Still Waters (Motorcycle Club Romance, New Adult Romance): Devil's Riders (Hot Blooded Heroes) (9 page)

             
He hoped she would let him do it again.

             
He rolled off of her and pulled her into his arms, staring at the ceiling. She snuggled against his chest in a way that suggested there was no place else she'd rather be. He allowed himself the luxury of thinking- hoping- she might let him keep her.

             
She might stay.

             
A cool drop of water hit his chest. What the- He laid back again when he realized she was crying. She wasn't crying because of him was she? He never wanted to make her cry again.

             
"What am I going to do Jack? I can't go home."

             
He squeezed her. Not crying because of him then. Good.

             
"I know."

             
"They don't love me."

             
"They're idiots."

             
"How do you know?"

             
"I met them."

             
He raised an eyebrow at her and she nearly burst out laughing. He was almost offended by the look of shock her face at the discovery that he had a sense of humor after all. Instead he decided that it was time to make love to her again.

             
Before she changed her mind.

             
But slower this time.

             
Much slower.

**********

              "I want to see you dance."

             
Janet was cuddled up in his lap on one of the deck chairs, watching the sun go down. He lifted her up and set her on her feet, facing him. Then he sat back down again.

             
Her eyes widened as he stared at her expectantly.

             
"Really dance."

             
She inhaled and exhaled shakily.

             
"I haven't danced in so long, Jack."

             
"So?"

             
"There's no music."

             
He just waited. She felt so awkward in front of him suddenly. What if she wasn't any good at it anymore? What if he laughed at her. She peeked at him shyly. He lifted the corner of his mouth the teeniest bit. For Jack, that was a pretty big smile.

             
"Okay."

             
She took a deep breath and moved back on the deck. She'd perform the part of Giselle when she reappears as a spirit to save her lover. Of course, she couldn't do it full out without toe shoes, but she could mark it out. She'd have to be careful on the rough wood deck.

             
She tuned out everything around her and heard the music in her head. She rose gracefully as the spirt of Giselle into a full arabesque, one leg pointing high in the sky behind her. Then she fell into the dance, abbreviating the turns and leaps but doing most of the footwork. The dance was one of lost love and redemption. She felt all the emotions of the dance filling her up and spilling out as she spun in revoltade after revoltade, finally sinking to the ground as Giselle returned to her grave.

             
Janet lifted her head to see Jack watching her with tears in his eyes. He lifted his hands and clapped, slow and hard, until she ran into his arms. He pulled her into his lap and kissed her.

             
"You are so beautiful."

             
She snuggled deeper into his chest. She hadn't danced in so long. She'd been afraid to. But here and now, it had felt right somehow.

             
She felt wonderful. Everything in this moment was perfect. She'd never felt so safe and secure in her life. Until Jack's next words brought reality crashing back down on her.

             
"Let's go home."

             
She nodded sadly. If that's what he wanted, she would do it. She'd do anything for him at this point. The last thing she wanted was to leave this beautiful place… The place where she'd finally had Jack all to herself.

             
It wasn't just that she didn't want to go home.

             
She didn't have one.

10

             
Jack pulled up to Janet's parents house. Her bedroom window was boarded over. Good. He hoped everyone knew why. Then the neighbors would know what sick people were living there.

             
"I don't want to go in there."

             
He turned to look at Janet. She looked so small all the sudden. Like a lost little girl. He tried to smile reassuringly.

             
"So don't. I'm just going to get some clothes for you. Though you do look pretty cute in my shirts."

             
"Oh."

             
"Did you think I would take you back here? After what they did?"

             
"I- I don't know what to think. Or expect."

             
He leaned forward and pressed his lips to her forehead.

             
"You can stay with me for as long as you want."

             
When he pulled back she was staring up at him with an odd look. He never seen that look in anyone's eyes before. It told him that he was the most important person in the world to her. He inhaled sharply. Then she blinked and it was gone.

             
Jack got out of the car and walked up to the front door, pounding it with his fist. He didn't care what time in the morning it was. After a minute Janet's father opened the door. He was bleary eyed. Clearly he'd just been woken up.

             
Jack shouldered him out of the way and walked straight to Janet's bedroom. He found a duffle bag in the closet and started shoving clothes into it. He opened a drawer and grinned at all the frilly lady items inside. He emptied the entire drawer into the bag and then moved to the next drawer.

             
Then he looked at the hanging clothes. Janet sure had a lot of fancy stuff.

             
He was rummaging around for something else to put her clothes in when he saw her father standing hesitantly in the door.

             
"Is she alright?"             

             
"I need another bag."

             
"I'll get one. Is she?"

             
He nodded brusquely and the man disappeared, coming back with a garment bag and another large suitcase. He helped Jack as he packed Janet's things.

             
In the end, Mr. Mahoney ended up carrying half of her stuff out to the car with Jack. He teared up when he saw Janet in the passenger seat.

             
"Thank God you are alright."

             
Janet didn't say anything as they loaded the car. She stared straight ahead until Jack was in the drivers seat. She glanced at him for reassurance. He nodded. Janet turned to her father.

             
"Goodbye dad."

             
That was it. She turned away from the open window and Jack pulled away from the curb.

**********

              Janet stared out the window of the SUV at the huge metal sign that read 'JH Bikes.' Jack owned his own custom bike shop. He'd said he was good at fixing things. How had she not known about that?

             
From the looks of it, business was booming.

             
"I live on the top floor. There's a couple of empty floors up there too. It's not much but-"

             
"Are you kidding? It's awesome."

             
He looked relieved. She was coming to realize that he did care what she thought. Very much so. She smiled and got out of the car.

             
"Jack!"

             
A couple of guys were in the shop working. They raised their hands in greeting, looking at Janet curiously. Jack scowled and grabbed a handful of her stuff. She looked at his hand gripping her luggage. He could carry a lot with those huge hands.

             
That wasn't the only huge thing he had… she blushed, remembering making love with him that third time on the deck in the open air. He'd laid a blanket down on the hard wood and then he'd taken her twice. Fast the first time and then slow the second. That was four times they'd done it in one night. She was a little bit sore to tell the truth. But she didn't care.

             
Not one bit.

             
She followed him through a large metal door to an industrial elevator. He pulled the gate down behind them and threw the lever, watching carefully as they rose three stories. There were a lot of empty floors.

             
"Who owns this place?"

             
He glanced over his shoulder at her.

             
"I do."

             
She raised her eyebrows and looked around.

             
"This elevator has a lot of possibilities."

             
He turned sharply and threw the lever. His mouth opened as he gathered her meaning. He took a deep breath and shook his head to clear it.

             
Was he blushing?

             
He started the elevator again.

             
"I'm going to remember that you said that."

             
She felt a funny little dip in her stomach at his words. They sounded like a promise.

             
The elevator stopped at the third floor and he raised the gate. Janet looked around in wonder. It was an enormous loft. The kind you see in Magazines about New York Artists. It was clean and spartan, with very little furniture. There were a few things here and there, a table and chairs under a long bank of windows. Bookshelves. Jack read books?

             
And there against the back wall was an enormous bed. It looked like a California King. Of course it was. A big man like him needed a big bed. It rested on some sort of platform built out of wood.

             
"I can get more stuff."

             
She looked at him curiously. He'd set her bags down and was watching her carefully. She ran her fingers over the back of a heavy wooden chair.

             
"It's beautiful Jack. I love the furniture. Where did you get all of this?"

             
"I made it."

             
She stared at him, momentarily dumbstruck. Then she smiled at him. He looked so serious and she wanted to make him smile again. His smile made him light up.

             
"Is there anything you can't do?"

             
He smiled, an adorably lop sided grin. For a split second she saw the little boy toiling in the kitchen. Unloved and uncared for. Her heart broke a little bit.

             
"I can't dance."

             
She laughed. She couldn't help it. Then she saw the metal staircase leading upwards.

             
"What's that?"

             
He took her hand and led her towards it.

             
"Come on. I want to show you something."

**********

              Jack pushed open the door to the roof. He'd only just begun building the deck up here in his spare time. But it was going to be spectacular when he finished. He stole a look at Janet to see what she thought.

             
She was smiling and spinning in a circle.

             
"You can see the mountains from here!"

             
He walked over to a tarp and lifted it to reveal his tools.

             
"It's not done yet."

             
She was giving him an odd look suddenly. She looked… suspicious.

             
"How many girls have you brought up here, Jack?"

             
"None. Not ever."

             
She sighed and hugged her chest with her arms. He stared at her long, beautiful legs. She was still wearing his t-shirt. He hoped she'd make a habit of wearing his shirts around the house. He took a deep breath and exhaled.

             
Here goes nothing.

             
Here goes everything.

             
"I want you."

             
She tossed her head in that familiar proud way. He grinned.

             
"You've already had me, remember? Four times. I thought you didn't do repeat customers."

             
She arched her eyebrow at him, daring him to answer that.

             
"No Janet. I mean I want you. Permanently."

             
Her eyes opened wide.

             
"You do?"

             
He nodded and smiled at her uncertainly, just a little bit worried about what she might say. That was a lie. He was worried. A lot.

             
She was beside him in an instant, laughing as she planted tiny kisses all over his face. He leaned down and took her lips. Ten minutes later he had a thought.

             
They should finish unloading the car so he could take it back to Dev.

             
His body molded itself to hers instinctively as she pressed herself into his with equal force.

             
Dev was going to have to wait.