Damned Sinner, page 17
part #1 of Jayne Series
“You made me love you, baby, and then you fucked me up.”
I leaned in and kissed her forehead, and then got off the bed and pulled my undershirt off so I could put it on her. There was no way she could sleep in that dress.
“Kelsey,” I whispered. “Hey, sweetheart, wake up.”
She groaned again and stretched out with her arms above her. Smacking her lips a little, she opened her eyes lazily and then flashed a wide, sleepy smile before curling back in a little ball.
“What the fuck?” she cried.
I put a knee on the bed, causing it to creak, and reached for her waist, lifting her so she was uncurled. It was going to be a bitch getting her out of the dress and into a shirt, and on top of that, the room was starting to spin. I was seconds away from blacking out, and the exertion alone was bound to knock me out.
I thought briefly about just leaving her in the dress—it wasn’t that big of a deal and she was obviously comfortable enough, but it was purely selfish. I wanted to hold her soft, and warm, and the dress would only hinder that.
She flipped over when I touched her, heavy with sleep, but I managed to slide the dress up and over her head without much trouble. I slipped the shirt over her and then took off my pants and threw them to the floor. She’d folded her hands under her cheek, pulled her legs up under her again, and was already dozing off by the time I climbed in next to her.
“Vince?” she asked softly.
I hushed her and reached over to pull her next to me. “I only want to hold you, yeah? Just go back to sleep, baby.”
She snuggled into my chest and threw an arm over my waist. “Touch me,” she said softly.
I wasn’t going to deny either one of us what we truly wanted. I didn’t care about her letter, her fucking boyfriend, or the fact that I’d wake up in the morning more miserable than I’d been in months. All that mattered was her and the way she felt underneath me.
I shifted her so that she was on top of me and wrapped both arms around her back. I couldn’t get close enough, couldn’t feel enough of her skin against mine. I wanted her to crawl inside to stay safe—to stay with me.
“I need to flip you over,” I told her.
I moved so that she was beneath me and brushed my hand over her cheek. She was still sleepy, her eyes were heavy and her body limp, but her legs wrapped around me, and her lips were on my chest.
We were both tipsy, and that was just enough to loosen us both up and allow us to forget about everything we’d said and done to each other.
It was just us—our bodies, our hearts, and our souls.
“Grab the headboard,” I said gruffly into her ear. “Hold on to the rails so I can fuck you hard.”
She reached above her head and grabbed the wrought-iron rails behind her. I leaned down and took one puckered nipple into my mouth, laving my tongue over it, and groaned when I felt it harden.
“Tastes so good,” I mumbled into her skin. “Fucking tastes so good.”
I made my way down her belly and over the soft hair covering her pussy. It was silky and light, just like her hair, and the little bit she had there turned me on more than anything. So many women shaved themselves bare—which I didn’t mind at all—but on her, I was so fucking turned on by her blonde curls.
I flattened my tongue and ran it up and down her slit, flicking her clit and then spreading her with my fingers.
“I could kiss you here all day,” I said. “I can’t believe I neglected this pussy for so long.”
I opened my lips and sucked her in, lapping and sucking until she was thrashing wildly above me. Her hands were in my hair, dragging me against her, and I was too lost in what I was doing to understand any of the nonsense that was coming out of her mouth.
I kissed her once more and chuckled when her hips jolted from the sensitivity. I crawled up beside her and wrapped her in my arms, unable to move or open my eyes.
“What about you,” she asked breathlessly.
“That’s all I wanted. You’re all that matters, Kelsey.”
The last thing I remembered before dozing off was the soft sound of her breathing against me.
Chapter Fifteen
We were two weeks away from the grand opening of the Phoenix Ranch, and I was worn thin. In addition to opening the new business, Jayne’s wedding was only a month away, so she was running around like a chicken with her head cut off.
I worked day and night getting things ready. I’d officially hired Maya to help manage the house, and she’d proven herself to be more than useful.
Prior to her attempt at hooking, she’d worked in several restaurants and nightclubs as a waitress. She’d picked up a thing or two, and along with common sense, she had a fierce eye for business. She had great ideas and was eager to implement them. She busted her ass, basically, and earned herself a place next to Jayne.
Of course, it took quite a bit of convincing as far as Jayne went. Even before her father was taken and everything that went on afterward, she’d been distrustful of others, especially in business. After seeing how dedicated Maya was, she was sold. They got along well—which was my biggest worry.
“Maya, make sure you call the liquor distributor before five. Those assholes better be here by nine tomorrow so we can set up the bar.”
“Got it,” she yelled out. “For the fifth time!”
I mumbled under my breath and went back to my email. I’d gone through two contractors already—each one a bigger dick than the next—and had finally found one I was willing to work with. He’d done as I’d asked, and the building was up and ahead of schedule. If only everything else were the same story.
I was making shit up as I went along for the most part. Flynn was helpful, since he had experience with decorators and designers from building the lounge inside The Maguire Grand. I appreciated the help, mostly because I was just over all of it.
There were several moments where I just wanted to say fuck it and go back to Vegas. That life, I knew. That life was easy for me. But then, I’d remember Kelsey and the fact that she was there, and she was with him, and I resigned myself to whatever the hell it was I was trying to do.
I tried not to think about her, and for the most part I didn’t. I’d gotten good at that, but each time she left, I’d have to retrain myself, and I was losing hope that I’d ever fully erase her from my memory.
Especially the memory of the last night I’d held her.
That morning had been one of the most painfully awkward moments of my life. Neither of us knew what to say or what to do. We woke up slowly and lay quietly in each other’s arms without a word. I wanted to apologize honestly, but I wasn’t sorry.
Finally, after about an hour, she sat up, pushed her hair back, and leveled me with the coldest expression I’d ever seen from her, and it cut right through me.
“I think you should go.”
And that was it. My brain was swollen inside my skull, the skin of my face too tight to express anything other than resignation, and my heart... well, my heart was numb. I got out of bed, grabbed my clothes, and walked the fuck out.
I’d declined a trip to the casino with Flynn and Jayne, mostly for that reason. It wasn’t worth the pain it would cause. I wanted to support Jayne, but I couldn’t do it. It was too soon. Plus, with everything I had on my plate, and everything I’d taken off hers in order to help her out, I was too busy.
She worried, though. She didn’t know what happened the night of the engagement party between me and Kelsey, but I think she had an idea. She tried to get me out of the funk, but I wasn’t sure what it would take. We still had the wedding to get through—a wedding where Kelsey would be standing next to her and across from me—and I was trying to prepare myself for that.
The phone rang off the hook, and I couldn’t handle it anymore. I had to get out and get some air. I settled a time for the masonry contractor to start on the parking lot and exterior stone work on the building and headed out for a while.
“Maya, I’m leaving. When you’re done, you can call it a day. We’ll just meet up tomorrow morning to meet the distributors and the paint crew.”
I had my hand on the doorknob, ready to walk out, when she called my name.
“Vince! Wait!”
I closed my eyes and turned to find out what she needed. “Can it wait?”
I slowly opened my eyes and sighed. I was tired and anxious to get the hell out of there.
“It’s Jayne on the phone. She said she’s been trying to call your cell for an hour.”
I frowned and dug in my pocket for my phone. I hadn’t even heard it ring. Sure enough, it was dead.
“Shit. Tell her I’ll call her back in a while. I’ll charge it in the car.”
I turned to leave again and she stepped forward, grabbing my arm. “It’s urgent. She sounds really upset.”
She bit into her bottom lip, concern etched on her face. Whatever Jayne had said to her, it had shaken her, and it stopped me cold. I swallowed hard and stormed through the room to answer the phone.
Every cell in my body was on high alert. So many scenarios flashed behind my eyes, I couldn’t even think straight. By the time I reached the phone in the office, my hands shook so bad I could hardly hold the receiver.
“Baby? What’s wrong?”
“Vince!” she cried. “What the fuck have you been doing? I’ve been calling and calling and... oh God!”
She sucked in a sharp breath, and a shudder ran up the length of my spine.
“Where are you?” I asked in a low voice.
She was obviously in trouble, so I knew I had to get myself under control. It wasn’t easy—especially since I was hours away from her and virtually helpless.
“I’m in Vegas. You need to get here. Now. Don’t drive. Have Maya take you to the airport right away. I sent Cherise to get you, but she fucking got lost! We don’t have time!”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to compose myself, but at that point, there was no use.
“Janie, you need to calm down and tell me what the hell is going on.”
I heard her take another sharp breath, and a muffled voice as Flynn took the phone away from her.
“Is she okay? Tell me she’s okay.”
He sighed. “She’s unharmed. It’s Kelsey. You should get here as soon as possible, man. She’s been hurt.”
I clenched the receiver hard enough to crack it and roared before firing it against the wall and tipping the desk on its side.
“Fuck!”
I felt Maya’s hand on my arm and shrugged away, knocking her backward as I stormed out of the building and toward my car. She came running out after me, calling my name, but I could barely hear it over the thundering in my ears. My blood felt too hot under my skin, and my heartbeat was so loud I could hear it with every step I made.
I willed my car to meet me halfway and finally broke into a full-on sprint. It anything happened to her...
I couldn’t think it. I swallowed down the bile in my throat and turned the ignition, gunning the engine, and flew out of the parking lot as fast as I could.
My first instinct was to blame Flynn—I knew the shit with his father’s enemies would blow up in our faces. My greatest fear was that they’d come after Jayne, but having Kelsey parading around Maguire Grand like a piece of meat was just asking for trouble.
“I fucking knew it!” I yelled, slamming my hands against the steering wheel.
Chapter Sixteen
Getting a flight out of Elko into Las Vegas wasn’t impossible, but getting one immediately was. All in all, I ended up having to wait two hours for a flight, and another two hours to fly into Las Vegas.
I called Flynn when I hit ground and thankfully, he’d already arranged a car to pick me up. The driver already had instruction on where to take me, and it was a good thing; I had no fucking clue where I was going—or why. All I knew was Kelsey was hurt and I needed to be with her.
Once we pulled up in front of the hospital, I was out of the car and running toward the front doors before the car even stopped. I sprinted through the waiting room, ignoring the stares and whispered annoyances, and went straight for the front desk.
“Kelsey Franklin,” I barked. “What room.”
The plump, bitter little bitch behind the desk looked up at me slowly and raised an eyebrow.
“I need to see Kelsey Franklin. Now!”
“Vince!”
I turned toward the voice and saw Flynn walking across the waiting room to where I stood, Collins in tow.
“Where is she?” I growled.
He put a hand on my shoulder and narrowed his eyes. “Calm down before they throw your ass out of here,” he said calmly.
He nodded his head to the side door where a security guard was watching us. “They allowed Jayne to go in there for now. I don’t know much else. She hasn’t come out since she got a hold of you.”
“What the fuck happened?” I hissed through my teeth.
My hands were clenched at my sides, and I felt like I was going to throw up. If someone didn’t give me something, I was going to snap.
“Let’s go outside. Collins—wait here in case Janie comes out looking for us.”
The old man nodded, and Flynn grabbed me by the elbow and dragged me through the room toward the exit. Every instinct told me to shake him off and to hell with the bitch at the desk—I needed to see Kelsey. But, I wanted to hear what he had to say, too. I wanted to be prepared, even though I was sure whatever I found in that hospital room would kill me either way.
“You better fucking spit it out,” I snapped.
He dug in his coat pocket, pulled out a pack of smokes, and shook two out, handing one to me.
I grabbed it, but didn’t light it. Instead, I leaned against the wall and folded my arms against my chest, and waited for an answer.
“It was the guy she was hanging out with. Lucas.”
I froze. “What. Did. He. Do?”
He lowered his eyes and held a hand over his lighter as he sparked his lighter and fired up his cigarette.
“Hurt her,” he said in a deathly calm voice.
My jaw snapped together so hard I could hear bone crack. I’d never felt such uncontrolled anger in all my life.
“Do you know who—where he is?”
He took another drag from the cigarette, and I took a moment to look him over. He looked haggard and tired, the lines in his otherwise smooth face deep, and his eyes were drawn.
I lit my cigarette and we stood silently for a moment, both of us lost in our own thoughts. I was shaking—both from fear and rage. The not knowing was killing me. The not being able to stop what had happened to her was worse.
“Collins is on it. He has three men tracking him down. It shouldn’t be long. They’ve been instructed where to take him—once he’s found.”
I raised my eyes to meet his. “I want that motherfucker.”
He nodded.
“How do you know it was him? Did someone see this? Where... when?”
He crouched into a squat and took another drag of his cigarette before putting it out on the sidewalk.
He blew out a long drawn out breath and looked up at me. “She was at dinner with me and Jayne the night before, but had plans with him afterward. We walked her up to the rooms, and then she was supposed to meet Janie yesterday afternoon to go shopping. Wedding shit. She never showed.”
I gritted my teeth. “Why didn’t you look for her when she didn’t show up?”
He shook his head. “We got preoccupied. It was her day off; I didn’t think too much of it, and neither did Janie.” He took a deep breath and puffed out his cheeks before looking back at me. “She’s stayed out with him before.”
I clenched my eyes closed and bit down on the inside of my cheek until I could taste blood. It wasn’t that I hadn’t expected that—but it wasn’t something I thought about... ever.
I took one more pull from my smoke, threw it on the ground, and stormed back inside. I had to see her. Hearing half-assed stories wasn’t getting me anywhere. My body was aching with the need to put my hands on her and feel that she was okay.
Collins stood next to the entrance door when I walked in, looking completely out of place in his old-fashioned suit, and as worried as I felt.
“Go find him,” I said. I stabbed a finger into his chest and lowered my voice. “Find that piece of shit, and don’t come back until you do.”
I didn’t wait for an answer—it wasn’t a request. The little bastard had to be somewhere—and from what I’d gathered from Jayne, he was a little rich kid. Someone had to know him, or of him. If Flynn was willing to sling some cash around, it would take no time before we had him.
I approached the desk again only to find another nurse, just as unhelpful and bitchy as the one before.
“I need to see Kelsey Franklin.”
She looked up at me with an annoyed expression. “Can you spell her name for me? Are you family?”
I bunched my hands into fists and slammed them against the counter.
“I don’t have time to spell, you dumb bitch. Sound it out and put your fingers on the fucking keyboard!”
She raised an eyebrow. “And you are?”
“Her husband,” I said without hesitation. I wasn’t going to take any chances for her to give me a hard time.
Something in my voice startled her, and she finally started tapping on the computer.
“All I can tell you is that she hasn’t been admitted yet. They are only letting one person in at a time until...” she looked up at me and gulped. “Until the police arrive,” she said quietly.
I nodded slowly. “She’s. My. Wife. I will see her. Now!”
She pressed her lips together and looked over at the ringing phone. I grabbed her arm before she could answer it and loomed over her from behind the desk.
“Sir,” she said shakily. “If you don’t calm down, I’ll have security remove you.”
I kept my grasp on her arm and turned to find the same fat bastard guard watching me. I turned back to her and gave her a withering sneer.
