Page 11 of Triple the Danger

Jax and Razor exchanged knowing grins. Rogue knew that too, and they were convinced he loved it, deep down in that cold heart of his. As much as he loved to grump about the shit they got into, he was proud they were growing up into strong women that could handle themselves.

“Gonna be interesting when they head off to college,” Razor remarked. “I think I heard both girls are talking about going out of state.”

Jax winced. “That happens, and Rogue’s gonna be a bear.” Razor nodded grimly.

Karissa rolled her eyes. “He’ll get over it. I bet you anything him and Scarlett have babies before they leave, and it’ll keep him busy. Now, I could use a drink. Feel like going over to the bar?” Karissa asked Saylor.

“Sure,” Saylor said with a nod. “Since I don’t have to drive home, makes things handy that you have one right here. Let me get my wallet.”

“Nope,” Jax said firmly. Saylor paused and turned to give him a narrow-eyed look. “Brothers and their guests don’t pay for drinks at the bar,” he explained. “You can be mine, so you can drink to your heart’s content and not worry about the bill.”

“Not exactly a smart business practice if you’re trying to make money,” she remarked, clearly not buying it.

“We make all kinds of money from the public,” Jax assured her. “And most often, the brothers drink at the clubhouse, so us being there isn’t going to impact profits. Don’t worry about it.”

Saylor stared at him for a moment before she moved to where she had left her bag, and grabbed it. The same one she never seemed to be far away from. She reached in and pulled out her wallet, sliding the zipper closed before turning back and giving him a pointed look.

Karissa snickered. “I like you,” she announced to Saylor, which made the other woman smile. “Alright, let’s go. You two can argue over payment for drinks when we get there.”

There wouldn’t be any arguing, Jax knew. She could try to fight him on it all she wanted, but Saylor was going to learn she wasn’t paying for shit with him around. He was all for women’s rights and being progressive, but there were some things he wouldn’t budge on, and this was one of them.

CHAPTER FIVE

SAYLOR

The bar wasn’t too packed when they walked in, but nevertheless she immediately felt the stares as she followed Karissa, Razor, and Jax to an empty booth in the back. Razor and Jax gravitated toward the open pool table right next to it, while Karissa slid into the booth across from her and asked, “Overwhelmed?”

Saylor could admit that her head was spinning a bit with the day she’d had. “Not exactly how I pictured the day going,” she confided. “It wasn’t as bad as it could have been, I suppose, but staying on a biker compound because my car broke down isn’t what I hoped to be doing. I figured I’d be further along in my travels by now.”

“Are you heading anywhere specific?” Karissa asked curiously, then held up her hand before Saylor could answer. “No, actually, don’t tell me if you don’t want to. That came off as prying, and I hate when people do that.”

Saylor smiled. If there was one thing she liked about all the women she’d met so far, it was that they seemed aware of boundaries before they crossed them. No one asked her uncomfortable questions, and most were just about her job and what she liked to do. “It’s fine,” she assured her. Besides, she didn’t need to say anything about why she was actually on the run. “I’m travelling with no destination in mind. Since I can do my job from anywhere, I don’t have to worry about taking vacation time or being back on a certain date.”

“Sometimes I wish I could just get in a car and travel around the country,” Karissa agreed, a wistful tone in her voice. “But that’s more because I’m not used to being in one spot for too long. Now that Razor and I are a thing, though, staying put isn’t so bad.” Then she gave a wicked grin and a wink before adding, “The good sex certainly helps.”

Saylor chuckled. “Yeah, I can see how you wouldn’t want to give that up. Have you two been together long?”

“Depends on how you define ‘long’,” Razor announced, approaching the booth with pool cue in hand and a smug smile on his face. Karissa rolled her eyes. “She led me on a merry chase for months before she finally agreed to stop running.”

“I felt sorry for him. It was pathetic to see a man trying so hard and losing all the time,” Karissa drawled, but Saylor didn’t miss the mischief in her tone.

Razor narrowed his eyes at her. “Babe, you’re looking to get yourself in trouble,” he warned her calmly.

“Jax, baby,” a high-pitched voice cried out, making Saylor turn to see who she could only assume was one of the waitresses, due to her uniform top and small apron that was almost longer than the short, tight skirt she was wearing. Her bleached blonde hair looked like it had suffered every moment of becoming that color, and her boobs were as fake as they came, spilling almost completely out of her white crop top. But it was her huge fake lashes and heavy make-up that pushed her over the edge, making her look like a wannabe stripper. Saylor watched as the woman latched on to Jax by wrapping her hand around his bicep and pressing her giant boobs as tightly against him as she could get, batting her fake eyelashes at him. “I missed you,” she purred. “I thought you’d be back to see me.”

Jax looked annoyed and pulled away from her. “Tina,” he said with a curt nod. “We’ll take two beers. What do you ladies want?”

What Saylor wanted was to laugh at the way the woman, Tina, instantly turned hate-filled eyes toward the booth. When they saw Karissa, they cleared, but the moment they landed on her, the hate was back. Saylor held her gaze, arching a brow at her. She had no patience for the bullshit of jealous women, especially one that was clearly trying way too fucking hard to get the attention of a man who didn’t want to give it to her. “I’ll have a beer too,” Karissa said, her tone chilly as she stared at Tina.

“Same,” Saylor agreed. Tina’s lips pinched, but she at least had the smarts not to say anything as she nodded, turned on her spiked heel, and stalked away. Saylor looked back at Karissa. “Friendly, isn’t she?”

Karissa snorted. “The waitresses here are as bad as the club girls, if not worse. They don’t have the protection of the club like the club girls do, and they want a cut on their back to prove a point. I manage the bar, so I don’t pay much attention to them.” She arched a brow at Saylor. “But you being here with Jax is going to set them off, since he’s not taken.”

“I’m not here with him,” Saylor pointed out. “You invited me, so I’m here with you. He tagged along. If he wants to hook up with her, then it’s no skin off my nose.” She was glad her voice was calm and casual, because the idea that Jax would even be remotely attracted to Tina irritated her. An odd thing, considering Jax wasn’t her man, and never would be since she wasn’t going to be around much longer. She supposed she could put it down to enduring a long assed day and being so stressed out. And the fact that he intrigued her.

There was something about him that made her want to ask questions and get to know him. Kind of like how she felt with Leon, although Jax was nothing like the man. Or, at least she didn’t think he was. She didn’t quite trust her judgment much anymore after that disaster.

Karissa smiled at her. “So, you said you work on websites? That must be interesting.”