My Only Regret (Twisted Fate Book 1) (15 page)

It was incredibly sexy, and just what I needed from him.

CHAPTER TWELVE

T
wo days later, I woke to the smell of coffee and Jesse’s deep voice in my ear. “Time to get up sleepy head. Let’s go.”

“Ugh,” I groaned looking at my clock. “Why are you in my room at this hour?”

“Come on, I’ve got plans for us today. We are getting out of this house and forgetting about work, just two friends hanging out together. Here’s your coffee. Now get up, get dressed and meet me downstairs.”

“Wait,” I sat up quickly. “Where are we going? I need to know how to dress.” Honestly, this man was something else. I must admit that he was certainly going out of his way to prove himself to me.
 

“It’s a surprise, but we will be walking around and it’s a warm day.” Thirty minutes later I was out of the shower and getting dressed. I pulled my hair back in a loose ponytail and threw on jeans and a T-shirt.
 

I made my way to the kitchen and grabbed another cup of coffee. I heard Jesse’s voice coming from the porch, he was on the phone, and I gathered that he was talking with Tyler.
 

“I think we should take the day off.” There was a pause in the conversation. “I have something that I need to do today so I’ve already made plans. I won’t be there. Just forget about the music for today and spend the day with your beautiful wife. Hell, she deserves to be spoiled so take her someplace nice.” He turned to find me standing in the doorway and his face broke into a warm smile. “Man, I have to go, there’s a beautiful woman waiting for me. Yeah, I’ll do my best. You do the same.” He walked over to me. “You are gorgeous.” He held out his arm for me to take hold of and we headed outside.

"Where are we going?"

He took my hand and led me to the garage. “I thought we could go on a picnic by the river.” We step inside and he guides me over to a beautiful vintage motorcycle.

“I didn't know you rode." I ran my finger over the seat of the Harley Davidson. I didn’t know a lot about motorcycles, but one of partners at the law firm used to have a bike similar to this, and he’d given me a ride home a few times when my car had been in for repairs. I loved the feeling of the wind in my face and couldn't wait to have an excuse to wrap my arms around Jesse's waist as he drove.

“Hey babe, I thought we could stop by a club later tonight and watch an old friend showcase some new music. I really want him to meet you. Would that be okay?” I was giddy at the thought of him wanting to show me off to his friends.

“Of course," I stood on my tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "I would love to see your friend perform.”
 

"Great. I think you'll love his sound. Now, mount that gorgeous ass on this seat and wrap your arms around my waist." His deep voice practically growled at he instructed me.

"Okay." I followed his directions and settled in. "Are my legs okay like this?" I asked, holding them close to the impressive piece of machinery.

"You can wrap those around my waist too, if you want." He rubbed his nose with mine and gave me a quick peck on the lips.

I laughed seductively and moved closer. "Maybe later I will." He let his hand fall and gave me a gentle squeeze before firing up the bike and leading us down the driveway and out into the street.

He took me on a tour of Seattle, stretching out our time together. Traffic was surprisingly light as we made our way along the beautiful stretch of road. The hills were steep and at one point my grip intensified.
 

"Uh, babe, I need you to loosen up just a bit. I'm already distracted by being this close, and I don't want to crash." He threw his head back and laughed.

"Oops, sorry." I eased up on my grip and pressed my cheek against the warm leather that stretched over his back.

We rode a little further, stopping once for me to snap a picture of us with the Space Needle in the background. By the time we pulled into Kerry Park I was famished.

He'd thrown together a small cooler filled with wine, crackers and brie, dried figs and assorted nuts. There were containers of deli meats that Jesse seemed fond of, but I preferred the cheese and figs that paired nicely with my wine. We sat on a beautiful quilt that Jesse had pulled out of one of the saddlebags on his bike. Once I had my fill of everything I leaned back, propping myself on my elbows to do a little people watching. Jesse leaned back and assumed the same position.

“See that couple over there.” I pointed discreetly to a young couple hugging and looking very happy. “She just told him that she is pregnant with their first child.”
 

“How do you know that?”

“I’m playing a game. I like to observe people and try to guess what it is that they are going through. By the looks of them they are sharing some very happy news.” I shrugged.

“Or, maybe she just told him that he was going to get lucky tonight.” he joked.

I tapped my index finger against my chin and thought about it for a moment. “Nah, I like my story better. If she told him they were going to have sex they wouldn’t be still standing there.” I scoffed.

“Good point. Find someone else.” He encouraged. We played back and forth like that for a few minutes before the young couple walked past us, smiling proudly. “You look very happy.” Jesse called out to them.

“My wife just told me that we’re having a baby. I’m going to be a father!” He beamed at his beautiful wife.

“Congratulations!” He called out before turning to me and shaking his head. “You never cease to amaze me.”
 

“Now your turn.” I poked him gently in the arm.

He rubbed his hands together devilishly and chuckled. “Prepare to be wowed.” He looked around the park and took a few minutes to find his target. “There.” He tipped his head in the direction I should be looking. “See the young guy with the guitar and a pencil between his teeth?” I strained my eyes and soon they landed on the subject in question. I nodded in affirmation. “Right now he is feeling overwhelmed by the task of writing the perfect love song for his girl. He’s struggling, I can tell by the tension in his jaw. He wants to propose with this song but he just doesn’t know how to put the words of his heart on paper.” He leaned back smugly on the blanket and left me to ponder his theory.

“We have to go help him.” I announced. I stood and lowered my hand to help him up.

“Seriously? I thought this was just a game.”

“Jesse, if in fact he is doing what you just projected then we have to at least offer our assistance. Besides, I don’t know of anyone better to help write a poetic love song.” My words dripped with sweetness, and I batted my eyelashes for the full effect.

“Yeah, I guess you’re on to something.” He laughed and headed off in the direction of the young man. “Hey buddy.” He greeted as he sat down.

The young man looked back and forth between us before his mouth fell open. “Holy shit! You’re Jesse Montgomery, from Twisted Fate! No fucking way are you sitting here next to me.” He looked around again as if expecting someone to jump out and yell surprise. “Am I on Punk’d or something? This is a joke right?”

“Nope, no joke.” I replied calmly. “This is real and he is, in fact, Jesse Montgomery.” I smiled, reassuringly.

“So, I was watching you from over there.” Jesse pointed in the direction of our blanket. “It appears that you are having some trouble and I am curious if you are trying to write a song. For a special lady perhaps?”

“Yeah, how did you know? How could you tell that from that far away? I’m trying to write a love song for my girl, Stacy. I want to ask her to marry me.” Jesse looked over at me smugly. I winked letting him know I was impressed.

“Can I be of any assistance?” Jesse offered. “I might know a thing or two about putting a lyric together.”

“Hell yeah you can help! Would you really do that for me man? That is freaking awesome dude! No way. I’m Matthew by the way.” He held out a hand for Jesse and I to shake. He then showed Jesse what he had written so far and I watched as the two of them worked out the words that Matthew wanted to express to Stacy. Once they had come up with something suitable Jesse took the guitar and played out a melody for Matthew. He sang the lyrics and I had to admit that if I had been the girl on the receiving end of those words my heart would have melted. Thanks were expressed profusely and the young man ran off yelling that Jesse Montgomery had helped him propose to his girl. Soon, Jesse and I were on our way back to the blanket.

“You know you totally made his year don’t you.”

He shrugged his shoulders and stared in the direction that Matthew had just gone. “Maybe I helped, but I’m guessing that a yes answer from Stacy will top anything I could have done. He is a special young man. I hope she knows that.”
 

We spent the rest of the afternoon lounging on the blanket and talking about the band. He said they'd had some local venues inquire about them playing a few intimate concerts over the next few weeks. I was excited that I was finally going to get to see him perform live again, even if it was a smaller setting.
 

We left the park a little after eight and stopped by the club to listen to Neil play. This guy was really good, and I enjoyed talking with him during a break when he joined us at our table. Turns out he and Jesse met while both struggling to make a name for themselves. We sat at the table holding hands and watching, the crowd loved him. After he finished performing one of his songs he started talking to the audience.

“Folks, tonight we have a rock legend in our audience.” I snapped my head up and tried to gage Jesse’s reaction. By the looks of it, he had been expecting this. “Ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together and help me welcome to the stage my buddy, the one and only, Jesse Montgomery.” The applause was nearly deafening. I beamed with pride as I watched Jesse make his way to the stage. He grabbed a guitar and sat on a stool next to Neil. I listened as they sang a soulful tune about life behind bars. My eyes were riveted to Jesse’s hands as they moved skillfully over the guitar strings. He was such a talented musician, and the crowd seemed to be as mesmerized as I was because the room was silent.

They played three more songs before taking a break and making their way over to where I was seated. Along the way Jesse was stopped and asked to sign napkins and any other random slip of paper that could be produced. He handled it all with such grace and ease. It was clear that he was in his element. When he was finally able to reach our table he was overly apologetic.

I fought to suppress the giggles as I watched him wrestle with his emotions. It was sort of cute to see him nervous about whether or not I was upset with him. I finally decided to put him out of his misery and placed a hand on his thigh, his eyes immediately went to where my hand had landed and when I looked down I saw that in my haste to end his suffering I had come within an inch of having to come up with my own apologies. I slid my hand down a bit and crinkled up my nose in embarrassment.
 

“Sorry about that, but you don’t have to apologize to me for doing something you love. If it weren’t for the fact that I get to go home with you every night I would have asked you for an autograph for my scrapbook.” I smiled shyly and gave him a wink.

Jesse raised his brow and turned to the table behind us to ask them something before turning back around and reaching for my hand. I extended it out to him and he slowly turned it over to expose the smooth flesh just below my wrist. He leaned in close and lifted a fine-tipped marker, pulling the cap off with his teeth, then signed his name on my skin. He sat back with a smug look on his face as I studied his signature. Something about the way he carried out that simple act, almost as if he had been branding me, brought on a surge of electricity all over my body. It was extremely sensual, not to mention personal, and it made me very hot. Our eyes connected, and without speaking a single word we had communicated everything we needed to hear.
 

Jesse politely informed Neil that we were going to head home. It had been a long day. We’d had a wonderful day of kissing and hand holding, of long heart to heart talks and laughter. All in all it had been a perfect day.
 

The short drive home was quiet, and as we got closer to town the silence turned to palpable heat.
 

“
Are you hungry.
”
He asked, as we passed our favorite Chinese takeout. I shook my head.
 

Once he pulled in the driveway he stopped the bike and lowered the kickstand. I turned his face to mine, kissing him hard on the lips. I gripped his waist firmly and slid my body around, coming to rest on his thighs. His hands moved past my waist and came to rest on my ass. He tilted his hips, pressing his arousal against my center. I moved my lips across his cheek and down the side of his neck, blowing lightly in between kisses, and making him moan in response.
 

"You know," he spoke softly in my ear. "I could very easily take you right here, on this bike, but I've waited too long to be inside you again, I want to do it right."

We made our way inside, him holding onto me with my legs wrapped tightly around his waist. Our kisses became urgent, and
he pulled back, breathing heavily, then looked into my eyes as if asking for permission to continue. I nodded eagerly, and he took my invitation and trailed a line of kisses from my earlobe to my collarbone. The sensation gave me goose bumps all the way to my toes.

“My room?” He growled.

“Yes, and hurry.” I pleaded.
 

He gently chastised me with a soft clicking of his tongue. “Sweetheart, we can’t rush this, we've already been there. I want this time to be slow. Making love is like learning to play guitar. You have to take your time.” He spoke softly, planting delicate kisses along my neck. “You can't rush the process.” More kisses. “Your fingers need to become familiar with the feel of each string as they move across it, and memorize it.” His teeth nibbled at my lips as he spoke. “Once you’ve mastered the fingering, only then will you begin to find your rhythm.” He moaned and dragged the tip of his tongue along my collarbone, making me shiver with anticipation. “After that, you're able strum the fuck out of it and play beautiful music.” He kissed me once more, firmly on the lips. “I want to play you,” h
e growled, picking me up and carrying me to his room, setting me down when we reached the foot of his bed.