“I think I do.” I pressed my hips back into his and could feel the hard ridge in his pants as it pressed against my ass. He muttered some more words that I couldn’t make out, but as the beat to music changed to a sultrier one, I couldn’t help but the think the DJ knew exactly what he was doing to us. “I want your body like the very first time,” Keith Sweat’s voice was low and the bass made my every nerve tingle. Smoke filled the room and the strobes flashed around us.
Even though the dance floor was packed, it felt like we were all alone as Jase’s hands began to trail all over me. I dipped low before spinning in his arms and grinding my hips into his. His head fell back as his eyes closed, and he jerked me closer to him, leaving no space between us. “You’re going to unman me right here if you keep that up,” he growled before slamming his lips down on mine and driving his tongue into my mouth.
My body hummed with the pent up desire he’d been playing with most of the night, and as his mouth devoured mine, I grabbed one of his hands and dragged it around to squeeze my ass. He froze as his hand felt around before his released my mouth. His eyes darkened to almost black before he leaned closer and hissed, “You aren’t wearing any fucking panties.”
I grinned up at him, nibbling on my lips. I’d been waiting all night for him to discover this. The last time we’d been to this club, we weren’t together. We’d both left more pissed off at each other than we’d ever been. Even though Jase finally let me in that night, I still had this burning desire to chase all the demons this place still held over me away.
I’d carefully planned in my head how I wanted to tease and taunt him finally letting him discover what I had hidden under this dress, but it had taken longer than I’d planned to get him on the dance floor. I leaned in close to his ear as I licked my lips, “This dress is the only thing in the way of you touching this body.”
“Fuck me,” he muttered, and his grip tightened. I was wearing some very high-heeled shoes, and our frames matched up perfectly for what I had in mind.
“I’d like that.” I nipped his ear and leaned back to look at his eyes once again before slowly pulling away. It took him a minute to jump into action, but when he figured out what I had planned, he tightened his grip on my hand and let me lead him toward the bathrooms in the back.
It was dark back there, and no one was looking for us at the moment. Sam had Dev, and Mason had found some girl that he was hoping to get lucky with. Neither of us were paying attention to our surroundings. Neither of us saw the man from earlier staring or following us as we slipped into the bathroom together.
Chapter 16
Jasen
Today has been an odd day. I’ve had this weird feeling all day that something bad was going to happen. It’s been a week since the verdict came in, and all has been quiet around here. Life had been happening normally, and I’ve been trying to move past it all. I put in a transfer to homicide, and according to my captain, it shouldn’t take long to process. I had a great jacket, and any division would be happy to have me. His words, not mine.
Before Tiff left for work a few hours ago, I begged her to call in. It was the first time I’d ever asked, but I couldn’t help it. This dark cloud had been hanging over me all day. The moment I woke up, I felt it. I didn’t know what it meant, but the foreboding feeling grew stronger as the day progressed.
Now, I sat here on my couch, trying to watch TV to pass the time. Tiff has to close the bar tonight, and it’ll be after two before she gets back. I offered to give her a ride, but she told me no. Now that Simon’s locked up, she’s slowly been pulling away from my protection. I’ve tried not letting it worry me, but I have to admit, it’s killing me sitting here knowing that she’s out there where anything could happen. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to fully relax when I’m not with her, but I’m trying.
I picked up the remote to change channel once again when my phone started jumping around on the coffee table. I picked it up and grinned when I saw Dev’s number flash across the screen. “What’s up, asshole?” I chuckled.
“Wanna grab a drink? Sam’s working, and I’m going nuts over here,” he sighed into the phone.
“What about Mara? You can’t just leave her there,” I scoffed.
“She’s at Grandma’s this weekend. You know, so we can have some alone time?” he sighed and I could hear him moving around the room.
“Oh yeah,” I snickered. “Baby making time huh?” I clicked the TV off, suddenly interested in his offer.
“That’s what I thought,” he groaned. “But she’s been working like crazy. I don’t know how we’re supposed to get pregnant if we can’t even manage to be in the same building for long. So, drinks?”
“I’m game. I’ll meet you there in five minutes.” I shuffled over to where my shoes were by the door and began stuffing my feet into them.
“All right. Later, dude.” He clicked off the line, and I stuffed my wallet and badge in my back pocket. I knew Tiff would think I was checking up on her, but with this looming feeling, I really didn’t care. Dev was my excuse to get there, and now I could quietly observe from afar.
ooooooooo
Tiffany
I felt him the minute he walked in the door. I was surprised he’d stayed away as long as he did, but he’d been trying lately to give me my space. I’d pushed him to let me do things without an escort, and he’d been working really hard to let me. I knew he worried, and I knew that what we were doing wasn’t in his comfort zone, but he was trying, and I knew I needed to give him a break.
I shook my head as I glanced up and saw Dev come walking in right behind Jase. They didn’t take their normal seats at the bar though. They both walked to the far corner near the pool tables and claimed a spot. There was a group of young guys that had been playing pool most of the night but now seemed to be leaving. Jase was nodding at something Dev said before claiming a que stick. The next thing I knew, Dev was making his way toward me.
“Pitcher of Bud Lite and two mugs,” he grinned as he leaned on the bar. He glanced back over his shoulder to nod at Jase before he tossed some bills on the bar.
“Your money’s not good here, remember?” I shook my head as I grabbed a pitcher and began pouring the beer.
“Right, forgot,” he grumbled as a few patrons began to get up and leave. We were only going to be open for another hour, and I wasn’t really sure why he was coming in so late.
“What are you guys doing here? Checking up on us?” I teased as Sam breezed by me. Lena had called in sick, and Sam was filling in tonight. It felt odd having her behind the bar again after she’d stepped away all those months ago.
“Well,” he gripped his chin as his eyes followed Sam. “I was hoping to get a little time with my wife since this is supposed to be our alone time weekend.” He licked his lips as he stared at her while she bent over into the cooler.
“We close in an hour, Casanova. How about I join you then for a game?” She looked back at him and winked.
“Sounds like a plan,” he chuckled as he grabbed the pitcher and waited for me to hand him the mugs. As soon as I placed them on the bar, he grabbed them, turned, and began striding back to where Jase was waiting by the pool table.
As the next hour ticked by, Sam and I worked in sync to serve the last few customers and begin cleaning the place. Business had picked up as the temperature rose outside, but things still weren’t as busy as they were in the cooler months. I knew that once concert season ended, things would go back to normal, but I worried that business was going to suffer.
“I’m going to pull this drawer and start counting it. Wanna go ahead and do last call?” She released the register drawer with a ding, and carried it back to her office. We only had a handful of people left, so I walked the bar and asked each one if they were good for the night before I began counting beers, and slowly preparing to close.
When the last customer had paid and made his way out, I sighed in exhaustion before flipping the open sign to closed. Mason has gone home
earlier because business was slow enough that we could manage without him. I didn’t even think about locking the door. That was Mason’s job, and his not being here hadn’t even registered with me. I had a routine, and wasn’t used to the having to add other chores to my already long list.
I moved back behind the bar and began wiping things down, dumping unused fruit, counting beers, stacking clean glassware... all the things that needed to be done before I could leave. Dev and Jase were still playing pool as they waited for us to finish. Every now and then I’d hear one them yell at the other in a teasing voice. They were used to this and didn’t seem to mind. Sam hadn’t emerged from her office yet, so I released the second register drawer and pulled it free. I figured the least I could do would be to carry it back to her. I knew what needed to be done, and I didn’t mind helping.
As I rounded the end of the bar, I heard the ding of the door signaling that someone was coming in. “We’re closed,” I called with my back turned toward the door. I had the drawer held to my chest and was trying to get it to Sam so I could lock up. I chastised myself for forgetting as I turned to face the customer I was going to have to turn away.
“That’s ok,” his voice was low, ominous, and he didn’t look like the normal crowd we got in here. He was wearing dark suit pants, and a dress shirt that had the sleeves rolled up. His hair was slicked back, and a gold chain hung around his neck. I swallowed as he stared at me. His eyes started at my feet, and slowly made their way up my body as he stood there leering.
I swallowed before calling to Sam. “Can you come out here a minute, Boss?”
“Tiff, I’m kinda busy,” her voice came drifting out of the office, and I turned to glance back in her direction. I heard his feet shift as he moved closer, and my head snapped back in his direction.
“I’ve been waiting to meet you,” his lip curled up on one side. “You’re prettier than I thought you’d be.”
“Do I know you?” I slowly stepped back, but for every step I backed up, he advanced. The guys were oblivious to the situation and I continued to hear them ribbing each other as billiard balls clicked together, signaling another game had been started.
“Nope, but I know you. I know your boyfriend too.” He reached out and ran a finger down my arm, causing me to shudder and take another step back. This guy gave me the creeps, and no one seemed to be the wiser that he was even here.
“You need to leave,” I swallowed. “Now!” My raised voice must have caught the guy’s attention. Within seconds, Jase was striding around the corner.
“What’s taking you so long? I thought we were going to have drin...” the words stopped as he stumbled to a halt, taking in the situation. His hand reached toward his hip where he usually had his gun holstered, but it wasn’t on him tonight. A look of dread passed over his face when he realized he was unarmed.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” he growled as he stepped closer to me. He halted though when the stranger pulled a gun from behind his back and aimed it in my direction. Every bad thing that I’d ever read about or seen in a movie came rushing to the forefront of my mind.
“Thought I’d pay your girl here a little visit,” he sneered at Jase.
“Leave her out of this, Jeremy. Your beef is with me,” Jase warned.
“I don’t think I want to. I think I might have a little piece of this sweet ass, before I put you down. She’s kinda pretty, and she looks like she’d be a good lay,” he snickered as he stepped closer, aiming the gun right at my chest. I inched away, hoping that Sam had heard something and dialed 911, but I wasn’t counting on it.
“I’m not going anywhere with you.” I tried to sound confident, but my voice shook lightly.
“You are right, sweetheart,” his voice rose and I saw the coldness in his stare once again. “We’re not going anywhere. I’m gonna take you right here on the bar in front of him. He’s gonna watch. He’s going to hear you beg for mercy as I bury myself deep between your legs. He’s gonna watch and know that he couldn’t save you.”
“No,” I shook my head as I stumbled slightly. The register drawer crashed to the floor, and tears started to leak from my eyes as I realized that all of Jase’s worry had been real. The warnings that I’d brushed away were justified, and Jeremy was going to rip us apart in the one place that other than Jase’s apartment that I felt safe.
“Oh, yes,” he smirked as he waved the gun up and down in front of me. My eyes connected with Jase’s and watched as he nodded ever so slightly in the direction he’d been with Dev. Dev was barely peeking out behind the corner with his weapon drawn. I blinked as I started to move, and that’s when it happened. Two shots rang through the air. It all happened at once, and my vision clouded as my brain tried to keep up with what was happening.
It was a blur, but Jase darted between us while he shoved me to the ground. His body covered mine as I screamed in fear. I squeezed my eyes closed as the world around me spun out of control.
“You’re ok. You’re ok,” Jase’s voice was soothing as we laid there on the floor of the bar. He was groaning and his face was twisted in pain. Dev was kneeling beside Jeremy, holding him down with a knee to his back. He’d pulled his hands behind him and was cuffing him. “Call a bus,” Jase groaned as he lifted himself off of me.
I glanced down at my clothes and saw the blood. My breath started coming quicker as the panic attack I’d been fighting came roaring back. My hands shook as I wrapped my arms around myself to try and stay calm. Sam had her cell phone in her hand, and was talking to someone while Dev had his phone to his ear calling in the shooting.
“This is Sergeant Devlin Ford. I’m located at 2245 Malloy Road. I need back up and a bus. Officer and suspect wounded.” He tossed his phone as he shifted Jeremy’s body on the floor to a sitting position. He groaned, but Jase didn’t let him speak.
“You’re lucky you’re alive,” Jase barked at him. “You ever come near me or my family again and I will blow your fucking head off! You hear me, Jer?” Jase snarled before it turned into a painful groan.
“It’s a flesh wound; you’ll live,” Dev chuckled as he pressed a clean bar rag to the bloody wound in Jase’s shoulder.
“You ok?” He glanced at me, and I finally found my voice. I hadn’t even put together that Jase been caught in the crossfire yet.
“Oh god, oh god, oh god. You’re shot,” I gasped as I scrambled over to help Jase hold the towel to his shoulder.
“I’ll live. It hurts like a motherfucker though,” he groaned just as the paramedics came rushing inside. I could see the flashing lights coming through the front windows, and I tried to stay in the present, but my body wasn’t having it.
I could feel myself trembling, and when the paramedics came over to check on me, I felt numb. Everything was happening in slow motion. Jeremy was walked out in cuffs, and Jase was being tended to. I heard words like ‘through and through’ and ‘flesh wound’.
One of the men nodded in my direction when Jase pointed with this his good arm toward me. As the man turned, my vision began to fade. The darkness that had been right on the corners of my vision slowly took over until I was swallowed in it. I’d held off on passing out for as long as I could, but the roar of emotions that flooded me were too much, and I surrendered to the darkness.
Chapter 17
Jasen
“Is she ok?” I reached forward to grab Tiff’s hand as we rode together in the back of the ambulance. Dev had gotten stuck at the scene since he was involved in the shooting. I would have to answer questions later since I’d taken a bullet.
“Sir,” the paramedic who was taking Tiff’s vitals put his hand out as if to keep me back. “You need to stay back and let us do our job.”
“Tell me what’s wrong with her!” I demanded and growled in frustration as a searing pain shot from my shoulder down through my arm. “Motherfucker!” I hissed.
“Sir,” the paramedic went about working on Tiff as he glanced at me. “She seems fine. She just passed out.
” He removed some smelling salts from a container, and as he ran them under Tiff’s nose, her eyes slowly blinked open.
“Jase?” Her voice sounded raspy as her eyes fluttered a few times.
“I’m right here, baby,” I soothed as I tried to reach for her once again. This time I was held back by the IV that had been put in my arm. “Goddamn!” I growled as I shifted in the tiny space, trying to get closer to her. My pain level hadn’t really registered with my brain yet; it only wanted to know that Tiff was ok.
“Where are we?” she mumbled as she attempted to look around. “What happened?”
“We’re on our way to the hospital.” I maneuvered so I could hold her hand. “You passed out; it’s just a precaution.”
“Sir,” the paramedic called for my attention once again, but when my eyes connected with his, he backed off.
“I’m fine,” I growled, low and authoritative. I’d been shot before, but I’d had a vest on. This was the first to pierce the skin, and even though I knew I was going to be fine, it still hurt like a bitch.
“Oh god,” Tiff whimpered, drawing my attention back to her. “You’re hurt. Oh god, you’re hurt.” Her voice started to panic as she tried to sit up, the straps on the gurney preventing her from moving.
“I’m fine,” I assured her. “Relax.”
“No,” she shook her head. “You should be lying here, not me,” she tried again, and the paramedic began filling a syringe with something.
“This will help calm her,” he mumbled as he reached for Tiff’s arm.
“No,” she pulled away. “I’m fine.”
“You need to stay still. We’re almost there.” At that moment, the ambulance came to a halt and the rear door flew open. I was ushered one way, and Tiff was taken the other.
Promise Me Tomorrow: Book 3 in the Witness Series (Volume 3) Page 13