CHAPTER FIVE

Opie still seems a bit stunned when he and Donna bundle their kids into her car an hour later and go to leave. "Hey, Ope." I call just before he gets on his bike.

He stalls where he is and I jog over, "I expect you to wear the helmet. I brought it thinking of you and I hope you like it."

"I do, I'm just a little stunned is all. How many did you buy?" He asks, resting his hands on his thighs.

"Umm, You, Jax, Donna, Al, Bobby, Chibs, Clay, Happy, Juice, Piney and Tig. So 11."

"And yours." He points out.

"Nope, Jax brought that. Said some bull about how it's his bike so he should pay for it even though it's for my head."

Opie laughs as he fastens his helmet and starts his bike. "I get that. Thank you for the helmet and I will wear it, I promise."

"Good." I say, giving him a one-armed hug then going back to the doorstep where Jax is still standing as we watch them pull way.

Closing the door behind himself Jax starts locking up the house, while I go through to the kitchen to clean the mess that's been made; the quiet that's been left with the twin's departure seems too quiet. I'm starting to miss the constant clink of Doj's collar, the click of his claws when he walks and the strange grunting whimpering noises he makes in his sleep.

I don't realise I've stopped what I'm doing till Jax's arms wrap around me as he rests his chin on my shoulder. "What's up darlin'?"

"Hmmm? Oh, just missing Doj I guess." I say, dropping the cloth I was holding in the sink and turning in Jax's arms.

"I'll get Ma to bring him to the garage tomorrow if ya want. You can spend the day there. I know it's weird. He's been by your side for years and now he's not."

"It is, but I also know exactly where he is. It's not like I can't go see him or anything." I mutter nuzzling my nose into the soft t-shirt Jax is wearing and inhaling.

"Are you sniffing me?" He asks, sounding like he's trying to hold back a laugh.

I look up, a faint blush staining my cheeks. "Maybe." I reply.

"Why?" Jax asks, a grin pulling his cheeks and sparkling in his eyes.

"You smell like leather, oil, gas, fresh air, wind, and something that's just always been your smell." My cheeks are heating up and I know the blush is becoming more evident, as soon as Jax notices the redness flowing into my cheeks he grins wider.

"I don't mind you sniffing me, as long as I can do the same."

I tilt my head to the side, my hair falling behind me, "You're most welcome to."

"Shit." Jax mutters, one of his hands ghosting up my arm and coming to rest on my shoulder, his fingertip tracing the bruise that's formed from where he was making his acquaintance with it.

"It's okay Jax." I say, leaning slightly into the light pressure.

"No it's not. That's gonna take weeks to fade darlin' and aren't we going to LA Tuesday?"

"Yes we are. But Jax, I look at it as a 'Property of Jax' mark at the moment. Don't ruin that." I blink as I look up into his eyes and the fire that dances through them at that startles me a little.

"We should make it a space for a permanent mark then." Jax says, kissing the bruise softly then running his tongue lightly over the area.

"Maybe later." I manage to say through a gasp as his teeth lightly scrape the area we're talking about. "But Al won't be able to tattoo it if it's bruised."

Jax pulls back and looks at me. "Nah-uh. If it's a mark like I want then its Hap that does it."

It hits me then that he's talking about a crow, the seriousness of the conversation we've just fallen into erases any arousal from my bloodstream.

"Jax, we're less than 24 hours into whatever this is, I'm not sure that it's a good time to talk about such permanent things."

Jax steps backwards and smiles, "Can we talk about it, maybe somewhere where I'm not tempted by you."

"So a monastery then?" I reply with a giggle.

"Even that wouldn't stop me. Let's start with the living room." Jax wanders through and sits down while I quickly finish wiping the bench down then retrieve a beer for him and bottle of water for myself.

Moving to sit beside him he pats his lap so I settle onto it, my back against the arm of the couch and my knees hanging off his thighs.

I wait for him to start talking, and sure enough it doesn't take long. "When I said to you earlier about what Ma said I meant it. Today was a heck of a realisation for me. Everything in my brain got rearranged and every situation suddenly seemed difference when the fact that I've loved you since I was 16 registered. I want you to have my crow. The sooner the better. Fuck, if I could get Hap here now I'd get it started today."

I nuzzle into his chest again and this time my inhale isn't commented on. "Jax, I love you. That's not going to change. You don't have to ink your ownership on me today to make it seem any more real, or any more permanent. Everyone in the club knows how I feel, and I'm pretty sure after the cluster fuck that was today they're aware of how you feel to. I am perfectly open to getting your crow. Nothing would make me happier in all honesty, but I don't want to rush into it."

Jax nods, "I can see that, but you need to start thinking where and how you want it."

I smile at him, licking my lips lightly. "I already know where I want it, and have an idea of what. Why don't we wait till next weekend and talk to Hap then?"

Jax nods and surprises me completely with his next words. "And you need to think about what you want on me."

I blink slowly at him; he'd never gotten anything for Tara, or Wendy. The only people represented on his body are his father on his forearm and his son on his chest, the rough sketches Al had done the year before pop into my head and I nod slightly. "I have an idea."

"Okay, do I get to know either idea?" Jax asks surprising me again that he doesn't want full control over designs; I remember Tara in mid brag going on about how she'd had no choice of what the ink was or where it went which she thought showed how much Jax cared.

"Of course you do. And if you're not happy with them then they can change. It has to be something that you're happy with as well. After all, it's to show the whole world, MC and outsider alike that I belong to you." I lean back slightly and rest my hand over the front of my ribcage. "I want your crow here, wings spread so it goes from one side to the other. I want it fully in flight, like an under view shot. It's head ideally right here." I trace my fingers over my sternum. "I'd like it to have a chain in its claw if possible, and if you agree, with dog tags hanging from it with Abel's name and date of birth."

Jax swallows hard while I indicate where I want the key points of the crow, the wing tips so they would just curl around the outer swell of my breasts, the head between them and the chain I've just mentioned hanging to my hip. "And up here?" Jax traces over the bruised area on my neck.

"That one is easy. I want a shield with 'Property of Jax Teller' tattooed in it." I tell him as my head relaxes backwards.

"And what do you want on me?" Jax says, still gently tracing the area of skin.

"Me." I reply wickedly, leaning up and kissing him. I allow myself to get lost in the sensations of his lips on mine, his goatee tickling my cheeks and scratching my chin. Several minutes pass before I gather the will-power to pull away.

"Seriously though, about a year ago Al started designing a tattoo of me, it's very 50's pin up style. I'd like that on you, about here." I run my fingers over his left forearm, the other arm adorned with his tribute to his father, the name of his son on his chest, I'd like to add myself in an image to the artwork on his body. "But, if Hap's doing mine I'd like her to do yours."

Jax nods and his voice is very rough when he replies "Okay."

I lean up intending to drop a very quick kiss on his lips but somewhere between the intention and the execution the message vanishes and I end up straddling him with my hands tangled in his hair.