While the men were in church. Harley had called Neeta, the kids’ babysitter, to meet at her house so she could drop off Belle and Abel. Gemma and Luanne were preparing the food for the party later tonight and as calm as she had been about her interaction with Koz, she needed fresh air to regroup. That and the way the two older women were interrogating her about Kozik was starting to be too much. Although she never lied to the two of them, she had to make it clear that they needed to lay off on pushing the two together. She had no interest in getting back to Kozik.
They knew her feelings for him and they knew she was not willing to budge from her decision to not try to fix things. So instead of pushing Harley in, they would simply push Nora away. Nora didn’t belong here. She stuck out like a sore thumb with just the family around, what was she going to do during the party later. Hell this girl didn’t even have the decency to offer help in the kitchen.
The men were in Church. Clay was filling in Happy and Kozik on what was going on with Zobelle and Weston. All the men were listening intently but Kozik’s mind was on Harley. She had changed so much since he’d last seen her. She was slim and toned with her tight stomach. Her tits were definitely bigger than he remembered and her slim waist made her hips look even better. She was sporting new tattoos on her arms, two half sleeves from shoulder to elbow. He wondered if she still had his crow on her hip. God he loved seeing the crow move with her hips when she’d ride him. Nothing felt better than seeing his name on her skin, permanently marking her as his. He shook his head from those thoughts. There wasn’t a way she would ever let him close enough to her again for that to happen. But damn she looked amazing. Her tan skin and blonde hair made her look like heaven when she walked into that room. Her presence alone commanded attention and everyone was more than happy to give it to her. He wanted nothing more than to drop to his knees and beg her to forgive him – to give them a fresh start, but he was certain all that would earn him was a boot to the face.
He shook his head to himself. Thinking back to the beautiful little girl as she ran to Clay and the rest of the guys like it was the most natural thing in the world. Her hair slightly messy from sleeping but her bright blue eyes wide awake with excitement. Nothing about these intimidating bikers scared her. Clearly Harley had done a phenomenal job raising Isabelle. He silently prayed she’d let him be apart of that.
Clay banged the gavel on the table, the guys rose from their seats and made their way out the door. Jax threw an arm around Kozik’s shoulder as they walked out “ How you doin’ brother” Kozik shrugged “ I don’t know man, seeing Harley… then seeing my little girl run right past me like I was nobody to her” He sighed “ It hurt man. I’ll be honest. Shit ripped right through me.” Jax simply nodded and patted his brothers back.
Kozik made his way over to Nora who was alone at the bar. Clearly she’d had a few drink in her and looking none too happy to be there. He ran his hand down her back slowly. “ Hey baby, you doin’ okay?” he asked her slowly as she looked up at him with glazed eyes. She tried to speak but it all came out as a slurred mess. She was ready to pass out so he lifted her up in his arms bridal style and carried her to one of the dorms they would be using.
Harley gave Belle and Abel a bath, making the kids a light snack while waiting for Neeta, they usually spent Friday’s at her house since she was always the first to leave the party. She decided against changing her clothes, instead he grabbed a black and red plaid shirt and threw it on over her beater leaving it unbuttoned since it was bound to get chilly later. As Neeta arrived, Harley kissed the kids goodnight and hopped up into her Ram making her way over to pick up Lyla and Tara.
The three of them were best friends, as much shit as they’d each been through, it made their bond even stronger. The girls knew that Kozik was back in town and as they climbed into Harley’s truck they looked at her intently. Harley noticed the looks as her eyes shifted from Tara to Lyla. She took a deep breath. “Ok what is it?” She asked.They both let out a weak smile.
“So… you run into Koz today?” Tara asked softly.
Harley smirked at her two friends, clearly they’d heard about the interaction from either Jax or Opie. “Yeah things went well. Just gave him a hug and went to help my mom prep some of the food. He seemed stuck on Belle though but she went to the kitchen with my mom so I didn’t introduce them”
“Are you going to?” Lyla spoke up
“Probably not. He was a shitty man back then and I’m not having that with Belle”
“I know you’re in protective mama bear mode, but don’t you think Belle should know she has two parents so that when she goes to school she’s not wondering why other kids have daddies and she doesn’t?” Harley listened as the blonde spoke. She clearly hadn’t thought of that. So far in the little SAMCRO bubble she’d had Isabelle around, she didn’t wonder about a daddy, but she knew once she went to school, she wouldn’t be about to shield her from that.
Harley sighed and nodded at her two friends. “I don’t know Lyla, maybe someday I will, but for now we’ll see how this goes.”
As the girls pulled up to the clubhouse, the party was already in full swing. They made their way inside and Harley took a look around. She noticed the Jax and Opie playing pool in the corner and nodded towards them for Lyla and Tara to make their way over. Harley walked over behind the bar where she grabbed 5 beers for the group. When she stood back up from the cooler she noticed Kozik watching her from the front of the bar. Smiling a bit she walked over and stood across from him. His eyes lit up looking at her. “Hey” he managed to let out. Taken aback that she was taking the time to talk to him.
She laughed lowly biting the corner of her bottom lip. “You look like shit, Koz. Can I get you a beer?” she asked noticing the dark circles under his eyes. His whole demeanor seemed stressed. Yet underneath his tired expression, Harley could see his piercing blue eyes had a light in them that she remembered so clearly, his body seemed bigger, harder. She couldn’t help but notice how good he looked.
He looked up into her eyes and smirked at her bluntness “ Yeah I guess I’ll take one.” She reached under the bar to grab him a bottle and handed him his. As he grabbed it from her hand, his fingers lingered over hers. “You’re looking good Harls. Real good.”
She took her hand back slowly and leaned her arms against the counter looking at him. God he looked amazing. Hell, even better than when they were together. That girl he’s seeing must be doing something right. “ Yeah, you do too babe.”
She noticed Nora coming over to the bar, looking like a drunken mess and nodded her head over to Kozik who was still looking at her. “Your girl’s here” she told him as Nora approached the bar giving him a sloppy kiss, her arms around his shoulders more to keep herself balanced than anything else. Harley had to laugh to herself at the obvious attempt to claim Kozik as her man.
Nora’s eyes fell on Harley as she heard the woman laugh. Harley simply looked at her and smiled “You must be Nora, it’s great to meet you sweetheart” She held her hand out for the other woman to shake.
Nora sneered at her hand and gripped Koz tighter. “Look ‘sweetheart’, I don’t know what you’re trying to pull but it would be in your best interest if you stayed away from Herman” Kozik immediately covered her mouth with his hand, staring wide eyed at Harley. He knew perfectly well the damage she was capable of doing to a grown man, let alone another woman.
Harley laughed out loud at Nora’s attempt to mark her territory. She lifted her beer in her hand as a silent cheers and smiled at the couple. “Alrighty then, you two kids have fun” She grabbed the other four beers and made her way over to the pool table where Opie, Jax, Tara, and Lyla had been watching the interaction. She shook her head at their questions, clearly not worth the breath it would take to explain it and they continued on about their night.
Kozik was sitting on the couch talking to Juice and Chibs, Nora was tucked under his arm clinging on to him as croweatters and sweetbutts tried to rub on the men around. As the conversation went on, Koz only had his eyes on Harley who was now dancing with Lyla on by the pool tables. The way her hips were grinding against Lyla’s, the way her body moved smoothly to the music, even the way the sweat glistened on her stomach as her shirt had gone up from dancing was getting him harder by the minute.
Then he saw it. She still had his crow. His name on her. His eyes darkened with lust as he watched Lyla’s hands grazed Harley’s hip over the crow. He felt his pants tighten from the hardness of his dick before Chibs snapped his fingers in front of the mans face to snap him out of it.
Of course both him and Juice had followed his gaze to the girls, but with his woman under his arms, they didn’t want their fellow brother getting in trouble again. Koz snapped out of it and lowered his head to see Nora passed out against him. He excused himself from the group and lifted her up taking her back to the dorm room to tuck her in yet again. He’d never seen her so drunk and needy, but he secretly was grateful she passed out so he could go back to Harley uninterrupted.
Harley was bumping and grinding between Tara and Lyla, they’d all had a couple beers and the music was great that night. She’d felt Koz’s gaze on her, locking eyes with him multiple times but the little twat of a girl he brought was clinging onto him for dear life giving her the evil eye. She watched as he brought her back to the dorms and slowly stopped dancing. Taking the last swig of her beer she leaned back against the table, laughing at Jax and Opie complaining about how the girls beat them at pool earlier. She pulled her phone out of her back pocket too look at the time. Damn, it was already 1am.
“I should start heading out guys. You two going to be heading home with Jax an Op?” She asked Lyla and Tara. They both nodded and Jax called over Half Sack who had been assigned personal bodyguard to the princess of SAMCRO. Sack ran over and Harley hugged the group goodnight before walking with him out the door as Koz came back out to the the party watching them leave. He couldn’t push back the tinge of jealousy that hit him. Was he really jealous of a prospect? Fuck. He was. Hell he’d even been jealous of Lyla when Harley was dancing on her.
“How you holdin’ up Harls?” Sack asked as they both lit a cigarette on the picnic table.
“Eh, I don’t know how to answer that Sack. It’s like nothing had changed when we spoke. Then his girlfriend tried to tell me to keep away.” She shrugged blowing out some smoke. “ It’s not worth the drama. The club needs a clear head. What happened between us happened a long time ago. I’m so done dwelling on the past. I have forgiven him, but I’ll never trust him and that is the exact reason I’m not letting him near Isabelle. I can’t afford another fuck up where he needs to disappear and leaves her high and dry.” Sack just nodded. She was glad she had spent so much time with him. They’d become closer than any of the others. She could literally tell Kip anything and he’d know when to say something and when she just needed to vent.
As Kip threw his arm over her shoulder for a side hug, the clubhouse doors opened and Koz came out to the two of them.
“Prospect, get lost” He hooked his thumb behind him motioning for the door. Half Sack hesitated and looked over at Harley, she nodded at him before he headed over to the doors. Kozik noticed the interaction and it only angered him more. The prospect should have moved when he said not when he got permission from her.
Harley took another hit of her cigarette as she looked up at Koz. He’d made his way to stand in front of her and she blew the smoke out in his direction before leaning back on her palms on the table. He pulled the cigarette out of her mouth and took a hit. “ You’re too pretty to smoke” he growled at her.
She laughed at the idea of him thinking he could tell her anything. She pulled the stick out of his fingers placed between her lips. “You’re too young to be my daddy” She smirked before flicking what was left of it on the ground, stubbing it out under her boot as she got up off the table.
“So you and Sack a thing now?” He asked, unable to hold back his anger. Again she smirked, making him even more frustrated. He knew he had no right, but seeing the prospect with his arms on her brought out his worst.
Harley didn’t answer him, she looked over at Sack who was leaning against the clubhouse doors waiting for them and nodded her head towards the car. As she went to brush by Koz, he grabbed her arm gently. “Harls you’ve been drinking, let me drive you home.” He looked straight into her eyes so she could see his pleading.
She shook her head and removed her arm from his hold. “I have a kid, babe, I know my limits. Go check on sleeping beauty.” She smiled stepping backward towards the truck. “You have a goodnight Kozik.” she winked at him before climbing up into her truck and driving off the lot with Kip following her on his bike.
Koz just stood there. What did that mean? Fuck – was she with that prospect? He was so frustrated at her lack of response to him, but that wink made him want to rip her clothes off and take her right there on the lot. Goddammit! He had to stop thinking of Harley like that! He couldn’t have her, he had Nora, why was he doing this to himself! Nora moved her whole life to come down here with him. Nora loved him. Nora was in his bed waiting for him… So why was that not enough?