Chapter Twenty-Four
Darkness.
The heavy presence at Cassie’s back pinned her down, pressing her breasts and belly and thighs into the bed.
Warm breath tickled her ear, and her heart kicked it into high gear.
She couldn’t move. She couldn’t see.
And she couldn’t scream because a huge, rough hand clamped over her mouth as soon as she turned her head.
She screamed. She screamed and kicked and bit.
“Whoa there.”
Relief flooded her every fiber when Jase ran his big, warm hands down her in his arms.
“You,” she whispered.
His voice was unmistakable, his scent all too familiar, and the weight of his body against hers prompted the same, undeniable response it always had. For a second though…
His breath rasped against her ear again, raising the hairs along her neck and spine. “We’ve been back from the hospital for two days and you still haven’t come to my bed.”
“I…” she stuttered, distracted at the ache building in her loins. “I’ve been in your bed every night.”
“That’s not what I mean. I’ve been waiting for you to come to me with all this pent-up shit I can feel every time you look at me.”
“Oh.” And he had. He’d loved her and babied her and touched her everywhere. She thought he’d been the one holding back.
“Oh,” he said, grinding into her backside. “And I’m tired of waiting.” He nuzzled into her neck, just behind her ear, and the heat of arousal flared white-hot. “You have anything you need to say to me before we do this?”
She had no idea what he meant. And she wanted to touch him. He had her caged, and it was much too like… No! She wasn’t going to think about that. Except that if she was being truly honest, the things Oscar had said to her, the way he’d touched her…it had come between them. Angry that she’d let it, she gritted her teeth. “If you want to talk, you don’t have to pin me to the bed to do it,” she ground out.
“Oh no, baby,” Jase chuckled. The bastard chuckled! “This isn’t about talking.” He twisted her neck, and she saw the look of hunger on his face.
“This is crazy,” she whispered as a new wave of heat enveloped her. “We’re all beat up and sore and you look like you’re about to ravish me.”
He chuckled again. “You know what I’ve realized? We’re all fucking crazy. You know what else? Life is too damn short. What happened, happened. But it’s over now.”
He was right. It was madness, all of it. Love was mad and didn’t make sense, and people were just people, needy and messed up and looking to be loved.
He kissed down her neck and shoulder and slid his body against hers. It felt so damn good, and she began moving against him, only to be cut off and wrenched to her knees. She found herself painfully aroused by the dominant display. Wondering how far it would go, she planted her elbows on the bed and bowed her back, offering her body—and herself. That’s what he wanted. That’s what he’d come for. And she wanted him to have it all.
He buried his face between her legs, and she swayed into him. Her nipples grazed the sheets, bringing heightened sensation to the rasp of whiskers against her thighs. Jase was hungry, he was angry, and his tongue felt so damn hot, she melted in his mouth. When he pulled away to position himself, she lifted her head, worried about his leg. She saw it cocked out, his foot planted on the bed by her hip. His other thigh slapped against hers as he sheathed himself with a hard, driving thrust. They cried out as one, and she clamped down as he pulled out, creating a delirious friction that had him hissing and her moaning in absolute abandon.
He plowed into her, again and again, loosening her, priming her for the lesson she knew had only just begun. “Oh God…” Wow. This wasn’t make-up sex, sweet and slow and tender. That’s not what this was at all.
He put all his weight behind his next thrust and leaned over her back. His chest lay hot and slick against her skin, and when he fisted the hair at her nape, twisting her face to his, she flamed down to her toes. “Tell me you don’t feel my heart pounding,” he whispered, a breath from her lips. “That’s how it felt when I saw you tied to that bed.” He pushed deeper, seating himself completely, his mouth on hers, her hands twisting in the sheets. “That’s never going to happen again. No one else is ever going to tie you to a bed but me,” he said roughly. “So get it out now, any fear you might have. Give it to me,” he whispered. “Give it to me, baby.”
“Always.”
“Good, because I’m going to give you everything I have, too.” Finally.
He wrapped a hand around her throat a second before his tongue invaded her mouth, before he filled every part of her so full she exploded. She must have nearly bitten his tongue off, because he growled deeply and grasped her hips, pounding deep, extending her orgasm beyond anything she thought possible.
His hand cracked against her ass cheek.
“That’s for not answering my calls. You understand?” he demanded, as if it were possible for her to form words. She didn’t answer so he did it again—a spike of heat, intense and lingering. “There’s something else you need to understand, something you might have been confused about when you left, so I’m going to ask very slowly.” But before he did, he bent down to kiss her ass, right where he’d smacked her. “Who do I belong to?” he whispered, nipping at her tingling flesh.
What escaped her lips kind of sounded like a response, but in truth, it came out more like a guttural groan.
“You like this don’t you?”
“Y-yes.”
“Should’ve done it before.” He popped her ass again.
“Yes.”
That’s when he spanked her. With his palm, with the back of his hand. He peppered her with shockwaves of pain-tinged pleasure, all the while driving his point home, again and again. Light in the aftermath of her orgasm, her body resisted none of it. She rode atop a pure, obscene sensation, one she’d never known existed. He’d warned her, but she hadn’t quite expected this level of dominance, nor how much she’d like it there, on the knife’s edge between pleasure and pain.
He panted behind her, each breath edged with a need he hadn’t yet quenched. Sweat-slicked, their bodies slapped and slid against each other. It was so deliciously dirty, every bit of it—her reaching up to cling to the headboard, Jase’s hand grasping tight to her breast, that same hand delving between her legs to tease and torment. But it was his rough palm, hard and demanding, that brought her to the edge again.
“I’m yours,” he said, both hands hard at her hips again and pulling her into every thrust. “Only you. Say it.”
“Only me,” she gasped.
“And you’re mine.” He proceeded to lay down that claim in no uncertain terms, too, taking what was his in a manner calculated and forceful, in an exhibition of possession that left her desperate to give him everything he demanded.
He twisted her onto her side, and her hip hit the bed as his mouth took hers, demanding still more than she’d already given, more than he’d already taken, and when his body went rigid, seconds later, Cassie welcomed that, too, into her, into the very deepest part and held it there, just as Jase held her body when he finally collapsed.
She felt him and she didn’t, heavy and light, both at the same time.
“I’ll always be yours,” he said, nuzzling into her neck. “And I plan on giving you every last one of my tomorrows.”
She’d known before he said it that she loved him. It didn’t make the choice any easier. No, the choice had been made so long ago, this felt more like freedom, like surrender in the midst of chaos…like finally stepping off that cliff only to find you can fly. And there was only one thing left to do. “I love you,” she told him, snuggling into his warm embrace.
“Do you now ?” he asked. “I’ve been wondering.”
“This is the part where you reciprocate,” she said, tossing a pillow at him. But he’d more than done that, time and again. Her heart swelled when as she gazed down at him, his hair a beautiful mess and his warrior’s body a shield against all that was wrong in the world.
“I love you, too, Cassie.”
“Does this mean we’re going steady?” she asked.
This time it was Jase who threw the pillow.
…
It was supposed to be a good day but Cassie couldn’t stop crying. She tried to tell herself they were tears of joy at the gleaming room inside Mariposa—the gift of gifts from her man. Her mother’s room was a private world unto itself, a complete apartment, really, that boasted, of all things, an on-call private chef. Still, something wasn’t quite right.
Jase walked in with a box of her mother’s belongings and stopped for a kiss. “I like your hair like this,” he whispered near the side of her neck, just beneath her longish bob—shorter in the back, longer on the sides.
She frowned and swiveled her head as Jase deposited his load. “I’m trying out different styles. They all feel so weird,” she said, running a hand through her shoulder-length hair.
Jase brushed her hand away and curled his own hand around the back of her neck. “It’s not weird, baby. It’s all you. Doesn’t matter what your hair looks like.”
“I hate it.”
“It’s beautiful, love.” The voice came from across the room, and Cassie was rocketed out of Jase-world and back to the overwhelming moment.
“You have to say that,” she said, cracking a small smile. “You’re my mother.”
“I may have my…moments,” her mother said, turning an endearing shade of pink, “but I know beauty when I see it.” Only her gaze was focused on Jase, and Cassie knew he’d stolen her mother’s heart, too. It might have something to do with the way he’d turned their first “meeting” into a private joke, one not even Cassie completely understood. And that was fine. It was clear the two were fond of each other, and that made Cassie sniff back more tears.
Jase draped his arm around her. “You okay?”
“I’m fine,” she whispered. But she wasn’t. Nerves fluttered in her belly and Cassie pictured the little box sitting on the dresser back at the hotel room. She’d told Jase she wouldn’t take the test until her mother completed her move. Denial, thy name is Cassie. And yet the hour was upon them, and Cassie was surprisingly relieved when Clint walked through the door with another box.
Yeah. Clint.
She gave him a warm smile. She was doing a lot of that these days. The more she came to know him, the more Clint reminded her of Jase—handsome as hell and rough around the edges but fiercely protective of what he considered his, especially his family. And that now included her. Well, not technically, but, since she’d all but moved in with Jase, yeah, they were basically family. And his presence at her mother’s new digs only reinforced that.
Her head still spun with all that had happened, then and now. Sometimes, she found herself staring off into the bay, reliving the feel of Oscar’s knife circling her eye or imagining Jase with a missing eye instead of the scar he’d carry from the deep gash marring his beautiful face. Her man carried scars from a coyote. But they were her scars, too. Maybe he would have received them even if she hadn’t blown that tire and entered his life. But that…that she couldn’t even imagine.
Her phone’s ringtone brought her back to the present.
“It’s Karyn,” she said, pecking Jase on the cheek before stepping into the polished hardwood hallway. But it was Clint’s steady gaze that followed her out of the room as she excused herself.
“What’s happening?” Karyn asked as Cassie entered the hallway.
“The move is complete. We’re just hanging now, hoping for one of those five-star meals. Clint just showed up, so I’m sure my mom’s overwhelmed by all the testosterone in the atmosphere. The nurses sure are.”
She was answered with silence.
“Karyn…?”
“Yeah, I’m here. I just…I just wanted to let you know I’m thinking about y’all.” Before she could question the wistful tone in Karyn’s voice, her friend continued. “Oh, and Daphne’s gone.”
“What?” she whispered. “Are you sure?”
“Pretty sure. Haven’t seen her around. Gossip is she OD’d about a week and a half ago. Somebody called Slick. Rumor is it was some oil-field guy she was seeing. Pretty boy, an attorney or something. He split before Slick showed up.”
Had to be Reid. Ugh. As much as she wanted to think those two deserved each other, the thought just made her queasy.
“You okay?” Karyn asked.
“Yeah, it’s…nothing.”
“Holy shit,” Karyn whispered, “You think it was him? Your ex?”
She stared down the hallway towards the nurses’ station. “Sounds like it.”
“Nice. Anyway, Slick drove Daphne to the ER then had her hauled straight to rehab. The court granted temporary custody of the kid to Daphne’s mother. Guess all the assault and trespassing and property damage finally caught up to her.”
But only because it sounded like Slick wasn’t able to hide Daphne’s latest mess.
“Hope you don’t mind my asking, but why didn’t you ever press charges?”
Cassie glanced at her mother’s open door. After what played out with Neely and Oscar, she was learning to fly as far under the radar as possible. Though she wasn’t exactly keen on all the vigilante stuff that went down, neither Jase nor Clint had killed anybody in cold blood, and there was no need to call attention to their brand of justice by pressing charges against Daphne, of all people.
“I don’t do cops.” She tried to say it like she was cracking a joke, but that turned out to be harder than she imagined. “I hope rehab works,” she muttered a few seconds later, thinking about their own aftermath.
Daphne had blown up Jase’s cell for three days straight after Oscar’s disappearance. She called it that because, basically, that’s what it was. She had no idea what had become of Oscar Martinez. He’d left the Neelys alive, with Clint, and Clint wouldn’t talk except to say they’d never see him again. She still wondered about Oscar’s relationship with Daphne. She also tried not to hold a grudge against the woman. Hell, we’re all a little crazy, right?
“Cassie?”
“Yeah, I…a lot’s happened in the last month or so.”
“I’ll say. I’ll never forget the day I met you, sitting at that table, maps spread out, running scared from your ex. Now look at you…” Karyn paused. “Got a damn fine man who wants to give you the world. His world anyway. And it’s a hell of a world.”
It was. More than she’d ever dreamed of. And maybe more than I expected, she thought at the swirl in her belly as Jase entered the hall.
“And that scar? He got that in a knife fight? Defending you?”
“Yep.” They’d decided to stick to as close to the truth as possible about that, and as Jase approached, she couldn’t help staring, couldn’t help the heat pooling in her belly. He’d definitely been defending her. With his very life. Just as he’d promised.
“Girl,” Karyn said. “That’s hot.”
It kind of was. It kind of really was. And she kind of liked Karyn even more for pointing out the obvious. “Thanks for helping me out that night, Karyn. Thanks for knocking a bitch out for me, and thanks for calling.”
Karyn chuckled. “That’s what friends are for. Now you go take care of your mother. She’s a lucky woman, you know.”
“No doubt.” And Cassie might be just as lucky. Jase’s arms settled around her waist, and she breathed into the phone. “I have to go. I’ll keep you updated.”
“You better.”
She ended the call and turned to Jase. “Tell me something…”
“Anything,” he said, grinning down at her. That scar…Karyn was right. It was hot. And not just because it drew out Jase’s perfect features, but because of what it stood for. Her. And him. And their battle to be together. She cleared her throat. “Why is it that every time I mention Karyn or Clint to the other they both freeze up?”
Jase grinned. “Only one girl I’ve ever seen Clint torn up over…”
“No…” Her heart might have skipped a beat. “No way. She’s…?” What?
“It was a long time ago. I wouldn’t get your hopes up.”
Yeah. The big scary cowboy and the rocker chick? She snorted, shaking her head. Then she froze. A group of nurses were making their way down the hall. She clutched tighter to Jase. “They look like they mean business.”
He squeezed her back. “It’s just the welcome party.”
“Thank you, Jase.”
“For what?” He looked confused, the ox.
“Everything,” she croaked, choking back both fear and joy.
“Everything?” Jase countered. “In that case, I should be thanking the woman in there.” He tilted his head toward her mother’s room, and everything swam.
Turned out Jase wasn’t just a safety shield. He was a life preserver, and the only thing keeping her afloat at the moment.
…
They crashed at a gorgeous hotel in Houston for the next three days and spent every waking hour with her mother, who, it turns out, had landed a Ricardo after all. Actually, his name was Gerald, but her mother insisted on calling him Ricardo.
And now she had a promise to keep.
She stared at the stick.
Disbelief. That was her first reaction.
She took a deep breath and walked out of the hotel bathroom, straight-faced. Jase leaned against the dresser, trying to look like he wasn’t hovering just outside the door. She averted her gaze and noticed the wrapped present lying on the side of the bed they’d been occupying.
She tore her gaze from the bed and looked up into Jase’s blue eyes. “It’s—”
His finger sealed her lips. “Shhhh. I want you to open the gift first. Either way it’s a celebration. We’re either having a baby or having a lot more time together first.”
Amid threatening tears, she wondered how she’d found this man, how she’d hit the jackpot, won the man lottery. This wasn’t normal. She’d had normal. And terrible. This was…Jase was…extraordinary.
“Open it.” He placed the long, slim box in her hands.
A jewelry box. She shook it. A necklace. Or a bracelet.
Jase sat on the bed and pulled her into his lap. “Open the damn thing, woman. You’re killing me.”
It was a necklace. She drew it out by its chain. The gold sparkled in her hands, catching the light. Beautiful. But the pendant…
“Jase…” she choked out
He took it from her trembling hands and secured it around her neck with a kiss to her nape. The large blue pearl hit just between her breasts. “You’re shaking.”
She squeezed her eyes shut and placed her hand over the pearl, pressing it close. “I know.”
“It’s not to commemorate my injury,” he chuckled. “Though as long as I live, I’ll never forget the sight of you reeling in a shark topless.”
She had to crack a smile at that, even as a tear slipped down her cheek.
“It’s more of a reminder that beauty can come from ugliness and pain. Even nature knows that.” He fingered the pearl before closing his hand over the top of hers. “But it’s something I never thought would happen in my life. Until I met you.”
She twisted in his lap and curled her hands around the back of his neck. “Your hair is almost longer than mine.”
He laughed. “Aren’t you supposed to tell me you love me or something?”
She was going to turn into a sniveling mess if she started telling Jase how much she loved the necklace, much less how much she loved him.
“You want me to cut it?” he asked.
“Never.”
“I will,” he said. “I’ll let it grow back out with yours.”
Oh, God…and that, too.
She blurted out everything then. “I love your hair and I love the necklace and I love you and I’m…”