Never Kiss an Exile: Exile Love Biker MC Series Book 1

by Kara Summers

  He looked at me, his hands shaking just a little. I sighed and stood, kneeling in front of him and reaching out to take his hand.

  “These crimes are hard,” I said gently. “The answers don’t come easily, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to try,” I said, looking up at him.

  He nodded slowly, looking down at me. His eyes were clouded, and for the first time I realized that he was confused. It was a gaze that held far too many emotions too express. He reached and touched my cheek, my face flushing.

  “You look so different like this,” he whispered.

  “Different?”

  “From the first night I saw you.”

  “Oh. You remembered me?” I asked, laughing nervously. “I thought I managed to get away without being recognized.”

  “How could I forget a rose like you?” he whispered.

  His fingers were tracing the line of my jaw now and was turning to mush under his hands. I was staring into his steely eyes as he started to lean down. My heart was beating a million miles a minute and I turned my head quickly, trying to hide my embarrassment.

  “It must be a letdown to see me so plain then,” I said.

  He turned my head so that I was forced to look at him and smiled softly. “No, I think I like you like this better.”

  My eyes widened and I swallowed thickly, rising to my feet and trying to ignore the fire that was burning through my veins.

  “I should go finish looking through the crime scene,” I stammered.

  He released me and nodded, standing to top off his drink. “Of course,” he said, regaining his composure.

  I all but ran out of the study, my heart jumping so far into my throat I could taste it. I put a hand to my chest and let out a soft whimper. Was this really happening? In the end it didn’t really matter if it was real or not because I had a job to do. Jasper was mourning and people did strange things when they were in mourning.

  I wanted to chalk it up to his sadness, but as the days turned to weeks his advances only became more obvious. Even as the sadness faded to something a little less intense he continued to tell me I was beautiful and touch me in ways that made me want more. We were playing a dangerous game and I didn’t even know the rules.

  This case was one of the hardest I’d ever taken on, and I had to admit that if it were anyone else, I probably would have given up by now and moved onto the next case, but I felt loyalty to Jasper. I didn’t want to leave him with questions.

  It was going on two weeks and I hadn’t left the mansion yet. Ivana sent messengers with finger print records and letters regarding the business. She was holding down the fort in my absence and had managed to solve quite a few cases on her own. I was impressed with her work and made a mental note to tell her how proud I was when I arrived home.

  I missed my office, but not enough to leave Jasper’s side. I wanted to be near him and I wanted to make him happy. When we spent time together he made me feel things I’d never felt before in my life, and I honestly didn’t know how to reconcile it. Keeping a professional relationship was becoming difficult.

  I was staying in one of the many guest bedrooms the mansion had to offer, and Jasper and I had adopted a bedtime ritual. We would meet in the study to have a glass of whiskey while we found out more about one another.

  “Isn’t it hard?” he asked on evening.

  “Isn’t what hard?” I asked, cocking a brow.

  He hummed and stroked his chin as if he were considering his answer. “Being a woman and doing what you do?”

  I couldn’t help but roll my eyes a little “Please. I have just as much fortitude as a man,” I murmured. “I don’t frighten easily, and I have a strong stomach.”

  He shook his head and set his glass down. “That’s not what I mean.”

  I blinked and cocked my head. “What do you mean then?”

  “Well, people must talk,” he said softly. “You’re a woman in a man’s world.”

  I sighed and nodded. “Of course people talk. I’m fairly certain people have been gossiping since humans developed language,” I murmured. “I just ignore it.”

  “It’s that easy?”

  “Of course not, I’ve just had a lot of practice. I’ve always been a strange bird, as my father liked to say,” I admitted with a small smile.

  He nodded and smiled, standing and walking over to touch my hand. He leaned down and pressed a tender kiss to my cheek, the scent of whiskey lingering on his breath.

  “Don’t ever change,” he whispered huskily.

  I blushed deeply and nodded slowly, watching as he turned and left, heading toward his own chambers.

  For a moment, I considered following him, but the lewd thoughts made my cheeks burn and I retired to my own room for the evening, doing my best to ignore the ache in my chest and between my legs.

  Chapter Nine

  I did my nightly routine before crawling into bed, sinking into the silk sheets and covering myself with the down comforter. I never had finery like this before. My business was successful but I wasn’t rich by any stretch of the imagination. I was comfortable and fed, but I never had the extra money to spend on things like down comforters. I was going to enjoy it while I could.

  I dozed off rather quickly, which was not strange for me. I was a heavy sleeper and so when I felt weight pressing into the bed, I was convinced that I must be dreaming.

  The bed creaked under the stranger’s weight and soon I could feel breath on my ear. I turned, my eyes bleary from sleep. My gaze met eyes as black as night and a face that was shrouded in cloth. I could feel the person’s hot breath through the thin linen and I could feel soft mounds pressed against my shoulder. In that moment, I realized this was a woman beside me.

  She reached out and stroked my hair almost tenderly as her fingers wandered down to brush my neck. I was frozen with fear, but just as she started to put pressure on my throat, my body came alive and I jumped up, running out of my bedroom, screaming until my throat was raw.

  I grabbed a lantern off the wall and swung it around to cast light on the strange woman who’d followed me. When I turned, my chest heaving beneath the thin, linen slip, I saw nothing. I was alone in the hall and no one was emerging from my room.

  My eyes darted around the hall, hand shaking. Just as I started to come down, believing my experience to be the result of a vivid nightmare, someone reached out and touched my shoulder. I spun around, lantern raised in the air, ready to come down on the head of the poor soul who dared touch me. My eyes were wide and wild and my breathing uneven.

  My gaze met Jasper’s and he managed to catch my wrist before I could clock him over the head. “What in the world is going on?” he asked sleepily.

  “There was a woman in my room,” I whimpered.

  He frowned and gently released my arm, taking my hand and leading me back to the bedroom. I tucked myself behind him, my eyes wide in fear. He approached the door slowly, finally throwing it open. The room was empty, though my bed was a mess from where I’d scrambled out of it so quickly.

  Jasper wandered inside, opening doors and checking under my bed like someone might do for a child. As he checked, I felt a sudden wave of embarrassment flow through me. It had all been a dream. I swallowed and looked away as he returned to my side.

  “There’s no one here. You must have had a bad dream.”

  It had seemed so real. I nodded slowly and ran a shaking hand through my hair. “Right, a dream,” I echoed, my voice far away.

  I stood in the doorway, almost terrified to enter the room again. Jasper stood beside me and rubbed my arm for a moment before he turned to walk way. I could feel the tears welling in my eyes at the thought of being in that room by myself. I had felt the weight of that woman upon me, I’d felt her breasts against my arm and gazed into her black eyes. It had seemed so real, but it couldn’t have been. Could it?

  I was seconds from breaking down when Jasper returned, looking me up and down. “You shouldn’t be alone after having such a bad
dream. Would you like to spend the night with me?” he asked thickly.

  My body flushed in embarrassment, but the offer was too tempting to resist. I nodded quickly and walked after him, swallowing. “Yes. I don’t want to be alone. I know it’s silly, but I’m frightened,” I admitted weakly, gripping his arm.

  He put his hand over mine and led me down the hall to his room. The candles had all been put out hours ago and I couldn’t see much of the spacious room, but I could tell that it was large and decorated with rich colors. He got in the bed first and I sank in beside him, lying on my back and staring at the ceiling, my breathing coming a little faster.

  “Good night, Beatrice,” Jasper said.

  “Good night,” I whispered in return, my voice thread with a hint of fear.

  We lay in silence for a long time and as I stared into the darkness, all I could focus on was his breathing. It was a smooth, steady rhythm that brought me some comfort. I could focus on it and let the rest of the world fall away.

  I was almost asleep when I made the mistake of turning to look at him. His face was perfect. He was the most beautiful man I’d ever laid eyes on, even as he lies there, sleeping. I reached out and touched his face, focusing on every curve and line of his features. As I touched him, his eyes opened and I did a very, very stupid thing.

  I closed the space between us, placing a kiss on his smooth lips. It felt good to have his lips on me. He was so warm and so strong. I didn’t like admitting that I wanted or needed a man around, but just for tonight, I could let myself be weak. I was afraid of the person who’d snuck into my room and I knew Jasper didn’t believe me, but I knew what I saw.

  The kiss lasted only a brief moment and when he parted he was looking down at my, a hint of sleep still in his eyes. Would he remember this come morning? A part of me hoped he didn’t, but most of me wanted him to remember everything. I wanted him to put aside any thoughts he had about me and I wanted him to hold me and care for me. For the first time in my life I wanted approval from a man.

  He cupped my cheeks and offered another tender kiss. “You’re safe now, Bea,” he whispered, using my nickname.

  I liked the way it rolled off his tongue. I nodded and tucked my head against his chest. “Don’t let go, okay?” I pleaded softly, hating the fear in my voice.

  “I’ll be right here when you wake up,” he promised.

  I took him at his word, allowing my eyes to drift closed and allowing myself to relax and find peace in his arms. I’d never understood why women were always so desperate to marry, but laying in his arms, feeling safe and cherished made me want it just as badly.

  I was under his spell and I had no desire to fight it.

  Chapter Ten

  I could already feel the sun on my face before I even opened my eyes. When they finally did flutter open, I was a bit surprised to find that I wasn’t in the room I’d been staying it. I jolted upright, my eyes wide and unfocused as I looked around the room, my head spinning. Where was I? I could feel my breath coming faster and harder as I tried to piece together what was happening.

  Suddenly, the person beside me (who I hadn’t noticed until now) gave a loud snore and turned over. I jumped and pulled my blanket up over my chest, suddenly realizing I was naked. As I stared at Jasper’s beautiful face I started to remember when had happened the night before. I could remember his hands running along my body, leaving trails of hot pleasure as they went. I chewed on my bottom lip as the thought overwhelmed me. I shivered and wrapped my arms around myself, trying to ignore the desperate need to be touched.

  I could not stay here. Staying in bed would make me want to wrap myself around his strong figure. I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth and took in a shaky breath as I turned to slide out of the bed. Before I could make it too far, Jasper reached out and grabbed my wrist, groaning softly.

  “Where are you going?” he asked, his sleepy eyes cracking open just a little.

  I looked at him with wide eyes, probably looking like a child who’d been caught with their hand in the cookie jar. I stumbled on my words, trying to find something semi intelligent to say, though nothing seemed to want to come out. He just smiled and pulled me back into the bed, wrapping his arms around me and kissing me gently. He pressed his lips to my temple and my body lit up all over again.

  I’d been raised as a proper lady, despite the fact that I’d tried to ignore those tendencies my entire life. However, the subject of sex had always been something I’d avoided, like a good girl should. No one ever explained it to me. My mother died when I was young and my nannies were all too prudish to tell me. I did not really know much about it until I became an adult and started talking to other adult women. It was something that always interested me and terrified me at the same time. After all, it sounded rather messy and painful. In all honesty, the concept of it had terrified me, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that Jasper had been gentle. There had been no pain.

  Even now he held me close and I felt safe rather than intimidated. He sighed and I could feel him nuzzling the back of my neck.

  “What are you doing?” I asked softly, curious as to what this handsome man was up to.

  “Taking in your scent,” he purred.

  My cheeks went hot with embarrassment and I swallowed thickly. “It’s morning. I can’t possibly smell very good,” I murmured.

  “On the contrary, you smell flowers in the spring time,” he whispered, running his fingers through my hair.

  My body was coming alive again and I started to pull away from him. The amount of control he had over me terrified me. I tried to pull away but he just pulled me back down and shook his head.

  “Where are you going?” he chuckled softly.

  “I have a job I need to do,” I said quickly.

  His grip loosened and I could hear the disappointment in his voice. “Right.”

  Apparently our late night romp had been enough to give him some sort of reprieve from his grief over his dead nanny. But the coroner was coming to get her today, which meant it was my last day to get information from the body.

  I sighed and turned in his arms, pressing my forehead to his. I was not, by nature, an affectionate person. I’d never received a lot of affection as a child, and therefore didn’t really know how to give it. With Jasper, however, I felt almost an instinct as to what to do to lessen his sadness.

  “I know this much be so hard for you. I know it’s tempting to just ignore the grief and anger, and sweep it under the rug. It’s tempting to drink away the horrors of the world and forget that these things exist. I know, I’ve been doing it for most of my life,” I said as I stroked his jaw.

  He did not look up at me, but nodded slowly. “I want to catch the bastard that did this to her. She was such a good woman. She did not deserve to be carved up like a slab of meat,”

  he hissed, his voice shaking.

  “I know. No one does,” I said, forcing myself to sit up. I allowed the blanket to slip away, not caring much about modesty anymore. He had seen, touched, and tasted all of me the night before.

  He followed suit and closed his eyes, resting his head against the head board. “Do you think you’ll find who did this?”

  “I hope I do.”

  What I did not tell him, was that as each day passed, the killer was slipping further from my grasp. Time was a detective’s greatest enemy. It put distance between the crime and the person investigating it. Each day that passed was time that evidence slipped away and disintegrated.

  The other thing I did not tell him, was that I did not think the person in my room was a dream or a hallucination. I knew in my bones that they were very real and that she was the key to this whole mystery.

  Chapter Eleven

  Jasper was hesitant to let go of me as the morning drew on. He wanted me by his side, and while I found that to be oddly charming, I knew I had a job to do. The city was going to be coming by to collect the body and they worked quickly.

  I climbed from bed and dressed
in a rush, opting to skip breakfast and go straight to the greenhouse. Ivana had sent me the records of criminals whose finger prints might have matched the ones I found on the shears. She also sent me the names of people who might fit the profile of the person I was looking for. I hesitated to call the person a man, because the wounds to the face seemed like something a woman would do. Women would be more likely to find marring the face insulting. I hadn’t voiced this to Jasper yet, however. Many people struggled to believe that a woman could do something so heinous, but I’d seen it plenty of times.

  I went straight to work collecting more fingerprints off anything I could find, including the body. I was also going to take fingerprints off the bed posts and windows in the room where I was attacked. It seemed a bit farfetched to think that the person who broke into my room might also be the killer, but if it was then I needed to know. Were they there to kill me because I was on their trail? I could not piece that together quite yet, but I could not help but feel that the two incidents were related.

  As I was lifting finger prints from several places inside the greenhouse, one of the city collectors poked their head in. His nose wrinkled and he stepped inside, covering his face with a kerchief.

  “Ma’am, what exactly are you doing in here? Don’t you know this is a crime scene?”

  I looked up from the shears and stood, one eyebrow cocked. “Don’t you know I’m the detective that’s been assigned to this case?” I asked in return.

  The man seemed shocked for a moment, looking me up and down and clearly trying to figure out whether I was lying or not. I put a hand on my hip and gave him a serious look. “Do you need to see my badge?”

  “Oh, no that won’t be necessary.” There was a moment of awkward silence before he cleared his throat again. “Well, I suppose you can leave this to us now. We’re here to take the body away.”