Guard My Heart (17 page)

“Now that was fucking hot!” Lewis hollers from the other
side of the table.

Jase places both hands over mine on the counter and leans
in to me. At first I think he is going to kiss me, but he moves his head and
whispers against my ear. His warm breath races along my neck and shoots little
currents of light across my skin.

“That’s because he’s never heard how hard I make you
scream,” he says, as cocky as they come. I scoff and push him away from me.
There’s no way Jase will ever let Lewis or anyone else hear how loud he can
make me scream. Jase chuckles and leads me back to the table by my hand. I grab
the half-full bottle of tequila and pour six shots, and Jase passes them to our
friends. I lift my shot to each of my friends, and when my eyes fall back on
Jase, I pause. I hold his gaze and run my tongue over my bottom lip remembering
the coarse feel of the salt.

“To screaming,” I say to him on a sultry smile. I down my
shot clean and slam it down onto the table. Lewis downs his shot and squirts
lime juice all over James, who tries to bat him away with a dish
cloth.

Jase flops down on his chair and pulls me onto his lap.
His arms lock around my waist, and he grinds into me, making me feel just how
loud I might scream later.

We spend the next couple of minutes watching Lewis try to
convince James to sniff the salt, down the tequila, and squirt the lime juice
into his eye. James laughs him off and dares him to do it. I think Lewis is
half tempted to try. He is crazy enough. Jenna gives a loud yawn and everybody
boos her. Everybody except me. I was ready for bed an hour ago. Jenna looks
half asleep where she is comfortably tucked onto Aiden’s lap, her face resting
in his neck.

“Isn’t it past your bedtime?” I say to them as I slide my
hands under Jase’s shirt. I can feel the muscles ripping under my fingers. I
close my eyes and rest my cheek against his chest.

I inhale deeply, breathing in the smell of home. It’s a
smell I’d be able to pick out of a lineup blindfolded. 

“We’re on our way to bed now,” Aiden says, stretching his
legs and lifting Jenna effortlessly, cradling her to his chest.

“I’m off to cherish my goddess. You kids be good now,”
Aiden says.

He thumps Jase on the shoulder and winks at me. I catch a
glimpse of Jenna’s smile and waving fingers before he takes them up the stairs
two at a time.

JASE

I watch Aiden carry Jenna up the stairs. I’m half tempted
to haul Mia over my shoulder myself. I grab her face in my palms and place a
soft kiss on her lips.

“Are you ready for bed?” She nods her head and rests her
forehead against mine. It’s just us in the small kitchen now. James and Lewis
moved off into the lounge when the music got louder. I place another kiss on
her lips. Her soft lips part effortlessly against mine. Her taste ignites every
fucking nerve in my body. The way her breath mingles with mine before becoming
my own fuels every muscle in my body with need. A need to lay her down and have
my way with her right here in this kitchen. I lift her up and place her on her
feet. I grab her hand and lead her from the kitchen to the lounge in search of
Lewis. We find him on the couch where he is getting it on with a flaming
redhead. He catches me looking but doesn’t turn away from the girl chewing on
his ear.

“You cool, man?” I ask.

“Yeah, man,” he answers a bit slurry. Too much tequila for
him.

“We’re going to bed, make sure no one carries our shit
away,” I say.

His head falls back onto the couch, and I hope to fuck
it’s supposed to be a nod and not the alcohol kicking his ass. I do not want to
wake up to an empty house tomorrow morning.

“Let’s go to bed, Mew,” I say, leading her up the stairs
to our room.

Pushing open our door, I flick on the light. Mia is
already getting undressed on her way to the bathroom.

“I wanted to do that,” I growl at her when I find her
naked and adjusting the water for the shower.

“I'm sorry, I just couldn’t wait to get you in here,” she
says, shoving me into the shower, clothes and all.

I grab hold of her waist and pull her in with me.

“God, I love you, Mew,” I say before trailing my lips down
her neck. Just the smell of her makes me throb in anticipation. I want out of
these wet clothes. As if she can read my mind, she looks up at me with those
big, beautiful, brown eyes of hers and pulls my soaked shirt over my head. She
pushes me against the wall, and I reward her with smile for her boldness. The
same smile she once told me I only smile at her. She traces the tattoo running
down my neck and my entire left side with her black fingernails. Little
goosebumps dance over my skin. Fuck, that feels good. She burns me inside out.
And I will gladly burn alive. I can already feel those nails digging into my
back, clawing her way through her release. Still tracing my tat, her hand makes
contact with my jeans. The cutest sound escapes the back of her throat. I cock
my head to the side and smile at her scrunched up nose. I know that cute sound
was meant as a sound of irritation. I chuckle at her while looking down at the
tribal disappearing beneath the waist band of my jeans.

“Do my pants offend you, Mew?” I ask her.

“Urgh.” She makes a move for the button, but I grab her
hands before she reaches it.

“My turn.” Her chest rises sharply. Like she’s sucking in
a big breath. The move brings those perfect breasts dangerously close to my
chest. I won’t be able to hold out long with those taunting me. I turn her
around to face the wall. A weak protest escapes her lips. Fuck, I'm glad I
still have this effect on her. I twist her hair around my wrist. The strands
form a band of white, pink and black around my arm. I pull her flush against
me. I make sure she feels the bulge straining against my zipper. She grinds her
hot little ass against me, tempting me into submission. But I'm not giving in
so quickly. I’ve been waiting for this for two months. I tighten my grip on her
hair and guide her to rest her head on my shoulder. Lowering my lips to her
neck, I graze my teeth over that sweet spot—the one where I can feel her pulse
speed up with each nip of my teeth. She sighs and relaxes into me. I glide my
hand over her wet smooth skin, up her side, and over the “J” tattooed over her
ribs. It’s sexy as fuck. A permanent part of me on her. I let go of her hair
and turn her slightly. I lift her arm with mine. I run my tongue over the
tattoo and a tremble courses through her body. Sneaky as she is, she twists
slightly and my nose brushes the soft flesh of her breast. My cock fights
painfully against its wet confines. Mia braces herself against the wall with
her forearms, drops her head and teases me with that sexy ass again. Damn
woman. This time I grind harder against her, letting her know just how much I
want her. She moans loudly, moving both hands up her side. I can’t think of
anything else but sinking into her. I want to climb inside her and stay there
forever. My fingers brush lightly over her nipples. 

“Please, Jase.” Her voice is husky, a
throw-me-down-and-have-your-dirty-way-with-me bedroom voice. Fuck!

“What do you need, baby?” I ask, breathing heavily
myself.

“Please touch me,” she whimpers.

“I am touching you,” I say.

I squeeze her breasts to make my point. She spins around
and grabs my shoulders. Her chocolate eyes blaze at me angrily. I can’t help
but smile before I lower my head to her breast. I nuzzle her nipple with my
nose while skimming my hand down her front. My fingers glide over her soft skin
and bump over the belly ring I did for her a few years ago. I inch toward her
warm wetness slowly. I know what’s waiting for me. It feels like every damn
muscle is fighting me for control. To move faster, to possess her, make her
scream my name.

“Jase, damn it! Touch me! Touch me now or I’m kicking your
ass all over this damn shower!” she says harshly. Such serious threats without
even opening her eyes. I smile but she digs her nails in to my shoulders, and
it’s game over, my kitten has won. I will do anything for her. My fingers
stroke over her slick folds. She digs her fingers in harder. Fuck, I need this.
I grind my teeth.

“Open your eyes, Mew. You know how this works. And get
your nails out of me.” The words come out harder than I intended. I can’t think
with her nails lodged in my skin. It drives me insane. Her eyes flutter open. I
look into brown eyes filled with love and lust. I'm drowning in a sea of melted
chocolate and sex. Fuck! Why haven’t I married this girl yet?

1. You share a house with four friends.

2. You just made the last payment on her ring.

“What’s wrong, Jase?” Mia asks, snapping me out of my
thoughts. I must’ve been staring at her like a dick while giving myself a
mental bitch slap.

“Nothing a kiss from you won’t fix,” I say, winking at
her.

I slip the first finger inside of her as her mouth meets
mine. She quivers around my finger. I slide the second finger in and stroke her
slowly. Teasing her body to life. She inhales deeply and pulls my tongue into
her mouth. Her tongue strokes the metal piercing in mine in time with the
rhythm of my hand. I steady her by placing my other hand on the small of her
back. She’s rocking against me now, encouraging me to move faster. I rub my
thumb over her clit. I hear the gasp of air escaping her before her walls start
pulling at my fingers. Increasing the pressure on the little nub, I rub her
faster. Her head slumps forward, resting against my chest. God, she’s beautiful.
The sound she’s making has me hurting. Her orgasm ripples through her body,
leaving her trembling and breathing heavy. She lifts her head and looks at me,
struggling to keep her eyes open. She leans in and nuzzles her nose with mine.
I close my eyes, listening to her breathing slow down.

I reach for the water and turn it off. I grab her towel,
which is the size of a blanket, and wrap it around her. I pull the only girl I
will ever love close, and I place a kiss on top of her wet hair.

“Hmm, I love you,” she sighs, snuggling her nose into my
neck.

I lead her out of the shower to sit on the side of the
bath.

“Don’t move, I need to get these wet jeans off,” I say,
wrestling with the wet fabric.

“Hmm,” she hums. She sits down and rests her head against
the wall on the side of the tub. She looks beat. The late shifts she’s been
pulling at the tattoo parlor are taking their toll. It’s not fair to her
though, having to cover my shifts like that, but I couldn’t let Grams down.
She’s the only mother I’ve ever known.

One good thing came from all Mia’s hard work. Our savings.
We will be able to get our own place soon. It would’ve been sooner, but I’ve
been stashing away some of the cash I get working at the garage for her ring.
She’s going to love it. When I saw it, I knew it had to be the one to make her
mine forever. Jumping into the shower, I notice she still has her eyes closed.
I look down at my still swollen member and chuckle. It obviously has other
ideas than letting Mia sleep.

MIA

Watching Jase is one of my favorite things to do. No,
screw that, watching Jase naked and wet in the shower is my favorite thing to
do. He is perfect. From the jet black hair falling over his closed eyes to the
spraying water on his toe nails. I watch the water drops slide lazily down his
firm chest. Even they seem reluctant to leave his gorgeous body. He’s been
working hard at his uncle’s garage, and the rewards of his labor are etched
into his lean muscles. I hear him chuckle and look up to find him staring at
his hard shaft. I bite down on my lip to stifle the laugh bubbling up in my
throat. That’s just weird! I look at the object of his amusement. I remember
our first time, my first time. I was scared out of my mind.

It started out innocent. We were lying under a big old
tree, completely hidden by the overhanging branches. He drew slow circles on
the soft cotton of my panties. I thought maybe he was drawing random doodles
but then his movements got more structured, focused.

“What are you doing?” I asked, slightly
breathless.

“Property of Jase,” he hummed, so close that his warm
breath tickled the skin on my thigh.

“Huh?” I asked stupidly.

“I'm writing ‘property of Jase’,” he stated
matter-of-factly.

“You are writing ‘property of Jase’ on my panties? With
your finger? Is that normal?”

“There are no rules to sex, Mia, but if you want rules, I
will make a rule. No more talking,” he said while he slowly slid my underwear
down my thighs.

Jase looks up from his shower and finds me staring at him
with a stupid smile plastered across my face. I duck my head. I'm not shy in
the bedroom with him anymore, but those eyes do things to me—the intensity
behind his stare, the secrets that flicker across his eyes when he lets his
guard down, the desire. I feel the heat rise in my cheeks and I shake my head
slightly. His toes enter my vision, and I lift my head in time to see him wrap
a towel around his waist. His head is cocked to the side, a cheeky smirk on his
face. Taking his offered hand, he leads me to our room. He turns down the
covers, and he pulls me in for a kiss. His lips meet mine, too soft, teasingly
almost. It’s a sweet torture. I push into him, deepening the kiss, and suck his
piercing into my mouth. That freaking piercing can do awesome things if used
right.

A loud crash tears up the stairs. I hear people shouting.
Jase is already on his way toward the door, pulling his boxers on in the
process.

“Stay here!” he bellows, pointing his finger at me.

I see the flash of anger in his eyes. This Jase is exactly
what his hard exterior tells you he is. Dangerous.

The door slams closed behind him, rattling the frame. I’m
so sick of this shit. I bet Lewis is getting his ass kicked for the redhead
right now. Okay, well not exactly. Someone is probably trying to kick his ass
right about now. Lewis has been an angry teen all his life. Getting into fights
is second nature to him. That’s why I have no idea why Jase had to go down
there. And that is exactly why I'm going down there now.

I grab Jase’s t-shirt and pull on my PJ bottoms before
running down the stairs. I hear Jenna screaming. She’s standing at the bottom
of the stairs. Following her line of sight, I see Aiden on the floor. Blood is
trickling in a thin line down the side of his face. Some guy I’ve never seen
before is standing behind him holding a bat. I move to the idiot and shove him
hard.

“What the fuck, you asshole!” I yell at him as he takes a
step back right into Lewis who takes him down hard with a shot to the
jaw.

I scan the room for Jase. I don’t see him. Panic turns my
stomach to ice. My heart is fighting my ribs. “Jenna, Jenna, where’s Jase?” I
cry. My voice sounds like it can crack glass.

Jenna kneels next to Aiden who sits up rubbing his face.
“He ran outside, James is there,” she answers softly.

I share the confusion on her face. Normally, fights start
around Lewis. I start for the back door, but I'm yanked back by
Lewis.

“Mia, please stay here. I’ll go. You help Jenna get Aiden
to a chair,” he says while his eyes plead with me right alongside his
words.

“Jenna, can you handle Aiden?” The words come out harsher
than I intended, so I give her a small smile. I have to find Jase.

She nods. I shake Lewis off and run toward the back door.
The shouting is getting louder as I get closer. My stomach drops as I step
outside and see him.

“No, Jase, No!” I scream at him, but he doesn’t hear me.
He is re-shaping some guys face with his fist. The only thing holding the guy up
is the wall he’s slumped against. In seconds, I'm next to Jase. I grab hold of
his arm. He swings at me blindly, knocking me sideways into the ground.

“Stupid ass! It’s Mia, you asshole!” Lewis yells, rushing
over to me. I'm already on my way up. I should’ve known not to blindside him. I
know how he gets. There’s a beast inside of him that he doesn’t know how to
control.

“Lewis, grab his arm,” I yell. I brace myself to do the
same, but Aiden beats me to it. Jase fights like a man possessed, yanking hard
on the arms of his friends holding him back. I grab hold of him from around his
back. Together the three of us finally wrestle him to the ground. I climb over
him straddling his waist. “Jase baby, stop fighting, please. Jase, look at me!”
I say, trying to steady my voice. He curses a few words even I won’t mention.
His muscles remain tense beneath me. My face hovers over his, and I place a
soft kiss on his lips. He doesn’t respond. I suck his bottom lip between mine
and bite down on it. His body tenses further, and I bite down harder, digging
my nails into his shoulders, hoping I won’t have to draw blood. I moan against
his lip. I don’t want to hurt him. I feel him move as he struggles with his
arms still pinned to his side. He yanks harder, and a low growl rumbles in his
chest.

“Let go of my arms. Or do you guys like watching my girl
take advantage of me?” he bites out.

I nod my head, and Lewis and Aiden each release the arm
they were holding. I swear I hear a sigh of relief.

“Jeez, Jase, you scared the shit out of me. That hasn’t
happened in a while,” Lewis says, blowing out a gush of breath. I lift my head
and look around. The guy Jase was hitting is being led away by another guy with
a mohawk. I mean these are scary-looking dudes. I don’t normally judge on looks
alone. Jase is by no way muscle man, but he has a serious temper. A temper he
normally controls pretty well. This guy must’ve done something real bad to tick
him off like that. He won’t go crazy ass on you just for starting a fight in
his backyard.

“Fucking hell,” James curses as he approaches. Jase moves
under me, and I look down at him. There’s a tick in his jaw, and he’s staring
at my elbow. I bring the obviously offensive object into my view and see that
I’m bleeding. Oh shit!

“Calm down, babe. It doesn’t hurt. It just took some skin
off,” I plead with him softly. I don’t need another outburst from him tonight.
Anger flares in those green orbs, and I know I should’ve just stayed in my damn
room.

“How the fuck did that happen, Mia?” He starts to get up,
and I stumble off him.

“I fell on my way over to you,” I say.

I hate that my voice sounds weak. He won’t buy it, I'm
fooling myself.

“Bullshit, Mia! You tried to stop me, didn’t you?” His
voice makes me flinch, even though I know he will never hurt me. He will never
hurt me.

I see Lewis take a step forward, but my look stops him in
his tracks. My head snaps up as I watch a garden chair fly into the pool.

“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” Jase yells as he yanks on his hair.
His feet stomp a heavy path in the dirt. I let him vent and hope some of that
anger will drown in the pool along with the garden chair. I’d rather have him
here than have him taking off.

I look at James. “Well?” I ask him.

He looks at me from between the trio of friends, watching
the semi-naked madman pacing our backyard. I look at Lewis but he just
shrugs. 

“I was out showing Red my guitar when I heard the
shouting. Dude, she better not leave or I’m kicking your ass,” Lewis says to
James who’s still staring at Jase.

“Right now, I’ve got a hot-as-hell redhead sitting naked
on my bed holding my instrument, and I’m out here, staring at Jenna in nothing
but a t-shirt…wait this is almost better,” Lewis says flashing his
dimples.

“Oh shit!” Jenna gasps. I whip my head around just in time
so see her dashing through the back door. How the hell did I miss that? How the
hell did Aiden miss that? Aiden glares at the cheeky grin on Lewis’
face.

“You assholes better keep your dirty minds in check!” He
throws a glare at James before stomping after Jenna.

Aiden is extremely protective over Jenna. They’ve been
together as long as Jase and I. I always thought there might have been
something between Jenna and Kyle, but she’s so perfect with Aiden. They had
their first kiss on my 19
^th
birthday. Aiden bought this house the
day Jenna wrote her last exam and married her the next day. I don’t know why
they’ve stuck around the lot of us for so long. They are the total opposite of
us. Jase, Lewis, and I were seen as outcasts, the weird kids. Aiden, Jenna, and
James are the more wholesome, preppy type. Yet they’re still here; maybe we
balance each other out. We need them to remind us to be responsible, and they
need us to remind them of the wild things in life. So in the end I think we
work out just fine. Sometimes when things go all crazy I wonder how it would’ve
been if Kyle was still alive. Why did he never get together with Jenna? What
would’ve happened with her and Aiden? And even if my straight-laced brother
would never have approved of Jase on first glance, I’m sure he would’ve changed
his mind if he could see how happy I am.

I turn my attention back to James. “So what the heck
happened here?” I ask the elusive question again.

I move over to sit on Jase’s lap, who finally decided to
calm down and take a seat. He doesn’t look at me but opens his arms for me to
snuggle up to him.

“Lewis, you remember the green Chevy that came in last
week?” James asks.

Lewis rolls his eyes before asking, “With that hot piece
of ass?” He looks at me from the corner of his eye before looking at James
again.

“Yeah, man, that’s the one.” James nods to confirm his
answer.

“And the mean motherf—, uh sorry, Mia,” he scoffs and
clears his throat before continuing. “I mean with the dude who clung to her
like six-week-old mold to a tuna sandwich?” Lewis explains rather disgustingly.
My nose crinkles. Oh no, this isn’t about a girl, is it? I think to
myself.

“James hooked up with her yesterday after work,” Jase
confirms my thoughts. James stares at the ground, and Lewis whistles and slaps
James on the back.

“Well done, my man,” Lewis says with a chuckle. James
breathes out heavily, and it’s only then that I realize his shirt has been
almost completely ripped off his back. A nasty bruise is playing tag on his
cheekbone. Has my head been stuck up my ass since I walked out the back door?

“That big dude came here looking for her with his army of
friends. His buddies took me down when I went to get her a drink. The next
moment he started hauling her out by her hair. That’s when Jase came out,”
James explains.

And just like that it’s all clear. Never lift your hands
towards a woman in front of Jase.

“So Jase was beating up her boyfriend,” I confirm. I
already know the answer. James just nods his head.

“Where is she now?” I ask, already looking around for this
girl.

“She took off with her friend after Jase grabbed that
guy,” James answers uncomfortably.

“I really hope you haven’t just opened a can of whoop ass
for us,” Lewis says, grabbing a coke from the table.

“I'm not worried about that asshole or his
gangster-wanna-be friends,” James says looking at Jase.

“It’s Uncle Ray I'm worried about. Asshole or no asshole,
he is still a customer,” James says, his voice even softer than normal. He has
this way of speaking just loud enough for everyone to hear. Not like Lewis who
always seems to belt everything out. Jase lifts his head to look at James. He
nods his head slowly.

“Let’s get some sleep. We have an early start tomorrow. I
don’t want to add ‘late for work’ to our charge sheets.”

Jase lifts me off the chair and places me on my
feet.

“Let’s get that cleaned up,” he says, pointing at my
elbow.

I see Lewis shaking his head. I hope he can handle his
dad. James looks really worried. I wonder if this is the girl to finally snag
him. Did I see her here tonight? What’s she look like? It’s not like him to go
after unavailable woman. Lewis, yes. He sees it as a challenge. I imagine what
she looks like as I follow Jase back to our room. I stomp my feet up the stairs.
I want to make sure he knows I'm following and I’m not happy. All this damn fuss
over a scraped elbow. Even the walls seem to shy away from the silent and moody
Jase. I follow him into the bathroom and take a seat on the toilet. He fills a
bowl with water and adds some antiseptic to it. He looks worried, his beautiful
face edged with concern. He grabs the hem of the shirt I'm wearing and pulls it
over my head. He breaks off several pieces of cotton wool from the roll and
dunks them into the liquid.