The Heartbreaker Series: Books 1-3 (15 page)

“Am I deep inside you? Is my baby going to come all over my cock?” He reaches in front of me and starts strumming my clit. My cries turn to incoherent babbles as he picks up speed and starts pounding into me.

My orgasm powers through my body as I cry over and over. He wraps the hand that was strumming my clit around my throat and pulls me close as he starts coming. When we both are done, he rests his forehead against my back and places a small kiss between my shoulder blades.

He pulls out of me and I collapse against the wall. I try to slow my breathing. He’s behind me, doing the same. I hear his zipper and then feel his hands slide up my legs along with my shorts. I smile, but he can’t see it. The man is an enigma. He can be so rough with me, but so tender too.

I pull the ripped shirt back up and over my shoulders and hold the ripped parts together in the middle. He kisses me softly before letting me take care of business.

After I’ve freshened up, Gabe walks me out to my car. “Call me tonight, babe.”

I tell him I will, accept his kiss, and drive away. The ache between my legs lets me know that I won’t forget that man no matter how much space I put between us.

On the way to my mom’s, I call Jordan to see if he’s alive and to see if he wants to go with me. When he answers, I know immediately he’s feeling rough. His voice is all scratchy and he sounds like he’s been sleeping.

“Hey, I was just checking in with you and to see if you wanted to come see Mom with me.”

“Sorry, Jazz, but I just got home and need to crash. I’ll talk to you later. I want to hear all about your night.”

He disconnects before I can ask him any questions, which is the usual. I don’t get how he can go and sleep with some random stranger. It’s so dangerous, but he doesn’t seem to care. He’s a grown man and I just need to stop worrying about what he’s doing and focus on myself for once. Let’s see how well that works.

I pull into my mom’s place and hope they didn’t have any outings planned. I reach the door as Sherry, one of the onsite staff members, opens it and greets me.

“Hey, Jasmine, what a nice surprise. Come on in. I’m sure your mom will be happy to see you.” I follow her in and notice how quiet it is. “Some of the girls are in the family room watching a movie. Go ahead and head on back.”

I thank her and make my way to the back of the house. Sure enough, my mom is curled up in a chair, staring at the TV.

“Mom?” Her head snaps up and she smiles wide.

“Jazzy! What are you doing here?”

She flies out of the chair and runs to me. I accept her big hug. I hold the hug longer than usual. I don’t know why, but I just need her comfort right now. I feel like I’m in the center of a tornado. It’s not necessarily bad, but I just feel out of sorts. Things are amazing with Gabe. I’m enjoying my job and I’m trying to have more fun, but I feel like things are swirling around me right now and I don’t know how to stop it.

“I thought you might like to walk down the street to get some ice cream.”

We check with Sherry to make sure it’s okay and head outside. The ice cream shop is only a block away. I loop my arm through hers as we make our way to get our ice cream.

We sit on a bench outside with our cones in hand. A thought comes to me. “Mom, do you ever think about Dad or what you can remember about him? I know you don’t remember being pregnant with us, but I just wondered if you remember anything at all about him.”

My mom doesn’t say anything for a few minutes and then looks at me. “I sometimes dream about a young blond man who looks a lot like Jordy. It’s always the same dream, where he’s holding you and singing to you softly while your brother is asleep in my arms. When I wake up, I always feel sad. I wish I could remember him more. Am I still married to him?”

I tell her no. Shortly after my dad left, Grandma and Grandpa had divorce papers delivered to him and the bastard signed them and returned them almost immediately. Well, at least that’s what I heard Grandma telling Grandpa one night when I was eavesdropping.

“Why didn’t he stay, Jazzy? What did I do?”

“Momma, you didn’t do anything wrong. You were both just very young and he couldn’t handle the pressure of two babies and a sick wife.” I don’t know all of the reasons he left, but those seem like the nicest excuses to give her.

We spend the rest of our time together talking about Gabe, my job, and Jordan. I can tell, as we walk back to the home, that our talk about my sperm donor still has her upset, or at least quiet. I feel bad. I shouldn’t have brought it up, but I was curious. I know the doctors told my grandparents that her memories could come back, but they just never have.

Every year, on my and Jordan’s birthday, the three of us sit and watch old home movies, partially in the hopes that watching the movies will trigger her memory. Right before we lost Grandpa, Grandma had all the tapes converted to DVDs. It’s always a riot to watch the three of us through the years.

I give my mom a hug when we reach the door. “I love you, Mom. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Love you too.” She walks inside and I wave to Sherry before I leave and head home.

Chapter Fifteen

Jasmine

It’s been two weeks since the night at the club, which I like to refer to as the night I made a drunken fool of myself. Since then, I’ve bumped up my workouts and have cut out a lot of carbs from my diet. I still eat and eat well. I’m just making better choices and I think it’s beginning to show. I’ve already lost seven pounds and can see my clothes fitting better. Every time I want to eat my Ben and Jerry’s, I remember what that jerk said and put it away.

Tonight, Gabe is coming over and I’m making him dinner. We haven’t seen each other much in the past couple of weeks. He’s been working on closing a deal on some condos, so he’s been back and forth between here and Cali. Work has been crazy for me as well. They’ve given me another case and I’ve been working with Randi and helping her get signed up for some college classes.

While the chicken is being kept warm in the oven and the risotto is waiting on the stove, I run back to my bedroom and quickly change into jean shorts and a form fitting t-shirt. I’m throwing my hair into a ponytail when I hear the front door open.

“Babe!” I hear Gabe call out.

I come out into the living room, run to him, and jump into his arms. I couldn’t help myself. I attack his mouth, kissing his lips with all I have. I pull back. “I missed you.”

He smiles at me and squeezes my ass cheeks under my shorts. “Missed you too, babe.”

He sets me down, pulls back, and gives me a once over. He slides his hands over my body and his lips press into a hard line. “Jasmine, what are you doing? I told you that guy was a dick.” He tips my head back and looks deep into my eyes. “You are beautiful inside and out. You don’t need to lose weight.”

“I’m not going crazy, Gabe. I’ve just started making healthier decisions. I’m laying off the Ben and Jerry’s for a while. I’m not starving myself, I promise.” I push up on my tiptoes and kiss his lips. “Baby, I promise. I’m being smart about it. Thank you for worrying.” He kisses me once more before I hurry into the kitchen to finish getting dinner ready.

After dinner, we decide to go for a walk. I love that we can walk in a companionable silence. He wraps his arm around my shoulders and kisses my forehead. We’re down by the river when I hear a horn honk. Jordan pulls up next to us.

“What’s up, lovebirds? Out for a stroll?” he asks.

I bend down to talk to him through the open window. Gabe shakes Jordan’s hand through the window. “What are you doing? Were you coming to see me?”

“Yeah. I was just stopping by to see if you’d feed me.”

“Well, head on over. I made chicken and risotto. We’ll be back in a bit.”

He drives off and Gabe and I keep walking.

“I may have to head to Cali in a few weeks and I want you to come with me. I’ve been instructed by Savannah to bring you so she can take you out for a girl’s day. I don’t know what that entails, but she means business and honestly, I don’t want to hear her bitch me out if I show up without you.”

It’s just for the weekend, like last time, so of course I say yes. I loved being out of town with Gabe last time and I know, with Savannah, I’ll have a blast. I can’t help but squeal and dance around in circles. He reaches out quickly and snags me around the waist. He hauls me up against his chest. “I really love this side of you,” he says. His voice is low and causes an involuntary shiver to run down my spine.

“I love this side of me too,” I whisper. I kiss him and pull away. “I bet I can beat you.”

I take off like a bullet. My arms pump back and forth as I gain speed. I honestly have no idea if he’s following, but I just keep running until I’m scooped up in the air, screaming. He stops running and I slap at his chest.

“Oh my God! You scared me. I’m gonna kick your ass.” His chuckle vibrates through my chest and makes me smile. “You’re so bad.”

“Yeah, but you love it.”

I’m not going to argue with that.

***

My eyes flutter open and I smile when I feel Gabe’s chest against my back. I stretch into him and feel that familiar ache between my legs.

Last night, he made love to me over and over. I finally had to threaten to remove his dick if he touched me again. Of course, he had to ‘get in there’ one more time before we went to bed. I love how, when we sleep, he’s almost completely on top of me. I feel warm and protected.

His hard cock is against my ass. I burrow closer to him and lace my fingers with the fingers on the hand that is splayed across my stomach.

He kisses my neck. “What time is it?” His voice is rough from sleep.

I reach out and grab my phone. “It’s six. I should get up and shower. Do you want me to make some coffee?”

“Nah, you get in the shower and I’ll make the coffee.”

He pushes himself off me and I lie on my back and watch his beautiful, naked body as he walks out of my bedroom and into the bathroom. I climb gingerly out of bed and throw my robe on. A stupid smile is probably gracing my lips right now, but I have never been happier.

I make the bed. When he exits the bathroom, I go in and quickly take my shower.

I’m finishing my makeup when Gabe comes to the bathroom door. I smile at him in the mirror. He sidles up behind me and wraps his arms around his waist. “I made breakfast. I’m going to get going. I have a conference call that I have to get ready for. I’ll talk to you later. I love you.”

I turn my head to accept his kiss. “I love you too,” I whisper back. I love how his eyes get soft every time I say it.

I walk him out. I head into the kitchen when he leaves. On a plate, there are some eggs and toast. I can’t help but smile as I pick up the plate and quickly eat. I head back to my bedroom to get dressed.

I get to work early and cherish my alone time. It gives me a chance to go over the mounds and mounds of paperwork that seem to make up most of my days. Today I don’t have much going on, so I’ll just go through my cases and make sure I have everything in order. If I don’t, I’ll have time to fix it.

Jill and I have a lunch date today as well, which is good because I feel like I don’t ever see her anymore. She looks a lot better now that she’s not getting sick all of the time. She’s still pretty tight-lipped about the whole Nico situation, but she knows I’m here for her whenever.

My morning is over before I know it and Jill just texted me to let me know she’s outside. I lock my computer and grab my purse. I step out into the heat and hustle to where Jill is waiting for me. I hug her as soon as I climb inside.

“Sorry I didn’t come in to get you. How’s your day going?”

“Don’t worry about it, and it’s going. I’m just getting caught up on some paperwork.” My stomach growls. “I’m so hungry. Where are we going?”

She drives us to a little hole-in-the-wall barbeque place that we love. I loop my arm through hers as we step inside. There is no hostess, so we find a clean booth next to a window. When I sit down, I look up and notice the tiniest swell in Jill’s lower abdomen. I look at her more closely and also notice her boobs look huge too. Of course she notices me staring.

“Yeah, yeah. My breasts are huge. I swear I don’t know how I’ll manage if they keep getting bigger and bigger.”

“It’s not a bad thing. It’s for the baby. You look beautiful. You’re seriously glowing. I just can’t believe you’re showing already,” I say after our waiter takes our order and brings us water.

“I’m just glad I don’t feel sick all the time anymore. I’m only twelve weeks, so I have no clue why my bump is showing already. Maybe it’s going to be a big baby.” She takes a sip of her water. “How are things with Gabe?”

“I think it’s going good. He told me that he loves me. I love him too. He’s very intense and I didn’t plan for a serious relationship, but I’m trying.”

We’re both quiet while we eat. The spicy barbeque sauce sets my mouth on fire, but it’s so good, there’s no way I’m going to stop eating these ribs. With each bite, I try to calculate how much cardio I’m going to have to do. I mentally shake my head. I’m not going to think about that right now. I’m just going to enjoy my food.

When we finish eating, we both step up to the register to pay. I look down at my shirt and see a big blob of sauce right on my boob. “Just great,” I mutter to myself.

Jill and I step out into the afternoon sun and I put my sunglasses on to shield my eyes from the brightness. While we drive back, a weird feeling comes over me and I can’t figure out what it is. It causes goose bumps to break out all over my skin. Not even a minute later, my cell phone rings. I don’t recognize the number, but answer it anyway. What I hear on the other line freaks me out.

“What-What happened to him?”

My ears begin to ring after the nurse tells me a shortened version of what happened. Jill pulls the phone out of my hand, but I can’t hear her talking to the nurse. Someone hurt my brother. He’s not conscious right now and my heart is breaking.

We reach the hospital and I’m out of the car before Jill even comes to a stop. I run to the automatic doors. I have no idea if Jill’s following me. The doors open and I run straight to the desk. The woman looks up as I stop in front of her.

“May I help you?”

“Yes. My brother, Jordan Nichols, was brought in.”

She starts tapping away on her computer. “He’s in room two. Go ahead and head on back.” She hits a button and the doors slowly open. When I reach his room, the doctor is stepping out.

I tell him who I am and he leads me to the nurses’ station. “I’m Dr. Murray and I’ve been treating your brother. I just wanted to let you know what’s going on. I’m afraid your brother’s been beaten badly. His left arm is broken and he’s got a broken nose. He was unconscious when they found him. He’s got a moderate concussion. We may keep him overnight to keep an eye on him and his pain. I’ll give you some time.”

I rush to his room and then immediately to his bedside. I sit on the bed and gingerly lay my head on his chest. His heart is beating a slow, steady rhythm.

I try to remain strong. He’ll need my strength to help him heal, but the tears come anyway and I can’t seem to stop them. I wrap my arms around his middle and close my eyes. I hear the
snick
of someone opening the door and open my eyes to see Jill stepping inside, followed by Gabe. Jill must’ve called him. I look up as he walks over to me and accept the kiss that he drops on my lips.

“How’s he doing, baby?”

I shake my head. “I don’t know much. The doctor says Jordan’s arm is broken as well as his nose.” My voice catches. “He said Jordan was unconscious when they…when they found him.” Gabe pulls me into a hug and, for once, I let someone else be the strong one. Jill hugs me from behind and I dissolve into ragged sobs.

They continue to hold me until my sobs turn into hiccups. Gabe sits down and pulls me into his lap as I stare at my brother and will him to wake up, which doesn’t work.

Two hours after Jordan was moved to another room, he finally wakes up. I tried to send Gabe and Jill home earlier, but they both refused to leave my side. I have yet to call my mom, but I’m worried about how she’ll react. My thoughts are interrupted when I hear Jordan groan. I fly out of my chair.

“Jordan, can you hear me?” My eyes fill with tears as his eyelids flutter open. “Welcome back, honey. Can I get you anything?”

He stares at me for a minute before he turns his head and hoarsely whispers, “No.”

He won’t look at me and it worries me. Before I can say anything, the doctor enters the room. Jordan asks us all to leave the room so the doctor can examine him. I stare at the closed door the whole time in disbelief, my feelings hurt. Why didn’t he want me to stay?

“Baby?” I look up at Gabe. “Why didn’t he want me in there? What happened to him?”

“Jasmine, he got his ass kicked. His head’s probably all fucked up about it. He’s probably going to need some time. Maybe they’ll suggest he talk to someone. He’ll let you in when he’s ready.”

When the door opens and the doctor steps out, I move quickly to head back in, but he stops me. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but he’s asked to see the gentleman only.”

“He doesn’t want to see me? But I’m his sister. I don’t understand.”

Gabe grabs my arm. “Let me go talk to him and see where his head is at.” He kisses my forehead. “It’s going to be okay, I promise.”