Seven o'clock finally comes around and my workday is done. It feels good being back at work again, but I am beyond ready to get out of here and go see Ella. And Jett.

I clock out and walk to my car. As I sit down, my phone whistles, indicating I have a text message, and only one person is set to that particular sound, Jett. A huge smile crosses my lips as I open it.

Hi.

I laugh at that one small word. All I can think about lately is him and the things he said to me. “Sweetheart, I am far from perfect and I have many flaws. One of them being the inability to leave you alone.”

I really don't want him to leave me alone, but I fear he's going to want more than I'm willing to give right now. I'm damaged—Ty ruined me in such a way I'm not sure I'll ever have the ability to fully trust anyone again. I shake off the feeling of doubt and reply to his text.

Hi

I sit there with my eyes closed for a minute and then put on my seat belt and start the car. As I put it in reverse, my phone sounds off again.

WYD?

Just got off work and headed home

I want to add, to you, but I don’t.

If ur headed home y R u still in the parking lot?

Immediately, my heart begins to hammer in my chest as I look around for his bike.

How do you know that? I text back.

I can see u

Where are you?

Three cars over. Come on and I'll take you for a ride.

I can feel the heat rushing to my cheeks, and the excitement is overwhelming. A ride on my boyfriend’s bike, is that what he is? I don’t know anymore, and right now I don’t care. Quickly, I look in the mirror, making sure I look presentable, and spritz a bit of perfume on. One last glance in the mirror and I sigh, drawing in a deep breath, as I get out and walk over to him. I see his Harley a few spaces over. The night air is cold and chills me to the bone. He throws me a leather jacket and I wrap it around me. Taking off his helmet, he passes it to me, and I put it on, securing it below my chin.

“Hop on.”

I throw my leg over the bike and sit down on the hard seat. I wait for further instructions. I know what I have to do, I’m just not sure if I’m ready.

“You better hold on.” I wrap my arms around him just before he speeds off. He pulls out of the parking lot and my heart begins to pound in my chest. The sound is so loud I'm certain he can hear it over the rush of wind. I sit staring forward, trying not to let my eyes waver in his direction.

We turn down a dark side road and I raise my eyebrows. “Ummm… where are we going?” I ask.

“Nowhere, just driving around,” I hear him yell to me over the roar of the bike.

“Ok, but don't get lost,” I reply with a snicker.

The heat of our bodies, how close we’re touching, makes my walls begin to melt. I have to tell him the truth before we go any further.

His head swivels around as if he can hear my thoughts. “Eyes on the road,” I blurt out. He laughs a hearty laugh.

“Yes, ma'am,” he says, looking straight ahead.

I can feel the blush begin to creep up my cheeks again. I draw in several deep breaths as the dark road winds on. He takes a hand off the handles and pushes my arms down a bit. Then he takes my right hand in his and places them in his lap, only centimeters from his cock.

An intense heat fills me and the wetness between my legs indicates the effect his touch is having on me. He moves my hand slightly and I can feel his hardness straining against the fabric of his pants. He smiles and moans lightly from the movement of my hand. Next thing I know, I’m unzipping his pants and my hand is sliding against his bare flesh. I realize what I’m doing and begin to panic and pull my hand away, knowing where this may lead. I feel like a fool for letting my hormones get carried away, but the deep rumble of the bike’s engine below me and the feel of his hand against mine does things to me that I can’t even begin to understand.

Jett Stewart is all kinds of bad for me.

But I don’t care.

He takes my hand in his and softly kisses my palm. A shiver of lust runs through me at the contact. I draw in a deep breath and smile. I reach down again and slowly begin to stroke him. The sheer size of him is daunting. As I continue, I can feel the warmth between my thighs.

A ripple of desire takes over as I lean forward and kiss his neck and say in his ear, “Have you ever had a blow job with Altoids?” He stops the bike and turns around to look at me with curiosity.

“Altoids?” he asks.

“Yeah,” I reply, pulling the tin from my purse. I pop a couple in my mouth and then get off the bike. The shock on his face says it all, he’s been waiting for this. For me. I look out into the night—we’re on some back country road, and no one will see us. He throws a legs over the bike and lowers the kickstand. He leans against it lazily. He’s so damn cocky like this, it’s hot.

He shakes his head and smiles as I edge closer to him, laying a quick kiss on his lips. I kneel down and take him in my mouth. As I begin to slowly move up and down his shaft, he grabs my hair and sighs.

“Oh. My. God,” he says as I take his full length in my mouth. He begins to pump into my mouth, hitting my throat deep. Cupping his balls in my hand as I lick the tip slowly, I notice he’s placed both his hands on the back of my head. I can feel his breathing quicken as his thrusts become more intense.

“Cami, I'm about to come,” he says.

A sudden jerk and my mouth begins to fill with his seed. I swallow quickly and lick away every last drop. I lick the tip one last time, and he shivers and opens his eyes, looking at me strangely.

“That was fucking amazing,” he says as he zips his pants up.

I smile and laugh. “Well thank you, sir.”

“Damn!” he says with a wink. “But don’t you worry, I know how to repay a favor.” I’d like that more than I’m willing to admit. He laughs and hops back on the bike, offering me the helmet. “Want to go get some dinner?”

“Sure, what you have in mind?” I ask.

“Well there's this little hole in the wall place near the vet clinic that has the best Italian food ever.”

We turn back onto the main highway, and my phone starts ringing. I pull it from my pocket and look at my phone. Shit. Ty is calling me. “How the hell did he get this number?” I ask myself just a little too loud.

“How did who get your number?” Jett asks.

“Ty,” I reply, fear rolling off me. I shove my phone back in my pocket and tighten my squeeze around Jett. Ty can’t get to me now, not while I’m with him.

“After all he did, you still talk to him?” he asks, clenching his jaw.

“No, I don't. I-I have no idea how he even got this number.” The first thing I did when I left the hospital was change numbers and carriers, again.

We pull into the parking lot of the little dive. The little building doesn't look like much and the pitiful attempt to brighten it up only highlights the broken parking lot and the peeling peach colored exterior. We park, and Jett takes my hands in his and looks at me with softness returning to his eyes.

“I don’t like that he calls you.”

“I’m not surprised.”

“That he called? Or that I don’t like it?”

“Both,” I admit honestly. I don’t like it either. I don’t want to ever see his face again. Bastard.

He raises an eyebrow, “Well, that’s settled. At least you’re starting to understand me better.”

I laugh. “And what should I understand about you, Jett? That you hate my ex? We have that in common.”

He kisses me on the forehead. “True.”

The interior of the cafe is surprisingly bright and inviting. The tables are all full so we take a seat at the counter. A sweet smell permeates from the kitchen, and it makes my mouth water. Jett looks at me and smiles, handing me a menu. “The eggplant parm is to die for,” he says, smiling.

A little elderly lady with salt and pepper hair comes to greet us. Her bright blue eyes showcase the youth still in her soul. “I'm Adaline and I'll be serving you today,” she says, her voice rising above the busy restaurant. She looks at me and over to Jett. “Jett?” she says, scolding him with her eyes still on me.

“Hi, Ada. I know I haven’t been in here a couple weeks. Sorry, I was busy.”

“Yeah ok, can’t even take time to come see me now that you have this little number with you,” she ,says patting his shoulder and giggling. “Sweet tea?” she asks. Jett nods and Ada scurries away, coming back quickly with two huge glasses.

“Thank you,” he says and Ada looks at me.

“Oh, where are my manners?” Ada says as she reaches out to take my hand. “I’m Ada. What’s your name, honey?”

“Nice to meet you, Ada, I'm Cami.”

She looks at me and grins. “You take care of this fella here, he's a good one.” I nod, feeling my cheeks begin to flush. I am still blown away by the willingness of people to accept us as a couple, even though I’m not sure that’s what we are.

She smiles a sweet smile and winks at me. “So what will you two be having? Might I recommend the chicken or eggplant parm? Those are the house specials.”

Jett nods. “We'll both have the eggplant parm.”

As she hurries away, I turn to him. “Come here often? I thought your club was in Memphis. But you have a house here, and you’re a regular. How long have you been in Nashville?”

He shifts uncomfortably. “A couple months.”

“What?”

“I came to find you, Cami. When you left that creep back in Memphis I convinced Wilson to come here with me and look for you. We hang out at a club here. They partner with us on some stuff.”

“Like what?”

“Like kicking the shit outta guys who think hitting nice girls like you is an ok pastime,” he says, barely above a whisper. His voice sounds like gravel—he’s angry, I know it.

I put my hand on his arm. “I’m sorry about Ty, just don’t do anything crazy, ok?”

He smiles wickedly. “I never do anything crazy.”

“Well you do things that are dangerous.”

“I do things that I have to do to keep people safe. If they’re dangerous, then so be it.”

Not much more is said beyond Ada gushing over Jett and the occasional sigh. After dinner we head back to the hospital to pick up my car. As I walk up to it, I notice a piece of notebook paper tucked into the wipers. I'm shaking as I reach for it. I open it and begin to read as Jett walks up.

“What’s wrong?” he asks, noticing the fact that I'm shaking.

“Ty.”

Cami-

If you think I'm going to give up on us so easily, you are wrong. You are MINE. Ella is mine even if HE created her. I won't stop until I prove that we belong together and you are by my side.

-Ty

“What does he mean by that?” Jett hisses, concern and distrust lighting his eyes.

“Ella isn’t his biological daughter. I guess he finally figured that out. I was pregnant when I left home the first time, I just didn’t know it.”

“When you left home?” His eyes widen. “You mean after I enlisted?”

“I… uhhh…” I stutter, unsure of what to say. This isn’t how I planned this, not that I really had a plan. Shit. “When you came home on leave, I was leaving town the next day.”

I turn away from him for a moment to collect my thoughts.

“Wait, that night, after the cherry pie. You got pregnant?”

I sigh, closing my eyes. “Yes.”

“So you were pregnant? With my baby, and you didn’t think to tell me?”

“It wasn’t like that!” I exclaim, turning back around, exasperated. Ty once again ruined something for me. “I thought you would die in that war, just like your brother. And then you came back, and I saw you and I didn’t know what to do. I tried at the hospital and then things got complicated and I didn’t know how. I’m so sorry, Jett.”

“He won’t touch you, or Ella,” Jett hisses, his jaw clenched and darkness in his eyes. I nod, unable to speak through the tears. Jett pulls me into him and holds me tightly as I sob against his chest. “We’ll figure this out.”

“So you’ll forgive me?”

“For thinking I was going to die? Or for keeping Ella from me?”

“Both.”

I feel the rise and fall of his chest. “Yes for both. You do make me crazy girl. But I guess I get it, you needed him to believe it. To keep you safe.”

I don’t speak, knowing that I should trust him, believe him somehow. But I nearly don’t. Just because Ty has made it clear he’s not going away.

“Hold on to that note and call Suzanne and tell her to not let Ella out of her sight,” he says.

I grab the necessities out of my car and jump back onto the bike, all the while looking around the parking lot. I lay my head against his leather clad back and close my eyes, trying to stop the sobs ripping through my chest as we drive to his house. Jett comes around and picks me up, carrying me inside when we get there. I just can't seem to move. He sits down on the couch and holds me tightly, letting me just cry. I finally fall asleep, cradled in his arms. Waking up uncomfortably later, I roll over and find him smiling at me.

“What?” I ask.

“Time to get up, sleepyhead, breakfast is waiting.” He kisses my forehead.

I smile and climb out of the bed, pulling on my shirt. My eyes and cheeks sting from all the tears, and I cringe when I walk past the hallway mirror. “Oh my God, I look horrendous,” I say, trying to straighten the tangled mess of hair. Yesterday's make-up is smeared and my eyes are red and swollen from crying.

Two white bags are sitting on the table with two large cups of coffee and a shallow black box with a purple ribbon. “What's in the box?” I ask.

“Let's eat our breakfast, and then we’ll talk.” He digs into the eggs sitting on a white plate in front of him. I grab some coffee and also fill my plate.

“You’re still thinking about last night, aren’t you? That fucking note.”

“Yes,” I admit, not having touched my food. “The truth is, I'm afraid of what he will do. Ty is used to getting his way, and he has the means to get himself out of trouble,” I reply, staring down at the table.

Jett reaches over and puts his hand over mine. “Well, I do too, sweetheart, and I will do anything in my power to ensure you’re protected. Why don’t you open the box?”

With shaking hands, I pull off the ribbon and open the box. Inside is a small purple and black handgun. I look at Jett, wide-eyed, not sure what to say.

“It's for protection,” he says, placing his hand under my chin and forcing me to look at him. “I’ll teach you how to defend yourself,” he says, leaning in and kissing my cheek.

“I've never even held a gun before, unless you count a Nerf gun,” I say with a nervous laugh.

“It's a Ruger 9mm Luger, and I think it's the perfect size for you. Of course, you’ll be taking the gun safety course and getting your concealed weapon certificate first,” he says.

I nod, looking back at the gun. “It is kind of pretty, you know?” I say.

He smirks and bites his bottom lip. Leaning forward, I kiss him. “Thank you.”

He nods and takes a sip of coffee. “Do you have plans today?” he asks.

“No, I'm off work and all I was going to do is laundry.”

“Good. Get dressed and we’ll go to the gun range. You’re going to need practice.”