Page 28 of Jag

Chapter Nine

Jag

Stopping had been morefor me than for River. I needed a break from having her essentially wrapped around me. The woman was oblivious to the effect she had on me. With her thighs snuggly encasing my hips, her chest pressed into my back, and her arms wrapped tightly at my waist, I felt every ounce of her heat through my clothing. A couple of hours of that and my concentration was gone.

I might have mentioned that I wanted to go slow with her, but it wasn’t going to happen. Not after speaking with her dad, and definitely not after tasting her. Any doubt I had of what I wanted went away with a vision of River naked and wrapped around me, and not on a bike. Well...at least not right now.

“Tell me about your club?”

River’s question shook me out of my head, and I realized I was staring at her while I dealt with my thoughts. I wanted to get her to open up to me, but she beat me to the punch.

“Do you know anything about MCs?” I asked.

“Other than what my dad told me after I’d seen some of the men around town with their vests on.”

“Which was...?” I questioned and raised my brow.

“Mainly how the club came to be in Shades Valley. At first, there may or may not have been some illegal activity going on with the club, but with no tangible proof, means there are no court records to prove otherwise. He told me you and the others who make up the leadership...and I have to say, I’m not sure I understand that part...were raised by your single dads. No details on why. The club does a lot for the community, which has helped with the town’s overall acceptance with the club. Really, his information was basic.

“So, this might make me sound naïve, even stupid to ask, but I assume your club isn’t anything like what was depicted in SOA? I binged watched the series onNetflixsince I’ve had free time. I’ll admit it hooked me and I can’t wait to catch the spinoff MC show. There are tons of books out with the same theme. I’ve even purchased a few and they bring romance books to a new level. And what I noticed seeing the men in your club, watching SOA, and the books, the common denominator is hot gu—” River abruptly stopped talking, and her face pinkened. I grinned.

“You think the men in my club are hot?” I teased. The waitress brought our food, which gave River a break in answering, but no way would I let that statement drop.

Once the waitress walked away, River immediately started in on her food. I’d play along for a bit, so I picked up my burger and started eating, too. Since I missed breakfast, I plowed through my food before River was halfway through hers.

“While you finish, I’ll tell you what I can about my club or most clubs in general. Don’t believe everything you read or watch on MCs. Are there some that deal in illegal things, sure, but they aren’t the norm. However, they still follow common club rules. No MC deals well with betrayal of any type. It’s a brotherhood where loyalty is primary. Everyone inside the club is family until they do something to not be considered that anymore. Black Hawk was formed by Stroker, Flyboy, Preacher, Cutter, Cruz, and Romeo. They served in the military together and were the original leadership of Black Hawk up until me, Crusher, Flirt, Coast, Devil, and Speed came home. We’ve been back a few months shy of two years. Speed was the last to make it back. Once he got here, our dads stepped down and turned the club over to us. Now we are the leadership. Crusher is our President, I’m the Vice President, Devil is the Secretary, Coast and Speed are Enforcers, and Flirt is the Treasurer.

“The club owns several businesses. Each is run by a club member, and the majority of the employees are members, too. We are pretty self-sufficient. TV is great for entertainment, but...” I shrugged.

River finished with her food, wiped her mouth and hands, then placed her napkin on the table.

“I think there is more to the club.”

“Some things you don’t need to know.”

“Is this where you say the women aren’t privy to the inner decisions and activities of the club?” River asked, and I saw the amusement in her eyes.

“Yes.”

“Seriously, you mean the men in the club keep things from their SOs or wives? That sounds a bit archaic,” she asked, the amusement in her eyes gone as she glared at me.

“Sometimes knowing less is better.” My lips twitched at her glare. “Enough on my club. Let’s get out of here. I want to take you somewhere else. Then it’s my turn, and you can tell me about yourself.”

“Hey, you didn’t tell me anything about yourself,” River said and slid out of the booth. When she pulled cash out of her pocket, I lifted a brow. “What? I want to pay for my food.”

“Not happening, ever, when you are with me, so put your money away.” I slid enough cash in the folder the waitress left when she brought our food, to cover our meal and a nice tip for the waitress.

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