The Lover's Surrender (No Exceptions) (8 page)

He looked
at me for a long time, his green eyes shadowed by his thick black eyelashes
reflecting an array of emotions.

Eventually,
his naughty self won. I could see it before he asked, “Are you saying you still
want to play?”

I nodded.
“Yes, I want to play with you and get played. And everything in between.”

“Oh, yeah?”
A big smile broke through the dark expression on his face, exposing his perfect
teeth and lips so kissable I wanted to taste them right there and then.

“But, Jett,
don’t you think betting on a child’s gender is taking it too far?” I asked.

“Not
necessarily. It’s a story you won’t forget easily, seeing that you’ll lose, as
usual.”

“I don’t
lose, Jett.”

“Sure,
woman. Whatever you want to believe is fine by me now. I’ll change your mind
later, behind closed doors.” For a moment, his tone carried that hint of a
Southern accent he so desperately tried to get rid of. The Southern accent I
had fallen in love with and that always managed to make me tingle down below.
With a sexy, devilish glint in his eyes, he held out his hand. “If you win, you
can call the shots for one day. Noticed the ‘if’?”

Of course I
did. He always managed to emphasize it so I wouldn’t miss it.

I stared at
him, ignoring the pang of heat spreading through my body. Our faces were inches
apart now, and the tolerable warmth in my stomach turned into a raging flame
between my legs. He looked so sexy, I was ready to do way more than only kiss
him.

“And what
do you want if you win?” I asked, raising my brows.

“You. One
night with me. I guess you’re used to that demand by now.” His ego was having
its big entrance again. I smirked. “But this time, there’s more. I want to name
our child Treasure.”

“Treasure?”
I stared at him. He had said it before, but the first time he had mentioned it
hadn’t sounded so—

Final.

Treasure
Mayfield.

Treasure
Stewart.

Treasure
Stewart Mayfield.

The name
sounded perfect. I realized that even if Jett would never want to marry me to
turn
us
into the perfect
relationship, at least our child would have a perfect name.

“What if
it’s a boy?” I asked.

“Well, do
you want to have a boy?” he counter-asked.

“It doesn’t
matter. I would love them both equally, obviously,” I replied. “I’m just
saying, what if it’s a boy, Jett? What would you name
him
?”

“I’ve never
thought of that because the possibility never even crossed my mind. To be
honest, while I would love both, I’m confident that our first child will be a
girl.”

My heart
fluttered at the way he said first.

First—as
if there would never be an only one. There would be more. A few more.

“Why?” I
croaked.

He
shrugged, and his lips curled up, revealing two perfect strings of sparkling
teeth. “I just know, and I hope she’ll inherit your stunning lips, because I’m
a sucker for those. Like big time.” He smiled as his thumb traced the contours
of my lips. “And your eyes. Big, brown eyes. Don’t get me started on how much I
love those.”

“That’s so
shallow.” I shook my head, laughing. “If it’s a girl, I hope she has your green
eyes, not mine, because they’re beautiful.”

“And you
call me shallow? Just saying.” He laughed a deep and rich, infectious sound,
and for a moment, I was reminded why I loved him so much.

Loved his
voice.

Loved his
body.

Loved
everything about him.

My gaze
brushed over his lips, engrossed by the way they moved, rendering me unable to
hear a word he was saying. All I could think of was what I wanted to do to him
in bed.

“Brooke,
are you listening to me?” Jett asked, pulling me out of my reverie.

“Huh?” I
blinked. “Yes, obviously.”

“No, you
weren’t.”

“I was.” I
nodded eagerly. His grin turned knowing. “Okay, I wasn’t. What were you
saying?”

A knock
rapped at the door, disrupting our conversation, and I made a mental note to
resume the conversation later.

“Am I
interrupting?” Sam asked from the doorway, his head barely peeking in, as if
Jett and I might be busy undressing or having sex. When Jett motioned him in,
Sam entered and closed the door behind him. “So, have you guys decided?”

“We want to
know, but before you tell us the gender, do you mind answering one very
important question?” Jett paused for effect.

Sam nodded.
“Sure. Why not?”

Jett
shifted until his knees touched mine. “What about sexual activity? And I’m
talking about the whole menu. Is there some kind of rule? Restrictions?”

My head
snapped in Jett’s direction, and my mouth dropped open.

Holy cow.

Talk about
being direct.

“Jett!” I
slapped his arm playfully. “You can’t ask him about
that
.”

“You should
encounter no problems in that regard,” Sam replied. “Sexual activity is
actually very healthy, so I strongly recommend it.”

Of course
he did. He was a guy after all.

“So, the
more the better, right?” Jett nudged my shoulder, insinuation dripping from his
tone.

Earth, please, swallow me whole.

A warm
blush crept up my cheeks as I stared at Sam, ignoring the sudden urge to walk
out. I stifled the urge. As usual, my treacherous body responded. Feeling Jett
next to me, and thinking of our bet, made my heart race, and something warm and
fuzzy spilled and traveled through my abdomen.

“At least
every day.” Sam’s lips twitched. “Any other questions?”

Neither of
us spoke.

“I’ll take
it that’s a ‘no,’” Sam said as he turned to us. “Your little one’s a girl.”

I stared at
him, then at Jett, hope breaking wide open inside me.

“It’s a
girl,” I whispered, my throat choking up.

Sam nodded.

Under Sam’s
curious and somewhat strange glance, Jett leaned forward, his warm breath
tickling my ear. “I can’t wait to claim my prize, baby. You better make it
good. After days of not having sex, not counting my morning quickie, I want to
devour you whole, at least twice.”

As soon as
Sam had communicated the results, he cast one more of his strange glances at
Jett and me before closing the door behind him and leaving us alone in the
room. My cheeks glowed and my heart raced with joy as I turned to Jett, taking
in his soft features. He leaned against the wall in a casual stance, his hands
buried in his pockets, as he smiled at me, our initial playfulness replaced by
seriousness…and astonishment.

Neither of
us dared to break the silence, that special moment of ours that belonged to
just us.

The moment
of beginnings I never thought I’d get to see ever again.

Maybe all
the bad things that had happened in our relationship had brought us closer
together. They sure had made me appreciate what we had more. Even though the
good news was unexpected, more surprising was the fact that Jett wanted to have
more than one child with me.

Maybe he even wanted a family and we’d live
together.

“So…” I
started, unsure but barely able to contain my smile.

“So…” he
replied.

“So…” I
repeated as I watched him inch closer.

He stopped
in front of me, grinning. “So…”

I let out a
laugh. “Stop it. If you say ‘so’ one more time I’ll—”

He leaned
forward and kissed me on my mouth, cutting off my words. His tongue was warm,
welcoming, sending a whiplash of new feelings through me. Something deep inside
me roused, and a shudder spread through my body.

I wrapped
my arms around him and let him suck my lower lip deeper into his mouth, my
heart racing while my knees turned all mushy.

When he
pulled back, I almost wanted to hold him, never let him go.

If only I
weren’t so stunned about the news.

“This is
amazing. We’re going to have a girl in as little as four months,” I whispered.

Even
speaking it out aloud felt special.

Having
Jett’s baby was no longer just a speck of hope. Or just a wish.

We knew for
certain now.

A simple
truth: Jett and I were going to have a girl.

“The best
news in days,” he agreed. His voice was soft, full of trepidation as he pulled
me up from the chair. “Come on. Get dressed. I’m taking you out.”

“Where?” I
asked, raising my eyebrows.

“Somewhere
special. We need to celebrate, of course. We deserve a real treat. Just the two
of us. With no one else around.”

“I hope
we’re not going back to the Trio hotel.” The words were out before I could stop
them. Gazing up at him, I felt my cheeks blushing. “I mean, it’s great. It’s
just—”

“It was a
mistake, Brooke.” He looked at me, his handsome face ridden with guilt. “I
would never take you there again. Trust me, I learned that lesson the hard
way.”

His words
lingered in the air. I let out the breath I was holding.

“Thank
you,” I whispered.

“For what?”

I shrugged.
“For everything.”

“Don’t
thank me, Brooke. If a guy kissed you like Tiffany did me, trust me, I would
have punched the hell out of him.” He leaned over, his arm brushing me as he
pinned me against the wall. “I’m far more jealous than you are, sweetheart. I
won’t let anyone touch you. Ever. And if someone actually tried that, I can’t
guarantee that I wouldn’t do things I might come to regret later.”

I had no
idea what to say. My thoughts scattered, and I swallowed the lump in my throat.

“I’m
against any form of violence, you know that,” I whispered.

“Me too,
but sometimes you have to solve problems fists on.”

He
retrieved his phone from his pocket, then pointed to the ‘NO PHONES. Please
take your calls outside’ sign on the wall. “I need to make a reservation for
us. They’re serving coffee and smoothies outside. Can I bring you something on
my way back?”

“Coffee
would be great. Thanks,” I said, squeezing into my jeans.

“All
right.” Jett closed the curtains to give me privacy. “I’ll be right back.”

Something
in his voice made me look up. Or maybe it was the fact that he didn’t kiss me
on his way out, which he never missed, even if it was just a five-minute trip.
But I didn’t press the issue. I finished dressing and grabbed my shoulder bag
from a nearby chair to make my way out to the private hospital restroom to
apply some lipstick and retouch my makeup. But then I stopped. My hand hovered
over the handle as I tuned in to Jett’s familiar voice carrying over from
outside the door.

“You’re
sure this isn’t a mistake?” Jett asked.

I stared at
the door.

Hundreds of
thoughts raced through my mind, and once more I was reminded of the strange
look Sam had shot Jett before he left. It dawned on me that his look hadn’t
been meaningless. It was a clue he wanted to speak with him alone. As was
Jett’s excuse to make a reservation. Maybe not an excuse, but he sure had
wanted to leave the room.

I pressed
my ear against the door as unease washed over me.

Were they
talking about me?

I had to
know, so I held my breath and listened.

“I did the
blood test twice to check Brooke’s story,” a male voice said. Even though the
words were slightly muffled, I recognized Sam’s grave tone. “I can confirm that
there were traces of drugs found in her system.”

A light
pause before Jett’s voice cut through the silence. “Drugs? I thought there was
just one substance.”

Someone,
probably Sam, cleared his throat. Then the answer came, “No, we found traces of
two.”

I stared at
the door, suddenly faint. My heart felt as though it might jump out of my chest
and hide from me. Someone cursed—I assumed Jett—his voice
incoherent.

More out of
need than want, my hand grabbed the handle, and as quietly as I could, I opened
the door and peeked out. Jett was standing with Sam at the end of the private
hall, a few feet away from me.

Both their
backs were turned to me, their body postures rigid, betraying their worry.
Engrossed in their conversation as they were, they didn’t notice me, and I
couldn’t blame them. I was as shocked as Jett to hear about the test results.

“Which
drugs were found?” Jett asked, his voice clear now that the door was open.

“One is
known as a date rape substance,” Sam said. “The other was the same high-quality
drug Brooke was injected with during her abduction. But in a lower quantity.
Whoever tried to drug her wanted to make sure she was unable to defend herself
and had no recollection.”

My heart
skipped a beat. I bit my lip hard until I drew blood.

“They used
the same drug?” Jett asked hesitantly.

“I think
so, yes.” Sam’s voice carried over in his usual calm and measured tone, as if
he was used to giving people bad news. “I’m sorry. I would even go so far as to
say it’s identical—the same manufacturer. Again, I can only say she’s
lucky she didn’t drink much of it. The combination of alcohol with twice the
amount of the drug previously given to her could have killed her this time. She’s
lucky you were with her. From what you told me, if Brooke had drunk the rest,
she might not be where she is now.”

“Fuck.”
Jett raked a hand through his hair, his shoulders slumped, angry. His hand
punched the wall before he let out another set of swear words. I flinched. Sam
looked at him, unimpressed.

“How come
Brooke’s drink was spiked?” Sam asked after a small pause.

“She went
out.”

“Where?”

“To some
place called the Hush Hush club. It’s a night club.”

“She was at
the Hush Hush?” Sam sounded surprised. “Are you serious, man? When did that
happen?”

“Recently,”
Jett said. “Why are you asking?”

“There was
an incident there.”

My breath
stalled. Coldness crept into my bones as I gripped the door harder.

“What
incident?” Jett asked, repeating the burning question in my head.

Yes, what
incident?

“Haven’t
you read today’s news?”

“No.” There
was a pause. “Should I have?”

“You tell
me.” Sam’s voice dropped to a whisper, low enough for me to have to strain my
ears to make out the words. Holding my breath, I stared at them. I could tell
from his body language that it had to be important before he even opened his
mouth.

 
“A dead girl was found there,” Sam said.
“It’s good that Brooke wasn’t around when it happened.”

My body
turned cold, and a shiver ran down my spine.

What girl?

I wished I
could walk over and question Sam myself.

“Are you
saying a girl was found dead last night?” Jett repeated, the incredulousness
replaced with weariness.

“Yes.”

“Did she
happen to have red hair, and was her name Gina?”

“Not sure
about the hair color, but the name’s correct.” The answer came slower than
expected. Sam sent Jett a long look. “So you’ve heard the news?”

“No.”

“If you
didn’t read or hear the news, how do you know about it?”

Jett took
his time with his reply. Eventually, he said, “It’s a long story.”

“One I
should know of?”

“It
depends.” Jett sighed. I watched him take a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“Did the girl die behind the night club?”

I held my
breath as I watched Sam, who seemed to study Jett for a moment.

My heart
pounded hard as I waited for his reaction, confirmation or denial.

Anything.

My chest
started to hurt from all the pressure, but worst of all, my mind was spinning
from all the new facts.

Finally,
Sam exhaled sharply and shook his head. “No, her body was dumped near the
club,” he said. “By the time the police arrived, she was long dead.”

“How do you
know?” Jett asked.

“A friend
of mine is the medical examiner who’s performing the autopsy on her. He’s
always short staffed, so he called to ask for help. We talked about an hour
ago,” Sam explained. He clasped his hands behind his back, his thumbs fiddling.
It was the only sign that Sam was nervous.

“What else
did he say?” Jett demanded.

“Not much.
Only that it’d been a long time since he’d seen a case as bad as hers. She
suffered for a few hours before she died.”

“Suffered
how?”

“Multiple
stab wounds.”

“Raped?”

“Yes, that
too,” Sam said. “What I’m telling you is unofficial and confidential
information because the autopsy’s just begun.” Sam waited until Jett nodded his
consent before continuing, “According to the news, she was last seen leaving
the club with a man Monday at two a.m. My friend put the time of death as three
p.m. Her body was dumped out of a car roughly twelve hours later, twenty-four
hours after her disappearance.”

My heart
skipped a beat.

Oh, my god.

I had met
the detective at seven p.m. He interrogated me and showed me pictures of Gina
while she had been lying dead somewhere—still undiscovered.

I clenched
my hands into fists as cold shudders rocketed through me.

God only
knew what horrible things Gina had suffered in those twenty-four hours.

“Wait a
sec,” Jett said, mirroring my own thoughts. “Are you saying the girl was
abducted, tortured at some place, and was already dead for several hours before
her body was dumped at the club?”

Sam nodded.
“Yes.”

“What the
fuck?” Jett’s shoulders slumped, and he raked his fingers through his already
disheveled hair.

“What’s
going on?” Sam asked.

“You
wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“Try me,”
Sam said calmly. “Does it involve Brooke?”