Chapter 22
Jackal
My little bird passed out on me. I lay with her for a while, but once her soft snoring that was more like kitten purrs filled the room, I snuck into the bathroom to have a quick shower. I’d have to be ready to head out in a while and I made sure she was worn out.
We didn’t talk much, but I got her to say what I wanted. The real test would be holding her to it. I knew what I was doing, but she was a strong enough woman that she wouldn’t have agreed if she didn’t feel that way. She was just too stubborn for her own good. Too strong. She needed someone to take the reins; someone to be in charge so she could let go and stop being so strong and in charge all the time.
I was wrapping up in the bathroom when a light knock came on the door. I pulled it open and smiled at my disheveled little bird. “Did I wake you?” I asked, pulling her close.
She was wrapped up in the sheet and her hair was all over the place. Her mouth opened into a silent yawn. “No. I guess I just needed a power nap. But I also need to pee. You’re gonna give me a UTI.”
Kissing her forehead, I moved past her. “By all means, handle your business.”
I pulled the door closed and grabbed some fresh underwear, socks, jeans, and t-shirt. The steam from the shower and just existing in Georgia meant it took ten minutes to fully dry off from a shower, so I pulled the towel from my waist and worked to dry off before getting dressed.
“So nice.”
I looked over my shoulder, and Shivana was leaning against the door frame, gawking at me while biting her lip.
“You’re insatiable, woman,” I said as I dropped the towel and walked toward her.
“You did that on purpose. You knew I’d see you in all your glory and be unable to resist.” She smirked as she ran her hands over my chest.
“I was simply getting dressed. If I was trying to tease you, you’d know it.”
Her brow pinched. “ Oh yeah . I’d know. My ass cheek is still on fire,” she said with a push to my shoulder.
I wrapped my arms around her and cupped her ass with a good squeeze that made her yelp. “Good. A little reminder of your man.”
Her hands went to my ass, and she pulled me even closer. “Do you do like a hundred squats a day? Shit. What was I saying? Oh! About that. What do you mean when you say my man? ”
“Well, you’re my woman, so I’m your man. I don’t do that side chick shit. Nor would I need to with you.”
Her brows shot up. “But not the whole Old Man, Old Lady stuff, right?”
“For now.” It was too soon. For her, anyway. I wasn’t ready to spout sonnets, but I knew myself. I was only going to fall harder. The realization that all of this happened around the same time was a sign in my eyes. I was meant to be here, now, so that she would come into my life. I couldn’t handle a bunny. I needed a woman. And Shivana was all woman.
“Okay, I still don’t understand, then, but I assume that means I shouldn’t be seeking fun with anyone else.”
I jerked her against me, squeezing her ass again, knowing it stung. “It means you’re mine. If you feel like you need fun elsewhere, maybe I haven’t done my job.”
She grinned. “Look, I need to know that you’re not doing this because of my virtue , or whatever. Because seriously, you don’t owe me anything, Jackal.”
I grabbed her face with one hand, angling it up so she could see how serious I was. “Lil Bird, this isn’t about owing each other shit. I wanted you before I knew about that. I still don’t feel worthy of someone like you, but I damn sure won’t squander the chance to earn it.”
Her wide eyes blinked rapidly. “Jackal–I–worthy of me?” She let out a humorless laugh. “I’m just a silly woman with little to no life experience and a few degrees. That doesn’t make me above anyone.”
I let go of her face but kissed her forehead and tried to fix some of her wild hair. “You’re above me. Above this. But I can’t let you go now, Shivana.”
Her eyes glistened and she sniffled. “Why me?”
“Why me?” I asked in return. “I’m just a roughneck rider. But you still decided I was your biker daddy.”
Her brows shot up. “What? Who told you that?”
Tucking a piece of loose hair behind her ear, I said, “These guys gossip worse than women at a salon.”
She covered her face. “Oh God. You weren’t supposed to hear that.”
I pushed her hands away. “It’s alright. I’ll be your biker daddy, Lil Bird. But about that,” I said as I grabbed her hand and pulled her to sit on the bed then pulled on my boxer briefs. “I gotta go out tonight. And probably the rest of the week. I know you’ve only been around a short time, but you’ve noticed Eagle takes off, right?”
She nodded. “Yeah. And Lacy and Daisy tell me things.”
My hands went to my hips. “Do they?”
She rolled her eyes. “Not, like, insider secrets. They tell me everything is a secret. You guys go traipsing around at all hours and we have no idea where or why and that it’s best that way. Is that the gist?”
Letting my hackles down, I grabbed the clothes I’d laid out and started dressing. “Pretty much. You already saw firsthand some of the shit that can happen. Which is why I need you to promise to stay put.”
She shifted, pulling the sheet up further. “Stay put? Like a fucking child?”
“No. Like my woman who I can’t protect if I’m not with you,” I said, pulling my cut on.
She fell back onto the bed with a huff. “I said I wanted a biker daddy, not another dad.” She leaned up, resting on her forearms. “Apparently I should have been more specific, but again, that wasn’t for your ears.”
Climbing on the bed, I straddled her wide hips and pinned her arms. That one brow cocked high. I surmised that was her annoyed face after watching her all this time.
“I’m not telling you what to do. I’m asking you to be smart and safe. We don’t know what’s happening with Butch. And in case you forgot, we were targeted just days ago. I won’t risk your safety and if that means pissing you off, then be mad.”
“You can’t keep me locked up here until you all figure out whatever this little war is. I’m looking for jobs and places to live. I’m not part of this club, Jackal.”
My head tilted and by the rise of that brow even more, she didn’t like it. But I still said, “This isn’t some little war. It’s some serious shit. They tried to take your friend, and you got roped in. And you were with us Saturday. They probably know who you are and they’re not some idiot kids. These are bad guys with bad intentions, and they won’t think twice before hurting you to hurt me.” I dropped my head down and pressed my lips to hers before drawing back. Still just inches from her face, I said, “If anything happens to you, I’ll have to burn this whole fucking world down to make sure those responsible have met their destiny.”
Her breath hitched. “That’s intense.”
“I know. So you see why you have to stay put, or whatever you want to call it?”
“I meant how you feel,” she practically whispered as her eyes searched my face.
“I’m not sorry. I feel how I feel and I told you: I don’t play games. We’ll figure out how to handle it if you get one of those jobs. But for now, can you put off the house hunt?”
“I can’t stay with Mama Hen forever. I mean, she says I can stay however long I want, but that’s her house, and Penny is there. It’s weird.”
“So, stay here with me.” The thought of her being in my bed when I came in from a long night out made my cock twitch.
Her eyes became slits. “Did you just ask me to move in with you?”
“No, I said stay here with me.”
There went the eye roll again. “Semantics. That’s the same thing. I know I have no basis of comparison in my personal life, but I studied psychology. We’ve spent a total of sixteen hours alone. I think it’s a little soon to be picking out China patterns.”
Running my lips down her neck, then nibbling on her ear lobe, I whispered, “Woman, don’t overthink it. I’m just saying I want you in my bed.”
She giggled as my lips brushed her collarbone. “Okay, when you put it like that, I suppose it’s not terrible. But I’m not moving my stuff. And I’m not living here. I’m just sleeping over until I can find a place. Does that make me a nomad?”
“Something like that. You sure do pay attention to a lot.”
“I have a curious mind. Hence all the degrees.”
“Makes sense. But listen, I’ll share what I can, but there’s always gonna be things–”
“Things I can’t know. I got it. Trust me.” She sighed. “Lacy has repeatedly told me. But I’d also like to remind you that sometimes, trusting people, especially if it means keeping them safe, can be a good thing.”
Still pinning her arms, but threading my fingers into hers, I said, “How about this…you trust me to know that I’ll tell you what you need to know, and not tell you things to keep you safe. And you do the same.”
“Like, tell you if we may experience an Ebola outbreak?” she said with a laugh.
“I mean we trust each other to make the right decisions for the right reasons.”
“Deal. Let’s kiss on it.”
Even though so much shit was up in the air, and she was holding onto her non-committal stance, I still felt like something had been settled between us. A sense of relief washed over me, while giving me a renewed feeling of purpose. I wasn’t only living for the club now. I was living for her, too.