Chapter 11
CHAPTER 11
A riana stopped abruptly when Jasmine propped herself against the doorframe. Her sister’s angry expression instantly blanked before she looked away.
“You wouldn’t hesitate to do what, Ari?” Jasmine’s soft tone belied her simmering temper.
Thankfully, Kye and Bailey were oblivious to the brewing storm, sitting at the other end of the nursery watching a program.
Ariana cleared her throat as she ran a hand over her skirt. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for you to hear that.”
“I know you didn’t.”
“Minnie,” Colette began in a consoling tone as Jasmine advanced into the room, her gaze fixed on Ariana.
“You really think Roth could harm a child?” she demanded.
Ariana jutted out her chin. “Why wouldn’t he? He attacked an old woman.”
“Ari!” Colette’s raised voice scared Polara, who began to cry. She swiftly adjusted the baby and shot a severe look at her middle sister. “It’s Thanksgiving. This isn’t the time to?—”
“I don’t condone his actions,” Jasmine cut in, voice shaking with the effort it took not to shout. “But he didn’t lash out because Thea sneezed while he was on the phone. She was handing over blackmail Dad used to control him for four years. He was blindsided by it and overreacted. That was an isolated incident and has nothing to do with you thinking he would attack the kids.”
“He could have killed her. It’s a miracle he didn’t do permanent damage. I can’t take the chance that he’ll get triggered by something Kye or Bailey does. They’re children. They’re going to be loud and messy and unpredictable.”
“You think he doesn’t know that?”
“With the way he’s looking at them like they’re animals, I don’t know what he knows about children. Did you see the way he tried to avoid contact with Bailey like she was infectious or something? How he stared at Kye throughout dinner? What’s wrong with him?”
“There’s nothing wrong with him.” She started toward her sister before Colette stepped between them. The sight of a cooing Polara snapped Jasmine out of her red haze. She couldn’t attack her sister in front of her children, no matter how tempting. She sidestepped Colette to maintain eye contact with Ariana, who looked confident, but her baby-doll eyes were wide and wary. “He has no experience with kids, so he doesn’t know how to handle them. He’s more afraid of them than anything else!”
Ariana gave her a scornful look. “How many excuses are you going to make for him? His behavior is bizarre and nowhere near normal. Why can’t you admit that?”
“Ariana!”
She didn’t glance at Colette to see if she looked as appalled as she sounded. Her eyes were locked on Ariana, who was flushed an unbecoming shade of pink and bristling with righteous anger. Ariana the peacemaker was nowhere in sight. Apparently, she had been waiting a long time to get this off her chest and was hell-bent on having her say.
Ariana held up a hand as she said, “I’m not trying to hurt you, but we all know, when it comes to him, you’re blind and reckless. You jumped into an affair even though you had other obligations and responsibilities. When Dad confronted you, instead of righting your wrong, you compounded your mistake by marrying Roth to spite Dad. You didn’t consider how your actions reflected badly on us and brought our integrity into question. You held onto that marriage for three years before you finally admitted you’d made a mistake and asked Dad for help. But within weeks of Dad passing, you’re jumping back into the fire! He makes himself majority shareholder of Hennessy it would only reinforce their image of her as a petty brat. Colette had tried to stop Ariana from voicing her opinion, not because she didn’t agree with what was being said, but because she was trying to keep the peace. Once again, Jasmine was an outcast in her own family. So be it. At least she had Roth, who accepted her for who she was, faults and all.
“Jasmine, wait.”
She ignored Colette’s call and swiped at her eyes before entering the grand living room. Roth took one look at her face and got to his feet, making Rami and Lyle wheel around.
“We’re leaving,” she said.
Roth’s eyes flicked over her shoulder before he started toward her.
“What happened?” Lyle demanded.
“Nothing.” She went up on tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. “Thank you for having us tonight.”
“But—”
She gave Rami a fierce hug. “It was good to see you.”
She reached back and felt her equilibrium steady when Roth’s hand closed around hers. Colette and Ariana stood side by side in the hallway. Colette nervously fingered her pearls, while Ariana’s restless hands smoothed over her suit.
She didn’t meet their eyes as she said with quiet dignity, “Happy Thanksgiving.”
The irony of that statement wasn’t lost on her.
Colette reached out to her but stopped before she made contact. The awkward moment was broken by the housekeeper, who appeared with their coats. Jasmine didn’t stop to put hers on but draped it over her arm and strode to the elevator. Before they turned the corner, she heard Lyle say, “What the hell happened?”
She pressed the button for the elevator, her stomach in knots. Roth was on the phone, but she couldn’t hear anything over the sound of her blood racing through her veins. She accepted the good and bad in all of them, but it didn’t go both ways. She wasn’t to be trusted because of her choice in partner, yet their dad had chosen their spouses, and where had that gotten them? Rami was his own brand of villain, and Lyle... She rubbed the throbbing space between her brows. He could be the worst of them.
The elevator opened. Terry’s professional smile vanished when he spotted her. Apparently, her mask needed work. He braved Roth’s wrath by patting her on the shoulder. No one said a word as the elevator traveled down. The moment they reached the lobby, she marched toward the doors, but Roth stopped her.
“I want to leave,” she said through clenched teeth.
“Mo’s two minutes away.” He took her coat from her and helped her into it.
Roth didn’t ask what had happened, and for that, she was grateful. She bowed her head as she tried to temper the storm her sister had stirred up like the glitter in Bailey’s snow globe. She stiffened when her phone rang.
“Let’s go,” Roth said as Mo pulled up to the curb.
She ducked into the back seat and didn’t relax until they pulled away from Hennessy Tower. When her phone rang again, she rejected Lyle’s call and turned it off. She propped her arm on the window and took a shaky breath. They couldn’t have one family dinner without something going wrong. Maybe she should stop trying to bond with her sisters. Perhaps it was best they avoid one another as they had been doing most of their lives. Why subject herself to their criticism and ridicule?
Roth’s phone rang. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him pull it from his pocket. She contemplated knocking it out of his hand. Before she could act on her intrusive thought, the noise abruptly ceased. She turned her head as he powered his phone off too.
She slumped against the seat. “Thanks.”
Roth nodded and looked up as the car slowed. They crossed the lobby of 432 Park Avenue hand in hand. It was still busier than normal, but this time, the scrutiny didn’t bother her. They caught an empty car up to the penthouse, and when she turned toward the hallway that led to the bedrooms, she came to a stop, because he hadn’t released her. She hung her head, dreading the inquisition, but he didn’t say a thing—he just waited.
Slowly, he reeled her in and turned her to face him. When she had her emotions under control, Jasmine looked up. The intimidating stare that had chilled Ariana to the core soothed her frazzled nerves. As she took in Roth’s impressive figure, she realized how ludicrous it was to feel protective of him. He didn’t care what anyone thought of him and didn’t need her to fight his battles. Nevertheless, she wasn’t going to let her sisters slander him when he’d done nothing but help their ungrateful, entitled asses. As fragments of things she should have said zinged through her mind, she buried her face against his chest.
The base notes of his cologne—incense, amber, cedar, and sandalwood—calmed her. Her hands slipped inside his coat and ran up his sides. Roth was right. Her sisters didn’t deserve her. She would have given up her inheritance if Roth had been willing to negotiate with money. Instead, she’d sacrificed something far more valuable. Thankfully, things had worked out in her favor, but that didn’t take away from the fact she shouldn’t have taken on that responsibility in the first place. She’d always been idiotically loyal to those she loved, even when the sentiment wasn’t returned. That was her greatest flaw.
She raised her head and looked into those black-sapphire eyes that saw straight to her soul. Heart quaking, she reached up and clasped Roth’s nape. He obeyed the light pressure and leaned down, eyes watchful, as she went up on tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. She splayed her hand across his bristly cheek and deepened the kiss, desperate for connection, reassurance, and comfort. He tasted of coffee and pumpkin pie. He tasted like home.
She had always been misunderstood, dismissed, an oddity in her family of ambitious overachievers. She knew her family gossiped about her behind her back. This was the first time she’d interrupted their routine. Hearing what they thought of her hurt her in ways she thought she was impervious to.
Roth didn’t take over the kiss but accepted what she gave, once again demonstrating a level of patience and care that made her want to give him everything. He accepted the bold thrust of her tongue with an approving hum and let out a low grunt when she gripped his hair.
It was no mystery why she was drawn to Roth. His grit, perseverance, and raw intellect, untainted by the artifice of her father’s world, attracted her like a moth to a flame. He was the only one who’d taken the time to listen to the ramblings of a lost and lonely girl. He’d looked at her and seen a woman—one he desired enough to risk his livelihood for. He made her feel accepted, desired, happy, creative, strong, capable, safe. When it came to her family, there were conditions and expectations she would never be able to meet.
When she wrapped her arms around his neck, he picked her up and made his way to the bedroom. When he set her on her feet, she urged him to sit at the foot of the bed. He complied without hesitation. The fact this dominant man ceded to her eased the sting from the wounds Ariana had inflicted.
She hiked up her dress to straddle his lap, not bothering to shrug off her coat before clasping his face and taking his lips again. He let her feed from him. Encouraged it. And when her mouth traveled along his jaw, he tipped his head to give her more access.
She lost herself in him. The alluring madness that had tempted her at twenty-three was nothing compared to what consumed her now. She hadn’t thought their chemistry could get any hotter. She was mistaken. Now they weren’t holding back from each other and using desire as a weapon to best the other, it had morphed into something else. Something more. Something that terrified her with its relentless pull. Her only consolation was that Roth seemed to be under the same compulsion. Knowing this was temporary, that they would inevitably part, made every interaction special. They weren’t people who had committed to forever and took each other for granted. They’d experienced paradise and knew how fleeting that phase was. Life had a fickle habit of tripping them up and tearing their plans to shreds, so they luxuriated in the moment and gorged, knowing their time was finite.
She undid his tie and then the buttons of his shirt, tasting every inch of what she uncovered. When she splayed her hand over his bare chest, she felt his heart thudding beneath her palm. He wanted her. That was one thing she was sure of, but they both knew it wouldn’t last.
Men like Roth and her father weren’t good at maintaining relationships. They chased, conquered, and married because their need to possess was a part of who they were. But, like any businessman, they let go of the asset once they lost interest or got their money’s worth. Maximus’s marriages with Colette and Ariana’s mothers hadn’t gone beyond two years. If the rumors were true, her mother hadn’t even lasted three months. Once Roth had fulfilled his fantasies and gotten what he wanted from their alliance, his attention would wane. Their deadline protected her from his disinterest when it came.
She spread his shirt and clamped her mouth on his neck. He jerked and released a groan that made the space between her legs pulse. She wanted to hear more. She wanted him desperate, panting and moaning, so far gone he couldn’t hold back those sounds that made her fucking crazy. He was so proud of that hickey she’d given him in Denmark. She would give him one he’d have difficulty hiding.
Roth didn’t try to stop her. On the contrary, his fingers slid into her hair and held her to him as she branded him. For now, he was hers. Her husband. The only one who’d ever encouraged her bad behavior. He urged her to break the mold and be herself. Now, she couldn’t go back to walking the straight and narrow. She didn’t want to. Fuck her sisters and what they thought of their relationship. Her sisters didn’t strive for love but affection. They didn’t have fits of rage, just passing irritations. No high highs or low lows. Their lives were carefully controlled. What was life without passion, desire, risk, and obsession?
For the first time in five years, she let herself go. Her mind wasn’t consumed with grief, mindless lust, revenge, or anger. She blocked everything out and focused on him. On his animal heat, his smooth skin, the ripples of muscle and scars. When she pushed off his coat, jacket, and shirt, she was vaguely aware of him setting his gun holster aside.
She made her way down his body, nibbling along his collar bone before tracing his pecs with her tongue and then licking his nipple. His chest expanded as all the air left his lungs. She applied pressure to one nipple while laving the other with her mouth. He quivered and jerked. He wasn’t controlling his reactions to her; he was reacting on pure impulse, and she fed off it. Sounds of male appreciation filled the room as she loved on him.
When her mouth left his chest and moved down his ridged abdomen, his breathing stalled. She kneeled between his spread thighs and undid his belt but didn’t pull his zipper down to give him relief. Instead, she took her time tracing his six-pack and hummed in approval when he leaned back on his hands so she could explore to her heart’s content. As she worked her way down, she ran her hands up his thick thighs and rubbed her thumbs on either side of his bulge.
“Jasmine.”
She hummed against his skin. “Yes, baby?”
“A man can only take so much,” he warned.
“But you’re not just any man, are you?” The full moon played peekaboo with wispy clouds, casting half his face in shadow. “You can take more, can’t you?”
To fuck with him, she kissed him over his straining zipper. He bit out a vicious curse before dropping his head back in wordless surrender.
“Good boy,” she cooed.
He went rigid. “Call me a good boy again, your time’s up, and I’m fucking you on all fours until you scream.”
Not much of a threat when she was dripping, but she wasn’t done torturing him.
She carefully pulled his zipper down and grinned when he lifted his ass so she could slide his slacks and boxer briefs off. His pants caught on the ankle holster on his right leg. He swiftly unstrapped it, toed his shoes off, and tossed all his clothes, including his socks, aside. She paused to take him in. Reclined on the bed, bathed in moody moonlight, he looked like a warrior of old. Virile, battle-scarred, uninhibited, wicked. The fact she was dressed in layers while he was stark naked made her skin itch. She wanted to shrug off her coat and whip her slip of a dress over her head, but if he had to endure, so did she. They would both win in the end.
“What should I call you?” she asked in a low, throaty tone as she ran her hands over his hot flesh.
“You know what I like.” He jerked like a virgin when she closed her hands around his pulsing cock. “Ugh, fuck .”
She licked the tip of his dick and wasn’t surprised it was slick with precum. “You like baby.” His legs shifted restlessly as her tongue lapped absently. “You like Jamie.”
He sat up without using his hands for support, which was a testament to his core strength.
“Again.”
For a second, she wasn’t sure whether he was talking about the name or her continuing to pay homage to his dick, but she rolled the dice. “Jamie.”
He cupped her chin and angled her face toward the silver moonlight. His thumb swiped over her bottom lip, pushing the sticky precum into her mouth. When her tongue made a sweep to make sure she got it all, his stark expression softened slightly.
“Yes. In our bedroom, you call me Jamie,” he murmured. Then he added, “Or wherever we fuck.”
“And baby?”
His fingers flexed on her face before dropping away. “You can call me that whenever you want.”
“Just not boy,” she teased.
“I’m not a boy. Been a man since I was seven, when I made my first kill. You call me husband, your man, never a boy.”
“Okay, baby,” she said and took him in her mouth.
He shouted her name, which went to her head like a shot of tequila. He dropped back on the bed and surrendered completely to her. Muscles flexed as he stopped himself from reaching for her, obeying the unspoken rule to keep his hands to himself. She was mesmerized by the sight of him writhing, hands twisting in the bedsheets, and the way his skin gleamed as he perspired. He responded so beautifully to her. Eager, willing, unashamed. Her dream man. He’d never demonstrated such restraint. She rewarded him, worshipping him as she hadn’t done since the early days of their first marriage. When he was close to coming, she took her mouth away and petted his taut thighs. She bit her lip so she wouldn’t laugh when he pressed his fists to his face and swore.
“How much do you want me?” she purred.
“You know,” he snarled.
“I do?”
“Want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything,” he spat. “Sacrificed all I had just to taste you.”
He sounded pissed. She placed a chaste kiss on his knee. He jolted like he’d been shot.
“Are you done fucking with me?”
“I’m loving on you,” she said in a mock hurt tone as she dragged her fingers over slippery abdomen and took a wide berth around his jutting cock before brushing her thumb over his inner thigh, knowing very well it was anything but soothing to him. “You know, the way you do to me.”
“Tell me what you want,” he said through clenched teeth. “And I’ll give it to you.”
“I want you mindless for me,” she declared as she got to her feet and rolled her tight dress up to climb on top of him. As she settled on his rock-hard dick, his hands pushed aside her coat to grip her hips. “I want you screaming my name.”
“I shouted your fucking name twice,” he growled.
“That’s a good start, baby,” she said as she began to move.
She heard his teeth click as he clenched them together. His hands flexed on her hips to control her range of motion, but she wasn’t going for wild bouncing—just a subtle back-and-forth that would drive him out of his mind.
Watching him fight his orgasm did a number on her. She was sure he could feel the damp crotch of her tights as she rubbed along his hard length. She wanted to be naked, skin-to-skin, but she could hold out a little longer, right? He watched her slow, erotic grind, lips peeled back from his teeth in a snarl. Twice, she stopped so he could retain control. The third time, he broke.
“Jasmine.”
The plea in his garbled tone nearly made her come.
“Yes,” she gasped.
He heard her consent and acted immediately, rolling her beneath him. He positioned her ass on the edge of the bed. She lifted her hips, expecting him to yank her tights down, but he didn’t bother. He spread her thighs, ripped her soaked tights, brushed her thong aside, and began to penetrate. Her feet pedaled as she tried to adjust to his abrupt, relentless invasion. His hands glided down the backs of her thighs to her ass and squeezed as he bottomed out.
“Heaven.”
His reverent tone made her smile.
“My dirty angel,” he said gruffly. “Created to please and torture me. My heaven on earth.”
He braced his hands on either side of her and leaned down for a kiss so tender her eyes watered. It was a replay of her past—drowning in him so he was all that mattered.
“I’m not trying to hurt you, but we all know, when it comes to him, you’re blind and reckless.”
Ariana’s cutting voice sliced through her euphoria. She tried to block out her sister’s disgust, only for her inner realist to chime in and remind her not to take anything he said too seriously. Men always said things they didn’t mean while in the throes. All too soon, she’d be alone again.
A wave of despair extinguished her lust. She broke the kiss and turned her face to the side to catch her breath.
“Jasmine?”
“I...” She turned her face toward the darkness so he couldn’t see the stark emotions contorting her features. Mortified, she pushed against his shoulders for space. He didn’t budge. “I’m sorry. I...”
“Look at me.”
She couldn’t. She tried to scoot out from under him, but he gave her his weight, embedding himself as deep as possible, reminding her they were in the midst of a hot sex session.
“Jasmine.”
She draped a hand over her burning eyes. “I’m sorry. My mind is all fucked up.”
“What’d they say to you?”
“Nothing important.” She wriggled. “Can you?—?”
“I’m not going anywhere, and neither are you. I promised to help your family, but not at our expense. They come between us, I’ll burn everything they value to the ground.”
She dropped her arm, Ariana’s worries about him turning on them ringing in her mind. “You promised.”
Angry eyes catalogued her somber expression as he brushed damp strands of hair from her face. “I also promised to make you happy. How am I supposed to do that when you want me to help those who hurt you the most?”
“Maybe there will be a time I give up on them and tell you to do your worst, but we aren’t there yet.” She put her finger to his mouth when he tried to speak. “There won’t be other incidents. I doubt we’ll be spending much time together in the future.”
She sensed his surprise and rising tension.
“It won’t affect your dealings with them at work. It was a tiff about the past and how they see me.” She stroked his hostile face. “Thank you for helping them even though they don’t deserve it.”
“I did it for you.”
“I know.” She kissed him, and when he didn’t return the pressure, she ran her tongue along the scar on his upper lip. “I don’t know how to repay you.”
Their eyes collided, held. Slowly, he rolled his hips, making her toes curl.
“You repay me when you sleep beside me. You repay me when you let me touch you, when I see you get off pleasuring me. I’ll spend a fortune to make you smile. What will it take? Jewelry, cars, an island? What’s your dream, princess? Tell me, and I’ll make it come true.”
“You are my dream.”
Clouds hid the moon, plunging the room into darkness and concealing his reaction to her confession. She traced the familiar lines of his face, noting his parted lips and that his eyes were still open when her fingertip brushed over his thick lashes.
“The moment we met, you became my ideal hero. Even when I walked away, I couldn’t say goodbye to your character. I needed him because I didn’t have you. You’re my hero and my favorite nightmare all wrapped in one. All you need to make my dreams come true is be with me. You’re all I ever wanted.”
It took her several seconds to realize the body hovering over her was rigid as a board. Had she said too much? Embarrassment seared through her.
“That doesn’t mean I won’t follow through with our agreement. I know this is temporary?—”
When she withdrew her hand, he grasped it and pressed it to his lips.
“No matter what happens, you’ll always have me.”
His gravelly tone and tight grip on her hand told her he meant it. She desperately wanted to believe him. It was an inopportune moment for the clouds to dissolve, revealing her shimmering eyes.
“If you ever need me, I’ll be there.”
She gave him a weak smile as tears slipped out of the corner of her eyes.
“You had me before I knew your name,” he said as he brushed away her tear. “You had me after you divorced me. Why do you think I was so fucking pissed?”
She searched his face before venturing, “You say I belong to you.”
All softness leeched from his face. “You do.”
“Does that go both ways? Do you belong to me?”
His cock jumped inside of her, and his eyes burned with holy fire. Ariana would have run screaming from the monster staring at her, but she cuddled him.
“Jamie?”
His body tightened, muscles flexing around her as he reacted to her query.
“Do you belong to me?”
He didn’t speak, but she saw the answer stamped into every brutal line of his face. He was stiff, not moving, his breathing shallow. His eyelids swept down as her hands moved over his body, now covered in cold sweat.
“You’re trying to break me.” His voice was so guttural it was hard to make out his words.
She nuzzled him. “Not breaking. We’re fixing each other, remember?”
“I can’t be fixed.”
“Neither can I.” She kissed him to comfort them both. They were two broken, lost souls, both equally damaged. So much so, neither one could heal the other. “Just give me what you can. It’ll be enough.”
“Jasmine.”
She gave him a fierce kiss. “Put me back together.” She arched her hips. “Fix me, Jamie.”
When he straightened and pulled away, she panicked for a moment, before he picked up her foot and tugged off her boots. He took his time undressing her, ignoring his fully erect, dripping cock. When she was naked, he used his mouth on her the way she had with him. He dissolved her anxiety and fears until there was only him. She wasn’t half as disciplined as he’d been. She threatened, shouted, begged, clawed, and fought. He was merciful and let her come before he slid inside of her. He hit her G-spot with such accuracy her mind disconnected from her body. She wasn’t Jasmine Roth. She wasn’t even Jasmine. She was just a being—one with the carnal urge to be used, emptied, and refilled. He was right. She’d been divinely created for him. She felt it in her bones.
White light flashed behind her eyelids as her orgasm took everything she had. Roth came with her, shouting her name before he collapsed on top of her, his powerful body coated in sweat.
“Jamie,” she croaked.
He rolled off her so she could breathe and spooned her from behind. Cheek resting on his bicep, she hummed happily as his hand moved over her. She was replete, content, and sleepy.
“Whenever I’m with you, you make me believe I can be someone else,” he said into her hair. “It’s dangerous for me to believe such things.”
She didn’t respond.
“I’d do anything for you, princess. All you have to do is ask.”
She reached back to stroke his cheek and got a kiss on her palm.
Before her breathing evened out, Roth fell asleep. Jasmine forced herself to stay awake, watching the moody night sky as she absorbed the feeling of being held like she was precious, and he was afraid she’d slip away. She imprinted this moment into her memory bank to recall when the going got tough. Everything between them was perfect. If only it could stay this way... She sighed as the hopeful romantic dueled with the unforgiving realist in her mind. He didn’t love her, but he made her feel loved. That was enough.
As a shooting star streaked across the sky, her mouth curved in a fanciful smile. She closed her eyes and made a wish.