Jasmine (Kings of Guardian Book 6)

by Kris Michaels

  “I’ve recently discovered I don’t need a Guardian.” Jasmine leaned forward, dropping onto her hands, draping them in her fall of hair.

  “Can you settle for a simple country boy?” He reached behind her neck and pulled her down to his lips. The whisper soft touch of his skin shook her to her core.

  “I could, but you aren’t a simple country boy.”

  Chad sat up, and she moved her legs around his waist. They sat eye to eye.

  “In reality, I am. I know you had your doubts about me, about who I was…”

  Jasmine put her fingers over his lips. “I don’t care who you were.”

  Chad placed his hand over hers and pulled her fingers away from his lips. “I do. I know what I’ve been. I’ve made mistakes. I’ve been lost and looking for something for so long that drifting through life became my normal. I don’t want that life anymore. I want what I think can grow between us.”

  Jasmine searched his eyes by the light of the moon.

  He cupped her neck with his hand and put their foreheads together lightly. “I want all of you, Jasmine. Let me prove to you I’m worthy of that.”

  Jasmine closed her eyes. Her mind raced with the thoughts, the hopes, and the dreams and collided with the past, her ex-fiancé and her life. How could her life and his mesh?

  “Baby, stop trying to make sense of everything tonight. Just promise me you’ll give me the chance to show you I’m worthy of giving me your heart.”

  She opened her eyes again and searched his. The word slipped out, a soft whispered prayer. “Yes.”

  ~~

  That one word changed everything, changed nothing and yet meant the world. He leaned in and brushed a soft kiss on her lips as he lifted the wisp of silk over her head. He needed her softness against him. He pulled her in. She arched into him and shifted slightly on his cock. The insane sensations of that little movement lit him up like a roman candle on the Fourth of July. He grabbed her ass with both hands and pushed up into her, grinding his length against her core. She was already hot and wet for him. He could feel her against his cock.

  “Chad, please. I need you.” Her words splashed gasoline on his desire. Fuck, he needed to be buried in her. Now.

  He held her as he lifted his cock under her sex. She dropped her head back, her long hair covering his arms at her back. She groaned as he lifted his hips and slid into her. Soft, hot, tight… fuck… so gloriously right. He pulled her closer so he could taste her. He found purchase on her shoulder and started to piston his hips. Her breath punched out when he slammed into her. Her hands gripped his shoulders, and she adjusted her legs, which had been clenched around his waist. She lifted, using her legs as leverage, and dropped down.

  “Fuck… yes… again.” Chad panted as he grabbed her hips. He thrust up as she dropped down. The sexual-fucking-electricity arced between them, building bigger with each synchronized movement of their hips. He felt her nails digging into his back and relished the knowledge that he was making her lose control. She needed to trust him to take care of her, because he would gladly spend his life doing it.

  Her body lost rhythm. The muscles in her legs tightened. She stopped moving, and he took over. He needed her to shatter, to come apart so he could put her back together. Put her together in the image of them, not in the lonely world she’d built for herself.

  Chad lifted and held her as he took her down to the mattress. He moved her leg over his hip and thrust his hips, searching for the bliss they both wanted. With a strength few women possessed, Jasmine pulled him down and bit his shoulder, stifling a scream that coincided with her body’s release. He held her head against him and raced to his finish. Her small pleas for more pulled him back. He ground his teeth together, frantically trying to give her another release. He felt her stiffen under him and lost his ability to think. Hell, he lost his ability to breathe when the orgasm ripped from him. He continued to rock through his release. Her arms slid from his back and flopped out to her side, limp. His arms were under her back, his head dropped to her shoulder, and he tried to breathe. Air in… air out… in… out… Holy fuck, the woman was going to kill him. He’d never… so fucking good…

  He listed to the right, and she lifted her left arm, allowing him to fall. The sweat that pooled between their bodies started to cool immediately. He flopped onto his back, still trying to remember why breathing was a necessity.

  Jasmine’s hand flopped against his stomach. “So last night wasn’t a fluke?”

  “Guess not…”

  “Damn…”

  “Yeah…”

  “Chad?”

  “Hmm…” Chad pulled her over and up onto his shoulder.

  “Don’t wake me up if this is a dream.”

  He kissed her forehead carefully. “We’re wide awake.”

  “Good… that’s really good.” She nestled into his side. He drew slow circles on the arm that lay on his chest. Her breathing leveled and slowed before she drifted to sleep. He didn’t understand life. He’d reached the pinnacle of his profession. He’d amassed an empire and isolated himself from everyone and everything. Then his world had shattered from the inside, sending everything he thought certain about his life into ruin. Yet, in the dust and rubble, he’d found her—the one who fit him perfectly. She made him whole by piecing together the fragmented puzzle he could never solve. The woman filled canyons of need with a single look; became sanity and reason when no one else had even managed to become… necessary. He stifled a yawn and looked out the window at the nearly full moon. He had a shot at a life he’d never thought he’d find. A random rift of notes lingered momentarily in his mind. He hummed the tune and closed his eyes to the echo of the start of a beautiful new melody.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chad headed downstairs with his guitar. He’d spent more than a hot minute tuning his baby. He’d promised Jasmine’s nephew he’d sing after dinner, and he’d deliver on that promise. In fact, he was looking forward to it. Until the last week, he could count the days he’d not played in the last ten years on one hand. Music was his life. He realized the statement was overdone and trite, but hell… it was what it was. His mom had paid for piano, classical guitar and violin lessons for him when he was growing up. They traveled two hours round trip every Saturday so he could learn from the best in the area. He’d had no idea of the sacrifices his mom had made to ensure he was able to learn. He did now. His mom was his hero. She’d given him the gift of music, picked him up when he was at his lowest, and supported him through rehab and recreating his life.

  Chad strode across the football-field-sized foyer and headed for the front porch. He’d told Reece he’d meet him on the swing. The screen door hadn’t slammed shut before he stopped dead in his tracks. At least thirty people sat on blankets and folding chairs on the lawn in front of the porch.

  Frank appeared at his elbow. “Seems word may have spread you’d be singing.”

  “It would appear so.” Chad lifted a hand and waved. He recognized the family he’d been introduced to, but there were many others. He saw two men in wheelchairs, one wearing an orthopedic boot, and another in a full-arm cast. Jasmine had given him a tour today, but they hadn’t gone into the hospital. Now he regretted that oversight.

  Jasmine sat on the steps of the porch with Reece. He moved to sit beside them and looked out at the small crowd. “Hey. Reece here asked me to sing for him. If y’all don’t mind…” A rumble of laughter stopped his intro. He let it die off before he continued. “As I was saying, if y’all don’t mind, I’ll sing a song or twenty. But first I need to limber up my fingers. If any of this warmup gets put on YouTube, my reputation will be crushed, so behave, y’all.” The laughter skittered across the night air again.

  He turned to Jasmine and winked before he leaned over his guitar and began to play.

  ~~

  Jasmine watched as he leaned into the guitar. He smiled at Reece and whispered something she couldn’t hear. His fingers flew over the strings, waking the instrument u
p while caressing the frets with the expertise of a symphony soloist.

  The song he played evoked strong, haunting, heart-wrenching emotions. Jasmine leaned back against the railing, mesmerized at how he poured himself into the music. The song he played was classical, not a country song or a cover song for another artist. The movements of the music were completed impeccably, and his interpretation of the composer’s muse was eloquent and flowing. She’d just spent six months with an opera singer and understood the labor and creative inspiration behind an artist’s ability to make the music more than notes on a page. As the last note ended, he opened his eyes and looked straight at Jasmine.

  “What was that piece?” someone asked from the lawn.

  Chad positioned his hand on the neck of the guitar. “That piece was Preludio y Toccatina by Sérgio Assad.”

  “Will you play another?” Jasmine’s mom asked. They both glanced toward the swing where she and Frank sat.

  Jasmine laughed at Chad’s response: “Just try to stop me.”

  He turned to her and in a soft whisper spoke for only her to hear. “This one is for you. It’s just like you, haunting, strong and desirable.” He turned back to the guitar, and the melody flooded the enraptured audience. He spoke over the guitar. “This is Asturias, composed by Isaac Albéniz.”

  He leaned over the guitar, and his fingers flew over the strings. Jasmine glanced at the ranch hands and Guardian people that had gathered. His performance entranced them. The notes were indeed haunting. If she closed her eyes, she would believe he was playing a duet. The illusion of the long-sustained notes punctuated with the counter melody of the music floated around them. The last note held and floated into nothing. There was absolute silence.

  Reece put his hand on Chad’s knee. “You play good. But you said you could sing.”

  Chad laughed with everyone else. “Okay, y’all want me to sing?” he asked as he started strumming. “We’ll start with some old cover songs, but fair warning, I will be singing several of my own. Shameless self-promotion, I know. Speaking of ‘Shameless’… let’ start with Garth’s song.”

  Jasmine sat in wonder at the man’s talent. People started throwing out songs for him to play and sing, and without hesitation, he belted out song after song. Chad lifted his guitar and pulled Reece between his legs, bringing the guitar down so the little boy could stand between him and the instrument. Reece’s eyes tracked Chad’s fingers, and he stood mesmerized. The little boy laughed and ran to his mom when the song was done. “Momma, I want to play the guitar!”

  “Sorry to put an end to tonight’s fun, but I think I have one song left in me. I have heard, from a reliable source, that my ballad, ‘Mississippi Magnolia’, has special meaning to a couple here tonight. He coughed into his hand, saying Jared and Christian’s names. Christian’s head whipped up for a quick look at Chad and then over his shoulder at his husband. Jared smiled and shrugged. Christian leaned back and whispered. Jared nodded and cupped Christian’s cheek tenderly before they kissed. Jasmine smiled so hard her face hurt. Now things made sense. Her brother had pulled Chad aside today when they were strolling around the complex, and now she understood why.

  Instead of playing the guitar, he propped it against the railing. He put his arm around Jasmine’s shoulders and pulled her close. She looked up into his eyes as he took a deep breath and began to sing the song a cappella. His voice wrapped around her, caressing her with its deep, smooth timber. The words were a seduction, and the melody intoxicating. When the last note fell, he leaned down and kissed her. She was defenseless. His beautiful music stripped her of any way to combat her feelings for him.

  The kiss lasted only a moment before people wandered up to thank and talk with Chad. Jasmine melted into the background and watched him. After witnessing that performance, seeing his happiness, the way he treated everyone with compassion, respect and friendly familiarity, all pounded home the fact he was damn special. Special to so many people, she had no right…

  “Don’t throw this chance away.”

  She jumped and turned at Joseph’s voice behind her. “Shit, you scared me. Don’t throw what chance away?”

  He leaned against the house and nodded toward Chad. “Him.”

  “I…”

  “You’re trying to convince yourself to push him away. Don’t.”

  “But…”

  “But nothing. You are strong enough to be the person to walk beside him.”

  Jasmine gave a huff. “He’d rather have someone walk behind him.”

  “Bullshit.”

  “No, you don’t understand, he’s… he prefers…”

  “Submissive women?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Does Ember strike you as submissive?”

  “Ember? Hell, no!” Jasmine had seen that woman go toe to toe with everyone, including Joseph. The woman had a feisty temper and wasn’t afraid to let it loose.

  “Talk to her.”

  A loud burst of laughter caused Jasmine to turn back and look at Chad. He caught her eye and smiled before someone else pulled his attention away.

  “Why?” She glanced over her shoulder at her brother. He’d vanished. She spun in a complete three-sixty. The man was a ghost. His words piqued her curiosity, though. She glanced around the gathering. Ember was talking with Faith, Keelee, and her mom. It had been awhile since she and Ember had visited. What was the harm of talking?

  Chapter Twenty

  “He told you to ask me what?” Ember stood with her hands on her hips and repeatedly blinked, as if she couldn’t quite comprehend the question.

  Jasmine quickly glanced around the kitchen, thankful that her mom wasn’t within earshot. She’d tried to bring up the subject with Ember several times, but each time she’d chickened out. The last three weeks with Chad at the ranch had been amazing, but she still worried she wasn’t giving him what he wanted. She had no idea how to be a submissive person. But the sex between them was phenomenal—beyond that, if possible. Still, Jasmine fought a mental battle every time she saw Chad with one of the women who worked on the Guardian side of the ranch. It wasn’t jealousy, but rather an insecurity that maybe she wasn’t enough. So, today when she’d found Ember making a cup of tea in the kitchen, she’d asked… although right now she was second guessing that. Big time.

  “Look, Chad has… he goes to clubs. I don’t know how to be submissive,” she hissed. God, she was going to die of embarrassment.

  Ember leaned against the counter and lifted her teacup to her lips, blowing on the fragrant brew before she took a sip.

  “Neither did I.”

  “How did you figure it out?” The question was low and barely whispered.

  “Do you love him?”

  “I… probably.”

  Ember lifted a single eyebrow and waited.

  Jasmine rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I think I do, but I haven’t told him because I don’t want him to settle for me if I can’t be what he needs. I don’t want to look back in five years and know I was the reason my relationship failed. Again.”

  “Evan cheated on you.”

  “Yeah, because I couldn’t give him what he wanted.”

  Ember snorted. “No, he cheated on you because he couldn’t keep his dick in his pants. Anything else is bullshit. If he loved you, he wouldn’t have strayed.”

  Jasmine sighed and rubbed her forehead. “I’m not sure I believe that.”

  Ember put her cup down and turned to face Jasmine. “Look, the simple fact is this. I love Joey. I’m assuming he and Chad have similar expectations. I give everything to my husband because I trust him to take care of me. When we make love, it might not be what others consider normal, but that man takes care of me. Lord, girl, does he take care of me.”

  “Oh, my God… TMI, Ember!” Jasmine put her hands over her ears.

  Ember laughed and picked up her tea again. “Do you trust him?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Enough to let go and let him be your safety net?”

&n
bsp; “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “I know in every fiber of my being Joey will never push me too far. He’ll never take the experience past what I can handle. He is my safety, my shelter. If I didn’t trust him implicitly, I wouldn’t be able to do the things we do.”

  “But you’re not submissive.”

  “To anyone else? Hell, no.” Ember made a one-fingered gesture to no one in particular as she drank her tea. “But when it comes to that man. I’d kneel at his feet for the rest of my life.”

  Jasmine nodded and watched Ember look through the cabinets. She pulled down a sleeve of saltine crackers and popped one into her mouth, then offered the open packet to Jasmine. She pulled one out and started nibbling on a corner.

  “I don’t know what to do.” All the self-doubt and fears raced to the forefront of her mind. He’d done scenes with women who knew what they were doing.

  “He knows what to do. You need to let him lead.” Ember took another sip and popped another saltine into her mouth. Her red hair tumbled over her shoulder. She flipped the mass of curls back and washed down her cracker with her tea.

  Jasmine looked from the cracker in her hand to the sleeve Ember was currently destroying. The tea was a peppermint herbal mix that her mom kept around for upset stomachs. Jasmine lifted one eyebrow in question.

  Ember’s face and chest flushed a vibrant red, and she nodded. “Nobody knows. Not even Joey. I’m going to tell him tonight.”

  “Oh my God!” Jasmine squealed.

  “Shhhh!!!” Ember glanced toward the kitchen door.

  Jasmine jumped up and down on her toes before she wrapped Ember in a hug. Her sister-in-law teared up when she pulled away. “We’ve been trying for so long.”

  “I’m so happy for you. When did you find out?”

  “The morning sickness hit hard this week. Joey has been up to his ears in work. I’ve been eating like crap because of the new patients we got in from the Argentina mission, and I thought maybe I ate something that upset my stomach. I took a pregnancy test this morning.”