Chapter Twenty
Jenna knew she should be nervous. She should wonder who Roadkill wanted her to meet, but she couldn’t stir the interest. All she could think about was what food they had in the house and what she could make for dinner with it, as quickly, and with as little fuss as possible.
She’d never thought that sitting on her butt most of the day could make her so tired. She hadn’t done anything, or at least nothing like she’d been doing for years.
Talking on the phone, looking things up in a book, or for the last hour or so, online, didn’t look that taxing. Yet all she wanted to do was to put her feet up and not have to think about anything.
Why had she agreed to this? Jenna asked herself as Roadkill pulled the pickup through a manned gate, waving at the man, who looked about her age, who opened the gate to let them in.
“That’s Chase by the way. He’s a prospect.”
Jenna nodded, but didn’t say anything. She didn’t know what to say. And she was too tired to worry about it.
The truck pulled to a stop in front of a large warehouse. To one side was a line of at least thirty motorcycles, all backed into a neat row.
“What’s with the motorcycles?” Lacey asked from the back seat.
“This is the clubhouse. We all ride.”
“Yeah. I get that but why are they all lined up like that and facing out? Why do you back them in?”
“Bikes don’t have a reverse, not like a car, well, most of them at least. The only ones that do are the trikes, like Papa Smurf rides, and its only for parking.
It won’t do more than a few feet, and at really slow speeds.
” Roadkill twisted around in his seat so he could look at her little sister.
“We park facing out so if something happens, we have to move fast, we don’t have to worry. ”
As they watched, both Papa Smurf and Joker came in and backed their bikes into line with the others.
“Oh. I guess that makes sense,” Lacey said.
“Come on.” Roadkill opened his door. “Let’s go inside.”
Behind her, Jenna heard Lacey’s door open, then close. Jenna let her head fall back against the seat and looked up at the roof of the cab.
A moment later, the door beside her opened, startling her.
“Are you okay?” Roadkill asked as he stepped up next to her seat.
“Yeah.” Jenna forced a smile. “Just tired. It was an exhausting day, and I was just thinking about dinner and wondering what I have at home to make.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“I have to. If I don’t, no one will. Then Lacey will go hungry, the school will call DHR and they’ll put her in the system.” She blinked several times, trying to keep the tears pooling in her eyes from falling.
“Hang on there a sec, darlin’. I think you’re getting ahead of yourself.
If you’re too tired to cook, we can grab something here.
And they’re not going to take your sister away over one missed meal.
” He reached over her and hit the release on her seatbelt, then, with his hands on her knees, twisted her in the seat before he wrapped his arms around her and just held her, her face buried in his neck.
After a moment, her arms went around his waist “Take a deep breath. I know it’s a long day.
Maybe we should put this off.” He let her relax against him for a moment.
“No. I want to meet your friends,” Jenna said after a moment. “Besides, Lace is already inside. It would be rude to make her come back out and leave.”
“I don’t care if it is rude, darlin’. If you’re too tired, I’ll go get her and take you home. You can meet them later.”
She thought about it. If she let him take her home, would she be able to show her face here later, knowing she’d ducked out like that? No, she admitted to herself. It was better that she deal with it now, no matter how tired she was. Besides, if she didn’t have to cook, then it would be easier.
“No.” She sat up, pulling herself out of Roadkill’s arms. “Let’s go inside. I mean, it’s not like I’ll be working. I can do this.” She smiled, this time a little more real. “Come on, let’s go.” She pushed gently on his shoulder.
Roadkill stepped back but offered her a hand. She took it and let him help her down, not that she needed help, but it was nice to have someone help for a change. He closed the door and walked her to the door.
“Not sure who all’s around but if you’re at all uncomfortable with anything, let me know and we’ll leave, all right?”
She nodded and he pushed the door open. Noise hit her.
It wasn’t loud like the Driftwood had been on the few night shifts she’d been called in to work, but was more like a large family.
People calling to each other across a room.
Teasing, talking, laughing. The noise washed over her, making something tight in her stomach seem to unwind.
They stepped in the door and she looked around. It only took her a moment to spot her sister, sitting on a stool at the bar sipping something that looked suspiciously like alcohol.
Panic flooded her. If she thought missing meals was bad, if DHR caught wind of Lacey drinking, Jenna would lose her for sure.
“Relax, darlin’, it’s virgin. Joker wouldn’t let them give her anything that might hurt her.
” Roadkill’s voice in her ear helped some of it fade.
At least enough that she realize the man next to her sister, with his back to Jenna was in fact Joker.
That made her feel better, but still. They’d just met Joker. Could she really trust him?
She felt like they could, but she’d thought she could trust Mason at first too. She’d learned the hard way that it was better to be safe than sorry. She knew what she was going to do even before she closed the distance between the door and her sister.
“Hey, Lace, you having fun?” Jenna kept her voice light, cheerful as she reached past her sister and picked up the fruity drink.
“Yeah, what’s up?” Lacey asked.
Jenna took a drink. Icy sweet strawberry hit her tastebuds, but no alcohol. Thank goodness. She put the glass back on the bar where she got it.
“Not much. I just wanted to see how this tasted to see if I want one.”
Lacey frowned then rolled her eyes and turned back to her drink. Jenna started to go back to Roadkill, but a hesitant touch on her hand by Joker stopped her.
“I’ll keep an eye out, make sure she’s safe,” he said, pulling his hand away.
The fierce look in his eye told her he wasn’t lying. He would give his life to make sure nothing happened to Lacey. Jenna didn’t know what to say.
“Thank you.” The words weren’t enough, but it was all she had. She moved away, going back to Roadkill. “Sorry, I just had to be sure.”
He hooked an arm around her waist and tugged her against him.
“Don’t blame you, darlin’. You haven’t had people you could trust before, or at least not in a while. It will take some time. Want something to drink?” Roadkill motioned to the bar where Lacey still sat, Joker right beside her.
“I probably shouldn’t. Especially not on an empty stomach.”
“Darlin’ I’m not trying to pressure you.
Just the opposite in fact. I want to take some of it off of you.
If you want a drink, have one. You’re sister’s safe.
You aren’t driving and we’ll have pizza here inside the hour.
If you want something that won’t mess with your mind, we have that too.
Water, soda, whatever. If we don’t have what you prefer, I’ll send a prospect to get it. ”
“But? Why?” She looked up at him, knowing she probably looked like she was hanging on by a thread, but too emotionally exhausted to care.
“Because I want to see you happy, darlin’. I want to make things easier for you.”
She scowled. “I still don’t get it. I’m nothing. Nobody.”
“No, darlin’, you’re not.” He cupped her cheek in one hand. “You don’t see it yet, but I think you’re everything. It’s my job to show you though, and I take my job seriously.”
Jenna stared at him, wide-eyed as his words sank in. He seemed to see when they did.
“Darlin’?” he said, drawing her mind back to him.
“I’m going to kiss you. If you don’t want it, say something now.
I’m not trying to push you, remember?” He moved slowly, giving her time to pull away or say stop, but the memory of the brief kiss as he dropped her off this morning and the heat it had sent through her flashed in her mind, keeping her from stopping him.
His mouth was firm but gentle as he coaxed her to open up to him. Roadkill’s arms came around her, making her feel safe and protected, she leaned into him and let him control the way they tasted and teased each other. Her arms found their way around his waist as she needed something to hold on to.
She heard the echo of voices around them, but couldn’t make out what they were saying. Not that she tried. Not that she cared. She was too lost in the rush of sensations flooding her that they were all that mattered, at least in the moment.
When Roadkill broke the kiss, slowly lifting his head, Jenna found herself staring up at him with wide eyes. Since when had a kiss felt like that?
And if he could blow her mind with a kiss, what would he do if she ever let him get her clothes off? It had been so long for her. As hot as his kiss had made her, a stiff breeze against the right part of her body would send her over the edge.
But how could he know that? How could she tell him? Her face flamed.
Then what the men around her were saying registered.
“Get a room.”
“Gonna give us a show?”
“There are kids present, take it somewhere else.”
“Hey, I’m not a kid!”
That last was Lacey’s voice, the others she didn’t know.
She looked toward her sister and found Lacey grinning at her.
Her little sister sent her a thumbs-up that only made Jenna’s face even hotter.
She turned back to Roadkill and pressed her face against his chest, so she didn’t have to look at the men who’d just watch him kiss the living daylights out of her, and her kiss him back.
Now she just wished she could turn off her ears too. Or maybe sink through the floor.
“Enough!” Roadkill bellowed, making her jump despite his arms still around her.
“Can’t you see you’re embarrassing her? I’ll take anything you want to dish out, but you upset Jenna, even embarrass her like this, and you’ll deal with me.
This is your only warning.” Almost instantly the room fell silent.
“What’s going on in here?” a woman’s voice asked.
Jenna couldn’t see who because her face was still pressed into Roadkill’s chest. She didn’t want to look.
Didn’t want to see who’d witnessed her acting like a harlot, or that was what her grandma would have called her had she seen the way she’d let Roadkill kiss her, in public, and worse in front of her sister!
“Hey, is this her?” a man’s voice said from nearby.
“Yeah. Give me a sec though, okay?” Roadkill said.
His hand smoothed down her back, then back up again. “Darlin’?” Roadkill’s tone was gentle. “There’s someone here I’d like you to meet.”
“Did they see?” she asked, her face still pressed against his chest muffling her words.
“Sorry, darlin’, I didn’t make that out.”
Jenna pulled her face back enough she could talk but not enough that she could see anyone around them.
“Did they see?”
“See what?” He sounded confused.
“Me throwing myself at you.”
His chuckle sent another wave of embarrassment through her. His arms tightened around her as she buried her face against his chest again, unable to believe he was laughing at her!
“I’m sorry, darlin’,” his breathed close to her ear, “I’m not laughing at you. It was just that if you knew half of what goes on around here, you wouldn’t think twice about that little kiss.”
She closed her eyes and turned her face so she could talk but didn’t have to see anyone staring at her.
“They were telling us to get a room.”
“They were teasing, babe. We’re a rough bunch sometimes, but if they knew how you would react, they wouldn’t have said a word. No one is even looking at us now. Well, other than Lacey and she looks happy about it.”
“You’re sure?”
“I’m sure, darlin’. Now open your eyes and let’s go meet Hex and Elizabeth.”
Slowly, Jenna opened her eyes. When she saw that the men around them weren’t watching them, she started to relax. She eased her arms from around him, and stood more upright than pressed into him, and after a moment she nodded.
“All right. Let’s go meet your friends.”