Jax's Dilemma:Insurgents Motorcycle Club (Insurgents MC Romance Book 2) (17 page)

The motorcycle came closer as its engine pierced the silence of the neighborhood. The three men turned her head toward them, each of them kissing her, pinching her nipples, and running their hands under her shorts and squeezing her butt.

“What the fuck’s going on?”

Looking through bleary eyes, Cherri saw Jax’s tall, ripped body. An enormous relief washed over her, making her cry.

“This isn’t your business. Move on,” Buzz Cut said.

“Fuck, is that you, Cherri?” Jax’s quizzical look transformed into a dark, angry one. “The hell it isn’t my business! She’s with the Insurgents. By messing with her, you’re fuckin’ messin’ with me.”

The lanky guy released Cherri’s arms as he turned toward Jax, saying, “Figures this trash belongs to your club.”

In one swift move, Jax’s fist laid the guy out. The other men went after Jax, but he threw a high kick, his steel-toed boot hitting Buzz Cut in the face. Cherri heard the crunch of bones as his nose broke. The medium-build guy threw up his hands, saying, “I was just out for a ride. I didn’t mean for any of this shit to happen.”

Jax gripped him by the shirt, glaring at him. “Well, fuckwad, it
did
happen.” He slammed the guy’s face against the garage’s brick wall. Blood gushed from the man’s head as Jax kicked him in the lower back. The man groaned as he slid down, crumpling in a heap on the concrete.

Jax picked Cherri up and cradled her in his arms as he walked toward his Harley. Cherri buried her head in his chest. Tenderly, he placed her on his bike, placed her sacks in the saddlebags, then seated himself.

“Hang on, sweetness, or you may fall off once I start this baby up.” The bike lurched into motion, and Cherri wrapped her arms around Jax’s waist as the bike roared away. Thinking Jax would hang a right on Orchard Way, she was surprised when he kept going straight.

“You missed my street,” she said.

He glanced back at her. “Not going there yet.”

Cherri didn’t ask where they were going because she didn’t care; she loved being on the back of his bike. She had ridden a few times on Gunner’s bike, but it didn’t feel the same as it did with Jax. Her arms around Gunner were so she wouldn’t fall off, but with her chest pressed against Jax’s back, the warm wind stroking her face, she felt safe and complete. Loving the feeling, she squeezed her arms tighter around Jax, leaning her head against his back.

He veered onto a back road which took them out of Pinewood Springs. They went down country roads, leaving a trail of dust behind them. The hum of the motor and Jax’s nearness relaxed her. His scent of motor oil and sweat tinged the air, and she breathed it in deeply. On each side of them, carpets of wildflowers beckoned and the rush of the Colorado River bounced off the chiseled mountains.

After twenty minutes, Jax turned off the road and stopped the bike in an alcove surrounded by evergreen trees. He cut the motor and before he could help Cherri, she jumped off the Harley, her wobbly legs giving out. Jax caught her before she hit the ground. He chuckled and each note of his low voice skimmed across her skin making her shiver.

He held her close. “You’re safe now, sweetness.”

“I was so afraid. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t come by. They wanted to hurt me…” Her chest heaved and wet streaks stained her cheeks. She pushed her head harder against his chest.

“It’s all over now. Don’t think about it. You never have to worry with me around. I’ll always be there for you. You don’t know how precious you are to me, sugar.”

Cherri bent her head back, holding Jax’s gaze. He leaned down and kissed her softly then stepped back, his eyes flitting over her face while a half-grin played around his lips. Tugging him toward her, with her hand behind his head, her mouth sought his. She crushed her lips against his and heard him groan. Leaning closer to Jax, she ran her hands under his leather jacket so she could feel his sculpted back better.

“You are beautiful,” she said against his mouth.

Jax laughed. “Never had a chick call me beautiful before.” He wrapped his arms tighter around her waist.

Cherri smiled. “You’re beautiful like a Greek statue.”

She kissed him again then slowly drew her lips away. His hard dick pressing against her, told her he was just as turned-on as she. She lingered for a few seconds then kissed him again while her tongue brushed his mouth. Parting her lips, Jax slipped his tongue into her warm cavern. She moaned. Their tongues danced together as she pushed a little deeper into him then withdrew, pulling back a little. She looked at him, eyes flaming with desire as she brushed her finger over her swollen lips. Jax pulled her close then gently bit her lower lip. Cherri bit back, her teeth grazing his lips as she moved away.

“You’re killing me with your kisses, sweetness.”

She kissed him again as she threaded her fingers through his hair. His hair was soft, and the short strands tickled her as she played with them. He stroked her back, cupping her ass. Cherri jerked a little as his touch lit a fire in the pit of her stomach. Her legs clamped together as she felt a slight dampness. When she arched her back into him, his mouth nibbled her earlobes then her neck.

“I want you so bad, sweet one. Let’s stop playing games and be together.”

She stiffened as she pushed back. Clearing her throat, she said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do all this. I was so scared and then relieved… I don’t know, but we gotta stop. Like, now.”

“What the fuck?”

Cherri twisted out of Jax’s embrace and stood in front of him, looking down at the ground. She bit her lower lip and fiddled with a few strands of her hair.

“Nothing. We have to stop before it goes too far, that’s all.”

“We’ve already gone too far.” He paused, looking at her as though he were trying to get into her head to see what made her tick. “Why have you been ignoring me?”

“You know why. You and Peaches were pretty cozy.”

“You never let me explain that to you.”

“Nothing to explain. You’re just that type of man. You could’ve waited until the sheets had dried, at least.” She drew small designs in the dirt with her shoe.

“It wasn’t what you thought. I wasn’t—”

“You don’t owe me anything. I thought—”

“Will you shut the fuck up, woman? Damn, you piss me off sometimes. I’m gonna tell you how it was, and you’ll fuckin’ keep your mouth shut. Got it?”

Cherri, seeing the anger in his eyes, nodded.

After Jax explained to her how Peaches had tricked him into going to Dream House the afternoon he and Cherri spent together, and what she saw was not him groping Peaches, but rather him trying to get Peaches off him, Cherri hung her head.

“I’m so sorry I misjudged you. If I had known, things may have been different.”

“I tried to talk to you, but you never fuckin’ gave me a chance to explain. It’s like you didn’t want to hear what I had to say, like you’d already made up your mind I was a piece of shit.”

“Yeah, I do that, especially where men are concerned. I’ve never had any good dealings with men. It’s like they only want to use or abuse women.”

“Man, baby, you been hurt so bad in your life. I’d never hurt you. Never.”

She smiled at him, but sadness whispered around her mouth.

“You know you torture the fuck outta me by hangin’ with Gunner. Now that we’re good, you can tell him, ‘Adios.’ He’ll get it.” Jax tugged Cherri back into him then kissed her on the lips.

Cherri pushed back. Looking up at Jax, she said, “I can’t just leave Gunner. He’s been good to me. He’s been solid and dependable.”

Eyes flashing, anger emanated from Jax. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean? You know goddamned well you only went with Gunner to spite me and make me jealous. Well, it worked. I was jealous as hell every time he touched you or looked at you. Now it’s done, and we can pick up where we left off. You don’t give a rat’s ass about Gunner. You only care about what he can give you.”

Cherri narrowed her eyes. “That’s not true. I do like Gunner. He is a sweet and kind man. He may not have your good looks, but he sure as hell isn’t fuckin’ different women every night.”

“You started this shit, sugar, not me. What did you think I was gonna do? Sit around until you decided I’d been punished enough? You don’t fuckin’ call the shots, I do, and you better get that through your pretty head. Sure, I fucked around; what of it? It didn’t mean shit, just warm holes to drain my cock. Don’t try and lay some guilt shit on me. And what, you weren’t fuckin’ the old man?”

“It’s none of your business what I do with Gunner.”

“Get your ass over here and give your man a kiss so we can get us back on track.”

Dropping her voice, Cherri said, “There is no
us
. I can’t walk out on Gunner just like that. You can’t promise me you won’t screw around on me, can you?”

“What the fuck does that have to do with this? I fuck pussy, and it’s just that—fuckin’ pussy. It has nothin’ to do with us.”

“But it does. I don’t want to be waitin’ around for you while you’re getting off with another woman. I couldn’t handle that.”

“I can’t promise you I won’t stray sometimes, especially if I’m on a run and we’re outta town. I
can
promise you I won’t fuck Peaches anymore.”

Cherri smiled wryly. “Thanks, that means so much to me.”

Jax fixed his eyes on her. Watching him, she suddenly felt weary. She wanted to go home so she could collect her thoughts. Never had she anticipated her day would include making out with Jax in the woods. Her body ached for him, but she wasn’t so eager to jump back into bed with him. Fear of loss and heartbreak clouded her desire for him, and her trust in him wasn’t secure. Gunner was stable and, in truth, if Gunner wanted club pussy, she’d be cool with it. However, if she were with Jax, she’d beat the shit out of any slut who came near her man. She was better off with stable, safe Gunner, who made her life less volatile.

“I think it’s time we head back. I have to get home,” she said.

“I want you as my woman. That’s all I know. I’ll treat you right and support you. I’ll have your back and give you respect. I can’t get you outta my mind. The day we fucked is always on my mind, on replay. I want us to be together.” Jax looked at her with soulful eyes which melted her heart.

“I have to think about all this. I can’t deal with it right now. I wanna go home.”

He reached out, gripped her arms, and drew her to him.

“You gonna give me something?” he said while rubbing her back.

Cherri’s pussy clenched. She wanted him to fuck her hard, on the ground, but she couldn’t face Gunner if she gave in to her body. She had to do the right thing. If she were going to go back with Jax then she would have to tell Gunner. He’d been so good to her she couldn’t bang Jax behind his back. She wasn’t a bad person—just one who had shitty luck for most of her life.

“It’s getting late. I need to go.” She glanced at the sky. Hues of gold, orange, and purple cast a warm glow across the approaching twilight.

Rigor replaced the softness on Jax’s face. He stormed toward his Harley, yelling over his shoulder, “Okay, let’s go. Get the fuck on my bike.”

After she climbed on, Jax floored his Harley and it shot forward, kicking up dirt and twigs. They blasted down the empty road toward Pinewood Springs and her home.

As they stood in front of her townhouse, the silence was thick between them.

“Gonna invite me in?” he asked.

Shaking her head, she patted his hand. He placed two hands behind her head and kissed her hard. He released her and swatted her butt. She yanked away.

“I just can’t do this. I owe Gunner my respect. He’s been good to me, and he was there for me when no one else was. I can’t do this to him.”

“I wanted to be there for you, but you pushed me away. You fuckin’ didn’t give me a chance to take care of you. And you let an old man take care of you after you fucked me? You know what,
baby girl?
You’re so fucked up by your past. You need a daddy, so you ran to the old man. Well, fuck you. Got that? Fuck you. I don’t need your crazy, fucked up shit.” Jax swung his leg over his bike and turned on the ignition.

Cherri, stifling her tears, ran up the stairs to her home. She heard Jax peel away, and she turned around and watched his retreating figure. Her heart ached when he rode away without even a backward glance.

“F
uck! Of all
nights for the strip club to come down with a flu epidemic. Shit, not only are we down four dancers, but Holt’s out sick, too,” Emma shouted.

Cherri watched as Emma paced around the office, beads of perspiration forming on her forehead while a deep red flushed her neck and cheeks. She understood Emma’s nerves. Hell, her stomach had been fluttering since the second dancer called in sick. The club had been rented out for a bachelor party, but word was it wasn’t an ordinary guest list. No, this list had all the Pinewood big-shots like judges, lawyers, politicians, cattle ranchers, and oil men. Cherri’s stomach lurched again.
All my stomach action better be from my nerves and not the flu. Shit, I can’t afford to be sick.
She shivered as her palms grew sweaty.

“Did you get any dancers to replace the four out sick?” Emma’s eyes darted from Cherri to the door and back to Cherri.

“Could only get two, but Crystal said she’d do an extra shift, and I’ll dance to replace Ginger. I think we’ve got it covered. Oh, yeah, I did get two bartenders. We should be good
if
everyone shows up.”

“Don’t even
think
that,” Emma said.

“It’ll be fine. I’ll make sure it goes smoothly.”
I hope I can deliver. Now if my damn stomach would just quit churning, I’d be good.

“Hey, baby doll, you look pale,” Gunner said as he drew Cherri into him, placing a kiss on her forehead.

“Stressed, is more like it.” She kissed him on the cheek.

“I’m here officially tonight. Banger wanted a group of us here to make sure everything goes okay with the dancers and all the guys. Are you gonna be busy all night?”

Hugging him, she said, “Most of the night. Too many dancers called in sick, so I’ll have to dance. It’s gonna be crazy, but everyone’s counting on us to give a good party. I’ll have some time to sit and have a drink with you later, though.”