Charming the Charming

Juice’s soft snores woke Helen the next morning. As his alarm hadn’t gone off she assumed he had a day away from the club.
Without waking the slumbering man Helen gently wiggled her body closer to his and rested her head over his chest. The rising and falling with his chest was rhythmic and soothing.
Her ears enjoyed the silence here, save for the small noises that she had become so accustomed to that she couldn’t imagine living without them now.
This had gone far, far past her staying there for protection. Juice was more than just biker muscle to save her. All of that was more than evident. As she thought more about the subject her mind stumbled over the night of the party and remembered the wanting passion that had escalated so quickly between them.
A soft sigh left her lips as she could practically feel his hands rushing up and down her body and his warm tongue sweeping over her own.

“What time is it?” His voice mumbled as his arm lightly wrapped around her.

“Um probably past ten? I haven’t checked.”

Juice shifted his weight to roll over and face her flashing Helen a sleepy a smile. “Good morning beautiful.”

Helen couldn’t describe in a million more words the way it made her feel when he greeted her like this in the morning but placed a soft kiss over his lips to let him know.

His hands wrapped around hers as they sat between them. “I was thinking last night...” his cheeks began to blush and Helen felt his palms began to sweat.

“About what?”

“Well I was thinking about you staying in the house and how you don’t have your own place for clothes.” He raised his brows as she listened. “And toothbrush, ya know? And I thought that maybe when you’re feeling better we could make a more permanent spot for your stuff?” Juice’s voice was almost a hopeful whisper at the end.

Helen’s hand went to the side of his face and gently stroked the stubble covering his cheek. “I would like that, very much.”

His face beamed a smile so bright that he sat up on his elbow with an air of excitement, “Yeah?”

She nodded. “Yeah. I like it here and I like being with you."

Lunch was left over Chinese while sitting on the couch watching Juice fumble around with computer parts as he sat cross legged on the floor in his sweats and socks. Helen traced the outline of the SOA tattoo that covered his back with her eyes and began thinking about a life living here with him.

Often she had seen Tara pulled away in handcuffs for something that her and Jax got up to and thought of all the things Tara had gone through with being so attached to the club and wondered if that was what her life was going to be like. With a quick shrug she dismissed those thoughts putting them in the basket of not caring. As long as she was with Juice, Helen wasn’t too fussed on all the things that would come with it.
But as she looked on at him she felt this sudden urge to blurt something out. Like hands on her tongue Helen really wanted to mutter...no, no. She shook her head, now was really, really not the time.
Her alarm reminder beeped and thankful for the interruption to her potentially car wreckage thoughts she padded off to the kitchen to fetch her pills and water.

“You need more clothes.” Juice piped up from his doings with a small screwdriver firmly grasped between his fingers.

“Oh I don’t know, I could just keep wearing the same few outfits day in day out,” she smiled tugging the edges of her shirt that sat knotted above his sweats.

Juice looked over and stroked his chin. “Well I do like it when you’re wearing my sweats,” he winked, “But you have next to nothing.”

She shrugged. “As long as I can keep wearing your sweats and shirts on occasion, I have no problem.” Her hands ran over her black and purple bruised mid section and tilted her head as she blinked back tears.

Juice looked up and noticed her sudden change in mood. “Hey,” he walked over to her, “Don’t think about it,” his hands moved her away from the site of destruction and pulled her into a hug. “You’re safe, okay?”

He felt her arms wrap around his waist and head bury into his chest as hot tears spilled down her broken face. “While I know he is still out there...” her voice choked back into tears but Juice knew what she was going to say.
While Hoss was still around she would never feel safe.

“I promised you would be safe,” his eyes hardened with the intent on keeping his promise.

“Chibs,” Juice called from behind the bar.

“Yeah, Juicy Boy?” Chibs walked over, leaning over the bench top.

“You know Tara’s sister has been staying at my place?”

Chibs gave him a dirty smile, “Yeah boy, we all know, haha.”

Juice leaned forward with a no bullshit look over his face, “And you heard why?”

“Yes,” he nodded quickly dropping the onslaught of dirty jokes.

“Good because I need you to be my lookout,” he clasped an open palm over a fist from his other hand and bumped them over the bench.

Chibs sat straight and raised a brow, “A lookout for what?”

Juice pressed his lips in a straight line and didn’t blink as Chibs took a moment to catch up and shook his head.

“No Juicey Boy. Jax stopped you for a reason the night you found her.”

“I am past caring about that. This isn’t a club issue. I am not asking you as a member, I am asking you as a friend to watch my back while I deal with this.”

A hand ran over the scar on Chibs’s cheek as he nodded, “Alright. Let me know when and where and I will be there.”

“Thanks, Chibs. Once this is over, I owe you.”

“And just like that he asked you to move in with him?” Tara asked her sister as they walked around clothing stands.

“Well he didn’t say ‘move in with me’. He said that my stuff should have a spot in his house, more permanently,” Helen pushed her sunglasses on top of her head and ran her hand over a shirt hanging on a display mannequin.

“Which is just as good as? Wow sis, you and Juice,” she made a ‘huh’ noise and smiled, “Weird.”

Helen pulled a black three quarter sleeve top, “What do you think of this?”

“It’s very plain and black.”

“Good enough,” she plopped it on the small pile of clothes picked out in a basket that Tara had hold of.

“Maybe you should pick out something more...fancy? After all Juice did give you a wad of cash for clothes and stuff.”

“I have no idea how I am going to spend it all,” she looked down at her purse thick with notes that she was sure wasn’t clean money.

Tara’s lips formed into a cheeky smile, “Maybe some lingerie,” she pointed to the lacey and girly section facing them.

“I guess, wouldn’t hurt?” Helen began to smile a smile that Tara had long missed and knew well.

As they walked through the lingerie each woman gave a scrutinising look over each piece and gagged at the amount of animal print on display.

“Have you and Juice...you know?” Tara nudged her sister as Helen pulled an aqua bra set from a rack.

She blushed, “No, almost I think...but no.”

“Almost?” Tara’s brow rose.

“The night of Tig’s party, stuff got a bit hot and heavy before it went to shit. Most of the time Juice sleeps on the couch but comes in sometimes when it’s early morning. I gotta admit though it’s really nice waking up next to him when he does.”

Tara smiled at her sister, “That’s called being smitten, honey and it’s very obvious that you two are so, so smitten with each other.”

Helen passed a mirror set up in the middle of all the bras and lace, “Spose I am not too bad,” she gave herself a quick once over, noticing the bruises fading, but lifted her shirt and turned to Tara, “But I know better.”

Tara sighed as her sister dropped the hem of her shirt. "All the bruises and scars will fade."

"But in the meantime I still look like this."

"You're beautiful even with all of that, Helen." Tara looped her arm through Helen's and moved her to another rack of panties.

Helen emptied the bags of clothes over Juice’s bed and began sorting them into the draws and cupboard space he had cleared out for her the day before when she heard his bike pull into the driveway. A smile crept over her face she her hands slowed down accordingly and began putting the bits of lingerie away with some raunchy hope that Juice would catch a glimpse of the satin and lace wears.

The front door open and clicked shut and she heard him remove his leathers and boots, “You home Helen?”

“Bedroom,” she replied.

Juice sighed to himself at the sound of her voice and followed it down the hall and to his bedroom where he found her fingers in a mess of panties, “Oh,” he raised a brow and relaxed his body.

She turned with a smile in her eyes, “I figured you do so much good for me that I could return the favour.”

His skin began to blush at the thought of her and him having more than early morning chats but a yawn soon pushed those thoughts from his mind.
“Aw,” Helen pulled the clothes over making a spot for him, “Get some sleep and I will get something cooking for dinner.”

“Woman you are already too good to me,” he brushed a kiss on her cheek before falling face down into bed.