5

Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run

Chapter 44 Walked

"Say it," Jax demanded.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Scarlett said sounding bewildered.

"Since I showed up at your motel room, you look at me like there's something you find funny," Jax said.

When Jax called Scarlett and she told him she was about to order pizza, he suggested they could go out and get hamburgers together instead. Scarlett agreed. She was getting tired of eating pizza in her room. The smell was starting to get to her too.

After eating cheese burgers and sharing onion rings and French fries, they took Scarlett's car to the small lake they had visited previously and began walking on the path around it.

"Maybe I just enjoy your company," Scarlett said with suspicious sweetness.

"Any other girl, I'd believe that. Not you. What the hell is so funny about me?"

"The man bun. It's just so cute, I can hardly stand it."

Jax let go of her elbow and turned to face her.

"I took a shower and washed my hair. After I washed it, I stuck it in a ponytail and tucked the ends in. It isn't a bun."

"OK," Scarlett said, grinning at him.

"It isn't a bun," Jax said with an edge in his voice.

"I said OK," Scarlett said. Her smiled widened until she broke into laughter. She quickly wrapped her arms around her stomach to lessen the muscle pull pain she experienced when she laughed.

Jax shook his head and started laughing.

In these small moments, Scarlett could feel that emotional wall she kept around her heart to keep her safe start to crumble. She had to get close to him, but she needed to keep control of her emotions.

"Any hope you had of talking me out of loofahing you with my beard is permanently gone."

"Just because I made an observation about your hair?"

"No, that's not the reason. I just wanted to remind you what your future holds."

He was standing near one of the lights that dotted the walking path around the lake. The light made his hair the color of moonlight and his blue eyes were shining with mischief and humor.

She reminded herself that he had been with hundreds of women maybe even more. She was just a challenge to him. She threw some mental cold water on herself and found her balance again. She was playing him. This was her game, not his.

"Well, you might want to start washing your beard and using hair conditioner on it. I have delicate skin."

Jax began laughing again.

"We are going to have so much fun together. When we get back to your room, I could remind you how my beard felt on the back of your neck."

For a moment, Scarlett thought she might have forgotten how to breathe because she felt breathless. She remembered in too much detail how it felt when he was standing behind her with his arm around her and he brushed his beard along her neck followed by his lips. Her body almost burst into flames.

"Hair conditioner or maybe you could man bun your beard."

"Man bun my beard?" Jax asked. "Really? Do you remember what I told you about a shower?" there was a note of threat in his silky voice.

"You said you took one."

"No, I was thinking of that option about taking a shower with me and I could dry you with my tongue."

"Are you going to threaten me with that now?" she asked grinning.

"No. If you say man bun one more time, I will do that too you when we get back to your room. That's a promise."

She looked at him with wide green eyes. She was weighing whether or not he was really going to do the tongue thing to her. He could be serious. She decided to back track a little.

"Fine. I won't say it again unless I accidentally slip and say it. There's nothing wrong with . . . that sort of hair style. Most men couldn't pull it off."

Jax took Scarlett's elbow and they continued their walk around the lake.

"Remember this morning when I was telling you about my soon to be ex?"

"It was only this morning."

"I left out a detail. She's pregnant."

"Congratulations."

"Yeah, I haven't exactly been enthusiastic about it. She told me she had her period the day before so it was a safe time."

"You think she was lying?"

"I think she wanted to get pregnant hoping that would keep us together."

"Babies put stress on relationships. It usually doesn't bring couples together. It's also the same when a couple faces some kind of challenge with a serious illness or something major. They may become closer, but typically it ends up ripping the couple apart long term. Sorry. I don't mean to come off as knowing everything. I did a report in my psychology class in college on the subject."

"She's going to be a really terrible mother."

"You'll have to be a great father then."

"I'm not sure if I have it in me."

"Find it then," Scarlett said firmly in a no nonsense voice. "This baby deserves at least one decent parent. It isn't about you anymore. You lost that when she got pregnant. You also picked her."

"You are ruthless, but you're right. I don't have a choice. It's about time I faced reality."

"I feel like I've been useful today."

"I am also rescinding the ban on you saying man bun in a spirit of good will."

"Whew! What a relief! I've been shaking in my shoes worrying that I would say it accidentally. Is the ban also rescinded if I use it to describe your hair?"

"Scarlett . . ."

Scarlett laughed.

"It's so cute when you try to scare me."

"Just wait."

They returned to Scarlett's motel room. Her room was more of a suite. It was the nicest motel in Charming. It had a small mini kitchen and table and a seating area.

"You have motivated me. I'm going to go talk to my ex. This late hour should help me catch her at her mother's."

"It's been a productive day for me."

Jax watched her for a few seconds. Scarlett's brain was trying to tell her to walk away from him, but her body stayed rooted to the spot. She wanted him to kiss her. All she wanted was a kiss.

He leaned in and kissed her softly and gently. Scarlett moved closer to him, so she was almost standing on top of him.

He lifted his head and took a step back.

"You've been great for my self-control," Jax said with that cocky Jax Teller grin.