With the sunset on a Friday night, you could be sure that the clubhouse would be full of people. The music as loud as thunder, causing the glass bottles at the bar to shake in tune with the beat. There were bodies everywhere, some with cuts, most without. The women in barely there clothing scattered about in hopes of being claimed by a member. There was a clear difference between the croweaters and the old ladies – like day and night. The croweaters would give anything to be given that title but until then, they’d strip and dance until a member was interested enough to take them to one of the dorms, if not, have them right there in the open for everyone to see.
Everyone was either drunk or high at these parties. There was no rules. Looking through the smoky haze that clouded the room, Jax’s eyes met hers. Regardless of how many women were around, once their baby blues met – everyone else disappeared. Her eyes were full of hunger and desire. The way she looked at him sent chills down his bones. He did a quick survey of the room to find every man in a cut either passed out or had their attention preoccupied, now was his chance to move.
Jax gravitated towards the extraordinary being that had captured his heart, her hand taking his as she lead him outside and without a moment’s hesitation, he had her pinned against the back wall. Her lips, soft and pink, trembling with excitement before they captured his. Her arms wrapped around his neck before her fingers entangled their way into his hair. She was always a woman who knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to go after it. Who was he to deny her anything? His breath caught in his throat as her moist lips moved down to his neck. Her tongue dancing gracefully against his skin, generating a low growl in her ear. Soon his hand found his way around her neck, squeezing it ever so softly as she moaned before his lips met hers again for a deep, passionate kiss.
The sound of footsteps heading their way caused the two to let go. Harley quickly grabbed his hand, pulling him around to the front of the clubhouse where she hopped on his bike.
“Let’s go.”
She spoke over the loud noise coming from inside. Pulling his helmet on, he handed her one so she could do the same.
“Where?”
Her body slid closer to his, taking his breath away once again as her arms slipped their way around his waist. Her chin resting on his shoulder, he felt her shrug.
“Anywhere.” She replied as he started the bike and drove off the lot, out of sight. “Surprise me.”
Despite all of the vibrations of the bike. He could feel her heart beating against him. It was slow and steady. She always loved riding just as much as he did. Being on the open road was like no other on a bike. He could feel her letting out a satisfied sigh as her head rested on his shoulder. It brought a smile to his face knowing how at calm this made them feel but soon he came to a stop.
In the many hills in California, this was one with a breathtaking view that he loved to go to ever since he was a kid. He helped her off the bike and took her hand, walking carefully to the edge as it overlooked the bright lights of the towns below. Her eyes widened as she admired the beauty but all he could do was stare at her. The lights from below reflecting in her eyes and even in dim lighting, you could see the golden glow of her skin. The warmth radiating off of her could make the summer sun jealous. He knew she’d love this just as much as he did.
Taking a seat, Harley pulled out her phone, playing her favorite country radio station before patting the ground next to her for him to sit. He did as he was told, pulling her body even closer to his as he watched her pull a joint out of her bra. He let out a low laugh at her extra ‘pocket’, as she liked to call it, and watched while she lit it and took a hit before passing it onto him.
“You know,” she spoke, blowing out the smoke. “It’s crazy to think that one day, one of those rooftops is going to be ours. Full of little Tellers in little leather jackets.”
His lips curved into a smile as he exhaled the smoke in little rings. He could picture it all. A bunch of blue eyed blonde haired babies, a perfect mixture of him and Harley in a little suburban home all of their own. He’d be president, she’d host the family dinners, the kids playing outside with Opie and Donna’s. That was the end goal. Everything he did from here on out was to get to there.
“I can’t wait babe, soon as I get patched in all that money I’ll be bringing in will all be stashed for that.”
She took the joint, putting it to her lips as she inhaled. He could see her eyes staring out at the streets below, the lights of cars and streetlights flashing in her eyes. She exhaled the smoke slowly and rested her head on his arm. “We’ll be living the dream soon enough babe, just have to make it past these last few months.”
“What about after that babe? You know Otto wants you to get a degree.”
“Gemma ain’t got a degree and she’s got the world at her fingertips.”
“Gemma ain’t got a degree cause she had me right outta high school. And she thinks the world ends at Charming’s borders. This is it for Gemma, babe. Don’t you want more?”
Her eyes lowered to the ground. He knew she hated this topic. Truth be told, he hated bringing it up. He resented Tara for wanting to leave to go to school far away but Harley had potential too. She didn’t even have to leave Charming. He couldn’t just let her throw her life away. Her eyes lit up once again as she blew out her last inhale and got up.
“I love this song!”
She smiled excitedly as Elvis Presley’s I Can’t Help Falling in Love came on. She took his hands to pull him up as she began swaying to the music. His arm slid around her waist as his free hand held her smaller one in his, they danced slowly to the rhythm. He knew she wanted to change the topic, he also knew better than to argue with her. She did love this song though. The first day he’d met her, this song was playing and she was singing at the top of her lungs. Otto was a big Elvis fan and it all rubbed off on Harley. Now here she was, head on his shoulder, her harmonious humming against his neck as they danced slowly on the hillside and he had no doubt in his mind he’d pick this over a clubhouse party anyday.
“I’m going to marry you to this song.” He whispered in her ear as he pulled her a little tighter against him.
“I’ll hold you to that.” She smiled.
“Harley!”
Her dad’s voice shouted from the lot early Saturday morning. Though she’d already been working in the office for a few hours, loud noises weren’t very welcomed. She got up from the chair and made her way to the door, tucking her phone into the back pocket of her shorts. With her hand over her eyes to shield them from the sun, she did a quick survey of the lot. The bikes were all there, the employees were there, but she couldn’t see Otto anywhere.
“Jesus Christ.”
Harley heard Gemma mumble behind her as she approached the doorway, arms folded across her chest. Following Gemma’s gaze she saw him across the lot, holding the battered employee from the other day by the collar as he called her once more. With a deep inhale and a laugh she looked up at Gemma who urged her forward.
“Go, sweetheart. Get this out of the way so that poor man can be put out of his misery.”
Crossing the lot, she could see people staring. One set of eyes in particular caught her attention. Those mesmerizing blues. She could see the nervousness in them from across the lot, but there was also a hint of satisfaction in them. She knew how mad Jax had been when that guy tried to hit on her. It was sexy how protective he was. His jealous streak was a mean one but it wasn’t any worse than the rest of the men. She chuckled to herself, placing one hand over her mouth to hide her smile, the other on her hip as she took in the man.
His once sun kissed face and chiseled bone structure, now a black and blue jumbled mess. She could see the indents from Otto’s rings on his face. His eyes swollen into tiny slits that he could barely see out of. He was sweating. Nervous and afraid. Otto nudged him forward. Avoiding all eye contact, his raspy voice finally spoke out.
“I’m sorry for being disrespectful, Ms. Delaney. Won’t happen again.”
“That’s alright, Ronny.”
It really was alright. It aggravated her how aggressive her father would get. This guy was new, he didn’t know any better and he sure as hell could’ve been let off with a warning but no – Otto had to make an example out of him. With all the legal trouble this club was in, the last thing they needed was to get brought in for some stupid shit. With a heavy sigh, her eyes met her dad’s and she shot in a disappointed look before returning back to the office with Gemma.
“Boys will be boys, honey. You’re Big Otto’s to protect until you find yourself an old man.”
“Yeah, Gem but the last thing Otto or any of them need it to catch a case when there’s bigger issues at hand.”
“Well the only thing you need to be worrying about right now is graduating. You can start worrying about the club in a few months.”
“I always worry Gem. Luanne would be crushed if anything happened to him.”
She felt the older woman’s hands on her shoulders, giving her a gentle reassuring squeeze. If there was one person you needed to be on good terms with it was Gemma Teller. Gemma was her mentor in this cruel world. As much as she wished she could be this close with her own mother, she’d rather be head of the club than directing porn. She’d starred in her fair share before she met Otto and he put her behind the camera. Luanne wasn’t a role model by any means but her dad looked at her like she was an angel. She couldn’t say why but she did want a love like theirs.
With a sigh, Harley took a sip of her water before walking back out to the office door to call in Jax. Even though the guys had club business, Gemma kept all of them working at the garage when they could. She could always use a helping hand and it kept a good cover for them. They were just hard working mechanics with a love of bikes, she would always say. It was fitting. They did all know their way around bikes pretty well but they couldn’t be bothered with any of the paperwork and left it all behind for her and Gemma to fill out which annoyed the crap out of her. In this case she didn’t necessarily mind. It would give her a chance to be closer to Jax for longer than 2 minutes.
“Miss me already, babe?”
Jax said with a smirk on his face as he stepped up through the doorway. Both of their eyes immediately widened when he caught his mistake. Gemma was in there with them and they knew she never missed a beat when it came to listening in. Looking over her shoulder, Harley could see the queen already interested with her cocked eyebrows and a smug look of curiosity on her face. Trying to play it off cool, Harley held out some papers for Jax as nonchalantly as possible.
“Here. You forgot to fill these out again.”
“Uh, yeah – sure thing.”
He turned to go towards the door but came to a halt upon hearing Gemma’s voice. They were SO close to being home free but of course she’d never let that slide.
“Babe, huh?”
“It’s not a big deal, Ma.”
She didn’t by any of that. You could easily tell with Gemma. Her arched eyebrows – her narrow focused eyes. The way her hands rested so comfortably but yet so demanding on her hip. It was something Harley always admired about Gemma. How intimidating she could be. She could go from the being the sweetest soul to being the biggest bitch in a moments notice. She was never one for bullshit and demanded respect and attention she’d undoubtedly earned, but to be on the receiving end of that look was terrifying. They watched as she walked over to the door to shut it behind them before turning to look at the young couple. Though their faces showed no fear, inside they were shaking.
“Talk, now.” She said, crossing her arms.
“Come on Mom. I got a lotta work to do.”
“Don’t give me that. You had one car you just finished with. When did this happen?”
Biting her lower lip, Harley’s eyes shifted out the window before meeting Gemma’s again. It was better to come clean with her than anything else. Just like ripping a band aid she told herself. “About 6 months ago.” Jax’s eyes shot right to her then back at Gemma to gauge her reaction.
“I knew I saw you two gettin’ chummy. Do you know how dangerous this is?!”
“Hence why we haven’t told anyone but Ope and Donna, Ma.”
“Don’t Ma me. What if you’d said this shit in front of Otto? You wanna end up like that poor kid? How long do you plan on keeping this going?”
“That’s not going to happen. Once I get patched in, Harley will be my old lady and Otto won’t have a say.”
“You really think that’s going to happen? Otto will KILL you Jackson!”
“I won’t let that happen.”
Harley finally spoke up. Though she was nervous, her voice didn’t shake, nor did she stutter. It was firm. She knew when it did come down to her dad finding out that she wouldn’t let anything happen to Jax. Gemma’s eyes shot to her as she stopped pacing. They narrowed at her and Harley swore she could see the fire behind them but she didn’t budge.
“This is bullshit. Outta anyone you two coulda chosen.”
“There is no one else, Gemma.” Jax spoke again. “She’s it for me.”
With a defeated exhale, Gemma looked between the two of them. Jax stepped closer to grab Harley’s hand and lace their fingers together. As much as she wanted to faint right now, this would be the absolute worse moment. The older woman took a deep breath, crossing her arms again and tapping her foot on the ground.
“Fine. This is the stupidest thing you two have ever done, but if my son’s going to be with anyone – I’m glad it’s you.”
Harley smiled, opening her arms to give Gemma a hug. “And you won’t say a word to anyone?”
“You know better than anyone that my lips are sealed, sweetheart.”
The clubhouse was once again full of people that night. Being a prospect, him and Opie had spent most of the night behind the bar. Harley and Donna would dance and drink and have fun but return to the bar to keep them company while the served the drinks. He hated doing this bitch work. He’d mentally count the days until this bullshit was over. No more sitting in the back of the room in church. No more running meaningless errands. His father had started this club, he shouldn’t even have to do this, but rules were rules and he was going to respect that.
Soon enough, he lost sight of Harley. As nervous as that made him – he knew nothing bad could possible happen to her in here. One, she could handle herself extremely well and two, no one here would let anything happen. He told Opie that he’d be right back and walked down the long hallway to the dorms to climb up to the roof. This was his safe haven. His one quiet place to think. He missed his dad. Yeah Clay was a good stepfather. He made Gemma happy and he was a great president, but there’s nothing in the world like your old man. It’d been two years since he’d passed and a day hadn’t gone by that he hadn’t thought about him. It was tough when he was alone. Those two years felt like two days. Like he was going through it all over again.
Arms wrapped around him and he was surrounded by the sweet aroma of her body spray. He closed his eyes as he leaned his head back against her shoulder, feeling her lips trailing his neck. Harley was always a welcomed distraction. Somehow always knowing when he needed her most. He grabbed her by her wrist, bringing her around to the front of him and sitting her on his lap. His arms wrapped around her waist as she leaned her back against him to look down at the crowds of drunks hanging around the lot. There was one thing he was certain of, he’d never leave her and his kids hanging. The thought of another man being with her the way Gemma had so easily moved on with Clay made him sick. Harley would forever have her old man to count on and he knew he’d forever have his old lady by his side.
“Do you think I’ll ever be as good as J.T. in running this club?”
“You got big footsteps to fill babe, but I think you’ll be the greatest president in SAMCRO history.”