Page 35 of Pirate

Jumper was laying on his belly towards the left side of the bed with Jasmine spooning him from behind. As Sophia got into the bed, Jazz turned on her pillow to face her. “Morning,” she whispered.

“Morning,” Sophia parroted back, just as low.

“What happened to you yesterday? I didn’t see you after we got back from the club run.”

Sophia made a face. “Things got a little…hectic, both at my mom’s and afterward.” More likeheated, but Sophia curbed her tongue on that one.

Jumper let out a sleepy groan.

Jasmine reached behind her to touch his hair. To Sophia, she asked, “What do you mean? Did your mom have a date for you for the wedding?”

“Yeah,” Sophia snorted. “And you’ll never guess who.”

“Oh, no. That bad?” Jasmine cringed. “Who?”

“Fletcher.”

Jazz’s blue eyes went wide. “No!”

Sophia nodded. “Yeah. Apparently, he’s back from ‘the war’,” she used her pointer and middle fingers to make air-quotes, “and thought your wedding would be a good opportunity for us to catch up.”

“No,” Jazz gasped out again.

At the same time, Jumper groaned louder and picked up his head. His loose hair fell messily around his face and over his eyes. He scowled at Sophia over Jasmine’s body. “Why the fuck are you in my bed?”

“Because my bestie’s in your bed,” Sophia answered as if it was the simplest explanation in the world. The brilliant partabout it was that it was a one hundred and ten percent honest answer, which was rare for her.

That did not seem to appease Jumper though. He growled low in his throat before throwing the covers off of himself. He was careful not to remove them from over Jasmine. Sophia was sure he did that to keep her from getting cold over modesty. Sophia and Jasmine had been besties since elementary school. They’d seen each other naked countless times.

Sophia tried to get a look, but Jasmine covered her eyes with a laugh. “Stop! His butt is for my eyes only!”

Sophia pouted. “No fair.”

It was another couple of seconds before Jasmine lowered her hand. Jumper was wearing a pair of black boxer shorts. He was still grumbling as he left the room. Something about unknowingly signing up for having two wives.

Jasmine smiled widely as she watched her fiancé’s ass as he walked into the hallway. When she turned back to Sophia, she tucked her arm under her head. “Tell me what happened.”

“So apparently Fletcher’s got a meeting today with Steel to inquire about prospecting with the club.”

Jazz’s jaw dropped as nearly her eyes bugged out of her head. “No!”

“Will you stop that?” Sophia mock scowled. “But trust me, I can’t see Steel letting him in, even if he was honorably discharged.”

“Why?”

“You remember Fletcher. Everything’s about show for him. He never even went overseas or fought on any battlefields. Now he’s got some fancy bike and getup like he’s some professional motorcycle stunt rider. Steel’s going to shake the man’s uncalloused hand and laugh in his face.”

Jasmine scrunched up her nose. “I kinda forgot that bit about him. Mainly I just remember him being a jerk to you ourjunior year and then you sending him to the ER to get his toe reattached.”

“And Carlos breaking his nose,” Sophia added as a reminder.

Surprise crossed Jazz’s face as her eyes widened. “Yes! Priceless!” Then her expression fell. “Wait, so your mom invited him to the wedding? I mean, I have the place setting available but I obviously hadn’t invited him. You’re welcome to have a plus-one, you know that, but do you really want it to beFletcher?”

Sophia snorted. “God no. I already told Mom that. She was not happy with me. You remember how she always doted on Fletcher? Well, it’s all the worse now that he’s a War Hero.”

She scoffed at having to apply the title to Fletcher on her mom’s behalf. The man didn’t know what it took tobea hero. To know what it was to sacrifice something. Neither did she, but she wasn’t going around claiming to be a heroine. No doubt, Fletcher was going around boasting about his time in the service to anyone nearby, whether they wanted to hear about it or not.

Fletcher did not know the meaning of sacrifice. Not like Pirate and Jumper did.

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