I slumped against the doorway. He was constantly in my thoughts. I tried to be a good boyfriend to Skye, was determined to be an even better father but this scene just felt wrong. He should be here.
He wasn't the monster Skye believed him to be. And yes, he'd done something that should be unforgivable but I still loved him. I still felt like he hadn't meant to hurt us. His face when I had last seen him after he had driven off three months ago floated in my vision. And the money he had left us. So much money so we wouldn't have to want for a thing. I still hadn't figured out what to do with it all, hadn't told Skye about it. Whenever I tried to ask Jasper, he always cut me off.
He did love us. He just didn't feel worthy anymore. After being so selfish. But we all were selfish at some point in our lives. We all fucked up. I wondered if I was going mad, even contemplating this and making excuses for him. I sighed long and hard as I stood there. I couldn't help it though. Jasper Wells had always been quick to defend me, so many times I had clearly been in the wrong and yet, that man had excused it all with his silence. Borne it all for my sake.
Skye looked up at me and her smile faded. She could always tell when I was thinking about him but she decided to take the humorous road this time. "I'm the one who had an eight-hour labour, had a seven pound tiny human torn out of me and needs to breastfeed every two hours and yet, you're the one looking super exhausted?"
The baby cried again, seemingly irritated that Skye's attention was somewhere else. My heart clenched with love and tenderness and I moved to the bed, lying next to Skye as I watched her try to feed him again, to get him to latch on.
"Why is it so beautiful and painful at the same time?" I asked with emotion clogging my voice. "His tiny mouth, like he knows exactly what to do to feed. And he's so hungry. Fuck, I wanna cry."
"Cole," Skye admonished softly.
"Oh right. Sorry." I smiled at the baby and held my finger out for him to clutch it. That got me every time. I'd done it several times since the birth.
Jasper probably wouldn't care if Skye scolded him. He'd swear whenever he liked and just give Skye a shrug if she got mad. I could imagine him now, holding the baby in his lap and getting him to watch those Batman movies with him.
"He should be there," I whispered. "He loved the baby too. He didn't care about the DNA test." I paused, swallowing the lump in my throat.
Skye gave me a miserable look. "I miss him too, Cole," she confessed softly. That was a rare moment. Most of the time, she professed to hate him, was glad to be rid of him. She didn't even know I sometimes texted him because I couldn't just ignore the man I had been in a relationship with for over seven years.
But times like these, she revealed her vulnerability, her true emotions. She couldn't stop loving him anymore than I could. The baby started to whine again and Skye shushed him, resuming her feeding.
"What're we going to call him?" I asked.
We had preferred to be surprised regarding the gender and still hadn't decided on a name. Skye's expression softened as she thought about it, her fingers running through the sprinkling of blond hair on the baby's head.
"I honestly have no idea. I want it to be perfect," she murmured dreamily.
"I want it to be Jasper."
She looked at me stunned, frowning deeply. "Seriously, Cole?"
"We both still love him, Skye. And he loved this baby from the beginning. The man made a mistake...okay fine, he slept with another woman multiple times," I amended when she gave me a mutinous look. "But he was still a big part of our lives. When he was good, Jasper was really good. To both of us. I want to remember that. I don't want to throw away seven years of loving memories because of a few weeks of torturous ones."
Skye was staring at me after I made that little speech. Like she couldn't believe me. She bit her lip, her expression almost...guilty. Leaning forward, I kissed her gently on her forehead, feeling sorry for her. She didn't feel the same as I did where Jasper was concerned and I wanted her to know I respected that. I did understand. I just didn't share the same opinion.
With a smile I hoped would reassure her that I wasn't going to invalidate her feelings, I glanced down at our child. My smile faded when I realised the baby was squinting up at me as he let go off Skye's nipple and parted its tiny mouth in an 'o' shape, like it was surprised to see me or something.
I was also surprised. Much more than surprised, actually. I was rendered speechless every time that happened even though Skye had informed me he wasn't actually looking at me. He was barely a day old. My heartbeats jammed in my chest as I kept staring into my son's eyes before finally, reluctantly, tearing my gaze away and giving Skye a helpless look, overcome with all these new emotions that came with fatherhood.
She gave me a shaky smile before her gaze shifted to look into the baby's eyes as well. And what beautiful eyes he had, our son. Such a bright, gorgeous shade of blue.
Just like Skye's.
****
(Music)
‘Twice Inflamed’
(Book 3 of the FORBIDDEN series)
Teaser for Book 3!
My eyebrows slanted together at her intrusion, the absolute arrogance of her demeanour. Like she owned the world or something. Maybe she did. But she didn't own me. Not anymore.
"Armaan," she said in a husky voice, her eyes roaming the length of my body leisurely. "Hi."
I concentrated on fixing the watch on my wrist. "What do you want, Jasmine?"
She didn't answer me for a long while so I felt compelled to look up. Jasmine gave me a wicked little smile as she walked closer to me. I stood my ground, unmoving and unblinking while she approached. She was standing right in front of me a few seconds later, her fragrance, which was just like her name, drugging my senses, making me hard against my will. Involuntarily, the tip of my tongue slipped out to moisten my lips and Jasmine's eyes darkened at that.
She smirked at me. I shook my head a little but it was no use.
Her hands came up to my chest then and stayed there, palms flat against the hard muscles she had reveled in whenever we had-
I didn't have time to finish that thought before she shoved me back on the bed and I landed on the mattress, feet on the floor, knees wide apart and my upper body supported by my elbows. She stepped between my knees with her eyes focused on my growing erection.
"Jasmine, stop it," I told her curtly. "What the hell do you think you're-?"
I sucked in a breath when she leaned forward to knead me through the fabric of my pants, her touch so possessive, so fucking familiar.
"I think I want this," she whispered to me, shifting closer until one of her knees lifted to brace against the mattress. "I missed it so much."
I let out a bitter laugh. "Yeah? Was that before or after you sampled the entire male population in the UK?" I taunted angrily.
Jasmine didn't appear to be upset. In fact, her lips curled into a feline smile. "You're really asking to be disciplined you know, running that mouth of yours this way," she murmured, sliding down my zipper.
I froze as she concentrated on her task of freeing my cock.
"Don't," I said even though we both knew I didn't mean it. "You can't just come in here and pick up where you left off."
By the time I finished speaking, she had my cock out and I closed my eyes at the brush of her hot breath against the head of my dick. Oh shit.
"It wasn't very nice of you to send me those divorce papers and then have the audacity to invite me to this pathetic excuse of an engagement," she said to me, her voice hardening slightly.
I moaned a little because I couldn't help it. Her hand had closed around my erection and was squeezing it slightly.
"You were supposed to wait like a good little boy while I finished doing whatever I wanted and decided to send them to you myself," she continued calmly, sliding her wrist up and down my dick in an agonizingly slow manner.
"But no, you just couldn't wait, could you, Aaru?" she queried in a silky, soft voice. "You had to take matters into
your own hands and then piss me off."
I hissed when she jerked my cock roughly and her other hand travelled under my t-shirt, grazing my pectoral muscles.
"Mmm," she murmured, satisfaction in her voice. "I like what you've been doing with yourself, baby."
Through gritted teeth, I managed to say, "I'm not your baby."
Her eyes grew stormy at my defiance and she responded by bending her head and closing her wet, red-stained lips around the head of my cock.
I cried out at the sudden sensation of her mouth on me. "Fuck, Jasmine," I groaned and my head fell back as I surrendered to her. "Fuck."
"Do be quiet," she told me as she paused in her task. "I know how much you like to scream but we don't want your family to hear now, do we?"
I whimpered a little, turning my head to the side and bringing my hand to my mouth to bite on it, my breaths escaping in shallow bursts through my nose.
She sucked me off so good. So thoroughly. Not once did I make a move to touch her. I knew she didn't want it. Didn't want me to push her head down during blowjobs. She needed me to just lie back and take it.
"Oh, God," I grunted when she fondled my balls while licking the precum. "Oh, fuuuuuck."
"You're being loud, Armaan," she pointed out coolly and I let out another whimper, unable to bear her teasing anymore.
"Please, Jasmine" I begged her, sweat breaking out on my skin, my muscles straining with the effort it took me to refrain from touching her. If I did, if I tried to dominate now, she'd leave me. She'd leave me lying here with a hard-on while I furiously tried to jerk off to get a release. I didn't want that. I wanted her.
"Mmhm." Her mouth took me in all the way down to the base and absently, I wondered where she'd learned to deep-throat because she certainly hadn't done that with me. But I didn't dwell on it too much. That would cause unnecessary drama when I was in such a vulnerable state.
"Jasmine, I need to come," I groaned, looking at her while she teased and tasted me like she had all the time in the world. Bitch. My cock was so swollen and straining against her pretty mouth.
"Do you now?" she drawled, smiling up at me sweetly.
I clenched my jaw. She knew I was dying to snap at her, tell her to hurry the fuck up, demand that she make me come. But I just said, "Please, baby. Please let me come. I'm begging you."
I tuned my voice to sound exactly how she liked it when she had me at her mercy and Jasmine gave me a slight grin before moving to finish the job with enthusiasm.
"Aaa,” I cried out once more and then shook my head a little, reminding myself to be quiet. It was hard. I didn't know the first thing about being quiet in the bedroom.
My climax was approaching. I could feel my balls tightening. Her mouth, god, her wet, hot mouth working all over me.
"I can't. Fuck, I can't," I gasped and I felt her reach up before a pillow landed on my face.
My arm closed over it, muffling my voice as I screamed into the pillow when my cum shot out of me, draining myself into her mouth and whimpering as she finished licking it all off me.
"Oh my God," I moaned shakily, trembling slightly in the aftermath, my breathing constricted, limbs relaxed and brain all sluggish.
Only Jasmine Khan could do this to me, render me so helpless, so weak. I hated her for it. I fucking hated her. When she was done, Jasmine removed the pillow from my grip and looked down at me, her lips swollen, eyes glazed with desire. We stared at each other for a long time, my breaths still uneven and skin so heated. Jasmine touched her lips to mine gently, capturing them for a tiny heartbeat before withdrawing from me. Then she straightened and stepped back from the bed while continuing to study me and I realised how much I had missed that look. That serious, assessing gaze. Like she was staring into my soul or something.
"I'm gonna go get some of my stuff from the library," she finally uttered in a low voice. "It won't take long.” Then her lips quirked slightly and she winked at me. “It was a pleasure making you scream again, Armaan."
****
Other books by Zee Shine Storm
FORBIDDEN SERIES
'Forbidden' (Book 0.5 - prequel. Jasmine's story.)
'Three's A Crowd' (Book 1)
'Once A Cheater' (Book 2)
'Twice Inflamed' (Book 3)
'Taming Wells' (Book 3.5 - A Jasper Wells novella)
Spin-Off Novels
'Shameless' (Book 4 - Ziad's story)
'Wicked' (Book 5 - Jacob's story)
STAND-ALONES
Dirty Secrets (Chick-lit, NA, male escort, sister’s fiancé)
Acknowledgments
Thanks for reading ‘Once A Cheater’. I’ve recommended therapy to some readers after they finished this book.
Shout out to all my loyal and supportive ZeeStormers. Thanks for your passion for my stories. I'm so glad I started this journey with you all.
Author Sarah Gate for letting me use my favourite quote of hers and for being that one writer who always inspires me or motivates me with her words.
Anny, my best friend and first ever reader. I love you so much. Finally, you can read this book in printed copy as you prefer. Haha.
My Dad...oh my God...my biggest cheerleader. Thank you so much for your faith in me. And for your encouragement (wipes tears). You’re the best.
My kiddo...hmmm...thanks for being annoying during the writing process and reminding me that I have a kid to take care of. Sometimes I get too caught up in my fantasy worlds but I love you, baby.
Alvin...how can I forget you? Your lines worked too because you always congratulated me in advance and made me believe in myself even more. Hugs.
I'm so grateful to have a chance to put my books out there. Hope they make a difference in someone's life.
Lots of Laughter,
Zee.
About the Author
I love Batman. (Hard-core Batman fan here and proud of it.) I have a Peter Pan complex. Day-dreaming is my favourite activity.
Oh and I live in Fiji with a huge family that drives me crazy 90% of the time.
***
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Once A Cheater Page 20
