A Warrior Wedding by Teresa Gabelman Page B

later.”
    “Sounds good.” Blaze slid on his bike.
    “And where are you going?” Hunter grinned with a cocked eyebrow.
    Jax’s gaze breezed right over Hunter as he started his bike, then kicked it in gear.
    “Tell the pretty Caroline I said hello!” Hunter yelled after him, laughing loudly as Jax flipped him off.
    ******
    J ax pulled into Caroline’s long gravel driveway. It was almost completely dark and he could see what looked like candle light coming from her front window. Parking, he swung off the bike and dug in his bag. Getting what he needed, he headed toward the house, but stopped at the music coming from inside. AC/DC played loudly and Jax grinned. Who knew the proper little school teacher was a heavy metal fan? Closer to the house, he heard her singing along, his grin growing.
    Once at the door, he knocked loudly and waited, but the singing continued. Stepping toward the side of the porch, he peered through the window. She stood on a ladder wiping down a wall. His eyes moved down her body. She had changed into a pair of jean shorts, which outlined her heart-shaped ass perfectly. She wasn’t a big woman, but she had curves with thighs that could hold a man tight. He was an ass and leg man, no doubt, and what he saw, he wanted with a force that shocked him.
    Cursing, he backed off to get himself in check. Leaning against the porch railing, he dropped his head back squeezing his eyes shut, but the vision of her on the ladder wouldn’t leave.
    “Fuck!” he cursed. Wicked visions of her on the ladder, naked, consumed his thoughts. Caught up in the heat, he fell backward, the porch railing breaking against his weight. He tried to land on his feet, but that didn’t quite work out because he found himself looking up at the starlit sky. “Son of a bitch!” he cursed again, but this time for a whole different reason and started to stand.
    “What do you want?” Caroline’s shaky voice and the click of a gun broke the now silent night. AC/DC was no longer playing.
    Jax’s eyes narrowed as he stared up at Caroline, who was squinting in the darkness, the gun shaking visibly in her hand. “What do I want?” Jax’s voice boomed from the darkness. He quickly got up, closing the distance between them, and grabbed the gun before she shot him or herself. “What do I want? Are you kidding me?”
    “Jax?” Caroline gasped, then slapped her hand over her heart. “You scared the crap out of me.”
    “Good.” Jax checked the safety on her gun, then stuck it in his pants.
    “What was that noise?” Caroline frowned, looking behind him. Her eyes widened. “What happened to my railing?”
    Jax glanced back at the rail and then eyed Caroline. Maybe she didn’t see his embarrassing fall. “Not sure,” he replied, before stepping in front of her to block the broken railing.
    Still frowning, she looked up at him. “What are you doing here?”
    “I noticed your door locks are old and I wanted to replace them.” Jax welcomed the change in topic.
    “Oh.” Caroline looked at the bag in his hand before looking at him, confused. “Why?”
    “Because you shouldn’t be staying here alone without good locks on your doors,” Jax replied, irritated. “That’s why. And if you ever have to point a gun at a man again, you better have a steady hand and do not, under any circumstance, ask him what he wants.”
    Caroline bit her lip, folding her arms. “Well, I wasn’t expecting anyone—”
    “Always expect someone.” Jax frowned down at her. “If you plan on staying here alone, you need to expect and be ready for some asshole to come sniffing around.”
    She rolled her eyes, her frown deepening. “No one is going to come sniffing around.” She held out her hand. “Can I have my gun back, please?”
    Jax ignored her and headed over to a small kitchen table, which was the only furniture in the place. Glancing down at a plate, he picked it up, looking at it closely. “What the hell is this?”
    Caroline walked