Chapter Ten
JESS
I set my suitcase down beside the door and looked over at Momma. She was sitting on the sofa with her legs crossed, studying me with a frown. The cigarette in her hand was forgotten, as was the coffee in her other hand. She was not happy that I was about to leave with Jason Stone on a plane.
“What? Just say it and get it over with. You’re going to anyway,” I said, wishing she would be done with it already. I knew what she was going to say. I just wish she didn’t feel like she had to say it.
Momma took a long pull from her cigarette and then put it out in the plate beside her. She was running out of time, because I wasn’t about to let Jason come to the door. I didn’t trust Momma. She would test him and I wasn’t sure he could pass the test.
“He’s your Logan. Girls don’t marry their Logans.”
She was back to talking about him being my Logan again. That made absolutely no sense. I didn’t even know a Logan. I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at her. “What are you talking about?”
Momma cocked an eyebrow at me. “Jason Stone is your Logan. He’s wealthy and impressive and handsome. He’s a fairy tale. But don’t get serious. Guard your heart.”
I let out a frustrated sigh and dropped my arms. “Why are you calling him my Logan?” I asked.
“Gilmore Girls, sweetheart. Gilmore Girls. If you had bothered to watch it with me like I asked you several times, you would know what I mean. Hank is your Dean. He wasn’t meant for you either. He was just the first heartbreak you keep going back to. Now you’ve met your Logan. It’s a shame, though. I wish you’d met your Jess next.”
My head was starting to hurt. My mother could be insane at times. This was one of those times. She was obsessed with several old television shows. Gilmore Girls was one of them. Apparently, she thought it had all the answers to my love life.
“I am Jess, Momma. Why do I need to meet myself?” I asked, rolling my eyes.
She waved her hand at me like I was being ridiculous. “Not you. Rory’s Jess. You haven’t met your Jess yet.”
I was done with this conversation. I didn’t even know who the heck Rory was, and who names their kid Rory? How was that show even popular? I turned to open the door.
“Logan isn’t Rory’s soul mate. He’s the wealthy rich boy who she does love, but when it comes down to it he isn’t the one. The show ended, but we all knew it was Jess she would go back to. He was her soul mate. He broke her heart once, but he had to grow up too, and he changed. I just don’t want you to get wrapped up in this boy. I want you to reach higher and get out of this life, but a rock star’s brother isn’t the way to do it. Enjoy it and have fun, but remember he’s just your Logan.”
He’s just my Logan. Words of wisdom from my momma. Shaking my head, I opened the door and picked up my suitcase just as the limo pulled into the driveway. I glanced back at her sitting there with her cup of coffee, staring out the window at my ride. She was right. Maybe not about the Gilmore Girls philosophy, but about enjoying myself and guarding my heart. I had been hurt when Jason hadn’t called the next day, but I had chalked it up to the inevitable. He was a fairy tale. And I didn’t live in a storybook.
The truck that pulled in right after the limo caused me to halt in my steps. This was not happening to me. Not right now. I didn’t want to deal with crazy. I just wanted to leave and get on a private jet and have a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
“Shit,” I muttered as I dropped my suitcase on the porch.
“What is it?” Momma asked, standing up and walking to the door. “Well, hell. I just ran his ass off the other night. He was passed out on the porch. Told him not to come back here.”
“Got any Gilmore Girls wisdom for this dilemma?” I asked.
Mom just snorted.
Jason stepped out of the limo just as Hank jerked open his truck door. Jason glanced over at Hank, then back at me. I had to step in and fix this before Hank scared Jason off.
I picked my suitcase back up and started down the steps.
“Rory would send Dean home,” Momma called out behind me.
I just rolled my eyes and kept walking. I wasn’t an idiot.
“She’s taking him from me,” Hank said in a panicked tone as he stalked toward me, completely ignoring Jason’s presence. “She can’t take my boy from me, Jess. She can’t. He’s mine, too. I need you to talk to her. Tell her she can’t do this.”
I stopped walking and looked at Hank. His face looked stricken. The drunken a*shole wasn’t present right now. He was the boy who needed me. I couldn’t just ignore him. This wasn’t the first time Carrie had threatened to take their son from him. She did it for leverage.
“What did you do this time?” I asked him, knowing that was what it all boiled down to. I turned to Jason and frowned. “I’m sorry. I’ll make this fast.”
He nodded and stood where he was, watching us with a bored expression. I wanted to hurl my suitcase across the yard at the unfairness of this.
“She knows I come over here when I’ve had too much to drink. She knows I love you, that I’ll always just love you. I can’t love her, Jess. She’s not you. But he’s my boy. She can’t do that, can she? Go tell her not to. She won’t listen to me.” He was begging me. I wanted to ignore all this.
“I’m leaving. I’ll be back tomorrow late, and I’ll talk to her then,” I told him.
“Don’t leave me,” Hank said, walking over to me and grabbing the suitcase I was holding. I saw Jason take a step forward and stop. He was waiting on me to decide what to do. I was thankful that he wasn’t getting involved in this just yet.
“Marry me, Jess. I love you and I just want you. I’ll stop f*cking around. I swear it.”
I shook my head. We had been here before. Same argument. “No. I’m not marrying you. Now go home, and I’ll go see Carrie when I get back.”
“Please, baby?”
“She said she’d help when she got back.” Jason walked forward and took my suitcase from my hand, then handed it to the driver, who was behind him.
Hank shot an angry glare at Jason, and I watched as his hand curled into a fist. I took a step toward Hank and grabbed his arm. “Don’t do this. You’ve got to let me go,” I told him.
“He’s using you. When he’s done with you, I’ll still be here. He won’t be,” Hank snarled, still looking at Jason.
“Go, Hank,” I said, letting go of his arm and moving toward Jason.
It happened fast. Hank reached out to grab Jason, but the large driver was there instantly. The man had grabbed Hank’s arm, towering over him.
“What the hell!” Hank roared, trying to get free of the driver, who held Hank still with what looked like little effort. The driver glanced to Jason for instruction.
“Let him go once I get her safely in the limo,” Jason said in a matter-of-fact tone. His body was strung tight. I could feel the tension rolling off him, but he didn’t act like he was tense.
Jason placed a hand on my lower back and led me over to the limo. I fought the urge to look back at the driver and Hank before climbing inside. Jason turned back to look at them.
“Make sure he moves his truck,” Jason said before following me inside the limo and closing the door.
I just stared at him. I should have said something to Hank to make him leave before I’d gotten in the limo. I’d just left Jason’s driver to deal with it like this was something he was used to.
“You did still want to go, didn’t you?” Jason asked.
“Yeah, of course, but I didn’t . . . I mean, your driver shouldn’t have to deal with my crazy ex. I could’ve made him leave.”
Jason leaned back and stretched his legs out in front of him. “Your crazy ex is nothing compared to the insane fans that Kane is used to fending off for my brother. That’s his job.”
Frowning, I turned to look outside, as Hank’s truck was actually moving and Kane was walking back to the limo. “I thought his job was to drive.”
Jason chuckled. “He is also a bodyguard. He’s the one Jax uses when he’s here or traveling south. You thirsty?”
Was I thirsty? I stared at him as he lounged there comfortably like he didn’t have a care in the world. Had Hank really not bothered him?
“What’s causing the frown?” Jason asked with a grin on his lips.
“Did that not even bother you? I mean, you still want to take me with you after seeing that part of my life?”
Jason reached over to pick up one of my hands and threaded his fingers through mine. “I’ve helped you escape after you bashed your ex’s truck with a bat, I’ve broken into a pool and watched you flirt your way out of trouble with the police, and I’ve seen your ex lose his shit right in front of his kid because you were with another guy. Do you really think at this point something like that is going to surprise me?”
I didn’t reply. He was right.
“You’re a nice change. You make life interesting. I came here to take a break from things, and you’re helping me. When it’s time for me to return to the pressures of reality, I’ll have these moments with you to think of and smile.” He said this with a grin before reaching over to an ice-filled silver bucket inside a glass bar. “Water?” he asked.
I nodded and accepted the bottle of water while his words sank in. I was his distraction for right now. He didn’t see a future with me. I knew that already, but hearing him say it stung. The fact that it hurt reminded me that I was caring about him more than I should. This was supposed to be fun for me, too. I had to remember that. If I wasn’t careful, he would break my heart.
JASON
I had almost left her. I wasn’t going to let her know that, but she was right. Her life was a little more than I’d bargained for. The idea of going to that party without her hadn’t seemed appealing, though. I also couldn’t stand the idea of leaving her here with that idiot. I didn’t trust the guy, and the way he played on Jess’s emotions pissed me off.
“I’m a little worried about flying. I’ve never been on a plane before. Not sure if I will panic or not, but I thought I should warn you,” she said, and twisted the bottle of water around in her hands nervously.
I couldn’t help but stare at her. She had seriously never flown before? Wow. Had I ever met anyone who had never flown before? “Does that mean this is your first time to New York too?” I asked, assuming she wouldn’t drive that far.
She smirked, and one corner of her ridiculously plump lips lifted. “Florida, Mississippi, and Louisiana are the extent of my travels. If I can’t get there by car in about three hours, then I’ve never been.”
Why did I like it so much that I was taking her somewhere she’d never been? Her tempting mouth had broken into a full smile now, and I couldn’t seem to ignore it anymore. Reaching over, I cupped her face and reminded myself just how good Jess’s lips felt pressed against mine.
Her hands went instantly to my hair, and she opened her mouth under mine, allowing me a taste without my even asking. The minty taste of her toothpaste met my tongue, and she pressed her chest against mine. We had a twenty-minute ride to the private airstrip, and I suddenly knew exactly how I wanted to spend it.
“Straddle me,” I told her as I broke the kiss and reached for her waist to move her hot little body over mine.
She threw a leg over mine and made the transition so smoothly and with such ease, I pushed all thoughts about why she was so good at that away. I didn’t like thinking about her with other guys, although I knew there had to have been many. Jess was a flirt, and I didn’t know a guy who would turn her down. I stopped kissing her neck and took a deep breath. Shit.
The guys at this party were going to be all over her. I hadn’t thought of that. She was different from the same group we always ran in. She would make all the other girls seem less interesting. I wasn’t sharing her. I had just wanted her with me.
Jess pulled back and started to move off my lap. I held her there and she stilled.
“At the party, you’re with me,” I told her as I lifted my head to look at her.
She frowned, then nodded. “Okay,” she replied. I could see the uncertainty in her face. She didn’t understand what I was saying.
“It’s different from your world. The partying may be in nicer places, but the crowd isn’t more refined. They don’t do well with boundaries. Guys are going to hit on you. A lot. A whole helluva lot.”
Jess’s eyes widened, and she sat back on my lap as her gaze hardened. “And what? I won’t be able to resist throwing myself into the arms of any guy who hits on me? Really? That’s what you think?” She started to move again, and I held her waist, making it impossible for her to move away.
“No. That’s not what I think. I wanted you to be aware that they’re going to be intrigued by you. You’re not like the girls in our circle. I just . . . I’m not going to handle it well if you give anyone else too much attention.”
Jess’s body eased some as she studied me. I held her gaze and the anger seemed to be melting. Finally she placed a hand on my chest. “Why would I want to give anyone else attention when I’m with you?”
I liked that answer, but she still didn’t understand the world she was about to enter. “You’ll recognize some faces. Not everyone is famous, but they’re all part of a world where they are connected to celebrities.”
She leaned forward and pressed a kiss beside my ear. “I’m not saying I won’t be silently blown away to be meeting famous people or those connected to famous people. But I’m with you because I like you,” she whispered in my ear, then wrapped her arms around my neck. “Now kiss me again, please.”
I glanced down, unable to ignore the low-cut shirt she was wearing, and I was pretty damn sure she was braless. Groaning as she rocked her hips and sank down in my lap, I leaned forward and pulled her bottom lip into my mouth and bit down before sucking on it. Damn lips of hers were driving me crazy.