Jax stepped inside his home for the first time in nearly two months and sighed gratefully. He shrugged out of his cut and hung it on the hook by the door before following his nose to the kitchen. There he found Abel sitting in his highchair happily playing with some applesauce while Penelope stood at the stove frying bacon. Her long red hair was pulled up in a ponytail and she was wearing one of his tee shirts with a pair of cut off jean shorts.
He stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, burying his face in the curve of her neck. "Damn you always smell so good," he growled nipping at the creamy column of her throat.
Penelope leaned back against him and closed her eyes. The feel of him solid and real behind her nearly brought her to tears, "I've missed this," she whispered softly.
Jax nuzzled her throat, "I've missed you."
Gemma watched them from the doorway before clearing her throat, "Why don't you go sit down, Jax. I'll bring Abel into you."
He released a heavy sigh, "It's gonna be a long two weeks."
Gemma watched as he walked through to the living room then turned to Penelope, "Maybe you should stay with me and Clay until he's been released."
Penelope grinned at the older woman, "Yeah like that's gonna happen." She grabbed a cloth and wiped Abel down before taking him out of the highchair. She carried him through to the living room where his father waited. She handed the tot to Jax then returned to the kitchen. She stopped to look out the kitchen window for a moment before she spoke again, "I'm not to let him do anything, Gemma."
"I know that, I was just giving you a hard time."
Penelope nodded, "There are some things that I need to talk to him about….things we need to resolve."
Gemma closed the distance between them and laid her hand gently on Penelope's shoulder, "He loves you."
The younger woman offered her a small smile, "I've never doubted that. I just hope that love is enough."
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Penelope came out of Abel's bedroom and sat next to Jax on the sofa, he pulled her to his side and she sighed as she cuddled against him.
"What," he murmured softly against her hair.
"I feel complete for the first time in a long time," she admitted softly.
He was quiet for a moment while he considered her words then he said, "I know what you mean." He leaned back and lifted her chin so that their eyes met, "What happened, Pen? Why'd you leave me?"
She bit her lip then she sat up straight, "Remember how I so enjoyed hacking into the unhackable?" At his nod she continued, "Well I got busted hacking a government site. I knew that I'd been busted and knew that the Feds were gonna come looking for me. I didn't want to take the chance on the club being investigated so I turned myself in."
"So what you've been in jail?"
She sighed, "No. I was offered the opportunity to work for the FBI instead of serving time."
Jax stiffened, "You're a Fed?"
She shook her head, "No. I was a technical analyst I hacked systems and gathered information that helped my team take down the bad guys."
Jax sucked in a deep breath, of everything she could have told him, that was the one thing he wasn't expecting. Penelope watched him silently as he digested what she'd told him. Finally he focused his intense blue eyes on her once again, "So what happens now?"
She offered him a small smile, "Well, I guess that depends."
His eyes never wavering from hers he leaned in so that their lips were nearly touching, "On what exactly?"
Penelope swallowed hard then licked her suddenly dry lips, "On whether or not you want me."
Jackson groaned, his body already hard and aching with need from the proximity of her body to his suddenly hardened even more at the sight of her tongue against her lips and her words. He dragged his lips along her jaw to her ear, "Stay with me, Pen. Don't leave me again."
Her breath hitched in her throat at his words and she nodded.