by Sophia Gray
“I’m fine. Security here is top notch.”
“It’s not in the parking lot,” I said coolly.
“Maybe not, but with doctors and nurses and all of the other patients and their visitors and there’s no way—”
“He wants revenge,” I said desperately. Was he still on that damn woe-is-me kick? “You have to be smart—”
“I am being smart,” he said sharply. He dropped his hand from touching my face and curled it into a fist on the bed. “I can’t leave this bed right now. If I want to take a piss, nurses or my father have to help me out of bed. There isn’t another hospital for me to go to. This is the best place for me to be. That pedo has been getting away with his sick shit for years. Years! The first kid to come forward is fifteen. He only went to that daycare for a year—when he was five. For at least ten years, he’s been molesting kids. Greene is smart or else he never would’ve been able to pull that crap for so long. No, he won’t dare step foot inside the hospital. I might not know everything, but I’m certain about that.”
He had a very compelling argument, and he definitely needed hospital care.
So where did that leave me?
I touched his still-tight fist. “I’ll go to Marie’s—”
“The hell you will,” he growled, sounding more and more like his old self. All of his quiet tones had felt off. He had to be hurting. I hadn’t heard him ask for any pain medicine. I knew he had a history with drugs, but I didn’t know which ones, and that was not something I needed to know right now.
“Why not?” I demanded. Where exactly we stood, I didn’t know, but I did not appreciate him thinking he could tell me what to do.
“What if he keeps following you? You want to endanger Marie?”
I narrowed my eyes. “You don’t care about Marie. You hate her.”
“She’s your sister, and you love her. You and my father both will stay at the clubhouse until I recover, find the son of a bitch, and kill him.”
It was a solid plan. A good one. No way would the pedophile dare take on so many bikers. In fact, the more I thought about it, the way he had waited so long to attack me, and exact his revenge, made me think he was a coward. He could’ve gone after us in the apartment parking lot when Pax had been bleeding, nearly dying. He could’ve gone after us when we first got to the hospital. No, he waited until I, a woman, was alone. He was a chickenshit. He wouldn’t risk going after Pax directly, not while he was in the hospital, and the fright from that car had hopefully sent him packing, so Pax’s father and I could leave. Once we reached the clubhouse, we’d be safe.
“All right. I’ll stay at the clubhouse with your father.” But I didn’t make a move to leave his side, I just continued to hold his hand. I didn’t have to leave at this very moment.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Pax
A couple of weeks that feel more like months passed, and I was itching to be discharged. Jasmine visited me every single day, and the hours we spent together were the highlights of my time here. All we did was talk. Well, and kiss some, but nothing more serious than that. With all of the checks by nurses and therapy for my arm, there was no way we could try for more than that. And I wasn’t sure Jasmine was ready for us to be intimate again. We were closer than we had been in a long time, maybe ever, and it felt so strange not having the physical connection too.
Then again, maybe that was what we needed if we were going to get through all of this horrible shit that life continued to dump on us. She was so fragile right now, especially after that fucking pedo went after her. Whenever I thought about that, I wanted to rip into that guy, tear him limb from limb. A bullet would be too quick a death for him. He’d burn in hell that was for sure.
The hell that was her life, though, man. She had been through so fucking much. It burned me up that life had dealt her such a shitty hand. She deserved better. She needed better. I’d asked her what she wanted for the future, and her goal was so simple but so smart. She wanted to go to beauty school and maybe open up her own place one day. I would make that happen for her. Regardless of whether or not we stayed together, I wanted to make sure her life turned around.
It was nearly two in the afternoon, and I was pacing around in my room. I’d done my arm exercises earlier in the day, but I did them again anyway. Another two hours passed before the nurse came in. Gloria was smiling. “You’re good to go.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “Finally.”
She laughed. A nice, older woman who had hinted on several occasions that Jasmine and I would make cute babies together, she was one of the few good ones. “I know you’ve been itchin’ to get out of here. But be careful. Do your exercises. But, don’t overdo it.”
“Don’t you worry.” I grabbed my jacket and shoved my arms into it.
“And that includes your homecoming celebration with your little lady.” She wagged a finger at me. “Nothing too wild yet.”
“Me? Wild?” I winked at her.
She snorted. “Yes, you, wild. Don’t overdo it. I’m serious. You had a very serious… injury.”
Somehow, it wasn’t awkward talking to her about sex, even if we were beating around the bush about it. “Your concern touches me, but I’ll be fine.”
“Good. In that case, I hope we don’t cross paths again. Unless…” She gave me a sly grin. “I wouldn’t mind an invitation to the wedding.”
I laughed, but it was a little forced. Marriage? I had almost proposed to Jasmine once, back when she had been Allie, but I had wanted to make sure she knew exactly who I was, all of the details of the past that had transformed me into the man I was. Telling her about my being a contract killer at one time had caused her to flee. When she came back to me after the car accident as Jasmine, I vowed to never tell her about that part of my life. My father had, though, and she once again left. Would I ever ask her to be mine forever? Would I ever give her the ring? I didn’t know. I wasn’t about to ask unless I knew for sure what her answer would be, and right now, I had no clue which way she would go.
“Yeah, yeah,” I muttered as I shoved my cell into my jean pocket.
“What is it?” Gloria put her hands on her wide hips. “I see the way you two look at each other. And, yes, I know there’s a lot going on what with…” She gestured toward my injured but healed side. “But everyone can make mistakes. It doesn’t mean you can’t have happiness too.”
“You should get a second job.”
“Oh?”
“Writing fortunes for fortune cookies.”
Gloria narrowed her eyes. Even though she had to be in her sixties, she still wore eye makeup, her hair all styled. “I have experience, that’s all.”
“You’ve been shot at before?”
“Maybe my man was.” She saucily tilted her head. “I don’t matter here. You and she do. Make it work. You’ll be happier for it.”
“Happy.” I exhaled noisily.
“Anyone can be happy.”
“But does everyone deserve to be happy?” For once, I wasn’t thinking about myself. I was thinking about that fucking pedo, Frank Greene.
“I don’t know everyone so I can’t speak for everyone, but you, yes, you deserve to be happy I think.” She patted my arm. “You send me a wedding invite, you hear me?”
I couldn’t help laughing, and I was still smiling as I climbed onto my bike and drove to the clubhouse. Paranoid, that creepy feeling, had me looking over my shoulder to make sure no one was following me, but nobody was in sight. No sign of Greene anywhere.
Right now, I didn’t want to think about him. Tomorrow, I’d resume the hunt. But today was mine, and I would finally have some alone time with Jasmine. The entire ride, I thought of her and how much she meant to me. She was my world, my light, my oasis. She had to be a part of my life in some fashion. Always.
Today, I would prove to her that she wasn’t ever going to leave me again.
My blood heated, already hard, I parked and climbed off my bike. It had felt so good to ride again, bu
t it would feel even better to ride her.
Whistling, I entered the clubhouse. A few of the guys greeted me with pats on the back or jokes. I responded in kind, but I couldn’t help looking around for Jasmine.
Sam the Slayer smirked. “She’s in the bar.”
Of course. One of her favorite places to be.
To my surprise, she was cleaning the place, rearranging the bottles. She had her hair up in some kind of elaborate style that made her look like a queen, and she wore the miniskirt I loved plus a new shirt I hadn’t seen before, a tight, low-cut one. I strolled over to the bar and slapped my palms onto the counter. “I’d like something.”
She slowly turned around, a wide smile on her face. “And what’s that?”
“You.” I leaned over and grabbed her hand. She didn’t resist as I guided her to walk around from the back. By the time we reached the stairs, I was running, practically dragging her behind me.
She was breathless when I pulled her into my room. I only released her hand to lock the door behind us.
“You’re never going to be hurt again,” I swore.
“How can you be so sure?” Her eyes were so wide, her expression innocent. My chest ached for want of her love, just like my cock ached for want of her wetness.
“Because I’m in control, and you’re going to listen to me.”
“Oh, so you know best?” She crossed her arms, but she sounded amused, her grin crooked.
“I do. Wanna know what’s best for you right now?”
“Sure.” Her eyes were twinkling. She knew what was coming. She knew me all too well.
In answer, I undid my jeans and shoved them down to my ankles. My cock jumped out at attention. “It would be best for you to give me a blowjob right now.”
“Would it now?” Despite her teasing tone, she crossed over to me and kneeled down. She glanced up at me and licked her lips.
Fuck, she was such a damn tease.
She parted her lips, and her tongue darted out, licking my tip.
A groan escaped from me as I put my hands on her head.
Jasmine took most of me into her mouth. So tight and wet, her cheeks squeezed around me as she sucked me hard. I didn’t even have to guide her. She bobbed up and down and took even more of my cock into her mouth. Normally, she would play with my balls when she blew me, but this time, her hands were squeezing my ass cheeks, guiding me even deeper into her mouth, and I couldn’t control myself. It had been such a long time since we’d been intimate that my stamina wasn’t what it usually was, and I shot my load into her mouth. She swallowed every drop.
Damn. What a woman.
“Best for me, huh?” She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and stood.
“Yes,” I promised.
I twirled her around so her back was to me. My hands rested on her shoulders and dipped down to her chest. She wasn’t wearing a bra, and I pulled down on the low neckline to expose her tits. Her nipples were already hard, and I teased them, rolling them between my fingers, pinching them until she gasped, and her breathing became hard. I loved how easy it was to get a reaction out of her. Every part of her was mine. I knew where to touch and how hard or soft to make her toes curl.
My hands rubbed down her slim body until I reached the bottom of her miniskirt. I kept in one hand in front of her and pushed her panties aside while the other went behind her. The hand in front worked at her clit as I shoved two fingers from my other hand inside her. Fuck, she was wet. So wet and ready, and I teased her with my fingers. Whenever I sensed she was close to climaxing, I slowed my pace. Not yet. I didn’t want her pleasure to come too soon. There wasn’t a need to rush this.
“Damn it, Pax,” she moaned after I brought her to the brink a third time.
“Ah, does someone want to come?” I asked, my thumb lazily circling her clit.
“You’re driving me crazy!”
“I know.” I shoved another finger inside of her, but only for a few strokes. Then I stopped touching her completely. Her groan had me smiling. Just you wait. My cock had softened some immediately after I had come, but touching her always excited me, and I was hard and ready to go again. My hands pressed down on her back, bending her over, and I took her right there. We still had most of our clothes on, but I didn’t care. I just knew I had driven her crazy, and she more than deserved to get off too.
My hands gripped her hips as I drove into her, pounding again and again. She dipped suddenly, making a “V” with her body pointing downward. It couldn’t be a comfortable position.
When she lifted up some, reaching out to grab onto the end of the bed, I allowed her to straighten. With my cock still buried in her, we slowly inched over to the bed so she could bend over it. I didn’t want to risk hurting her back. She would be sore between her legs by the time we were done, but I didn’t want to cause her any real pain, only pleasure.
Now that we were better positioned, I slammed into her, hard and fast and deep. My cock was tingling, and I was close. Would I be able to come a second time? Fuck, I wanted to so badly, and if anyone could get that kind of a rise out of me, it was Jasmine.
“I’m…” I grunted, thrusting with all of my might. “Giving you…” All the way in, all the way out. “The fucking…” Each time my tip reentered her pussy, my cock started to throb. “Of a lifetime.”
“Yes, yes, oh, Pax! Make me come!”
I did. I fucked her into submission. I fucked her until she came. And I kept on fucking her until I orgasmed again.
She was mine. She would always be mine. I would never let her walk away from me again.
I planned on telling her just that, but right now, I couldn’t talk. I could barely breathe. I was too lost in the glow of how she made my body feel. How had we been able to refrain from pleasuring each other in the hospital? Although the buildup from so long a delay had definitely been worth it.
Both of us groaned as I pulled out of her. I climbed onto the bed, and she curled up on my right side. My arm wrapped around her, pulling her tight to my side, and I closed my eyes. She was all I needed. Everything was right when she was with me.
Everything.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Jasmine
Two amazing days had passed since Pax came home from the hospital. We’d spent so much time talking while he’d been there that now all we did was not talk… verbally, at least. With our bodies though…
My entire body was sore, and I was exhausted. I wasn’t getting enough sleep, but I really didn’t mind that much. He made me feel alive like I could survive anything. And I so needed that right now, more than anything. After all that had happened to me—that had happened to us—I needed to feel invincible.
And he made me feel that and so much more.
His time in the hospital, as upsetting as it had been, had drawn us closer together. I hadn’t intended for that to happen. Not at all. At first, I had still wanted there to be some distance between us. After all, I had left him or had tried to. But when I saw him bleeding like that, unconscious… when I had feared him dead, I knew then what I knew now.
I would always have a connection to him. He had burrowed his way back into my life. We were two broken people, and maybe together, we could find a way to become whole again. We could make each other better. Even if he wasn’t ready yet to give up on his missions, I had a feeling that as time went on I might be able to help get him to stop. Maybe that was just wishful thinking, but he hadn’t mentioned Frank Greene at all during our talks in the hospital.
And just what had we talked about? Anything and everything. The first time we met. The first time we fucked. The first time we realized we loved the other. It surprised me that Pax had realized before I had. One afternoon, he had planned a surprise picnic for me, but ants got into all the food and then it had poured. He had been so upset, but I just laughed and found some berries in a bush near our blanket and we made the most of it. This was the first time we had ever made love outside. The rain had made the experience all th
e more magical.
Even after our tender lovemaking, it had taken me another two months before I admitted to myself I loved him. He hadn’t done anything special that day. No date, nothing like that. I had dozed off leaning against him as we were watching a movie, and I had dreamed that I lost him. I couldn’t find him anywhere. I was so terrified that something had happened to him. I remember running down a hallway that never ended, bypassing door after door on either side. Finally, I decided to open a random door. There he was, lying on the ground as if sleeping. But I knew he was dead with the certainty that only came in dreams. Crying, I kissed him. And he woke up. Kind of like Sleeping Beauty.
