Abbi Glines - Misbehaving

“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 fucking 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.”