by Stacey Lynn
Drop the shit and get out. Let her pass out, and take her home in the morning.
I spun on my heels, intent on listening to my conscience’s advice, when the door opened.
I froze on my feet as Jules braced herself against the doorway. Her skin looked pale green as the light from the bathroom shone behind her. And she looked so damn small.
Small enough that if I were to wrap my hands around her waist, I knew my fingers would touch. She looked fragile. Breakable.
For the first time in years, I didn’t want to be the one doing the breaking.
“You okay?” I asked, moving toward her.
She shook her head and frowned. “I feel like shit,” she mumbled, and pushed off the doorframe. The small movement left her wobbling on her feet.
And before I knew it, my hand clamped around her wrist to steady her. One of her hands grabbed onto my bicep.
Heat zapped up to my elbow like I’d banged it on the doorframe. But I hadn’t. The heat was coming from her touching my skin. I fought a snarl and my hands turned into fists again. Every muscle in my arm coiled tight with the tension.
I tried to shake her off but her fingers curled around me like a damn vise grip.
I couldn’t pry her off. I was stuck, looming over her small, thin frame when her eyes slowly pulled to mine.
And I didn’t hate it as much as I thought I would.
Or wanted to.
Fuck.
Her lips parted as she sucked in a small breath. She swayed slightly and her head tilted to the right. She looked at me as if she was examining every feature of my face, and for some dumbass reason, I fucking let her.
She didn’t seem to care that I was scowling down at her, my eyes narrowed on her, wanting her to just pass the fuck out so I didn’t have to see the slight glaze in her blue eyes.
Her free hand raised up and gently ran down my jaw.
I twitched from the sudden, but soft, and—fucking hell—sweet as sin contact of her skin willingly on mine.
I swallowed, felt every movement of my Adam’s apple bob up and down with the thick movement.
“You look just like him.”
I sniffed, my nostrils flared, but still, that damn warm contact on my jaw running slowly across my skin had me frozen in place, my hand still holding onto hers as she just… fucking… watched me.
Her hand fell back down to her side.
“But angrier.”
My shoulders tightened—from her perusal or the lack of contact, who the hell knew.
Her eyes rolled into her head and her head dipped again. Shit. She was still wasted. My hands gripped her shoulders and I ignored the blast it sent to my dick.
I walked her to the bed, intent on ignoring the words she’d spoken, the way she’d so easily compared me to Scott—or Scratch to everyone but me, and probably her at one time.
She shifted once we reached the bed.
“Lay down.” She closed her eyes and opened them. I moved to push her down but she let out a tiny moan and I couldn’t move.
I couldn’t let go. Somehow she’d super-glued me to her. Damn sneaky bitch.
“Jaden?” My name rolled off her lips, smacking me against my chest.
“What?”
She sniffed. Fuck, if she cried I’d be pissed. “I miss him. All the damn time. And you look so much like him.”
She shook her head and my fingers dug into her shoulders.
I bent over her, glared right into her eyes—the only damn thing different about Scratch and I besides our personalities. He’d always been happier than I could ever fake it.
“I’m not him.” I enunciated the words so she’d be fucking clear on who was standing in front of her, who had their hands on her, and who—for some Goddamned unknown reason—fucking wanted her.
“I know that.”
“Do you?” I leaned in closer.
She moved toward me, her breath and lips so close to mine I could practically taste her. The warmth of her breath skated across my skin as I pulled her close.
Jesus. Was I going to fucking do this? Kiss this woman? My head told me to stop, to—for once in my life—do the right damn thing and walk away before I went too far and couldn’t take it back.
My other head—the one screaming in pain against my zipper—reared forward.
“Jules.” I didn’t know if it was a growl or a whisper. But damn it, I’d always wanted her. “You want this?”
She nodded and her lips parted. “Jaden…” Her voice trailed off as she swallowed.
And then she burped.
I flinched from the smell… the thick hint of bile and… fuck. Vomit.
She lurched toward me right as I scooped her in my arms. I’d barely got her flung over the toilet as she began filling it with rejected liquor.
I plugged my throat with my tongue, keeping the nasty odor from making me gag. But then I did the fucking strangest thing. I held her hair. I rubbed her back through the soft cotton tank top.
When she was done, I washed her face with a warm washcloth and carried her back to bed.
She said nothing, except letting out the occasional moan of pain. My dick didn’t understand the difference. It stayed permanently hard until I’d tucked her under my damn comforter. I even fucking straightened it.
My head spun in confusion. I didn’t take care of people. That wasn’t me.
And yeah, she wouldn’t remember it in the morning. She most likely wouldn’t remember how I was a breath away from kissing her, probably pushing her into my bed and doing a fuck of a lot more than kissing.
And after I’d taken off my jeans and clothes and grabbed a blanket and plopped down on my couch—I couldn’t fucking figure out why that pissed me off so much.
I had never felt incredibly talented at anything in life. Sure I’d gotten a college degree, been able to successfully raise and care for my daughter on my own. But other than doing what I had to do, because I didn’t have any other options, there was never anything I could do in my life that made me special. Nothing unique about me at all.
Except for the one thing my college roommates had always given me shit for—the talent of being able to drink as much as I wanted, and—even if I threw up or passed out—never forget anything.
As I woke up in the morning, my head thumping from the slight pain of a hangover, I loathed the damn talent. It was suddenly my curse.
I rolled over on the soft pillow that I knew didn’t belong to me and inhaled deeply. I breathed in the scent of Jaden’s shampoo, a lingering cologne smell, and even the slight smell of his sweat.
Which should have been disgusting.
But I had the unfortunate ability to remember what it felt like when his hands curled into the backs of my shoulders as he stared at me with something much different than pure hatred. I remembered the way I’d moved closer to him—wanting to feel his thick, full lips capture mine.
And I remembered the tender way he’d rubbed my black, cleaned my face, and held my hair back in one of his large hands while I’d puked my inner organs into his toilet.
I closed my eyes, feeling a burn in the back of my eyes and my sinuses as I tried to wipe the memory away.
It shouldn’t have happened.
Jaden was probably wasted—probably saw me as nothing more than the club bunnies he normally took to bed. If we were sober, there was no way he would have ever looked at me like that.
I breathed deep and exhaled slowly, relishing the last moment I’d have in his bed in probably ever, before I climbed out from under the warm sheets. After a quick trip to the bathroom where I scrubbed my teeth with toothpaste and a finger, and fixed my stringy hair as best I could, I leaned close to the mirror.
“Forget about it and get the hell out of here.”
My reflection blinked and nodded in agreement. That was the best part of talking to myself in the bathroom—the person I talked to always agreed with me.
I crept slowly out of the bathroom, intent on sneaking out, and callin
g Liv—or hell, even my dad if I had to—once I was outside. I didn’t remember where Jaden lived, but Jasper Bay was a small town and I could figure it out.
My bare feet trudged softly down his small hall. The last thing I wanted was to wake Jaden up. If I knew him at all, he’d be pissed about last night, too.
I wanted to disappear with only the warm memory flooding my belly of what his hands felt like on my skin, and not the angry scowl I was sure I’d get from him.
Spying my purse on the table, I grabbed it quickly, careful to make sure the metal buckles didn’t clink-clank on his glass tabletop.
I made the horrible mistake of turning around, trying to search for my flip-flops when I saw Jaden.
He lay sprawled out on the couch, a thick, black blanket pooling at his waist and only covering his bottom half. One leg cocked to the side so I could see a flash of his knee and lower leg. But on top? Nothing covered him. Not even a shirt.
One of his hands fell down his side, his hand cupping his groin, with the other arm flung over his eyes.
I closed my eyes, blinking slowly, as I took in the muscular man. His corded arms and thick biceps. His chest and abs that were thick and muscular, but not chiseled like a model. Instead, he was thick and strong and tough in a way that showed he’d earned his toughness by fighting and hard living—not lifting weights in the gym and surviving on asparagus and chicken.
He lived hard.
He probably fucked hard.
Oh God. What the hell are you doing?
Drool pooled at the edges of my mouth as I stared at him in the early morning daylight. So early that I could tell through the cheap, dusty blinds that the sun was just starting to come up. The small glimpse of light was enough for me to know that he might look like Scratch…
But he didn’t.
He was hard and defined and rough and angry in a way that was uniquely him.
I licked my lips, tried to turn around and search for my damn shoes. I had to get out of there. Quickly.
But when I did, my hip bumped his table and I let out a quiet curse, biting my lip to keep from swearing louder.
“Your shoes are in the truck.”
Crap. I’d woken the beast. A shiver of fear ran down my spine and I straightened up, keeping my back to him.
“You hear me?” His voice was thick and gravelly from sleep, but the creak in the floor told me he was headed my way.
Oh shit.
I nodded, staring at my purse in my hands. “Okay,” I finally muttered. I cleared my throat, feeling a golf ball stuck deep inside. “Thanks, then.”
A jingle of keys behind me had me snapping my head in his direction.
Which was a mistake. Huge mistake. My eyes flew wide and heat burst on every visible part of my skin.
Damn it. He was so…
Hell. Jaden was just a god. A big, angry, lumbering, pissed-off god most of the time. But that didn’t change the way a heated desire instantly flooded my body and pooled in my lower stomach as I took in his large, sleepy, and sexy-as-hell body in one quick glance.
And shit. He was hard. A thick bulge was obvious through his white boxer briefs.
I immediately looked away and began fumbling in my purse. Liv. Dad. Hell, I’d call Satan and sell my soul if the Devil would get me out of this apartment in five seconds.
“Jules.”
My fingers curled around my phone and I pressed it to my chest.
Jaden said my name again, but it wasn’t in the typical growl I’d become so accustomed to.
“What?” I asked, looking over my shoulder. My eyes stayed frozen on his, too afraid of what would happen to my cheeks if I looked further south again.
His head cocked to the side and he ran a hand through his hair. His lips curled and then he sighed. “Give me five minutes and I’ll get you home.”
I swallowed again. No way was I spending the morning in his truck. Me and him and a cramped space with his hair messed from sleep equaled nothing good.
“I’ll call Liv. And I need to get home, I’m sure my parents are worried.”
His nose wrinkled and damn it, when he turned, I glanced down.
Oh, holy hell.
I glanced away but not before I saw a smirk fill his lips. Sexy lips. Swollen, sleepy lips I wanted to –
Shut up!
“I sent your parents a text last night saying you were staying at Liv’s. They won’t be worried.”
My jaw dropped as I caught his boxer-clad ass turning and walking down the hall.
“Five fucking minutes, Jules. We got shit to talk about, and if you sneak out on me I’m going to be pissed.” His voice rang from down the hall, and something about knowing he was in the room—his room—where I’d just been sent a swirl of lust to the apex of my thighs.
“What else is new?” I snapped, because shoot—I’d lost control of my emotions and my tongue around him.
A low, rumbling laugh was all I got in response. It vibrated off the walls of hallway, where I stood frozen, and straight to my groin.
Jaden could laugh?
“You were wasted last night.” The tight grip of his hands on the steering wheel belied the nonchalance of his words.
I moved my eyes from his scarred knuckles and stared straight out the window. The bright sunshine blared into my brain, reminding me of the exact words he spoke.
“Shouldn’t do that shit at the club.”
No shit? I pressed my lips together to prevent the words from escaping. Jaden had been strange ever since I heard that foreign laughing sound in his room. When he’d come out, dressed in his usual jeans and T-shirt and thrown his leather cut on with the Nordic Lords MC logo, he hadn’t said anything. But he stood close to me, held the door for me, and practically escorted me out to his truck.
I’d stayed silent, unnerved. I almost wanted to elbow him in the gut just to hear him swear at me. Maybe that would make everything that almost happened last night finally dissipate from my memory.
Sitting with him in his truck again, inhaling the stench of stale smoke and his damn cologne, wasn’t helping that mission one single bit.
“I was fine,” I said, when I finally remembered he’d said something to me.
“Lot of men in that room wouldn’t have cared if you were too drunk, Jules. We’re not good men.”
I closed my eyes, and the vision of his lips moving close to mine flashed. I fought the urge to call him out, too afraid to start a conversation I was in no hurry to jump into.
When I didn’t answer, Jaden sighed as if exasperated with me.
Finally, we were back to normal. I almost smiled.
“My car almost done?” I asked. “I need it this week.”
The simple question made him curse. The tires squealed in the truck as he jacked the wheel harshly to the left.
Tires spun and I slammed my shoulder into the side window as I reached for the oh-shit handle.
“What the hell?” I screamed as he righted the truck, now driving in the complete opposite direction of my parents’ house.
“Fuck.” He glanced at me, watched me rubbing my shoulder and scowled. “Finished it yesterday, forgot to tell you.”
My lips twisted in pain. My brain still spun in a circle inside my head, rattling against my skull. I needed painkillers. And a nap. Possibly a new brain.
He glanced at me still rubbing my shoulder. “Sorry.”
He muttered the word so softly I almost missed it.
The quick change in direction, the softness in his voice, left me reeling.
“What do you need it for?”
“Huh?” I frowned.
He rolled his eyes and his grip on the steering wheel tightened. “Your car. What do you need it for?”
“Oh.” I fidgeted with my hair, tucking it behind my ears. “Um, I’m moving next weekend.”
“What?” He hissed it at me like he was pissed. Then he growled. “Where?”
Somehow, the angry scowl back in place and the curl of his lips comforte
d me. I knew how to handle a pissed-off Jaden.
I frowned and rubbed my forehead. “Uh… just to the east side of town. I found a place for me and Sophie to move into.”
“Oh.” His wrists cracked as he twisted his hands around the leather steering wheel again.
My frown stayed in place and my eyebrows pulled in as I sat in the cab, watching him but trying not to. His moods not only gave me whiplash, but even snapping at me, he was still being nicer.
Weird. Too weird. I didn’t know what to do make of it, but sitting in his cab as we headed toward the club, I decided I liked it. A lot.
We were quiet until we reached the club, me thinking of not only Jaden, but the new job I was starting a salon in a couple of weeks. I’d met the three silliest and kindest women last week when Liv and Faith and I were getting pedicures. They were sisters, and a bit flaky, but kind and sweet and had offered me a job on the spot.
It wasn’t a teaching position, but it’d pay the bills. Plus they promised me time off to do some substitute work if it became available.
There was no way I could say no. Getting free haircuts and highlights and pedicures was a huge signing bonus. But I needed to move and get Sophie settled into her new daycare before I could start work.
“When are you moving?”
The suddenness of his question had me snapping my head in his direction, and I realized we’d pulled into the clubhouse parking lot.
“Next Friday.”
Jaden opened the door and climbed out. “I’ll get men to help.”
I hopped out of the truck and met him at the front. “Not necessary. But thanks.”
Jaden spun on his heels, and in an instant I found myself plastered against the front of his truck—a wall of hot metal behind me… a wall of hot, angry Jaden in front of me.
He towered over me and I leaned back, tilting my chin to look at him.
His lips pulled into a thin line. “Said I’d get fuckin’ men to help you, Jules.”
Oh God. He smelled delicious. I couldn’t think as his hands went to the hood of his truck at the outside edges of my shoulders. My eyes darted to both of them, back and forth. His hands were so close to being where they’d been on me—just inches from my skin, like last night.