Jase (Kings of Korruption MC Book 3) (6 page)

BOOK: Jase (Kings of Korruption MC Book 3)
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I quickly
stuff the documents back into the envelope and stow it away in the
junk drawer. “Hey, Bud.” I can hear a slight quiver to my voice,
but pray Bryce doesn’t catch it. “How was your day?”

He walks into
the kitchen and heads straight for the fridge. “Fine, I guess. I’m
going outside to shoot some hoops with Jimmy.” He pulls out a
yogurt drink and snags a granola bar from the cupboard before
turning to me. His eyes narrow when as he studies me. “What’s
wrong?”


Nothing,” I say, my voice high-pitched and phony sounding,
even to my own ears. “Nothing’s wrong. Just finishing up the
housework before starting supper. Go, have fun. Be a
kid.”

He doesn’t
move. Bryce has always been a smart kid, and my act doesn’t fool
him one bit. “You’ve been crying.”


Honey, I’m fine. Don’t worry about your old mom.”

He stares at
me another minute before nodding his head and walking out of the
kitchen. I don’t want Bryce to know what’s going on, but I don’t
see how at his age I can keep this from him. I need a plan. And
more importantly, I need a lawyer.

CHAPTER FIVE

 

Jase

C
harlie climbs
off the back of my bike and hands me her helmet. “Thanks for the
ride. Ellen should be out in a few minutes, but I don’t know if
she’ll even go with you, you know.”


She’ll come,” I reply, wagging my eyebrows.


You’re terrible. Anyways, I’d wish you luck, but apparently
you don’t think you need it.”


I’ll take whatever I can get. Have a good night,
Charles.”

She grins and
shakes her head, turning to walk inside. I watch her go, wondering
if I’m doing the right thing. Just as she reaches for the door, I
call out, “Charlie?” She turns and waits. “What if she says
no?”


You’re kidding, right?” she calls back.

I feel like a
teenager about to go on his first date, and apparently, I sound
like one too. Wanting to claim back at least a little bit of my
testosterone, I simply lift my middle finger and hold it out to
her, smiling wide when she laughs and walks inside. Charles is cool
as hell. Ryker is one lucky bastard.

When the door
closes behind her, I adjust my posture where I stand, leaning
against my motorcycle, attempting to look cool and casual. I fold
my arms and watch the door, then unfold them and watch it some
more. Finally, I pull out my phone and play a game of Angry Birds,
determined to kill some time and look more relaxed when Ellen
finally walks out.

And then
she does, causing my heart to race.
Jesus Christ
. What the hell is wrong with me? I have never
been so nervous to see or talk to a woman before in my life. What
is it about Ellen that has me tied up in so many fucking
knots?

I shove the
phone back in my pocket and stand straight. Ellen’s walking down
the walkway, digging through her giant purse for something, and
hasn’t even noticed me. Taking a deep breath, I decide to go for
it.


El,” I call out.

Her head whips
up and the shock on her face when she sees me has me smiling.
“Jase? What are you doing here?”

I walk towards
her. “Waiting for you to get off work. I just dropped Charlie off
and she mentioned you would be leaving in a few minutes.”

She goes to
say something, but nothing comes out. She just stares up at me with
wide, surprised eyes.


She also mentioned that you always take the bus. I was
thinking I’d give you a ride home.” Her mouth closes and I see her
throat move with the force of her swallow, but she still says
nothing. Uncertainty fills me. Why isn’t she saying anything? “So
let’s go.”

I reach for
her hand, but she pulls away. “Why?”


Why what?”


Why do you want to give me a ride? Why would you wait for me?
I told you that I’m not interested.”

I’ve had
enough. “It’s a ride home, El. Don’t make it into something
more.”

She seems to
think it over. “Fine. My back hurts, my feet are killing me, and I
just want to get home. A ride with you sounds far better than an
hour on a smelly city bus.”

I wrinkle my
nose and snort. “Flattery—I like it.”

She looks at
me questioningly before a giggle escapes her lips. “Sorry, Jase. I
didn’t mean for that to sound so ungrateful. I would love a ride
home, especially after the day I’ve had.”

My heart leaps
in my chest and I can’t contain my smile. “Well, all right then.” I
wave my arm towards my ride. “Let’s get you home.”

As she passes,
I slide the heavy purse off her shoulder, ready to stow it in the
saddlebag. “Damn, woman. What do have in this thing?”


I’m not a hoarder. I need everything inside that
thing.”

I hold up my
hands in surrender. “Whoa, message received. I just hope my bike
doesn’t lean to the side from the weight.”

I duck a
half-hearted swat from her as I hand her the same helmet that
Charlie had used. I start up the motorcycle and let it idle while I
tighten up her helmet straps. Her brown eyes stare into mine and my
stomach tightens. The vulnerability I see there makes my hands
shake.

Clearing my
throat, I finish with the strap and pat her on the head. “Lookin’
good, El.”

She rolls her
eyes and motions for me to get on the bike. Grinning like a fool, I
turn and swing my leg over the seat. Her hands rest on my
shoulders, and I feel her body wobble a little as she gets on
behind me. I can tell she hasn’t done this much, if ever.

Reaching back
with both hands, I grab her just under the knees and drag her body
tight against mine. Raising my voice to be heard over the growl of
the motor, I look over my shoulder and shout, “Point the way.”

She lifts her
arm and points east. I look at her, my eyes on her lips. I’d give
anything to kiss those fucking lips right now, but I’m not a
contortionist, and I don’t exactly feel like being slapped
today.

With one final
look into her eyes, I smile wide and put one foot up on the foot
pegs and turn, heading east.

 

 

Ellen

 

I haven’t been
on a motorcycle since I was a kid. My Uncle Mark had a Harley that
he rode everywhere when the weather was nice, and there were many
times he would take me with him. I’d always loved the feeling of
freedom I felt when on the back of his bike.

Being on
Jase’s bike is different. I’m hardly aware of the ride itself. All
I can focus on is the fact that my thighs are wrapped around his,
and my entire body is pressed against his wide, muscular back. He
smells like Irish Spring soap and laundry detergent, mixed with the
surprisingly erotic scent of his leather cut.

Instead of
keeping my eyes on the road, I can’t take them off of the three
tiny freckles on the back of his tanned neck. The urge to press my
lips to that tiny trio makes my legs clench together. Praying he
doesn’t notice, I lean in a little closer and bring my nose just
above his neck. I feel his abs contract under my hands, and know
that he can feel what I’m doing, but I can’t help it. His smell is
intoxicating.

When his hand
lands on my knee, I jump, yanked from my lust-induced sniffing. I
look up and find we’re approaching a red light, and it’s not one I
recognize. Shit. Leaning forward, I call into his ear, “We missed
the turn.”

His head turns
and he raises a brow, an amused smirk on his face. My face heats.
“We need to go back to Needham and turn left.”

The light
turns green and Jase nods as the bike starts to move again. As he
makes the necessary turns to get us back on course, I sit behind
him, silently berating myself, and feeling like an idiot. Not only
does he know I was smelling him, he also knows that I was so caught
up in it, I let us go almost five minutes out of the way.

Jase makes a
left turn on Needham Street, which is only two blocks from my
house. I point over his shoulder to show him where to pull off the
road. He pulls up along the curb, right in front of my tiny
bungalow.

Still feeling
like a fool, I climb off and start undoing the chinstrap on my
helmet. “Thanks for the ride.”

He turns off
the motorcycle, and the sudden silence is deafening. “You’re
welcome,” he replies. He removes his own helmet and climbs off the
bike. What is he doing?


Relax, El. I’m just getting your bag.” He pulls my purse from
the saddlebag and hands it to me, looking over my shoulder. “Nice
house.”

I turn around
and look at my home. It’s not much, but it’s perfect for me and
Bryce, and I’m proud of it. I worked my ass off to pay for it, and
in a couple of years, it will be all mine, mortgage free. The tiny
brick house sits nestled between its neighbors, separated by a
six-foot privacy fence along the side and back yard. There are
hanging baskets on opposite sides of the small front veranda, and
the majority of the front yard is taken up by the garden that I
love to putter in on my days off. It’s a nice, comfortable
house.

I look back at
him and smile. “Thanks. It’s no mansion, but I’m proud of it. Being
a nurse, it’s what I can afford.”


Don’t say it like that. Being a nurse is something you should
be proud of. I watched you guys taking care of Smoke. I would never
be able to do what you do.”

My cheeks
flush and I look down to the sidewalk, humbled by his words.


What made you want to be a nurse?”

His question
surprises me. It’s personal, and probably a lot deeper than he
intended for it to be. “Well, I never really wanted to be one, to
be honest.” I think back to when I was a little girl. I’d only ever
wanted to do one thing with my life. “I always thought I’d end up
becoming a doctor.”


Why didn’t you?”

I shrug and
smile softly, thinking of Bryce, and how much I love him. “Life
happened. I don’t regret it, really. I love my job. Hell, a nurse
is more hands-on than a doctor. I ended up in the right place I
think.”


But you still want to be a doctor,” he says. It’s not a
question.

All I can do
is shrug once more.

He moves into
my space and my heart lurches before taking off on a mad race
against the butterflies in my belly. He places a single finger
under my chin, lifting my face so he can stare into my eyes. “You
aren’t dead yet, El. Anything’s possible.”

My mouth goes
dry. Hearing his words of encouragement, something I’ve never heard
from anyone before, makes my knees weak. His eyes lower until he’s
staring at my lips. It takes every ounce of willpower I possess not
to lick them. His head lowers, slowly, and I know what he’s about
to do.

The urge to
flee overwhelms me. My breathing is out of control, and I want him
to kiss me so bad, but I know it’s a terrible idea. A memory of the
girl from the bar, slapping him across the face runs through my
mind, and that pulls me out of my haze.

Pulling back,
I clear my throat and hoist my purse up on my shoulder. “Thanks
again for the ride.”

I don’t wait
for a response. I run up the steps and unlock the door. I’m just
about to push it open when I hear, “Same time tomorrow?”

No! Why
doesn’t he get that this isn’t going to happen? I look over my
shoulder to see him standing by his bike, a smile on his face, and
his helmet in his hand. He’s relentless. Shaking my head, I turn my
away and walk inside.

CHAPTER SIX

 

Jase

E
llen’s house is
on the opposite end of the city from the clubhouse, and traffic is
a bitch at this time of day. At this rate, it’s going to take me an
hour just to get back to the garage. I’m sitting at yet another
stoplight in a long line of commuters in their fancy cars, when I
see one that doesn’t quite fit.

A large black
Escalade sits about three cars behind me. It wouldn’t even have
caught my attention if it weren’t for the loud, thumping rap music,
or the heavily tattooed arms hanging out of all four of its
windows.

Normally,
these things wouldn’t bother me, but the flash of blue I see has me
on alert. Lately, we’ve been cautious. The Crips are a local street
gang, known for wearing blue. Up until recently, we’ve never had
much to do with them, but it seems those days are over.

Back when
Ryker had met Charlie, she’d been mixed up with the Devil’s Rejects
MC, and not in a good way. A bunch of shit had gone down, and in
the end, they’d felt the need to dole out some sort of fucked up
punishment on our club. They made an attempt to take out my buddy
Tease and his old lady when they were out for a ride, nearly
killing them both.

BOOK: Jase (Kings of Korruption MC Book 3)
8.82Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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