Chapter 19
Jax tries to slip into the house inconspicuously for a shower and a quick change of clothes but of course that's not what happened. "About time you made an appearance," Gemma eyes him from the stove.
"I need to grab a shower and some clean clothes." He mumbles, heading directly back to his room.
Hating his obvious dismissal the matriarch continues, "Piney not letting you use his shower all of a sudden?"
Knowing that's her way of fishing for details about exactly where he was all weekend, he answers, "Kinda pointless without clean clothes."
She could keep the pointless questions up for a bit but she knows her son and she knows he will shut her down and not give her any answers. She watches him from his bedroom doorway with her arms crossed working up the nerve to say, "We need to talk about me and Clay."
"What's to talk about?" He demands. Tara was right, he did need to deal with this. But he hated it. He hated feeling this way about the only parent he had left. "You're moving on. Getting remarried, like Dad never existed." He finishes grabbing his clothes and steps in front of her.
"That's not true, Jackson." She whispers with closed eyes. "I didn't think I could ever be happy again…and then Clay and I…we just connected…."
"Stop!" He yells, eyes icier and angrier than she's ever seen. "Dad's been dead three months! I'm not an idiot. Something about this whole thing between you and Clay isn't right. And it makes me sick." He pushes past her and heads to the shower. The quicker he gets done, the quicker he can get out of here.
But of course, as always, his mother is relentless. When he got out of the shower she was waiting on his bed. Damn, he should have taken his shirt and socks in the bathroom with him, "I need to finish getting dressed." She makes no attempt to move. "I'm gonna be late."
She huffs indignantly, "Since when do you care about school and being late?"
"Since I pick Tara up in the mornings." He informs her, mostly to piss her off because she is getting on his nerves.
"Of course." Gemma rolls her eyes. "Look baby," She rises from his bed and walks purposefully closer, "All I'm asking is for some understanding, Clay makes me happy…just try to accept that."
"Like you've accepted Tara?" He demands, throwing his trademark white tee shirt on. He meets his mother's stunned gaze. "Yea, I'll get right on that."
As she watches her only living son storm out of the house, it occurs to her that maybe she has been going about this situation all wrong. And now she knows what she must do to keep her prince close.
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Jax decides that despite the shitty things going on at home, if there is anything better than what is currently going on in his life he isn't sure what it could be. He's working on his bike at the TM garage with his best friend, his girl, and drinking a beer. Tara is like a sponge. She is genuinely interested in everything that he's doing and how every tool is used. "So, how long before you have it up and running?" She asks.
"Not long, babe." He grins at her. "Soon we'll be coasting anywhere we want."
"I can't wait." Her smile alone is enough to fill his heart with happiness. He makes it his mission to see that smile more. He knows he's in deep with her but instead of that scaring him, like maybe it did before, now he relishes in it, embraces it even.
The two are so lost in each other that they are oblivious to the fact that they are being watched closely through the blinds of the TM office. "Can you hand me the wrench, babe?"
"Sure." Tara looks through the small toolbox on the ground where they are sitting as Opie rolls his eyes. "Here, baby." She holds out the wrench but rather than taking it, he pulls her by the wrist onto his lap.
"That's better." Taking the wrench and settling her in more comfortably on his lap, he kisses her lightly.
Her giggle is instant, "You can't work like this," she mutters into his neck. Opie looks up. He didn't even know Tara had a giggle, he thinks to himself.
"Not on the bike." He admits easily. "But definitely on you." He whispers while nibbling on her ear. Having her twice over the weekend did nothing to curb his desire for her. In fact, it was worse, more present than ever before. Now that he had a taste, he has to have more, own every part of her.
Thankful that his long locks allow her to direct his lips wherever she pleases, she pulls his head back a bit to lock eyes with him. He can see how turned on she is and loves it. "You can work on me anytime." Her flirtatious words now offering a promise that wouldn't have meant the same thing just days before. He groans, cupping her ass with one hand and using his other to bring her lips to his, ignoring the sound of someone clearing their throat. However, he is unable to ignore the kick to the side of his upper thigh.
"Tara, why don't you come help me in the office?" Gemma offers easily, "That way the boys can get some work done."
"I'm getting work done." Opie smiles up at Gemma, who rolls her eyes rather than replying.
"We're fine Ma." Jax jumps in when he sees Tara's mouth open getting ready to respond. He doesn't get the big deal. He's working on his own time, on his bike. It's not like he's clocked in under the TM payroll. What's she so bent out of shape about? He glares up at his mother when it registers that she's just pissy because Tara's with him.
Tara isn't sure what this is. She is fairly certain that Gemma Teller does not want her son to be dating her. But she knows things are tense with the recent engagement announcement and doesn't want to make things worse for their family. "It's ok." She smiles in a way that Jax has learned is completely fake. "I don't mind." She starts to get up.
"See?" Gemma nods, with a hand to her own hip. "She doesn't mind," she adds with a challenge in her eyes directed to her son.
"Maybe I do." The prince meets his mother's gaze, wondering what her angle is. And he knows she has one. She almost always has one. His father used to joke about it often. "Besides, the suns setting anyway. We're about done. Right, Op?"
Opie knows that it really isn't a question. And no, he really wasn't finished but loyalty forces him to reply with a, "Yup."
Tara gives Jax a quick kiss before getting up, "I'll go help your mom while you finish up."
Ignoring his mother's triumphant smirk, Jax tells her, "You don't have to, babe."
"I want to." She lies uneasily, coming to a complete stand and walking behind Gemma and into the TM office.
"Dude, we are right out here." Opie tries to lighten his best friend's mood. "It isn't like she can kill her."
"Yeah, I guess." Jax mutters as he finishes with the wrench. Try as he might, he can't shake off the feeling that his mother is starting trouble.
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It is dark by the time he parks the Enduro down the street from her house. Tara can tell something is bothering him. Jax has been "off" since Gemma basically ordered them to his house for dinner. She tries to recall if she did anything wrong, anything to upset him over the meal. In her opinion Gemma was being a bitch. Oh, sure she was polite, but overly so. And she kept asking questions about what Tara wanted in the future and things like that. It was awkward but she thought she handled it okay. But now, judging by the tension radiating off of Jax, she isn't so sure. She's used to being a loner, likes it that way even, but she knows it has left her social skills lacking a bit. It's never bothered her before but now it is making her nervous. Jax is a social magnet. He loves people and parties, so completely opposite of her. As they stand by the bike, she forces herself to speak, "Look Jax, I'm sorry if I said or did anything at dinner to upset you…."
His brows crinkle in confusion, "What are you talking about?"
"Whatever is bothering you." She shrugs, trying to avoid the uncomfortable weight in her chest.
Instinctively he pulls her closer, "You didn't do anything wrong." He assures her with a kiss to the top of her head.
"You'll have to tell me, if…when…I do." She meets his gaze for a quick second before swallowing thickly. "I'm not really good with…relationships."
Somehow he knows that, he thinks to himself with a smile. "You're doing great." He drops another kiss to her head. "And it's not you, babe, it's my mother."
"Want to talk about it?" She reaches up to give him a quick kiss that he deepens automatically.
"Want to invite me in?" He asks with his trademark wicked smirk.
She laughs uncomfortably, "You want to stay again after last night?" He can't be serious. Her father's behavior last night was normal to her. But definitely not to Jax.
"I sleep better wrapped around you." He smiles.
She wants to argue. She wants to point out that he won't get much sleep. But mostly, she sleeps better when he's wrapped around her too so she sighs, "Okay," and smiles as she leads him to her dark house.
She grabs a bag of chips and a can of soda from the kitchen before leading him back to her bedroom. "Think your mom really buys that you're sleeping at Opie's?"
She turns around to get undressed and Jax has to smile. She really has no clue just how hot she is. Watching her this way, he thinks he may have found a new favorite spot. It's the skin on her lower back, the area just above her ass. He knows from running his hand over it that it is silky smooth and sensitive to his touch. Taking off his own tee quickly, he walks up behind her. She jumps a bit at his unexpected closeness. "Yeah?"
"Sleep in this." He puts his own shirt over her head and she smiles as she puts her arms through the sleeves. "I like you in my clothes." He admits.
"I like me in your clothes too." She smiles shyly as he leads them to her bed. She stops to turn her bedside lamp on to the nightlight setting while he takes off his jeans and then climbs in and she scoots as close to him as humanly possible. She lays there for a bit, fingers dancing across his bare chest while his hand methodically runs across her lower back in soothing strokes, up and down, then left to right. It feels so good that she thinks she could fall asleep. "Tell me about your mom."
And why she hates me. She doesn't verbalize that thought, but Jax can certainly hear it. "It's not personal." He rushes to assure her. "She just doesn't want me serious about anyone. Or anything." He adds. "Just the club. Gemma is worried that you are a distraction from my…path, I guess."
"Path?" She asks, sleepily.
"SAMCRO." He supplies. "It's my destiny. One day, I'll be President and Opie will be my VP. We'll run the SONS just like our father's."
"And why would I get in the way of that?" She yawns. His hand is an amazing mixture of comfort and roughness, thanks to all the work he does with them.
"I don't know." He takes a deep breath. "Gemma is…territorial and a little bit crazy." He says the last part with a hint of a smile in his voice.
It is a bit weird to her that she he sometimes refers to his mother by her first name but it certainly isn't the first strange thing she's noticed about their relationship. "So, she's fond of your whore ways, then?"
He gives a full out laugh at that. "You mean my ex-whore ways." He corrects.
"Yeah." She whispers, fingers moving from his chest to the scruff under his chin. She tilts her head up just enough for her lips to graze his cheek. "That's what I mean."
His face turns to the left so that his lips can meet hers in a soft kiss. Using the hand that was playing with her lower back he pushes her to get on top of him as he deepens the kiss. "Your old man gonna be gone for a bit?"
She can hear the strain in his voice. It mirrors the desperation she feels for him as well. "Yeah." She grins and feeling high on the look in his eyes pulls his shirt over her head, baring herself to him. She bites her lip to keep from making any noise at his heated gaze, sure that there is a blush on her face.
"Damn, Tara." Groaning, he fumbles trying to open her nightstand drawer.
"What are you doing?" Maybe she got this all wrong, she thinks to herself.
Still fumbling he looks up, "Trying to find that condom we didn't get to use last night." Busy looking at her, he get stuck with something in her drawer. "Ouch, damn! I know I put it in here."
"Here, let me." She laughs softly and leans over to look for it. He takes her by surprise when he takes her breast in his mouth. "Jackson." She groans, feeling around blindly for the condom as well. "Ha! Here! Got it." She runs her fingers through his hair, intent on pulling him away from her breast but he just feels too good so she holds him there longer than she intended. Finally the need to feel him inside her wins and she puts the wrapped condom in his hand and moves off of him. If she wasn't so damned turned on she might laugh at their eagerness, him with his boxers and her with her panties. She watches in fascination as he puts the condom on and tosses the wrapper on her nightstand.
Seeing the want that he feels for her mirrored back at him in her eyes is the biggest damn turn on ever, he thinks to himself. She looks like an angel laying there, thick, dark hair sprawled all over her pillow, waiting on him, for him. The want and her trust are so evident in her gaze and he isn't sure how he can possibly be so lucky. Never one to focus on why shit happens, but definitely one to enjoy it, he runs his hand through the hair that he loves so much before bringing his lips down to hers.
She was on fire and he was kissing her like he had all the time in the world. His clever hands moving lazily from nipples to hip, his tongue doing magic things with hers. She thought if he didn't enter her soon she was going to combust. He was so hard at her entrance. Finally giving into the need she's feeling, she thrust her hips against his. Jax pulls back to look at her. She's lost in his eyes, breathing heavy when he rolls over, bringing her with him. "What are you doing?" She take a deep breath and whispers. She would have sworn he wanted to be with her as much as she wanted to be with him. Maybe she misread the signals. But the condom? He was the one who searched for it first? And he put it on?
"You're gonna ride me, Tara." She'll do whatever he wants if he always talks to her with the voice he's using now, she thinks silently.
The idea thrills her, even if she's unsure. "I…I don't know how." She admits with a hint of what he believes is embarrassment.
"Sure you do." He encourages as he thrusts his cock along her ass. "You've done it before…only with clothes on." He chuckles.
She takes a deep breath, bites her bottom lip and nods. He lifts her up enough to position her right above his cock. "Tara…" He groans as he enters her. He goes slow because holy fuck she's still so tight. He waits for her to adjust to the feeling of him inside her this way. If it is even possible, he thinks he's in deeper than before and if she doesn't move soon, he might need to grab her hips and help her out. Self control is a foreign concept to him and he doesn't know how long he can take it before the need to thrust becomes to great.
Holy shit does he feel so good like this, she thinks he feels even bigger from this angle. Once she's sure he's all the way in, she moves experimentally. "That's right." He sighs. "Just move, Tara. You feel so good." He wants to close his eyes but he can't. He watches her as she sets a pace he doesn't expect. And right before his eyes, his girl turns from a shy, inexperienced lover to a woman who knows the sexual power she holds. And the amazing thing he finds himself thinking? Is that she can have the power. He's willing to give her everything; every piece of himself as long as she gives everything in return.