Jax's Dilemma:Insurgents Motorcycle Club (Insurgents MC Romance Book 2) (36 page)

They held each other as they drifted off to sleep.

*     *     *

After an hour,
Cherri’s growling stomach woke them up. Laughing, Jax placed his hand on her belly, massaged it lightly, and said, “Hungry?”

“Starving.”

“I could go for some chow, too. It’s too late to order anything, though.”

Bolting up from bed, Cherri said, “I can make us something. I think I have eggs in the fridge. Let’s go down and check.” Naked, her butt danced as she hopped over to her suitcase and took out a terry robe and a pair of lace panties. Turning around, she spied Jax propped on one elbow, his eyes fixed on her, giving her a lazy smile.

“Come on; get your ass up. I’m so hungry,” she said.

“Sweetness, I’m torn between eating and watching your fine ass move. You wear the tight robe real good. I’m getting fuckin’ hard just lookin’ at you. Come on over here.” He held out his arm to her.

Shaking her head, she said, “Oh, no. I’m not going near you until I eat. If I come over there, we’ll be another hour, at least.”

“Just an hour?” he asked with raised eyebrows.

“Or more, stud. I need food—the kind you put in your stomach.”

He got out of bed, bent down to get his jeans, and pulled them on. “You win, but after we eat, I’m keeping you up all night, sweetie.” He swatted her ass as they walked out of the bedroom.

Coming down the stairs, Cherri saw Paisley sleeping in her cradle, her pink mouth forming a perfect “O,” and Hawk and Cara necking on the couch. Clearing her voice to let them know she and Jax were there, Cherri walked over to Paisley. Bending over, she lightly ran her finger over her daughter’s soft skin. She loved the way Paisley’s skin felt like velvet and satin together. Each time she touched or looked at her daughter, her heart surged and thousands of happy jolts coursed throughout her body. Jax’s arm around her waist, pulling her up a bit, reminded her she had come down in search of food.

“She’s been sleeping like an angel for a couple of hours,” Cara said.

“Thanks for watching her.” Cherri smiled at her. She avoided Hawk’s stare because he intimidated the hell out of her. He always had a scowl on his face except when he was with Cara. He looked intently at Cherri in that moment, almost like he was battling with a rage inside himself. Her ears pounded and her stomach lurched; what if he knew about her stealing the money?

“Sweetness, are you zoning out on me? Didn’t you promise me some eggs?”

Glad to get away from Hawk and his brooding gaze, she went into the kitchen and opened the fridge. “Ah ha, there
are
eggs, and some ham, peppers, cheddar cheese, onions—fuck, we got a lot of good shit in here. Sit down. I make killer omelets.”

“Cherri, we’re going to take off,” Cara said as she gathered her purse and sweater.

“You guys don’t want an omelet?”

“No, thanks. We have to be on our way. I’m glad things worked out well for you.”

Cherri went over to Cara and gave her a tight hug, whispering in her ear, “Thanks for saving my Paisley. I don’t know what I would’ve done if I’d lost her. You don’t know how grateful I am to you.”

“No need to thank me. I’m glad you and your daughter are safe.”

Jax came over and nodded to Cara. “Thanks for helping out my woman.”

“You’re welcome.” Cara smiled.

Walking out the door, Hawk began to follow then turned to Jax, saying, “Be at the clubhouse tomorrow at noon. Things need to be decided.” Pulling Jax toward him, Hawk gave him a hug then turned and followed Cara to his Harley.

Watching the couple kiss then mount Hawk’s motorcycle, Cherri cocked her head sideways and asked, “What did Hawk mean about things have to be decided?”

Hawk’s motorcycle roared when the ignition came on, shattering the quietness of the night. Making a U-turn, he and Cara rode off. Cherri closed the door. “You haven’t answered me yet, Jax.”

“Uh… it’s no big deal.”

“Hawk sounded kinda scary, like almost threatening. And he kept giving me the evil eye. What the fuck is going on? Tell me, and don’t start that ‘club business’ shit, because I’m not gonna buy it.”

Sighing loudly, Jax rubbed the side of his face. “The MC knows you took the money from Dream House. And—”

“Fuck. They know? I knew something was up by the way Hawk stared at me. He fuckin’ hates me.”

“No, he actually hates me more.
I
fucked up. I let the brothers down by covering for you. I replaced the money you took, but I didn’t know how much you took, so I put back too much. One of the brothers saw me leave the clubhouse with the money. They’re fuckin’ pissed at me. That’s cool, I get it, but what I hate the most is the looks of disappointment they keep givin’ me, ’specially Hawk. Fuck, he’s like my brother.”

With a cracking voice and shimmering eyes, Cherri said in a low voice, “I caused you all kinds of trouble. What the fuck are you doing with me? I made you betray your club, your brothers. What’s gonna happen? Are they gonna kick you out?”

Placing his arm around her small shoulder, he frowned. “I’ll be honest, I don’t fuckin’ know. I hope they keep me in. I got some years with them, and my old man wore the patch since the club began. Fuck, that should count for something, you know? And don’t put the blame on you. I fuckin’ made the choice. I knew I shoulda gone to the club and told them what you did, but I made the choice to cover your ass. I gambled and lost. I owned up to it, and now I gotta take the consequences like a man.”

“They’re not gonna kill you, are they?”

Laughing, he pressed her head against him. “No, sweetness, they’re not gonna kill me. Beat the shit outta me, probably, but not kill me. I’m not a fuckin’ snitch.”

“I’m scared. Are they gonna come after me? I mean, I’m the one who stole their money.”

“Yeah, they usually would teach you a lesson, but since you’re with me, you’ll probably escape the Insurgents’ wrath. Don’t worry. It’s gonna be okay. If they throw my ass out, I’ll be feeling like total shit about it, but you know what? If I had to do it all over, I would still cover for you. You’re in here, sweetness.” With his thumb, he tapped on his heart, and tenderness misted his hazel eyes.

Looping her arm around his neck, Cherri lowered Jax’s face toward hers and her mouth crashed against his. They kissed deeply. When Jax pulled back, he held her gaze, his eyes blazing with emotion. “Sweetness, I want you to be my old lady. I know you’ve had shit luck with men and you’re afraid to love, but I fuckin’ know you love me. I can tell by the way you kiss and fuck me.”

Cherri, eyes brimming, buried her face in his neck. “I’ll try and be what you want. I’ve never had a relationship with a man where I felt something other than disgust or friendship.”

“I want you to be you. Fuck, woman, I’m willing to give us a chance. I’ll try like hell to be faithful to you. Cherri, I love you. I’ve never loved a woman before, so the whole damn thing is new for me. After tomorrow, when I find out where I stand with the Insurgents, we can get on with our lives. I wanna take care of you and Paisley. Fuck, I just love you, sweetie.” Tilting her chin up, he bent down and captured her mouth, his tongue dancing with hers.

Tears rolled down her cheeks from the corner of her eyes. Cherri murmured, “I love you, Jax. I’m scared as hell because I’ve never loved a man before, but I wanna take a chance with you. All I know is when I’m with you, I feel protected, warm, and happy. I want this to work, for us and for Paisley.”

Kissing her again, Jax held her so tightly she thought he’d squeeze all the air out of her, but she knew, deep in her soul, she had finally found what had been missing from her life. She finally got it right—the love of a good man. No more nightmares, no more cuts under her breast, no more worries. Her knight in leather, riding a Harley, had shown up for
her
, and she’d be damned if she was going to blow it.

Grinning at Jax, Cherri said, “You may change your mind after you taste my cooking. You know, I’ve never cooked for a man before.”

“Sweetness, you could serve me horseshit, and I’d still love you. Now let me try one of your omelets so we can finish and I can show you how long I can fuck you.” His eyes twinkled as a broad smile broke out over his face.

“One omelet, coming up.” She swayed her hips as she walked into the kitchen. Picking up the frying pan, she turned on the burner then began cracking eggs, her panties damp from the thought of what was to come later in her bedroom with the love of her life.

J
ax walked into
the clubhouse a little bit before noon. Several of the brothers milled around, chugging beer and talking. Silence descended over the great room when Jax came in. Avoiding Jax’s gaze, the brothers turned away, giving him the major chill. Grim-faced, Jax’s stomach twisted in knots as he leaned against the bar and pretended he didn’t give a damn. Ordering a Coors on tap, he gulped the cool, frothy beer while he checked out the room. Banger wasn’t there, and neither was Hawk. Wanting to get this over with and go back to Cherri, he downed his Coors, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and went over to Chas.

“Hey, man, what gives?”

Chas worked his jaw a few seconds before answering. “Church is gonna start in a few.”

From the corner of his eye, he saw brothers pointing at him and heard grumblings coming from voices he couldn’t identify. “Fuck, never thought I’d see the day when a brother picks a bitch over the brotherhood,” a brother in the corner said.

“Should kick his ass, take his colors, burn off his Insurgents tats, and kick his weak pussy ass out,” another brother said.

“You feeling that way?” Jax asked Chas.

“Not sure how I’m feeling. Pretty pissed at how fucked up your decision was, but we go back a while, you know?” Chas stared straight ahead.

Blowing out a long breath, Jax said, “I know I fucked up. I’m here to take whatever it is you all throw at me, but bitchin’ and talkin’ shit about me isn’t gonna change what happened.” He looked around at the other brothers. They ignored his glances.

“Yeah, I know, but the brothers are fuckin’ pissed at you and if your ass gets to stay in the club, it’s gonna take a long time to gain back their trust. It’s just the way it is.” Chas finished his beer and placed the bottle on one of the tables near him and Jax.

“ ’Spose so.”

Before Chas could answer, Axe came into the great room and said, “Church. Now.” He walked out of the room. Scraping metal on concrete and the shuffle of boots across the floor were the only sounds audible as the members made their way to the meeting room.

Inside the room, Banger sat at the head of the big wood table with Hawk to his right. It was hot from the heat of thirty members crowded in a space intended for twenty. Even though the air conditioning ran at full power and an oscillating fan blew blasts of cool air to various parts of the room, Jax sweated profusely. He was so damn nervous. He hoped the club would let him take the punishment for both him and Cherri. Thinking of what the club could do to his beautiful, sweet woman made his skin crawl.

Pounding a large gavel on the table, the noise quickly got the attention of all the men. Banger stood up and said in a loud, clear voice, “We’ve called emergency church to deal with a wayward brother. A brother who had our trust until he betrayed the brotherhood for some bitch he was fucking. I know we’re all shocked, disappointed, and fuckin’ mad. We gave this brother the title of Sergeant-At-Arms to show how we trusted our club’s safety in his capable hands.” Banger paused, took a long draw on his beer, then looked at each brother in the room except for Jax.

Jax hung his head.

“So, what are we gonna do with this brother? What the fuck do you all suggest?” Banger sat down and waited for the outburst of opinions from the club members.

“Throw his ass out!” several members yelled.

“Beat his ass and pull a train on his bitch,” one of the older members said in a hard, cold voice.

Have Cherri pull a train with all the brothers? No fuckin’ way. I’ll kill anyone who fuckin’ goes near her, let alone touches her.

After ten minutes of yelling, fist-banging, and cussing, Banger said, “We’re gonna take a vote, but let’s hear from the asshole.” Boring a hole in him, Banger said, “What the fuck do you have to say for yourself?”

Jax stood up, threw his shoulders back, and his imposing figure broadcast the message
don’t fuck with me.
He turned toward the faces he had known and loved since he was a kid, and said, “I’m not gonna make excuses for my actions. What I did was wrong. I know I shoulda come to Banger or Hawk and told ’em what the fuck Cherri did, but I didn’t. I can’t change that. I thought I could get to her before anyone found out the money was missing, then—”

“What the fuck you’re sayin’ isn’t helpin’ you, asshole! The fuckin’ point here is not whether we woulda known or not known the money was missin’. The point is your loyalty was with the brotherhood, not with some cunt you’ve been fuckin’ and wanting to protect. Your first order of protection is with the brotherhood, you piece of shit!” Throttle bent over the table, his finger pointing at Jax, red-faced as rage spewed from him. Several brothers whistled and clapped as he spoke.