Chad turned that thought around in his head as much as the scotch would let him. He didn’t see a downside. Close enough that he and Jasmine could… His thoughts hit a huge speed bump. Would Jasmine want to stay? He decided not to dwell on that question.
If he had enough land, he could build a studio, produce his records and tour when or if he wanted—streamline the number of appearances. The idea of being able to record here… that had merit. Jasmine could be close to her family. Close to the Guardian complex. But would she want to live in the middle of nowhere? As much as they’d talked, they’d studiously avoided speaking about the future.
He glanced up at the guys, realizing he’d spaced out on them. “Wouldn’t hurt to take a look at the property. Should I ask someone to take me over?”
“We can, on Saturday.” Dixon motioned to the three of them.
“Cool. Let me know when. I can go any time after the morning feeding.” Chad worked with the hands feeding the horses and stock in the pastures closest to the house. Hell, he’d even spent two weeks mowing alfalfa and running the baler. Yeah, he loved music and the thrill of performing, but this place gave him a bone-deep contentment—a type of spiritual peace that he hadn’t even found on the high he got from ten thousand fans singing his songs with him while he strummed. Oh, that was magical, but this… this was… home.
~~
Jasmine watched as Ember topped off everyone’s wine glasses. She poured herself another cranberry juice. It was expected, because Adam was playing poker. One of the two doctors permanently assigned to the complex always refrained from drinking if the other was being social, but now that Ember was pregnant, Adam was off the hook for a few months. Besides, if Ember tried to eat or drink anything remotely unhealthy, Joseph growled and fumed. Overprotective to begin with, the man hovered now. Jasmine loved watching the couple, and even though Ember protested, the woman blossomed under her husband’s intense adoration.
Their show had just ended, and Sam had been cast into purgatory. Again.
“If you were single and had a chance to date either Sam or Dean, who would it be?” Ember asked as she sank into the chair.
Keelee closed one eye and looked at Ember. “Sam, he’s taller and so cute.”
Ember scrunched her nose. “Definitely Dean. Have you seen those YouTube videos of him lip-syncing ‘Eye of the Tiger’ on the Impala? He’s a hottie.”
“Neither, both are too young for me.” Amanda sniffed in an aristocratic manner and then bust out laughing. “Either, they are adorable!”
Jasmine laughed at the women. They all loved their husbands so much it was a tangible force, but they could be the ultimate fangirls too.
“What about you, Jazz? You’re single.” Ember asked. “Well, taken, but single.”
Jasmine took a drink of her wine. “I think I have someone hotter than Sam or Dean, so neither.”
All three women dropped their jaws and looked at her.
Amanda closed her mouth and shook her head. “She’s a goner. Okay, ladies, bust out Keelee’s wedding planner and we can start working on Jasmine’s big day.”
“Whoa! Hey, he’s never, ever hinted at anything permanent!” Jasmine was half out of her seat when the three women started laughing.
“Oh, ha ha ha. That is so not funny!” Jasmine pushed back into Keelee’s leather sofa and drank half of the wine remaining in her glass.
“Sweetheart, we’ve all been there—that point when you know in your heart that you love him, but you aren’t sure of his feelings for you. It happens to everyone.” Amanda patted Jasmine’s leg.
Keelee almost choked on her wine. “Hell, I wish it was a moment of time. With Adam and I… well, let’s just say I’m happy those years of my life are past.”
Ember nodded solemnly and added, “Joseph and I had a rough time because of his profession.” She blinked several times as if pulling herself out of the memories. Ember had gone through hell when she’d thought Joseph had died.
“Well, Frank and I had instant attractions. We’re both too old to deal with the drama of it all. On our third, no, the fourth date, he told me he planned on marrying me, and I told him I thought that was a fine idea.”
Jasmine leaned back and smiled at her mom. She deserved the happiness she’d found. “Chad and I are…” Jasmine searched for a term or a phrase to explain what they had together. “Hell, I don’t know what we are.”
“Then maybe you should ask?” Keelee ventured.
“I’m not sure I want to look behind that door, yet. I mean, once his case is settled, he’s got to go back to his world and deal with the detritus that this situation has left in its wake. I’ll go on to a new case. Honestly, I don’t know why I haven’t been reassigned already. He’s safe here.”
“You haven’t been reassigned because Nelson refuses to stay unless you’re here.” Joseph’s voice startled all of them.
“Damn it, Joey, you nearly scared the hell out of us!” Ember jumped up to fuss at him, but smiled as he stalked into the room. He hugged her to him and grabbed her ass, hoisting her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and he turned to walk out of the room. Ember peeked over his shoulder and waved. Her laughter prevented her from speaking.
Keelee, Amanda, and Jasmine sighed, looked at each other and burst out laughing. “I’m going to go peek in on Elizabeth and then grab us some nibbles to go with our wine and gossip.”
Jasmine watched her leave and sighed. “I like him, Mom. I’m falling in love with him, and I’m scared to death. You’ve seen him perform here. You’ve heard him. He’s too good to retire. His life is music, and I know he’ll regret giving it up. And then there’s me.” She could feel her throat constrict under the emotions that pressed down on her. She’d tried to ignore the connection she felt to Chad. Tried to stop the waterfall of fear and insecurities.
“Oh, baby. You are so special and wonderful. I can tell by the way he looks at you, he cares about you.”
Jasmine sniffed and wiped at the tears that fell. “But does he feel the same way? I mean, he’s had his pick of women. He’s Chad freaking Nelson, Mom. He’s a superstar! You should see him perform. The night I was at his show there were tens of thousands of fans singing his songs back to him. What in the world can I give him that he doesn’t already have?”
“Love, baby. Love.”
Jasmine leaned into her mom and closed her eyes. “It wasn’t enough for Evan.”
“Evan didn’t love you. He loved the connections he could obtain by being married to you. I think deep in your heart you knew that. Your brothers didn’t like him.”
Jasmine’s laugh was more like a sob. She knew that. They had made their dislike for Evan obvious. She glanced up at her mom before she asked, “Did you?”
Her mom stroked her hair. “You loved him. It was enough for me.”
“So you didn’t like him?”
“Well… I really like Chad.” Jasmine laughed at her mother’s dancing around an answer and wiped her cheeks again. Her mom was an amazing woman.
“We all do.” Keelee brought in a tray of cheese, meats, and crackers plus another bottle of wine.
“Why is it so hard? The emotions I’m dealing with, the uncertainty. Every time I start to think of a future with him, I have to remind myself he isn’t like us. He’s a superstar. I’m… so lost… I mean, with Evan it wasn’t…”
“You can’t compare what you had with Evan to what you have with Chad.” Her mom kissed her on the top of the head as Keelee refilled everyone’s wine glasses.
“Speaking from experience, if you let this man go without telling him what you feel, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life. If he doesn’t feel the same about you…”
Amanda interrupted Keelee. “With the looks I’ve seen him giving you when he thought no one was looking? He feels the same way.”
Keelee nodded and continued, “Don’t let this opportunity slip by. I almost lost Adam. When he was fighting for his life in that cave in Afghanistan, he di
dn’t know I loved him and then his injuries… Just tell him, Jasmine. Don’t wait.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chad waited on their bed. They’d given up the pretense of sleeping in two separate rooms after that memorable morning when her parents caught them nude in the same sleeping bag. He listened to Jasmine moving in the bathroom while the myriad of possibilities presented by buying a ranch nearby floated through his mind. He needed to find the opportunity to talk to her.
The bathroom door opened, illuminating her silhouette. The woman was breathtakingly beautiful. He turned onto his side and pulled the bedcovers back. The light turned off, and he heard rather than saw her pad across the floor to the bed. He pulled her into his body. Her cold feet against his shins made him jolt.
“Shit, woman, what did you do? Put your feet in an ice bath?”
Jasmine snuggled closer, wrapping herself around him. “You’re always so warm. My built-in furnace.” Her low sultry laugh had his already semi-hard cock rock solid in two seconds flat.
He grabbed her ankle as her foot snaked to the back of his leg and started up toward his thigh. No shit, his woman was an ice cube tonight. “I think I’ll buy you slippers for Christmas. Damn it, your feet are cold, woman!”
Jasmine suddenly stilled.
He rolled on top of her so he could see her face in the moonlight that filtered through the window. “What?”
“Nothing.”
“No, that’s not true. Something made you pull away from me. What is it?”
“You said you were going to buy me slippers for Christmas,” she whispered.
“I did.” He didn’t know why that upset her.
“Are we going to be together then?”
Ahh… the question of the day, it seemed. He settled between her legs and propped himself on his elbows so he could concentrate on her. “I want to be.”
She turned her head, avoiding his eyes.
He tucked a finger under her chin and lifted her face back towards him. “Do you?” Shit. The shimmer of tears filled her eyes. He caught one as it overflowed and fell down her temple toward her ear.
“I need to tell you something.”
Chad closed his eyes at those whispered words. He lowered his head to her shoulder. The light perfume of her lotion drifted through his senses. The fear of losing her lanced his gut. He didn’t want to hear the words, but he needed to know where he stood. He loved her. Bone-deep and oceans wide. He was so fucked if she didn’t feel the same way. He kissed the swell of her breast and took a deep breath before he lifted his head. “What do you need to tell me?”
She lifted her fingers to his face and traced his lips. Her eyes glittered with unshed tears.
He grabbed her hand and kissed the palm. Good God, he was terrified right now.
“I… I love you.”
Chad stared at her. Her tears fell unabated. He felt his heart beat for what seemed like the first time. She loved him. His heartbeat steadied into the tempo of the greatest love song he’d ever heard. She loved him.
“I love you, too.” He lowered his lips to hers and consumed her through their kiss. Her arms wrapped around his neck and held him as tight as he molded his body to her soft curves. Every thought, every dream, every hope he’d ever had focused on the passion of the kiss they shared. Her legs wrapped around him and his hips thrust, finding her core. He refused to break their connection, their shared breath. His body found hers and he thrust into her.
They were a perfect fit. She’d become the entity that filled the vacuum that had existed in the center of his soul. He moved in and out of her body. The intimacy of their connection reflected in the lingering kiss. They moved together, a perfect melody of beautiful notes. He drove them steadily toward the peak of their passion. He felt her clench around him, heard the catch of her breath. He lifted and drove into her as deep as he could, grinding against her, extending her release and launching his own. Chad lowered over her once again and stole her panted breaths. “I love you, sweetheart.”
Jasmine ran her hands down his back. “I was afraid you didn’t feel the same way.”
Chad rolled to his side and pulled her into his chest. “You were?” He threaded his hands through her mass of hair, pulling it away from her body to help cool her flushed skin.
“I haven’t thought about the future because I didn’t want to consider the possibility you wouldn’t be in it.” She bent her head back and looked up at him. “I know your world is on its ear right now. You’ll need to go back to Nashville, and I don’t know where I fit in… if I fit in.”
“I’m not going anywhere without you.”
She drew random patterns on his chest with her fingertip. “I don’t know your world.”
“I don’t want you to know it, and I don’t want to go back to it. I want to create a new life with you.” He’d been given the perfect opportunity to do that. Even if the little ranch didn’t pan out, he liked the idea of going off the grid, controlling his life, writing and recording when he wanted, making appearances on his schedule, not the label’s.
“How? What does that new life look like to you?”
Chad lifted up onto his elbow. He looked down at the woman he loved. He pushed a stray strand of hair over her ear. “You want the edited version, or are you awake enough for the whole damn dream?”
Jasmine mimicked his position. “I’ve got nowhere to be in the morning. Tell me the dream.”
Chad leaned forward and kissed her before he flopped down onto his back and allowed her to settle in beside him. “So… I was talking to the twins and Doc…”
~~
Jasmine yawned and sipped at the second cup of coffee of the morning. She sat in Dixon’s office while he was out with one of the training cadre going over the newest course they had developed. She’d seen the outline on how to detect and counter the threat of 3D printed weapons. She shook her head and took another sip of coffee as she waited for Jared’s call. He’d texted her at four this morning, six his time, that he would be calling. He was late, and that was rare. His secretary kept him on a tight schedule, so Jasmine knew something important had come up. She’d wait and drink her coffee.
She leaned back in Dixon’s huge leather chair. The permanent smile on her face today had everything to do with the dreams Chad had shared with her. He’d asked for her input, wanted to know her opinions, and they had talked for hours and built the idea of a life together into a goal they would strive to reach. The Koehler ranch was small, but it would be perfect for what Chad and Jasmine had decided they wanted.
The phone rang, startling her from her daydream. She answered it on the second ring, putting it on speaker phone so she could wipe up the coffee that had spilled when she jumped.
“Training Complex, Office of the Wonder Twins, how may I direct your call?”
“Jazz, secure the line.” Jasmine headed to the office door, shut it and hit the red button beside the cypher lock. The lights in the panel flashed from red to yellow and then to green.
“Secure, what’s up?” She spoke as she walked back to the desk and her coffee.
“We finally got him last night. He was cornered. He knew it, and rather than giving himself up, he put a bullet through his chest.” No, no, no! They needed answers.
“Is he dead?”
“He is now. Lasted for about four minutes before he bled out. Carlson got to him. He admitted to the killings.” Jasmine drew a stuttered breath. The assassinations were only half the problem.
“Who hired him?”
“Carlson asked him. He said the guy faded fast, but he got one word. Millicent.”
She dropped back into the chair. It fit. Millicent was at the house when the second threat had been delivered. “Is she talking?” Jasmine knew the woman had to be in custody.
“The FBI picked her up about thirty minutes after Burns died. She copped for a lawyer immediately and refuses to say a word.”
“So she was the insider threatening Chad?”
; “What? I didn’t hear you.”
Jasmine pulled her fingernail out of her mouth. She hadn’t realized she was chewing on it until that second.
“Do you think she was the inside threat?” she repeated, and picked up her coffee cup, giving her hands something to do.
“It looks like it. The motive is what escapes me, though.” Jared paused for a moment. Jasmine could hear someone speaking in the background.
“Jason just came in, Jazz.”
“Hey, Jace.” She acknowledged her brother.
“Hey. We’ve been over this six ways to Sunday. We don’t have a motive, but we don’t have any other suspects. I’d like to give Nelson the option of leaving the ranch. Guardian, and by that I mean Jared, will hold a press conference in thirty minutes. Chad will be wholly exonerated. The details of Ms. Wicker’s involvement will not come to light until the investigation is over. I know Chad has the CMAs in two weeks. I’m sure he’ll want to get in front of this mess.”
Jasmine nodded her head even though her brothers couldn’t see her. “I’m not leaving his side until we know for a fact Millicent was the inside threat.”
“We figured.” Jason’s voice held a humorous undertone.
“Oh, and FYI, I’m giving you my two weeks’ notice.” Jasmine waited for a response, but nothing came. “Hello? Y’all still there?”
One of her brothers cleared his throat. Jared finally spoke. “May we ask why?”
Jasmine didn’t stifle the bubbling joy she felt. “I’m taking a new position.”
“What? With who?” That was Jason’s roar.
“With Chad. I’m going to be his chief of security.”
She didn’t have to wait this time for the comments.
“Well, it’s about time.”
“Damn straight, about time Nelson acted.” Her brothers spoke over each other.
Jasmine scoffed, “Like you knew what was happening!”
“Jazz, honey, the only two who didn’t have a clue how perfect you two are together was… well, you two,” Jason taunted.
Jasmine (Kings of Guardian Book 6) Page 21