“Viper won’t kill Hennessy.”
Jackal rolled his eyes. “Hennessy is lucky he’s still alive. You’re probably the only one who can change Viper’s mind.”
“I don’t like Hennessy, but I don’t want to see any man killed. I’ll call Knox and tell him I want to charge him for kidnapping. He’ll be safe in prison.”
This was not going the way he wanted.
“Do you want Train or not? I think he and Raci make a cute couple, don’t you?”
“No. Okay, it’s a deal, but no funny stuff.”
“Like what?” Jackal laid his hand down on top of hers. Penni started to pull her hand back, but Jackal nodded at Shade and Lily who were getting closer to them.
“Like no touching.”
“There has to be some touching, or Shade and Train won’t believe it.”
“Okay, some touching, but nothing too sexual.”
“I thought the idea was to make Train jealous, not turn me into a fucking pussy.”
“Okay, we’ll play it by ear,” Penni conceded as Shade and Lily came to a stop at their table.
Jackal looked up at Shade, confident he hadn’t missed their linked hands.
“You going to go fix yourself a plate?” Shade asked as he placed their plates on the table then sat down with Lily at the picnic table.
Jackal had to give Shade credit. He had seen their hands, his frown saying he wasn’t happy, but he wouldn’t start an argument in front of Lily.
Not about to hide her confusion, Lily asked, “Did I miss something?”
Penni sprung to her feet. “Jackal wants to talk to you. Wow, I’m starved.” She disappeared, leaving Jackal to face the couple alone.
Jackal tried to think of a simple way to tell Shade without getting his nose broken again.
“Your sister likes me.”
20
“What are you doing here?”
Penni blocked the doorway after opening the door. She had hoped after finishing her half-eaten dinner that Jackal would return inside the clubhouse. She had only been able to choke down a few bites of her food under Shade and Lily’s silent scrutiny.
“Did you forget you invited me to watch the movie with you?” His loud voice had everyone in the living room turning from the television.
Penni stepped onto the porch, shutting the door behind her.
“I did not invite you,” Penni hissed.
“I thought this would be a good time to show them we’re a couple.”
“You already told them; that’s all they need.”
“Telling them and showing them are two different things. By the way, thanks for the heads up before leaving me alone to tell Shade.”
“I was afraid I couldn’t keep a straight face.” Penni knew she was being a brat, but she had never lied to her brother before, and she still felt angry for letting jealousy over Raci overcome her common sense. “I’ve changed my mind. I thought it through.”
“That’s cool.” Jackal turned toward the steps. “Train and Rider are playing cards with Jewell and Ember. I’ll see if I can join them.”
“Wait. Are you sure this will work?”
“Put it this way; what you’re doing to catch Train isn’t working. The Last Riders have a lot of women. You have to do something to make yourself stand out.”
“That’s you?”
Jackal lifted his hands up. “By the time I get done with you, Train—hell, all the single men—will be trying to hook up with you.”
Her indecision vanished at the picture he had painted. She opened the door, letting him go inside. Then, closing the door, Penni felt Jackal take her hand. She took a deep breath as she led him into the living room.
“He’s decided to watch the movie with us.” She took a seat on the couch, scooting over so Jackal had enough room to sit down beside her. He circled his arm around her shoulders as Knox pushed the DVR button to restart the movie.
Stiffening, Penni forced herself to lean back against the couch cushion.
Shade, who was sitting on a large recliner, began to rise when he saw him touch her. Pleadingly, she silently begged him not to throw Jackal out.
Thankfully, Lily came to her rescue, pressing a hand to Shade’s chest to get him to sit still.
“Would you like something to drink or some popcorn?” Penni offered Jackal.
“No thanks. I’m good.”
She chewed on her bottom lip nervously as the horror film became a blood bath that gradually distracted her from the tension in the house.
Diamond and Knox were lying on a large blanket on the floor with a big bowl of popcorn. When the zombie began making moves on his girlfriend, Penni reached down, swiping the popcorn from them.
“Hey, get your own.” Diamond took it back, setting it back down on the floor between her and Knox.
“There’s enough for ten people,” she argued.
“When I get scared, I eat. The movie just started.”
“Fine, I’ll make mine own.”
Penni went into the kitchen, aggravated she was missing the movie.
“You need some help?” Jackal asked, coming in behind her.
“No!” she snapped, listening to the microwave begin to pop the bag of popcorn.
Jackal reached inside the refrigerator for a couple of sodas then set them down on the counter. “I’m beginning to see the problem with Train.”
Penni looked away from the microwave. “What do you mean?”
“He’s a man to snuggle with a pretty girl, not a bitch.”
“I’ve told you not to call me a bitch.” Penni opened the refrigerator door, banging Jackal’s shoulder with it as she took out some butter.
“You know what? You need more help to get Train than I can give you. Later.”
Jackal went to leave the kitchen, but Penni jerked him back.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know why I snapped at you.”
“Habit.”
She stared at the floor, ashamed of herself, then forced herself to meet his eyes. “I was in high school when I found out Shade belonged to a motorcycle club. I heard terrible things about clubs like his, so even though I didn’t get to see him often, I blamed them for how he treated me.”
“Shade mistreated you?” Jackal tried to shake her hand off his arm, but she held on more tightly.
“Not like that, no. You don’t know him well, so you don’t understand how remote he can be. Do you have any brothers or sisters?”
“No.”
“At school and at softball games, several of my friends had siblings. They didn’t act the way Shade and I do. At first, I blamed my mother and his father’s divorce. Then I blamed The Last Riders. Then I realized what was wrong. It was us.”
“What do you mean?”
“We don’t feel the same way other people do. It never bothered Shade. I still don’t think it does. But it bothered me.” Penni put her hand on her heart. “I mean, I felt my heart beat, so I knew it was there, but I couldn’t feel it. I know it sounds stupid, but it’s the truth.”
Jackal reached out, slipping a hand to the back of her neck then pulling her close to his body. “I believe you think that, but it’s not true.”
She tried to pull out of his arms. “I know that now, but it took Lily coming into our lives to prove it.”
“Lily? How?”
“She’s special. She helped Shade find the part of his soul that was missing, and she gave me hope that I could find that, too.”
“You think you can find that with Train?”
“Yes.”
If he couldn’t, who then? She had dated so many men she had lost count. She had believed Train was the one as a young girl, but when he had showed no interest, she had begun to doubt herself, losing interest in the party atmosphere at college. Then, after she had graduated and found the job with Mouth2Mouth, she had accepted any date if she was attracted to the guy. One date with them would prove her wrong, though.
Now she was older, and she had never had a serious relationship.
She had become a social butterfly in Queen City, and now she had more friends. Grace was among them, but none of them filled the yearning to fill the hole in her own heart.
She succeeded in pulling away from Jackal. “I think I burned the popcorn.”
Penni set the scorched bag in the sink, setting another one in the microwave and turning it back on. Not staring at him, she watched the numbers count down.
“I’m sorry I kidnapped you.”
She felt as if a weight had been lifted off her chest. Penni had hated Jackal for kidnapping and holding her hostage four years ago. It had taken him a long time, but this time when he apologized, she sensed it was sincere.
“I forgive you.” Before she could burn the popcorn again, she hastily removed the bag, dumping it out in a bowl she took out of a cabinet. “I may even share with you.”
Jackal took one kernel, holding it to her lips. She opened her mouth, letting him feed it to her.
“You want me to ask Knox to rewind the movie for you?” she asked when they sat back down on the couch.
“No, I watched it before.”
Penni and the others in the room looked at him.
“You’ve watched this movie?” Diamond asked, taking some off Penni’s popcorn and dumping it into her own bowl.
“Yeah, I’ve seen all three of them. My Boyfriend Is a Zombie, I Married a Zombie, and I’m Having a Baby with a Zombie.”
“I heard they’re making a fourth one.” Diamond took the bowl away from Knox. “I Killed My Zombie Husband.”
“Figures,” Knox mumbled under his breath.
“Why?” Penni opened her soda.
“Men always get killed off in horror movies.” Knox kissed Diamond’s neck, and his wife giggled, pulling him down for a full blown kiss.
“That isn’t true,” Penni countered.
“It’s mostly true,” Diamond countered as if Knox had hung the moon.
Penni rolled her eyes. Of course Diamond would agree with her husband. They were practically necking on the living room floor.
“Why are you taking his side?”
“Because Knox is eating most of my popcorn, and since he’s seen it before, he can make some more.”
“I can make it—”
“Let him. The house still smells like the one you burnt, and this one is scorched, too.”
“I’ll do it.” Jackal went back to the kitchen.
“You’ve watched this numerous times; why didn’t you make the popcorn yourself?” Penni leaned over to look at Diamond who had pushed Knox back to use him as a big pillow.
“I wanted to ask what’s going on with Jackal.”
Penni was glad the living room was dark. “I like him.” She straightened, not meeting her discerning gaze.
“So you’re not serious about him, then?” Shade asked as he shifted Lily on his lap.
Penni thought about her answer. The plan was to make Train jealous, but two of his friends were in the room, so she couldn’t admit to that.
“We have a lot in common.” There. That was a safe answer. She congratulated herself for her quick thinking.
“Like what?”
“Uh …” Penni’s mind drew a blank. “He likes animals.” At least, she hoped he did. Most men did, didn’t they?
“You don’t sound so sure.”
Shade wasn’t an idiot. She had to own this plan, or it wasn’t going to work. If she couldn’t convince Shade, Train wouldn’t believe it, and she would only end up making a fool of herself.
“I’m sure.” This time, she infused more conviction and warmth into her tone. “He helps feed the ducks for me when I’m out of town.” It might have been one time, but he had done it. He also hadn’t shot her neighbor’s dogs when he had jumped the fence at her house. Them not being dead was more than she had expected when he had told her the story.
“That’s sweet.” Lily patted Shade’s cheek at her husband’s incredulous look.
“I think it is. He protected me from Hennessy and his men, he’s funny, and I think he’s cute.”
Shade made gagging noises, which had Lily elbowing him in his stomach.
“I think he’s cute, too.” Lily raised her voice to be heard over the noises Shade was making.
Shade stopped, giving her an irritated glare. “I thought you said I’m the only one you think’s cute?”
Penni couldn’t help laughing at her brother’s jealously. Watching him go from his days of being an emotionless bachelor to being wrapped around his wife’s finger was endearing.
Penni tried to imagine Train after she managed to snare him. The weird thing was that she couldn’t form the picture.
Jackal came back into the room. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing.” She was about to grab another handful of popcorn, but Jackal stopped her, taking the one she had and giving her another bowl.
She took a bite and then another. “Why does this taste so good?” Penni leaned against Jackal’s shoulder, going gung-ho to give the impression they were a couple.
“Maybe because I didn’t scorch it, and I added some chili pepper.”
“It’s really good. Thank you.”
“No problem.”
Toward the end of the second movie, Knox’s phone rang. Diamond stopped the movie while Knox talked to one of his deputies. When he ended the call, he stood up, helping Diamond to her feet.
“We’ll have to finish this another night. Lyon’s wife went into labor; I need to take over his shift.”
Lily yawned. “I’m ready for bed, anyway. John will be up early, expecting his breakfast.”
Penni gathered the empty popcorn bowls and soda cans as Knox and Diamond left after saying good-bye.
“You and Shade go to bed. I’ll take care of the dishes.”
“I can do it in the morning.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I don’t mind. I might not be able to cook, but I can do the dishes.”
“All right, then. I’ll see you in the morning.” Lily stopped on the bottom step leading upstairs, looking at Shade. “Are you coming?”
Shade and Jackal remained sitting, neither man moving.
“Let’s go to bed.” Lily waited expectantly for her husband.
Sighing, she saw the men were determined to hold their ground. Since it was Shade’s home, though, Penni decided to bring an end to the stalemate. Going to the front door, she held it open.
“Good night, Jackal.”
Jackal rose and Shade stood, going to Lily’s side and following her up the steps.
Penni walked outside with Jackal behind her.
“Your brother is an ass.”
Penni gave a low laugh. “He’s just being protective.”
“You’re the same age Lily is.”
“Actually, she’s older. That doesn’t matter to Shade. I don’t think he likes you very much. I think he thinks you’re an ass, too. It’s kind of funny.”
“You’ve got a warped sense of humor.” Jackal tugged her down onto the porch swing, his arm resting on the back as he set it in motion.
“I’ve been told that before.” The light breeze felt good as she relaxed.
A light went out in one of the bedrooms of the clubhouse. Penni knew it was the room Train was in.
“I wonder who he’s with tonight?” She hadn’t meant to ask the question out loud.
Jackal saw the direction she was staring in. He turned to her with the moonlight beaming down on the porch. “Right now, he’s watching us.”
She started to look up again at Train’s room. “How can you tell?”
“I see his shadow behind the window. I bet Shade texted him to make sure I left.”
Penni shivered as Jackal curved his hand around her throat, and he lowered his head.
“What are you doing?”
“Giving him something worth seeing. Don’t move.”
She did what he told her as his mouth brushed her lips, preparing herself for what she saw coming. However, she wasn’t expecting t
he heat that blasted through her core. God, she needed to land Train before she did something stupid.
Her body was screaming at her to pull him closer as he parted her mouth, sliding his tongue inside. Limply, her head fell back on his arm behind her. She slid her arms around his neck and tangled her fingers in the long hair that curled at the nape of his neck.
Jackal slid his hand between her shoulder blades, arching her back so her breasts rubbed against his chest. He parted her lips wider before delving deeper, stroking his tongue against hers.
If he made love the way he kissed, a woman wouldn’t be able to take another lover. He didn’t kiss like any other men she had kissed before who wanted to build your passion. Jackal thrust you into the fire and wanted you to burn alive.
Moaning, she wanted to curl her toes at the sensations. Pulling him lower so she could explore his mouth, loving the salty, spicy taste that had her wanting more, she rubbed her breasts against his chest, unconsciously digging her nails into his neck.
“That should make it hard for him to fall asleep.” Jackal announced as he suddenly stood up, breaking the kiss.
Penni used her foot to stop the swing.
“What …?” She dazedly found herself clutching air. She could barely make out his shadowy outline as the moon slipped behind the clouds.
“Train,” he replied. “I better go before Shade comes down with his gun.” Jackal went down the steps. “Night, Penni.”
“Good night, Jackal.” She watched him leave.
Penni heard the loud music coming from inside the clubhouse as he went in the back door. Then she went back inside, locking and closing the door.
Taking her time, she did the dishes then turned off the lights before she went up the stairs. She took a shower and washed her hair then climbed into bed, turning off the bedroom lamp.
She couldn’t fall asleep, tossing and turning, her thoughts jammed in her head. They weren’t thoughts of who Train was sleeping with tonight, but Jackal’s kiss. She had brushed her teeth before going to bed, so why did she still taste him on her lips?
Turning on her side, she looked out her window, seeing the stars twinkling in the sky above her. It was as if they were laughing down at her.
Giving up, she sneaked back downstairs, settling on to the couch and turning on the television. Penni lowed the volume before starting the movie. The actress of I’m Having a Baby with a Zombie gave a blood curling scream.