Authors: Gemma Hart
He picked up the deck and then started dealing. “How about Thirteen?” he asked.
I started gathering my cards. “I don’t know the game,” I said.
“Well, looks like I’ll be getting rich tonight,” he said with a grin.
And for the next two hours, we played cards. And laughed. And teased. And threatened. And trash talked.
Somewhere in the middle of the game, I had gone and grabbed a bottle of wine. Rowan had grabbed two glasses and I had poured us each a generous amount.
Now sitting on the island, facing Rowan, while he sat back on his barstool, I realize this is the most fun I had had in years. Wearing sweatpants without a lick of make up on, curled up on the marble island with a fan of cards I only kind of knew to read, I realized I was happy.
After several pretty brutal thrashings, I finally won a round. I crowed and Rowan grinned at me, proud that I had won.
Towards the end of the bottle, neither of us were taking the rounds as seriously anymore. I held my cards loosely, leaning my cheek against my knee. A comfortable quiet fell between us as we strategized what card to put down next.
“Thanks for the sandwich today,” I murmured shyly.
Rowan looked up from his own cards. “That was nothing,” he said easily.
I shook my head. “No,” I said quietly. “It was something.”
Rowan put down his cards and looked up at me, regarding me carefully. “Want to tell me why?” he asked.
I put down my own cards. This man was such a mystery. His body spoke of hardness, of power. And yet he was able to handle me with care and sincerity. My cheeks heated when I thought about when I first met him. He, of course, also knew how to manhandle me a little when I needed it.
“Not really,” I said. “Want to tell me where you come from?” I countered. I had noticed that although I had told him about my anxiousness in getting a Francetti film role and my loneliness without any friends,
he
had never every divulged anything remotely personal about himself.
A ghost of a smile played on his wide lips. “Not really,” he mimicked.
Silence fell between us but it was different this time. There was a charge about it. Our eyes locked. The tension heated.
I could almost feel his hands before he touched me.
He reached out and grabbed my hips, sliding me easily across the marble island. The cards scattered across the floor. Even though I was sitting on the island and he was on the barstool, we were practically at eye level.
He pulled me close till I was sitting right on the edge. Brushing my cheek with one large hand, he ran his fingers through my hair, compelling me forward. When our lips met, it was as if electricity ran through our veins. We both jolted a little as the heat of our individual passions met, finally merging together.
It hadn’t been just me. I hadn’t been the only one feeling that connection.
As his tongue plunged into my mouth, tasting me, I could feel his urgency and need and it was just as potent as mine. That heat between us had been real.
He wrapped a powerful arm around my back and pulled me clean off the island and right onto his lap. My legs wrapped around him. He pressed me close to him, holding me tight.
I felt secure in his arms. I felt like the perfect puzzle piece. Our bodies shaped to each other instantly. I moaned as he bit my lower lip, sending a sizzling shock of painful pleasure streaking down my spine.
I could already feel my pussy growing wetter as he held me close. But I wasn’t alone. Again, I was reminded I wasn’t the only one feeling the overwhelming wave of desire that consumed us. Beneath me, I felt the hard ridge of his cock growing bigger and harder.
Keeping my lips pressed against his, I moved my hips a little, grinding myself against his hardness. Rowan groaned, gripping me tighter.
His hand found my breast. He squeezed the soft mound hard, making me arch against him. His fingers teased my peaking nipple, encouraging it. And then grabbing it, he gave it a good quick pinch.
I cried out and gyrated against his lap, wanting so much more. We both moaned against each other’s lips as we let the fire of our bodies consume us.
His arm tightened around me till I felt like every breath had been squeezed out. He pressed me hard to him and I wanted it. I wanted to be as close to him as possible. I wanted our bodies against each other, reveling in my softness against his hardness.
A hand snaked up the back of my neck and into my hair. Fingers tightened around my hair and jerked my head back. I looked up at those steely eyes, frighteningly knowing and yet undeniably hot. I tentatively ran a hand around his neck and saw his eyes darken in want.
His lips crushed mine and I let myself be swallowed. My body seemed so thirsty for him and no matter how much he kissed or touched me, my body couldn’t be quenched.
His cock beneath me felt as hard as a steel rod. Just from sitting above it, I could tell it was a sizeable member. I shifted my hips again, enjoying the groan I was able to wring out of him.
And then suddenly, a loud ringing sound pierced the kitchen.
We both jerked back in surprise at the sound.
“What is that?” I asked, breathless.
Rowan groaned, recognizing the sound. “My phone,” he said, looking around my shoulders. His phone was by the sink.
It rang again, its shrill sound echoing through the house.
I didn’t move. Neither of us wanted to get up. I looked up at him. I could see him fighting the battle. I bit my lip. “It’s late,” I tried to reason. “It could probably wait.”
He looked like he was about to agree when his head suddenly jerked around towards the hallway. He looked back at me and his eyes had grown a little clearer. “No,” he said with a tone of reluctance. “It could be the agents and I should always be available to their calls in case they have new information.”
He lifted me up with an easy strength and put me back on the island. Standing up stiffly because of his erection, Rowan quickly crossed the kitchen and grabbed his phone, immediately answering it.
I lowered myself onto the stool and looked at him.
His face immediately tightened and a hardness came into his eyes that I had never seen before. Whoever was on the other end had clearly not given him good news.
“Rowan…?” I started but he gave me a reassuring nod and kiss on the forehead before heading out the back garden door to answer the call privately.
I watched him leave, wondering if I should feel hurt that he shut me out so quickly after we had kissed.
Chapter Thirteen
Rowan
“Enjoying Hollywood, Steel?”
I felt my spine ice over as I heard Raze’s gravelly taunt over the phone. So now he knew where I was as well as my number.
“It must be nice,” he said, “working for such a piece like Jessa Blair.”
My face must’ve frozen at his words because from the corner of my eye, I saw Jessa rising from her seat.
“Rowan…?” she started, a question in her eyes.
I couldn’t take this call in here. I already felt too exposed. And I had the impulsive urge to throw Jessa in a closet and locking the door until I knew exactly how to handle the situation. How the fuck did Raze also find out what he was doing as well?
I gave Jessa a quick kiss before heading out where I could talk in private. I opened the back garden door, letting the cool night air hit me like an ice bath. My heart was thumping in a quick rhythmic pace.
“What do you want, Raze?” I nearly hissed into the phone. I turned around just to make sure Jessa hadn’t followed me out.
She hadn’t.
Walking further out into the backyard just to be safe, I held the phone tightly against my ear, nearly crushing the thing in my anger. Raze had done some investigating and he had hit a jackpot in finding Jessa Blair and he knew it.
“No wonder you were so reluctant to come back to your brothers,” Raze continued in that taunting voice that just barely covered the threat that lay underneath. “With someone like her around, I wouldn’t want to leave either.”
I let a beat pass, feeling a vein in my neck throb with my anger and frankly, some panic. Raze was dangerous. The Black Wings, once my home, was dangerous. And Jessa was already in danger. That stalker note was still firmly pressed to the forefront of my mind.
“Sweet piece of ass, is she?” Raze asked, breaking the silence. His voice had the leering intimacy of a brother.
“Fuck you!” I nearly growled. If the man had been in front of me, I would’ve swung a good gut punch at him.
Raze’s laughter crackled at the other end of the line. He was clearly enjoying himself.
“Man, I don’t know how you did it—managing to get on the tail of such a name—but you did it. And I give you respect for that,” Raze said, the humor still in his voice. But it didn’t fool me. I could feel the hardness underneath it all. “But now I have to press. Steel, we need you back for one last job.”
Was the man crazy? Did he think I would really put myself in even riskier situations now that I was connected to Jessa Blair? With a crazed stalker on the loose, there was no way I could leave her. And fuck Raze anyhow. Fuck him for stalking
me
and trying to undermine the new life I was trying to create out here.
“No,” I said firmly.
I heard a sharp intake of breath and then a disappointed sigh. “Now, Steel,” Raze said in what was almost a paternal voice. “I’m asking nicely. I’m asking nicely at a time when I don’t have to ask nicely at all. Come back and work with us or Jessa Blair is going to pay us a visit here in Low Pointe.”
God fucking dammit.
Raze wouldn’t dare…would he? It would be unbelievably risky to try and kidnap such a major celebrity but then again, Raze had been doing risky and dangerous things for nearly two decades now. Perhaps he had lost his sense of gauging what was risky or not.
“Good fucking luck,” I gritted. “You think someone like Jessa Blair just walks around with some two bit bouncers for protection?” I thought of the FBI agents on her case and their constant communication with her. Jessa, although under threat, still had quite a force behind her.
“Oh definitely not,” Raze said. “After all, she has my Steel under her wing, now doesn’t she? But I’ll tell you this, you haven’t been free from an eye since my last call to you. And from what’s been reported, there have been plenty of open moments to grab that pretty little thing.”
I bristled at his words. So I’ve been tailed. His reach was a lot further than I had thought. And by tailing me of course, he had stumbled upon the greatest find of all which was Jessa.
“And,” Raze added casually, “if grabbing fails….Well hell, bullets are usually pretty accurate aren’t they?” As if waiting for just the moment my heart had nearly stopped beating he added in an off the cuff voice, “Celebrities don’t ride around in bulletproof cars, huh? You know, some of them really should.”
“What the fuck do you want?” I demanded, feeling completely pressed up against a wall. My fist nearly shook against my thigh; it was aching to hit something so bad.
“Ah, ah, ah,” Raze said. “Come on, Steel. You’re better than that. We can’t discuss this over the phone.”
“Threatening to kidnap or kill a celebrity is okay to say over the phone but your job isn’t?” I said sarcastically and with plenty of bite. I was angry beyond words but had no way of letting it out.
“When?” Raze cried out in mock indignation. “When have I ever said ‘kidnap’ or ‘kill’ in this conversation? I think someone’s insinuating a lot of things.”
And he was right. Raze had been careful.
I sighed, frustrated. Would the cancer of that club never leave me? Hadn’t I sinned plenty for them? How many drug deals or arms trades had I helped negotiate and organize? How many men did I shoot in firefights while under the delusion that
we
were the good guys?
“Where?” I said shortly.
“The docks. I’ll see you tomorrow at 3 PM by the east corner,” he answered. I knew where he meant. It was a common pick up spot for the Black Wings whenever things were coming off ships.
“Fine,” I said.
“It’ll be good to see you again, Steel,” Raze said, his voice remaining completely unperturbed throughout the whole conversation. “Too bad it couldn’t have been under better circumstances.”
The line clicked dead.
I stood for a moment with the phone still pressed up against my ear. What the fuck had I just brought to Jessa’s doorstep?
Feeling overwhelming frustration and anger, I let out a yell as I swung at the air, just
aching
to hit something for real.
I turned around and quickly went back inside, not wanting Jessa to worry any longer. As I came back into the kitchen, wondering how to explain away the call, I found her slumped forward against the island, fast asleep.
I slowed my step as I approached her. Her long hair was fanned across her face. I gently brushed away a few locks, revealing her smooth fair face. Her cheeks were rosy from the wine. Looking at the practically empty bottle, it was no wonder she fell asleep. Judging by her deep breathing, she was completely out.
Carefully, I picked her up. Holding her slender body in my arms, weighing less than I had imagined even in the deadweight of sleep, I felt my chest tighten in resolve. I couldn’t let harm come to her. I had to protect her. I had to guard her.
I was her bodyguard, after all.
As I carried her body to her bedroom, my throat nearly choked in terror at the idea of anyone laying a threatening hand on her. Raze was never a man for idle threats. He meant what he said. If he couldn’t kidnap her, he’d rain down a hail of bullets on her.
What would he care? It wouldn’t be him shooting anyway. He’d probably have some small time local gang that was in debt to him do it without even telling them whose van they were shooting at.
All this to get me to come back to the Black Wings.
I carefully pulled back the covers and laid Jessa down on the bed. I tucked her in and pulled the blankets in snugly around her. Even in the dim light, I could see the outline of her beautiful face—the curves of her forehead and cheeks, the line of her nose, the swerve of her lips.
No, no matter what I would keep her safe.
Even if that meant putting as much distance between us as possible.