Take the Fall

by Marquita Valentine

  Out of the corner of my eye, I see Jase blink a little too fast. “No. I don’t think she’ll dig it.”

  “How do you know what she’ll dig?”

  “Girls like her get tramp stamps and ankle tats in the shape of hearts or some shit like that. Not my thing.”

  My jaw drops. “Now who’s being all uppity?”

  “I’m not.” He pulls the car into the drive, and I frown when I see who’s waiting for him.

  “Jase,” Giselle squeals, jumping up and down. Of course, she makes no effort to move toward him. She’s waiting for him to come to her. If I were in her place and hadn’t seen my man in years, then I’d be jumping his ass before he could get out of the car.

  “Please, Rowan, don’t ever bring Piper to get a tattoo,” he says, his voice pleading.

  “What about your party?” I ask lightly.

  “She’s coming, right?”

  “Yeah, she’s coming.”

  He grabs me up in a hug. “Thanks, brat.”

  “Love you.”

  “Love you, too.” He gets out of the car, and Giselle finally attacks him, her long legs wrapping around his waist. I shudder and move to the driver’s seat, backing out of there before I see what can’t be unseen. I wouldn’t put it past Giselle to screw him where they’re standing in the middle of the driveway.

  Automatically, I drive home. My heart pounds the closer I get, but when I don’t see Seth’s truck, it drops to my feet. Stop getting excited, you idiot. Then you won’t get disappointed.

  I check the time on my phone. Boyd and the guys have just left for the Double Deuce. A night out with the guys is exactly what I need.

  Chapter 9

  Seth

  I almost spit out my drink when Rowan comes walking in the Double Deuce, wearing a dress that barely covers her tits or her ass. Her slender, tanned legs look about a million miles long, thanks to the fuck-me heels on her feet.

  “Does she usually dress like that?” I start to ask Boyd, but judging by the shocked look on his face, my guess is the answer would be no.

  “Am I too late?” she asks, sliding that baby blue gaze of hers right over me like I’m not sitting a couple of feet away. This close I can see the dark liner around her eyes and the red lipstick that makes me think about all the things her sexy mouth can do.

  I shift in my seat, my jeans growing uncomfortably tight as my dick presses against my zipper. My physical reaction to her doesn’t make me happy. I shouldn’t be affected like this. We haven’t touched, haven’t kissed, in days and she’s ignoring me as much as I’m ignoring her, but damn it, I want to feast on those lips. That primal part of me, the one the Marines found and honed to a deadly weapon of war, wants to throw her over my shoulder and find the nearest bed.

  “Nope,” Boyd says, sliding off his stool to lean against the bar. “We’ve just gotten started.”

  Her eyes alight on Xavier, and she smiles. “Congrats again. Let me buy you a drink.”

  Xavier glances at me and then back at Rowan. “Thanks, but Seth already took care of me.”

  Her gaze briefly flashes to mine. She shrugs. “Can’t compete with the boss.”

  “I’m not the boss,” I point out. “You are.”

  Rowan’s eyes narrow, as if she’s trying to figure out if I’m being sarcastic or not.

  “You can buy Xavier the next round,” I say. “I only came along to fill in for you while you picked up Jase. Figured you could use the extra time.”

  Her face softens for a split second, then that damned stubborn chin of hers tips up. “Thank you,” she says tightly.

  Rather than provoke her further, I nod and turn away, pretending to concentrate on the television screen behind the bar. Some sports team is playing, but I have no clue who it is. All because of that damn mirror behind the bar. I can’t stop watching Rowan strut around in her tight red dress. She’s confident as hell and not looking for anyone. It’s just how she walks—with a purpose and a sway to her hips that’s damn near hypnotizing.

  As the night wears on, I nurse my beer while she laughs with the guys and throws back shot after shot.

  I don’t have to worry about her because Boyd’s keeping an eye on her, too, and it’s the fatherly kind. The other guys, not so much, but they keep their ogling respectful.

  Some Ken Doll strides up to her, his perfect hair gelled as he flashes his perfect smile.

  “Sorry, buddy, but brace yourself—you’re about to have your ass handed to you,” I mutter.

  Ken Doll keeps on smiling and holds out his hand. To my surprise, Rowan takes it and allows him to lead her out on the dance floor. The music is loud, the beat hard and fast, and the floor overcrowded.

  Jealousy rears its ugly head, and I slowly turn around to face the dance floor, crossing my arms over my chest. Everything inside of me is demanding I snatch that gorgeous woman up, but I’ll bide my time.

  Besides, she deserves to have a little fun. Tonight is one of celebration, and I’m not that big of an asshole to put a damper on things. So, Ken Doll will keep his nuts attached.

  For now.

  Ken Doll can’t dance worth shit, but Rowan moves like a harem girl from one of those old-fashioned movies that my battle buddy liked to watch in Afghanistan. She dips and turns, her hands gracefully rising in the air like the most seductive ballerina I’ve ever seen. She moves like she makes love.

  My gut clenches as she backs up to the guy and lets him wrap his arms around her. As the music changes, he leans in too damn close for my liking and my vision bleeds red.

  I shoot to my feet, striding to the dance floor. Along the way, I debate two plans of attack. One involves beating the shit out of Ken Doll while the other involves me simply cutting in—without knives, of course—and dancing with Rowan myself.

  I ball up my fist, my knuckles popping. Damn if I’m not itching for a fight.

  Rowan spots me first, her pretty blue eyes widening. She practically shoves Ken Doll away. I grab her, shrug my shoulders at the guy, and pull Rowan to me.

  “Go away, Seth,” she hisses into my ear.

  “You looked too damn eager to see me for that to happen,” I say, nipping on her ear.

  She makes a sound in her throat. “I didn’t want him to get hurt.”

  A soft chuckle leaves me. “You can’t remember his name, can you?”

  She stiffens in my embrace. “One-night stands don’t require names.”

  My jaw clenches. She’s trying to provoke you, I remind myself. She wants you to push her away so she can hold on to her anger.

  “Hell, Ro. You want a quick fuck, here I am,” I say, leaning back to gauge her reaction.

  “I don’t want a quick fuck, which is why I was with Barbie’s boyfriend,” she spits out, mad as hell.

  This girl. I grin. “Come home with me, Rowan. Love me tonight.” I dip my head, teasing those red lips of hers with mine. “You can still be pissed at me tomorrow.”

  Her lips part, and I touch her bottom lip with my tongue, sliding it along to the corner. “And the next day.” I kiss her stubborn chin. “And the next.” She sways toward me, her breasts almost popping out of the top of her dress. “You can stay pissed at me every day, but at night…you love me. You let me take care of that hot body and all your orgasms. Ken Doll wouldn’t know what to do with you.”

  Sharp bites of pain spark as her nails dig into my arms. “You can take me home, but this changes nothing.” Her blue eyes blaze at me. “Nothing.”

  —

  The door swings open, hitting the wall with a thud. Rowan and I fall against it, my hands squeezing her tits while her fingers work at my jeans.

  “Do you have a condom?” She bites my ear and I growl.

  “Right pocket.”

  She digs into my pocket and pulls the condom out. Spinning her around, I march her into the living room and swing her forward over the arm of the couch.

  Shoving her dress up and over her perfect ass, I take note of the absence of panties. “Su
ch a good girl to forget your panties,” I murmur, sliding two fingers along her heat. She’s wet and ready, and so am I.

  “I planned on seducing you,” she says with a sigh.

  “Did you?”

  She nods, but I don’t quite believe her. Most likely Rowan didn’t wear panties because she didn’t damn well feel like it.

  “I approve of your plans, but next time fill me in.” Caressing bare skin, I kneel on the floor behind her. The first lick of my tongue against her wet pussy has her rearing back. “Seth. Oh, God.”

  I push her back down with one hand and continue eating her out, wanting to claim every inch of her. The thought of that Ken Doll doing this sends me over the edge and I stand up, snatch the condom from her, and rip open the package. A few heartbeats later, I thrust inside of her tight core.

  “Damn, you feel good,” I mutter as I fuck her. I’d talked about love, but jealousy is eating at me. What if I hadn’t been there when she’d shown up? Would she have gone home with Ken Doll?

  Leaning down, I wrap my hand around her neck and pull her to me. She turns her head slightly, her mouth searching for mine. I cover her lips with a rough kiss, my thrusts growing frantic.

  “Do you wish it were him right now?”

  “No,” she gasps.

  I drive deeper, the fingers of my free hand digging into her hips. “Who’s in you right now? Who has you bent over with your dress at your waist and your bare ass in the air?”

  “You.”

  Her inner muscles tighten around my dick and I pump harder. Jerking her closer, I temper my roughness with a soft kiss against her mouth and slow my thrusts. “God, I’ve missed you.”

  Pulling out of her, I turn her around and spread her legs with one thigh before sliding back in. She leans back on the arm of the couch, thrusting her tits up. I grab the top hem of her dress with my teeth and tug until her breasts spill out. Her pink nipples are hard and begging for me to kiss them.

  I suck one deep and Rowan convulses around me. She gets so wet that the slide is without any resistance. I adjust my stance, planting my feet wide, and slam into her for all I’m worth.

  Her hands sift through my hair and grip the strands tight, pulling me closer. I can’t breathe, my body’s on fire, and I’m pretty damn sure I’ll be sore tomorrow, but there’s no way I’m stopping.

  She cries out long and loud as her orgasm hits her. I pull out at the last second and rip off the condom, coming all over her bare skin.

  “Mine,” I growl as the last of my orgasm leaves me. “Mine.”

  Running a finger over one of her tits, she gives me a look hot enough to melt a glacier before she licks the finger clean.

  My eyes widen in appreciation. “Hot. As. Fuck.” Scooping her up, I head to the bathroom to clean her off.

  “It’s not going to last,” she says softly.

  I find a washcloth and wet it with warm water. “How do you know?” I ask, gently wiping her down.

  She looks away. “I just do.”

  Gently grabbing her chin, I kiss her long and hard. “I’m a man of my word now.”

  She laughs, but it’s not full of happiness. “Seth, you were a man of your word then. When you told me to never come back.”

  Letting go of her, I toss the washcloth into the dirty clothes hamper and lean against the wall of the bathroom. She shimmies out of her dress and begins to wash her face with a clean washcloth.

  “You’re going to hold something against me that I did when I was seventeen. Seventeen, Rowan. It wasn’t last week or even last year. Fuck, it wasn’t five years ago.”

  “You held a grudge against me for at least seven years,” she points out.

  I close my eyes and take a deep breath. My heart is still beating out of control from being with her. “I stopped holding a grudge against you a year into the Corps. Two tops. But, baby, I was hurting. I was ashamed of how I treated you. Angry at how my plans were derailed because of a decision I willingly made. I didn’t trust myself to be around you until recently. I didn’t know if I’d make it back in one piece from my last deployment.”

  Rowan is silent at my admission. Maybe she doesn’t believe me.

  I shake my head, my eyes opening. “Hell, I came up here about eight months ago, before I had to go on my last mission, just to see you. But timing’s everything. You weren’t here and I got called back to base early.”

  The washcloth drops to the floor with a thud. “You came back before now?” she asks.

  “Yes.”

  She walks to me, beautifully nude. “Before your grandmother got really sick?”

  Nodding, I say, “Rowan, I’ve been waiting for the opportunity to talk to you again.”

  Tears cloud her eyes. “I don’t believe you.” She covers her face with her hands. “I don’t know what to believe anymore.”

  “Yes, you do.” I go to her, taking her in my arms and leading her back to my bedroom. After tucking her under the covers, I strip out of my clothes and join her. She comes to me, willingly, and I kiss the top of her head.

  “Believe that I’m sorry, that I’m not the boy I used to be, and that I’m here to make things right.” Believe that I love you, that I never stopped loving you.

  She snuggles deeper into my arms, neither agreeing or disagreeing with me. It’s a start, I suppose, but none of this is what I envisioned our reunion would be like.

  Not that I imagined hearts and flowers, a slow-motion Rowan dropping everything and running straight to me, forgiving me at the drop of a hat.

  Like anything worth doing, getting Rowan to forgive and trust me will take time. Longer than the thirteen days I’ve been allowed. But there are weekends. Fifty-two weekends a year, plus holidays.

  “And if it takes every second of every day to convince you of that, then that’s what I’ll do,” I swear.

  “You can try,” comes her reply several minutes later when I’m almost asleep.

  “Be pissed at me tomorrow,” I remind her.

  “Love me tonight,” she replies softly.

  Chapter 10

  Rowan

  Before Jase was sentenced, our house was the place for parties—even the rich, snobby kids from the Oaks would come. Giving the house to my mom is the one thing our dad bothered to do right before he left us. When she died from an overdose, the house went to Jase. Miss Myrtle helped us keep it by paying the yearly property taxes while I worked at Gardner’s to pay her back.

  Hauling another bag of ice to the cooler, I dump it on top of Jase’s favorite beer, and then push the lid down. A quick glance around assures me that everyone is getting along.

  So far.

  Seth hovers on the edge of the crowd, his steady gaze taking everything in. More than once it feels as though his eyes are on me, burning a hole in my head.

  Today was a whole new day of torture for me. Seth had kept me awake most of the night making love to me. Not fucking, not sex…making love. He’d been gentle and fierce, always making me come before he would. Always kissing me so sweetly I wanted to cry. It was as if he was trying to get me to break open so he could see the truth inside my heart.

  A truth that I do not want to acknowledge.

  Thank God Piper agreed to come. I didn’t even have to beg. She was excited and nervous when I picked her up this afternoon to help me get everything ready.

  We had a good time, joking around while I teased her about finally making a social appearance. The thing is, I want Piper here. I want her to see that there’s nothing to worry about, and that she’s safe. I suspect she lied to her parents about her whereabouts, or at least that she’s at a party. They wouldn’t be happy with her attending a Simmons party. Especially since her dad was the arresting officer the night things went so bad with that rat bastard Tony.

  “Check you out,” I say as Piper walks over and we link our arms together. She’s very pretty in her denim skirt and soft green cashmere sweater that she changed into right before the party started. Her tights are patterned and d
isappear into knee-high boots. “I have the best-looking date here. Everyone’s jealous of me.”

  Piper’s gaze bounces from me to my brother, who’s practically being humped by Giselle, and then back to me again. “Sure, they are.”

  “My brother specifically asked for you to come. My invitation wasn’t just so you could live a while on the badass wild side.”

  Jase steps away from Giselle and looks our way. His eyes widen as he realizes who’s with me. A wicked-looking smile appears on his mouth.

  Hope blooms on Piper’s face. “Really?” She blows out a breath. “Forget I said that. Jase doesn’t even know I’m here. Not that it matters. I’m just glad he’s home safe.”

  Jase’s gaze lingers on Piper, and I have to bite my lip to keep from shouting, Ah-ha! See, he wants you. He really, really wants you!

  Instead, I keep my cool and lightly say, “He threatened to never speak to me again if I didn’t convince you to come. I’m pretty sure he wasn’t above bribery. Maybe even kidnapping.”

  Piper’s green eyes widen. “Are you serious? I didn’t—oh, the care packages. He’s just being nice.”

  Judging by the way my brother can’t keep his eyes off Piper, he’s not just being nice. God, if only Jase would actually go after Piper. She would stick by him, not play him while his back is turned like Giselle.

  “I don’t think so,” I counter with a grin. “He’s heading this way.”

  Piper flushes from head to toe as Jase joins us.

  “Having fun?” he asks.

  She stares at him, her mouth opening and closing like a fish gasping for air. “I, um…” She shoots me a pleading look, and I take pity on her.

  I throw my arm around her shoulders as an evil plan hatches. If I can’t get Seth out of my head, then maybe I can get Giselle out of Jase’s. It’s what little sisters are for, right? “Piper is having a fabulous time with me, but maybe you could help her with the guy situation.”

  His eyebrows raise, concern etching his face. He focuses on Piper. “Who’s bothering you, baby doll?”