by Dawn Martens
She moaned into my mouth as my hands squeezed her ass.
“Eden and Jasper,” I heard a scolding voice say from behind me.
Eden’s eyes were still closed when she pushed off me and I let her down to the ground.
“I get you love each other and all, but that PDA stuff should be kept out of school,” Mrs. Palmer scolded us playfully, giving us a wink as she moved on.
Eden giggled. When I looked down at her, she was so fucking beautiful it hurt. I couldn’t help being proud that that beauty was all mine.
“Edie!” I hear a little voice shout from the kitchen.
“Coming, G-baby!” Eden shouts back.
She passes by me, and I want to reach out and grab her, to hold her tight in my arms and never fucking let her go. I watch her until she is out of my sight.
“That shit was fucked up. My name looks like it will be put to good use again soon,” Reaper says, sounding pleased yet pissed all at the same time.
I shake my head. “No, that fucker is mine,” I vow. I’m going to kill that piece of shit. I might not have been there for Eden all those years ago, but I’m fucking here now.
“And about that bet, bro, don’t count on losing. She’s mine. You already won, so now just make her see that she’s mine,” I ground out.
Reaper clasps his hand onto my shoulder. “Man, I know. Trust me. Why do you think I let her do the bet? I figured it was one bet I would finally win with her.”
Eden has another thing coming if she honestly thinks she’s not mine anymore. She always has been, and she always will be. I just need to remind her. I will make her remember how good we are together and see what we can have again.
Walking into the small kitchen, I find Glenna hiding underneath the round wooden table, looking scared. I kneel down to her level. “Glenna, baby, what’s wrong?” I ask her worriedly.
She points to the back door. “Mr. Zip is yelling at Auntie Lilly,” she says, starting to cry.
“Oh, baby, it’s okay,” I assure her. “I’ll be right back, kiddo. I promise.”
This is exactly the kind of shit I don’t want my sister seeing or hearing. I knew I shouldn’t have dialed that number. I wouldn’t have called had I known it was Jasper; too little too late now. He seems hell bent on being my white knight. I won’t allow him to hurt me again. I’m not that same girl who used to melt at the sound of his voice. That Eden is gone.
I storm out through the back door, interrupting their yelling at each other. Lilly is standing with her hip cocked to the side, and Zippo is pointing his finger in her flushed face.
“Thanks a lot, assholes! Glenna can hear you two fighting. She’s in the kitchen, hiding out under the table and scared out of her mind!” I yell at them. “You have a lovers tiff, take it somewhere else!”
I turn around, ignoring both of their faces paling at my words, and make my way back to Glenna. “Come here, baby,” I say to her, and she rushes into my arms. I pick her up and carry her out into the living room, interrupting Mason and Jasper whispering.
“Don’t bring Vinny here again. Jerk scared the crap out of Glenna. I won’t stand for that, her going from one monster to that garbage,” I tell them angrily, pointing toward the kitchen.
Both Jasper and Mason look shocked then immediately turn angry.
“I’m taking Glenna to get ready for bed. I want you all gone by the time I’m done. Tell Lilly to stay. She and I need to talk,” I say. Before I can start to leave the room, Glenna takes a look at the guys and hops down, going right to Jasper.
“Hey, I know you. You’re Miss Monica’s boyfriend!” She is standing right at Jasper’s side, smiling at him.
My body stiffens, and I refuse to look at Jasper. He’s with Monica? The thought of the two of them together makes me sick. I don’t have the right to be upset, but it still hurts. I never really thought about him moving on and having someone else, but it makes sense; it’s been nine years. How could he not be with someone after all this time? It was stupid of me to assume he wouldn’t—just because I haven’t been with anyone since him.
“Sorry, kid, that’s not me,” I hear him say, and my body relaxes.
“Oh, well, you look just like him,” she says back.
“Come on, G-Baby. Let’s get you ready for bed,” I say to her. She comes next to me and grabs my hand.
I walk up the stairs. Truth is, I can’t handle much more of Jasper. Hell, all of them being here together brings back so much—including my feelings for Jasper that I apparently haven’t worked through. I don’t know what to make of it all.
I run the bath but don’t fill it up too much since it’s just a washing bath. “You hop in. Your shampoo is right here, but make sure you get it all out, okay?” I tell her, putting the green shampoo bottle on the ledge of the tub.
Fifteen minutes later, I have her hair dried and brushed, and she is tucked soundly in bed. Kissing her on the forehead, I tell her goodnight and make my way downstairs.
“Fuckin’ hell, should’ve known she would’ve seen me,” I say, rubbing the back of my neck. The kid goes to the school Monica teaches at. Hell, knowing my luck, she is in her class. She is at the right age to be.
Reaper puts his hand on my shoulder. “Yeah, but think it was really wise to lie about it? Eden finds out, you really won’t have any hope.” He laughs, getting a kick at my expense.
“Eventually I’ll tell her, but right now, no. I need her to trust me again, talk to me. Then I can fill her in on what I’ve been doing over the years. But not before,” I tell him. I will tell her when the timing is right.
Reaper and I walk out back to where Lilly and Zippo are. Lilly is crying, and Zippo is walking away. “We’re fucking done,” he yells over his shoulder. Dude looks ready to snap.
“What’s going on?” I ask him, trying to figure out what in the hell is going on.
He tries to shrug me off, but stops to pull out a smoke. “Bitch could have... no wait, she should have fucking told us what was going on with Eden. We could have helped her way before now. I put the blame on her fucking shoulders,” he says, lighting up and walking toward his bike.
In a way, I feel somewhat the same way, but, I also know Lilly, and I know she didn’t do it out of spite. She did it because that’s what Eden wanted. “He’ll come around, Lilly-pad,” I say, calling her the nickname we gave her when we were kids.
“Not this time. This time, it’s final.” She takes off her engagement ring Zippo gave her three months ago and passes it to me. “Give that back to him. He can pawn it or reuse it one day. I don’t care.” She cries softly when she speaks and rubs her stomach over her blue sweatshirt. “Let him know that I won’t stop him from seeing his child. I’m not that mean.” She twists her now bare finger in her brown curly hair then walks past me into the house.
“She’s pregnant?” Reaper says, shocked, from behind me. He scrubs his hands over his bearded face. A lot of shit to take in for one day. You can definitely tell Eden’s here now. Shit is getting crazy. That girl was always in the middle of something. No, she was always at the source of something. Eden always loved to fuck with us. But we aren’t kids anymore, and this shit isn’t child’s play.
“Guess so. Fuck, what a mess.” I sigh. Lilly and Zippo break up all the time, but something about the words Lilly just said makes me believe that it’s really over with them this time. “Let’s get to the clubhouse and fill people in on this shit.” Vinny has been acting odd the last two months. Something’s off; this has to do with more than just Lilly keeping this shit a secret. He’s always running off, and I never know where he is half the time.
Reaper gives me a nod, and we get on our bikes and roar away.
It doesn’t take long to get to the clubhouse from Eden’s place. Climbing off the bike, I go inside. We don’t have any prospects- that’s just how we run things now. We do background checks on any new members wanting to join. That’s good enough. I tend to trust people until they give me a reason not to, which isn’t a
lways a good thing, but it’s just the way I am. I haven’t been burned yet.
I see Betty and a few of our female members standing around, talking with a few of the other members. Usually, we send the girls out when a little girl has been hurt and may be uncomfortable around men. It works.
I nod my head at Reaper, and he calls attention to the room with an ear-piercing whistle. “Anyone remember William Blake?” I shout out.
I get a few nods, some murmurs, and a few confused looks. “For those that know, turns out the bastard isn’t dead. For those just learning of this name, Eden and Glenna Blake—they are a family name around these parts. Not sure how they got by us, being here for the last few months, but they’re now under our protection. In a few months’ time, Willy boy will be up for parole. I had Reaper make copies of the file— he’ll get those passed out in a minute. Read it over.” I pause, looking around the room. “Eden is mine. She might not be a kid, but that fucker won’t touch her in any way.”
I turn to look for Betty, finding her looking upset, I speak again. “Betty, I want you to call up Ann. She probably already knows most of the shit going on with Eden, since she helped her years ago. I want you two available at any time in case Eden needs a sitter for Glenna.” Betty nods, already on the move out the club doors. Satisfied with that, I turn and look for Mona. “Mona, call Hilary. Eden needs more than just Lilly around,” I tell her, and sense Reaper stiffening beside me.
“Don’t fuckin’ call her,” he hisses at me. There is a lot of unresolved shit between those two, but that’s not my story to tell.
“It’s not about you, brother. Hilary’s a friend. I don’t give a shit about what went down with you two. Keep that shit in check,” I tell him, walking into my room at the back of the clubhouse. Only thing that matters right now is protecting Eden and Glenna.
Lilly comes into the house a few minutes after the bikes all roar away, looking upset. I could tell she was crying by the redness of her puffy eyes. Her cheeks are blotched as well.
“Are you okay? I’m so sorry, Lilly-pad. I didn’t mean to cause trouble,” I tell her, smoothing her wild dark curls.
She waves me off. “It’s okay, really. Vinny has just been trying to find any excuse at all to break up with me for good,” she tells me, looking defeated. She reaches for a napkin to dry her eyes.
“I feel kind of shitty for that mess, though. I didn’t even know you and Vinny were dating.” She never mentioned it to me one time, not even a hint. I thought we were better friends than that. She knows everything about me. Lilly and Hilary both do. They’ve been my anchor through thick and thin. I thought I was the same for them, but maybe not.
“I know. I’m sorry. I should have told you, but with you just moving back here and all, I didn’t want you to get involved. You have enough on your plate without having to worry about me and Vinny,” she says meekly. Lilly has always been non-confrontational with me.
I frown at her, whispering, “But I’m still your best friend.”
“You had so much to deal with over the years, with your dad and Glenna, I didn’t want to bring you in on the up and down of Vinny and I. I’m sorry,” she says. I understand that. I would have been worried even more if I knew about those two together, worried that it would be a possibility that she would tell him about me.
“But if you were engaged, why didn’t I see a ring?” I ask, confused. I feel stupid for not noticing anything different about her.
“Whenever I’d come over, I’d take it off,” she tells me quietly. She grabs my hand, holding it tightly in hers. “I’m pregnant.” She sniffs, her head hanging low.
Shocked, I lean away from her. “How far along?”
“About three months. I’m not showing yet,” she says, raising her blue sweatshirt to expose her flat tummy.
“Does Vinny know?” I ask her, disbelieving.
Vinny never struck me as the type that would walk away from his pregnant woman. I can’t believe she has been holding all this back from me. I’d be pissed at her if I wasn’t hurting for her. Even though I know she was trying to respect my wishes in regards to Jasper, I feel like I just cost her greatly. I’ll find a way to fix this mess. I’m still a little hurt she kept this from me, but I understand completely the reason why she did.
She nods. “That’s part of the reason why I know he was looking for an out. When I told him, he was so damn happy, but then quickly after, he started acting different.” She shrugs, sniffling. I pass her a few tissues.
Tears well up in my eyes. “Lilly-pad, I’m gonna kick his ass.” Nothing pisses me off more than a deadbeat dad.
She smiles slightly at me. “Some of that old you is starting to come back out.”
I grin at her. I miss the old me, too—the one that could stand on my own, hold my own, but after living with my father for the past five years, most of that old me has died. I have grown timid and quiet. Being back here, though, surrounded by my past, has me feeling more like myself.
“I’ll always be here for you. I’ll help any way I can with this baby,” I say, rubbing her tummy.
“Since you’re back and all that, have you thought of how you are going to tell Jasper about, you know?” she asks me.
My head drops. “No. I can’t tell him. I don’t know if I ever can. God, this is hard,” I say, hoping she’ll drop it. I am not ready to cross that bridge yet.
“Okay, enough of the sappy shit. Let’s finish off these goodies you baked and watch some stupid TV show we’ll probably hate,” she says, breaking up our gloom fest.
“Oh, does the baby have a sweet tooth,” I tease her. “I need to call Hilary. Be right back,” I tell her, getting off the couch.
I dial her number and wait for her to answer. “Hey bitch!” she greets me in a singsong voice.
“Hey, how is everything?” I ask her.
“Man, good. Just finally got the kids settled down and into bed,” she says, sounding tired.
“I know I planned to visit this weekend, but I might not be able to,” I tell her, and then give her a run down about what happened today.
“Oh, shit. Is Jasper all cave man again?” she asks, sounding amused.
I snort. “No, it’s not like that anymore.”
“Sure it isn’t.”
“No, really, this is just a protection thing for him. Whatever we had as kids is over, long over,” I tell her.
“Are you going to tell him about… you know?” Hilary asks quietly.
“I don’t know.” We make small talk, figuring out another weekend for me to go visit her and the kids.
I walk back to the living room and see Lilly browsing the DVDs. “What movie you picking?” I ask her.
“I think we should watch some Chucky.” She’s sitting cross legged on the floor, looking through my collection, and waggles her arched eyebrows.
“Oh, just a sec. I have the newest Chucky in my room. I really wanna see it,” I tell her excitedly. It’s nice to just forget sometimes. Deep down, I know the problems with my father, and the reality of Jasper being back in my life, is bubbling its way up, and I have a feeling I’m gonna crash and burn with my secrets.
We boot up the TV and slip in the DVD. Time for some junk food and scary movies. Awesome.
Lying in my king sized bed, I think about Eden—how I missed her soft, full body, kissing it, licking it, touching it.
Eden leaned in for a kiss, and I pulled her body firmly into mine, my hand wrapped tightly into her long blonde hair. “I love you,” I told her.
She smiled. “I love you back.”
I kissed her. Fuck, I loved kissing her. I remembered three years ago being her first kiss. I parted her lips with my tongue and dove in. She moaned slightly, and it made my cock harder in my jeans.
“We have to stop,” I said, not really wanting to, but knowing I had to. God knew I wanted her, but she was under age.
She frowned. “Why? I want you.”
“Baby, you’re seventeen, and I’m twenty-one. Tha
t shit would be bad. We have to wait,” I told her.
She shook her head. “Fuck that. I want you, and you want me. I don’t care about the age thing. I need you Jasper,” she said, almost urgently. Eden tugged greedily on the buckle of my leather belt.
I had a hard time saying no to her. “Are you sure?” I was afraid once I started I wouldn’t stop. I wanted her so much, but at the same time, I didn’t want her first time to be in the back of my truck.
”I want you to make love to me right now, right here.” She pulled me into her, crushing her soft lips against mine. I laid her down on the seat of my truck and explored every inch of her body with my eager hands and roaming tongue. She was trembling with excitement and need.
“Eden, I don’t want to hurt you, but it’s going to be painful at first,” I warned her, not wanting her to be shocked by the sensation at first.
“I trust you, Jasper. Love me.”
“Are you sure?” I asked, flipping her under me.
Her hand slid between us, grazing lightly over the bulge in my jeans. “Please, I need you,” she whispered.
Fuck! I was done for!
Leaning forward, I took her mouth. She whimpered as my fingers skimmed over her breast. Her chest arched, pushing her more into my hand. Kissing my way down her neck, nipping, loving the sweet sounds coming from her mouth, I undid her shirt.
“Lift up,” I demanded. Pulling it off, I licked my lips at the sight before me. Shifting her bra aside, my mouth watered at the sight of her light brown nipples erect, staring at me.
Her hand found mine and brought it up to her chest. “Please, touch me.”
There was nothing more I wanted to do right then.
Leaning forward, I wrapped my lips around her nipple, sucking it into my mouth and groaning with hearing the sweet sounds that came from her mouth.
Sliding my hand down over her stomach and into her pants, I moaned at the feel of how wet she was against my fingers.
