4

Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run

Chapter 68 Exhausted

If any other woman had told him he could stay the night, he would have assumed that meant sex. He didn't think that's what Scarlett had in mind.

She had released him from the hug and was looking at him with those dark green eyes that were so beautiful.

"Where would I sleep? The love seat?"

"No. It's a king sized bed."

"So what's behind this invitation?" he asked as he carefully studied her face. "You told me that you were never going to sleep with me."

"Well, when I said I would never sleep with you, I actually meant sex," she said with a smile.

"So the invitation is just sleep."

She nodded.

"Why?"

"I know there's something wrong. I don't know what it is and I'm not asking questions because I agreed not to ask you anything. You've been really kind to me and I think you need a little kindness now."

Spending a chaste night with Scarlett would be an improvement over going home to his house alone. He enjoyed her company even without sex.

"You aren't worried that now that I know about your memory loss, I'll take advantage of you?"

"If I were worried, I wouldn't have made the invitation. When I first met you, I thought you were a womanizer. Now that I know you a little better, I think you just really enjoy the company of a women. I think that when men hurt or attack women, they hate and want to control them. You aren't like that.

"You have also been incredibly kind to me. You came to check on me when you thought I might be dead, you caught me and carried me to my bed when I passed out, you got me soft drinks to help my blood sugar levels, you've gone walking with me to help me with my back and you brought me that grabber so I have a way to pick up something if I dropped it."

"I'm practically a saint," Jax said with a grin.

"There's another reason you wouldn't try to sleep with me; you want a woman to remember you. You might not remember her face, but you expect her to remember you."

Jax laughed.

"You have a point there."

"Also, when you take pain meds, the drug doesn't just kill pain. It also keeps a woman from experiencing the full pleasure of sex."

"You wouldn't be able to enjoy the full Jax Teller sex experience. That would be tragic. I guess I'm just going to have to keep working on thawing you out. You are thawing, aren't you?"

"A bit," she admitted.

"Good. I think I'll stay tonight. In the morning, I'm taking a trip on my bike for a few days to clear my head."

"My stepfather has a vacation house on a lake about two hours from here. It's a nice house with some great views. You can swim in the lake and hang out on the deck. If you don't mind me tagging alone, you could go there. You can have all the alone time you want. I don't need you to entertain me. I just need you to drive and load my car."

Jax thought about her offer. If he went off on his bike, he knew that he would enjoy riding and at night he'd end up in a bar somewhere looking for a girl. In short, it would be similar to the way he spent almost every day and night.

Spending a couple of days at a lake enjoying nature would give him a change of scenery and he would get a chance to get to know Scarlett better.

"I'd like to go to the lake house and I like that you are coming along."

"Great. When I got toothbrushes today, it was a two pack, so there's an unused toothbrush if you want it. I always watch DVDs before I sleep. If you want to watch TV, that's fine with me."

Jax made use of the new toothbrush. By the time he finished, Scarlett was in bed on the very edge.

"I really don't need that much room."

"I'm kind of like a turtle when it gets turned on its back. I can't rollover unless I use my arms. The back and ab muscles don't work. I sleep on the edge of the bed because it makes it easier and less painful when I have to get up."

"OK, I won't take it personally. Since I'm here, if you need help just tell me."

"I will," Scarlett promised.

"You really can ask."

"I know."

"Just ask."

"OK. I just hate being helpless and being a burden."

"You aren't a burden. Now, what are we watching on your laptop."

"Malcolm in the Middle. It's a family comedy. Some of the episodes are really funny and some aren't. I'm watching a couple of my favorites. The first one is they go to a zoo."

Jax adjusted the laptop so they could both see it.

After the day he had, he didn't think he could laugh at anything, but the show was funny, especially when one of the boys tried to fistfight a goat. The youngest brother couldn't understand how his brother could be unhappy since they were at a zoo and he had a popsicle. Jax liked that message. He realized he needed to find those small moments of happiness and enjoy them.

By the time he fell asleep, he knew he had been right to come see Scarlett. He was already starting to feel more optimistic about the future and thawing out Scarlett was part of his plan.