The sane thing for me to do would have been to run in the opposite direction and flee for my life the second that I saw his bright blue eyes and bad boy smile. But I'd never been considered completely sane. So I stayed. I fell. I loved. And I broke.
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Chapter Nine:
"Are you sure about this?" I asked Jax for the millionth time as we pulled up to the clubhouse. "I thought you said that this is a really big deal. Like marriage kind of big deal."
He laughed and helped me off his bike. "We're looking at houses so that we can spend the rest of our lives together, darlin. Don't you think that if I wasn't sure, I would've run out the door by now?"
"But-"
Jax cut me off with a kiss and a warm smile. "I'm sure, baby. Now shut up, Happy's waiting for us."
It had been a month since our first official date, three months on Jax's timeline since we'd gotten together, and he'd approached the subject the night before after we'd made love and I was coming down from a mind-blowing orgasm.
I'd agreed in the heat of the moment, giddy that his actions were speaking for the three words we were still yet to say to each other, but the morning light had brought insecurities with it.
If we hadn't even said we loved each other yet, wasn't it a little too soon to get his Crow?
Gemma had told me that Jax didn't say the three words easily and I shouldn't feel bad that he hadn't said them, that he was practically terrified because everyone he'd said it to - apart from her - had left him or, in Wendy's case, turned into a junkie. When she said it like that, it made a lot of sense why he hadn't spoken them out loud.
Happy eyed us as soon as we walked into the clubhouse and rose from his seat at the bar, pushing away the Crow Eater that was on his lap as we got close to him.
"You sure about this, little girl?" He asked me.
I gripped Jax's hand tightly in my own and nodded slowly. "Yep. Apparently he wants to be stuck with me, might as well make it official."
Happy lead us back to the dorm that Jax claimed as his own and pulled out the stencil that he'd made up. Rather than give it to Jax to look over, he handed it directly to me and let me look at the piece while he began to get his equipment out.
"Hap?" He looked over his shoulder at me with a blank face. "This is beautiful. You sure you don't want to come and work at my shop?"
Happy rolled the toothpick in his mouth to the other side and shook his head. "I'd kill your apprentice. She's a snooty bitch."
"Plus, you only hire women." Jax added.
I wanted to fight that I didn't only hire women, I just hadn't found a man who was up to my standards yet, but I kept my mouth shut to look over the stencil, instead.
"Besides, I think it's fucking weird that you own a tattoo parlour and don't have tattoos." Happy grumbled when he nodded to one of the two chairs at his desk. "I wouldn't trust working with you."
"But you trust me to tattoo you?" I grinned when I dropped into the leather seat he'd pulled out for me. "Now, how does that make any sense?"
He shrugged his shoulders instead of answering and then, finally, looked at his President. "Where am I putting this on your mouthy bitch?"
"Hey!" I frowned.
Jax laughed. "She wants it on her ribs. And, mouthy bitch or not, you've claimed her as your best friend. At least my feelings are keeping me tied to her-"
"I think I might just go and get drunk with Piney." I cut him off with a glare. "Since my boyfriend and best friend have decided that they're going to be assholes."
Jax leant over and kissed the top of my head. "Not your boyfriend, darlin. As soon as you get this tattoo, I'm your Old Man."
Happy watched us with a frown. "Sappy bullshit. I'm never getting an Old Lady, you two are pathetic."
I pulled up the singlet that I'd worn so I didn't have to take off my shirt completely and undid my bra, slipping it to Jax. "You say that now, but you're goin' to find someone who will sweep you off your army-booted feet. I can feel it."
He applied the stencil to my skin and looked up at Jax. "Kill me if I do."
"Nah, man." Jax kissed the top of my head again. "It's the best thing that will ever happen to you."
Happy pretended to wretch and I laughed happily before he levelled me with a stare. "This is going to hurt, Ellie. You ready?"
"Bring it on, baby." I grinned.
It fucking hurt. I finally understood why my clients complained while they were getting their ribs tattooed, and felt sorry that I'd ever called them pussy's behind their backs.
But, maybe because I was more stubborn than sensible, I refused to let my pain show and forced myself to grin through the hour-long torture session.
"You're a tough bitch." Happy nodded when he put his gun down and wiped over my red skin. "I thought you would have tapped out. Most virgins can't handle it the first time, let alone on their ribs."
"I didn't pull out." Jax remarked, causing a harsh chuckle from Happy and a tomato-red blush from me.
Happy handed me a mirror to look at the tattoo he'd placed on my side and I fought my urge not to cry. "Hap, it's beautiful. Thank you, sweetheart."
He kissed my cheek. "Thanks for trusting me enough to do your first tattoo, little girl."
Jax had grown used to our strange relationship and how close I was with the Tacoma Killer. It had taken a lot of semi-drunk fights and chats, but he'd finally come to the conclusion that - as I'd told him all along - there was nothing romantic between us. It didn't mean he liked it when Happy showed me affection, though.
The Enforcer raised to his full height and looked at his President. "You take care of her."
Even though he hadn't said anything threatening, there was a deadly undertone to his statement that made it clear he was willing to get bloody if something happened to me, and I wasn't sure whether I wanted to stand up for Jax or hug my friend for wanting to take care of me.
Jax nodded once. "I'll never hurt her, brother. You've got my word."
"Keep it." Happy growled before he walked out the door and shut it behind him.
I stood up and turned so that Jax could see my tattoo clearly. "So, what do you think?"
"I think you look like a hot Old Lady." Jax smirked, eyes alight with humour. "And I think that I want to fuck you."
"Crude, Mr. Teller." I tssked with a wink. "Very naughty."
Jax locked the door to his dorm. "You don't have half an idea of how naughty I'm about to be. Future Mrs. Teller."
