Safe Place Series: A BWWM Small Town Romance (Dangerous Bonds Book 2)

by Shani Greene-Dowdell

  At the first sign of shivering, I mounted her and slid my cock inside of her balls deep. She gasped a beautiful gasp and hugged me tight. I let out a ragged moan, came out and went deeper inside. We rocked at our beautiful pace, giving each other the passion we deserved.

  “I love you so much,” I said as I kissed her earlobe then went for her neck, licking every inch, as her smell lured me in.

  “I—I love you too. Oh, Jeb.”

  “Feel so good. So deep,” I said as the sound of her moans made me drive deeper inside of her. I watched her facial expressions as we rocked in a steady motion made for us, and it made me want to go deeper.

  She was close to her climax, and I yearned for the feeling of her drenching my dick with her juices. I turned her onto her side and entered her from an angle that would make her erupt.

  “Jeb! Jeb!” She began to call out my name over and over.

  Anytime I was inside of her, and she uttered my name, I got weak. I rocked, and I pumped, massaging her insides while triggering her to explode.

  “Jeeeebbbb. Jeb, baby,” she groaned.

  “Yes, Tameka. What is it, baby?” I went for her lips and kissed her. That’s when I felt her body tense up completely. She was about to release, and so was I.

  Her grip tightened on me, and she yelled out my name. “Jeb!”

  “Tameeekkaaa,” I groaned out as we climaxed together.

  Making love to Tameka felt as natural as breathing. I laid down next to her and brought her into my chest. She cuddled in next to me and interlocked her fingers with mine. I kissed her cheek. “I have to go before the kids wake up.”

  “I don’t want you to,” she said as she rubbed my arm over the spot where my brotherhood tattoo used to be before I got it removed.

  “I don’t want to either, but we decided it was best,” I said as I suckled her bottom lip into my mouth and kissed her before I got out of bed to get dressed.

  Tameka looked like an angel as she sat up in bed and watched me.

  “Something on your mind?” I asked, noticing sadness enter her eyes.

  “Yeah.” She sighed. “Jeb, you’ve met my parents.”

  “Yes, and they are great people,” I replied.

  “But I haven’t met your father,” she said. “When am I going to meet him?”

  “Meeting my family won’t be that simple. We’re talking about people who have prejudices that go back generations. I need more time to work on my father,” I said.

  “So he doesn’t know about me?” she asked.

  Her expression fell flat as if I had let her down. I couldn’t have that. The truth was, I had told my father about Tameka and how much she meant to me, but he’d shunned me and asked me to leave his house.

  “No. He knows about you. He’s just not ready to meet you yet. A lot of people aren’t ready for our love, baby,” I said.

  “Well, we have each other right?” she asked.

  I kneeled down beside the bed so that we were eye to eye. “Of course, and don’t you ever doubt that. When the time is right, we’ll cross that road of introducing you to my father,” I said, kissing her goodnight. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Tameka walked me to the door and watched me walk to my car. As I got inside, all I could think about was my father and the way he pushed me away after I told him about her. She was the one; that much I knew. I had to figure out how to get my father to understand that, and, hopefully, get him to open his heart to a new idea of love, life, and family.

  Chapter 17

  Tameka

  I watched as Jeb pulled out of the driveway. I was about to close the door when I spotted what looked like a black BMW take off behind him. Squinting my eyes, I made out the license plate. When I saw MEL0DY spelled out, I started bugging out. It was Rodney! My heart raced in my chest as I dialed Jeb’s phone, and it went straight to voicemail.

  “Dammit, Jeb,” I mumbled, remembering he’d turned his phone off after he got here and didn’t turn it back on before he left. I dialed my neighbor’s number while slipping on my shoes. I grabbed my purse and keys and headed out the door.

  “Hello?” Linda answered with a bit of concern in her tone.

  “Hey, Linda, it’s Tameka. Will you do me a favor and come over to watch the kids?”

  “What’s going on? Is everything okay?” she asked, sounding concerned.

  “No. I don’t know. The kids are sleeping, and I have to run out. It’s an emergency.” I didn’t want to sound nervous, but my quivering voice was a dead giveaway.

  “I’ll be right there, honey. Give me two minutes to put my shoes on,” Linda said.

  “Thanks! The back door is unlocked.” I hung up and locked the front door behind me. I ran to my car and jumped in. I called Rodney as I backed out of the driveway, and my tires squealed as I hit the street corner.

  “Hello, sweet darling?” he answered in a smug tone.

  I had to look at the screen just to be sure it was him. “Hey, Rodney, I know you’re following Jeb. You need to back off,” I yelled. “Stop following him, Rodney. Go home to your wife!”

  He let out an evil laugh. “Don’t you worry your pretty little head about me, Tameka. I have a job to do, and I’m going to do it. Getting him out of the way will make everything go back to normal.”

  Rodney disconnected the call, and I tossed my phone on the passenger side and sped up. They were a good five to seven minutes ahead of me, but I had to at least try. I took a deep breath and floored it.

  “What are you up to, Rodney?” I mumbled.

  Jeb’s house wasn’t that far away, but it seemed to take forever as I rode the curvy road in pursuit of Rodney. My phone started to ring, so I grabbed it and answered the call.

  “Hello?” I asked frantically.

  “Babe, it’s Jeb. This black car has been on my tail since I pulled out of your driveway. Are you guys okay?” he asked.

  “Yes, we’re fine, but Jeb…Rodney is behind you. I’m not far behind you guys, but you need to drive him to the police station,” I said.

  “He’s trying to run me off the road. I should pull over and give him the action he’s begging for,” Jeb growled.

  “No! Jeb, whatever you do, do not get into a fight with him. Where are you?” I asked.

  “Lee Road 177. Just about to go over the bridge.”

  “Okay. I’m calling the police.”

  “Tameka, I love you. No matter what happens, I want you to know that.”

  “Jeb, what are you about to do?” I could feel the tears stinging my eyes as I floored the gas pedal. “Don’t confront him, please!”

  “I don’t think…without a…fight…” His words sounded broken, then I heard a crash and eventually snow on the other end.

  “Jeb?” I yelled.

  “Tam…”

  Then, nothing. The call ended.

  “Jeb! Jeb!” I cried out, feeling as if my heart was caught in my throat as I dialed 911.

  “911, where’s your emergency?”

  “My ex-husband is following my boyfriend, and I think he’s going to attack him. He’s trying to make him wreck his car!” Tears streamed down my cheeks, and my voice shook as my body trembled with despair. “Please…you need to hurry.”

  “Ma’am, I need you to calm down, and tell me where you are located.”

  “Lee Road 177 close to the bridge, heading north. Please…hurry.” I pressed the pedal to the floor. Thankfully, there weren’t many cars on the road tonight. I had to make it to Jeb because it could be too late by the time the cops arrived.

  At that very moment, I sensed something terrible had happened. Then, I crossed over the bridge and saw it. Flames engulfed a car that had skidded off the road and into a field. My heart rattled with palpable fear. I drove to the side of the field, parked, and jumped out of the car running toward the wreckage.

  “Jeb? Jeb?” I yelled.

  Tears flowed down my cheeks as I stood several feet away from the fire and watched the flames total the vehicle. N
o other cars were around.

  I knelt down and started to bawl my eyes out as sirens pierced through the night. My body shook from the sight of the horror of the scene in front of me. I simply couldn’t fathom what was going on. Then, I heard soft moaning and searched for where it was coming from.

  “Is that you, Jeb?”

  “O…over here, Meka,” a man’s ragged voice called out between coughs.

  I ran to the sound and found Rodney sprawled out on the ground bleeding from his head. “Rodney, oh my God! What have you done?” I asked.

  He’d escaped his vehicle just before it burned to a crisp.

  “I—I…It hurts so bad,” he murmured.

  “Don’t talk or move, Rodney. Just lay here. Help is on the way,” I told him. “Do you know where Jeb is?” I asked.

  “Jeb?” he asked weakly. “Can we focus on me now? I’m bleeding to death. I don’t want to die,” he said as his voice became more ragged and weak.

  I kneeled down beside him and looked at his teary eyes and trembling face. “I’ll stay with you until the ambulance gets here,” I said.

  “Meka, I still love you.”

  Hearing him say that disgusted me.

  “Just be quiet until the ambulance gets here, Rodney. None of this would have happened if you would have just left me alone like I left you and Melody alone when you decided to leave me for her. What were you thinking following Jeb home like that? What were you going to do?” I asked as his eyes grew weaker and closed. “Now look what you have done.”

  The ambulance pulled onto the grassy field. I backed away as the emergency workers sprang into action, working on Rodney. He was alive but badly injured. Once he was on the gurney and inside the ambulance, they hooked him up to their machines.

  The police wanted a statement from me, but first I had to lay my eyes on Jeb to make sure he was okay.

  “Can this wait?” I asked the female officer who was insistent on questioning me right then. “I have to check on my boyfriend. I was talking to him on the phone earlier, and he said Rodney was chasing him.”

  “Rodney is the man on the ambulance, correct? What’s his full name?” she asked.

  “Yes, that’s him—Rodney Perry. But I haven’t heard from Jeb Holloway since before the wreck,” I said in a concerned tone.

  “Jeb is the person Rodney was following?” she asked.

  “Yes!” I searched the field then looked at the roadway to see if there was any trace of Jeb.

  “Just a few more questions…” the female officer’s voice faded as I heard Jeb approaching us.

  “Tameka…”

  I twirled around to see him walking towards me. I took off running to him full speed. “I was so worried about you,” I said as I ran into his arms. “I was so scared. I didn’t know what happened to you,” I said into the crook of his neck.

  “You must be Jeb Holloway,” the officer said when she caught up to us.

  “Yes, I am,” Jeb said as he held me in his arms.

  “Sir, I’m going to need your statement on what happened,” she said.

  I reluctantly pulled away from him and turned to her. “Do you mind? We’ve been through a lot tonight.”

  “It will only take a minute, ma’am. We need to find out what happened here.”

  Jeb explained what happened to the officer, and she walked away, giving us the space we needed. I laid a hand on Jeb’s chest. He was really alive and safe.

  “I’m here, baby,” he said with a smile.

  “My heart is still racing,” I said. “When I saw the car in flames, I was scared it was you.”

  “He did more damage to himself than anything.”

  We watched the emergency workers close the back of the ambulance and pull off with police cars speeding after it. Rodney suffered from a gaping gash on his forehead and some major and minor burns, but that’s just what I could tell from looking at him. How did he become so guided by his hate and selfishness that he wanted to kill Jeb?

  “What caused him to wreck like that?” I asked out of curiosity.

  “I was on the bridge when our call dropped. He pulled up beside me and tried to force me off the road, but I hit the brakes, and he veered off to the right at full speed onto the field, hitting a tree. I saw his car go up in flames as I looked in the rearview mirror, so I went to the gas station down the road to call the police because I couldn’t get a good signal on my cell.”

  “I can’t believe I was married to a man that stupid,” I said.” “I’m glad you’re okay. When the phone cut out, I thought something had happened to you. I came as fast as I could. All I could think about was getting here to help you.”

  He looked at me with the most loving expression in his eyes. “My little shero.”

  I sucked in a breath of fresh air, relieved this nightmare didn’t end worse. “I couldn’t stand the thought of losing you,” I said.

  “You’ll never lose me,” he whispered against my lips.

  At that moment, I felt pure love for Jeb. “Will you spend the night with me now?” I asked softly.

  “Tameka, this proved my theory about rules. They are made to be broken. Not only will I stay with you tonight, I want to stay with you always.”

  Epilogue

  Tameka

  One Year Later

  We were finally at peace. Rodney’s visitation rights were halted while he nursed broken ribs, his right leg, and his memory. As well, immediately following the accident, he had looming legal charges for vehicular assault that the judge took sympathy on him and dropped. In the meantime, Rodney had been dealing with extreme memory loss from his head injury during the accident.

  As it turned out, his medical problems were more than his young fiancée could bear, and his pretty young thang bailed on him, taking her gifted BMW, and every other material thing he ever gave her, along with her. Rodney was left with only his mother to care for him, and that was sad in itself.

  I hated that Rodney was hurt in the accident and shafted by his new woman, but it was perfect Karma for the way he treated the kids and me, and the harm he intended to inflict on Jeb. I must admit the peace I’d gained as a side effect of it all had been welcomed like a fresh breeze of air on a summer day. Life had been much simpler with Rodney out the picture.

  “We’re here!” Eva screamed as Jeb pulled into Channing and Kemara’s driveway. She and her brother were out of the car, running up the stretch toward the door before the car was switched to off.

  I took Jeb’s outstretched hand, and we watched Kevin and Eva run ahead of us in amusement. “They’re anxious to see their aunt, uncle, and new cousin,” I said.

  “You think so?” Jeb chuckled. “It’s hard to believe Bryce is five months,” he said, speaking of Channing and Kemara’s new baby boy.

  “That trip to Aruba created a lot of beautiful things for our family. They had a baby, and sparks flew for us,” I said, biting down on my lower lip as my eyes hooded over remembering the many great moments Jeb and I shared that week.

  “You’re right, but you’re going to have to stop looking at me like that,” he said in a rasp.

  Kemara opened the door, and she was beaming at us. “Hello, family! I’m so happy you guys came to visit,” she said in a squealing voice.

  “Sis, you don’t know how hard it is to keep the kiddos away from little Bryce,” I said, laughing. “And we were excited to see him too.”

  Kemara chuckled. “He just woke up from a nap, so he’s bright and ready for you guys.”

  We entered the living room, and Jeb walked over to Channing, who had the baby cradled in his arms. He looked like a pro dad already.

  “Awe, he’s so handsome, wandsome,” I said in a baby voice. “You’re a cutie wootie. I thought you were going to be a girl, but you came out as my handsome wandsome nephew!”

  “Hey, no baby talk around Bryce. We’re going to start him off talking like a man,” Channing said with pride. Then, he looked at Kemara and said, “And we’re working on getting B
ryce a sister every free moment we get…”

  “Channing!” Kemara swatted at him as she smiled widely.

  I giggled. “Oh, really,” I said then continued to babble in baby language I knew Bryce could understand.

  Kemara laughed as Channing frowned at me doing my babble talk. “Have you guys been to see Rodney lately? He’s still in the nursing home, right?” Kemara asked to switch gears.

  I nodded. “Yeah. He’s still there. The kids have seen him once, but it’s tough for them to see him like that, so I haven’t taken them back.”

  “Can I hold him, Chan?” Jeb asked.

  Jeb sat down, and Channing handed the baby off to him.

  I smiled big as Jeb cooed at the baby.

  “He’s wonderful. I knew you two would be great together,” Kemara whispered for my ears only.

  “And I never would have come around if he wasn’t in Aruba, so thank you for making that possible,” I said to her as I watched Jeb holding the baby with the kids hovering over him. I wanted in. “And now…I want to squeeze some cheeks,” I said, smiling at Bryce. I reached for Bryce, but Jeb stopped me.

  He stood up and handed my nephew back to Channing. “First, I have something I want to say,” he began.

  “No, I’m not having any more children, right now,” I teased.

  He chuckled. “That’s not what I was about to say,” he said, taking my hand in his. “Over the past year, you and the kids have been the most important thing in my life. I want you to know that I love you.” He glanced at Kevin and Eva. “I love you guys more than you’ll ever know.”

  “And we all love you,” I said, confused as to where this speech was leading.

  “Love you, Jeb,” Eva said.

  “Love ya,” Kevin added.

  “There’s so much I want to say, but I don’t know where to start, so I’m just going to have to show you what I mean,” he said.

  “Show me what, Jeb? You’re making me nervous.”

  He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box and held it out to me. I gasped when he got down on one knee and opened the box.