Jake’s Angel (King’s Of Fury MC #2)

Chapter 22

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

AVERY

Riding on the back of Jake’s bike feels so freeing. The wind blowing through my hair. The smell of leather and cologne are assaulting my senses along with the feel of his muscles under my hands. I try to keep my hands locked together, but as I began to feel more comfortable, I loosen my grip a little.

Apparently, Jake isn’t having it because as soon as we stop at a light, he grabs my hands and puts them back where he had them originally. I hide my face so he can’t see me smiling in the mirror. The way he has my hands placed on his abdomen now, I can feel every ridge of his muscles.

Stop groping the man! He doesn’t like you, remember? My inner voice scolds .

We ride through the winding mountain roads for what feels like hours. The air on my face is a mixture of jasmine, honeysuckle, and him . I’m glad I have my hair up or it would be a tangled mess when we stop.

This feels amazing.

The rumble of the motor underneath me and the thrill when he leans through a curve only to speed up as he straightens us out is exhilarating and calming all at once. Muscle cars make me feel freedom with their speed, but riding on the back of his bike just feels like so much more. It feels limitless.

I open my eyes when I feel the bike begin to slow. Looking up, I notice a sign that reads Oak Ridge Cemetery . He follows a winding path up the hill where it comes to an open clearing with a view of the town below. Jake parks and climbs off first, taking my hand and helping me dismount.

“Watch the pipes. They’re hot.” He reaches beneath my chin, unfastens the strap, and removes his helmet. I release my hair, then lean forward to shake my hair out. Using my hands to smooth it back, I put it up in a loose bun on top of my head. When I turn back, I find Jake staring over the top of his sunglasses at me, his panty-melting smirk on full display.

“When you said let’s go for a ride, a cemetery wasn’t exactly what I had in mind as our destination.”

“Where did you want me to take you, Angel?” The innuendo and the lift of his eyebrows make it nearly impossible to fall for his charm.

Damn, he’s potent.

His hands go to my hips, and he leans in close. My hands go to his chest of their own accord. “Did you have some place specific you wanted me to take you?” I swallow hard, my breath hitching slightly at our closeness. I’d be lying if I said my body didn’t respond to his words.

Traitor!

“Why are we here, Jake?” I ask, pushing against his chest, hoping to maintain some space between us.

He slides his glasses back up on his face, takes my hand, twining our fingers together. “Come on. There’s something I want to show you.” I follow close behind, not sure what to think about all of this, but loving the feel of our joined hands too much to say anything for fear I might ruin the moment.

We walk several yards forward and stand under a large oak tree looking out over the edge of town below. “It’s beautiful up here, Jake.”

“Yeah, it is. That’s why she’s buried here.” I turn to face him, confused for a split second, then it dawns on me. I look to the ground, and there beside my feet is a double headstone. It has two large roses etched in the dark granite stone and reads Jenkins in bold letters.

To the left, the inscription reads,

Margarette ‘Maggie’ Rose Jenkins

Beloved Wife, Mother, Daughter

1983-2003

To the right, another inscription reads,

Avery Rose Jenkins

Beloved Daughter & Granddaughter

2001-2003

I drop to the ground, curling my knees into my chest. It feels like the world is spinning out of control and it’s all I can do not to fall over the edge. The air is tight in my chest, squeezing. Tears are streaming down my face as I run my fingers across her name.

Mom.

I run my finger over my name.

Jenkins.

Jake sits behind me, his legs outstretched around me. He reaches around my waist, pulling me back until my back rests against his chest, and holds me in silence while I cry.

“Gramps told me they had a huge memorial for her. The whole town of Baron’s Edge showed up to pay their respects. It bothered me, we never visited her. I once asked my grandmother to take me to her grave so I could put flowers on it for Mother’s Day, thinking she must be lonely not having any visitors to talk to her.” I laugh softly at my childish thoughts.

“But my grandmother told me she didn’t have a grave. She said she was cremated and put in a family mausoleum somewhere back east. She gave me some bullshit about rich people not being laid to rest in the ground where insects and animals could freely defecate. God , she’s such a bitch.” I wipe the tears from my face and feel his chest rise and fall with a deep breath.

“Yeah, I heard your grandmother is a difficult pill to swallow,” he says.

“Difficult is an understatement. She’s …” I sigh, trying to find the right words. “She never loved my mother. I don’t think she’s ever loved anyone except herself. People aren’t what matters to her. Well, that’s not exactly true. People who can be manipulated to do her will, they matter. But only as long as they’re proven useful. Otherwise, all she cares about is my Gramps’s money and her status among the lowly people of Baron’s Edge. ” I lean back against his chest, enjoying the feel of him and the comfort being held brings.

I’ve never had someone hold me and listen to me ramble except Sadie, but it’s not the same.

Because the people in your life were only there to get close to Russell or Eleanor West. To get their attention.

Jake caresses my hand with his thumb. I close my eyes and breathe in the summer breeze. I’m glad they buried her in this place. It’s peaceful up here.

“She’s not lonely, Angel. Liz and Gabe bring flowers here all the time. Even my mom and Pop come up once in a while to visit her.”

“Why is she buried here, Jake? Why didn’t Gramps take her home?”

The betrayal I feel toward the man I once thought of as my father-figure burns like acid in the pit of my stomach. I wish he would’ve told me he knew where she was, what really happened to her. Why did everyone want to keep this part of my life a secret? Why not at least tell me? I deserved to know the truth about where I came from. My family. I could’ve kept it to myself. At least, I would’ve known I was loved.

“Oakridge was Maggie’s home. Everything she loved is here,” he says, scooping me up and turning me so I’m straddling his lap, putting us face to face. His words sting, but I don’t let him see the effect they have on me.

Everything she loved, except me.

The thought pierces my heart, but I don’t dare say it out loud. She wasn’t the one who sent me away.

“What they told you about Eleanor not knowing about Maggie’s life here is true. I don’t know exactly why Maggie ran away, but I’ve heard stories over the years. Maggie wasn’t happy in Baron’s Edge. The way my mom tells it, Maggie felt caged. She loved cars and art and?—”

“Smartass, sexy bikers, with archaic beliefs and gruff personalities?”

He throws his head back and laughs. “Something like that.” Jake brushes a stray hair from my face. “Hope you don’t find all my brothers sexy. It would crush Hawk’s ego to be lumped in with everyone else.” I drop my eyes to the ground to hide my smile.

“Hawk is more Sadie’s speed than mine. I prefer talking penises, apparently.” He chuckles softly.

We’re silent for a moment, and I feel the second the air between us shifts and the mood feels heavy.

Lifting my chin with his finger he says, “The day Maggie died, I was there. We got there after everything had happened.” He takes a deep breath and releases my chin. Looking to collect his thoughts.

“Mom got a call that there had been an accident and they needed her to come help Pop. When we arrived, Pop and Gabe were pulling Maggie from the front of the car and laying her out on the road. I’ll never forget the look on his face. I still see it in my dreams sometimes. He was lost, completely broken, and helpless. I was only a kid then, but even I could see it. His woman was his world, and she was laying there completely lifeless in his arms.”

Jake starts picks at the grass. His eyes focused on his task. I’m watching his fingers as he twirls and pulls the blades, wishing I could see what’s going on behind his eyes, but they’re still hidden behind his sunglasses.

“Mom helped get you out of the back seat and cleaned you up. I watched as she put you in Gabe’s arms and he held you to his chest as he cried.” Jake looks up at my face, wiping the stream of tears trailing my own cheeks.

“Gabe was torn between holding his lifeless wife, or his crying daughter. You brushed Maggie’s hair away from her face and tried to wake her. I watched while Gabe tried to explain to you why Maggie wouldn’t wake up, but you were too young to understand.” He pauses for a minute, looking back to the gravestone.

I wish I could see his eyes.

“Me and Mom took you and Jayde with us to a cabin the club owns out near the lake. It’s hidden off the main roads. I watched over you two girls while Mom made food for us and made all the necessary phone calls. You were quiet, shy, didn’t want to do anything but sit on my lap. My guess is you were probably in shock.” Jake picks another handful of grass and releases it. He turns his face to meet mine again and says, “I couldn’t put you down. I held you while you slept through the night until Pop came to get you the next morning.”

The air grows thick around us. I can feel tension and anger rolling off Jake’s taut body.

“Pop said he was taking you to Gabe because they needed to have you checked out at the hospital. Precautions and shit. He left with you in the back of the SUV, and I never saw you again. The next night, Gabe called the family together and told everyone you had died at the hospital. We were told you had internal bleeding and when the doctors tried to fix it, it was already too late. You’d lost too much blood and died on the table in the operating room. One week later, we were all gathered here, lowering two caskets into the ground.” He moves me off his lap and stands to his feet to pace, running his hands through his hair.

He stops only a foot away from where I’m still seated on the ground, staring up at him.

“I didn’t understand how you went from being perfectly fine sleeping in my arms to being gone in a matter of hours. It didn’t make any sense! You were curled up in a ball, clinging to my shirt, breathing just fine as you slept on my chest!” He growls angrily. “I was so pissed at everyone ! My mom’s a nurse. How could she not see there was something wrong with you? How could she miss something like losing blood? There would’ve been signs we should’ve seen, right? I was a fucking kid! I didn’t know what to look for. She’s the nurse, and she should’ve known to tell them to take you to the hospital instead of to the fucking cabin, but we were just following orders. Then … in the blink of an eye, you were gone.”

He stops shouting, turns to me, dropping to the ground, cradling my face in his hands. His glasses fall to the ground with the sudden jolt of him hitting his knees. So much pain and frustration are staring back at me in his beautiful blue eyes.

“I swear to God, Angel, if I thought something was going to happen to you, I never would’ve let them send you home with me. I never would’ve let anything happen to you.” He whispers, laying his forehead to mine.

My heart breaks for Jake. For the little boy inside of him who’s carried all the anger and guilt for a death that never even happened. He thought he was somehow to blame for my alleged death. Holding onto guilt for something that wasn’t even fucking true. He’s been holding onto remorse for a lie.

My father’s lie.

I make a promise to myself to unleash all my pent-up anger on my father when I get the chance. For now, I need to put all my focus on the man in front of me. He’s hurting because he thought he hurt me.

I place my hands on either side of Jake’s face, shoving him back on his ass. I straddle him once again, not wanting him to move away so he’ll hear me. He closes his eyes.

“Look at me, Jake.” His eyes pop open and meet mine. “You were a boy. None of this was your fault. I didn’t succumb to any injuries in the accident. I didn’t die. I’m here.” I put his hand to my heart and let him feel it beating. “I’m right here, Jake. You did nothing wrong. You held me and kept me safe. You took care of me. Which is more than I can say about anyone else in my life.” His brow creases, but I stop his questions with a finger to his lips. When I’m sure he won’t speak, I move my hand to his cheek again.

I don’t elaborate on what I’ve said. He doesn’t need to know the demons I’ve faced living with my grandmother. It would only hurt him more to know what I’ve been through.

“Whatever happened after the night in the cabin is not your fault. You know that, don’t you?”

There’s a crackle of electricity between us, and suddenly his lips are on mine. His hand goes to my hair, pulling it loose. The other hand wraps around my waist, pulling me closer to him. My hands fall to his shoulders as he devours my mouth with a ferocity I never knew existed. He takes advantage of my shocked gasp, invading my mouth with his tongue. He tastes of coffee and trouble, but I can’t stop myself from enjoying every second of it.

Jake moves to my ass rocking me forward. I moan into his mouth. Embarrassed, I try to pull back, but Jake’s quick to grab my head and hold me in place.

“I love the little noises you make, Angel. It lets me know you like what I’m doing to you.” His mouth becomes more urgent. His hand on my ass squeezes harder, pressing us together. I can feel his hardness pushing up against the seam of my shorts, causing a tingling sensation at my core.

His other hand gripping my neck moves my head to the side as his lips descend down my throat, across my jaw and back to my lips again. My mind is a garbled mess. I can feel the wetness pooling between my legs.

Unfamiliar with the sensations Jake is causing in my body, I begin to feel frustrated. I start squirming in his lap, needing something, but I’m not exactly sure what— just more . This fluttering sensation, the heat I feel in my core, it’s all new and intoxicating to me. But I feel like there’s something missing.

Jake chuckles against my throat. “You need to come, Angel? You going to be a good girl and show me what you look like when you fall apart for me?”

“I-I don’t know.”

Jake grips both my hips, holding me still against him. Searching my face, he asks, “Have you ever been with a man, Angel?”

My cheeks flame. Turning away, I try to hide my embarrassment. Jake cups the left side of my face. “Look at me, baby.”

Our eyes meet and I feel like such a fool for the tears that I feel stinging my eyes.

“Answer me, baby. Have you ever been touched by a man?” His eyes are so intense. I shake my head.

“Not in a way that brought me pleasure. No.”

Jake’s brow creases. I pull my head out of his grip. Shame washing over me like a wave, threatening to take me under.

“We should go.” I move to get up, but as I lift off his lap, his hands grip my waist and force me back down. He growls. Fucking growls at me.

“I don’t know what that means, but you’ll tell me later.” It’s not a question. “For now, give me that sweet mouth of yours and hold on to my shoulders, Angel.”

Unable to stop myself, I follow his demands and grip his shoulders, leaning in to kiss his lips. This kiss is softer, gentler than before, but it quickly heats up as his hands jerk my hips, causing even more friction than before. His tongue is licking, tasting, savoring my mouth.

I rock my hips against him, lost in the sensations building inside me. “That’s it, baby. Make yourself feel good. Let yourself go. I’ve got you.”

The tingling down below intensifies with every stroke of his length against my center. Jake bites down on my bottom lip. I feel the slight flash of pain, and Jake’s name comes out as a strangled cry—just before wave upon wave of pleasure like I’ve never felt before pulses through me.

Jake slows the movements of my hips, peppering soft kisses along my jaw. When I sit up, I find his cocky smirk and sparkling eyes staring at me.

“Welcome back.”

I lean in and kiss him softly. Not knowing any other way to express the gratitude I feel for what just happened.

He didn’t take. He gave.

Jake breaks our kiss, leaning his forehead to mine. “We should get out of here.”

We’re both panting and out of breath. All I can do is nod. Jake grabs his glasses off the ground, then lifts me to my feet. I follow as closely as I can while he drags me back to his bike by my hand.

Jake climbs on, putting his sunglasses back on his face, motioning for me to climb on. I get the helmet fastened as he starts the bike. “Hold on tight, baby,” he calls over his shoulder. My stomach does flips at him calling me baby .

I grab hold of his body, leaning tight against his back, smiling as we tear off down the road together.

When we pull into the gravel drive in front of Liz and Caleb’s house, and are met by a scowling Gabe, and my stomach flips for a whole other reason.