𝘽𝙔 / 𝘾𝙍𝙀𝙀𝘿 !

"you're about the only person in my life right now that makes me feel safe. all the rest is just..." she trails off, hands exploring the newly bared skin. sure, she'd seen him with his shirt off once during fight night, but that was completely different than having free rein to touch and she was taking advantage of it. the rest is just a blip in their timeline. unimportant.

there are pleasant aches everywhere by the time alexis blinks the sleep from his eyes. light shines through the blinds. his arm is draped over jordan's hip. whether he stayed there the whole night or managed to find his way to her back again was anyone's guess. either way, a small smile stretches across his lips at the sight of seeing her wrapped in his sheets. when did he start feeling this way? lex honestly had no idea. pinpointing one particular moment when his emotions switched from friendship to interest would be damn near impossible. either way, something clicked into place.

rolling over, the biker tries to pat around for his phone. he can't help but sigh when he realizes it's probably still out on the coffee table. as much as he doesn't want to leave the warmth at his chest, he should make sure no one's tried to get a hold of him.

he finds a pair of basketball shorts in the closet along with a hoodie with sons screen printed to the front. that's set on his side of the bed for jordan, should she want it when she wakes up. the elastic around his wrist helps tie his hair into a small loop at the base of his neck.

no emergencies on his phone. all he finds are a few reminders to be at he clubhouse around lunch to keep the discussions going on some of the upcoming shit. lex was frustrated because no matter how much they talked about said shit it's been going off the rails more and more lately.

"too bad. tell jax i said you're occupied." oh, if only it could be so easy to pull him away when he needed a break, but she knew that samcro would come calling and lex would go with her doing nothing but wishing him well cause that's who he was and she had no desire to change that.

"although i suppose i could find something to do in that big bed all by my lonesome..." calloused fingertips meet warm, smooth skin as his hands drag her t-shirt up with their movement and for a moment, she thinks she should just give in, let him push the fabric over her head and let them come together the way they both clearly want, but it also occurs to her that she might have to be the voice of reason between them.

a smile comes easily to his lips. " i'm sure he'd love to hear that. " maybe he would. maybe the rest of the club would after all the denying alexis did on a constant basis. tig seemed to be the worst, reading into actions that were just between friends. right? or had he really been so blind to what was right in front of him?

jordan sitting in his lap clearly screamed that he'd been an idiot this entire time. the way all his blood instantly rushed between his legs was another indicator he'd been fighting just a little too hard over a certain set of emotions. part of him had a hard time believing anyone would look at him that way. another part always tried to rationalize that someone good and wholesome from the diner couldn't possibly want any part of the life he led. it was violent and messy at the worst times. at the best of times? it was family; loving and whole.

although, lex was starting to forget what that felt like.

at some point, both his cut and t-shirt fell to the wayside. a kiss presses to the center of jordan's chest followed by a graze of teeth over one of her bra cups.

she wanted him. badly. there was no denying that nor did she want to, but she could admit that maybe this wasn't the ideal moment for their first time, with both of them exhausted beyond belief and still running on a little of the adrenaline from everything that had been going on lately. maybe it was okay to just savor this moment before they jumped to the next.

air hisses to his teeth. both hands clamp down on jordan's thighs as if to will them in place. sleep was suddenly just an impression jolted right out of him. new life flowed through his veins like another surge of adrenaline. although, alexis knew that probably meant he'd crash that much harder when he did finally drift off. that was fine, he told himself. they were home and home was safe. for the time being, anyway.

an odd moment to think about it but the thought suddenly came to him why he understood his brothers finding comfort in the croweaters. jordan was not that. he had no intention of treating her as such. but here, with the comfort of her weight in his lap? made him feel like everything was going to be okay. nothing could touch him; them. every problem just a distant memory.

" i'm off, too, " the biker leans his neck to the side for more exposure. his hands slide up towards jordan's waist in the hopes of feeling a sliver of skin there. if he kept his grip on her thighs there was the very good chance he'd try to grind up against her. at this point, lex still wanted to at least pretend he was a gentleman, so he needed to remove that temptation.

Warm hand cuffs the back of her neck, and she's leaning in to meet him before she's even thought about it when he pauses, hesitating. pleasepleaseplease. she nearly gives voice to her desperation when he finally closes the distance. jordan makes a soft noise in the back of her throat, her hands going to rest on his shoulders as she rises to her knees on the couch to move close. her mouth moves languidly against his own and she feels a little ridiculous that it took them so long when they've both clearly been waiting for this moment.

every touch is electric. beneath him, the cushion sags where jordan's knees move and lex does what he can to accommodate. he's lost and the world melts away with every returned kiss. what he hadn't realized was how right his brothers were. since that first night he'd brought her to the club the biker had been falling deeper and deeper into a hole he didn't want to come out of. not only was jordan sweet and affectionate but she was strong and intelligent. he admired as much as he did their body.

you're so gone, man, and you don't even see it.

by the time jordan pulls back, lex finds himself gasping for air. his heart stayed in his throat and the butterflies tickled the insides of his abdomen. one of his hands found it's way to her hip, so he uses it to push her that extra small distance on to his lap.

" there is so much more of this in your future, " fingers lightly squeeze her thigh. what he was hesitant to say out loud was how much more was in her future if she wanted it to be. one step at a time, though. jordan was someone who deserved a gentleman. or, at least as much of a gentleman as he knew how to be.

John Proudstar — Thunderbird in every episode

the biker seems to melt back into the couch while the redhead herself feels more like a live wire, mentally rolling her eyes at herself for getting flushed over a gesture so innocent, she forces herself to relax back into the cushions, tucking herself into the corner.

"i know you probably can't, but i'm here if you ever want to talk about it." of course, that would mean breaking the facade of just being a group of motorcycle enthusiasts even though they both knew she knew better. in the end, he still had to follow whatever rules clay laid down, but she wishes she could be that person for him.

after a breath, lex pushes himself back up. if he let himself get enveloped by the couch cushions there was a good chance he was falling back asleep. with a guest, that was more than rude. a guest he'd asked over after her very long shift where people had her running from one end of the building to the other all day long.

so, the biker takes the opportunity to yank the laces loose on his boots. with enough give he's able to toe them off and set them neatly to the side. normally, he liked to keep them right next to the front door as to not track dirt deeper into the house. recent events had all of his routines so out of sorts that he was sleeping on the couch and showering at he clubhouse half the time.

by the time he's done lex is a little more awake. a little more clear. jordan's words run in his head. if you ever want to talk about it.... he did. gods, he did. carrying all that weight by himself got to be too much some nights, even when there was a club full of brothers going through the same exact thing.

lex angles his body to better face the waitress who'd tucked herself into the corner. silence settles over him. dark eyes drink in the familiar sight while a small smile starts to tug. he'd been dancing around his feelings for longer then he'd like to admit. opie was right. you don't punch a wall because you don't give a shit about someone. yet, lex learned the hard way that giving a shit wasn't always enough. would his life be too much? whether or not she was strong enough wasn't even a question in his mind because lex already knew she was. the question was, would she want to? tara ran away from charming. donna was trying to drag opie out the door kicking and screaming. opie's mom moved over an hour away to get out.

none of that matters as he leans forward. fingers slide along the waitress's jaw to lightly grip the back of her neck. part of him waits to be pushed or slapped. even as hie heart beats up and into his throat lex closes that last sliver of distance to press their lips together.

eyes widen for just a moment, the only sign that she'd seen him reach for his gun before it's discarded to the nearby table at the realization that she's no threat. surprise changes to doubt as she takes the offered seat, her gaze raking over him as she does out of habit now, always making sure he's in one piece, but not so quickly that she doesn't notice the shadows under his eyes. she doesn't think he's lying to her, probably more of an instinctual reassurance than anything, but if he's anything like her, sometimes you needed someone to make you do a double check.

eyes flutter shut when skin touches skin. warmth is a shot of electricity from his cheek, right down to the bottom of his spine. alexis finds a hand reaching up, gently gripping the fingers near his face and presses them closer. seconds stretch out while the biker simply drinks in a moment he didn't realize he sorely needed. turning jordan's hand just enough to he can press her palm to his lips, he lets the moment stretch on even longer.

the club was stretched thin as it was so all he could get was a couple of check ins from people driving by the diner as they did other things around town. why the fuck do you care, anyway? tig had clamped a hand down on his shoulder. thought you two weren't fucking? to which alexis had replied they should keep an eye on the club's source of free fries and coffee. much better coffee than the shit half sack brewed at the clubhouse, he'd added.

" i'm good, " lex finally whispers against her skin. after a final heartbeat, his grip loosens so she can reclaim her hand if she wanted to. muscles melt back into the couch, causing him to slouch down ever so slightly. " just a lotta shit goin' on. feel like we can't get ahead of any of it, you know? but we'll be good. we're always good. " not necessarily whole but they'd keep pressing forward like he knew they would.