“Yeah!” The crowd around her shook.
“Had the officer been a regular citizen charges would’ve been filed on initial incident!”
“Hell yeah!” The crowd shouted.
“Prolonging what is rightfully due to Officer Baker because of his social status is a slap in the face to the declaration of independence that states all men are created equal!”
The crowd roared with agreement and shifted with renewed vigor.
“We want justice for Darren King! We demand it! It is your responsibility to this community and its citizens to charge Officer Baker now!”
The crowd went into a frenzy, and Jasmine dropped the bullhorn from her lips to hang at her side. There wasn’t much more she needed to say. What was communicated sent the message loud and clear.
As she stood there with passion in her heart and promise on her lips, a simmering warm hand slipped into her unoccupied palm, drawing her attention to her left. Her entire body trembled and thawed under the intense gaze of Luke standing at her side. Where he’d come from was unwitnessed by her, but the fact that he was there, like he said he would be, brought a mist of tears to her eyes.
She didn’t know how he would respond to her stance. It was understood between them how this process would work. However, after their fight the week before, and even the awkward moment they had last night, Jasmine didn’t have a clue what would come of their relationship next. His commanding demeanor was serious, and he nodded at her with a wink but made no move to speak.
This was Jasmine’s time. It was her stage to do what she did best, and he was there to support her one hundred percent. Jasmine’s fingers tightened around his, and he squeezed her hand as if to say, Do your thing, Princess. A smile fluttered across her lips, and her heart warmed severely.
This could officially end Luke’s campaign efforts. It wasn’t a secret that a fight against the government could mean the end of a career, yet here he was, tall, broad, and masculine. Straight-laced with no regrets. Her heart squeezed, and she struggled to pull her gaze away from him, but concurrently, they both turned back to the cameras and waited.
The protest was an all-day affair as Luke and Jasmine held up in the same position with the crowd until dusk. Only when they made a move to leave did the crowd also begin to disperse with smaller patches of people setting up to camp out all night.
“Let me take you home,” Luke said, staring at her as they stood next to the Bentley Mulsanne. “The ride in my Corvette may not be as easygoing as this one, but I think you’ll enjoy it nonetheless,” he teased.
Jasmine’s smile not only covered her face but settled in her heart.
“I’ve missed you,” she said. “I know seeing your information on my desk made you feel violated, and I understand that now. I’m sorry. I didn’t think…” she paused. “I don’t know what I thought.”
He interceded. “You were doing what you said you would.” He sighed. “And you were right.”
She looked at him, baffled.
“I’m a candidate. It wouldn’t have been fair for you to overlook me just because we’re…” he stared into the galaxy of her brown eyes, and she waited with bated breath to hear his reference of their relationship. “Friends… lovers…” He took a step closer to bridge the microscopic gap between them, his arms settling around her waist. “I’ve missed you, too.”
“Luke,” Jasmine said, “what you’ve said is true, but I want you to know that I do trust you, and I do understand that with our relationship status, I should’ve never violated that trust.”
He kissed the top of her forehead.
“I don’t want to fight anymore,” he whispered against her skin.
She closed her eyes. “Me either.”
“Then let me take you home.”
She pulled back and nodded. “Okay.”
They were top down with the windchill swirling around them. Though the air was a bit frigid, Luke and Jasmine couldn’t tell with the heated blood boiling through them. Her hand covered his hand that sat over the gear shift.
“I was thinking.”
With the push of a button, Luke closed the top so he could hear her without the need for her to shout. The heat of their closeness instantly wrapped around them, and Jasmine spoke again.
“I was thinking, maybe we could go to your place, where we’d be alone.”
His lids lowered, and his orbs shaded over. At the corner, Luke hit a U-turn and entered the highway to North Chicago. Jasmine tinkered out a laugh as she watched him glanced to her with a wiggle of his brows. They entered his garage, and Luke exited, rounding the Chevy to open Jasmine’s door. She stepped out, but he blocked her passage, and without giving him a look of hesitation, her hands sailed up his firm torso and eased around his neck. Luke leaned down and took her mouth into his, sucking her lips with a heated passion that rocked them both. His hands found her ass, and he lifted her then transferred her weight to his waist. Her legs locked behind his muscular back, and a moan escaped her lips.
“Mmmm.”
A coated swirl of tinkling in her stomach assailed Jasmine as Luke took large strides to his front door where he fumbled with the key. The stringent force of his erection pushed so hard against Jasmine’s crotch that she felt bullied into submission.
“Oooh my God.”
Her pussy throbbed, and her thighs tightened as she squeezed her vagina in need of his penetration. Her body ached for his thrusts, need riddling through her body. He turned the key inside the lock, but their lips found each other again before they could enter. Against the wooden barrier, they devoured each other’s mouth, sucking in lips, and swirling their tongues, shooting spiraling heat against their face. Jasmine’s body trembled, and Luke’s hips rotated into her, digging against the seat of her panties and causing them both to shudder and groan.
“Please,” Jasmine begged. “Get inside, Luke, now, baby.”
He took her words to mean inside the house, but Jasmine’s meaning was about being inside the heated walls of her canal.
“I don’t care, I don’t care, against the door if you must,” she panted.
Luke didn’t think his dick could get harder than it was now, but it did, becoming so rigid that the zipper it was locked behind became painful. He reached for her pants and undid her button when his phone began to ring. It was drowned out by their harsh kisses as his demanding lips caressed hers.
The phone sounded off again, and with a harsh expletive, Luke pulled from her mouth and stuffed his hand in his pocket where he retrieved the device and answered gruffly.
“Steele,” he barked into the phone, his dark eyes glittering with a sexual gravitation that pulled Jasmine back to his lips for a kiss. His mouth was warm at first, but then he went still and pulled back slowly.
“What?” he growled, frustration now taking over the passion that coursed through his veins.
Jasmine frowned, and worry laced her brow.
“I’m on my way.”
He ended the call and shoved his phone back inside his pocket.
“What’s going on?”
His forehead fell against hers, and his breathing came under control.
“There’s a fire at the campaign office.”
“What!?” she shrieked.
“Apparently, a cocktail bomb was thrown into the window. I’ve gotta go, but I’ll be back.”
“Wait, no, I’m going with you.”
“No, you’re not,” he said firmly.
Jasmine wanted to argue, but she fought the urge.
“Princess, I need you here. Can you stay here, please?” His voice was calm and begging.
She nodded. “But please be careful, Luke!”
“I will, you know I will.”
He kissed her with a gentleness that began to disrupt their libidos again. Twisting the doorknob, Luke sat Jasmine on her feet and stood in the entry until she stepped inside.
“I’ll be right back.”
He turned and left as Jasmine watched him
through the front window pane.
Chapter Twenty-One
Jasmine paced the length of the hallway, going back and forth from the front door to the living room. With her arms folded across her breasts, she counted the minutes that ticked that she hadn’t heard from him. When it seemed to take too long for a call to come through to her, she moseyed over to the black coffee table and grabbed the remote, hitting the power button and quickly flipping to a local news station. Posted on her feet, Jasmine refolded her arms and followed the latest developments, waiting for information about Luke’s office to appear. Instead, the coverage was still at the Superintendent officer’s headquarters where they were currently interviewing Blake Henry, another local activist from Chicago.
She increased the volume to get a better listen.
“So, you agree with Jasmine Alexandria Rose then,” the reporter was saying, snuggled into a cardigan as she turned the microphone back over to Blake.
“Agree with her how?” he said, then went on, “Listen, I applaud Miss Rose for coming down and saying her little speech. It was all good, and I’m sure it came from a heartfelt place, but the fact of the matter is it’s easy to come down to the frontlines with a round of security protecting you at all times. We’re in the trenches day in and day out doing real activist work. We’re not protected from the people, we are the people!”
Just then a line of what appeared to be military style police marched into place, outlining the front of the protestors as if to guard the Superintendent officer headquarters from the group that had been thus far a peaceful rally. In their hands, they held clear shields, and on their heads, hard protective gear, and pads laced their knees. They stood still as if silently warning the crowd with their presence.
“You see this!” Blake went on. “This is what I’m talking about! Where is Jasmine Alexandria Rose now, huh? I’ll tell you. Probably in her mansion, sipping a glass of sweet tea after her hard day of protest.” He waved the camera away. “Give me a break.”
Blake left the reporter and went to stand in position on the frontlines. The crowd grew angry with the representation of police, but standing in Luke’s living room, Jasmine’s heart had plummeted with her mind in a whirlwind. Blake had just discredited her, as if her efforts were merely for show. He had no idea of the passion she felt for this entire incident even though this wasn’t her first rodeo. For a minute, she had to wonder, if she was a man would he have said the same things? That she would never know, but now her blood was roasting, and his words presented her with a challenge. Her mind momentarily shifted to Luke; there was still no word from him. She left the room and went to the kitchen, taking her eyes to the wooden key hook that sat against the wall.
With a decision made internally, Jasmine strutted to the wall and snatched the keys to his Mercedes-Benz off the hook and left his home without another thought.
Ten minutes before
“It could’ve been anyone,” the officer was saying to Luke. “But if I had to guess,” he leaned closer and whispered, “it was probably someone who’s upset about the demonstration you attended today.”
Luke nodded, already guessing this very thing.
“Let me ask you a personal question if you don’t mind,” Luke said.
The officer folded his arms, unaware of what Luke was going to ask.
“What made you pursue your career choice?”
The African American officer unfolded his arms and sighed. “You’d be surprised how often I get this question. Mostly from other black people. And my response always surprises them, which is a sad reality.”
“Which is?”
“I wanted to make a difference in my community.” The officer chuckled. “You and I are not that different,” he continued. “All cops are not bad cops.”
Luke nodded. “True that. You know, if helping your community is really on your agenda, we could hold a press conference where you could speak directly to the people. Encourage them, let them know that there are officers whose fundamental value is to protect and serve.”
“You know, I’ve got a wife and a newborn son,” he said.
Luke held his hand up to cut him off. “Point taken.”
The two men stared at each other for an intense moment. It was the backlash that could reap adverse effects on his family if the officer decided to hold such a conference. People wouldn’t see the good in his outreach; they’d only see him as someone who betrayed his fellow man in blue. It was what was wrong with this country.
“Thank you for your time, officer.”
Luke left the office and pulled into the garage of a convenience store to fill up his tank. Inside, he paid for gas, but the report from the television hanging over the head of the cashier pulled his attention. It was broadcasted from the spot of the protest.
“Listen, I applaud Miss Rose for coming down and saying her little speech. It was all good, and I’m sure it came from a heartfelt place, but the fact of the matter is it’s easy to come down to the frontlines with a round of security protecting you at all times. We’re in the trenches day in and day out doing real activist work. We’re not protected from the people, we are the people!”
The military style police marched into view. Luke stared at activist Blake Henry, Luke’s face now a rock of stone. His glare turned deadly, and the doorbell chimed as Luke raced out of it with the speed of light. Dialing Jasmine’s number, Luke jumped into his Corvette, forgetting to pump the gas he’d just paid for.
“Pick up, pick up, pick up,” he chanted in a whisper. “Come on, baby, pick up.”
Jasmine’s phone went to voicemail, and he ended it and redialed her number. Getting the same response, Luke’s foot slammed against the pedal, and he shot off like a rocket to get to his townhome.
“Come on, baby, be here,” he said, knowing if Jasmine had seen the broadcast, being the proud woman that she was, she would meet Blake head-on at the rally. His tires kicked up dust as he turned into his garage, jumping out of the car before he could get the gear efficiently in park.
He knew instantly when he crossed the threshold that she was gone. He stopped just as he made it to the living room. The television was turned to the same broadcast; it was then that his thoughts slowed enough for him to remember his unoccupied garage. His car was missing. He turned to look at the key mount. His keys were gone.
He cursed up a line of profanity that would’ve made a pirate look like a saint.
“Jasmine Alexandria Rose has just arrived,” the reporter was now saying.
Luke whipped back around to the television. “She was here earlier with mayoral candidate Luke Steele and her common entourage of security, but it appears she is alone tonight. With tensions mounting as we stretch into the late-night hour, I’m not sure this is the best time for her to be out here. Roland, are you getting this on camera five?”
The demonstrators were some of the same people who held a peaceful protest earlier. But now, there were others, people who were angry, and their entire mood was a take-no-prisoners’ attitude. Others who’d recently joined were looters who came out when they felt the time for talk was over. Luke could spot them a mile away since some of them stood off to the side with their face obscured with masks. Another round of expletives shot from Luke. He ran out the door so fast that remembering to lock up was an afterthought.
The tires spun hard, and the Corvette jerked in response to his angry foot leading the charge. The car rocketed on to the tarmac while Luke punched his finger into the pad of his phone.
“Hello?”
“Phoebe!”
“Luke?”
“Tell me you know how to reach Jasmine’s security team.”
Phoebe sat up in bed with the silk sheets falling from her breasts. Seeing the alarm on her face, her fiancé Quentin sat up with her.
“What’s wrong?” Quentin barked.
“What’s going on, Luke?”
Phoebe’s voice was shaken already; she’d been unable to sleep for reasons unknown. However,
hearing Luke’s panic-stricken voice on the other line made dread settle in her core, and she knew instantly that her inability to sleep was the secret vibrancy she felt when either of her doppelgangers were in trouble.
“Is something wrong with Jasmine?”
Quentin tossed the sheets off of his dark chocolate skin and stuffed his feet into the pair of his Nike cross-training shoes he worked out in every morning.
“The protest has gotten out of hand, and she’s down there alone.”
“What!?”
“Do you know how to get in touch with her security?”
Luke couldn’t sink the pedal into the floorboard hard enough.
“Yes, I—”
“Get them down to the Superintendent officer’s building now!”
“O— Okay!”
Luke disconnected the call and punched the dashboard with a tight fist.
“Fuck!” he screamed, tortured by the fact that Jasmine could be in immediate danger. His heart rocked, and madness poured off of him in a thick raging storm. He locked his jaw and hit one corner then another. Even at the speed of lightning, it would take him at least ten more minutes to get to her. If Jasmine’s security team was closer, they might reach her before he did.
He tried with all his might not to drive wildly down the streets, but Jasmine was his heart, and it would surely stop if something… anything were to happen to her.
“Please be okay, please, baby, please,” he murmured in silent prayer.
This was a mistake, but it was too late to realize it now that she was here. Jasmine glanced around at the growing crowd. She couldn’t recognize the faces with the exception of a few people who’d been standing with her earlier. Blake Henry was on the frontline, and he was gassing the crowd with his rhetoric.
“If we must, we WILL take matters into our own hands!”
“Yeah!”
The crowd roared, and Jasmine slowly sank back, trying to quietly remove herself from the growing hysteria. Then she saw it. Someone tossed a cocktail bomb, and she gasped as it hit the shield of one of the stock-still officers.
Tempted By You Page 19
