Chapter Fifteen
Any deep dark secrets, she asked him? Viking held Blair while she slept, replaying her story in his mind.
Her sick fuck of a brother still breathed air.
He’d call Keys in the morning to see if he couldn’t find out where they kept the little prick and maybe orchestrate a little accident for the bastard. He’d lived way past his use-by date.
He closed his eyes, content with the knowledge he held Jinx safely in his embrace. He’d keep her safe while they slept, and when they woke, he’d work on ways to ensure her safety while figuring out how to keep her with him.
Morning came with a soft glow. Viking took a moment to appreciate the quiet when he’d usually hit the ground running.
He looked down at the slight weight resting against his side, glancing down at what he could see of her exposed flesh.
They’d kicked the comforter off at some point during the night, but he could see little goosebumps on her flesh, letting him know she must be cold.
He reached down, trying to keep from shifting too much, and pulled the discarded blanket over her shoulders.
Jinx snuggled closer, her arm sliding over his chest. It was his turn to shiver.
Need made his body come alive. Fuck, he’d woken her once in the middle of the night, taking her from behind until they were both calling out each other’s names.
She fell asleep with him still semi-hard inside her.
Viking whispered his love to her, but he’d been a coward, knowing she wouldn’t hear.
Jinx shifted again, her thigh sliding up his leg, bumping against his dick. He grunted.
Blinking up at him, she smiled. “Good morning, handsome. Looks like someone else is awake, too.”
He put his hand on her leg, stopping her from rubbing along his dick. She might not remember, but he didn’t forget the fact she’d been sore after their last session. He wouldn’t take her again until she took a bath and let herself recover. His dick be damned.
“He will be fine. Your sweet little pussy, on the other hand, needs me to take care of her.” Viking ran his hand down the thigh she’d stretched over his and back up over her ass.
He gave her ass a firm squeeze and then skated the tips of his fingers through the crack until he could tease between her thighs.
With his eyes locked on her face, he saw her wince the second he pressed a finger into her swollen depths.
“Oh,” she gasped.
“Yeah, oh.” He agreed. “Why don’t you go take a bath in that giant soaker tub I saw in your bathroom, and I’ll go whip us up some breakfast. I noticed you had an array of things in the refrigerator.
I should be able to do a decent job of feeding us this morning.
” He eased his finger out, taking care not to hurt her.
“That actually sounds amazing. Are you sure you don’t mind?” She pushed herself up on an elbow, looking down at him with big green eyes.
“I can cook two meals proficiently. Breakfast and anything on the grill. Trust me, I won’t destroy your kitchen,” he said, giving her ass a slap. “Come on, the day is slipping away, woman.”
Jinx shook her head, but she rolled away.
“Hey, where’s my morning kiss?” he asked, reaching for her as she slipped off the side of the bed, standing gloriously naked.
She held her hand over her mouth. “Not until I’ve put a brush with minty toothpaste to this yuck mouth.”
He flopped back onto the bed, chuckling. “Woman, I’ve licked your sweet pussy, and you’ve had my dick nearly down your throat. You think a little morning breath bothers me?”
Jinx stopped at the open door to the ensuite, staring over her shoulder. “Not the same thing. Bad breath is nasty and should be illegal.”
Viking let out a deep breath, then realized he didn’t have a toothbrush. “Hey, do you have a spare for me?”
“I do, actually. Every time I go to the dentist, they give me one along with a mini tube of toothpaste. I usually end up using it to clean tiles or something. You’re lucky since I haven’t used the latest one yet.” Jinx’s voice floated out of the other room over the sound of running water.
He got out of bed, sauntering into the bathroom to tackle the teeth brushing before going down and cooking breakfast. He stopped dead in his tracks, taking in the view of Jinx bent over the counter, toothbrush in her mouth. He wished he had his cell phone with him so he could take a picture.
She met his gaze in the mirror. Viking moved next to her, taking the unopened brush she offered.
It took monumental effort for him to go through the mechanical motions of brushing his teeth while he stared transfixed at Jinx.
She moved around the room, starting the bathwater and adding shit he assumed were her favorites.
He inhaled, smelling a hint of raspberry and something he couldn’t name.
Whatever it was, he decided it was delicious.
“I’ll holler when breakfast is ready. Take your time soaking.” He kissed Jinx’s forehead before exiting the bathroom, feeling like a fool standing at the sink watching her.
He pulled his jeans on and grabbed his cell phone, heading down already thinking about food. With a few quick texts, he sent a request to his brother Keys with the Royal MC, asking him to look into Benjamin Clemons. Keys quickly messaged he’d get on it.
Jinx’s kitchen made it easy to work in. Before he began cooking, he made two cups of coffee. Remembering the way she’d ordered hers, he added cream and sugar, hoping it was correct. Walking back up the stairs to the bathroom, he paused as he heard her singing.
“Knock, knock,” he said, entering the bathroom with her coffee in one hand and his in the other. He set his on the counter by the sink and continued toward the tub. Jinx lay with her head resting on the back while music played softly.
“Hey, you. Whatcha got there?” She held her hand out but didn’t sit up.
“I figured you could use some coffee if you’re anything like me.” He placed the mug on the small shelf that stretched across the porcelain.
She sat up, water sloshing slightly, and took the cup. “Oh, you are a God among men,” she vowed.
He ran the tip of his finger over the swell of one exposed breast. “And you are a vixen. Enjoy your coffee and bath. I’m going to go cook before I lose my mind.”
He pulled out bacon and eggs, locating bread and the toaster in a cabinet. By the time he’d drunk two cups of coffee, finished making enough bacon for him and Jinx, and was ready to whip up some eggs, he heard Jinx’s soft tread.
His mind whirled. “Damn, you take my breath away. If my MC brothers heard me, they’d probably beat the shit out of me, but fuck, they’d be jealous bastards.”
“You’re in an MC?” she asked.
Shit, he realized he hadn’t told her about his life. “Have a seat. We can eat while I tell you about my shitshow of a life.”
He turned back to the stove, hating the thought of digging up old hurts and memories.
Jinx’s soft hand landed on his back. He sucked in a breath, closing his eyes, and he dropped his head.
“You don’t have to if it’s too hard,” she whispered.
He turned, leaning against the counter, pulling her in close to him. “You’re too damn good for me, Jinx. The shit you’ve gone through, and you say that to me? I don’t deserve you, but I’ll be damned if I’ll give you up. It’ll have to be you who runs from me.”
She pressed up onto her toes, giving him a sweet kiss. “Well, unless you tell me you’re a serial killer or cheater, then you’re safe. I’m not really a runner.”
He quirked a brow, knowing she’d run from her family, but that was necessary.
“How do you like your eggs, Vakker?” he asked.
“Scrambled.”
He held up the spatula, pointing it toward her. “My specialty. Have a seat. I’ll have breakfast ready in no time.”
“Can I do anything to help?” she asked, refilling her cup of coffee.
“If you want to make some toast, that would be great.”
They worked together, finishing their breakfast, and sat down to eat. Viking ate the last piece of bacon, then sat back and sighed. He didn’t want to ruin the peace they’d found, but she deserved to know the truth.
“When I was eighteen, I met Nancy. She was seventeen, and we were the couple everyone swore would last forever. Our parents were friends, but she’d gone to an all-girls school from kindergarten through high school.
We literally never met until our senior year.
She seemed like this amazing new girl everyone wanted to be with, and every guy wanted to get with.
I wasn’t so sure, but she decided we were meant to be together.
Obviously, I gave in, and we started dating.
” He shook his head, thinking about those days.
“Things were good at first, but it didn’t take long for red flags to start showing.
My sister was a Freshman at the same time we were seniors.
Nancy would throw a fit if she saw me talking to Solange because she was a girl, and all girls were off-limits.
We had huge fights that always ended with her hitting me and breaking up with promises of killing herself. It was exhausting.”
“Good god, that sounds awful. How or why did you take her back?” she asked.
He rubbed his forehead. “She would beg and plead, and if that didn’t work, her parents would call mine.
It was always the same damn thing. Finally, when I’d had enough and told my mom and dad what she’d been doing, they understood and were cool with me ending it for good.
Nancy, being the manipulative bitch, and I, being the dumbass who fell for her tricks, found ourselves in a trap we couldn’t break.
Her parents showed up at our house with a sobbing Nancy.
Only I saw the look of triumph in her downturned face.
I swear, I always used a condom. My mind went over the one time she had decided to put the latex on, with her mouth.
I can’t say for sure, but I still wonder if she hadn’t sabotaged it.
At the end of the day, she was pregnant, and our parents insisted we get married.
It was fucked up, but at nineteen, I was married with a little girl I’d give my life for. ”
He put his hand over his chest, the ache a constant reminder of her loss.
“What happened to her—them?” Jinx asked. Her voice was barely above a whisper.
“I was in law school at Harvard. Nancy and Sarah, that was my daughter’s name, both lived with me in an on-campus apartment.
While I was swamped with work and classes, I did everything I could to be a good father and husband.
Nancy hated living on the East Coast, but she wouldn’t leave me there alone because she didn’t trust me to not fuck around on her.
Mind you, I’d never given her the slightest reason to think she couldn’t trust me.
It was exhausting, but I put up with her bullshit for Sarah.
Finally, we had a nice break at Christmas, so we flew back home.
Fuck, I thought it would be good for all of us to rest and see our families.
Honestly, I should’ve seen the signs, but—but I guess I didn’t want to.
Anyway, she stayed the night at her parents’ with Sarah, while I decided to stay at my mom and dad’s.
I’d planned to pick them both up the next morning since it was Christmas Eve, but she called and said she was going to go into town and shop with her mom.
” Viking got up, needing something to drink as his throat went dry.
He pulled out a bottle of water, looking toward Jinx to see if she wanted one.
She nodded, so he grabbed a second bottle, handing it to her across the island.
Viking stayed standing, leaning against the cabinets behind him.
He crossed his feet at the ankles and took a deep breath.
“That day, she didn’t go into town with her mother.
She went looking for a fix, and she found it.
Nancy got so fucking high, and then she got behind the wheel of her mother’s little SUV.
It started snowing, but Nancy didn’t put the vehicle in four-wheel drive.
Even if she did, she was so fucked up it probably wouldn’t have helped.
She drove too fast and crashed, veering off the road and rolling down a ravine.
My baby girl died on impact. The coroner said,” he choked out.
“Oh, Bekkett.” Jinx stood before him, her arms wrapped around his waist, holding onto his shaking form.