Becoming a Jett Girl (The Bourbon Series) (31 page)

“This is my favorite spot on the boat, listening to the water run off the wheel and seeing the wake we leave behind. It’s funny, such a big wheel can cause such a disturbance in the water but then as time goes on, the water goes back to its normal ripple; it always recovers.”

Not quite understanding what he meant, I asked him. “What do you mean?”

His freshly-shaven face brushed against my cheek. “Hurricane Katrina took so much from you, put a huge disturbance in your life, but you are just like the river out here, little one. It might have rocked your world for a while, but as time goes on, you will return back to your normal ripple. I promise you will.”

As I soaked in every last word Jett spoke to me, I pushed back the tears that threatened to fall. The man could be so eloquent, so honest at times and so…loving that it nearly ripped me apart.

Even though I knew I never directly told him about my parents, I could only imagine the connections he had to find out what happened in my life…the devastation I lived through. I leaned against his body as his hold enveloped me in his strong embrace. We didn’t speak; we didn’t need to, we just enjoyed each other’s company as we watched the red wheel rotate, propelling us forward.
 

In the faint distance, I could hear a tour guide talk about our surroundings, but his words were not registering in my mind. All I could think about was the way that I was so very quickly falling for a man that I didn’t know and who wanted nothing to do with a relationship.
 

Chapter Thirty Two

“If I Lose Myself”

Jett

Goldie was still leaning against the railing near the wheel when I walked up behind her. She stiffened for a second at being startled, but then sank back into my chest.
 

I tried to ignore the fact that I enjoyed the way she fit me perfectly, the way that our bodies molded entirely together and the way her hair reminded me of hope, of sweet days to come. I just tried to soak in the moment for what it was worth, spending some time with a beautiful companion and enjoying the sights around us. That’s all it was.

“I could have been anyone,” I said into her ear, as I leaned down into her.
 

“I knew it was you, I didn’t have to even turn around to recognize the fact that it was your hard, gorgeous body pressing up against mine. You’re unmistakable.”

Impressed with her candidness, I wrapped my arms around her waist and held out my hands. She looked down and gasped, turning around quickly in my arms so I got a great view of her grateful eyes.
 

“You got me peanut M&M’s!”

“Four bags, just in case there is a little mishap.” I pulled out a water from my back pocket and said, “Hope you don’t mind sharing.”

“Jett, I sucked your dick off and drank your cum, I’m pretty sure I can share a water with you.”

I shook my head at her. “What comes out of that mouth of yours is never a dull moment.”

“Can we open them?” she asked, while tearing one of the packages open.
 

“I guess so,” I found myself laughing.
 

She popped one in her mouth and moaned, making my cock jump to attention at the noise emanating from the back of her luscious throat.
 

“Keep that up and you are going to find yourself in a very compromising position in front of the old sleeping couple and bratty-ass kids.”

“In that case…” She popped another M&M in her mouth, but I stopped her dainty little wrist.
 

“Don’t even think about it.”

She smirked and brought the candy to my mouth instead. I opened up for her and she pushed the candy piece in my mouth. Her fingers lingered, which I sucked in my mouth, making her eyes go wide.
 

“You think that’s not going to get you in trouble?” she asked.

“I call the shots, remember?”

“And I hold the cards,” she said, while smirking and turning back around, shoving her pert little ass into my crotch.
 

I bent over and rested my chin on her shoulder as she fed me another M&M. “Watch it little one, I have no qualms about taking you right here.”

“Think of the children, Jett. Honestly!” she said sarcastically.
 

I chuckled at her and then looked out at the river retreating in front of us. “Tell me about your parents.”

She sighed and rested her head on my shoulder. “They would have done anything for me. They weren’t the richest of people, but their souls were rich. They had everything they needed, our house, their refurbished furniture shop, and our family. They were content, more than happy, and treated me like I was their pride and joy.”

“You were their pride and joy, you still are.” I kissed her shoulder. I didn’t know why, but I had the urge to show her how amazing she really was.
 

“I can’t imagine what they would think of me after they passed…the life I’ve chosen to support myself. They wouldn’t be very proud of the path I’ve gone down. I know I was gifted with some good attributes, but my parents always stressed education; I kind of took the opposite road.” She held her head in shame, making me almost feel irate for the way she spoke so lowly of herself.

“You did the best you could, given what you had. You can’t put yourself down for trying to thrive after such a devastating loss.”

“Why are you being so good to me?” she asked, as she turned around and placed the bag of M&M’s in my pocket with the rest.

“Because you deserve it.”

“A lot of people deserve good fortune; how did I get so lucky?”

“Let’s just say, you were in the right place at the right time.” I shrugged my shoulders and then looked behind us. The boat was turning around and heading back to the harbor now; the trip was half over.
 

Her hands grabbed ahold of my waist as her fingers rested in my belt loops. “Thank you for taking me out today. I know you didn’t have to…”

“I wanted to,” I cut her off and then added, “and the night isn’t over. The sun is just setting and we have yet to eat. Come,” I said dragging her hands behind me and walking her down the stairs.
 

I walked her to the front of the boat on the bottom level where no one ever sat. Travelers of the Steamboat Natchez always liked to go to the top of the boat, not realizing the best view was where we were.
 

There was a bench that sat up against the front of the boat that I directed her to.
 

“No one ever sits here, it’s my second favorite spot on the boat and I love sitting here on the way back.”

“How many times do you take the ride?”

I shrug my shoulders, “At least once a month. I come here to clear my head, among other places.”

“Never thought of you as the tourist type,” she teased

I laughed and said, “Tourists are the bane of my existence. I love my city, but I wish it wasn’t such a destination hotspot.”

“I get that,” she said, as I pulled her down on my lap, making sure all the M&M’s were on the bench next to us. She leaned back into my chest and I reveled in the way her bare neck was exposed to my lips. Softly, I placed gentle kisses along the column of her neck and delighted in the sweet taste of her skin.
 

There was a voice in the back of my head screaming, “What the hell are you doing?” But I ignored it. I knew I was breaking every damn rule I ever set, but I couldn’t help it. Goldie was intoxicating and I needed more of her; I craved more of her.
 

“If you could go anywhere in the world, where you would go?” I asked, as I linked my fingers with hers and rubbed the tops of her knuckles, an endearing touch I seemed to be doing often when it came to her.
 

“Money doesn’t matter?” she asked.
 

I nodded and she continued.

“I feel like this is going to sound so pedestrian to someone like you, who has been everywhere, but I would love to go to a place like Tahiti where the water is crystal clear and you can stay in huts that hover over the water. It looks so serene, so withdrawn that I would love to lose myself there. But that would never happen since I don’t have the money, let alone a passport.”

“You don’t have a passport?” I asked with a little more shock than I should have allowed in my voice.
 

She shook her head and said, “No, never had a reason to get one.”

“Well, we are going to have to change that,” I said, as I wrapped my arm tighter around her waist and placed a soft kiss on her shoulder.
 

“Where would you go?” she asked.
 

Knowing I had the most cheese-dick answer ever, I contemplated answering, her but when she sighed into my shoulder, I knew I could trust the charming, yet foul-mouthed girl that rested in my arms.
 

“I would visit wherever my mom is.”

“You don’t know where your mom is?” Goldie asked, her voice full of sadness.

“She passed away awhile back from AIDS.”

“Oh Jett, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s a story I would rather not get into, but if I had a chance, I would visit her, just for an hour longer.”

Why did I bring up such a dark subject? Fuck, I was losing my mind. I had a girl resting on my lap as I embraced her and was talking about my mom, of all people. I didn’t do shit like this. I didn’t talk to women, not after Natasha left me. I became numb to the world, but the minute Goldie walked into my life, I found myself throwing all my ideals into the wind, acting like a fucking pussy talking about my feelings and reveling in a woman’s touch. What the hell?
 

She must have noticed the tension rolling through my body because she turned on my lap so she straddled me and looked down into my eyes.
 

“We don’t have to talk about it. We don’t have to talk about anything…ever.”

“What do you want from me?” I asked, not even thinking what her reaction might be.
 

Her body retracted from mine as she instantly left my lap sat down on the bench. “Goldie, I didn’t mean it like that.” It was the first time I had called her by her real name and she noticed.
 

“I…I don’t want anything from you, Jett. I’m sorry if it seems like I do. I just find it rude to refuse when someone is so kindly offering…”

I cut her off and placed her back on my lap. “That’s not what I meant.”
 

What did I mean? She searched my eyes as she looked for answers I didn’t have. I had no clue what was going on with me, but all I knew was I had a myriad of emotions running through my body that I had no handle on.
 

“Maybe we should just go back to the house after this,” she said, while looking at her lap.

“Is that what you want?” I asked, as silently I hoped it wasn’t what she wanted. I wanted more time with her, even if it was spent in silence. There was something eerily comforting about just being in her presence. She was a breath of fresh air, a ray of sunshine in the dark that encompassed my life.
 

“No, I want to spend more time with you, but I don’t want you to think that I am using you.”

“I don’t think that you are and I’m sorry if made you feel that way.”

She gave me a faint smile, but I took it as her acceptance.
 

“You called me Goldie.”

“Did you not like that?”

“No, I did. I like it when you call me Goldie and…little one,” she added.
 

“I like it too,” I said, as I kissed her knuckles again. “How about some more M&M’s?”

“Aren’t we going to ruin our appetites?”

I gave her a smirk and said, “No amount of candied peanuts is going to ruin my appetite.” I squeezed her hips, causing her to roll her eyes.
 

“Honestly, you are so much better than that.”

“Can’t a guy have a cheese-dick line everyone once in a while?”

“Yes, they can, but you aren’t any ordinary guy. I hold you to a higher standard.”

“And why is that?” I asked, as I pushed a stray hair behind her ear, taking in her gorgeous eyes that were full of life.

“Because, no ordinary guy would pluck a girl like me off the streets, give her a place to live, food to eat, and the opportunity of a lifetime to make something of myself.” She leaned down a gently placed a kiss on my cheek. “Thank you.”

Captured in the abnormality of the situation and the way she looked at me as if I was her savior, I nodded and said, “It’s been my pleasure, little one.”
 

Chapter Thirty Three

“Falling Slowly”

Goldie/Lo

“Never in my life have I seen a woman devour an entire plate of raw oysters before. I must say, I’m impressed,” Jett said, as he leaned back in his chair and eyed me up and down.
 

I licked my fingers and said, “That’s because you’ve been hanging out with wafer-thin blondes for far too long.”

Jett chuckled. “I didn’t know the color of hair on a woman depicted their eating habits.”