Ride me Down

Chapter Eleven - City Girl Magic

As Dani eased the car into a parking spot, Taylor reached over and grabbed her wrist. “Wait,” she said, eyes serious. “Jax isn’t going to use condoms with me, is he?”

Dani let out a sharp laugh. “Oh, sweetie—no. That man walks like he owns the ground and f***s like he owns you. Protection probably never crossed his mind.”

Taylor groaned. “Okay. So birth control, too. Noted.”

Dani gave her a look. “Anything else you want while I’m risking my life in the pharmacy? Morning-after pill, emergency birth control, maybe a new identity?”

Taylor exhaled, the tension in her chest easing slightly. “You’re my actual savior, Dani. I mean it.”

Dani pointed a stern finger in her face. “Oh, I know. You better remember this moment when I call in a favor later—like helping me bury a body or something.”

Taylor smirked. “Deal. As long as I’m not the body.”

They got out of the car and slipped into mission mode. Dani peeled off toward the pharmacy counter while Taylor made a beeline for the makeup aisle, grabbing shades she already owned and pretending to compare swatches. She flipped her hair and faked a casual air, glancing up just enough to spot Mason lurking a few aisles over.

Of course.

The club was never sloppy. If they were out of sight, someone was always close by. She didn’t acknowledge him—just kept swatching lipstick and occasionally muttering “ugh” like she was devastated they didn’t carry her exact shade of mauve.

A ping.

Dani: Mission accomplished.

Taylor exhaled, tossed a couple of distraction items into her basket, and made her way to the register with the kind of carefree strut that said retail therapy is self-care. She spotted Mason pretend not to watch her as she paid.

They reconvened outside, strolling toward Dani’s favorite local coffee shop, laughing about some fake story Dani made up about a guy with a foot fetish. Anyone watching would’ve just seen two girlfriends in matching tight jeans and messy ponytails, catching up over overpriced caffeine.

Inside, Taylor slipped into the bathroom with the small brown paper bag Dani slid her under the table.

Safe. For now.

When she came back out, Dani had their drinks ready—flat white for her, oat milk cappuccino for Taylor.

“Cheers to surviving,” Dani muttered, clinking their cups together.

Taylor gave her a tired smile. “Cheers to not accidentally starting a biker baby war.”

They both took long sips.

Then Dani’s phone buzzed.

She looked at the screen, paled slightly, and passed it to Taylor.

Jax: Where are you and Sparkles? Mason says you're ‘shopping’.

Taylor’s pulse jumped.

“Oh s**t,” she whispered.

Dani nodded. “It’s showtime.”

Taylor leveled Dani with a look, one eyebrow raised in full “I’m not playing” mode. “He doesn’t know s**t. So we keep it tight—no hesitation, no fumbling. Short, casual answers. Just enough detail to make it believable, not enough to raise suspicion. We play this right, and he won’t blink.”

Dani nodded, her expression a mix of admiration and anxiety. “Okay, but how are you going to sneak your birth control back in without someone noticing?”

Taylor smirked, already several steps ahead. “Easy. When we’re back in the car, I’m stashing the strips inside my contour palette. No one opens those. Not even the girls. Men? Forget about it.”

Dani laughed under her breath. “Jesus. Jax has no idea how wicked you really are.”

Taylor leaned back in her chair, swirling her cappuccino like she was holding court. “Or how good I am at pretending to be exactly what people expect.” Her eyes locked with Dani’s. “Promise me you won’t flinch. Stick close to the truth—crazy city girl lost it over not having her favorite lipstick. You drove me because you were two seconds away from stuffing mascara down my throat to shut me up.”

Dani snorted. “That’ll sell. People in the house definitely saw you stomp out like you were ready to commit a fashion-based felony.”

“Exactly,” Taylor said, satisfied. “We’re not lying—we’re just highlighting the parts that are easier to digest.”

Dani raised her cup in a toast. “To beautiful manipulation.”

Taylor clinked hers against it. “To staying child-free—for now.”

They finished their drinks, the tension slowly replaced by silent resolve. Taylor stood, straightened her tee, and gave her reflection a once-over in the café window.

“Okay,” she said, voice steady. “Time to go home and lie to my very dangerous maybe-boyfriend.”

They walked out, casually slipping back into their roles. One glitter-loving storm in tight jeans. One loyal accomplice at the wheel.

Next stop: damage control.

Taylor swallowed hard as Dani pulled into the compound. Her grip tightened on the door handle the second she spotted Jax standing on the porch—arms crossed, shoulders tense, and jaw locked in that way that made it very clear he was not in a joking mood.

It was quiet. Too quiet.

She glanced sideways at Dani, who didn’t look nearly as rattled as Taylor felt. “Don’t let the silent brooding thing freak you out,” she muttered under her breath. “He doesn’t know anything. Just stick to the script—highlight what we want him to know and let the rest fade into the background.”

Dani smiled, cool as ever. “Trust me. I’ve been handling dangerous men longer than you’ve been buying contour palettes.”

Fair enough.

They stepped out of the car together, but Taylor took the lead—walking with a little extra swing in her hips and a whole lot of pretend nonchalance. Fake it ‘til you make it, right?

She tossed her hair back and called out, “I thought you had work to do?” Her voice was light, teasing, but she didn’t miss the way Jax’s gaze narrowed on her.

Dani stayed close but smartly hung back, giving Taylor the floor. If she played this right, Dani wouldn’t even get a side-eye.

Taylor stopped in front of Jax and crossed her arms, mirroring his posture. “What?” she said, c*****g her head. “You pacing the porch waiting for me now? Starting to sound like a jealous boyfriend.”

Jax’s gaze dipped down to her jeans and tight white tee—an outfit she never wore before this—and his brow twitched. He noticed the change, and she knew it.

Perfect.

She stepped a little closer, dropping her voice. “Listen, I get it. You’re tense. It’s been a long morning. Why don’t you take me upstairs... make yourself feel better?”

She saw the flicker in his eyes—the fight between suspicion and lust—and she knew she had him dangling.

All she had to do now was keep him distracted long enough to survive this lie.

Let the city girl work her magic.

Taylor stepped into his space—close enough to smell the leather of his cut and the sharp edge of soap on his skin. Her heart pounded against her ribs, but she didn’t let it show. She leaned in, her lips just barely brushing his without sealing the kiss.

“I need you,” she whispered, low and full of heat, like it cost her something to say it out loud. It wasn’t a lie—just not the whole truth.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jax’s sharp gaze flick toward Dani. Taylor tensed. s**t. If he clocked Dani wrong, she was going to lose this entire mission in the time it took him to raise an eyebrow.

So she doubled down.

She grabbed his hand, slowly guiding it to rest against her lower stomach, then let it slide a breath lower. Just enough to short-circuit his logic, not enough to actually cross that line.

“You’re thinking too much,” she whispered, breath tickling his ear. “I’ve been aching for you all morning, Jax. I need to feel you again.”

His jaw clenched, and that was how she knew she had him.

In the silence that followed, she gave him a look—wide-eyed, heated, desperate—that practically begged him to forget everything else and take her upstairs.

Dani slipped past them like a shadow, saying nothing, not looking back. Taylor didn’t move a muscle, just kept herself locked in Jax’s orbit, like she was made for him and only him.

The longer he stared at her, the more she felt the tide shift.

“Upstairs,” he finally growled, low and rough. “Now.”

And just like that, Dani was in the clear.

And Taylor? She’d bought them both a secret she hoped would stay buried forever.

When Jax was done with her, Taylor was left tangled in the sheets—half breathless, half wrecked, and entirely undone. Her hair was a mess, makeup smudged from passion and pillows, and she felt like she’d been through a storm that looked suspiciously like the man now pulling his jeans back on.

Jax didn’t stick around to coddle her. Of course he didn’t. Midday s*x clearly hadn’t been part of his plan, and now he was back in “club mode,” all focus and dominance, barking orders like she hadn’t just unraveled for him a minute ago.

“No more running off without a warning.” He slung his cut back on, heavy leather brushing against his tee. “I need to know where you are at all times. It’s the only way to guarantee your safety.”

She kept her expression calm, but her fingers gripped the sheets beneath her. Her mind wasn’t on the lecture. It was on the tiny blister pack of birth control strips tucked inside her contour palette. Her insurance policy.

She needed him out of the room so she could secure it properly—hide it where no curious biker would ever think to look.

“I promise I won’t do it again,” she said softly, letting her lashes lower like she was sorry.

Jax didn’t look convinced. “Right.”

He stepped closer, looming. Still half-wild, still half-hers.

“If you suddenly feel the urge to go shopping, tell Mason. Dani can’t handle a threat like that on her own. You understand me?”

Taylor nodded quickly. “I understand.”

His sharp gaze pinned her for one more beat, like he was trying to read her mind. She gave him nothing. Just soft eyes and a tucked lip. A perfectly folded lie.

“Good,” he muttered, and with one last glance at her bare body sprawled across his bed, he was gone.

The moment the door clicked shut, she was up.

Not because she was afraid. Because she was smart.

She had a secret to hide, and the clock was ticking.

Once she was sure Jax had stormed off to go boss someone around, Taylor peeled herself out of the tangle of sheets, tugged one of his oversized tees over her head—his scent clinging to the fabric like a damn claim—and got to work.

The tiny blister pack was still tucked neatly inside the contour palette, just as planned. With quiet precision, she found a hidden spot deep inside the lining of her second makeup bag, the one she barely touched. It was her version of a lockbox—disguised in glitter and mascara. No biker was ever going to find it there.

Satisfied, she pulled herself together. Lip gloss, a messy bun, ripped jeans and a hint of last night’s fire still clinging to her skin. She looked like the kind of girl who had just been ruined and loved every second of it. Which, honestly, she kind of had.

She padded into the living room and flopped down beside Dani on the worn-out couch. Some reality show was blaring on the screen, all fake arguments and botoxed betrayals. It felt oddly comforting.

Taylor poured herself a generous glass of wine and murmured, “You were right about Jax and condoms.” She sipped, then leaned in closer, voice low. “It’s not happening. Ever. So yeah, thank God I’ve got my safety net.”

Dani raised a brow, then clinked her glass to Taylor’s. “It’s about ownership, Sparkles. Not safety. That man doesn’t wrap it up when he thinks you’re already his. And newsflash—you are.”

Taylor rolled her eyes but smiled anyway. “I drink to that. And to us being criminal masterminds.”

They both took long sips, the wine burning in all the right ways.

For now, they were safe.

And for the first time in days, Taylor felt like maybe, just maybe, she could survive this world.