Jason's Princess: A King Brothers Story (22 page)

“Seriously? How do you know that?” Jason asked.

Good point. How did Jarod know who their lawyers worked for?

“Because that little prick in a suit, who just left, told me so,” he said, jerking a thumb over his shoulder. “Apparently, he’s gone up against their attorney in court when Billy’s dad was charged with fraud. Go figure.” Jarod smirked.

“So what happens now?” she asked.

“We wait. For now they’ll be in holding until their arraignment or someone bails them out. If that happens I’ll let everyone know.”

“What about Candy?” Jason asked.

“I’ve sent their mug shots to the hospital. As soon as she wakes my guys will have her look at them. If she can make an I.D. we can charge them for what they did to her, along with the assault charges against you and Josh, harassment and conspiracy to burn down Julie’s house. Of course, we’ll have to prove the conspiracy charge since Dane jumped the gun and stopped them before we could grab them on your property.” Jarod shook his head in disgust.

She hadn’t thought about that. While it was great that they had made the arrests, it would be difficult to prove that they were trying to burn her house down if they were only caught in the neighborhood and not on her property.

Crap
.

“But, I’ve got detectives showing mug shots to Jason’s neighbors. Hopefully, some of them will remember seeing them around the time your house burned down. The truck they were picked up in matches that of the vehicle seen in your driveway.” Shrugging his shoulders he said, “Right now all we can do is wait.”

They didn’t want to keep Jarod from his work and he had gotten all that he needed from them. Jason walked her out of the building and to his truck. To Julie’s surprise, Josh’s truck was a row over from them.

“How did you get to the station before us?” she asked him.

He smiled and said, “Short cut and I followed the sheriff with his lights on. Besides that, Jason drives like a grandma.” He laughed and got into his truck.

Jason once again opened her door and helped her into his pickup. Climbing into the driver’s seat, he asked, “Where to, Jujyfruit?” while he put the key in the ignition.

She had no clue. Floundering for something to say she shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. I have no plans as you already know.”

He grinned and started the truck.

She didn’t know how to act around him after last night. Her feelings for him were moving like a roller coaster at top speed with dips and turns that left her tummy in chaos and her brain a jumbled mess.

Until two weeks ago, she had felt nothing but contempt for this man, spending most of her time thinking of ways to avoid him. She’d wasted five years wallowing in loneliness and bitter heartache for the wrong man.

She could only blame herself. Josh had repeatedly tried to tell her that Billy was no good for her. But, in her stubbornness, she had refused to believe him on the grounds that Josh’s attitude towards Billy was out of respect and loyalty to his brother.

What a fool she had been.

Making love to Jason was a revelation to her fragile emotions. Never before had she felt so cherished. He had taken his time touching every part of her body, only to follow those magic hands with tender kisses and gentle words. He made sure to fulfill her needs before he allowed himself his own release; then he would start the whole process over again. She felt her body tingle at the memory of it all.

She had been a virgin when she met Billy, but if last night was anything to go on, she was certain that her whole perspective on sex was based on a faulty foundation. She’d been living under the assumption that a woman was lucky to “enjoy” herself during sex. She never really understood all the magazines and social media sites that talked about how to be a better lover in bed. Why would she want to be better at something that wasn’t all that great to begin with?

Now she was confused but happy to know that an intimate relationship with a man could be wonderful. She was also angry that she’d been lied to and felt stupid that she had wasted five long years pining for a jackass who never loved her while her prince charming had been in front of her face all along.

In fact, the whole royal family had been watching over them from the moment her parents had died.

She glanced over at Jason as he drove his truck to destinations unknown. He reached over and grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips. He kissed the back of her fingers gently, all without taking his eyes off the road ahead. He kept her hand in his but on his thigh while he drove one-handed.

She noticed that his forehead was crinkled. When he turned to her she saw uncertainty in his eyes, those beautiful emerald gems that had haunted her dreams since the day she met him.

What in the world was wrong with her? She wasn’t a baby and this awkwardness needed to stop.

“Where are you taking me?” She smiled with genuine curiosity.

Speaking words aloud helped her to dispel the awkward shyness that had overcome her since getting into his truck. He only smiled and kissed her knuckles again before returning her hand to her lap.

“I’m taking you someplace special.” He frowned and then clarified, “Well, it’s someplace special to me, but I really hope you like it too.”

He turned the truck into a rough driveway where a gate was hidden in the fence lining a big field. She realized they were on the opposite side of his parent’s property on a private road. She leaned across the console and took hold of his face.

“I need a kiss.”

She smiled at his surprised expression but sighed when, with exquisite care, he caressed her face before his lips met hers in a soul-searing kiss, that ignited her libido. She couldn’t get close enough to him. Unfortunately, they were confined by the console and steering wheel in the cab of his big truck.

He broke the kiss whispering her name, “Julie. Julie.” He caressed her face with gentle hands. He pulled back from her as she gazed up at him. “Let’s take a walk, ok?”

“Ok.”

Her mouth watered at the sight of him getting out of the cab to open the gate. He got back in, drove the truck through the opening and then stopped to close the gate again.

When he returned to the cab, he put the truck in gear and said, “I used to come out here when I was a teen. There’s a high spot just up this dirt road through the trees. It has a great view of the sunset. I want you to see it.”

The land began to flatten out as they rose to higher ground. There was an old log that had been trimmed up and served as a parking block. He pulled up to the log and shut off the truck.

“Don’t get out until I come around to get you, ok?”

“Sure,” she smiled. He looked so serious and sincere that she wouldn’t deny him his chivalry.

She watched her unlikely prince charming come around to her side of the truck. She remembered that he kept his small gun in an ankle holster just above his black lace-up boot under his pant leg. If she didn’t know it was there she wouldn’t notice it at all; she could just make out the slight outline if she squinted. His jeans were worn-out in all the right places and her breathing sped up. His t-shirt was bright white, tucked into those awesome jeans, and outlined every muscle in his upper body except for his tattooed arms, which were exposed in the short sleeves.

She used to think all that ink made him look dangerous. But now that he had explained what each image was and why he had it permanently imprinted on his body, they became an open picture book of his life, keeping no secrets hidden. They described his faith, his desires, his values; and one even described how much she meant to him. Oh, how she loved that tattoo.

He took her hand, helping her out of the tall cab of his truck. When he closed the door, he took her in his arms and kissed her breath away. All she could do was cling to him until he let up and smiled.

“This is what I wanted to show you.” They were facing what looked like a camp site. There was a fire pit surrounded by stones and wooden camp chairs in the Adirondack style. There was a pile of wood ready to burn and a small picnic table that looked homemade. But as he turned her in the opposite direction she froze at the sight before her.

From this vantage point she could see the entire town below and the mountains on the other side. Some of the trees were beginning to turn colors a bit early in the higher ground; just some yellowing at the tips of their leaves letting the world know that summer was at an end and fall would be here soon. The nights had already began to dip into the high 40’s, giving the night air a brisk feel. The sun was beginning to set now and the sky was a myriad of pinks, purples and blue. It was absolutely breathtaking.

“What is this place?” she asked with wonder, still gaping at the gorgeous vista.

“This is my spot,” he said, simply. “My parents sectioned off the property in three places for me and my brothers. It’s where they want us to build homes for ourselves.”

“You’re parents want to subdivide?”

“Only to their children,” he said with a smile. “They’re hoping that if we all settle here that their future grandkids will only be a stone’s throw away.”

She laughed at that. Sounds like something Camille would say. “Well, it’s very beautiful up here.” She put her arms around his waist because she needed to touch him. “This spot is perfect for a home. Will you start something now that your home was burned down?”

“That house wasn’t my home, Jujyfruit. It was an investment, remember?”

“But all of your things are destroyed… your clothes, your personal mementos, photographs…”

He interrupted her, “You were never in that house, so you don’t know this; I didn’t really ‘live’ there. I stayed there but there was nothing in that house that can’t be replaced. All my valuables are either at the bank, in a safe deposit box or at my parent’s house. You saw my room last night. Any, mementos, as you say, are there.”

She thought about that for a minute. No, she hadn’t ever been to his house because she had no reason to go there. Now that she thought about it she didn’t think that Charlie had ever been there either because most of their time together had been spent on sports, or at the Kings’ home. She would have to ask Charlie about it to be sure.

“That doesn’t really answer my question. Will you build here now?” She wondered what type of home he would build for himself in such a place; would he build simple so as not to take away from the landscape or would it be a mansion like his father’s?

He tightened his grip on her waist and whispered in her ear, “Well, we’ll have to see what the near future brings, right?”

“That sounds cryptic,” she laughed.

Squeezing her tighter he answered softly,“I haven’t felt this happy in a very long time, if ever. You make me feel this way, Julie.” He kissed her temple, giving her that cherished feeling again and filling her eyes with tears. She swallowed the lump in her throat. Again, she felt the awkward shyness pull at her psyche.

Why was this so hard? Was it because she didn’t know how to feel or because no one had ever said such a thing to her before?

“Why do I make you happy?” she whispered.

“Because you are all that I have ever wanted, Julie. I don’t know if it’s just human chemistry or divine providence. After last night, I am absolutely certain that you were made for me. There is no other woman that compares to you, and if I build here, I want it to be with you.”

Turning in his arms so that she could look him in his beautiful face, she felt the tears flowing now. She finally realized that he was her
everything
and she didn’t want to hold back any longer. Just as she was about to speak her heart she heard a familiar laugh from behind them.

Billy stood in the campsite. “Well, Jason, looks like you finally stole my girl.”

CHAPTER 21

DEMENTED

How the hell did Billy find us?

“What are you doing here, Billy?” Jason was quiet and calm on the outside, not wanting to spook Julie. He knew Billy too well. He was a sociopath who lived off of people’s fears to feed his own ego.

Billy was just standing there looking smug but Jason knew that he was never unprepared. His guess was that he either had backup somewhere hidden in the trees or he was carrying a weapon. Either way, Jason was ready for whatever he had planned. No way would he let him hurt Julie.

Billy stared at them for a moment, his head cocked to the side in that way he had as if he were assessing the best way to corner his prey, which is exactly what he was doing.

Jason kept his heart rate down, his breathing regulated, prepared for anything.

Billy’s lips moved into that smug half smile that never reached his eyes. “I just wanted to make sure you were doing alright, old friend. I mean, we are old friends, aren’t we?”

“No, Billy, we’re not. We haven’t been friends for a very long time,” Jason said with complete honesty.

“That’s right, you hypocrite. You didn’t like my extra curricular activities. What’s the matter, Jason? Did I cut into your pussy stash? Well, it certainly looks like you’ve returned the favor though, haven’t you?” he sneered at Julie.

He heard Julie’s gasp behind him and felt her fingers dig into the waste band of his jeans. He fought his instinct to knock Billy’s teeth out. He knew Billy was just baiting. However, not knowing yet what the prick had up his sleeve, he maintained eye contact, preparing for the inevitable deterioration of the situation.

“Don’t you speak to me that way, you pathetic excuse for a man!” Julie said from behind them, startling Jason.

He wasn’t sure if playing the woman scorned was a good idea. The look in Billy’s eyes was maniacal. Jason didn’t budge from the protective stance he had in front of her, though. If Billy wanted a fight, he would get one but not until he could get Julie out of the way.

“Ah, the love of my life speaks. Well, honey bunches, soon you’ll see just how real this man can get. Even though you’ve sullied yourself with Jason, I’m willing to take you to my bed.”

Jason felt every muscle in his body tense. All he wanted to do was pummel this asshole until he bled. He gritted his teeth and growled, “You won’t be touching her ever again, Billy. Leave her out of it. This is between you and me.”