Page 46 of Ignite

He loved that they had the same core values, work ethics, and common interests. Her generous nature matched his needs, and his did the same for her. Sex with Jazz was over-the-top good. It was the most genuine intimacy he’d ever experienced. When she gave herself to him, it was all of her. Nothing held back. He’d exposed the deepest parts of himself to her, and she accepted it without question. It made him love her even more.

Love. Yes, it was time he admitted it. He loved her. This beautiful, quirky, smart, talented woman had become the most important person in his life.

He leaned down and took her mouth softly. She molded her lips to his, opening up to his questing tongue and letting him in. He tasted sweet cherry from the hard candies she kept on her desk.

Yes, he loved Jasmine Hickling. Every last part of her.

He whispered against her lips. “I need to be inside you, babe. Right now. Can you take me?”

“Always,” she whispered back.

They left a trail of clothes on the way to the bedroom. She lay back on the mattress, and he entered her immediately, plunging deep into her wetness. His movements started slow, then became more frantic, as if he needed to feel all of her at once. He came apart in her arms, filling her with himself until he couldn’t tell where he ended and she began.

* * *

They lay in the bed,Wolf on his back and Jazz curled into his side and over him. His fingers stroked up and down her side, massaging and lightly squeezing her supple skin. Freya was sleeping in her basket near the open window. Cool breezes from the river wafted through the room, bringing freshness along with the city lights. Somewhere, a barge’s horn sounded as it made its way across the water. All was well—at least at that moment.

“What happened at your meeting?” Jazz asked as she nuzzled into Wolf’s side. “Are you allowed to tell me, or is it a big biker secret?”

“We used to have rules, but no one pays attention to them. That’s the big problem with the club now. Too many workers and no leaders. That has to change.” Her head rose and lowered as he took a big breath and let out a huge sigh. “Quillon and I have talked a lot about it, and someone needs to step up. The only ones that make sense are either him or me.”

Her hand came to his abdomen, and she ran her finger over the feathers of his tattoo. “Do you want to be the president?”

“Honestly, no, but I might not have a choice. The Slaggers need to be taken down before someone else gets hurt or worse. When I think of what could have happened to you or Hugo? Fuck me, I want to kill someone.”

She paused in her tracings. “Wouldn’t that get the club into trouble?”

“Potentially, but I can’t see a way out of it. The Slaggers were allowed to run rampant for so long that they’re out of control. It’s gonna take some serious firepower to knock them down.” He jammed a hand over his face. “They have us outmanned and outgunned, even with the new people our ally sent us. Scrap has his head buried so deep he won’t deal with it.” He let out a heavy breath. “If we don’t do anything, more people like Bill and Madge are going to suffer. If we step in, the club will face bloodshed and probably have to fight the police too. Denny has been a friend of ours for a long time, but he’d have no choice but to arrest one or more of us if we go to war and bullets start flying.” He stared at the ceiling and huffed a short laugh. “Christ on a cracker, it doesn’t matter how we handle this, it’s lose-lose.”

Jazz’s fingers pulled at his nipple piercing as she listened to him. When he’d finished, she was quiet for a few moments, then said, “Just a suggestion, but there are other ways to deal with this besides guns and bullets.”

He ran his fingers over her hair, gently lifting and smoothing the colored strands. “I’m all ears, babe.”

She cleared her throat. “No matter what, everyone has to have an income and a way to get to it. If they’re into extortion and other illegal shit, they have to have a place to clean their money. It shouldn’t be hard to find it and mess it up.”

He shook his head, unwilling to even consider it. “I’m not putting you in the line of fire, babe.”

“They would never know it was me. I can get in and out without them finding me. Without their finances, they’d be crippled. I can leave an obvious breadcrumb trail for the cyber police to find. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.”

“I don’t want you involved in this. It’s too dangerous. These people are not joking.”

“I’m not either.”

He shifted to place her on her back while he hovered over her. “I will not risk losing you, Jazz. Stay out of it.”

She stared up at him, and the tears forming in her eyes nearly undid him. “They already hurt my family. Bill and Madge. Hugo. Please don’t ask me to sit back and watch them hurt you, too, when I have the ability and power to do something about it.”

Wolf heard the earnestness in her voice. He could argue his fear more, but he recognized her need to help protect her people, and that included him. “I need to wrap my head around this idea and talk to Quillon and the boys. Can you hold off for a bit?”

“Yes, I can hold off for a bit.”

He leaned down and kissed her. “I love you.” The simple words weren’t enough to describe what he had in his heart and mind, but they were all he had. “I love you so fucking much, Jazz. I’d go crazy if something happened to you.”

“Okay,” she responded, her voice a bit quavery.

He squeezed her. “You gonna say it back?”

“I love you too?”

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