Small Town Hero

Chapter 22

She raced over to the Killah who draped an arm around her shoulders. Jax told Ratboy and Juice to load up the van with the rival bikers. Happy had work to do that night. She looked up at him wondering what that meant. He told her he'd come by her house after he was finished with his work. She nodded at him. Tig and Chibs were tying up the rival bikers and then Ratboy and Juice moved them to their van. The manager decided to close the bar early that night. Noelle huffed making Jax wonder what was going on.

"That jerk took all my tips from me!" She stated when the blond biker asked her what was wrong.

Jax bent down to dig through his pockets. He'd taken her tips and had a wallet full of cash. He gave it all to Noelle who thanked him. The waitresses and bartenders had to wait for the bikers to get the rival bikers out of the bar before they could start the after hours clean up. Happy told Juice he'd meet him at the cottage earning a head nod from the IO. Turning to Noelle, he just nodded at her then walked out to his bike. She wasn't sure she wanted to know what he was going to be doing. The manager thanked Jax for his help but he shook his head and told him that it was Noelle who'd called the club asking for help.

Once all the bikers were gone, the after hours clean up started. The manager thanked Noelle for calling the Sons before she left for the night. It was still early, only a little past ten pm, so she couldn't quite go to sleep yet. She made a small snack after changing into her night shirt and plopped down on the couch to watch some TV. Around midnight she headed off to bed. It was four am when her phone rang waking her up. Upon answering, she heard Happy tell her he was at her door and wanting in.

She set her phone down and crawled out of bed. That sleepy face made him smile. She didn't even bother with anything, she just headed back down the hallway to her bedroom. He wanted to shower before he slid into bed so he walked into her bathroom as she crawled back into bed. By the time he exited her bathroom in his boxers, she had already drifted back off to sleep. He scooted over, wrapped his arm around her waist and the other underneath her head. He quickly fell asleep holding onto her tightly.

When she woke up the next morning, she felt Happy cuddled up to her. It made her smile as she turned around in his arms and buried her face in his bare, tattooed chest. He grunted something in his sleep as she moved around but tightened his grip on her. She drifted back to sleep as she laid there waiting for him to wake up. It was his phone that woke them both up sometime later. Jax was telling him he was late for work making Happy grunt. When he set his phone down, he cupped her face in his hands and crashed their lips together.

He needed to feel her, to know that she was his and was still with him. She wrapped her arm around his back as they laid there. The previous evening had scared her. She'd called him, he promised to come to her rescue, and he came. Even with a gun pointed at her head, he had been calculating how to get her out of harm's way without getting hurt. She trusted him to keep her safe. It was the first time since Janie's parents that she truly trusted someone else. The more they kissed, the more she began to want him. He pulled away and told her he'd see her later.

She watched as he climbed out of bed and headed into the bathroom to get changed. His clothes were bloody and she wondered what had happened the previous night. Without another word to her, he left leaving her alone in bed. Leaning back on the bed she sighed. Partly in contentment and partly in frustration. The way he kissed really got her motor going. Not to mention how sexy she thought his voice was, especially when he growled at her. It may frighten others but she thought it was the sexiest thing she'd ever heard!

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Two months went by slowly as Noelle waited for her classes to start. She was very excited and hoped this would pay off where she could get a job with the local portrait studio and could quit working at the bar. She liked the tips but hated being smacked or pinched on her ass all the time. Happy and the club were out on some run and wouldn't be back for a week at least. She hoped he'd behave himself but since they weren't a real couple, due to her age, she didn't feel she had the right to tell him to behave himself while he was gone.

She dressed conservatively for her first day of classes. Arriving early, she hoped to get a feel for the school and where all her classes would be. She was taking a class in editing software so she knew how to do that as well. Finding her first classroom of the day, she walked in and had a seat at the front of the class. She took out a notebook and pen and got ready to learn. She'd always picked things up pretty quick when she was in high school and hoped now would be no different.

Slowly other students began to filter into the classroom. The instructor, an older gentleman with a receding hairline and potbelly wearing a cardigan walked in and set his briefcase on the desk. He wrote his name and the name of the course he was teaching on the chalkboard. She wrote it down too and waited patiently. As students continued to filter in, he started passing out the syllabus for the course. She was looking it over when he shut the door. After a few minutes, he began to introduce himself, how long he'd been teaching, how long he'd worked as a photographer, and about some of the projects he'd been apart of. She was quite impressed with him.

Her day was rather quiet. She didn't have lunch with anyone and didn't really talk much to other students. Once she was out of class at four, she headed home to relax a little and go over the notes she had taken during her classes before she had to start dinner for herself. She always left the house at 5:40 on the dot. Even though she arrived at work a little early, she liked hearing if there were any issues she needed to be aware of before her shift started. There would be a new routine for her now that school had started up.

Classes from eight am to four pm. Study from the time she got home to the time she started dinner. Get dressed and get to work. Work from six pm to two am. Go home and go to bed until her alarm sounded at six: thirty am. She would shower, dress, make breakfast, then get to school. Sure, she wasn't getting as much sleep as she used to but it was a necessary sacrifice she had to make to better herself and hopefully give her something to start a career with. She hoped Happy would understand how little "down time" she had now that classes had started.

The first week of her school schedule was rough as she was getting used to it. Work was sometimes rougher than usual which didn't help her mood any. She tried to make meals that she could eat on more than once. Most days she took left-overs to school with her since their lounge had a microwave in it. Some days she just ordered take-out so she could study longer. When the club returned from their run, Clay held church to go over everything and hand out money to those who'd gone. Opie had been volunteered to stay behind, much to his chagrin, so he didn't get a cut of what they made on their run.

Happy was itching to head over to Noelle's to see how she was doing. He knew she'd started school already and was wondering how it was going. Of course, any excuse to see her was good enough for him. Once Clay slammed his gavel down, Happy was out the door and heading to his bike. The white-haired biker just shook his head realizing the infatuation with the young girl wasn't going away it was only getting worse for the killer. He decided to talk to Chibs and see what he knew about the girl since he seemed to have an affection for her as well.

"What can you tell me about the girl staying in our rental house?" Clay asked the Scotsman.

"The lass 'as 'ad a 'ard life, Clay. Seen things she shouldn't 'ave seen at her young age. Been subject t' things she shouldn't 'ave been subject t'. There was a good reason she was granted emancipation at only fourteen. She graduated high school while working full time." Chibs explained.

"And you think she's trustworthy?" Clay lit a cigar.

"I do. The only threat she is, is t' the crow eaters with an affection for Happy." Chibs chuckled.

"Is this a serious relationship?" Clay inquired.

"Nothing serious is going on between them right now. 'e knows better until she 'its eighteen. Don't be surprised if 'e inks 'er soon after 'er birthday, though. 'e cares deeply for the lass. And I'm pretty sure she feels the same." Chibs stated.

"I see." Clay puffed on his cigar.

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