other end. He wasn't who I was hoping to hear from. "The kid up yet?"
"He got breakfast and went back to sleep. I don't think he's a morning person." Jax chuckled at me and I smirked.
"Mom's at TM, so you can drop him off there if you need to. Abel's stroller's in the garage. I'll text you Miles and Phil's numbers if you need them to bring the van around."
"Alright. Thanks, Jax." I hung up and sighed again, tugging the brush out of my hair.
I went into the nursery and Abel was still asleep, so I got his diaper bag and started filling it up. Coming out of his room and into the kitchen, I went into the door connecting to the garage and found the stroller with a detached carseat. Putting it back together, I rolled it next to the front door and slipped back into the kitchen to get a few bottles. I went back into the nursery and gently took Abel out of his crib. He opened his light eyes when I was setting him in his stroller, but he didn't start fussing and I gave him a crochet bear rattle. He was smiling and laughing as he cooed and teethed on the toy.
I was strolling down the streets of Charming and enjoying the walk even more because Abel was just the most perfect baby and he kept smiling whenever he noticed me looking at him. I pulled the hood of the stroller over him to shield him from the unsympathetic California sun, but his beautiful eyes were still bright and shining. When we were passing the shops on Main Street, I couldn't stop myself from going into a store called Buy The Way, being reminded that Charming was in desperate need of a chain-store. The department store was moderately sized and I went to the Baby isle, looking for the Aveeno lotion to help Abel sleep. When I found it, I went wandering over to the Women's Clothes and found a pair of destroyed, knee-length jeans. I went to the changing room to slip into the jeans, rounded up a few snacks for the trip, got Abel another toy and went to check-out. The cashier woman got a laugh from scanning the tag on the jeans, but totaled me up and I left.
"Need a ride?" Someone asked from the sidewalk. I'd been walking about 10 minutes after I left the store and Abel was sleeping again, binky in his mouth. Turning, I was already glaring at whomever thought they could pull up next to me like I was some street whore, but groaned at the black Ford Crown Victoria that was slowly riding next to me. That was a typical undercover cop car and unsurprisingly, Agent Stahl was grinning at me from the rolled-down window. "Oh, come now, Marceline. I'm trying to be friendly."
"Take your cordiality and shove it." I spat, not liking how she knew my name now.
"No foreign curses this time? You must've grown a soft spot for me." I didn't answer June, but she stopped her car and got out. She was striding next to me and I glared at her, but she was smiling at me though her sunglasses. "Aw, he's a cutie. Glad to see he's out of that incubator and healthy." She cooed at Abel. I wondered how she knew about him being at St. Thomas for the first few months of his life. "So, where are we off to on this beautiful day? To the Sons of Anarchy's clubhouse to see Grandpa and Nana?"
"Actually, we're taking a trip to GoFuckYourself-ville, it's right off None-Of-Your-Goddamn-Business boulevard." I carped, a fake smile for the pesky Agent. "I'm sure you've been there before."
"I have, lovey place." She smiled back, the sly vibe coming out. She looked like a grinning fox. "Have you spoken to Jackson Teller recently?"
"And here I thought you wanted to get to know me better." I faked being insulted and Agent Stahl grinned.
"Don't fret, I know enough about you." June chirped and I narrowed my eyes at her. I knew better than to tell a fed anything about an outlaw, so my mouth was plastered shut. The AFT Agent stopped me by cutting in front of the stroller and she took her shades off, clipping them on her white dress-shirt. I just noticed the tan accordion file folder tucked under her arm and wondered if she'd try to take me to the Station for interrogation. "Jax is more important to me right now, but I haven't been able to get a sit-down with him."
"And you think I can help you?"
"Well, you've got his son. I'm sure you're in direct contact with him. How's about you do me a favor? You call Jax and ask him if he can step away from his club for a little one-on-one time with me."
"Jax gets a new number every hour, so I wait for his call. I dunno where he is or what he's doing. You wanna talk to him? Get a charge and stick him in an interrogation room. And if you're looking for some one-on-one time, you should be talking to Bobby. I'm sure he'll lower his standards to help a poor woman experience her first orgasm that wasn't from a vibrator." Finished with whatever the plan the sneaky Agent had conjured, I pushed Abel's stroller around her and got a few feet away, but she planted herself in front of it again. "Go away."
"2 minutes, then I'm gone. Gotta go get more batteries for the bullet." She proposed and gave me another one of those mistrustful smirks. I knew I didn't have a choice in staying or going. With an irritated sigh, I pushed the brake on the stroller's back wheel with my foot and leaned on the handlebar. Agent Stahl pulled that folder from her arm and flipped through its insides, taking out a picture. She turned the photo to me and I saw a snap of the man with salt-and-pepper hair that I saw at the station, whom I thought was the Agent's partner. "Do you remember seeing this man when you were brought in with Gemma?"
"No." I lied with an impassively bored face and tone. "Is he the head of Charming PD or something?"
"This is Special Agent Josh Kohn." She tucked the photo back into the file, but was looking for another document. "He came all the way down to California from Chicago to make sure his girlfriend, a Tara Knowles, was alright. She just up and fled their home without a word and he was worried sick about her." Agent Stahl glanced at me with analyzing eyes, but I kept my inexpressive features. There was no way she could've figured out that I know Tara. "Josh was working with me on an investigation revolving around the Sons until a few days ago, just after Jackson threw him through a barbershop's window. Agent Kohn's been MIA ever since."
"Your point?" I asked, playing her game. Maybe if I got her talking long enough, she'd drop some hints on what she was investigating the Sons about and I could warn them.
June seemed to think that I could provide her with some information on the Sons, but I couldn't. She probably didn't have anything on them, other than some pictures of them around town or at the clubhouse that Agent Kohn took. I wondered if Tara came back to Charming because of the Agent. I didn't know she was with him to begin with, they didn't seem like the type to be seen walking hand-in-hand through the park.
"Josh had a little fetish with taking pictures." Agent Stahl continued and tucked a few papers between her fingers. "Most are of Tara at work or with Jax, but he got everyone. Juan Carlos, Mr. Lowman, Rayne, Clarence and Gemma, Harry and Donna. He even caught you a with their, um...Prospect, is it? An Edward Kip Epps?"
I was glaring at the bitch now, but she just smiled and handed me a stack of pictures. Like she said, there were snaps of all the Sons, their Old Ladies and the last one was of Kip and I. There was one picture of me on the back of his bike and from the angle, I could see Jasmine walking in the opposite direction. The creepy feeling that was ticking my spine due to some weird man stalking me was instantly replaced with boiling rage. If this ballsy fed so much as asked Jasmine for the time of day, I was going to get a life sentence for unethical manslaughter.
"He's cute." Agent Stahl giggled and I sneered at her, but she was looking at another photo in her hand. She turned it around and it was of a bare-chested Kip changing into his mechanic shirt. I gave her the pictures back and kicked the brake off the wheel, checking on Abel. His pacifier slipped out, but he was still snoozing and I could hear June's heels clacking beside me.
"Why are you questioning me? I can't help you."
"Oh, I think you can."
"I'm not a member, the Reaper isn't inked on my back."
"True, but perhaps there's a spartan warrior tattooed back there instead or Molón Lavé hiding under those jeans." That's when my nonchalant attitude vanished and all I could feel was the horrible chill of fear coating me. My heartbeat picked up and I gripped the handlebar of Abel's stroller to prevent my hands from shaking. How the hell did she know about the Spartans? Against my increasing panic, I forced myself to keep a bold face towards a deviously grinning Agent Stahl. "I didn't think Filip had any blood-related connections stateside, but I found you hiding in Scotts Valley. And I also found that a certain motorcycle club has been settled in the town almost 2 decades." She went back into that folder and tugged a picture up, showing it to me. It was a photo of all the current Spartans in front of their clubhouse. "The Spartans Motorcycle Club, current President Asher Nathaniel Levy. He is a very bad boy, been getting arrested since he was 13. I'm sure you've encountered the Spartans, with you living in their town all your life. You've got biker in your blood, it must've been a natural calling to be associated with them."
"Never heard of them." I dismissed and pushed the stroller, but she didn't move and her foot went to one of the front wheels.
"Just answer this for me and I'll be out of your hair." She said in a light tone as if we were casually chatting about something normal. "When you found Rosemary lying dead on the kitchen floor, why didn't you come to live with Daddy then? Were you too busy getting passed around by big, bad bikers and when you got bored of them, you came to Charming to taste some new meat?" I was gritting my teeth to keep myself in check and the sneaky Agent was smiling at me. I knew what she was doing. It was just like an interrogation. She had a bit of info on me and she thought she could use it to get me to tell her something, but I wasn't going to make the mistake of saying something she could use out of rage. Zane taught me better than that and one too many of his gang members have gotten life behind bars for beating a fed's face in. If she didn't have that stupid badge, I'd have already pounded her face into the goddamn asphalt. Knowing what she had planned, I pushed the stroller again and Agent Stahl moved to the side to let me pass. "Rita was a bit more talkative, but you 2 are so much alike." The Agent called. Don't do it, Marceline. Bite your tongue and keep moving. "Speaking of her, I found some steamy pictures Josh took of she and Mr. Epps. Would you like to see them?"
Fuck it, go break her goddamn neck.
I could imagine that little Devil on my shoulder jumping in joy when I pushed the brake on the stroller again and curtly turned on my heel. Agent Stahl was just a few feet behind me and I was stomping towards her with balled fists and Hell in my eyes. I could see her badge clipped on her belt, but it was going to take a lot more than that for me to back off. How dare she compare me to that easy slut? Cherry and I weren't even on the same scale! As conceited as it sounds, I was Old Lady material and Gemma Teller-Morrow, the goddamn Queen of the Sons of Anarchy, could back me on that! Cherry was a petty club whore who got passed around an entire charter, then came to Charming looking for new meat, not me!
Before I could attempt to strangle that stupid blonde like I wanted to, I heard a car screech to an abrupt stop next to Abel's stroller.
"Marceline!" I ignored the female's voice, thinking it was Tara for a second, but someone grabbed my arm and pulled me to their side. I looked up and saw Opie's pretty wife, Donna, there. She was glaring at Agent Stahl, but one of her arms was around my shoulder while her other hand had a firm grip on my elbow. "Isn't it illegal for a badge to stalk someone without being grated privileges to do so or a warrant? I do believe you're breaking the law, Agent Sthal."
"I was just having a little Girl Talk with Marceline, same as the one I had with you." The Agent grinned like the wolf she was. "Now that you're here, maybe we could all have a nice chat."
"Are you proposing a threesome?" Donna asked and when she smiled, a deadly one that looked oh-so-innocent with her glittering steel-blue eyes, I noticed that she reminded me of Gemma with her regality. Donna was much younger than the matriarch, but she was still an Old Lady and I'll be damned if she didn't fit into her role perfectly right now. She seemed very calm, but she was radiating hostility and danger. "You know, June, you might wanna unscrew that penis sometimes. It's fun to be a girl." She spoke in a warm tone, letting me go to step into the Agent's space. Donna was almost nose-to-nose with Agent Stahl and, like Gemma did when we were at Charming PD, the blonde looked like she wanted to flinch away or pull her gun, but she was rooted in place with nervous eyes that showed just how timid she was with Donna being so close. "I told you not to mess with family, so I advise you to stay away from my niece and nephew. If Chibs finds out you were harassing his daughter and Jax hears you were within 10 inches of his son, that stunt Otto pulled in Stockton will be the least of your worries." She gave the Agent a once-over and turned, her warm chestnut-brown locks shining in the sun. She put her hands on my shoulders and turned me to her car...which was the same 1985 Dodge Ram that Tig and I were searching for bugs. Things started to make a little sense now. Agent Stahl must be talking to the women of the club and keeping tabs on them. Looks like I was her latest victim. Donna told me to strap Abel in and I quickly did so, putting his stroller in the bed and waiting for the brunette to get in the driver's seat. Donna got in and shut the door, but poked her head out of the window. "Nice job with the concealer, I almost didn't notice how crooked your nose looks."
From the side-mirror, I saw Donna smile at the secretly furious AFT Agent before she pulled off. For a few minutes, I had my eyes locked on the mirror on my side and was constantly looking behind us to see if that sly Agent was following us. I glanced at Donna and she was doing the same, looking out the rear-view mirror as well.
"What'd she say to you?" Donna asked and turned down a street, the route she was taking now was the one to the clubhouse.
"She was talking shit." I bit out and instantly chided myself for cursing in front of Donna and Abel. His car seat was strapped into the passenger's seatbelt and he was awake now, watching the world pass by in a blur from the window. "I'm sorry. She just got me so heated."
"It's alright." Donna gave me a sweet smile and I relaxed, sighing.
"She was asking about another Agent, said Jax put him through a window?"
"Josh Kohn. She she thinks Jax killed him." I nodded at her words, a bit surprised that she knew what was going on. Donna glanced at me and giggled at my expression. "Ope's a Gossiping Gloria. Once he's got some juicy news, he can't keep his mouth shut."
"Do you know if he did?" I asked. "If Jax killed that guy?"
"I don't know for sure, but I do know that Jax loves Tara more than he loves himself and if someone was trying to hurt her, he'd protect her at any cost."
"She talked to you too, Agent Stahl?"
"Oh, yeah. She came into my house and told me I wasn't a good mother because she thought it could get me to rat on the club. She knows how to push buttons, but she's all hot air. She ain't got a damn thing on the club." She scoffed and glanced at me. "Vulnerability is a liability, Marceline. There's no place for it in this life. Gemma told me that and I'm telling you because you're part of the SAMCRO family now. Whatever June says, do not engage. It all just smoke and mirrors, don't let her get under your skin. She's done the same thing to Tara and Gemma. Don't fall for her bullshit." When she cursed, she winked at me and I smiled with her.
"Thanks, Donna."
"No problem, darlin'."
For the rest of the short ride, Donna was telling me that Kenny was asking about me and that she wouldn't be surprised if he came home from school with a drawing of us playing superheroes. She also told me that the only cop I should ever talk to is the current Chief of Charming police, Wayne Unser. She said he usually came around the clubhouse with news or to tip them off if something was about to go down. He was probably who told Clay about that raid.
When we pulled into the gates of TM, Donna honked and caught the attention of her husband before he ducked inside the clubhouse with Filthy Phil. The pair came over and Opie was smiling as he leaned on Donna's door, poking his head in the window to get a kiss. They were so cute together. I got out and asked Phil to get Abel's stroller from the bed while I unbuckled him. Slinging his diaper bag over my shoulder, I went into the clubhouse and set Abel down on a nearby table.
A few of the Sons were lounging around, Dad and Tig talking at the bar while Miles restocked the shelves. The patched members had a brunette sweetbutt sandwiched in the stool between them and Tig's hand was on her bared thigh while Dad was more interested in getting a drink. Quinn was chatting up a butterscotch-blonde sweetbutt on his lap and surprisingly, Happy took a swig of his beer and gave it to the Crow Eater accompanying him on a sofa to see Abel.
"Hey, little guy." The Nomad smirked and let Abel grab onto his ringed finger. He was smiling too. It wasn't deranged or scary, he had a heartfelt grin for the tiny Teller.
"Seen his Dad around?" I asked, still a bit awestruck at the gentleness of the usually grumpy man.
"Jax is out with Bobby, Gem's here though." He nodded to the dorms. "Clay's door's the last one on the right."
I nodded and unbuckled Abel from his carseat. Happy almost gave me a goddamn heart attack when he gently picked the burbling baby up and grabbed his bag, heading towards the bar with Dad and Tig.
I didn't want to disrupt Gemma and Clay if they were having some alone time, but I wanted to let Gem know about that stupid ATF Agent. I'm surprised she hasn't come running down the hall with Abel cooing and giggling with the men at the bar. I decided to go see if she was free, looking at John's photo on the wall and his bike in the hall as I went. I could see Clay's door at the end of the line like Happy said, but another door was opened, the one next to Juice's. I've never seen a Son go into or out of that room and since I was curious, I went snooping. Maybe the Sons had a member visiting from Tacoma or something.
Quietly, I went to the frame of the opened dorm and peeked inside. The walls of the room were pretty bare of decorations, just a few posters here and there, but like Juice's, Dad's and Jax's dorms, there was a dresser, desk and wall closet. There was a kutte sitting on the pull-out bed, but there wasn't a Son in here to claim it.
Just as I was about to leave, the bathroom door opened and my heart stopped on the spot.
With a gust of steam behind him, Kip emerged from the connecting room with low-slung jeans hanging on his hips. He was shirtless, but he had a cobalt-blue and white baseball shirt in his hands. Tears filled my eyes when he did a double-take at the door with those beautiful eyes of his, smiling that perfect goddamn smile when he saw me.
"Hey, I was just about to stop by your house." He smirked and something coiled unbelievably tightly in my chest, stopping me from properly breathing, yet making my heart tingle at the same time. Kip made his way over to me and gave me a kiss on the head, the gesture coating my entire body in goosebumps. When he looked down at me, he instantly lost that angelic smile and his hands came to cup my cheeks. I felt him brush his thumbs over my skin and figured a few tears fell, but I didn't notice them because I felt a little dizzy, not sure if it was my anxiety or because I was relieved. "What's wrong?"
"I thought you were dead." I could hear the quiver in my whisper, but Kip's eyebrows just pulled together in deep confusion.
"Why would you think that?"
"Jax said you were being replaced and the new Prospects came and Happy looked like he was ready to rip your head off and I didn't see you at the party and I called you a million times, but your phone was disconnected and I was scared and I didn't know what the hell was going on and I thought-"
"Marceline-"
"No!" I protested, taking a second to let out a sob. I could feel myself shaking a bit and the worried look in Kip's eyes was met with just as much incertitude. I probably sounded like a goddamn maniac, but I couldn't help it. "I-I thought you were dead and I'd never get to tell you that I love you and that would've torn me apart...I can't let another person walk out of my life without them knowing how I feel, especially not you...I care about you too much..."
I didn't take my Librium today and I knew my anxiety was going to be a bit out of control. I hoped I wouldn't get so worked up that I triggered an attack because that would probably freak him out. He didn't even know about them.
I suddenly noticed how calm and carefree I was because of that little pill. I wasn't overthinking things and pre-planning for events that would probably never happen. I was just going with the flow of things. Now that I was without it, I felt like a pregnant woman with unstable mood swings, but the only feelings I would constantly shift between were an unrealistic amount of melancholia and a type of fear that made me want to cry.
Still trembling and crying, just a complete mess, I only just noticed that I was bawling to Kip's bare skin and he had his arms tightly wrapped around me. I don't know why I felt like he was still going to disappear from right in front of me, like this whole thing was a dream about to turn into a nightmare, but the feeling was making me sob more. I didn't want him to go and I locked my arms around his waist, feeling his smooth back. It was a bit strange feeling no leather on him, but I didn't think about it too much.
"I was out with Tig last night. He asked me to help him take care of something, kinda like an initiation, and my phone got destroyed in the mix." Kip's voice was like music to my ears, so loving and tender. He slightly pulled away from me and titled my chin up to make me look at him and into his calming blue orbs. He still looked concerned, but he seemed more relaxed now than before. "I'm not leaving you anytime soon, I promise. You don't need to worry about that."
Again, Kip's thumbs attempted to dry the tears spilling down my cheeks and he hugged me again. His reassuring words were helping to calm me down and just by being in his arms again, wrapped in safety with his familiar fresh scent filling my senses, I was getting myself together and stopped the waterworks before I drowned us in a sea of my tears.
"You, um...y-you said you love me?" Kip cautiously asked and my eyes snapped open.
I suddenly remembered blurting out that little secret and it took a second, but I managed to find enough courage to look up at him again. Unlike before, I saw that rare streak of red going across his cheeks and prided myself on being the only one able to make the prospective member of a hardcore biker club do such a softhearted action.
It was true, I loved him.
I'm pretty sure I was in love with Zane at one point, but there was no uncertainty about my feelings towards Kip. I'd only just realized my deep feelings for him while I was contemplating all of the horrible things that could've possibly happened to him and trying to figure out how the hell I was going to function without him, but the feeling's been lingering for a while now. That unknown and describable feeling that'd make me feel fuzzy inside and buzz through me when we'd kiss were the first steps in me falling for him. The tingling sparks that I'd feel when he'd hold me would just plunge me deeper into the endless abyss of endearment and serenity. Then, we had sex and I never wanted to be away from him. If I could live wrapped in his arms, I would because he made me feel safe.
And every time I looked into his perfectly beautiful blue eyes, I felt like I was drowning in the best way. For that reason alone, I tried to push down some of my fear.
"...I love you, Kip..." I quietly admitted, feeling my face flush as he kept my eyes, but I ducked my head to avoid his gaze. "...you don't have to say it back. I just...I had to let you know..."
A silence took over the room, but unlike the times before, this one made me uncomfortable. I didn't know how things worked with Sons and girlfriends, if confessing my love meant I was expected to get his Crow and we were to marry. Christ, we haven't even properly told Dad that we were together. Kip seemed like he was ready to settle down though. He told me he had his fill of the Crow Eaters and that he wanted a stable relationship, one that he hoped to get with me. Maybe he wasn't ready for the huge commitment of marriage and I sure as hell wasn't either, but maybe we could make this last for a few years.
Kip's head nudged mine and I peeked up at him, holding his gaze again. I loved his eyes. They were unclouded and bright and just so damn perfect. He still didn't say anything, but I didn't get a chance to sputter anything because he was kissing me in a way that rendered me breathless. It felt like decades since he last kissed me and the unknown craving I had for him made its presence known.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and weaved my fingers through his soft hair. His arms came around my waist and he lifted me, my legs immediately locking around him. I felt my back press against a wall, but the sound of a click made me realize I was against the door, not that I cared. My hands unwound from his neck and I trailed them down his warm and toned chest, tugging at his belt. That was something I was missing too, feeling him inside me and the fiery sensation that coated every inch of my skin that came with the unadulterated pleasure. Kip suddenly pulled away from me and I whimpered at the loss of his soft lips.
"Kip...please." I was begging, not an ounce of shame with my words because I was needy and there was no room for embarrassment. I watched Kip's pupils dilate and remembered seeing them do that when he had me on his lap the day I confronted him about Cherry, but I realized what the look in them was now. Lust. That same dark sparkle was there when he was deflowering me in my bedroom. He'd wanted me a lot of times before, but I was oblivious to the prurient look in his ocean-blue orbs.
But like before, I saw resistance and he shut his eyes to take a breath. When he looked at me again, he softly smiled and set me down. His fingers were gliding thorough my hair, then he planted his hands above my head, resting on his forearms.
"I promised Dr. Caldwell I wouldn't engage in any sexual activity before I came in." The self-control this man had was unbelievable. All he needed was a second to breathe and he regained control over himself. I suddenly remembered his surgery was scheduled for today and knowing him, there was nothing in the world that could stop him from going, not even his horny girlfriend. "But the second I'm out," He continued and I saw a sly grin on his face before he got closer and put his lips to my ear. "I'll give you everything you need." He purred in such a husky voice that made shivers run down my spine.
"I. Hate. You. So. Much." I was trying to glare at him, but the second I saw him smiling, I couldn't be mad at him anymore.
I tipped up on my toes and managed to steal a kiss that Kip immediately returned. There was a solid knock near the door and quickly, we detached from each other. Like he did on his fight night, Kip slid me behind him and had my hand gripped in his, but his hold got tighter. I looked around his arm and could've dropped dead then and there. Dad was standing in the doorframe with furrowed brows and narrowed eyes, seeming to be torn between being confused or upset. His eyes went around the room and the tip of his tongue went to one corner of his scarred cheek.
"I was jokin', dovey." He said, half-sighing and looking at me with a lighter expression. He almost looked like he was about to smile. Almost. "I didn't think you were serious about that talk."
"...I tried to tell you." I said in that 'I Love You So Much, Daddy' voice that daughters use when they were in trouble or they really wanted something and my God, I really wanted to stay with Kip.
"This just start?" He asked and I shook my head, making him rub his hand over his face.
"We've been together since Fun Town." Kip stated in a surprisingly leveled voice, but I felt him go totally rigid when Dad's dark eyes were focused on him, narrowing. In that moment, he honestly looked like Happy would all the time. "I-I've been good to her, Chibs, I swear."
"We're gonna have a little chat when ya' get back." He promised and I was thrown off by his voice. It was still stern, but he didn't sound pissed off or infuriated. He almost sounded calm. His eyes were still hard and unemotional, but he grinned. "I'll only keep ya' a minute, won't ruin your party."
And with that strange smirk, Dad tapped the door and left.
I felt like I could breathe again and I let out a heavy sigh, squeezing Kip's hand almost to make sure he was still here with me. He turned around and asked if I was okay and after I took a few breaths, I nodded. Kip let my hand go to pull his shirt on and slipped his kutte on. With his back to me, I could clearly see that there were no longer any Prospect patches on his leather and the infamous Reaper was stitched on his back instead. He earned his colors.
"You got patched-in." I said, smiling like a goddamn idiot, and Kip was grinning from ear to ear. That was a smile I've never seen before. It was full of jollity and pride. "Congratulations!"
With a skip in my step, I went over to hug him and I could hear him laughing into my hair as he hugged me back. I guess the club was throwing him a party tonight and that's what Dad was referring to earlier. Kip checked the time on his Burner and said we should get going. He grabbed my hand and we left his room, going out into the bar. Gemma and Tara were out here and Clay was focused on his grandson in his arms, so he didn't glance at us. Gem smiled and Tara looked a bit surprised, but in a good way.
Kip and I ventured outside and I wondered how the hell we were going to get to and from the hospital on his Dyna. With the surgery he was getting today, that didn't seem like a good idea. When we passed the line of motorcycles, I didn't spot his white Dyna and he led me to one of the many cars parked on the lot. I felt my jaw detach from my face when I saw which one he was leading me to. The sleek, black Ford Mustang V6 coupe chirped and Kip leaned on the back of it, smiling at me.
"This is yours?" I asked, running my fingers along the glossy exterior of the trunk.
"If I could afford this, I sure as hell wouldn't be working as a mechanic." He chuckled. "It's a rental. I wanted to get something flashy for my party tonight. You know, splurge a bit."
Kip had to pull me to the passenger's seat to stop me from drooling over his ride for the day and with a signalling honk, we pulled out of the garage. When we passed St. Thomas and were on the road out of Charming, I asked where we were going. According to Kip, St. Thomas didn't specialize in the procedure he was getting, so we were headed to Fresno Surgical Hospital to see the doctor he's been talking to for months now. He seemed so excited too, like a little kid on a road trip to Disney World for the first time. I thought that was so cute. He told me everything he knew about the procedure too, like how the doctor made a specially customized implant to match the one he still has, which was hilarious.
After a half-hour, we parked in the hospital's lot and Kip folded his kutte to stick it in the car's glove department before we went inside. We were waiting for Kip's doctor to come down and he couldn't keep his seat, so he was happily pacing in front of me.
"Mr. Bennett, nice to see you again." Kip stopped his stride and turned around to face the voice behind him. I was expecting a man, but the honey-eyed brunette smiled at Kip and shook his hand. She looked the same age as Tara and the namecard clipped to her lab coat said Angelina Caldwell. She looked over his shoulder at me and raised an eyebrow at Mr. Bennett. "Did you keep your promise?"
"Haven't had sex all day." He assured her.
"Good." She smiled. "Alright, let's get going. I'll try to get you out of here as soon as possible."
Dr. Caldwell turned and started to lead Kip away, but he came back to give me a kiss on the cheek and I wished him good luck. He went though a pair of double-doors with the doctor and disappeared down one of the many pristine halls.
While I waited, I preoccupied myself with some of the magazines set out on the tables and was impressed when I found a Kerrang! magazine with Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance and Panic! At the Disco on the front page. Once I was finished with it, I decided to call Jasmine and I got her up-to-date on what's happened. Her screaming almost provoked mine, but I kept my squeals quiet. She wanted me to tell her every detail about the magical thing that happened between Kip and I in-person and I called her a nympho for wanting to hear about that. When I managed to pry the spotlight off me, I asked her what's been going on with she and Juice.
For once in all the years I've known her, Jasmine Noellé Haymon was speechless. Still, I was trying to get something juicy out of her like she did with me and the only thing that told me she and Juice could've banged was how she'd sigh. Unsurprisingly, she told me that she was invited to the party the Sons were throwing Kip tonight and I'd get my answers then.
After finishing my conversation with Jaz, I was back to waiting and with the undisturbed moment, I involuntarily started thinking about everything. I thought about Gage and the Spartans, wondering if they had anything on my location or Dad or the Sons. I thought about that annoying ATF Agent and mused over what she could possibly want with Jax, why she wanted to shut down the Sons. Donna popped into my mind and a guilty feeling started picking at me when I remembered I was snooping around her car with Tig.
My overemotional reaction to being out of touch with Kip made it's way into my thoughts and I rolled my eyes at how hysterical I was, but Jax and Happy made it seem like they knew or did something barbaric to him. Dad came into my mind next and I decided that his reaction to what he saw earlier was as good as it got. I had a feeling that if he really didn't approve of what was going on, Kip would be sitting in St. Thomas with broken bones or cracked nose right now.
Thinking back to what happened at the clubhouse, I started frowning.
Kip looked Dad in the eyes, told him we're dating, said that he was being a good boyfriend to me, which he was, and was prepared to go through whatever overprotective rite of passage Dad had in store, but he didn't say he loved me. I told him he didn't have to, but now I was wondering if he did or didn't...wondering if he was planning on leaving me because the feeling wasn't mutual...
After going to the vending machine and the bathroom a few times, I was starting to notice the signature cold temperature of a hospital and wished I had my cozy poncho to keep me warm. I always froze to death in hospitals. I've been smelling coffee from down the hall and wondered if there were donuts down there too.
"Elizabeth?" I recognized Dr. Caldwell's voice and she was coming my way, but why the hell did she call me Elizabeth? "He's awake."
"How is he?" I asked, standing.
"He won't stop smiling." She giggled and I smiled. She motioned for me to follow her and we went through the double-doors. After passing another receptionist desk, we went down a hall she led me to room 204. Kip was propped up in the sanitary bed in a teal patient gown with a huge, goofy grin on his face. "I cannot stress this enough, Kendall." Dr. Caldwell said, wagging her finger at Kendall. "I'm strongly advising you not to engage in sexual intercourse, masturbation or oral sex for the next 3 hours to prevent any complications and you should-"
"Go home and rest for the rest of the day." Kip finished her sentence as if he's heard this lecture before. "I should only engage in sexual activities when the discomfort subsides and until then, I should put an ice pack on it to help the swelling go down."
"I don't want to see you back here today." The doctor warned, but Kip just bat his eyes at her as if he was an innocent saint. "Most patients experience mild to severe pain after the second or third day, so I'm going to go write you a prescription for Vicodin. I'll be right back with your release papers."
Dr. Caldwell left the room and I grabbed Kip's clothes from the chair in the corner. I helped him out of bed and like all hospital gowns, his perky butt was unveiled and I was giggling at him. He seemed to be functioning just fine and I didn't see any discomfort on his face when he pulled his boxers and jeans on. When Dr. Caldwell came back in, she had a scrip for the medicine and a paper for Kip to sign.
The ride back to Charming was pretty quick, but Kip couldn't keep a smile off his face and it only got bigger whenever he glanced at me. We stopped at a diner on Main Street to get hamburgers and fries, then we were on route to the clubhouse. The garage was closed and there were a few hang-arounds milling around outside that sent their adulation to Kip for getting his patches. As soon as he stepped in the door, the entire bar greeted him with raised beers, whistles, hoots and yells of commendation.
I decided to let everyone gush over Kip and spotted Jasmine sitting with Juice at a nearby sofa. I went over and sat on her lap. She looked like she was about to shove me off, but she got a good look at me and squealed, hugging me. I didn't waste anytime and asked her what the hell she's been getting into with the Intelligence Officer. Again, she didn't have a goddamn word to say, but she was distracted this time. Juice was looking at her like a wolf wanting to devour a lamb and when he took a drink of his beer, I noticed the reddish-purple mark peeking out from the neckline of his black shirt.
"You didn't." I said to Jasmine and she bit her lip, her guilty eyes as big as marbles. "Jasmine!"
"Can you blame me? He's a hot biker, for God's sake!"
"And just what exactly have you and this hot biker been doing?"
"What haven't we been doing." Juice smugly corrected and I turned to him with a cocked eyebrow. "I've got your friend bending over backwards for me, Marci, and I mean that in the most literal sense possible."
Juice smirked at me, but winked at Jaz and I started to feel her squirming under me. Christ Almighty, he had her wrapped around his finger. I had mercy on Jasmine and got up to let her slide into Juice's lap. I left them to go get a beer from the bar. There were a pair of brunette Crow Eaters in faux-leather halter crop-tops manning the bar and one of them turned to assist me, but her forest-green eyes went a bit wide when she saw me.
"What the hell are you doing here?" I hissed, leaning over the bar. Cherry timidly took a few baby-steps closer until there was barely an arms's length separating us.
"I apologized to Gemma and she said I'm allowed to come around the clubhouse, so long as I don't go near Clay. I'm not here to start any trouble with anyone...I know my place..." She explained. It was about damn time she figured out where the hell she belonged. If Gemma had a chat with her, I knew I wouldn't have to worry about her trying anything with Kip. I trusted him not to even acknowledge her, but she was a sneaky whore who'd probably find any and every way to get a moment of his time. I was going to keep my eye on her, but I doubted she'd try anything if she wanted to keep sucking dick in Charming. "...can we talk? I'd like to apologize to you too..."
"You can get me a beer." I countered and Cherry let her head hang, but nodded. She ducked down to get a cold beer from the fridge behind the bar and held it out to me, but I grabbed her wrist. Pulling her closer, my nose was almost touching hers and she flinched. "Stay away from him or I'll bash your face into this goddamn counter and send you back to St. Thomas with another busted nose." I exhorted in a placid, yet baleful tone. It made me remember the back-and-fourth I had with Ima when Jax flipped on that creep.
Still fearful, Cherry hastily nodded and I let my menacing glare linger for a moment before taking the beer from her trembling hand. I turned my back on her and spotted Tara at a table with Jax. She was laughing at him, but someone called him from the pool table and he got up. I went over and took his seat, smiling at the young doctor.
"Isn't this a sight for sore eyes? 2 Old Ladies and one on the way." Tara and I turned to see Gemma grinning between us. "I can picture that Crow right here." She tapped the spot above my right breast and under my collar bone, no shame in almost coping a feel. "Or you could be ballsy and get a tramp like Tara did."
"Tramp stamp?" I asked in disbelief, smiling at the young doctor.
Tara didn't seem like the type to get a tattoo at all, nevertheless a tramp stamp. She was scowling at Gemma, but she got up and turned her back to me. I thought she was going to walk off, but she lifted her shirt enough to expose an enlarged Crow spanning across the small of her back. Unlike Gemma's, Jax's first name was across the scroll. Tara sat down and Gemma pulled up a chair, instructing one of the sweetbutts to bring her a pair of beers. For a while, we were chatting about the party and that made Gemma ask me what the hell the Sons were talking about when they said Kip was 'becoming a balanced man today.' I told her about his surgery and she seductively asked me if I've tried out his new toy, almost making Tara choke on her beer.
"Everyone knows, huh?" I coyly asked Gemma.
"Mhmm." She hummed, taking her beer from her lips. "Tig and Happy have been collaborating on what they're gonna do to Eddie if he fucks up. Looks like your Dad's about to give him the Death talk."
Gemma tilted her beer behind me and I looked over my shoulder. Kip was with the new Prospects and Miles had a fuchsia-haired sweetbutt on his lap while talking to Phil. Dad just made his way over to the trio and he didn't stop his stride to say anything, just went out the front door. Kip downed his beer and followed after him, shrugging off a blonde Crow Eater that tried to latch on to him.
"Might wanna keep an eye on your Old Man, hun." I turned back around, thinking Gem was talking to me, but she had her eyes on Tara. "We've got special entertainment tonight, porn-star pussy prancing around."
"I trust Jax to keep Ima in check." Tara dismissed, but the smirk on Gemma's face made her frown. "Just like you and Donna trust Clay and Opie to keep it in their pants." She added with a more confident tone.
"Donna and I have been doing this longer than you, sweetheart. Our men are whipped and they know better. Jax, on the other hand, has a godawful fetish with blondes and easy pussy."
Tara's eyes were narrowed at Gem, but she lost her frown and looked to be taking in her words now. She glanced around the bar and was probably looking for Jax or the Queen of Sweetbutts. Her eyes locked on the blond biker and he was smiling and talking with Opie, who had Donna on his lap. Tara excused herself and was making a beeline over there, already catching Jax's eyes. Out of the crowds, Ima stepped in front of her and the women were staring each other down for a long minute. The porn-star glanced over here at Gemma and I, seeing our 'Try me, bitch' glares, then looked the young doctor up and down before scoffing and strutting off to paw at an unknown man.
I looked to the couch were I left Jasmine, but she and Juice weren't there anymore and I didn't see them nearby.
"You too." Gem poked me in the arm before I got up. "Keep an eye on Cherry Pie and don't hesitate to kick her ass again if she tries anything with Eddie."
"We've already had this conversation, bitch knows what's up." I assured Gemma and she gave me a proud smile. She kissed me on the cheek, then converged within the crowds and haze of cigarette smoke.
Upon hearing the sudden upheaval of hoots and cheers, I went to the other side of the bar where Happy usually inked me and found another stripper pole I didn't notice before. Currently twirling on the pole was a Crow Eater in only her green thong and she had metallic stars covering her nipples. She was obviously enjoying all the attention she was getting from her audience, but my attention was drawn to Jaz, sitting on Juice's lap again. She looked totally mesmerized by the woman shaking her ass for the men.
With a final spin, the sweetbutt blew a kiss to all the men around her and one of them threw her over his shoulder. The pair got up and a new song started playing, promoting Jaz to let out a cheer of approval. She spotted me and dragged me to a spot that wasn't as crowded and she started grinding on me like an animal in heat, making me laugh. It was hard to tell if she was drunk or not. Still giggling, I started dancing with her and we were catching the eyes of quite a few men around us.
After unabashedly grinding on one another for a few songs and getting beers every now and then, Jaz and I were facing each other, swaying. It seemed like the party was dying down because the tempo of the music's shifted to slow tunes and I was starting to see passed-out bodies pile up. Juice has been watching us from his spot against a beam, but he hasn't come over to take Jaz yet. I felt hands go to my hips and went to look over my shoulder, but my cheek brushed against someone else's.
"Mind if I cut in?" Kip asked and Jasmine had that admiring smile on her face. She congratulated Kip on getting his top rocker and went to give Juice some attention. Kip spun me around and I giggled, but wrapped my arms around his neck just as the intro to Green Day's When It's Time started drifting out the speakers. "Talked to your Dad."
"Oh, God." I sighed, my face going to his chest and feeling him chuckle.
"It wasn't too bad. He being cool about the whole thing, but he just really wants me to keep my hands off you."
"That shouldn't be too hard." I smirked up at him and met his darkened blue eyes. Kip pulled me closer to him and there was nothing separating us now, so I could clearly feel his hard-on though his pants and on my stomach. Tipping up on my toes, I brushed my lips against his ear, feeling his arms coil around my waist. "Let's get outta here, Eddie." I purred in his ear, giving his earlobe a nip.
I pulled away and bit my lip, not knowing if his self-restraint was as unbreakable as it was earlier. He had a reason to push me away before, but I'm sure it's been long enough for his new appendage to get used to his body or whatever the process was. Kip's hungry eyes made me smile and I knew he wouldn't resist my temptation this time. He tugged my hands from his neck and kissed them before lacing our fingers together and practically flying out of the clubhouse doors.
We went to his rental car and he quickly sped out of the lot. He had a steady look of impatience as he drove down the quiet streets of Charming and I was trailing my hand up and down his thigh, my fingers brushing over the bulge in the crotch of his jeans. Once he had enough of my provoking, he grabbed my hand and made me palm him through his jeans, making me giggle.
~.~.~.~.
After a few minutes of speedy driving, Kip came to a stop in front of a his taupe and white California bungalow with brick steps. He damn near ripped his door off and Marceline quickly followed him up the steps. As soon as he unlocked the front door and they were inside, his lips were on hers in such a passion drenched kiss, Marci couldn't help but moan into his mouth. Her back was pressed against the door and she felt Kip's hands tugging at her shirt, but the sound of the fabric ripping made her shudder. He was so eager to be with her again that he almost tore the tank up the side, but pulled it up and off and quickly rid himself of both his shirt and kutte.
Marceline ran her fingers over his toning chest and Kip tugged her into him, his hands going to her ass to easily lift her. She wrapped her legs around him and managed to kick her shoes off as he started moving through his dark house, his lips intent on sucking or biting her neck. Kip laid her on his bed and blindly, her hands flew to his belt. She thought it was too easy for her to get his pants undone and he pushed his jeans down with his boxers, freeing his hard member. She had to smile when she saw the pair of oval organs dangling side by side and she honestly couldn't tell which was the counterfeit one.
Marci laughed when she was tugged down a bit by Kip pulling at her jeans, her underwear going with them, but he was devilishly grinning at her with a condom between his teeth. He tossed her jeans to the side started ripping the condom open while Marci quickly unclasped her bra, flinging it off the side of the bed. Kip crawled over her and her hands went to cup his cheeks, pulling him down to kiss her. Her lips detached from his delicious ones and she let out a grateful moan when she felt him slide inside of her. This was nothing like the first time they'd had sex. She didn't feel an ounce of pain, only heated gratification.
Kip started a steady pace with his thrusts, his teeth gently nipping at her neck, and Marci felt her entire body flush as her skin was coated with goosebumps. She already felt like she was ready to fall apart and her hands went to his back, digging into his skin. She heard him huskily growl into her neck and knowing that the sweetheart she's known could turn into an animal sent a jolt of carnal passion through her, ending at her soaked core. Kip's hands slid up her sides and up her arms, catching her wrists. With tender force, he pulled them away from his back and pushed them into the mattress at either sides of her head, lacing their fingers together.
That was it, another unknowingly rough trait of his that made him more into a Son had Marceline arching up into him and moaning his name as that purely lecherous sensation ruptured in her stomach and reduced her to a trembling pile of putty beneath him.
Kip slowly brought his movements to stop upon feeling her silken inner walls fluttering, then clenching around him. She'd finished that quickly and he was watching her come down, truly amazed. He'd usually have to put in a little more effort or would have to please his lay with his fingers or mouth beforehand, yet Marceline was already satisfied. There was no way she was faking it, not with her inexperience, but he still couldn't believe it. She was so easily pleased by him and he smugly smirked to himself, but even as he felt his own release building up, he wanted to see just how much she could take. He wanted to see the beautiful face she made when she was coming undone again.
A jolt of over-sensitivity in her groin made Marci's eyes snap open and she gripped the sheets under her hands. Kip was giving her breasts some much needed attention with his mouth sucking on one hardened nub and his hand kneading the other. She was still pulsing and tingling from her first release, but Kip was starting up again and she realized that he didn't get off when she did. She wanted him to feel the same satisfaction she just got, but she was still so sensitive from her first orgasm that the pleasure she was feeling from his gentle strokes was verging on painful, but she started to like it. She felt like she was drinking, that he was the alcohol burning through her veins.
Kip started to hear her softly moaning under him again and took that as a sign that he could pick up his speed, hearing the thump of the headboard match the speed of him pumping into her. And he was glad he did because she reacted so beautifully, tugging his hair and purring his name, his first name, in his ear. He didn't know how she figured that out, but he honestly didn't give a damn because his name never sounded so alluring until he heard it escape her lips in those seductive moans.
Kip felt her small hand on his chest and her nails raked his skin, sending chills down his spine. He couldn't wait to see the marks she left on him. After their first time, Juice had pointed out the scratches on his back while they were changing out of their oil-stained clothes. He'd been telling the goofy member about his girlfriend, never saying a name or giving a description other than saying she was beautiful, and in return, the Puerto Rican gave him a few hot stories about hooking up with Marceline's little friend. They weren't as serious as the other couple, bur from Juice's view, both ends were fine with simply screwing around.
Thinking about one of the escapades Juice had told him about, Kip slipped his hands under Marceline's writhing body and stopped his thrusts to roll over, putting her on top of him. He loved the view of her flushed skin and bouncing breasts due to her panting. Her hair was a bit messy and some was covering her face, but he could still see her dilated eyes looking down at him. His hands came around her front to settle on her hips and he started her off on a moderate rhythm that she could keep with with, his head falling back into the pillows.
Marceline felt so much more exposed when she was on top of him. She'd never rode anyone before, but it felt like he was deeper inside of her and the feeling of fullness made her tingle. All her thoughts were thrown out the window when he moved her and her head lolled back, her breathy moans filling the air. She decided to grind her hips on her own, like she did when she was dancing with Jasmine, and she felt Kip's hands travel to her chest.
"You're so beautiful, Marci." Kip admitted, lost in waves of lust as she took matters into her own hands and started lifting her hips to bounce on him. She was a quick learner.
"You feel...so good..." She purred back and he groaned at her dirty talk. She looked so innocent in front of everyone else, but she turned into this sex-hungry nymph when she was alone with him and he loved it. That was the end of him and he couldn't hold out any longer, but he wanted her to get off again.
One of Kip's hands left her warm breast to trail down her flat stomach and with his fingers splayed over her belly-button, he used his thumb to rub at her engorged bundle of nerves and was rewarded with the best sound he's ever heard from her. Marceline threw her head back and let out half of a sob with her euphoric whimper of passion and it triggered Kip's sudden release. He held her down on him, eliciting another cry from the girl on top of him.
Marceline's head was foggy with concupiscence and she was back to a trembling mess, her legs refusing to cease their twitching. Her eyes fell from the back of her head and the stars cleared, but she could barely keep her eyes open. She kept her hands on Kip's chest and slumped against him, his arms wrapping around her back as soon as her head hit his chest.
Kip was drained too, but he took a second to bask in the feeling of having her close to him again. They wouldn't have to sneak around anymore, though he liked the idea of secretly being with her, due to the talk he had with Chibs. It was what he expected, the usual 'If you hurt my daughter, I'll kill you' speech, but he listened to Chibs' every word. The Scotsman was his sponsor and of all the Sons, he had the most respect for him. He already told himself that if Marceline couldn't come out and tell her Dad, he'd do it for her, for them.
"I love you too, Marceline." He confessed and kissed the top of her head.
He'd only said it once before, the first time he'd snuck into her bedroom, and he'd been trying to figure out a way to tell her again, but she'd gone and confirmed that she felt the same. He'd started falling for her after seeing her so happy and joyous at Fun Town. It was her beautiful smile and darling laughter that had him hooked. She was innocent and a little shy and he liked seeing her blush because he noticed the freckles going from cheek to cheek. He already knew that she wasn't going to be some easy score like the Crow Eaters and Gemma's been telling him for the duration of his Prospecting year that when he was in the market for for an Old Lady, he wouldn't find her at a clubhouse party. That was another reason why he went to St. Thomas to tell Cherry that they couldn't be together. She wanted to be an Old Lady, but she didn't want to leave her days of being a Crow Eater behind and that wasn't something that could be compromised. Marceline was the type of girl that would own the title of being a Son's woman, just like Donna and Gemma did. He saw her give Cherry a warning at his party and knew she didn't have a problem with keeping the sweetbutts in check, not that he was interested in them anymore. She liked how defensive she was over him too, like a lioness growling at another lion attempting to corrupt her King.
Kip promised himself that was going to tell Marceline he loved her again when she woke up to let knew how he felt. He probably scared her half to death when he didn't say if he felt the same earlier, so he wasn't going to stall.
With another kiss to her head, he sighed and shut his eyes, drifting off. He was looking forward to seeing her first thing in the morning and prancing around his house in his clothes.