CHAPTER EIGHTY-SIX

Website where all photos of all outfits mentioned is on my profile. I just had to laugh, I work for a property maintenance company. We had a job for a blocked toilet, turned out the tenant had flushed a pair of underwear…Wonder if his name was Juice?

Neither Jax nor I are in a hurry to get out of bed the following morning, I get up just after 730 and make a couple of cups of coffee before returning to the warmth of our blankets where we just sit talking and laughing about the shit we'd done as kids and wondering how different our lives would have been if Jax hadn't closed himself off to his own emotions after both his brother and father had died. There's a slight downer in my mood that sets over me at the realisation that even though I lost both my parents at the same time Jax lost his baby brother and his father within a few years, and he had only just been starting to come back to normal after his mother married Clay when Clay was suddenly flying across country to be with a girl he'd only ever heard stories about.

Jax turns the conversation to me and my childhood, casually mentioning having seen photos of me taken when Clay was in Florida with us one summer and I cringe "What photos?"

Jax laughs and runs his fingers down my arm "Well, there was one with you and your Mom and Dad in Disneyworld."

I frown a little "That doesn't really help; every year when Clay came we'd go to Orlando and spend a few days in the amusement parks. Of course it was always me that demanded we go. Mom and Daddy wouldn't let me go on any of the roller coasters without someone being on them with me and neither of them could stomach it."

Jax snorts "You got Clay on a roller coaster?"

I nod "I got him on more than one. One trip we went on the same one so many times that I thought my ass was going to stay the same shape as the seat and that I'd have permanent indentations of the shoulder restraints on my chest. We only stopped when Clay reminded me that we still had a whole lot of other ones to go. He pretty much picked me up and carried me away from the one we'd been on."

"I think that's probably one of the photos I saw. You were upside down over his shoulder and all you could see of you was your legs."

I giggle "That'd be it. The ones after it weren't any better. Clay decided that we should go on one of the ones that ended up with you getting saturated; he forgot we had a 2 hour drive to get back home when we left the park, even in shorts that's not a fun trip. But I think that's why I didn't have an issue with the bikes. I'd done so much of that stuff with Clay before I even came here that I trusted him to never do anything that hurt me. After I left I went skydiving, fuck that was fun. I guess I've always loved that adrenaline rush that comes with doing things like that." I giggle at the memory, Al and Cam had convinced me it was a good birthday present and it wasn't till we were getting in the plane that Cam had almost chickened but one look at the person she was going to be strapped to had changed her mind.

Jax laughs "I seem to remember the idea of having a photo night. You show me yours and I'll show you mine."

I laugh loudly, shaking my head "Nuh uh. I'm sure I have more embarrassing photos of me when I was a kid then you have."

Jax chuckles and finally throws the blankets off his legs "I dunno, I seem to remember that you were a very cute kid when you showed up at the Clubhouse."

I poke my tongue out at him "And I'm not now?"

Jax shakes his head, stepping around the bed and lifting the blankets off me "Cute, nope." He holds his hand out and waits while I slide out of the bed and stand up, his fingers linking through mine "I would not describe you as cute. Hot, yes. Sexy, yes. Devastatingly beautiful, yes. But the best words that I can use to describe you are perfectly mine."

I can't help the faint blush that comes to my cheeks and Jax chuckles as he leans down and kisses the warmed skin. "And that blush just makes it even more perfect."

I stick my tongue out at him again and reach up to run my fingers over his cheek "There aren't words to properly describe you, but one of the nurses did get it pretty close. Hotness wrapped in leather and dipped in sin."

Jax chuckles and steps out of the way "I'll let you go get breakfast."

I collect clothes from the pile of boxes and bags sitting in the corner and sigh when I realise how untidy it looks. Jax nods "I know, it's a bit hard having you living out of boxes, but with the move coming soon is it worth unpacking it all to repack?"

I shake my head "No it's not, but I'm just wondering how the clothes I have got so out of control. There's still a huge amount in storage as well."

Jax shrugs "Dunno babe, maybe you should stop buying them for a while."

I nod "I know, but I have an addiction." I end up pulling on a plain pair of black leggings and a t-shirt with bright white writing across the chest reading "Come crawling faster, obey your master" that Al had brought me the year before when we'd been to see Metallica in concert.

Jax reads the words across my chest and laughs "I'm not gonna crawl and I won't call you master."

I laugh and wrap my arms around him, carefully staying far enough away that the material of my shirt doesn't rub "I know baby, but I am kinda limited in what I can wear."

Jax reaches into his draw and pulls out one of his dark blue SAMCRO shirts "There are at least 6 or 7 of these that you can always wear babe."

I smile up at him "I know. Right, food."

I pad barefoot through to the kitchen and listen as Jax finishes tidying up the mess we'd left in the living room while I quickly whip up some French toast and cook some apples down with cinnamon and vanilla. It takes less than 15 minutes before the food is on the table and I'm sticking my head through the door to let Jax know to come eat.

Once we've both eaten I quickly rinse the dishes and shove them into the dishwasher before pulling my sneakers on my feet and head towards the door, pausing in the doorway through to the kitchen. "I'm gonna go take Doj for a walk, if you wanna meet me there in an hour or so?"

Jax looks startled from where he was still sitting at the table "Sure thing, I was gonna come with you but that'll give me a chance to start boxing up some shit round here."

I walk over to the table and lean down; kissing Jax softly on the lips "I'll walk down and see you there."

Jax nods and follows me to the door closing it quietly behind me. It's only a 10 minute walk to Gemma's and as I start up the path I hear excited barking through the front door which has me laughing as I tap on it lightly.

"Dammit dog, get away from the door!" I can hear Neeta inside struggling to get the Neo-Dane mix away from the door so she can see who it is that's causing the excitement.

I crack the door open and Doj's barking increases "Doj, Sit!" I hear him sit down, his tail swooshing across the floor and tapping against one of the tables in the entranceway but the barking doesn't stop. "Quiet." The barking stops and I momentarily thank the obedience training that I put him through for teaching him basic commands.

Neeta pulls the door open further and almost glares at me "Why haven't you been here every day stopping him from knocking everything over! He's a menace. Won't listen to anything anyone says unless they have food."

I giggle and crouch beside the dog running my hands over his neck and scratching behind his ears "I'm sorry he's been such a pain."

Neeta sighs and shakes her head "He's not really, but he just won't listen."

"He should be okay if you use basic things. He knows sit, stay, speak and quiet which he'll do for most people if they have the conviction in their voice. Sit is always a tricky one, he sometimes does and sometimes doesn't, it's a bit of hit and miss even with me." Doj has had enough of being ignored and swipes his pink tongue across my cheek causing me to laugh.

Getting back to my feet I point at him "Stay." Following Neeta through to the kitchen I give Donna and the kids a quick hug where they're sitting at the dining table colouring in before collecting Doj's lead from by the back door. "I'll be back in an hourish; Jax is going to come down soon to meet me."

Going back towards the front door I'm sure Doj would be jumping up and down if he could when he spots his lead in my hand. Clipping it to his collar I wait till he's calmed a little before opening the door and stepping back outside.