Strays (Red Kings #1) (8 page)

10

August 22
nd

Jackie pulled into the empty parking lot of Eastside Mechanics, pleased to find that there were only a handful of bikes present. She had talked to Dean a few days ago, letting him know that she had finally finished the drawing for his bike and would be able to paint it on whenever he could part from the machine for an afternoon.

Dean and Tyler walked out of the garage to greet her as she got out of her truck. “Where is everybody?” she asked curiously, knowing she probably wouldn't get a straight answer.

“Out,” Dean said with a small smile, effectively telling her that it was a top-secret club thing that she wasn't allowed to know about.

“Right. So why aren't you guys 'out' with them?”

“We will be. As soon as you hand over the keys to your truck.” Dean grinned at her as Tyler stood awkwardly in the background. He still wasn't used to the odd relationship evolving between his mentor and his best friend.

“The keys to my truck? Why would I give you those?”

“Because I want collateral in case something happens to my bike while it's here, alone, with you.” Dean looked down at her with a smirk as she laughed. “And there's no way I'm gonna ride bitch with anyone, especially him.” He gestured over his shoulder to the young computer nerd.

“We certainly wouldn't want that,” she teased, tossing her key ring to him. “But I better not see any scratches on it when you get back.” She moved to the bed of her truck to grab her bag of airbrush equipment. “So where is that lovely bike of yours?”

Just as her hand touched the fabric of the bag, Dean reached around her and picked it up, hoisting it easily over his shoulder and motioning for her to follow him. “I put it in bay four, so hopefully you'll have some peace and quiet.” They arrived at said bay and Dean sat the bag down gently next to his bike. He whistled and Bear walked in from the next bay seconds later. “You're on guard duty,” he said, pointing his finger at the large dog, who wagged his tail excitedly in response. “Don't let her ruin my bike.” Dean then turned to face Jackie, crossing his tattooed arms over his chest. “I told the mechanics that you'd be in here, so they shouldn't bother you.” He moved closer and she had to crane her neck upwards to look at him. “But if they do give you any trouble, call me.”

She nodded and he watched her for a minute, making sure that she understood what he was saying. “I'll be fine,” she said reassuringly, smiling up at him. He leaned down to place a brief but passionate kiss on her lips before giving her a wink and jogging to the truck.

Jackie watched as they headed out of the lot to join the rest of the bikers at some secret location. She turned into the garage, waving at Tank, the chief civilian mechanic, as he entered the bay next to hers. Pulling out her equipment, she mumbled, “Now it's just you and me, Bear.” Looking over, she realized that the dog was already fast asleep a few feet from the bike.

When she finally got around to the design half an hour later, she started by making an outline of what she planned to draw. It was sometime in the middle of this process that she got her first interruption.

“Woah, what the fuck are you doing?”

Jackie jerked at the sudden noise, causing the airbrush to leave an unattractive line across the surface of the bike.

“Oh my god!” The voice behind her became even more panicked and she turned to see a hysterical Taco, hands fisted in his hair. “What have you done? Dean is gonna kill us all!”

“Taco, relax.”

“Relax?” His voice seemed to go up a couple of octaves as he paced frantically. “You've ruined his bike!”

Jackie laughed and set her tools down before getting up and placing herself in front of the prospect. “Taco, do you honestly think that I would purposefully ruin Dean's bike, knowing full well what his reaction would be?”

“I don't know. You chicks are crazy!”

She smiled and picked up her sketchbook to show him the picture that would eventually appear on the motorcycle. “Dean wanted me to paint the club logo on his bike. I should be able to finish this afternoon if I don't have too many distractions.” She gave him a pointed look, hoping he would take the hint and leave her in peace. His expression remained skeptical and she sighed. “You don't believe me, call him.”

Taco stared at her for a moment, then pulled out his cell phone and dialed, his eyes not leaving her as if he expected her to disappear should he look away. “Uh, hey D. It's Taco.” He paused briefly, then stuttered as he tried to collect his words quickly. “Erm, is Jackie supposed to be painting your bike?”

She watched him with a raised brow and arms crossed against her chest, knowing Dean would most likely be very annoyed with the prospect for bothering him. Taco swallowed and closed his phone without saying goodbye, and Jackie could guess that Dean had hung up on the young man after giving him a concise answer. “Yeah, you're good.”

Jackie nodded her head knowingly, but couldn't stand the dejected look on his face. “I'm sure Dean is grateful to have someone so alert watching out for his bike. You never know what could happen to it.”

Taco snorted and rolled his eyes, but nodded nonetheless. “Yeah, I'm sure he is.” He began to walk out of the garage, but turned back to her at the last second. “Just... don't touch anything else.”

Jackie saluted him as he left, then looked at Bear, who had gone back to sleep seconds after being woken. She sighed, then picked up her airbrush and started trying to fix the obnoxious streak that had now dried over her masterpiece.

The rest of the afternoon went on without much interruption. A few of the mechanics would come in searching for a tool, but all of the bikers, sans the prospects, had been elsewhere. Taco came to check on her progress occasionally, afraid she would mess it up if he didn't keep a close eye on her. She was just about to add the final layer of glaze on top of the art when a large group of bikes came roaring into the lot, her old truck ambling in after them.

Jackie swore under her breath; she had planned to be finished by the time they got back. She picked up the airbrush and switched out the color canisters, crossing her fingers in hopes that they would go straight to the clubhouse and not bother her for a while.

“Hey Jackie, guess what!”

'So much for that idea,' she thought wearily. “You got arrested, didn't you?” she asked distractedly, not even bothering to glance at her friend.

“What? No.”

Bear barked suddenly and got up, tail wagging as he ran out of the bay excitedly, signaling to Jackie that his owner was near. She looked up, ready to face the biker head on if he didn't like her work. But her eyes never made it to their intended target as she caught sight of a hardly-recognizable Tyler.

“What the hell did you do to yourself?” she yelled, taking in his now short hair and the large tribal tattoos that adorned both sides of his neck. She was pretty sure those hadn't been there when he left.

“That's what I was trying to tell you!” He rolled his eyes, his excitement not deterred by her outburst.

“Guess who is the newest prospect for the Red Kings Macon charter.” When she stared at him blankly, still in shock by his drastic new appearance, he started pointing to himself, the ecstatic smile never leaving his face. “Me!” he finally said, looking as though he were desperately trying not to jump up and down with joy. In the background, Dean rolled his eyes at the kid as he bent to pet his beloved dog. “Isn't this awesome?" Tyler asked, rocking on the balls of his feet in barely-contained excitement.

“Why are there tattoos on your neck, Tyler?”

“It's part of my new look. Cool, right?”

“You look like a punk,” she said, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

Dean laughed and entered the garage. “I think that's the point.” He slapped Tyler on the back, then pushed him towards the clubhouse. “Go get to work, grunt.” Tyler nodded and the pair watched him bounce merrily out of the garage. Once the new prospect was out of ear shot, Dean turned to look at her, a guarded expression on his face. “How do you feel about all of this?”

Jackie sighed and looked to the ground, shrugging her shoulders. “He's excited. How can I say no to that?”

He gave her a smile and wrapped a tattooed arm around her shoulders. “It'll be fine, don't worry. Now, let's see this bike.” Dread filled Jackie once again as he steered her to face the motorcycle. He stared at the new art and just as she thought she would die from anticipation, he grinned down at her. “Looks great.” She let out a breath and smiled. “Can I take it for a ride yet?”

She shook her head and moved back to her equipment. “I still have to put a coat of glaze on top so the paint doesn't come off.”

He grunted and shoved his hands in his pockets, searching for a cigarette and finding none. “Come find me when you're done.”

“And then you can treat me to dinner for all of my hard work.”

He smirked devilishly and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her in close. Dropping his lips to her ear, he whispered, “I think we should skip straight to dessert.”

She laughed as the scruff on his face tickled her neck. Pushing against his chest, she replied, “Maybe after dinner.”

Dean growled and captured her lips in a dominating kiss. It took her only a moment to respond as he pushed her against the metal container that separated one bay from another. Before things could advance any further, a phone began to ring and Dean groaned in annoyance.

He pulled the device from his pocket and put it to his ear, removing his lips from hers just long enough to mutter, “What?” He continued their kiss even as Jackie tried to pull away to allow him proper space to have a conversation. He sighed and ended the kiss, speaking quickly into the phone. “I'll be right there.” He snapped the phone shut harshly and pocketed it, staring down at Jackie blankly.

“I know,” she said softly. “You gotta go.”

He grinned and began backing out of the garage. “Find me when you finish. I'll think about that dinner.”

11

October 18
th

Jackie sighed happily as she stepped under the hot spray of the shower, letting it soothe her aching muscles and wash away the sweat from the previous night. With Tyler diving head first into his new prospecting duties, he was bound by MC law to be on hand at the clubhouse whenever they needed him. So that meant every party night had him sleeping on any available surface at the bikers' hangout, to serve drinks during the activities and clean up once they ended in the early hours of the morning. 

Which left Jackie and Dean with an empty apartment to sneak off to after they put in their required  time at the party.

Which led to lots of sex in lots of various rooms in many, many different positions.

Which is why she usually found herself in this same situation every morning – in the shower, letting the hot water work its magic on her tired muscles as she examined the bite marks and bruises leftover from their fantastically amazing night of sex.

The routine was always the same, always perfect. Dean would leave while she showered, she'd fix herself some breakfast, and Tyler would come home a little while later, none-the-wiser to what had transpired earlier.

Perfect.

Except that's not what had happened this morning.

Lost in her thoughts, she failed to hear the creak of the bathroom door, the sound of boxers being dropped to the floor, or the shower door sliding open. It wasn't until cool hands trailed against the hot skin of her sides that she registered the second person in the room, squeaking as she jumped around to face him.

“What are you doing?” she asked, her voice high as his hands continued their exploration.

“Showering,” Dean replied nonchalantly, moving them towards the wall to maneuver the spray of water to better cover them both.

“And what's wrong with
your
shower at
your
place?”

“Yours is closer.”

“It's also occupied.”

He smirked as he closed the distance between them, their naked bodies pressed firmly against each other as he leaned to whisper in her ear. “You sure weren't using that excuse last night when your bed was occupied and I decided to crawl into it anyways.”

Jackie giggled, accepting defeat as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “We haven't fucked in the shower yet, so I guess we might as well.”

“I didn't say anything about fucking. I was just gonna shower.” She laughed again, then pulled him in for a passionate kiss. “Well, if you insist,” he mumbled against her lips.

Hands roamed across soft, wet skin as their tongues battled under the hot spray of water. Jackie's fingers trailed lightly against the hard contour of muscle on his back as Dean gripped her hips much the same way he had the night before. He shoved her against the cold tile of the shower wall and covered her body with his as she arched against him.

“You're so fucking hot,” he growled, lips moving across her collarbone to her shoulder, then up her neck. He tangled his hand in her wet hair, wrenching her head back to give himself better access to her sensitive skin. Her fingers slid down his tattooed abdomen, creeping lower and lower until Dean grabbed her wrists and pinned them above her head. “What's your hurry?” he whispered hoarsely, earning a groan of dissatisfaction from the woman.

“
Jackie!
” She pulled away abruptly, her eyes going wide as her brain connected that the voice calling her name was not coming from the man in front of her. It was, in fact, coming from elsewhere in the apartment. “
Jack!
” She had no time to respond to anything before the door to the bathroom was flung open, and the tired voice of her best friend met her ears. “Oh good, you're home.”

She shoved Dean up against the farthest wall, knowing the opaque glass of the door would still show two shadows should Tyler bother to look hard enough. “What are you doing here?” she asked as innocently as she could, glaring at the naked man next to her as he smirked evilly.

“I live here,” was the smart ass response she received as she heard the sounds of things being shifted on the counter as Tyler presumably sat on top of it.

“Yes, yes, but you're home
early
. Why are you early?” She clamped a hand over Dean's mouth as he snickered at her exasperated tone. Whether she was exasperated at her friend's sarcasm or at getting interrupted mid-sexual exploit had yet to be determined.

“Eh, they didn't party too hard last night. But you and Dean sure checked out early.” The amusement was clear in his voice as he fiddled absently with a bottle of lotion on the counter. “Start a party of your own at his place?”

“Yeah, uh, something like that.” Mischievous hands began to roam across her skin and she tried to quietly swat them away. “
Stop it!
” she mouthed vehemently to Dean as he smirked.

“I really don't know what you see in him,” Tyler continued on, oblivious to the happenings going on in the shower a mere four feet from him. “I mean, he's a cool guy and all, but he doesn't seem like your type.”

She tried to ignore Dean as he pulled her closer, their slick bodies touching once again. She instead focused on her friend and his horrendous timing. “Are you seriously trying to have a heart to heart with me about my choice of men while I'm
in the shower,
Tyler?”

“Well, you can't exactly escape the conversation if you're stuck in there, now can you?”

“
Tylerrrr
...” The elongated syllables were due partly to her frustration with his train of thought and partly to Dean's rough fingers as they trailed up the ridge of her spine. “Can we please talk about this later? I'm gonna be late for work.” That wasn't a lie. She had, however, decided previously that it was okay to be late, when Dean had convinced her that morning shower sex was a good idea.

“Oh, fine. I did come in here for a reason though. I was wondering if I could borrow your airbrush equipment-”
“Yeah, sure, whatever,” she said distractedly as lips nipped at the skin on her shoulder and hands caressed her sides. She'd agree to just about anything so long as Tyler left the room and Dean continued what he was doing. 

Tyler narrowed his eyes, now fully aware that something was off that he just wasn't getting. It was then that his gaze fell to the floor, to the blue boxers laying haphazardly on top of girly pink shorts and a tank top he was sure belonged to Jackie. The connection clicked and he hopped off of the counter quickly and backed away from the pile of clothes. “Oh my god... Dean's in the shower with you, isn't he?”

Silence reigned momentarily, the only sound coming from the spray of water hitting the tile.

“Maybe,” Jackie squeaked pitifully, causing Dean to bark with laughter, thoroughly answering Tyler's question.

A disgusted groan was followed by the slam of the bathroom door, Tyler's ranting about common decency meeting their ears and causing Dean to laugh even harder. Jackie smacked his inked chest, trying to hold back a grin of her own.

“So, I guess shower sex is completely out of the question now?”