Half an hour ago, Kennedy had brought in some fresh towels and sheets, ordering me to go shower while she stripped and changed the bed. I’d been sweating like an animal, and my sheets needed changing twice daily, preferably being burned to washed they were that bad.
Dragging on a clean pair of sweats and pulling a T-shirt over my head, I walked out to find Kennedy bent over the side of the bed straightening the sheets. That’s when everything went to shit. My brain malfunctioned, and all the blood that should have been dedicated to rational thought went straight to my dick.
I walked up behind her, spun Kennedy to face me, and crushed my lips to hers. The sharp intake of breath, her full, ripe tits pressed against my chest, and the feel of her soft, curvy body in my arms was all too much for me to handle.
It was wrong, she is my brother's girl, but I can’t help in that second how right it felt. To touch her. To taste the sweetness of her mouth. To feel her shifting against me. Everything about Kennedy is perfect, and for a fraction of an instant, she was mine and could pretend she isn’t in love with my brother.
Kennedy abruptly pushed me away, covering her mouth with her hand and I realized when I saw the tears shimmering in her eyes that I’d fucked up royally. I just had to hope I hadn’t destroyed our friendship and anything she had going on with Cash as a result.
That brings us to now, and the most uncomfortable conversation I’ve ever been a part of, not including my admission to my brothers the other week, that is.
*****
“Jump,” Kennedy urges, squeezing my hand gently. “I’m not going to tell anyone. This is between you and me. And while I don’t understand why you did what you did, I trust that you won’t do it again. Okay?”
Thinking about all the ways I’ve fucked up, recently and in the past, I can categorically say, this is one of the worst. And not just because I forced myself on a woman, which is bad enough, but who Kennedy is and what she represents to my brother makes what I’ve done unforgivable.
“You shouldn’t trust me. You shouldn’t forgive me either. Don’t make excuses for me, babe. I fucked up, you and I both know it. Cash is gonna fucking kill me when he finds out, and I’ll deserve every hit he gets in too.”
“You absolutely do not,” Kennedy fumes. “Jump, you made a mistake. Granted, it was a pretty big one, but everyone makes mistakes, so stop trying to hold yourself to a higher standard than the rest of the human race. As for forgiveness, there’s nothing to forgive.”
I completely disagree but stay quiet as she continues.
“Look, I can’t begin to imagine what was going through your head when you kissed me, but I’m willing to bet it had nothing to do with me, and everything to do with seeking comfort. You don’t feel that way about me, Jump. I know you don’t. And if you cut yourself some slack, you’ll see that I’m right.”
“I don’t know about that,” I mutter, adjusting my cock in my pants.
Slapping my bicep, Kennedy grins, and this time, it reaches her eyes.
“That’s a purely biological reaction, Jump, but I’m flattered nonetheless.” With a sigh, she releases my hand and stands up, going to the door and unlocking it. “Think about what I said, and if you decide to tell your brother, please give me a heads up first. Now, I have to go and pick up, Mia. Aislinn is busy today, so I’m playing chauffeur and tour guide for the day.”
Kennedy’s easy dismissal of the latest in a long line of my mistakes doesn’t calm the storm raging inside me, but I appreciate how cool she’s being about it. My head is at war with my heart over confessing what I’ve done to Cash. My head says don’t be a fucking idiot, he’s going to kick your ass, but my heart tells me to suck it up and give honesty a try for once in my life.
Choosing to table that inner debate for later, I realize Kennedy is still babbling away nervously.
“Babe, relax,” I chuckle. “How the hell are you going to hide this from my brother if you can’t act normal around me when it’s just you and me?”
“Sorry. I’ll work on it,” she sighs.
“So, Ella’s little sister is coming into town, hey?” I ask, trying to distract her.
Nodding happily, Kennedy gives me a bright smile devoid of shadows.
“I skyped with her a few times this week, and aside from her being pathologically shy, she’s amazing.”
“Huh,” I muse, quirking an eyebrow at her. “How the hell can you tell she’s amazing if she doesn’t talk?”
“Mia talks, just not a lot,” Kennedy huffs indignantly.
“Is she hot?” I question, knowing it will earn me some form of abuse.
Kennedy doesn’t disappoint, slapping my arm with the back of her hand.
“Don’t even think about it. You’re not in a place where you should be considering a relationship or casual sex for that matter. And Mia isn’t like that anyway.”
“What do you mean by that?” I ask, my eyelids getting heavier by the minute.
Lying back on the bed, I stuff a couple of pillows behind my head and make myself comfortable.
“Ah-ah,” she tsks. “I’m not giving a player like you that kind of leverage,” she adds, telling me what I wanted to know without saying the words. “All I ask is that you be nice to her when she gets here. I know the last nine days have been hard on you, and you’re not out of the woods yet, but just try to behave. For me,” she all but begs.
“What’s this now? She’s going to be staying with us? I don’t fucking think so, Kenny,” I growl, not feeling the least bit tired anymore.
Kennedy crosses her arms over her ample chest, tapping her toes impatiently on the floor.
“Oh, but she is,” she snaps. “Aislinn is going to be in and out of the house on shoots every day, and Mia doesn’t know Gage. She won’t be comfortable staying with him on her own, so I asked Cash if she could stay here. He said yes, so you’re just going to have to suck it up and be a good boy,” Kennedy states condescendingly.
Gritting my teeth, I pray for patience and try to explain why this is such a colossally bad idea.
“I’m not ready, Kenny. I’m not even close to being ready to have people in the house that don’t have the first fucking clue about my situation. And before you say it, no, you can’t fucking tell her.”
“I wasn’t going to suggest that I tell her anything, Jump” Kennedy huffs.
“Yeah, well, find somewhere else for her to stay. You told me she’s twenty-four, so surely she’s not that pathetic she can’t fend for herself,” I say harshly.
A pained gasp sounds from the door that’s now wide open, and in it stands the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on. I would think she was a hallucination conjured from the depth of my fantasies if it wasn’t for the words that come out of her mouth next.
Pale blue eyes, so light they’re almost translucent glance anxiously between Kennedy and me. She looks so nervous, so fragile that I want to go to her, scoop her up into my arms, and comfort her in any way that she’ll let me.
Mia is a tiny little thing all of maybe five foot one with jet black hair that reaches her waist. Her porcelain skin is unblemished except for the hint of a tattoo I saw peeking out from under the hem of her T-shirt as her hands raised to cover her mouth. A tattoo I know instantly that I want to trace with my tongue.
“Oh my God, Mia,” Kennedy cries excitedly, rushing to the tiny sprite and engulfing her in a friendly hug.
Unnerving me, Mia’s eyes don’t leave mine for a second. Kennedy talks animatedly about all the things they’re going to do while she’s in town, where they’ll go and when, but still Mia’s gaze doesn’t waver.
I’m about to ask her what’s so interesting about me when she whispers,
“You’re in pain. Are you going to be okay?”
What. The. Actual. Fuck? Either someone’s been talking, or this little sprite is far too perceptive for my own good.
Like I said, at first I thought she was a figment of my imagination, but now I know that Mia’s real, she scar
es the shit out of me. This woman has the ability to blow my world apart, possibly change everything, which makes her more dangerous than any drug I’ve ever taken. And God help me, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to take that risk.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
~ Cash ~
“Hey, I’ll be back in five minutes. If I’m not, read this again.”
– Cash’s text to Kennedy
Boss is sitting on one of the recliners in my living room with one ankle crossed over his knee, and his arms folded over his chest scrutinizing me.
“You and I need to talk, and I thought it best we keep it between us for now.”
Raising an eyebrow at him, I ask,
“Is that why you sent Kennedy and Mia to your place?”
My President arrived at my front door twenty minutes ago and asked if Kennedy and Mia wouldn’t mind helping Beth out with their three-month-old twins, Jamie, and Heather. According to him, they were teething and had kept Beth up all night so she could do with a break, but I knew better.
Beth is as tough as they come, and a little sleep deprivation wouldn’t have bothered her in the slightest, which brings me to the conclusion Boss used his wife and kids as a diversion.
“Abso-fucking-lutely,” he grins. “I didn’t lie, though. My babies were screaming blue murder most of the night, and I know Beth would enjoy the company.” His grin fades when he asks, “How’s Jump doing? Kennedy said he was over the worst of it, but I want to hear it from you.”
“He’s getting there, brother,” I exhale tiredly. “It was fucked up seeing him go through that, but it looks like he’s out the other side of the withdrawals at least. Kennedy looked into it and found an NA group that meets at a church over in Lower Falls.”
Boss extends his arms settling them on the armrests and nods.
“He gonna go?”
That’s a difficult question to answer. The truth is, I don’t know, so I stick to what I do.
“He says, yes, and I want to believe him, but until I see he’s going regularly, I’m not holding my breath.”
Leaning forward, Boss grips the edge of the chair so hard I hear it creak in protest.
“I’m going to lay it out for you, brother. I don’t make a habit of lying to my men, so I’m not gonna start now. I called church while you’ve been busy with Jump and shared what he told us.”
“Fuck,” I hiss.
Holding up a hand to silence me, Boss goes on to say,
“It had to be done because fuck knows when Jump was going to be up to facing everyone. I’m going to tell you this once and then I don’t want to talk about it ever again,” he warns, pinning me with a glare. “There’s no doubt you should have told us sooner; we’re your brothers, his brothers. It’s our job to have your back and help you when you can’t go it alone, and you robbed us of that opportunity. Cash, by my count, you’ve taken three bullets, a handful of beatings, and delivered even more for the club. No question, we were due to return the favor.”
Jutting my chin out, I argue,
“That’s completely fucking different, and you know it. What I did for the club didn’t come with strings or the expectation of payback.”
“Funny that, because neither would us helping you out,” he returns through gritted teeth. “When you patched in, I said one word to you. Do you remember what it was?”
“Yeah, I do. Unconditional, but I don’t see what that’s got to do with…” my voice trails off as he talks over the top of me.
“It’s got everything the fuck to do with this, so don’t play dumb with me,” he roars, slamming his fist down on the coffee table in front of him. “You accepted your cut which means you accept us, and in turn, we accepted you. No questions. No judgments. No conditions. None of us are in the position to judge what you had to do to protect your brother, and that’s not just because all of us would have done the same fucking thing, either. Every one of us has a past we’d sooner forget. Some are worse than others, and clearly you belong to that group of men, but that doesn’t change the fact that you’re one of us. Jump is too. Yeah, he fucked up, and he’ll have to answer to that, but his mistake wasn’t getting hooked on drugs; it was not trusting his brothers enough to tell us.”
Boss shakes his head, which disperses some of his anger but not all of it.
“The boys are pissed Jump didn’t come to them, but they aren’t ready to string him up and gut him if that’s what you were worried about.”
Something about that sets off warning bells for me. How in the fuck did he know I was worried at all, let alone the details?
“Who talked?” I ask simply, running through the list of suspects in my head.
“I’ll give you one guess, and if it isn’t Kennedy then you’ll be wrong,” he smirks. The bastard.
At this point, I don’t know whether to feel betrayed or proud. Betrayed because she went to my brother without coming to me first, but then there’s the pride I feel at Kennedy feeling comfortable enough to approach my brothers about her concerns. Fuck me! When the hell did my life get so complicated?
As if he can read my thoughts, Boss interjects,
“Don’t be pissed at her. Kennedy was worried about you, which is a good sign, brother. It’s strange, I know, but when women worry, you know they care.”
“Hmm,” I grunt.
Crossing his arms over his chest, Boss relaxes back into his seat which means the worst is over with. He’s said his piece, and now he just wants to shoot the shit.
“Look, you and Jump both need to make an appearance at the clubhouse in the next few days, but Fury told me you were looking to take some time off to head up to the cabin. How about you leave tomorrow, stay three days, and then get your ass home to face the music? I’ll set up a rotation of brothers to watch Jump, and Emily already said she’d have Talon, so you’re all set. Go, get away and get your head on straight.”
As much as I appreciate it, there’s one thing Boss has forgotten.
“We’ve got Mia staying here too, and I don’t think she’ll be comfortable with guys coming and going at all hours,” I remind him.
Furrowing his brow, he asks,
“What’s her deal anyway? I’ve never met a woman who all but runs the other direction at the sight of a man. Our women have been through a lot, but not even they were as skittish as Mia is.”
“It’s not what you think,” I reply, shaking my head. “Nothing’s happened to her to warrant that reaction, she’s just always been like this according to her sister.”
“Ella, Aislinn’s assistant, right?” He confirms.
“Yeah, that’s the one. Ella got knocked up and is due to deliver any day now. Aislinn needed an assistant for one of the bigger jobs she’s doing soon, so Ella volunteered, Mia. Apparently, Mia’s been looking for work after she left her last job on short notice, and hadn’t found anything which meant she was open to taking her sister up on the offer. But if you ask me, it was more a demand with a few threats thrown in than an actual request,” I share.
“She seems like a sweet girl from what I’ve seen of her. Didn’t say two words to me, but Beth likes her, and she’s great with the twins, so that makes her okay in my book.”
“I haven’t got much more out of her myself,” I declare. “What I will say is that if Jump didn’t scare her off with his bullshit about not wanting her here, which Mia overheard inside the first ten minutes she was here, the girl has more backbone than she’s given credit for.”
“Huh,” Boss mumbles quizzically. “You’re not wrong. What’s his issue with her anyway? I don’t see her as being someone who’d get in the way or in his business, so what’s his malfunction?”
Boss’ questions have me smiling the first real smile I’ve cracked this week.
“It’s not that he has a problem with her, more like a thing for her which pisses him the hell off. My brother likes to think he’s immune to women, but Mia get under his skin, and he hates that.”
“But I thought you said s
he doesn’t talk?”
“Oh, she doesn’t, but she doesn’t have to for Jump to have taken an interest in her,” I smirk. “He won’t admit it, but he’s always had a soft spot for tiny, fragile women. Honestly, I think Jump’s got a savior complex when it comes to women who can’t protect themselves physically. What he doesn’t know is that Mia’s a hell of a lot stronger than she looks.”
“How so?” Boss questions.
“She’s been a dancer her whole life apparently, and dancing led to yoga, which led her to work out at the gym. That eventually led her to stay back after her classes to train in self-defense with an ex-cop who happens to be engaged to her sister now. Self-defense opened the door to kickboxing, which Ella says, Mia took to like a fish takes to water.”
“Fuck me, Jump is royally screwed.” Boss groans.
“Yep, that about sums it up,” I agree.
Boss effectively changes the subject, by stating,
“Jump and Mia aren’t the only two things I came over to talk to you about, brother. But to close it off, I’ll call Knight and ask him if he wouldn’t mind having a house guest for a few days.”
Vengeance MC Box Set - Volume 2: Gage ~ Cash ~ Knight (Vengeance MC series Book 8) Page 42