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  “Great,” Michelle said, struggling to stand up from the table.

  “Listen, I feel terrible about this. I had no idea. From now on, why don’t you take a taxi here, okay? I’ll give you extra for it before you leave every night. That’s fucked up. And I got you this.”

  Jake held out his fist and looked sincerely at Michelle, and her heart hammered as his long fingers brushed the palm of her hand as he dropped something into it.

  “What…?”

  “It’s a house key,” Jake said, looking away a little bit awkwardly. “You can use it to let yourself in if nobody’s home. Or if you need to get in and the door’s locked.”

  “You really shouldn’t –“

  “What, trust you?” Jake asked, grinning at her. Michelle looked down at the ground, her cheeks burning. “I know what your dad would do if you fucked up and betrayed our trust. So don’t worry. I’m just going to go ahead and give you the benefit of the doubt.”

  “How sweet,” Michelle said sarcastically. Jake’s handsome face lit up with a smile- possibly the first genuine smile she had ever seen come from the guy. It was a little bit unsettling, and she turned her back on him. It was just too weird.

  “Well I think it’s sweet that you nearly got sun stroke to take care of my kids. Maybe we should get you looked at before you head back.”

  “No, it’s fine. I’m really all right,” Michelle said. And it was true. The worst of the nausea had passed and she was beginning to feel a lot better. Thankfully it had just been a close call and Jake got home just in time. Having the key would definitely be useful in the future.

  “All right,” Jake said. “Well be careful getting home. Take a cab and if you feel sick, have the driver take you to the hospital. Nobody wants to see anything bad happen to you.”

  Michelle didn’t answer, or even acknowledge Jake’s words. She had to put up a wall of ice if she was going to make it out of this situation with her dignity intact.

  “Bye, guys!” she said brightly to Mary and JJ.

  “Bye!” they exclaimed.

  “Sorry you’re not feeling good!” Mary said, running into the living room and suddenly re-appearing with a little piece of paper folded in half. “I made you a get well soon card!”

  It was adorable and Michelle’s wall of ice immediately melted. “Thank you, sweetheart!”

  Mary beamed and Michelle could feel Jake draw nearer to examine his daughter’s work. “Looks good, Mary! Keep up the good work!”

  The low rumble of Jake’s voice so near to Michelle sent a shiver down her spine. But she wouldn’t let him know that. It was just an involuntary physical response to somebody else. It happened all the time. That didn’t mean it meant anything.

  “Anyway, here’s what I owe you, for your time and for the fare back to the MC and back here tomorrow, or whenever. Don’t you dare refuse it.”

  Michelle pursed her lips and looked defiantly into Jake’s eyes. Her father wouldn’t want her to take the money. She could use it as a trump card against Jake, who was just a vice president on some shaky turf. But the look in his eyes made her hesitate. He was serious, concerned for her. And the truth was that she liked having money to use independently. She could save it and put it toward going to college if she ever found a way out of the Pythons.

  “All right,” she said finally, letting Jake slip the money into her hands. “Thanks.”

  “It’s my pleasure,” Jake said, his eyes flashing with an emotion that Michelle couldn’t quite pinpoint. He was so close to her that it was nearly intimate. She tore herself away from his gaze and the heat of his body and walked toward the front door.

  “See you guys later!” Michelle said, doing her best to sound cheerful. But the reality was that she now felt more stuck than ever before. How was she going to get through this?

  Chapter 7

  Jake was busy as hell over the next few weeks. It felt like every time he stepped through the door of his house, Kent was on the phone telling him that he was needed elsewhere. And it made a lot of sense. The MC had some of its most important shipments coming in, and everybody knew it: the MC itself, the cops, and worst of all, the Raptors.

  The police generally left the MC alone. They were outside the law and often compensated curious officers generously for their ignorance. If the cop was persistent though, then they had to resort to threats. There was no other way to do it. The stuff the Pythons dealt in was less than legal, but they accumulated a lot of power and resources because of it. It was like a protective family. in a way. What happened in the MC stayed in the MC, and any outsiders who tried sticking their noses where they didn’t belong would get what they had coming to them.

  “We need you at the docks again,” Kent said for the billionth time that week.

  “I just came from the docks,” Jake said. He was tired as fuck. All he wanted to do was crawl into his bed and sleep for a few hours. He hadn’t been doing much of that lately. Kent relied on him too much. He was pure force and never let anybody get away with doing his MC family wrong. But with conviction like that came too much responsibility.

  “I know you did, but there’s a situation happening.”

  “You look tired.”

  Jake froze, surprised by the gentle concern in Michelle’s statement. She had come into the kitchen quietly, and Jake hadn’t noticed her. But now that he knew she was there, his whole body became tense.

  “I’ll be there in a few minutes,” Jake said, hanging up the phone.

  “If you’re too tired just tell him!” Michelle exclaimed. “I haven’t seen you rest since Tuesday!”

  “Honey, this isn’t the kind of job where you rest when you want to,” Jake sighed. “I’ll be all right.”

  “My dad is such a-“ Michelle cut herself off, probably thinking that Jake would tattle on her for being frustrated with her dick of a father. “I’ll tell him myself then. He’s working you too hard! What if you get hurt?”

  “It’s all part of the job,” Jake said, standing from his seat and yawning. “I’ve got to get out of here. Sorry you’re stuck here for longer than you were expecting.”

  “No…it’s all right. I just put the kids to bed anyway, they won’t know the difference.”

  Jake smiled. She was so good with his children. It made her unassuming beauty almost unbearable for him.

  “Well I know that they’re in good hands. I’ll see you later.”

  “Yeah…”

  He could feel Michelle’s gaze burning a hole in his back as he left, but what was he supposed to do? If he didn’t do what Kent asked of him, he would be putting himself and his family at risk. As far as Kent was concerned, Jake was on probation because of his wife’s actions. If he lost the MC, he could lose much more than just a title. Kent was a vengeful man. There was no telling how far he would go.

  “I thought you’d never show!”

  Jake whipped around just in time to see the fist coming at his face. He dodged out of the way, but pain tore into his cheek. At least it had missed his nose.

  “Come on, Leon! Haven’t you done enough damage?!”

  Leon sneered and Jake’s chest filled with fury. Leon was the man that had supplied his wife with heroin. He was celebrated as a hero among the Raptors, but Jake considered him to be his absolute worst enemy.

  “Well I had to come and see the fruit of my efforts! And besides, you know what? I’ve been hearing something pretty funny lately and I had to check for myself to see if it was true.”

  “What’s that, Leon?” Jake said, landing a blow on Leon’s shoulder. Leon grinned and brought his fists down on top of Jake’s head, hard. His reflexes were sluggish tonight. Michelle had probably been right to be worried.

  “You know, Kent’s been asking around about the heroin trade. He’s considering taking it on himself. But that’s our turf, Jake. You know that. What would Janie say?”

  Rage quaked Jake’s body and he lunged at Leon. Leon’s eyes widened briefly in surprise, but he quickly retaliate
d. A sudden piercing pain sliced through Jake’s abdomen- a knife blade.

  “Looks like Kent’s going to get his way. The goody-goody little puppy here won’t be in his way much longer.”

  Leon laughed and withdrew the blade from Jake’s side. Jake slumped to the ground and writhed in agony as Leon walked down the docks cackling. He could hear the rest of the men fighting, securing their goods from the other Raptors. Technically their mission had been accomplished, but for some reason Jake felt like the biggest failure in the world.

  ***

  It was a relief for Jake to finally see his little house in the distance. He was bleeding badly and the shirt he had tied around his torso hadn’t been tight enough to keep him from feeling light-headed from the loss of blood. He wouldn’t be welcomed at the hospital- they had a policy of turning away gang-related wounds and victims of crimes that the motorcycle clubs were responsible for. He would just have to fend for himself.

  He practically fell off his bike trying to dismount it and staggered to the doorway, cursing when he realized that it was locked. Jake’s hands shook as he tried to fish his keys out of his pocket. They were sticky with blood, and he had a hard time putting them into the lock properly.

  “Jake!” Michelle exclaimed, her beautiful eyes wide with shock. “What the hell happened to you?”

  “Oh, not much,” Jake said, glancing around for his kids. “Just got stabbed.”

  Michelle’s face whitened and she rushed forward, supporting Jake’s shoulders as he lifted his shirt up to show her. A soft gasp escaped her lips and she touched the area around the stab wound gingerly.

  “Follow me,” she said, pursing her lips. “I’ve seen worse. I can help you.”

  Jake was surprised, but he probably shouldn’t have been. Kent kept his daughter around all sorts of violence. It stood to reason that she would take care of some of the surly bikers who were wounded. What a hell of a way to live.

  “Sit down.”

  Jake obeyed, secretly enjoying the sight of Michelle taking control. She knew just what to do and began rummaging through his medicine cabinets. Thankfully they were fully stocked. Not only was he always worried about hurting himself on the job, but he had his children to look out for. Once JJ had been born, he had taken great lengths to make sure he would have as many medical supplies as possible at his disposal. Having another life to look after had made him a little bit paranoid in a way, and he wanted to make sure that he was always able to provide the best for his kids, in good situations and in bad ones.

  “Jesus, it’s like a nursing station in here,” Michelle said, holding an armful of supplies and crouching down beside Jake. “Take your shirt off.”

  Jake raised his eyebrow and Michelle rolled her eyes. “Seriously? You’re bleeding to death and you’re giving me that look?”

  Jake shrugged, unable to hide his amusement, and remained quiet as Michelle worked on him. He hissed in pain when she put pressure on the wound, but she caught his eye and smiled reassuringly. The sight of her face was enough to calm his nerves and he found himself wishing that he could keep her at his side like this indefinitely.

  But no, that was wrong. She was just a kid. And not only that, but she was the daughter of the president. That spelled trouble. He couldn’t let himself get caught up in that kind of bullshit.

  Still, with her body so near to his, Jake was driven to distraction. Her long, dark hair would occasionally brush against his bare chest. If he wasn’t in so much pain, it would have made him hard. Of course, it didn’t help that with her being so close, he could perfectly smell her perfume- a light, modest scent that had taken to driving him crazy. Between the low threshold he was fighting from the stab wound and the irresistible nearness of her body, Jake was having a hard time biting his tongue. If she wasn’t done bandaging him up soon, he couldn’t be held accountable for what happened next.

  “There,” Michelle said, her soft, beautiful voice like a balm over his wounds. “That should do it.”

  Thank merciful Christ. Jake got up abruptly and groaned in pain. Little flashes of light began to bubble in front of his eyes and he sat back down heavily, nauseated and dizzy.

  “Easy!” Michelle exclaimed. “You’re not invincible, as much as you biker jerks like to think you are. Do yourself a favor and just rest a minute.”

  Michelle disappeared from the bathroom for a few moments, leaving Jake alone as he contemplated the severity of his wounds. If he died, who would take care of his children? He had a living will – it would be irresponsible not to in his line of work – but he hadn’t updated it since his wife had died. The person he had chosen as their guardian was Janie’s sister, but she probably couldn’t be trusted any more than Janie could. The two of them did everything together, after all. If he survived this, he would have to make a change to his will pronto.

  “Drink this.”

  Michelle’s gentle voice snapped him from his thoughts and without even thinking twice, he looked pleadingly into her eyes.

  “If anything happens to me, take care of my kids,” he said.

  Michelle looked startled, and he immediately regretted letting the words slip from his mouth.

  “I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “I’m not feeling very well. You don’t…”

  “It’s all right,” Michelle said, sitting beside him. “I’ll do what I can.”

  She put her arm around Jake’s shoulders and stood, helping him to his feet.

  “You need some rest, all right? Let’s get you to bed.”

  Jake nodded helplessly as Michelle guided him to his bedroom. She was incredible. His heart panged painfully in his chest when her clear, mesmerizing eyes locked onto his and she smiled sweetly at him. She helped him onto the bed and hesitated.

  “I think I’m going to spend the night here just to make sure you’re all right. If anything happened, I wouldn’t forgive myself.”

  Jake watched Michelle walk out of the room, glancing over her shoulder to check on him one last time. She closed the door behind herself and he knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that he wanted her to be his.

  Chapter 8

  Michelle sat stiffly on the couch, staring down the dark hallway that led to Jake’s room. She had known that Jake was too tired to fight, and look what happened! The stupid alpha males of the MC didn’t seem to realize that they had human limitations. If something would have happened to Jake, what would she tell his children? Her father had been busy lately. Would she apologize that her daddy had practically killed theirs? They would never be able to understand. And the loss would be devastating. They would be orphans.

  If anything happens to me, take care of my kids.

  Michelle shivered at the memory of Jake’s pained expression, the pure love that he had for his children. They were everything to him. She had never seen a man who was so loving and caring toward a child before. She hadn’t thought it was possible for such a brute biker to have any kind of a soft spot. In fact, she had pegged him as a particularly heartless man, for the most part.

  And yet he continued to surprise her. First by the pure, unadulterated feeling that he still seemed to have for his wife and now the way he was with his children. Michelle’s father would have died before showing her that sort of affection. Her mother had died when she was young, far too young to remember, and it had just been Michelle and her father. Or more like, her father and the MC, where she was forced to find a place or suffer not seeing her father for weeks at a time.

  What must it be like to have a man like Jake in your life, being young and scared and helpless? He seemed so capable, so strong and fierce. It was sure to be a comforting thing to a young child. And he was so handsome…

  Michelle shook the thought away and sighed. There was no reason for her to be thinking this way. So a biker happened to be a good dad. Stranger things had happened. She would just see him through the night and go back to her life as if nothing happened.

  “Fuck!”

  Jake’s voice barked suddenly an
d echoed down the hallway, making Michelle’s heart hammer hard in her chest. She launched herself off the couch and ran down the hallway, half convinced that she would find Jake drowning in a pool of blood.

  “Jake, are you-“

  Michelle burst through the door and stopped suddenly, heat rising to her cheeks. Jake was standing in the middle of his bedroom floor in his boxers, trying to step through the pantleg of his pajamas. He glared up at her, embarrassed, before relaxing his gaze.

  “Sorry, not used to visitors when I’m in my underwear,” he said, and then hesitated. “Okay, that’s not quite true. When you have kids they tend to pop in whenever they feel like it.”

  “Are you okay?” Michelle asked, trying to keep her voice even and her eyes above Jake’s navel. The boxers were snug, and the sudden sight of the bulge of Jake’s manhood had been electrifying. She still wasn’t quite sure what to do with herself, although her instincts were torn between running away and walking closer to him.

  “Yeah,” Jake said. “Sorry to alarm you. I just didn’t want to sleep in those damn dirty jeans, you know…it’s uncomfortable enough to wear them all day. Don’t need them in my bed, too.”

  Michelle was surprised that a man like Jake even considered whether or not his clothes were dirty. Apparently there was a lot about him that she didn’t know. But she was beginning to want to find out.

  “Well do you need any help?” she asked reluctantly.

  “Thanks but no,” Jake said, attempting to bend over to pick up the waistband of his pajama pants. He hissed in pain and Michelle rushed to his side, her thoughts no longer anywhere close to the alarming sexual tension she had been starting to experience.

  “Here, I’ll support you,” she said quietly, holding Jake’s shoulders in place so he could relax against her and reach the ground.

  “Thanks,” he said quietly, his voice so near her ear that she could feel his hot breath against her skin. It gave her goosebumps and she closed her eyes, trying to fight the strange heat that was beginning to move its way through her.