His mother smiled at his approach. Like usual, his father’s stoic expression never changed. His mother hugged him tightly before turning her attention to Birdie.
“So glad you made it, Jasper. Who is this lovely lady? I don’t recall ever meeting you, dear.”
“Mother, I’d like to meet Birdie.”
“Birdie?”
Birdie held onto him tighter. “Hello, ma’am. It’s actually Bernadette.”
“George, meet Jasper’s friend, Bernadette.”
Jasper’s father put on a fake smile and greeted Birdie.
Chapter Six
Bernadette
She tried not to fidget in front of Jasper’s parents. It was hard. Damn hard. At first, getting dressed up with professionals doing her hair and makeup was fun. It was something she’d never thought she could enjoy. Once that limo door opened, reality set in. She was terrified. She felt like an imposter.
There she was standing with Jasper on a red carpet runner as flashbulbs went off everywhere. In a dress that would pay her bills for a year. She was a long way from living out of her car and eventually the shelters, if they had a bed available. She’d gone days with no real food. Only vending machine snacks when she could afford them. She was sure tonight’s meal would cost thousands a plate.
She stood next to Jasper feeling smaller and smaller as the evening progressed. His father looked at her as if she were a bug to be examined. His mother smiled at her, but never really carried on a conversation. She didn’t belong there.
Dinner was delicious. She’d never tasted anything like it before. Some sort of sautéed duck with miniature carrots and multicolored rice. Birdie began to relax just a bit when she noticed the guy from Jasper’s house stumbling toward them.
Jasper stood up to greet him. “Hey man.”
“Dude, you missed one hell of a party.”
“I’m sure. Brent, this is my friend, Birdie.”
She stood up to shake Brent’s hand. He looked her over like he did the first time she’d seen him. “Do I know you?” he questioned.
“No.”
“So where did you two meet? I thought I knew all the lovely ladies in town.” His smile reminded her of a serpent. It made her skin crawl.
Jasper grinned. “A coffee house downtown.”
“Downtown?’ He laughed. “When did you start slumming?”
“A few months now.” Both men began laughing.
Birdie couldn’t believe her ears. “Excuse me?”
“Don’t worry about it, Sugarlips. We all go slumming now and again. At least you got a nice meal and a pretty dress. It’s more than I ever did.”
“Brent,” Jasper yelled, but Birdie didn’t hear any more of it. She was consumed with anger. Brent was a rat bastard, but Jasper…she’d thought he’d changed. She’d watched him grow into a person she wanted to be with. Was it all an act to add another notch to his belt? Tears welled in her eyes. She refused to have any of them see her cry. She straightened her shoulders and headed for the door.
She could hear Jasper call out to her. She gave him the finger without turning around. She couldn’t look back. It would break her heart. Photographers were still snapping pictures of the entitled as they posed on the red carpet. No one paid any attention to her now that she wasn’t on Jasper’s arm.
A valet stood next to a podium a hundred yard away. He was young and watched the couples in awe. Birdie made a beeline for him.
“I need to get out of here, can you call me a cab?”
The young man smiled. “Of course.” He picked up a cell phone and began to call her a getaway car.
“Birdie,” Jasper yelled. She turned away from him, willing the cab to pull up.
“Your ride will be here in a few minutes, ma’am”
She gave her best forced smile. “Thank you.”
“Ride? Where are you going?”
“Home,” she spat.
“What the hell? You were just going to leave?” He turned to the valet. “My limo, please.”
The boy grabbed his card and ran back to the podium. “Yes, sir,” he called over his shoulder.
“Go back in with your friend. I don’t belong here and I’m going home.”
Jasper touched her bare shoulder. Her body betrayed her, breaking out in gooseflesh. She hated herself for feeling that way. For falling in love with him. She’d known it was a bad idea. She should’ve listened to Helen.
“Please.” His voice pleaded. “Brent is an idiot.”
“You agreed with him, Jasper. You made me look like a fool in there.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know he would say something like that to you. He’s drunk and looking to start trouble. He’s never loved anyone except himself. He wouldn’t understand my feelings for you. I know, because I used to be the same way.”
He rubbed his hands through his short hair. “I want to be with you.”
She shook her head in disbelief, turning away from him again. “We can’t. It’ll never work, Jasper.”
Jasper
He took her by the arm, catching her before she made her escape. She didn’t pull away. Instead, she turned to face him. “I want this. You want this. What the hell are we running from?”
“It’s not right. You aren’t ready. Even if you were, we come from two totally different worlds,” she yelled back at him.
He looked at her like she’d grown an extra head. “How do you know what I’m ready for or not?”
“You haven’t even celebrated a year yet. You can’t.”
“There are a lot of things I haven’t done yet in life. Nothing has the label can’t on it. As to our backgrounds, who gives a shit? I know I don’t. I know in your head you think it matters, but it doesn’t, Birdie. What matters is you and me. What we mean to each other.”
She looked away from him again with tears pooling in her eyes and it almost broke his heart. He knew that was a definite possibility. However, the idea that it might end badly still wasn’t enough to make him want to pick up a bottle. He was determined to make it this time. As Birdie always told him, it’s twenty-four hours at a time. He was going to seize these hours. He gently pulled her around to face him. He slipped his hands into her silky hair, softly pressing his lips to hers.
His heart was pounding out of his chest. He could hear the blood running through his ears. This could be the beginning of something, or any moment Birdie would push him away and no doubt punch him in the face. She had it in her. Only she didn’t. Instead, she fisted her hands into his white shirt, pulling him even closer.
He snaked an arm around her waist. Their bodies firmly pressed together. Her tongue was soft and tasted of bubble gum and cigarette smoke. Jasper wanted to grab a fist full of her hair and bend her over, but at the same time, he wanted to go slow and enjoy every inch of Birdie. The dual sides of his brain were at war.
The limo arrived at the curb after what felt like forever. He reluctantly released Birdie to open the door for her. Once inside, he instructed the driver to take them home before raising the divider to seal them away from the driver’s eyes and ears.
Birdie was flushed. Her lips were slightly plumper from their shared kiss. She was sitting there in her gown, visibly breathing heavy and it was the most breathtaking sight he had ever seen. He wouldn’t move closer to her, though. Not here. He would wait. There was no way they were going at it in the back of this car for the first time. No, he’d save that for another time. Time both stood still and went at warp speed. He couldn’t explain it. She just stared at him.
“Do you want to come up?”
“Definitely.”
Inside of her apartment, Jasper wasted no time. He swooped her up in his arms, devouring her lips. He could kiss her for hours and still it would feel brand new. Her room wasn’t what he’d pictured in his mind. It was light and airy. Filled with books and flowers. He’d never pegged her for the flowery type of woman. He set her down. Circling her slowly, he drank her in again.
Stopping
at her back, he trailed a finger from the nape of her neck down to the waistband of her dress. He unclipped the eye hook holding the material closed. He unhooked the buttons holding the straps around her neck. He let the silky fabric fall, finally giving in, he replaced it with his lips. He took his time. Tasting her skin. She shivered under his hands. A slight tug left the gown puddled around her ankles.
There was a pile of clothes on her bed, he pushed them aside before laying her down. His clothed body settling next to her nearly naked one. She lay out before him in black lacey panties and black heels. He couldn’t have stopped touching her to save his life. Gooseflesh pebbled under his fingertips. Her body arched into his touch. All the while their tongues continued their intimate dance.
She tugged at his shirt hungrily. He stood up at the end of the bed, slowly removing his clothes as she looked up at him. She slid her panties down her legs, depositing them onto the floor. Jasper quickly retrieved a condom from his wallet, dropping the leather to the floor haphazardly. He rolled the latex over himself and crawled up her body, stealing her lips once again. Positioning himself, he entered her slowly, her soft moans fulfilling him.
The moment was surreal. Everything inside him screamed to hurry up. His body wanted to piston to the finish line like he’d always done, but his mind wouldn’t let him. He’d never made love to a woman. It was different. It was as if she were the lock to his key and together they’d just opened something magical.
Birdie held on to him tightly, her legs locking him in place. Her cries of pleasure brought him closer with each thrust. She was so deliciously wet; the sound of his cock sliding in and out amplified his desire to fuck her harder. He buried his head in her shoulder as his pace quickened. Her nails bit into his back as her orgasm shook her. Her cum flooded over his cock, but it was her scream that pushed him over the edge.
He came so hard, he was actually worried about the condom breaking. He slipped out of her, checking the integrity of the rubber. Feeling it was still intact, he giggled to himself at the idea he’d broken the condom.
Birdie was still panting after he returned to bed after disposing of the condom. Her face was flushed, and her lips swollen. Her hair was disheveled and slightly damp from sweat. He couldn’t help thinking she was more beautiful than he’d ever seen her.
He jumped onto the bed like a carefree kid before pulling her into his arms. He tugged the covers up and she cuddled into the crook of his arm. It didn’t take long before her soft snores filled the silence.
Jasper lay there reflecting on the last few years of his life. He’d made a lot of mistakes. He’d hurt a lot of people. He couldn’t help but think, maybe he had to walk that path to be where he was now. All he was certain of was this moment of complete peace. There was a lot of road before him. The journey of recovery was long and fluid, ever-changing as he did.
He had no intentions of walking it alone. He had a fellowship and the woman he loved. It still felt foreign to love someone other than himself, but holding her as she dreamed, he knew he was. Jasper kissed Birdie’s forehead softly before closing his eyes.
He was finally looking forward to a future he’d never known he’d wanted. He knew it would get rough and it wouldn’t always be perfect, but they would take each step together. One day at a time.
The End
About the Author
Melinda Valentine was born in upstate New York. The youngest of four children (and the only girl) made it easy for her to turn to books as a companion. As a young child she was whisked away to Baltimore, Maryland. She spent her youth reading books such as Nancy Drew, The Chronicles of Narnia and The Little House on the Prairie saga.
Today Melinda calls West Virginia home, with her “romance hero” worthy boyfriend, three hilarious children and rambunctious puppy. She works full time as a bank teller and creates characters she hopes her readers fall in love with as much as she has.
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http://www.melindavalentine.com/
Bad Blood
By Olivia Night
Chapter One
Cumberland, Maryland
Vera
Vera entered the dimly lit bar and tried to ignore the small cloud of smoke that hovered at her eye line. Smoking indoors was illegal, but considering the Hades Horsemen MC rarely operated on the right side of law, it was to be expected they’d not think twice about lighting up.
Winding her way through the maze of high-top tables, she entered the hall in the back that led to a series of rooms. She’d been summoned here by her brother Dean, with a brief “need you at The Bridge in twenty.” Vera had rolled her eyes at the text, but when her brother called she had to come running.
Thems were the breaks of being the princess of Hades Horsemen. She’d been born ‘the princess’ she loathed to be called. And when her father had died four years ago, her brother had taken on the mantle as King.
Vera stood in front of the closed door and knocked.
“Yeah?” her brother’s gravelly voice called.
“You rang, sir?”
“Come in.” She could almost hear the smile in his voice.
Vera entered to find the room filled with her brother’s inner circle of men. She frowned as she looked at her big brother to assess his mood. Something was up.
“Dean?” She was one of the only people he permitted to call him by his God-given name.
Dean looked up from the papers in front of him. His black eyes were worried as he assessed her. For what, she never knew, but it was something he did each time they saw each other.
“Hey, Mini.” She hated the nickname the MC had given her as a child. But there was nothing she could do about it now. She’d looked so much like her dad they’d called her ‘Mini-Gunner’ until it had morphed into just ‘Mini.’
“What happened?” she asked.
Dean looked at the men in the room before motioning her to sit. She obliged his silent command.
“Dean,” she warned.
He sighed. “Learned some new shit this morning.” He dropped the papers in his hand to the desk.
Vera’s heart started pounding. “What?”
In her life, in their lives, new information usually meant something was brewing. Could be with the rival MC the Satan’s Sentinels, the FBI, or a host of other people who had proven to be pains in the asses throughout the years.
Dean ground his teeth. “Got word from the inside that the DEA has opened a new investigation.”
“Into what?”
“Us.”
“What is it this time?” Vera could barely recall times when they weren’t under investigation. Typically, her brother lined the pockets of a few key people and investigations went wayward and fell apart.
“Gunner’s death.”
She felt her stomach drop. Every time her dad’s case was reopened it brought back all the memories of that day. Of everything she’d felt, heard. Saw. She loved her father with all her heart, and he had treated her like the princess he’d named her. But she wanted the dead to rest in peace. Not get dragged through investigation after investigation.
Vera sighed. “Why?” They knew who’d killed her father. It was nothing the DEA needed to worry about. The Horsemen would handle it in time.
Dean looked back at his men and nodded to them silently. One by one each man left the room without looking back.
She heard the door close and the room fell silent. It grated. “What?” she pressed.
Dean pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment. He laid his hands on this desk and cleared his throat. “A few months back we received some intel into the specifics behind Gunner’s assassination.”
She hated that he refused to call him ‘Dad.’ That even with her he couldn’t let his guard down.
“Okay?”
“Gunner had received an offer for partnership.�
�� He paused. “Us and the Sentinels.” Their rival. Their biggest rival. The ones who’d shot her dad in cold blood.
“What kind of partnership?”
“A coupling.”
“Of what business?”
He shook his head and his face grew hard.
“Not business. Their soon-to-be Prez and my little sister.” His voice was low. Deadly.
Vera felt a wave of nausea sweep over her body.
“What?” she asked softly. Their soon-to-be President, who had taken over the helm two years ago, was a man she and her brother had grown up with. Rider Hawkins. For years they were a trio. At least until the rift occurred between her dad, Gunner, and Rider’s dad, Navajo. A rift that tore the MC apart. And took her best friend from her. The man she’d thought she’d marry.
Her feelings for Rider had grown over the years. And to this day she’d kept it a secret from everyone, including her brother.
Dean’s face remained grim but he nodded. “The Sentinels were mistaken that we’d lost a good deal of our value when our brothers up north were raided. Thought we’d jump at the bit for a partnership.”
And then it hit her. The wind-swept from the room in one quick swoosh. “Dad’s murder…?” Her voice was barely a whisper.
Dean nodded.
Vera slowly closed her eyes. It was her fault.
Her brother kept going, “He had some choice words about who his daughter would marry and it wasn’t gonna be no one from the Sentinels.” He paused, “Seems they didn’t take kindly to that. Gunner was dead a week later.”
Vera lowered her gaze to her lap.
“Hey.”
She kept her face down.
“Vera, look at me,” he commanded. And although she was one of the few people who could tell him to kiss her ass and get away with it, she looked up.
Craving Forbidden (Craving Series Book 8) Page 3
