“How’s it going?” Jester asked Acer with a grunt as he released the barbell and rubbed a muscle that twitched in his chest. The flicker reminded him of yesterday’s yoga session with Emily. If he wasn’t careful, his muscles wouldn’t receive enough blood to complete the next set.
“You need me to spot you?” Acer raised his gaze from the laptop he’d been plugging away at in silence for the past fifteen minutes.
“Nah, bro, I’m good. One more set.” He wrapped his hands around the heavy metal bar lifting it straight up from the supports and lowering it toward his chest as he exhaled. He was tired, but the burn in his muscles felt good, and they weren’t near the point of failure so he didn’t need a spotter.
With a shake of his head Acer returned to his work. “If the club had known you were such a meathead jock when you were prospecting, you’d have never been voted in.”
Jester waited until he’d powered through his ten reps before answering. It was hard to carry on a conversation while he raised and lowered more than three hundred pounds of metal directly over his chest. The weights clanged back into the holder as he sat up and stretched his arms behind his back loosening the tight muscles in his chest. “Hey, man, don’t hate just because you’re a puny thing.”
Acer snorted without looking up or missing a keystroke. While Acer didn’t have nearly the bulk Jester did, he was no slouch and could certainly hold his own in a fight. He just had a leaner build.
“Besides,” Jester continued, “the ladies love how huge I am. They’re drawn to my guns like a baby to the teat.”
“First off, you’re more drawn to tits than any baby. And second, ladies? Don’t you mean lady? Because it seems to me there is only one of those these days. This Emily chick getting under your skin, bro?”
Jester opened a bottle of water and guzzled the entire contents, allowing himself a chance to consider Acer’s question.
“All kidding aside?” He pulled up the hem of his shirt to wipe the sweat off his face. “She’s sunk her claws in deep. I’m sure this makes me a complete dick, but I can’t remember ever wanting to spend time with a woman after I’ve fucked her. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve fucked a broad more than once, and it’s not like I stuck around for conversation afterward.”
Acer shrugged. “We’re all like that, man. With the amount of willing and able pussy that hangs around the club we’ve no reason to be anything else.” Even though Acer spoke, his attention was still firmly on the monitor in front of him.
“Hook and VP seem to like what they’ve got now,” Jester said, referring to the monogamous relationships of their friends.
Acer stopped typing and gave Jester his full attention. “Shit, you thinking along those lines?”
With a self-deprecating grunt Jester sat up on the weight bench, and leaned forward, resting his forearms on his powerful thighs. “No. Fuck no. I just…” He rolled his eyes. “Oh fuck it. I can’t stop thinking about her. All day. Every day. I’d rather be with her than just about anywhere else, and I can’t seem to fuck her out of my system. She’s smart, she sweet, she gets me, she’s just…good.”
Acer cracked up, not appearing phased by the dark scowl that his laughter brought to Jester’s face. “So why don’t you just quit whining and enjoy it? Seriously man. We don’t meet many women like that. Most who come through the club are hardened, bitter, and used up. Seems to me, you find one who’s all that shit you mentioned, plus she’s as fuckable as your Emily, you should hold tight and enjoy the ride.”
Jester glowered at Acer’s description of Emily, but he couldn’t argue with the man. He wanted inside her every chance he got. Even now, just hearing her name he was semi-erect.
“She doesn’t seem in any hurry to kick your overgrown ass to the curb either, brother. Consider yourself one of the lucky ones and roll with it.”
Jester nodded, and let Acer’s words sink in. His brother was right, he just needed to shut up and enjoy her. To his surprise, he didn’t miss the revolving door of easy women he’d had before. Emily was more than satisfying his sexual needs. On top of that, she calmed him and soothed his rough edges. She was accepting of his lifestyle, but as Acer mentioned, she wasn’t a washed up biker whore. He liked talking to her, and liked hearing what she had to say as well.
“There’s just one thing.”
“What’s that? She doesn’t let you be on top enough?” Acer laughed at his own joke.
“I’m serious, asshole.”
“All right, what’s the thing?”
“Sometimes I feel like she’s hiding something. She doesn’t tell me much about her life. It’s like she’s holding something back.”
“You may be the only man in history to complain that his woman talks too little.”
Jester flipped him the bird. “Forget it, asshole.”
Acer laughed again. “Okay, I’m done bustin’ your balls. You worried she’s not into a relationship?”
Jester rubbed a hand across his chin. “Maybe, but I think it’s more than that. I can’t shake the feeling something’s bothering her, maybe some kind of trouble.”
“So, why don’t you just ask her?”
He shook his head. “I doubt she’d tell me. I can’t get her to talk about much of anything personal.”
“Give it time, brother. You forget that you just met her. Trust takes time to build.” Acer shrugged. “Maybe it’s just too soon for her to put her burdens on you.”
He made a good point.
“Thanks, Dr. Phil. Next time you need help with a woman, you know who to call.”
Acer snorted. “Fuck that. You’ll just grunt and beat your chest.”
Done with the sensitive bullshit, Jester nodded toward the computer. “How’s that going?” he asked again.
Acer studied him for a second or two before he shifted topics to what he’d been working on for the past few hours. “I’m nearly done. I have plenty of satellite imagery over the mountain pass. There’s really nothing around for miles. We shouldn’t attract any unwanted attention.”
Acer was using his many and varied computer skills to assess the area where the Grimms were supposed to meet with the cartel. Recluses frequently moved to remote parts of the desert to disappear from the law, to live off the grid for various reasons, and they settled in lone shacks in the middle of nowhere. The club needed to be sure some random nosey bastard wouldn’t catch them in the act of hijacking the Grimms’ money.
“We should be good. Doesn’t look like anyone will stumble across us that day. I’m also working on the money piece. I have a few irons in the fire as far as distributing it and laundering it so we don’t flag any interest. That’s way too much green for us to handle any other way.”
Jester smiled at him. The club could do a lot with the money they’d get from the Grimms. He was looking forward to this on so many levels, not the least of which was the straight up thrill of seeing Snake taken down a few pegs.
“Have you run this all by Shiv?”
Jester nodded. “Yeah, he agrees that we should be at the meet site in place of the cartel. This way we can get there early, set up our shit and be ready when the Grimms show. Too many things can go wrong if we try to intercept the Grimms on the way there as we originally planned. The chance of being caught is way too high.”
Acer leaned back in the chair and interlaced his fingers behind his head. “You have a way to keep the cartel from making the meet?”
Jester rose from the weight bench and tossed the empty water bottle into a small trash can across the room. “Still working on that piece. I’ll let you know. Gonna grab a shower before Em gets here.”
“Take your time. I’ll keep your woman company,” Acer called with a smirk.
Jester flipped Acer off over his shoulder as he strode from the room.
~ ~ ~ ~
Emily let herself into Jester’s house and sighed with pleasure as the cool air enveloped her. Near one hundred and ten degrees today, the temperature was so hot outside she grew sweaty and overheated walking the short distance from her car to Jester’s front door. Thankfully Jester was expecting her and had left the door open,
Noises could be heard coming from the study at the back of the house, a room Jester had converted to a gym of sorts, with a universal weight machine and treadmill. She didn’t bother announcing her presence. He knew she was on her way so she just headed back to the study.
Stepping in the room, she came to a complete stop when she was greeted, not by Jester, but by one of his club brothers. “Oh! Sorry, I didn’t realize anyone else was here. I didn’t see your motorcycle.”
“Hey, hon, it’s in the garage. That sun is murder on the paint job. Jester’s in the shower.”
“Okay, I’ll just leave you to it.” She started to back out into the hallway.
Acer sat on the small loveseat sofa in the corner of the room with a laptop open on his lap. He looked up at her and closed the computer. “No need to leave, I’m done. Come sit and I can tell you all sorts of dirt on your man.” He patted the empty cushion next to him.
Emily hesitated. She hadn’t really spoken to any of the other guys in the MC. Sure, she had brunch with Striker and Hook, but their wives were there as a buffer. Truth be told, she found most of them intimidating. But, they were important to Jester so she’d make the effort. Plus, there was always the chance someone would let something slip she could pass along to Snake. Too bad he’d closed the laptop.
“Thanks. It’s Acer, right?” Next to him, she put her back against the armrest and sat facing him, cross-legged on the loveseat.
He nodded. “Jesus, girl, how do you fold yourself up like that? This couch is tiny.”
Emily laughed, his teasing putting her at ease. “Yoga.”
“Ahh, that explains a lot of things.”
Her brows drew down as she tried to determine what he was referring to. “I don’t follow.”
He lifted one sandy-colored brow and smirked at her. “Jester’s had the look of a very satisfied man lately. I’m sure the yoga has something to do with it.”
Heat rose to her face as visions of the yoga session with Jester from the other day flashed in her mind. “I cannot confirm or deny that statement.”
Flawless skin and sharp features gave him an almost regal look. The dark blond hair atop his head was impeccably styled and she swore she’d never seen more perfect teeth. He had the look of old money, like someone who should have the third at the end of their name, at least from the neck up. From the neck down he had nearly as many visible tattoos as Jester, and who knew how many more were hidden under his No Prisoners T-shirt and jeans.
While his body wasn’t as powerfully built as Jester’s, Emily wasn’t under the impression that he was weak in anyway. There was an intelligent air about him, and she had a feeling he could use that to be very deadly, if the situation called for it.
With a grin, he raised a brow at her. “You can put away your microscope and just ask me anything you want to know.”
Emily flushed. She’d been openly studying him while he sat just two feet away from her. “Sorry. That was rude. And I believe I could ask you anything, but I don’t believe you’d tell me much of anything.”
“You got me there, Emily.” He reached out and ruffled her hair like she was his kid sister. “I think I like you. Jester sure seems to.”
“He talked about me?” She bit her lip to hold back a groan. Could she have asked a more sophomoric question? Next she’d be asking Acer to pass Jester a note in class.
“Your name may have come up once or twice.”
She refused to ask what they were talking about, even though she was dying to know.
He stared at her, and she understood what he’d meant by the microscope comment. “Can be a tough life,” he said breaking the momentary silence.
“Excuse me?”
He pointed to the No Prisoners patch on the front of his cut. “MC life. For a woman especially.”
“You trying to warn me off your friend, Acer?”
Her comment brought the grin back to his face. He was devastatingly handsome, and she imagined he didn’t lack for female attention. “No, darlin’, quite the opposite. I think you might be just the softness he needs in his hard life.”
Emily couldn’t prevent the smile from expanding on her face. The more time she spent with Jester, the more she wanted to be just that. She had a feeling there were times his life was full of violence and misery, and she’d love to be the one he came to when he needed to chase away his demons. What was that expression about wishing in one hand?
“Thank you.” Emotion thickened her throat and made her voice deeper than usual. Maybe it was a good thing that she wouldn’t be around to see the fallout from her deception.
Acer put a hand on her knee and gave her a gentle squeeze.
“Hands to yourself, asshole.” Jester growled.
Emily started.
He stood in the doorway wearing a pair of navy basketball shorts and holding a gray T-shirt in his hand. The sight of his sculpted chest had her forgetting all about the man sitting on the couch next to her. Jester moved into the room, straight toward her. When he reached the couch, he shot Acer an annoyed look and hauled Emily to her feet.
He pulled her flush against his hard body, still slightly damp from the shower, and lowered his mouth to hers. He kissed her. And kissed her. And kissed her. The room spun and she melted against him with a sigh.
“You start ripping her clothes off, brother, and I’m gonna take that as an invitation to join in.”
Jester broke the kiss long enough to say, “Get the fuck out of here Acer.”
“Jester, that’s not nice. He doesn’t have to leave.” She started to pull back but only made it about one inch before Jester crushed her close.
“Yes, he does. And he has to leave now.”
Acer laughed, and shoved the laptop in a computer bag on the floor. “Okay, I’m leaving. I can take a hint.”
If anything else was said, Emily didn’t hear it. Jester returned his mouth to hers as he lifted her off the ground. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and he turned and backed her against the wall. The hard planes of his body pressed against her as he lifted his head and whispered to her. “Missed you today, baby.”
In these moments of softly spoken words and intimacy, Emily could pretend they were a couple. Imagine this relationship had a future, and that there was no guillotine above her head just waiting to drop.
Jester rocked his erection against her saturated sex.
Damn her clothing.
“You ready for me, Em?”
With a moan she looked him straight in the eye. “Always Jester. Anytime you want me I’m yours, just take me.”
How was it possible for her heart to be so full at the same time it was breaking?