Jessa stuck her hand in the drawer and found a ring. A small ring with a small diamond. The second she saw it, she turned her head and felt her eyes fill with tears.
“Do I care?” Blaine asked. “That was hers. My Janey. I took it off her finger the day of the funeral. I needed it. I stayed for so long to protect her. I was going to do anything to make sure she could grow up and have a decent life. Even if it cost me my own happiness.”
Jessa felt something touch her. She quickly stood.
Blaine was right behind her.
“As for Meghan… she had her own problems in life. It wasn’t her fault though the way she went. I’ll never forgive myself for what happened to them. I still remember picking out the two rings for Meghan and Janey. My one chance to step forward in life and look how that turned out.”
Chills ran down Jessa’s spine. She knew that Blaine and Meghan had gotten engaged really fast. They had a huge fight, broke up, and then two days later they were engaged. Jessa never got the chance to talk about what had happened with Meghan because…
“I think about it every day,” Blaine growled, his lips near her ear. “What I could have done to stop it. What I said to cause it. That shit doesn't leave a guy’s mind. So, yeah, maybe I live a little bit of a different life now, but the only way to sooth my pain is to be a fucking dirty outlaw.”
Jessa inched her leg forward and shut the nightstand drawer. She then turned, fearing that Blaine was going to get closer to her. And if he did… and she felt…
Blaine was right there, just inches separating them. They faced each other.
He blinked fast. He was definitely an outlaw. Hell, he’d always been an outlaw. The badge never stopped him from doing whatever he wanted.
“You’re covered in blood,” Jessa whispered. “What’s that about?”
“Club business,” Blaine said. “I have a purpose here.”
“You kill people?”
“When they need to die, yes.”
“You ruin families, Blaine. Just like someone…”
“No,” Blaine said. “No. I don’t look at it that way.”
“No? So the person you killed today… did he have a family? Maybe a wife. A girlfriend. A fiancee. Maybe a kid. A kid on the way. A sick mother.”
Blaine’s eyes went wide. “You like to fuck with me, huh? That’s what you want to do right now? A guy is out to kill you and you want to take shots.”
“I want to know what you really feel.”
Blaine moved quickly. His hand was around Jessa and pulling at her lower back. He pulled her right to him and she felt him.
Hard.
Jessa gasped, her mouth open.
“It gets even bigger when you play with it,” Blaine whispered.
“You fucking sicko,” Jessa said.
She reached up and pushed at Blaine. He moved just enough to let her get a swing at him. Her right hand connected with his jaw, snapping his head back. A hot pain shot through Jessa’s knuckle and wrist. She yelled and then hugged her hand.
“Damn,” Blaine said. He thumbed the corner of his mouth, wiping blood away. “That was a good one.”
“You’re a fucking asshole,” Jessa said. “I’m terrified and that’s what you try to do?”
“It’s what I do,” Blaine said.
“Go wash the fucking blood off your skin.”
“Then can I fuck you?”
Jessa gasped again. “You’ll never fuck me, Blaine. Ever. I can’t believe I even came here. This was a mistake. I’m leaving.”
Jessa grabbed for her bag and Blaine had the other side. One quick tug and his strength easily prevailed. He tossed the bag back to the bed.
“Where are you going to go?”
“Why the hell do you care?”
“You’re right, I don’t care. But if Vin is going to attack you… I can’t have that on my conscience. You’re staying right here with me. You got that?”
“You don’t get to order me around. I’m not some bar slut.”
Blaine stepped at Jessa again. He put a hand to her hip and drove her back against the wall. Not hard, not violent, but Jessa still let out a yelp anyway.
“Let me explain the way this works. If you’re going to stay here, you’re going to be under my orders. You think I’m a wild outlaw, I’ve got a bar full of them. An entire charter that would love to rip through something fresh like you. I can fucking smell it all over you, sweetheart. You haven’t been touched or fucked in a long time. And if you have, it wasn’t the right way.”
Jessa swallowed. She desperately tried to find words to attack back at Blaine… or the strength to just punch him again.
Why did he call me sweetheart? He called the bar sluts beautiful. What did that mean?
“I’m going to take a shower,” Blaine said. “The door’s unlocked. You’re more than welcome to come join me. I promise I won’t be gentle, but it’s worth the pain. If you don’t feel like joining me in the shower, then feel free to relax here, with the door locked. Or you can take your chances out there. But if someone claims that sweet ass of yours, I can’t help you. Now… do you understand?”