I sit on the sofa in Shane’s office watching him flick through some of the paperwork on his desk. As well as our more nefarious business dealings, we have plenty of legitimate ones too. I manage the club mostly, and Liam and Mikey take care of the illegal stuff, but that leaves the bulk of it to Shane. He works at least twelve hours a day and I wish he’d cut himself some slack sometimes.
“You need me to do anything with that?” I ask.
He looks up at me as though he’d forgotten I was even in the room. “What?” he frowns.
“I said, do you need any help?”
He sits back and runs a hand over the stubble on his jaw. “No. It’s fine.”
“Why don’t you ask Jessie to help out with some of the admin stuff? Anything on the computer would take her half the time, and I know she’d be happy to be more useful around here.”
“I’m not sure allowing her even more access to our businesses is a good idea.”
“Why not? She lives in our house, Shane? If she wanted to look at our business records, I’m pretty sure she’d just freaking hack her way in.”
I watch as he sucks in a breath. “You need to be careful with her, Conor.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” It’s my turn to frown now.
“I mean. I was watching you in the club with her last night -”
“We were dancing,” I interrupt him.
“You were almost fucking her in the middle of the club. You think with your dick when she’s around.”
“And you don’t?” I snarl at him as the anger begins to bubble beneath my skin.
He shrugs. “Maybe. But I don’t look at her the way you do, Conor.”
I scowl at him. Part of me is so annoyed because he’s right. Last night she told me she thought I lived for danger, and that used to be true. But now, it seems like I live for her. For every touch, every smile, the way she laughs, and I almost told her so too. “Just what the fuck are you trying to say?”
“I’m saying she’s getting too close. And no, not just to you, to all of us.”
“What happened between you two last night?” I frown at him.
He frowns right back. “Why?”
“Because our girl was so fucking hot for you, I’d have assumed you’d be in a much better mood than this one today. In fact, it surprised me to see either of you out of bed before midday. And I didn’t hear you either.”
“You listening out for us, were you?”
“No,” I snarl. God, he’s being an asshole today. “But, usually. Well, she’s not exactly quiet, is she? And when I sent her down that hallway to your office, she was after the spanking of her life. I thought you’d be at it all night after that?” I raise one eyebrow at him. We shared a much smaller apartment than this when we first came to New York and spanking is definitely Shane’s thing. I also know that it’s Jessie’s too, and she sometimes needs a little pain to get off. And last night was one of those nights.
“Why did you send her to me?” he frowns. “She was supposed to be staying with you.”
“I didn’t exactly send her. She wanted you, so I told her to go to you.”
His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows and I wonder what the hell stupid shit he pulled. I’m not going to ask him. What he and Jessie do in their private time together is between the two of them.
“Just be careful, Conor,” he snaps. “She’s not one of us.”
My heart sinks in my chest. “Promise me you won’t do anything stupid, Shane,” I say with a sigh as I lean back against the sofa.
He doesn’t answer. Instead, he glares at me silently.
“I mean it, Shane,” I warn him. “She is not the fucking enemy.”
“Okay.” He holds his hands up in surrender.
I walk along the hallway to Jessie’s room. Her door is open and I step inside. She’s lying on her bed working on her laptop. When she looks up and sees me, she gives me the most incredible smile and it makes my heart jump into my throat. How the hell did we ever live without this girl?
“Hey, big guy,” she says as she closes her laptop.
“Hey, Angel,” I say, walking over to her and sitting beside her. “I’m heading to bed. I’ve slept about five hours in two days. But, if you fancy curling up next to me later tonight, then you know where I am.” I run my hand over her ass and she winces slightly before she rolls over so she’s lying on her back, looking up at me.
“You got your spanking, then?”
“Yes,” she breathes.
“Feel better now?”
“It’s complicated,” she rolls her eyes.
“You mean Shane is complicated?” I laugh.
“You could say that,” she sighs.
“He’s not really,” I say as I run my hand up her thigh to the button of her jeans and open it. “If you remember one thing.”
“And what’s that?” she purrs as I lift her shirt up, exposing her stomach.
“The more he wants you in his life,” I lean down and kiss her soft skin, right above her waistband. “The more he will push you away.”
“Then he must want me real bad,” she chuckles.
I flash my eyebrows at her. “Exactly, Angel,” I growl as I pull down her zipper. Who needs sleep? She lifts her ass up and I wiggle her jeans and panties down over her hips and thighs. I can smell her sweet cream already, and I place a soft kiss on her mound.
“And of course, I will come and curl up with you later. I don’t like sleeping on my own. And, I love that I always know exactly what you want from me,” she says as I work her jeans and underwear off and down over her legs. Pulling them over her ankles, I toss them onto the floor.
“That’s because I always want the same thing.” I chuckle as I spread her thighs apart and run two fingers through her slick folds.
“Don’t say that,” her voice trembles, forcing me to look up at her.
“Say what?”
“That you only want me for one thing.” She blinks and I notice the tears pricking her eyes.
I move up towards her and wrap a hand gently around her throat. “That’s not what I said. And you know that’s not true, Angel.”
She bites on her lip and it trembles. I have never seen this girl cry. Not even when she had a semi-automatic stuck in her face. Or when that Russian was about to murder her and she ended up covered in his blood. I could throttle Shane for pushing her away.
“You must know that I love you, Jessie?” I breathe.
She blinks at me. Shit! She didn’t know that. How the fuck could she not? The few seconds before she speaks again stretch out in an eternity as I wait for her to say what I need to hear. Fuck! What if I’ve read this completely wrong?
She reaches out her hand and rests it on my cheek. “I love you too,” she whispers, and I let out the breath I’ve been holding. She reaches between us and slides her hand into my sweatpants, pulling out my cock and rubbing the pad of her thumb over the tip as it pulses in her grip.
“You want that?” I arch an eyebrow at her.
“Yes, please,” she smiles that incredible smile again as I pin her wrists to the bed on either side of her head before I slide myself deep inside her.
