Page 11 of Dead Man's Wish
“I mean, I could always be your—” I cut her sultry flirtation off with a spin of her shoulders and ushered her to the office door. The hard-on in my pants called me a traitor, but we didn’t have the luxury of time for me to get lost in her today.
“You vixen, go pamper yourself and stop trying to ruin my virtue.” She spun on me and looked up like I had seven heads.
“Yourvirtue?” She flicked her eyes to my cock and back up, silently asking the question again.
“I was a well-behaved, innocent virgin before your corruption,” I said, leaning on the doorframe and dwarfing her under me.
“Virgin my fucking ass.”
“I can fix that for you.” I couldn’t contain the shit-eating grin as her eyes rolled back. She huffed a breath and went for the stairs. “Wait,” I whispered. “Kiss.” She darted back on her tiptoes and pressed a sweet kiss to my lips. “Missed you,” I said, kissing her back.
Bexley Wells
“Babe.”Jaiden’s deep voice pulled me out of my trance.
We’d been in the car for almost two hours now and I could feel the dread creeping in. It was best for us to leave Old Oaks, but we wanted to stay close by given the acquaintances we’d made over the years. The solution we discovered was just outside the city. My father insisted we move there, adamant that we would fall in love with the busy lifestyle. After almost losing my life—my world—I wanted everything to slow down so I could bask in it. It was a compromise between my parents’ wishes and a lifestyle that afforded a deep breath when we needed it.
“Yes?” I put a smile on and looked over at him. He did a quick glance and turned his attention back onto the road.
“You doing okay?” He squeezed my thigh and the warmth of his hand seeped through my jeans. I looked out the window in time to see the city limits sign for Old Oaks. A wave of nausea rolled through my core. The sky seemed duller, and sparse raindrops dotted our windshield. Jaiden moved his hand over mine and I realized I’d balled it tight.
“I’m fine,” I said, forcing my hands flat against me.
“You know, I’m not the one trained to read facial expressions, but you’re screaming in silence and look like you’re about to jump out of this car.” He laced his fingers into mine and squeezed hard. The pressure caught my focus, and I pushed the presence of Old Oaks away.
“Monarch is close by.”
“It is,” he confirmed.
“With healing comes scars and that means scar tissue. I might be healed, loose use of the word, but that wound can still be agitated. Being so close—” I felt flustered for letting a dead asshole get to me over and over. “Being close feels like inflammation. It’s not a mortal blow, I’m safe and fine, but fuck, it is so irritating.” I took a deep breath and looked across the space between us. “We cross that line and pass through a veil that just drains your energy.”
“I promise we won’t be here long. It’s Diane and Noah with a casual exchange that isn’t demanding importance for the next few days. I’m driving us back tonight, and when we come back, if we need to, it’ll be in broad daylight. I built you a home office for a reason,” he said, looking over and shooting me a sly grin.
He looked so handsome, it was hardly fair. Grown up Jaiden kept his hair a little shorter on the back and sides but afforded it a similar loose and wild mess of curls. His jewelry wasn’t as flashy when we were working with clients, but he kept the chain on from our trip and I resisted the urge to jiggle it. A small tattoo for my constellation inked the area behind his ear.
The usual color choice remained, and tonight it was a black, fitted mock neck sweater with matching jeans. Shrouded in dark attire, his jade green eyes appeared brighter. His gaze moved from the road to me.
“You’re staring,” he mused.
“You like it,” I teased. “You’re so pretty, it hurts. I heard you though. Our time will be brief and infrequent.” I relaxed against the seat when he turned into their neighborhood. Diane was a warm hug personified and I’d missed that.
He pulled up the drive and set the car in park, observing me quietly before taking my hand and pulling me across the middle console.
“No lipstick tonight,” he murmured, stroking my cheek and leaning in. “I don’t have to be careful.” I felt a smile as his lips pressed against mine. It was innocent enough, but the way he pulled me in deeper spurred a warmth in my chest. His tongue slid over mine and swallowed the light moan that escaped. He tasted like a mixture of mint and whatever sweet flavor he chose to vape that day.
“Jai,” I whispered when he broke the kiss.
“Mm, we’re abandoning dinner plans if you keep saying my name like that.” His nose brushed the length of mine. “Let’s get inside before Bishop gets too curious for his own good,” he said, laughing it off.
He pulled away, and I unfastened my seatbelt as he moved around the car to open my door. With his large hand laced around mine, we walked up together. Their house was nice and modest in comparison to their neighbors and the general feel for their area. It appeared as a simple one-story design, but it was split-level and the second floor was hidden below. The brick work was a mixture of reds and browns, and nothing decorated the lawn or garden beds.
We managed one step before the door opened wide.
“Bexley!” Diane called. With her arms open wide, she greeted me with an enormous hug when I made it to the porch.
“Diane, I missed you.” She released me and turned to Jaiden. Kissing her cheek, he got wrapped in the same embrace.
“How are you?” he asked as she motioned us to come inside.
