5

Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run

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Chapter 434 Saying the Words

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Jax was exhausted by the time they got to the lake house. It had been a late evening with the hospital stay with Happy and the drive, but Scarlett knew that Jax had come to think of the lake house as his refuge. She'd brought him there when Bela died and when he'd gotten shot. He loved staying there as much as she did.

Sometimes he would get up and watch the sunrise over the lake and then come back to bed and grab another hour or two of sleep. She didn't join him outside figuring he needed a little alone time.

Sundays were leisurely with Jax swimming and Scarlett sitting in the shade on the deck reading a book. They usually ate sandwiches from the grocery store in Charming and made dinner together. That night Jax was going to grill hot dogs, but Scarlett insisted it was a waste of time to light the grill for the few minutes of cook time for the hot dogs.

She fried bacon until it was half cooked. Jax wrapped the strips of bacon around hot dogs and secured them with toothpicks. He fried them until the hotdog was cooked and the bacon crisp. Scarlett used the skillet with the bacon fat to fry onions until they were soft, sweet and caramelized. She piled the onions on the hot dogs and added mustard for the perfect salty, savory and sweet bite. For a side dish, they had a cold wild rice salad from the grocery store's deli. Dessert was ice cream sundaes. Scarlett's father loved ice cream so there was always plenty of ice cream in the freezer and jars of fudge and caramel sauce in the pantry.

After dinner, they worked together to clean up and put things away. Jax's domestic side always surprised her. He just automatically started helping her. She didn't know if he would have done that if she hadn't been injured.

At dinner Saturday with Gemma, the men did men things and she and Donna helped Gemma. She had a feeling that Clay didn't help Gemma much. He seemed like the type that believed a woman's place was serving him.

Scarlett gave the cast iron skittle one last wipe with a paper towel and had just tossed it in the trash when Jax came up behind her, wrapping his arm around her waist and rubbing his beard along her neck.

"Are you loofahing me?" Scarlett asked.

"Not yet, but one of these days if you're a very good girl."

"I thought your beard would be rough like whiskers, but it's soft and kind of nice."

"It's hair. Of course it's nice and soft."

"I didn't know that because you're the first guy I've been around with facial hair."

"You're standing more."

"I sliced the whole onion. Before, I'd slice half and have to sit down. I can walk without every step hurting. Now if I don't take too big a step, I can walk without pain. I still can't stand for very long or bend down, but I'm making progress," she said.

While she was talking Jax was kissing her neck. She caught her breath and lost track of what she was saying. His lips could light her skin on fire. She'd never felt anything like it. It still surprised her the way her body reacted to him.

He took a nibble out of her ear.

"You going to be OK if I let go of you or are you going to collapse in a puddle?"

She could see the light of mischief in his eyes and knew he was teasing her.

"You are the most conceited man I've ever met."

He laughed softly and took another bite of her ear before releasing her.

Scarlett was still fighting herself over whether to tell him. Hell, she knew she had to tell him. No, she didn't have to tell him. He didn't need to know. What if everything went wrong? If she told him, he would understand.

Why was she so damned afraid to tell him? She'd already told him about her murderous ex. That hadn't scared him off. She told him about Violet and he understood why she hadn't been truthful. She trusted him. He wouldn't run away when she told him. He wouldn't see her differently. She wasn't afraid of that. OK. Maybe just a little.

Was she afraid that if she told him, it would bring them closer? Was she trying to protect her heart? It was too late for that. Closer or not, she was deeply in love with him and losing him would break her heart. She didn't think telling him would change the level of heartbreak she would experience.

She just hated to bring more drama into their relationship. OK. She wasn't being honest with herself. It wouldn't be that much drama. She trusted him to understand.

What was she so afraid of? It was having to go back and relive the things that had happened. She'd never spoken the words out loud before much less told anyone. It was something she thought she'd worked through and then she'd met Jax and realized she hadn't worked through anything.

She was afraid that it would ruin everything. That maybe she really was defective. She'd told him that when they first met. He'd shown her that she'd been wrong. She wasn't as defective as she'd thought. He set her on fire so easily. Just how far did his magic go?

They were inside sitting facing the lake where they could see the patio lights reflecting off the water's surface. The only interior light came from a sandalwood and eucalyptus candle Scarlett had lit. It perfumed the air with a slightly woody clean smell that Scarlett always found calming.

Scarlett let the scent relax her. It was time to tell Jax. It would be OK. She would be OK. He would be OK with what she was going to tell him. What if he wasn't? What if that pushed the limits of his understanding and she lost him?

That was just the fear talking. It was going to be OK. This was the perfect moment to tell him. Once she told him, she would feel so much better.

Scarlett carefully moved away from Jax on the sofa so she was sitting at the opposite end of it with her back against the back and arm of the sofa. She couldn't have him too near her. She needed to be able to watch his face and see how he was reacting.

"I have something I need to tell you."

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Author's Note:

You may think you know what Scarlett's going to say but you would be wrong. There's a twist.

Next chapter: Happy's Surprise

Next chapter after that: Scarlett Reveals Her Secret

I also want to thank Kahlan for the wonderful review she left. Thank you very much. It made me feel really good and surprised. I know this story has some plot twists that are pretty outside the box with Tig and then Jax's true father not being JT. I'm so glad you have gotten addicted to my story. Thanks again.

I try to post at least twice a week and there's still a lot of plot to go.