Chapter Twenty-Four #2
“Cause I have a couple of things I’d like to show you.”
“Okay.” Jenna frowned as she wondered what it could be, but she hoped it was him.
She’d spent half the ride back, if not more, thinking about how much she’d like to invite him in once they got back to the house, but what kind of example would that be for Lacey?
She couldn’t just invite him in, not with her sister there, and especially not after their first date.
She remained silent as he walked his motorcycle backwards into line with the others, then she got off and gave him her helmet.
“What do you want me to see?” she asked as he took her hand and led her toward the door to the clubhouse.
“It’s inside. Come on.” He didn’t pull her, but let her come at her own pace. At the door, he held it open for her, then, once inside, he dropped one hand to the small of her back and used that to steer her toward the stairs.
“What’s up there?”
“The bedrooms. I want to show you mine.”
Jenna opened her mouth to ask why, but closed it again without a word, deciding to go with it.
She trusted Roadkill, he wasn’t going to hurt her, and she sensed he had a reason for showing her his room.
Something more than maybe just getting into her pants.
Not that she was opposed to hopefully having an orgasm or two she didn’t give herself for a change, but Lacey didn’t need to see who she was doing it with. Or at least not that obviously.
He stopped in front of a door and turned to look at her.
“I won’t hurt you. I won’t pressure you into anything you don’t want to do. But I wanted to show you something and to talk to you, without anyone overhearing, without having to worry about who might be watching. In here, it’s just you and me, darlin’. Okay?”
Jenna nodded. She wasn’t sure what to say, but wanted to let him know she trusted him. On a whim, she hooked one hand in the collar of his shirt and tugged him down until she could stretch up and kiss him.
“I trust you,” she whispered. “Show me.”
He opened the door, turned on the light, and motioned for her to go ahead.
Jenna stepped into the room, took a few steps so there was room for him to come in too, then she stopped and looked around.
The room was about the size of the living room in the trailer she shared with her sister.
There was a bed in one corner, a recliner near the foot and a couple of doors leading who knew where.
It was surprisingly neat for a man to be living there, but she said nothing.
She took it all in, then turned to face Roadkill, waiting for whatever he wanted her to see.
“This is where I’ve lived for the last six years.
That’s a bathroom and there’s the closet.
” He motioned to the two doors. “This is the only place I’ve lived since I got out of the Marines.
I met Hex when we happened to be stationed together overseas, and he convinced me to come down when I separated.
” He looked down at the floor as he kept talking.
“The Savage Warriors are my family. I’ll do anything I need to in order to protect them.
And for years, they were the only ones. The only ones who mattered to me.
” He took her hand and led her to the recliner.
He motioned for her to take a seat, then when she did, he sat on the foot of the bed.
“Then you walked into my gym, and everything changed.”
Jenna frowned, wondering how her merely meeting him could change so much for him.
“I’ve been happy with this,” he motioned to the room around them, “for years. It was all I needed. All I wanted. And then I met you. Something about you makes me want more. It makes me want you. You come with Lacey, and I know that’s non-negotiable.
But that you’re so dedicated to taking care of her, that only makes me more certain that you’re the one for me.
” He paused, reaching out and covering her knee with one hand as he looked back up at her face.
“Before I met you, I could have lived the rest of my life right here in this room and been content. But now I want more. I want you. I want to help you with your sister.”
“Here?” She looked around the room, knowing there was no way she could move her sister in here. But she could move him into their trailer, eventually. It was only a couple of minutes away.
“In this room? Of course not. I’ve already talked to Hex. There’s an empty house on the compound. One we’ve finished but no one had spoken for. It’s a four bedroom, that would give use room for the three of us now and maybe a little room to grow if we want.”
She blinked and stared at him. This was so fast. She’d known him less than two weeks. They had been on one date. One. How could he be ready for this? How could he think she was ready for this? It felt like there was a band around her chest keeping her from taking a deep breath.
“All right. I see I’m moving too fast. I’ve scared you and that was the last thing I wanted to do.
I just wanted to let you know where I’m coming from and where I’m headed.
I’m not saying we have to jump from here to there tomorrow.
Let’s give it some time and go a little more slowly.
That doesn’t mean I’m not going to take the house, if Hex says I can have it.
But I don’t expect you to give up your place or to move in with me, just because I have it, all right? ”
Jenna forced herself focus on her breathing.
With the reassurance that he wasn’t expecting her to commit her and her sister to him here and now, the band on her chest seemed to ease, now she worked to keep from panicking.
She didn’t know how long they sat, with her trying to work her way through the emotions that swamped her before he spoke again.
“Talk to me, darlin’. Did I scare you off?”
Jenna put one hand down to cover his where it still sat on her knee as she shook her head. She tried to speak, but nothing came out. She swallowed and tried again.
“Did you scare me? Yeah. I won’t lie about it.
I barely know you. I wasn’t ready for all this.
But knowing you’ll give us time. Give me a chance to get there too?
That goes a long way to soothing my worries.
” She paused and searched his face, looking for any sign of what he was thinking.
“I have to be careful. I can’t just jump into anything, because I’m not the only one I have to consider. ”
He started to speak and she squeezed his hand, letting him know she wasn’t done.
“I love that you know Lacey is part of the deal and that you’re considering her.
And I know Joker would do anything to keep her safe, but I don’t know the rest of your club.
I don’t know if I can trust them all with her.
” She shook her head. “I’m just not comfortable with the idea of moving her onto the compound. ”
Roadkill started to say something, but she held up one hand and stopped him.
“At least not yet. I need to know all of you better. It’s my job to keep her safe and I take that seriously.”
“I know you do. I do too. And we can make sure you get to know all of us, so you know that not only will you and Lacey be safe here, but that we’d all protect you both with our lives.
” He turned the hand on her knee over and took hers in his, weaving his fingers with hers. “Did I totally ruin the mood?”
“What mood?”
“You didn’t think I brought you all the way up here just to talk, did you?”
“Well, no, but then you were talking and I thought maybe I’d been wrong.”
Roadkill stood. He used their joined hands to tug Jenna to her feet.
“Let’s see if I can get us past this speedbump,” Roadkill said.
Jenna looked up at him, watching him as he slowly leaned in. She got tired of waiting, even knowing he was giving her a chance to say no or back away. Instead, she hooked her free arm around his neck and pulled him down until their lips met.
Once more, his touch sent her head spinning. She melted into him and let Roadkill show her the rest of what he’d brought her up here for.