Jake’s Angel (King’s Of Fury MC #2)

Chapter 32

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

AVERY

It’s been a week since I had dinner at Gabe’s and all my secrets were spilled to the club. Jake has been relentless in trying to get me to talk or spend time with him. Gabe comes over to the house every night for dinner, which seems to be the highlight of Liz’s day. She loves cooking for everyone and having them sitting around her table. It’s his attempt at getting to know me. I think he’s afraid to talk to me alone. It may have something to do with the fact I’m still not warming up to being around him or the club.

I don’t know how to act around any of them. It feels like they can all see through me now that they know my secrets. It’s uncomfortable and a little unnerving.

I spend most of my days locked away in my room or on the porch, drawing in the sketch pad Liz bought for me. Sadie told her how art and dance were my only two outlets. Everything else I did was structured to a T and were rarely ever activities of my own choosing.

Jake is still sleeping across the hall, which is annoying. He sleeps shirtless and in a low hanging pair of gray cutoff sweatpants.

I tried telling him he could go back to his own place or the clubhouse to sleep. I am perfectly safe with Caleb watching me. I was hoping he’d leave for a little while so I could catch my breath. Of course, Caleb shut that idea down. He reiterated how Jake was following orders, which was like a bucket of ice-cold water bringing my desire to a grinding halt.

I’m a job. A duty.

I did take Sadie’s advice to get even a little.

Jayde brought me some thin pajamas sets to wear around the house. They’re cute little tank tops, not quite see-through, but they leave little to the imagination. The short butt-cut shorts fit snug around the curves of my ass. At first, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be so petty. Then I heard Jake growl as I brushed past him in the hall on my way to the bathroom and agreed it was a great plan.

Two can play this game.

Jake tries to start up random conversations with me, but I’m sticking to short answers or basic information. I refuse to let him get to know me any more than he already does.

There’s no point.

I put my heart out there, showed him a part of me only Sadie has ever seen before. He made me believe he cared. He was so tender and caring. I thought he felt something between us, but turns out all he saw was an opportunity to further his business and make his president proud. He wants to draw my tattoos, that he will be putting on me apparently, because he thinks he gets to make those decisions for me.

But he doesn’t want me.

Something must’ve happened over the last couple of days, because Jake has become all about his guard duty. He’s always there, whether I want him to be or not. He forbade Austin and Blake to take me to the store when I asked. He took me to the grocery store and followed me around. I was so angry he wouldn’t let me walk down the aisles alone that I made him stand beside me while I read the back of every tampon and pad package. I could get my hands on. And because I was feeling extra petty, I asked him which douche scent he thought would be best.

The bastard picked Morning Paradise and gave me his signature cocky grin.

He is so infuriating.

He’s taking this protection thing a bit too far if you ask me, but no one does. They don’t care what I think. The men have decided, and my job is to obediently comply. Some things never change.

Most days, Liz puts Jake to work doing things around the house, like moving the furniture around in the living room and fixing the front steps. Any and every miscellaneous thing she can think of to keep him busy. I assumed she was doing it for my benefit as much as for her own amusement, but now I’m convinced she’s trying to torture me.

She asked him this morning to sand and paint the porch railing, claiming every time she touched it, she got splinters. I thought it was funny she was making him do all this hard labor when she could just ask a prospect to do it, and they would without question.

Then Jake came out this morning and after only an hour of sanding the rails, he removed his T-shirt, revealing all the hard planes of his body. His chest, abs, and arms were on full display, glistening with sweat from the summer heat. His tattoos are taunting me with every move of his muscles. I wanted nothing more than to kick Liz—right after I kiss her.

This! This is what I’ve been trying to avoid! I don’t want to be lusting after this man. This infuriating, controlling, cocky, beautiful specimen of a man.

I’m so screwed!

I’ve been trying to keep my distance since I know he’s only doing his job, but I can’t help how I feel about him. It’s just attraction, I tell myself time and time again, but then he does something sweet like brush my hair off my face or bring me a glass of sweet tea on the porch and sit with me while the sunsets.

We don’t talk. We sit in silence and enjoy the moment. I catch myself wanting to curl up onto his chest and feel his arms around me, but I know it wouldn’t be real. Not for him. I wish I knew why he keeps toying with me. It’s frustrating as hell.

Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse, Sadie caught me drooling over Jake while I was watching him through the kitchen window.

“You just going to stand there ogling the poor man, or are you planning on doing something about all that pent-up frustration you’ve got built up over there?” She winks.

“There isn’t any pent-up anything, and I’m not ogling.” I snap back.

“Obviously!” she says sarcastically, rolling her eyes. “You’ve been holed up in this house avoiding anything fun. It’s time we get you out of here,” she says, biting her bottom lip. “You’re finally free, Avery. Let’s live a little, please.” She draws out the last part in a whine.

“Have you forgotten I’m under house arrest?” I joke.

“No, you’re not. Gabe said you have to have an escort. Which you won’t need for what I have planned because the guys will already be there anyway.” She’s rocking back and forth on her feet, which can only mean she’s already planned something, and my job as the best friend is to shut up and go along for the ride. I hang my head in defeat.

Shit!

“What’s your crazy ass plan this time, Sadie?” I ask, not really wanting to know the answer.

“There’s a party at the clubhouse tonight, well, a barbeque, and we are going.” She says putting her hands on my shoulders forcing me to face out the window where Jake is clueless to all the snapshots I’ve stored up for my rub club later.

“You could try on your new leather dress and drive a certain someone just as crazy as you’re feeling right now. Revenge is best served in a little black dress. Isn’t that what you always tell me?” I smile because she knows damn well it’s her who always says it, not me.

I love her. But she is completely crazy.

“I don’t know if going to a club party is such a great idea. I mean, look how the last one turned out.” I state flatly. Sadie waves her hand around and huffs at me.

She’s really pushing for this.

“I tell you what. You go with me to the club party and if you feel the slightest bit uncomfortable, we’ll leave. Cross my heart.” Of course, I caved, so here we are—and all I want to do now is leave.

We walked in the door just in time to see a red-headed woman with the external floating devices she calls breasts and Drea the purple pixie from hell, both trying to climb Jake like a damn tree. It probably wouldn’t have bothered me nearly as much if he would have at least moved them away, but he didn’t.

Of course, he didn’t, you idiot! This is the club life. This is who he is!

I could slap myself for how stupid I feel.

“I knew this was a bad idea. Dammit Sadie!” I’m pacing the floor in the women’s bathroom of the clubhouse, trying to calm myself down. “It’ll be fun she said. It’ll only be the guys and a few family members. Low key she said.” My sarcasm is in full effect tonight.

“Oh, calm your tits. It’s not so bad,” Sadie sasses back.

“I’m not going back out there! You can forget it! I never should’ve let Sadie talk me into this dress or coming here tonight. I knew this shit would happen.” I’m shouting at Jayde, but it’s only because if I don’t stick with anger, the tears will start, and I don’t want to acknowledge the hurt. Not yet.

“Okay, okay. Plan B,” Jayde says. “Here’s what we do. Sadie, I need you to ask Jinx for a favor. We need Austin and Blake distracted.”

Sadie smiles the devilish way she does when she’s up to something sinister or illegal, or both. “Already done. As soon as they sat down at the bar and the other two asshats were distracted by the bimbo brigade, we took care of it.”

“Avery, you and I are going out the back door. I drove Daddy’s truck tonight and since I don’t have to have an escort to come and go, they won’t pay me any mind at the gate. You two will need to lie low in the back seat, and I’ll get us out of here.”

I don’t have any idea what she’s said. The only part I got and am fully on board with is getting the hell out of here.

Sadie walks out first and heads to the bar. Jayde grabs my arm and leads me down the hallway, past offices and club members’ rooms, to the back door. I can see Jinx nodding at whatever Sadie is saying.

Jayde and I make it to the truck, and I climb into the back seat. Sadie joins us a few minutes later. With all the windows blacked out and only the driver’s side rolled down, me and Sadie squat down in the floorboard. The prospect at the gate only sees Jayde in the truck and waves us through.

“Where to?” I ask, excited to be out.

“The Bella Noche, of course,” Sadie says, making a Vanna White motion with her hands.

“Don’t we have guys working security there tonight?” Jayde asks.

Sadie’s smile widens when she replies. “Nope. I checked earlier. But Matteo and Santiago are there tonight.”

“Vincenzo’s men are supposed to be there, Sadie. It’s his club.”

“I know Jayde, but,” Sadie drawls. “Santiago and Skyler are real close friends, and as such, he will watch over us. Therefore, we’re following the rules, sort of. They won’t be breathing down our necks like the prospects would, but we’re still technically being watched by the club.” Sadie reasons. “Or, you know, friends of the club. Whatever. It counts.”

“Somehow, I don’t think Daddy or Gabe are going to agree with your brand of logic, but it’s too late now. Let’s go get our dance on,” Jayde shouts excitedly.

“You know they’ll eventually find us, and they’ll likely never let us out of their sight again?” I couldn’t care less, but I don’t feel right about them getting into trouble for me.

Sadie waves me off. “Girl, if I gave a shit about their tantrums, I’d never do anything out of fear they’d go off on me.” She circles her face with her finger. “See this? This is the face of someone who gives exactly zero fucks about their rules or opinions. We want to have fun, and we can’t do it surrounded by hookers and whores.”

Valid point.

With that, I let all the worry wash away. I need this and I’m going to enjoy it.