Plain Jane and the Bad Boy (Plain Jane Series)

by Tmonique Stephens

  And the waiting, for her to fucking spit it out, was killing him.

  “Why are they after you?” He broke the ice with a sledgehammer.

  “It’s because of Vivi’s father.”

  Something violent stormed through him. He dragged a hand down his face and folded his arms across his chest to keep from punching a wall. “I never asked because I respected your privacy and I figured it was just a matter of time before you trusted me enough with your secrets.” Once again, played for a fool.

  “I never wanted to tell you.”

  “Why?” he demanded.

  “Because he’s in my past… But won’t stay there.”

  Two minutes in and he was already tired of the conversation. “Spit it out, Sabrina.”

  “Vincent Geraldie is Vivi’s father,” she blurted as if ripping off a Band-Aid.

  Shit! Things started clicking in rapid succession.

  Chin buried in her chest, her hair a blunt curtain of black silk partially shielding her face, she muttered, “I don’t know if you know him—”

  “Former treasurer of the Black Dragons.” He cut her off. She glanced up and quickly looked away. “Rumor is he stole a whole lotta club money before he got sent away. Is that why they’re after you? You help him with that? Are you a thief?” he bit out.

  Her head jerked up and she whipped her hair behind her ear and faced him. Her cheeks flushed, her spine went ramrod straight, her eyes narrowed into thin slits. “No. I did not. Whatever he stole, he did it on his own. Would I still be in this state if I had enough money to get out of town? To go anywhere but here?”

  Her caustic tone raked his nerves. He didn’t believe her. Wanted to but refused. Thoughts of Michelle were too fresh in his mind. And it didn’t make sense. The Dragons wouldn’t waste time on her if she weren’t involved. Somehow, some way, she was.

  “So why are they after you?”

  “Why do you think, Liam?” Sarcasm dripped from each word. “They can’t get to him, but they can get to me. They can get to his child. Hurt us to hurt him. Makes sense, except he couldn’t give two shits about me or Vivi. I was property and Vivi wasn’t a boy. The second he was convicted and went to jail, I already had a suitcase stashed in the garage. I threw it in the Range Rover, drove it to the Greyhound bus station, bought a ticket to California to throw them off my scent, ditched my phone and hoofed it to the local bus stop. I went to Lazarus House and didn’t leave the building for three months. I had two grand to my name, half I spent on my piece of crap car. The rest whittled away taking care of Vivi. He had other plans for me. Before he left for court that last day, he told me he’d left a note for me in the bedroom. I never went for it. Whatever he had to say, it was way too late.”

  He watched her for signs she was lying, any little giveaway he could latch onto and walk out the door. He wouldn’t leave her at the mercy of the Dragons, but what they had would be over.

  She planted her hands on her hips and shrugged. “You don’t believe me, fine. Have Anna call Lazarus House. She’ll get the truth for you.”

  He could do that. “It’s five in the morning. I’m not waking Anna up for this.”

  Sabrina threw up her hands only to end up hugging herself. “You’re right. Anna and Vivi don’t need to be disturbed over this.” Her gaze met his. “What now?”

  He studied her posture, the jut of her chin, the flicker of guilt in her eyes, and damn if he didn’t believe her. No. He wanted to believe her. Huge difference. “Get some sleep. We’ll spend a few hours here resting, then we’ll pick up Vivi and go to a safe house on the Alabama border.”

  She glanced at the king-size bed, then kicked off the flip-flops and sat at the foot. “I left the house in a rush. Didn’t have a chance to lock up. Hopefully, nothing will be damaged when we get back. If it is, I’ll find a way to repay you.”

  The rumble of a bike drew his attention. Liam went to the window and peered out at the parking lot. All was quiet. Sabrina joined him, standing close enough for her scent to roll over him, seep into him, make him ache. He wanted to touch her, bring her in close. Tell her he believed everything she said. He did none of that.

  “I’m not sorry for not telling you. Vincent’s in jail, and in no way a part of my life, or my daughter’s. I am sorry if I put you, or Mack, Willa, Sasha, or anyone else in jeopardy.” Her voice broke. “That wasn’t my intention. I’ll get on the road after I pick up Vivi.”

  He twisted around and faced her. “You run now you’ll never stop,” he said instead of addressing the furious wave of panic at the thought of her leaving him.

  Her arms wrapping tight around her body, she ignored him in favor of the parking lot view. “I don’t have much choice. I brought this to your doorstep. I’m the only one who can remove it.” She turned away.

  Liam gripped her arm. She didn’t resist when he pulled her to him. She sank into him, melding their bodies together. With no effort at all, his mouth slanted over hers. He captured her face between his hands and kissed her with all the pent-up fear arching through his veins.

  “You’re not going anywhere,” he growled, coming up for air.

  She nipped his lips. “Don’t tell me what to do,” she growled back and thrust her fingers through his hair. She yanked on the strands, bringing him exactly where she wanted. To her.

  Her lips were soft, incredibly soft, the complete opposite of her hot, aggressive mouth. The kiss deepened. He breathed her in, took her into his DNA. She was a part of him, essential as air. Necessary to his being. He yanked her against him.

  “Don’t leave me.” He’d never begged for anything in his entire life. Her fingers curled into his shirt and she went to her tiptoes. They fit, her jig to his saw.

  “I don’t want to. I want to stay.” Her arms crept around his neck. “With you.”

  He gripped her arms, felt her soft skin beneath his rough palms. So fragile. She’d been through so much, yet she survived. They were alike, him and her. And he believed her. He had no reason not to. Not telling him about Vincent wasn’t a crime and with an asshole like that in her past, it was a miracle she hadn’t given up on men, period.

  “I love you.” The sound strange to his ears, but felt right rolling off his tongue.

  “I know,” she said. “I love you, too. But I’m afraid. I have horrible taste in men.”

  He laughed. The irony was too much. “I haven’t picked any winners…’til now.” He picked her up and dumped her on the bed, then followed her down. She welcomed him, her body spread across the duvet, all for the taking. He pinned her and took the time to study her, see her for all that she was. “No lies between us. That’s my redline.”

  The passion in her eyes briefly dimmed, then flared anew. “You ever hit me, I will gut you.”

  She meant it. He could tell. “I’d deserve nothing less.” He lowered his head to take her mouth again.

  Brow furrowed, head cocked to the side, she pulled away. “So I can cheat and steal and you’d be fine with that?”

  The thought of her kissing, touching, loving another man had him feeling very possessive. “Don’t be a wiseass.” He kissed her again, delved into her mouth, sucked on her tongue while her thighs circled his waist and her hands tugged at his shirt.

  Until her hands touched the gun tucked in the small of his back. She jerked her hand away. He expected all of her to retreat in fear, but concern was all that flickered in her eyes. He eased off her to place the weapon on the nightstand and waited for the barrage of questions.

  “Is that necessary?” Her voice hesitant.

  No lies between us. He sat on the edge of the bed next to her. “After tonight, with the Black Dragons, yeah. It’s necessary. Don’t worry. I have a concealed weapon permit and I’m an excellent shot.” Though it had been a while.

  She rose and scooted closer to him, wrapped herself around his back like a second skin. “I’m not afraid of guns, just afraid of the ones using them. But I’m not afraid of you. You’re the best man I’ve ever m
et.” Her hand slipped under his shirt, her small hands cool against his waist and ribs. She tugged at it until he raised his arms. The shirt fell to the carpet, then it was all about her mouth brushing his tattoo, kissing between his shoulders, her tongue trailing down his spine.

  Liam closed his eyes and let her have her way with him. He listened to the subtle rustle of her clothing, knowing she’d stripped and didn’t resist when she pushed him onto his back. She climbed onto him, naked, skin so soft and fragrant. She smelled like the wind after a hard rain, clean and new. No, she smelled like the dawn, breaking over a new day.

  Shit. She’s got poetry sprouting in my head. And he was all right with that.

  He opened his eyes and stared into her beautiful face as she planted kisses across his face, down his neck to his chest. She licked, then sucked on a nipple while rolling her fingers over the other one. His entire body went taut, more so when she stopped to move down the rest of his body. Like waterfall, she poured down his body to pool between his splayed legs, her mouth leaving a fiery trail in its wake. Nimble fingers had his belt unbuckled and his pants unzipped before he could absorb all the sensations.

  She freed his cock, wrapped her hand around his straining length. Could he get harder? Apparently so. Each stroke of her hand brought him closer to the brink. He watched the torture, fascinated and delighted by the exquisite agony of her hand on his flesh, her mouth hovering close enough for her breath to tease the tip.

  Her hair fell forward, obscuring her face and his view. He had to see. And she did not disappoint. She lifted those beautiful eyes of hers and their gazes locked as her lips parted and her pink tongue appeared. One lick across his head and the groan he’d held onto broke free.

  “Sabrina.”

  “Yes,” she said all sweet and innocent with a grin that was anything but.

  “More.”

  She parted that wicked mouth of hers and her tongue swept around the head of his cock. His hiss died at the back of his throat as she took him into her hot, wet mouth, and damn if she didn’t practically swallow him. His hips jerked off the bed and she kept right there with him, her head bobbing, taking him into her sweet recesses.

  He popped out of her mouth and she sighed, rubbed him against her cheek as if she loved what she’d done. “Do you know how good you taste?”

  “Tell me.” He panted.

  “Baby…you taste good.” Her voice dropped low and she sucked him gently, taking her own sweet time to explore every inch of his cock.

  She pleasured him with the slip and slide of her tongue and the hard tug of her mouth. He didn’t want to come, not yet, not so fast. Shit. He wanted this to last, last forever, but she two-handed him. She worked his cock like it was her only mission in life.

  On the verge of exploding, his hips thrusted deep. She took it, took it all, and drank him down as he jetted into her mouth. She didn’t stop until she’d wrung every bit out of him and he lay completely spent.

  He couldn’t move as she tugged off his boots and the rest of his clothing. By the time she climbed up his body to straddle him, life stirred in his cock. Good, because he gave as good as he got, and her pussy was so fucking wet.

  “Round two?” She arched an eyebrow and rocked her hips, sliding her core along his growing length.

  With a flex of his hips, he parted her folds and slid home in one hard thrust that snatched both their breaths away. “Ready, willing, and able. All day. Everyday.”

  Eyes half-lidded and smoldering, she ground her pelvis against his and threw down the gauntlet. “Prove it.”

  Chapter Thirty

  “I’m so sorry, Vivi, but Anna has to take you home. My doggy isn’t feeling well. It’s his stomach again. He’s getting old, Vivi.”

  Not going to cry. Not going to cry. Anna buckled Vivi into her carrier, made sure she had her cow blankie, and transported her to the car. She returned to leashed Nino, her ten-year-old beagle, but he refused to budge. Carrying him was her only option, the poor thing. “Esta bien. You’ll be okay, my sweet boy. Dr. West will fix you up again.” Her eyes misted. The last visit Dr. West suggested she put Nino down. Nino would get worse, not better. The parvovirus had taken its toll.

  “I’m not ready to lose you, old friend.” She kissed his little head and tucked him into the backseat next to Vivi with his favorite blanket. He whined. Vivi reached for him and he lifted his head to lick her fingers. She’d planned on keeping Vivi until noon to give the love birds time to bask in the afterglow. The clock on the dashboard said 8:00 a.m.

  Once more, she tried Sabrina’s cell, then Liam’s. No answer on both. She had fond memories of nights spent in her lover’s arms and the morning after. No cell phones interrupted them. A bit irresponsible when you’re a mother, especially of a young child. But Sabrina deserved a break. Being a single mother wasn’t easy, and Sabrina was an excellent mother. And Vivi, Anna peered at her in the rearview mirror. “They’re lucky I don’t steal you and keep you forever.”

  It started raining as she backed out of the driveway and didn’t let up on the seventeen-mile drive to Liam’s cul-de-sac. The weatherman said rain in the afternoon. Liar. Doppler radar her rear end.

  A typical Sunday morning in suburbia, cars parked two, three, a few with four cars in the driveways and lining the curbs of the cul-de-sac. Vivi babbled happily in the backseat, uncaring about the bad weather. “I’m gonna ask your mom if I can watch you next weekend. Nino will be well by then.” Lie. Chances were Nino wasn’t coming home from the Vet. Chances were this was it for her four-legged son. Tears blurred her vision. Good thing Liam’s house was just on the right.

  She parked next to his truck. Sabrina’s car was also in her driveway. “I’ll try Liam’s first, then your mom’s if they’re not there.” She climbed out of the car, happy the rain had dwindled to a drizzle, and checked on Nino. He was listless but tail wagged when he saw her. “Soon, my sweet boy,” she sobbed. “Soon your pain will be over.”

  Wiping her eyes, she unbuckled Vivi and grabbed her blanket. “Say bye-bye to Nino.” She took Vivi’s hand and did the motion for her. “You can’t say bye-bye. How about mama? Can you say mama, and surprise your mama? Hmmm?” Anna repeated mama a few times.

  Vivi smacked her lips together, imitating Anna, teasing her with the possibility of a breakthrough. “Dada.”

  Anna sighed. “We’ll work on it.” She bounced Vivi on her hip and took a shortcut across the grass, which was dumb since it was slick and muddy. The blanket slipped from her fingers and landed in the grass. “Darn it.”

  The creak of a car door opening and the sharp crunch of footsteps on the grass caught her attention. She half turned, expecting to see Liam or Sabrina. It wasn’t either. Two men dressed in black approached. Anna backed up, but they stopped a respectable distance from her.

  “Excuse me, ma’am, we’re looking for Liam Callahan. Is this his house?”

  Instinctively, she shook her head. “No.” She continued to back up, the safety of the house only a few feet away.

  One of them kept approaching. “Ma’am, you dropped this.” He reached for Vivi’s blankie, fingered it, smiled, and offered the blanket to her.

  Anna wanted to leave it but refusing would look suspicious. Plus, how far could she get with Vivi. Not far. Better to use good manners and get out unscathed. She’d call Liam and Sabrina the moment she got inside the house.

  “Thank you,” she said and returned for the blanket. She grabbed the dirty edge, but he didn’t release it. He held on.

  “That’s Sabrina’s baby, isn’t it?”

  Anna’s heart leaped into her throat. Who was this man? Vivi squirmed in her arms. She was Anna’s priority, nothing else.

  “Don’t lie. I already know she is.” He yanked the blanket out of Anna’s tenuous grip. “I know this blanket and that baby.” He pointed at Vivi. “And you’re coming with me.” He grabbed Vivi while the other man rushed her.

  She clung to Vivi, struggling to hold onto her without hurting her
in the tug-of-war. Ready to let a scream rip, something smashed into Anna’s temple. In slow motion, she crumpled. Her last image was of Vivi slipping from her limp arms.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Noon.

  “Clear.” The prison guard said into the radio clipped to his shoulder. A sharp buzz sounded and the final door to sunshine opened.

  A blanket of humid air slapped him. He paused to simply breathe in the clean air.

  “Don’t get used to it. You will be back.” His correctional officer gave his unwanted professional opinion.

  He kept going. One step in front of the other until sunshine engulfed him. The exercise yard had plenty of sun, but these rays were different. These rays were free while the rays in the exercise yards had a one-hour time limit.

  He looked down the narrow corridor created by chain linked fences. On the other side of the fences, pens for the inmates. The glint from a rifle blinded him. The spotter in the tower had him in his sites. But this wasn’t a prison break. This was a momentary bit of freedom, a glitch in the system that worked in his favor. A technicality no one but his lawyer saw coming, along with a large bribe paid to a clerk who later died in a tragic car accident.

  Now, all he needed was to get out of town before the Black Dragons found out, and before the rest of his lie caught up with him.

  He walked down the corridor to the sounds of the prisoners enjoying their mandatory recreational hour. The clanking of weights, the bouncing of basketballs, the trash-talking. A few watched his progression from prisoner to freed man, the envy on their faces, priceless.

  Vincent stopped in front of the last gate. His attorney dressed in a gray suit and striped tie waited on the other side. The wait interminable as the locks disengaged and the door retracted. That first step, the click of his wingtips on concrete as if, until this moment had been muffled, seemed to tap out in Morse code, “I’m free!”