Unveil Me (The Jaded Series Book 3) (10 page)

I draw in a deep breath before letting it out. I don’t know if it’s a mistake or not, and pray that it isn’t, but I nod at his words. I decide to tell him what happened. I have no idea how we can pull this off, but the thought of leaving him behind, of never seeing my sister again, leaves my gut clenching and my chest hurting.

Relief flashes in Andrew’s eyes. I grab his hand and walk him over to the bench to take a seat. I bend over and rest my elbows on my knees, staring off into space. Andrew faces me and straddles the bench.

“I met Damien about a year ago. I was working at the local mechanic shop when he came in with his car that needed a new part. He let me know right off the bat he was interested in me. The feelings were mutual. We were together about a month before he introduced me to his friends. I knew right then that he was into some serious shit. Word out on the street was that Emilio, the head honcho of the group, was dealing drugs, selling girls, and running ammo. I wanted no part of it, but wasn’t ready to give up Damien. I made it clear I didn’t care what he did as long as he didn’t involve me.”

I glance down at my hands, clasped between my knees. I barely notice the torn and bloody knuckles. The images running through my head are ones I wish I could forget. That particular time in my life I’m not proud of. If I could go back and change the day I met Damien, I would in a heartbeat. But then again, had I not met Damien, his bastard of a brother would have finished the job I stopped.

I get back to telling Andrew what a fuck-up I am. I just hope he doesn’t look at me with disgust once I’m finished.

“For the most part, I was clueless as to what was going on. Though, there were a few times Damien would come over with specks of blood on his clothes and his hands would be shredded. I ignored it, not wanting to know what happened. A few times he would reek of cheap perfume. I didn’t care much if he was seeing women. I didn’t even care if there were other men. We weren’t exclusive and we both knew it. It was just good fucking between us.”

When I look over to Andrew, his face is hard. There’s a tic in his jaw and his hands are clenched tightly on his thighs.

“A couple of times he tried to talk me into joining the group, but I refused. He’d get pissed, but he knew it wasn’t happening. However, I did attend parties he threw at his place, which included Emilio and some of his gang. I socialized with them briefly, but kept my distance. Damien was very close to his family. He had a sister, brother, and his mom. His brother, Drake, was in with the group. He was younger than both of us, early twenties, but was a cocky little motherfucker. He thought since he was part of it, nothing could touch him. Damien catered to him and let him get away with everything.

“One night, about a month ago, we were at one of his parties. I’d stepped outside to get some fresh air when I heard rustling around the back of the house. I walked around back and saw a light on inside the shed through a window. The music was loud inside the house, so I knew no one heard it. I thought maybe someone was trying to steal something, so I went to check it out. There was an unlocked padlock on the door with the key still in it.”

I stop talking to draw a deep breath. I squeeze my eyes closed, trying to block the images from forming in my head, but they squirm their way in. Revulsion churns in my stomach, and I have to force away the vomit trying to make its way up.

When I start talking again, I do it with a hoarse voice. “What I saw when I opened the shed door is something I’ll never forget. There, tied by her hands to the beam on the ceiling, was a naked girl. She couldn’t have been more than thirteen years old.”

“Shit,” Andrew mutters beside me.

When he reaches out to touch me, I stand up quickly. “Don’t,” I tell him. “Don’t touch me. Let me finish, or I won’t. I need to get this out, first.”

He nods in understanding, and I’m grateful. I’ve never told anyone this before. I don’t like the thought of Andrew touching me while I spill out all this nastiness. Andrew’s clean, while I feel dirty for being a part of this, even if it wasn’t voluntary.

“Her tiny body was covered in blood. There were cuts and bite marks everywhere, bite marks so deep that blood oozed from them. Blood dripped from between her thighs, too. Her head was just hanging there, her tangled and dingy hair almost to her waist. She wasn’t moving, so I thought she was dead. I leaned over just in time to throw up.

“When I stood back up, I took a step toward her to let her down, but before I could, I saw something out the corner of my eye. Fucking Drake was standing there with his pants undone, no shirt, blood all over his chest, and a bloody knife in his hand. He asked if I was there to join the party.”

Andrew growls, but I ignore it.

“I asked if his brother knew what he was doing. He said yes, that he helped him find the girls. He sounded proud when he said Damien didn’t join in, but he’d sometimes sit and watch the show.” I hiss when I say, “The man I had been fucking was stealing young girls so his twisted brother could rape and mutilate them. And he fucking watched!” I roar the last and punch the picnic table with my already damaged hand.

“Jase—” he says, and starts to get up from the bench.

“NO!” I yell, and point a finger at him. “Sit the fuck down and let me finish! You wanted this, so shut up and let me continue.”

I know I shouldn’t be angry at him, but he forced me to tell him all this. I hate thinking about it, and when I do, I’m disgusted with myself all over again. How could I have been so clueless that Damien was involved in something so heinous?

Andrew doesn’t say anything else, but I see the anger on his face. I don’t know if it’s directed at me for losing it, or if he’s angry
for
me. I don’t much care at this point. I just want it done, so I can come up with a way to get out of this shit.

“When he told me his brother was involved, I lost it. He must have really thought I was going to take part in it, because when I charged him, he just froze with shock. He didn’t have time to defend himself before I got to him. I didn’t think. All I saw was that kid hanging from the ceiling with her body almost unrecognizable.

“I guess I zoned out or something because by the time I was done, he wasn’t breathing. I knew right away that I was in deep shit. No way would Damien let me live after I killed his brother. Even so, I didn’t regret it. Still don’t. I’d kill him a thousand times over for what he did to that girl, and probably multiple others. I grabbed a blanket off the makeshift bed in the corner and laid it out on the floor. When I went to grab the girl, she whimpered. Shocked the shit out of me, because I thought she was dead. I wrapped her in the blanket, ran to my Jeep, and left her at the emergency room before I blew out of town. I knew Damien would come after me, and when he did, it wouldn’t be pretty. I was hoping I was far enough away that he wouldn’t find me. Obviously, I was wrong. He knows I’m here and now he wants Chris in return.”

Andrew’s quiet for a minute, before he says, “He won’t touch her. I promise you, Jase, he won’t get his hands on her.”

I look over at him and see he truly believes that. The black in his eyes make him appear deadly. I’ve never seen that look in his eyes before. His lips are set into a hard line and he’s clenching and unclenching his fists. He looks as though he’s ten shades beyond furious. But as much as I want to take his words for truth, there’s no way he can guarantee Chris’s safety.

“I can’t take that chance, Andrew,” I tell him. “The only way to keep her safe is to go to him. I won’t go in unprepared, though. I don’t plan on just giving myself over to him.”

“That’s not an option,” Andrew growls, and gets up from the bench, walking my way. “You’re not going anywhere near that fucker. You may as well forget that shit and help me come up with something else.”

I blow out a frustrated breath. He just doesn’t get it. This isn’t something that can be easily taken care of. Damien, even without the help of Emilio, is a dirty motherfucker. He fights to win, by any means necessary. Fuck the repercussions and fuck anything that gets in his way.

“It isn’t as simple as coming up with a plan,” I angrily say back to him.  “He has Emilio backing him up. That means he has all of Emilio’s people. You really want to bring people like that to Jaded Hollow?”

He steps into my space and grabs me by the ponytail. I want to yank it from his grasp, but decide to hold still for the moment.

“We have people, too, Jase. We’ll talk to Mac and see what he can do. We’ll move Chris somewhere else for the time being so she’s not alone.” He steps closer and snarls in my face, “You’re not fucking leaving. You’re not fucking giving yourself up to that bastard. You’re staying right here with me. You’re mine and fuck if I’m going to let you go. Do whatever you need to do to get used to it.”

When he’s finished, his chest is pumping rapidly with his heavy breaths. I can tell there’s nothing I can say to him that will make him change his mind. And in a way I’m glad. I don’t want to leave here. I just hope we’re not making a mistake Chris will pay the consequences for.

As soon as I nod, Andrew pulls me forward by the grip he still has on my hair and drops his head to plant a searing kiss on my lips. He doesn’t wait for me to open to him, not that he would have to wait long anyway. He forces his tongue in my mouth to tangle with mine. I grip his hips and mold our bodies together. His hardness against my own has a groan coming from deep within my throat.

Never have I ever wanted someone as much as I want him, but it’ll have to wait. We still need to talk to Mac. Tonight though, you better bet your ass I’ll be taking his.

Andrew nips my bottom lip, and I want to howl in pleasure. Already, in the short time we’ve known each other, he knows just what to do to turn me on so damn much that I don’t give a shit about my surroundings.

Andrew pulls his lips from mine and takes a step back. I have to force myself to not yank him back to me and demand he finish what he started. Still, an unfulfilled groan sneaks past my lips.

His lips quirk up into a smirk before tipping back down into a serious line.

“Chris will be safe, baby. Nothing will happen to her. She’s like a sister to me, and I promise to do whatever it takes to keep her safe,” he tells me softly, and I know he speaks the truth. Andrew is the type of man who would give his life for the ones he cares about. I’ve known from the beginning that he cares about Chris. I know she holds a special place in his heart for the help she gave Bailey when she needed it. I’m glad that she found that here in Jaded Hollow.

“I know,” I reply, and see him smile.

“Come on,” he says, taking my uninjured hand. “Let’s clean your hand up. And don’t do that shit anymore. Your hands are golden, and I need them to rub along my body. That hand is now out of commission, thanks to you mangling it up.”

Although it’s not the time for humor, I still laugh at him. The poor baby. He sends a cocky grin over his shoulder as he leads me into the bathroom in the garage. Thank fuck Joe isn’t here today. I’d have hated for him to hear what I told Andrew outside.

“Oh, I’m sure I can use other parts of my body that you’d like just as much, if not more,” I say with a wink.

“Damn straight you can, and if we didn’t have shit to do, you’d be using them right now.”

My body tightens up at his words and a shiver runs through me. What I wouldn’t give to do just that. Waiting until tonight to have him might just be an impossible feat.

After cleaning and bandaging my hand, Andrew leans in for another dick-hardening kiss, before leaving me at the garage to finish up. He’s headed into town to warn Mac we’ll need to talk to him later.

Thinking of the reason for that talk sours my mood again. I’m disgusted that I was ever connected to that bastard, but I can’t help but think maybe I was supposed to be, so I’d be there to help that girl. I have no idea if she made it. No clue of the condition she’s in. I’m sure after going through what she did, for however long she was in that shed, she’s probably not doing too well. Who in the hell would be after that? Still, I would like to know. Maybe once this is over, I can ask Mac to look into it.

Jase

A couple days later I’m sitting at Maggie’s alone, eating breakfast. Andrew is out of town for the next few hours “visiting a friend.” His words. When he told me this morning that he would be away for a few hours, I asked where he was going. Not because I’m a jealous lover and have to know where he is at all times, but because I am his lover and want to know more about what goes on in his life. That’s part of getting to know each other, right? His answer was vague and stiff, like he didn’t want me to know. That’s fine. I don’t have to know everything about him, but what bothered me was the way he acted after I asked him. He was quiet and withdrawn, not his usual carefree self. I’m nowhere near a sissy boy, but it still hurt that he didn’t trust me enough to tell me. This isn’t the first time he’s left town and stayed away for hours. There’ve been a couple other times. And I get the feeling no one knows where he goes. I find it strange that normally he’s so open, withholding nothing, but with this one thing, he’s closed up tighter than Fort Knox.

We’re going to his mom’s tonight for dinner. He and his mom are close, and I’m looking forward to meeting her. Andrew told me his dad died when he was ten and his mom was so devastated she never remarried. She’s still pining after his dad. He said he’s tried talking her into going out to meet new people, but she would have none of it. She claims there was only one man for her, and he was taken from her too soon. It’s a shame she feels that way. I agree we are all meant to find someone, but sometimes we’re meant to find more than one. It doesn’t mean you love the ones before any less.

I’m starting to wonder if Andrew is my “one.”

I’m at the counter eating Maggie’s delicious biscuits and gravy and listening to Jack and Jake bicker at each other behind me. They are two old men I met my first day at Joe’s. They like to come hang out with Joe sometimes and it’s funny to watch the two of them interact.

“I’m telling you, Jake, the girl was showing me her panties!” Jack says adamantly.

“Oh, shut it, Jack. Why in the world would someone want to show an old fart like you her drawers?” Jake asks Jack.

“’Cause she knows what’s good for her. I may be old, but I still got it.”

I can’t help the laugh that slips out at Jack’s words. The man can’t be a day younger than eighty and is as skinny as a beanpole.

I try to cover up my laugh with a cough, but Jack doesn’t fall for it.

“What you laughing at, boy?” When I turn in my seat to face him, he continues, “You don’t think I can get a girl? Why, I bet I can snatch any girl out from underneath you.” When I lift an eyebrow at his statement, he adds with a mutter, “If you had a girl underneath you instead of a boy, that is.”

Jake laughs, and I grin over at him.

“Forget it, old man. Ain’t no woman gonna want you. There’s much younger fish in the sea.”

“I still say she was showing me her panties,” Jack mumbles.

Jake ignores his friend and asks me, “How you doing today, Jase? You headed to Joe’s after breakfast?”

“Yep, but only for a few hours. Andrew and I are going to his mom’s for dinner.”

“’Bout damn time that boy’s found someone else to moon over,” Jack pipes in. “Poor boy had his eyes on Jaxon for years, even knowing he played for the other team.”

His words are a punch to the gut. I never knew Andrew felt that way toward Jaxon. Yes, I’ve witnessed him flirting with him, but Andrew flirts with everyone. Does he still feel that way? Am I just a distraction for him? A simple fuck because he can’t get it from who he really wants it from? And how long has he felt that way?

“Damn it, Jack, stop fucking opening your mouth before you think,” Jake barks at his mouthy friend.

“What?” he asks. “It’s not like the whole town doesn’t know. Anybody could see the way that boy looked at Jaxon.”

“Not everyone, you damn fool,” he mutters, pointedly looking at me.

Jack catches his meaning and flushes. “Well, fuck me sideways.”

“Don’t worry about it. I know Andrew’s had other interests besides me. Not like he was a virgin when I came to town.”

“He most definitely wasn’t, by the looks of all the men I’ve seen him with.”

I grit my teeth and grip the counter top with white knuckles. The thought of Andrew with other men, makes me want to hit something. It’s stupid to feel that way, because like I told Jake and Jack, I know he’s been with other men, but I still don’t have to like it.

Jake reaches over and knocks the back of Jack’s head with a menu. “You’re a damn idiot, you know that, Jack? I’m gonna lock you up in the house and throw away the key so you can’t go out in public anymore. Let’s go, you ass.” He gets up from his seat and grabs Jack’s arm, yanking him up as well. When he passes by me, he stops and says, “Just ignore him, he has hardly any brain cells left after all the drinking he did when he was younger.”

“What the hell did I do this time?” Jake says, huffing and puffing. “I can’t say nothin’ right, can I?”

“No, you can’t, that’s why you need to be put in a nursing home so you’re not in public.”

With that, he pulls Jack behind him, pays for their food, and then drags him out the door.

With my good mood from earlier gone, I get up a few minutes later and pay for my own food.

A couple hours later I’m at Andrew’s house, waiting for him to get home. Since the first night Andrew and I fucked, I’ve been staying here. Andrew offered because I was sleeping on Chris’s sleeper sofa and it isn’t the most comfortable bed. I agreed because the thought of having Andrew anytime I wanted was too much of a temptation to pass up. We’ve been fucking each other senseless any chance we get.

After the incident with the phone call, Andrew and I met up with Mac, and I explained what went down back home. Mac said he would look into it. There wasn’t much he could do until he found out more details.

I was leery on bringing Mac onboard because, well, he’s a cop, and I killed a man. Mac’s eyes blazed with hatred when I told him what I caught Drake doing to a little girl. I can tell he fought with himself over if he should bring me in or not, but in the end he said he would ignore that part of the story and work on running a check on Damien and Emilio to see if there are any warrants out for them. He’s also checking into their pasts. The rest we’ll deal with later.

The front door opening and closing pulls me from my thoughts. I’m standing in the closet when Andrew walks into the bedroom. His eyes heat when he sees me standing there in nothing but my jeans, button undone. Being eye-fucked causes my own desire to spike, and I take a step toward him.

“How was your visit?” I ask, still a little peeved by his attitude earlier.

Shadows pass over his face, and I see a flash of sadness before he looks down to his feet, avoiding my eyes. Andrew from this morning is still present.

“It was fine. You going to be ready to go in about an hour? I need a shower first.”

When he tries to pass me to grab some fresh clothes, I grab his arm. He looks at my hand before lifting his eyes to mine.

“Not yet,” I say, making it very clear what I want from him with a look.

“Not right now, Jase. We need to get to Mom’s house,” he says, surprising me.

Andrew always seems so ready and willing to fuck. For him to be uninterested is out of the norm. I don’t like it. I also don’t let it deter me. Ever since this morning, I’ve needed to show Andrew who he’s with. To fuck any and all thoughts of Jaxon or previous lovers out of his mind. To show him I’m all the man he will ever need. He’s fucking mine and when I get done, he’ll know it.

Without releasing his arm, I take a step closer, leaving only an inch between our chests.

“I want you naked, on your hands and knees on the end of the bed. Ass in the air,” I tell him gruffly, the mental picture I just conjured causing my dick to jump.

Andrew’s eyebrows fly up and he hisses out a breath. I can tell my words have affected him just as much as me.

“That what you want, baby? To take me?” Andrew asks.

My grip on his arm tightens, and I close the remaining distance between us. I lean forward and run my tongue up his neck. Right before I get to his ear, I bite down. Andrew groans and it ramps up the ache in my cock.

“I’m gonna fuck you hard, Andrew,” I whisper in his ear. “I’m gonna grip your hips and ram my cock in you over and over again, until you feel it in your throat. I’ll be so damn deep in you that you’ll feel it for days. Every time you take a step or sit down, you’ll feel it, and be reminded of me taking your ass.” I pull back from him and release his arm. “Clothes off now and get on the bed.”

Not saying a word and keeping his eyes on me, he reaches back and yanks his shirt over his head. When his beautiful chest comes into view, I gobble him up with my eyes. His chest isn’t completely covered in tattoos, but he does have quite a few. The one I’m most intrigued about is a small gathering of different-colored small circles. They almost look like Skittles candy, but I can’t imagine why he would put them permanently on his body. There must be a reason though. The one in the middle of the group has the initials AD and the date 7-18-09. I noticed the tattoo the other day when I watched him sleep. I plan to ask him what it means, but not right now.

When I look back up at Andrew, he has his ever-present sexy smirk on his face. He turns on his heel, and I follow him to the bed. Once he climbs up onto it, with his ass in the air, all the air in my lungs whooshes out. The sight before me has me wanting to drop to my knees and worship his ass. I’ve never seen an ass that hot before. I could spend hours exploring it. But we don’t have hours right now. We have to be quick. The fucking I’m about to give Andrew will be fast and hard.

I walk up behind him and run my hands up his back, looking at the black, leafless tree he has tattooed there. My jean-covered dick meets his ass, and I grind the denim against him, causing us both to moan. Even through my jeans, he feels good.

When he pushes his ass against me, I pull my hips back. Andrew looks over his shoulder at me with lust-filled eyes. I know mine reflect the same emotion.

Raising one of my hands, I slip a finger in my mouth, getting it good and wet. I then move the digit to Andrew’s tight, puckered hole. Gently running my finger around the bundle of nerves there, I slip just the tip inside. Andrew drops his head and lets out a low groan. I push my finger in a little deeper and feel the muscles trying to suck my finger in further.

After a few in-and-out strokes, I pull my finger from him.

I reach for the condom and bottle of lube I placed on the bed earlier. I unzip my pants, pull out my throbbing dick, and slide the condom on. Uncapping the bottle, I look at Andrew, who has his eyes on me again, and drip some lube on his asshole. I grip the base of my dick and line the head up.

With iron will, I gently slip the tip inside.

Andrew grunts as I throw my head back with a loud moan. He feels so damn tight, damn near strangling my dick. I fucking love it.

Slowly, but steadily, I push forward until I have every inch of my cock inside. I clench my teeth and have to wait a minute to move again, or this will be over way too fast.

The grip I have on Andrew’s hips gets tighter. I pull all the way out, leaving just the head inside.

“Who’s fucking you, Andrew?” I ask him with a growl.