JACK: Las Vegas Bad Boys (16 page)

“She’s a survivor. Like all of us.” Emmy pulls me into another hug, and Claire and JoJo wrap their arms around us too.

I wish I could close my eyes and make time stop, that I could stay in this loft, with these people, forever. It feels like the peak moment of my life. The pinnacle. Like nothing will ever be better than this.

But Jack is ushering people out before I can press pause, so I try to memorize the hugs of congratulation from Teri and Jeb. I try to say the right words when they dial up their other son, my other brother, on FaceTime and have me introduce myself, with McQueen by my side, smiling with tears in the corner of his his eyes.

McQueen may be a foul-mouthed asshole, but damn, I can tell that he’s going to be a really good brother.

Jack’s parents kiss my cheeks and squeeze my hands tight and whisper words of affirmation in my ear.

“Tess, remember in my kitchen, when you told me the memories of a woman who took care of you, who sang you lullabies?”

“I remember,” I tell her, so grateful that I felt safe enough with her to tell her those memories. “It was my mother, all along. She was right in my heart.”

The door finally closes, and Jack and I are alone in the loft. The security detail is still out front, and Jack has texted Kirby telling him he’s turning off his phone for the night. No one needs to bother us, not now.

Right now there is only one thing I need in the entire world.

Jack.

The man who picks me up and carries me to bed.

A
ll I want is
to show her how badly I want her, for-fucking-ever. I want to exhaust her so she has the best night’s sleep of her life. I want to take her in my arms and hold her, until she closes her eyes and dreams only of good things.

“You think they liked me?” Tess asks as I place her on my bed. I pull my shirt over my head, and lay down beside her. This conversation is not the prelude to
let’s get naked and fuck,
this is a
let’s get heavy and real
talk.

Which is pretty much the truth of Tess. If she has something she needs to say—something true—she’s gonna tell me.

And I’m fucking lucky to be the man she feels safe enough to tell everything to.

“Who?” I ask.

“Teri and Jeb. I mean, I know McQueen likes me enough, because we’ve hung out, but ... his parents—
my parents
—do you think they’re disappointed in who I’ve become? I mean, they don’t even know the half of it.”

“What do you mean, baby?” I ask, looking into her eyes. “Why would they ever be disappointed in you?”

“Jack,” Tess sighs, trying to roll over, to hide her face. I pull her back. “You might not understand, because you had this idyllic life with gardens and chicken coops and homemade whatever, and then you went to college, and now you have this successful career—I mean, you are the complete package, the absolute dream. You’re literally on the cover of magazines and on billboards. The fact that you’ve chosen me is bonkers. You get that, right?” She shakes her head. “But, like, the difference between you and them is that you chose me, mess and all.”

I try to cut her off, but she doesn’t let me.

“Listen, Jack, just hear me out, okay?”

I nod silently, knowing she needs to speak her mind.

“The thing is, Teri and Jeb didn’t get to pick. I’m this girl who used to be whored out by her father, who murdered her mother, and who’s currently rocking a job as a cocktail waitress in fishnets and pleather. Not exactly daddy’s little girl.”

“Tess, no one sees you that way.” I stroke her hair, tuck strands behind her ear, cup her cheek with my palm.

“But they should. Because that is literally who I am.”

“A part of you, sure. But not all of you.” I want her to see herself as I see her: strong and resilient and not at all swayed by the world. She’s steady, even though she has every reason to falter.

“What if it’s not enough for them?”

“You are the bravest woman I know. Your father—your
kidnapper
—was slowly killing you. Breaking you. Destroying every good thing about you. And you know what?”

I sit up, and pull her up, too, because I need to say this with her eyes on mine, with my hands in hers. With my shoulders squared to this woman I get to live my life with.

“Tess, you saved yourself from a monster. You fought the fucking dragon. You might think you need a man like me to protect you—and, fuck, I
will
protect you. I
will
keep you safe. But for two long years you’ve kept yourself safe, and you’ve kept yourself whole. You’ve worked your ass off, and fought for every good thing you have. You won this battle. And, sure, the man who raised you may be out in Vegas right now, looking for you, but fuck him. You’ve beat him before. This time, if that dragon crosses your path, you’re gonna fucking slay him.”

“Who the hell are you?” she says, looking at me with a pounding heart, gasping for breath, eyes so clear and bright. Alive.

“Yours, Tess. I’m yours.”

And I pull her mouth to mine, my love and desire pressing against her as our tongues entwine. My arms wrap around her, easing her into my lap. I grab her ass, wanting all of her.

“Oh, baby,” she moans, lifting her hands over her head so I can tug off her top.

I pull the lacy cups of her bra down and run my hands over her gorgeous tits. She kisses me hard, tugging on my lips, as if begging me to take more of her, all of her. As if asking me to never slow down. I won’t.

She leans back on the bed, and I pull off her leggings, her socks, her panties. “Remember those granny panties you bought at Roscoe’s?”

“Yeah, I was wearing them only yesterday.”

“Fuck, girl, we’ve been through so fucking much.”

“I know. It’s been intense, Jack. We deserve a break. That’s why all I want now is to fuck.”

We both crack smiles, the kind of smiles that cut right to the heart. Wide open.

I stand and take off my jeans, wanting to get right back where I was, not taking my eyes off her pussy for one single second.

Back on the bed, I lean down to her belly and kiss her stomach, my hands raking across her thighs. Pulling her to me, I kiss lower until my mouth is on her soft hair and her soft skin, and her soft folds. I lick her pussy because I know she loves it, and because I love it, and because I am her man.

My tongue dips deep inside her, and her wetness seeps into my mouth, causing me to reach under her and grab her perfect ass.

“Oh, Jack, let me see your cock,” she begs.

“Where do you want it?” I raise my eyes to hers.

“In my mouth.” She runs her hands through her hair, and I smile, going back to her entrance, wanting to get her off before I give her my cock.

I run my tongue up and down her slit, flicking my tongue over her clit, nice and good, faster and faster, as her body arches high, her ass raised and her pussy drenched.

I press in two fingers, my thumb on her hood, rubbing in tight little circles. My fingers press against her g-spot, and she pants for breath, clawing at the sheets. Oh, yeah, she is ready to explode.

I move faster, harder, loving to finger-fuck her because it gets her off so fast, and it gets her tight little pussy ready for my massive rod. It’s too much for her to take me without loosening up a bit first.

And damn, watching her get off, watching her pussy squirt juice all over my hand, across my chest makes me so rock hard. She’s moaning now, grabbing her tits with both hands as she comes.

“Oh, fuck, Jack, it’s so good. I’m gonna come.”

“Oh, girl, you already have.”

“Again. I’m gonna come again.”

She quickly moves onto her hands and knees; with her ass in the air, I press my hand into her pussy again, running my other hand all over her round ass, as I fuck her with my fingers until she’s soaking my sheets, until my cock is throbbing so hard all I want is to keep her on all fours and pound her pussy.

So I do. I press my cock into her willing entrance and, holding her ass, I fuck my woman the way she likes it. I take her hard, I take her fast. I take her as she comes again, new waves of orgasm rushing over her as I hit her deep in her core from this position. Her ass slams against my groin, and I love how hard she likes it, because I like it hard, too.

“Don’t come in me. I want to taste your come, Jack. I want to taste you in my mouth.”

“Oh, baby, I’m gonna come soon,” I tell her.

“I want it. I want your come on my face. I want it on my tits. Come on me, all over me, baby.” She groans with desire, her body wracked with pleasure—and mine, too.

My cock is on fire. It’s so nice and warm in her tight pussy, but I’m gonna give my girl what she wants. And if she wants my seed in her mouth, I’ll let her take me, I’ll let her taste me. I’ll let her have me the same way I had her.

I pull out of her, and she kneels beside my bed. I sit on the edge of it, my come ready to shoot.

Her breasts bounce as she moves, and I want my come to coat those perfect nipples, those fuckable tits. I want to claim them.

She opens her mouth, taking me as best she can, her mouth widening as it’s filled with my cock. She runs a hand over my balls, then grabs my ass as she moves her head back and forth, taking me.

It doesn’t take much of her sucking me before I’m ready to release, and she’s ready for it. Her pussy is still wet and hot for me, her nipples hard as rocks, her mouth a circle as her lips wrap around my rod.

I come hard, my veiny cock so ready for her. She swallows some, but then she pulls me out, pumping the length of me as my seed pours over her mouth, her lips. Her tongue licks my creamy come, begging for more as she angles my cock so it releases across her perky tits. She runs a hand down to her pussy, touching herself as my come coats her.

I watch as she dips her fingers into her folds, wanting more. Seeing her hand graze lower makes my cock twitch, already ready to go again.

I stand, grabbing her ass and lifting her to my waist. I hold her against the wall, her pouty lips begging me to take her. I fill her up again, this time watching her eyes glaze over as she’s lowered onto my cock.

Her hands run through my hair, her tits heaving as she breathes in deeply, trembling at the fullness I give her.

“Is this really ours?” she asks in a whisper. “Our life?”

“Completely.”

And then I take her again. She may have fought the fucking dragon, but I am her knight in shining armor.

* * *

The next day I decide that, whatever happens next, it’s going to be okay. I wake with Jack’s arms around me, my fingers laced with his, and the buzzer from the front lobby ringing loudly.

I look at the clock and see it’s one in the afternoon. I grin. This man fucked me silly last night, into the early hours of the morning.

“Jack, the front desk is buzzing in.”

“Really?” He sits up in bed, his hair rumpled, his beard getting more than scruffy. It’s becoming full-on mountain man. Not that I mind—he looks hotter than hell with a beard.

He pulls on a pair of sweats, covering his cock, to my disappointment, and walks to the intercom in the room.

“Yeah?” he asks.

“Mr. Harris, there are some men here with boxes to be delivered. It’s McQueen and his crew. Mind if I send them up?”

“No problem. Is security on them?”

“Sure are, sir. The premises are clear.”

I jump in the shower as Jack takes care of the guys. I know the day is going to fly by. We should talk to Denzel, and I know the police will be getting in touch with us, but the more pressing thing on my mind is Jack’s show tonight.

He has sacrificed so much to be with me these last few weeks. He has completely dropped his world to take care of mine.

He whisked me away to his parents when I needed to get out of town, he’s dealt with the press over the sex scandal, he’s had security detail on us 24/7. I just want tonight be about him.

I’m drying off when he comes into the bathroom with a tote bag stuffed with my clothing.

“Thought you could use this,” he says. “They brought clothes, a few laundry baskets of your stuff, and they got you a storage unit for your other things. Though the apartment manager said he owned the furniture.”

“That’s true. It wasn’t my stuff. Are the McQueens still here?”

“No, the guys left to take the truck to the unit to unload it.”

“Okay.” I kneel down and look through my stuff, and find a pair of underwear and skinny jeans. I slide them on as Jack brushes his teeth.

“Do you think they thought I was rude, for not saying hello?” I ask.

“What?” Jack spits in the sink. “No way, babe. They knew you were getting ready.”

“Okay. I just don’t want them to think I’m not considerate.”

Jack sets down his toothbrush and pulls me to him.

“Listen. No more of that today, Tess. They were so happy to be able to move your stuff. Jeb and Ryan want a tangible way to help you. They love you. They feel like shit that some stranger came in their home and took you. Do you understand that? They had to live knowing that they didn’t keep you safe from a predator. Think about that.”

It knocks the wind out of me. He’s right, of course. I’m sure they’ve replayed that day, the day I was taken, a thousand times in their minds.

“You’re right.” I lean in and kiss his clean mouth. “So, in other news, I just moved in.”

“Yep. About five minutes ago.”

“And how are you with that?” I ask, as I finish looking for clothing in my tote. “I mean, it’s probably one of the thousand things we should have discussed by now, but, have you ever had a girl move in before?”

“Are you reconsidering our engagement because we didn’t talk about exes?”

“No,” I say, laughing, as I hook a bra on and throw on a top. “I don’t need to know details. I was mostly wondering how this transition is gonna be. Like, us being roommates. Do you keep stacks of dirty dishes in the sink? Am I gonna have to take out the trash?”

Jack shrugs, turning the shower on and sliding off his sweats.

“Someone does all that for me—grocery shops and cleans the house and does my laundry.”

“That’s gonna be hard to adjust to.”

“Is it?” Jack laughs. “I’m sure you’ll be fine. But honestly, we need to talk about our plans.”

“What do you mean? Does KMG have stipulations about where you need to live? Or when you need to go on tour, already?”

“No,” he says, stepping into the shower. “I’m not signing the contract, Tess. Tonight’s gonna be my last show.”

He pulls the door shut, and I take that as a cue to pause the conversation. I blow dry my hair, trying to figure out how I feel about this. I don’t want Jack to give anything else up for me, but at the same time I’ve heard him mention over and over again how unhappy he is with being a product, and how a ten-year contract would bind him to a company in a way he might not be comfortable with.