by Ivy Harper
“You’re awake.” Tak’s voice sounded raspy with sleep.
I watched as he pushed up and bit back a laugh at the sight of his messy bed hair. Even looking the way he did, with one eye open and a five o’clock shadow, he still looked handsome to me.
“What time is it?”
“I’m not sure,” I said, giving a look around the room. “I don’t even know how long I’ve been out.”
He stood up and walked over to his phone and picked it up. “You were only out for a night. It just turned noon. Give me a second, I need to use the bathroom. I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.”
He placed his phone back down and left. I watched him go, unsure of the situation. Shouldn’t he be angry with me? How had he known where to find me to begin with?
I was pulled out of my thoughts when he came back after a few minutes. He walked over to me and cupped my cheek in his warm hand.
“How are you feeling?”
I offered him a tight smile. “Fine.”
“Good.”
He pulled his hand back, plopped back down, and bowed his head. He stared at the floor for so long, I started to get worried.
“Tak?”
“I met Carter last night,” he said, not looking at me.
I paused in pushing my way up. “You did?”
He nodded, still not looking at me. This time I pushed myself up fully and scooted back to lean against the pillows. “Then I guess you know everything.”
“I know who you are, but I’m still missing the most important thing,” he said.
I decided to not cower away from this situation. “And what’s that?”
“Why? Why’d you feel indebted to me and why did you so blindly protect me?”
I looked away from him. There were plenty of reasons, some practical, some not. “Do you remember me?”
“Yes.”
I hadn’t been expecting him to say yes. I turned back to him. “You do?”
“Once I heard your real name a lot of the shit I’d forgotten came to the surface. There wasn’t a lot of positive shit I remembered from Bridge Lake. I think I got to the point that any memory in relation to that place, I shoved as far to the back of my mind as possible. Even the little girl who’d played with me in the meadow between our houses.”
I looked down. “I remember everything about you, from when we were kids to when you barely said hi to me in high school. I remember the time you beat the shit out of the school’s biggest bully. Those small and precious memories of you are what got me through a lot of the worse times in my life.” My eyes burned as I tried not to cry.
“You want to know why I wanted to protect you? It’s because your music saved my life. My father had a doctor keep me in a sort of woke coma.
“And at that time, I wasn’t willing to fight against it. I was relieved that I didn’t have to feel anything or think about anything. Then one day your voice filled my room.
“I just couldn’t ignore it. It was like you could feel what I felt. At that moment, I wanted to know more about the person who could sing my pain so well. Since that day, I refused to let myself sink so low ever again.”
He pulled me into his arms, and I continued. “I knew it was wrong to lie to you about who I was, but it was my only chance to be with you.”
I pressed my hands into my covers. “I regretted lying to you, but I would do it all over again. I’d never thought for a second, you’d actually love me or even like me. I just wanted to be your number one fangirl for the rest of my life. Even if I couldn’t stay by your side after you found out.”
Tak gently grabbed my chin and forced me to look up at him. “And now that I’ve found out, what are you going to do?”
I reached up and grabbed his arm. “I want to be selfish and stay with you.”
He pressed his lips against my forehead. “Then that’s what you’ll do.” He retreated and gave me a dangerous smile. “I was worried that I would have to become one of those psychos who lock people in their basement.”
Letting go of his arm, I wiped the tears from my face. “The scary thing is I’d probably be okay with that.”
“And that’s why we fit together,” he said.
There was a bit of truth to what he’d said.
“I guess you’re right.”
“I’m always right.”
After a few minutes of lying in his arms, I found myself wondering. “What happened to Clark?”
“Well, I was hoping your uncle would kill him,” he said. “But unfortunately, he’s not dead. I keep debating on paying someone off to kill him though.”
I laughed. “You didn’t have enough excitement last night?”
“It was okay. It was actually pretty tame in comparison to some of the things I usually get up to with my friends.”
I thought over my own past. “Aside from occasionally needing to run from the cops in a car I’d stolen for a joy ride, my life has been pretty tame.”
“Ah, the car stealing,” he said.
I looked up at him with a sheepish smile. “They told you.”
“Yep, your uncle exposed your entire thieving past to me.”
“If I wasn’t stealing cars, someone wouldn’t be here now,” I huffed.
“I know, and I love that side of you,” he teased, pressing another kiss to my forehead. “And the crazy fangirl side.” He pressed a kiss to my cheek. “And the bodyguard who won’t take none of my shit,” he said as he pressed the final kiss to my lips.
I lifted my hand, stopping him and his eager lips to ask. “Why do I feel like you’re trying to distract me?”
He raised his brows and offered a look of innocence. “What?”
“Don’t play with me. You followed me to my father’s. What happened after I passed out? Shit, what happened with the benefits concert?”
He pouted. “And here I wanted to have a happily ever after with some kisses and fucking.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “I’m not sleeping with you in a hospital, Tak.”
“But my dressing room was okay?”
I held back from hitting him. Seeming to catch my dark look, he sighed.
“Fine, your uncle made him confess everything to the police. Bribing federal officials, tax evasion, embezzling, blackmailing and murder. Ah, and for being ugly as well and a horrible father.”
“Tak,” I drawled.
“Okay, so the being ugly thing is me, but let’s be honest, I think both of us can say with complete authority our fathers are pieces of shit. Look at that, another reason we match so well.”
I covered my mouth to keep from laughing.
His brow wrinkled. “You asked about my situation, well, check this out.” He reached over to the small table beside me and picked up his phone and scrolled through it. Once he found what he was looking for, he set it on my lap.
I picked it up and squinted at the picture there and released a small gasp. “Isn’t that your cousin Sakai?”
“Yep.”
The picture was of Tak’s cousin in handcuffs being escorted out of a house. His face looked like someone played shuttlecock with it.
“Dutch sent it to me. He’s being charged with conspiracy to murder and soliciting murder. Apparently, he’d had a vested interest in killing me.”
“Wait, when did you meet Dutch?” I asked, confused.
Tak shrugged. “I haven’t. Your uncle told me about him and he was polite enough to send me this information so I could update you on everything. Since then, we’ve been texting each other.”
I eyed Tak, suddenly worried about just how long he’d been with my uncle Carter last night and what did he mean by texting with Dutch.
“Anyway, fucker was scared I’d change my mind and return to the family and take over the company. Apparently, he didn’t believe me when I said I didn’t want anything to do with the family business. Oh, and why didn’t you tell me the fucker your dad wanted you to marry was Gerald Harrison?
“Dutch told me a
nd I nearly lost my shit. He was a pretentious shit in high school, good thing I didn’t run into him now, I would have beat his ass.”
I stared at him. “Tak, you did run into him.”
He looked at me in confusion. “What? No, I didn’t.”
“Yes, you did. He’s the guy you beat up at the broadcast station.”
If I had my phone, I would have taken a picture of his stupefied expression.
He quickly recovered and shrugged. “Whatever, my Jazz has better taste than to fuck a dude in a suit.”
“If I recall correctly, you were wearing a suit the first time we slept together,” I said, more out of my desire to see him pout than anything else.
“Listen, you were untouched pussy,” he retorted.
“Tak,” I groaned, pulling my pillow from behind me and hitting him with it.
He caught it. “It’s okay, love. My lips are sealed.” He blew me a kiss.
I groaned. My face was hotter than a stove top. “You’re such an asshole.”
“I’m your asshole, love.”
He smirked before lifting his phone once more. “Ah, you know about the guy, Tony, from Vegas. He was delivered to the cops with a ribbon on his head along with his best friend Mitchell, the fucker that tried to crush my cranium with a fucking light.”
I frowned. “How do you know that?”
He gave me another innocent look. “Dutch, of course.”
I mentally groaned, this was a budding friendship I knew I needed to end soon. I glared at him. “You’re joking.”
He smirked. “Nope, your cousins have been super busy.”
“Tak?” I called his name.
He lowered the phone and shot me an inquisitive look. “Hmm.”
“Can you kiss me already?”
Tak took my lips in a deep kiss. He lifted me into his lap. When we finally came up for air, he gave me a cocky wink.
“Are you really okay with me? I am a reckless heiress, after all.”
“Doesn’t matter to me, you’ll always be Jazz to me no matter what anyone else calls you or what color your eyes are.”
I wrapped my arms around his shoulder. “Kiss me again.”
He leaned down. “Of course.”
Chapter 51
Manipulation
Sakai
* * *
Sitting in the cold interrogation room, I looked at the two-way mirror across from me on the wall. The surface reflected my battered face, one eye was swollen shut. With a wince I looked away.
I could deal with my aching body later. For that moment, I tried to think over everything I’d said and done over the past year, trying to get my alibi together.
There was no way they could pin this shit on me when I’d taken great care with covering my steps. Every time I thought of that little fuck I felt the urge to scream. I can’t believe I’d been put in such a situation by an unwanted half-breed.
The door to the interrogation room opened. I looked up and stiffened.
“You.” I was taken aback. “He sent you here to represent me.”
The lawyer who’d entered walked over to the table and took a seat. He offered me a smile.
“No, I’ve just been sent to pass a message. My client isn’t pleased with your last minute cancellation of the order for Tak’s hit. We came to you to have Tak killed and offered you help. Instead of following through, you reneged. Which is why we took things into our own hands and contacted Tony ourselves and sent him the payment.”
“What?”
What the fuck was he talking about?
“I… I was just trying to move with caution. Besides, with Tak not wanting the company, I thought we could try again later. I didn’t renege, I just needed more time.”
“And what makes you think you’re the one to make that decision?” the lawyer across from me asked. “Mr. Sakai you overestimated yourself, which is why you’ll be charged with attempted murder and soliciting murder. Tony Enson and Mitchell Rendon are at this very moment confessing to the police that you ordered everything, including Tony’s last attempt to shoot Mr. Jensei.”
He stood up. “It’s been a pleasure working with you, but it seems that our cooperation ends here.”
“Wait,” I shouted, standing up. “You can’t do this to me. You’re the one who told me to do this. Wait.”
Not sparing me another glance, he walked out just as two officers entered. Their eyes not glancing at him at all, I pointed at him.
“Hey, that’s the guy who directed everything, he’s the one who got me in touch with the hit men.”
Still, they didn’t even look his way as they walked over to me. One of them grabbed my arm. “Sakai Nakamura, you are being charged with conspiracy to murder and soliciting the murder of Takuya Nakamura.”
I yanked my arm out of his hold, taking a step back. “No, no. Stop. It wasn’t me, stop him. He’s the one who planned everything. He’s the one.”
“Hey, shut him up,” the other officer said. And the next thing I saw was a fist aimed for my face and I knew only darkness after.
Chapter 52
Wedding Bliss
Tak
Three weeks later…
* * *
I stood in the church waiting for the wedding planner to give the signal for the wedding to start. If I were still the person I was in the past, I’d have broken out in hives and figured out a way to leave. Friends’ wedding or not, there were some things that should be appreciated from a distance. However, I was no longer that man. I now had Jazz and a future ahead of me.
“What are you doing?” Rhet asked.
“Showing you what happiness looks like, behold.” I flashed him a picture of Jazz and me kissing. “How does it feel to be a lonely, old man who exchanges pussy with the masses?”
His expression turned blank before he looked at Kelex who stood next to him. “Why did you introduce me to this post-term abortion? He shows up to my house without an invite and texts me weird shit all the time. I don’t want him in my life anymore.”
Kelex didn’t reply. Instead, he answered his phone.
I replaced my phone in my back pocket. “Rhet, let’s be serious for once. If I didn’t come and visit you, you’d be that guy who died alone with his kittens. Your body would just sit there for years before anyone knew. I am doing you a favor when I visit you.”
Rhet stared at Kelex then looked at me. “I have dogs. I hate cats, like you, they annoy me.”
Kelex still didn’t respond.
“But you are agreeing you’d die alone though?” I asked.
He glared at me in vexation. “How the fuck did you manage to bag the only heiress to the Roarke family. Is it witchcraft?”
I was going to tell him it was because of my handsome looks and perfectly proportionate dick, but a soft punch at my back disabused me of that thought. “Tak, are you driving Rhet crazy again?”
Jazz’s soft voice came from behind me. I turned around and nearly swallowed my tongue. A common occurrence when I saw Jazz. I still couldn’t believe this beautiful woman was mine.
Her short hair was elegantly done, while her off-the-shoulder pearl pink dress made me want to do naughty things to her. She still had the habit of wearing her contacts, but I’d started hiding them so I could stare into her gray eyes.
I refused to let her experience with her father mar any part of her. My Jazz was beautiful inside and out and no one could convince me otherwise. I took her hand and brushed my lips against the back of it. This was done so I could appreciate the engagement ring I’d given her.
“I’m trying to open his eyes to the beauty of love,” I explained.
She gave me a side-eye, before she turned her full attention to Rhet with a questioning look.
“He wasn’t,” Rhet denied bluntly. “I only have one question, he doesn’t have anything to do with the business ventures of the Roarke corporation, does he?”
“Fuck no,” I said, giving Rhet a disgusted look. “I’m already dealing with
JS, why would I want to add a whole conglomerate to my plate? No thank you.”
Jazz chuckled. While I’d just recently learned Jazz was an heiress to big business, this was the first time I saw a calculating look come over her face. “Instead of answering you, how about I ask what business venture you want Roarke’s partnership in?”
“Stop.” I stepped between them. “This is a wedding. Jazz is not allowed to be a coldhearted businesswoman today.” I grabbed Jazz’s hand and dragged her away.
Her soft laughter came behind me. I stopped and turned around to face her. Seeing the mischievous look in her eyes, I grew suspicious.
“You did that on purpose.”
She laughed some more. “Yep, Rhet was screaming for help. I had no choice.”
“He’s a big boy, he deserves to be harassed every once in a while. He sold me out to Chelsea. I’ll be at his house tomorrow for breakfast.”
“Tak.” Jazz reached up and pulled on my collar. “Leave the man alone before he actually kills you. Besides, there are bigger things you should be worrying about.”
“And what’s that?”
Her expression turned soft as she leaned forward, her lips brushing my ear as she whispered into it. “Figuring out what to name our baby,” she said as she leaned back and stared up at me nervously. “I was late, so I went to the doctor to check and that’s when they gave me the news. We’re having a baby… Tak?”
I looked down at her before what she said registered. A part of me prayed that Pit and Skittles’ wedding didn’t get canceled because of me. My head exploded with music and the last thing I saw was the woman I love’s shocked expression as I fainted at her feet.
Epilogue
Here We Go
Tak
* * *
My woman wanted strawberry ice cream from the most random ass place in the city. If I had known operation, Make-Jazz-Fluffy would end up with me running out and buying her the most random of food, I would have said fuck it and checked myself into an asylum, but my Jazz is beautiful, funny, and gives the best head that no other motherfucker will ever experience, so for her I’ll do any fucking thing.
