Page 29 of Break Away (Riot MC Next Generation #2)

He growled. “This is why you should be here. Need to kiss you, and I can’t.”

“I’m sorry. There’ll be plenty of time for that later.”

“You’re right. Gonna grab some grub. I love you.”

I loved hearing him say that. “I love you, too, Raff.”

Half an hour later, Jasmine strutted into Mom and Dad’s living room carrying a drawstring knapsack. “My brother explained a lot of things, but I still want the scoop. You can tell me while we go swimming.”

I shook my head. “I don’t have my swimsuit.”

She opened her knapsack. “Don’t give me that. You’ve worn one of your mom’s before, or you can wear one of mine.”

I had a decent figure and adequate curves. Jasmine’s figure was downright voluptuous and she had to have at least an extra cup size on me.

“Jazz, there’s no way I’ll fit into one of your swimsuits.”

She arched a brow. “It’s a string bikini, you can just tie it tighter.”

“I don’t think it works that way.”

She tossed two scraps of hot pink material onto the couch and shrugged. “Well, I don’t care if I see your side-boob or whatever. We’re swimming.”

“Do you have time for that?”

Her eyes widened. “I don’t have to report in until six. We got a good two hours we can spend in the water.”

“Friday traffic.”

She waved a hand at me. “Will you stop it and get a swimsuit on? Don’t make me push you in the pool with your clothes on. That’s your other option.”

“When did you get so pushy?” I asked, picking up the bikini.

“When I found out my brother woke the fuck up.”

“Jasmine,” I murmured.

A devious smile curled her lips, her brown eyes twinkling. “And that you woke the fuck up, too.”

I laughed. “Okay. Enough gloating, let’s go swimming.”

“You’re gonna wear my suit?”

I glanced over my shoulder at her. “Probably not, but I’m curious to see how it fits.”

As I expected, my girls were not up to the task of filling Jasmine’s bikini top. No matter how tight I tied it. Instead, I wore one of Mom’s old suits.

“Chicken,” Jasmine said when I came out of the bathroom.

I handed her a beach towel and led her out to the back patio. “Whatever. I’m sorry I didn’t call you this week. A lot’s been going on.”

She tossed her towel on a lounger. “That’s all right since now we’re gonna be sisters!”

Somehow, I hadn’t thought of that. It thrilled me and scared me. “Not for a while though.”

She shot me a saucy grin. “Soon enough, Lex.” She took off running and shouted, “Cannonball!”

I waited for her to come up to the surface before I dove in after her - just a normal dive, no cannonballs for me.

When I came up for air, Jasmine was hanging on the edge of the pool watching me.

“The only thing that sucks about this is that we can’t talk about our sex lives.”

I chuckled. “Like we did that anyway.”

Her hand landed squarely on her chest. “I did. You always held back.”

“I was a virgin,” I blurted.

Her eyes went wide and she dropped her hand into the water. “What? You’re joking.”

I shook my head. “No, I’m not. I don’t know how it never came up, but after a while I figured it was worth keeping to myself. Then, with Rafferty and what he said to me, I really couldn’t talk to you about it for obvious reasons.”

“Yeah,” she drawled, her lips stretching out into a grimace.

“Anyway… we should—”

“Was it worth it? The waiting?”

I shrugged. “That’s hard to say, don’t you think? I know being called a tease and all the other shit from my prior boyfriends wasn’t any fun. And I always felt like I should have given it up sooner.”

Jasmine nodded. “Yeah, but you’ve always done your own thing. I admire that about you.”

My head reared back and I shot her some side-eye. “You are the same way…Miss Coleslaw Wrestling Queen.”

She wheezed out a laugh. “That’s a great example. That isn’t me . That’s me following in my mom’s footsteps.”

I wagged a finger at her. “Nah. You’ve got a flair for it that comes naturally to you. I mean, you garnered a lot of attention your first time out - even when you didn’t win.”

She splashed water at me. “I couldn’t win that time… I lied on my application about being eighteen, and that lady I wrestled probably knew it. Killed me to let her pin me. And that attention wasn’t exactly the good kind, you know.”

I flicked water back at her. “I do know, but you still went back again. That’s doing your own thing, no matter what you say.”

She leaned into the water to float on her back. “You’re right. I just wish I knew what I wanted to do. Waiting tables is all right, but that’s not a career.”

“I can’t help you with that.”

“You always knew you wanted to be a dentist?”

I stared out across the backyard toward the dock.

One of my earliest memories was going to the dentist and how much I’d loved it.

I shifted my gaze to Jasmine. “Yeah. From like first grade or so, every time I had to go to the dentist, I knew I wanted to work there. Not at Mom or Dad’s dentist, but my dentist, and help other kids not get cavities. ”

“Who did you know who had cavities? It wasn’t like me, Raff, or Simone had cavities.”

“There was a girl in my school who talked about it in second grade. Plus, the hygienist and dentist both emphasized how important brushing and flossing was… so I don’t know. That stuck with me.”

Jasmine shifted to an upright position. “Guess I’m not that ambitious.”

I shoved my hand through the surface of the water, sending a plume of water at her. “Don’t be like that. It’ll all work out for you, honey.”

“Alexandra! You’re gonna pay for that.”

“As if! I’m going inside or you’re gonna be late.”

Rush-hour traffic wasn’t that bad for a Friday evening, and Jasmine decided to follow me into the clubhouse to shoot the shit with some of the brothers.

Rage and Yak were shooting pool to my left. Beast, Liar, and Vamp were sitting at the bar having a drink. I turned to the right and caught sight of Rafferty, or rather his back.

A set of female hands were linked behind his neck and a slim blonde woman stood in front of him.

Jasmine leaned so close to me her bicep touched mine. “That’s Bianca, she’s Laura’s daughter.”

I’d heard bits and pieces of stories about Laura, one of the few club bunnies who hung around longer than the others.

Rafferty’s hands hung by his side, then Bianca lowered her hands to grab his and put them on her waist.

“You aren’t going to stop this bitch?” Jasmine asked.

“Not yet,” I whispered.

“Maybe I should go over there.”

“Don’t you dare,” I said.

Suddenly Bianca pushed up against Rafferty and managed to turn him around so she could push him onto one of the nearby couches. He’d pulled his hands from her hips, but had a surprised expression when he found himself seated.

His eyes darted past her and locked with mine. A remorseful expression stole over his face. He started to shake his head, but I waved a finger at him.

I didn’t think I was the jealous type. Not only was that no longer true, but also I intended to teach this girl a lesson.

Her blonde hair was in a high ponytail, and she wore a crop top with skin-tight denim shorts. She settled herself on his lap, oblivious to anyone else in the room. Just as she lowered her face to kiss his jaw, I wandered up behind her.

“Don’t do this,” Rafferty said.

I didn’t know if he was talking to me or Bianca.

She still hadn’t sensed my presence. “Why not?” she said against his jaw.

I fisted her ponytail and yanked her head back.

She gasped and her eyes were wide as saucers.

Once she focused on me, I spoke. “Why not? Because he’s taken. Now, get off my man.”

I let go of her hair, but kept my angry gaze on her.

She stood and sneered at me. “There’s no need to be such a bitch. You could have just told me.”

Rafferty knifed off the couch and towered over her. “Apologize. Now.”

Bianca’s lip curled. “What? She needs to apologize to me. That hurt.”

Rafferty leaned forward. “She isn’t a bitch. Now apologize.”

Defiance lit her expression. “No. You can’t do anything to me if I don’t. You’re just a prospect.”

The air around us felt electric with Raff’s anger. “She’s the daughter of a club officer, and you think you can disrespect her? Fuck, no. I may be a prospect, but I’ll be sure the officers get the memo, and you’ll be barred from the clubhouse.”

“Permanently,” a gruff voice said.

I turned to see Rage standing behind us, his arms crossed, feet shoulder-width apart, and nearly as much anger on his face as Rafferty’s.

Oh, dear.

I swung my gaze back to Bianca, but she was staring at Rage.

“What are you waiting for? The prospect told you what to do,” Rage said.

Slowly, she faced me. “Sorry.”

“Tell her what you’re sorry for,” Rage said.

Her eyes darted toward Rage, then Rafferty, then to me. “Sorry for calling you a bitch.”

“And…” Rage prompted.

I turned to him, a little confused. This seemed like overkill… though the lesson would surely sink in for her.

Bianca gave a short head-shake. “I’m sorry I hit on him. He’s a whole meal, and I thought he was down to fuck.”

She barely kept eye contact with me, and immediately turned back to Rage.

He sighed, and gave the barest of chin lifts to indicate she was done.

“Get a clue! They’re the definition of OTP,” Jasmine said.

“These damned acronyms! What does OTP mean, again?” Yak asked.

Jasmine shot Yak a grin. “One true pair, or pairing.”

Bianca slunk out of the room and after a minute, I heard the back door close.

Rafferty faced me, and I pressed my lips together trying to get a read on his silence.

I twisted my hands up. “I’d say I’m sorry for causing a scene, but I’m learning that I might be a wee-bit jealous.”

He roared with laughter while wrapping an arm around my shoulders to pull me to his solid bulk. I wrapped my arms around his waist and looked up at him.

After a moment he tipped his chin down to catch my gaze. “That is not a problem, Lex.”

“You said, ‘Don’t do this.’”

He smiled. “Yeah. I said that to her . I know better than to tell you not to do something. It only ensures you’ll do it any damned way.”

I widened my eyes, but I couldn’t argue with him.

“Okay, you two. Don’t make out in front of me. I can’t go to work feeling nauseous,” Jasmine said, sidling up to us.

Rafferty shifted so that we stood side by side in front of her. “Speaking of work, shouldn’t you be leaving?”

“Ha-ha. I can manage my schedule.”

Rafferty frowned. “But you can’t manage the traffic lights, and you don’t need to lose another job.”

Jasmine’s brown eyes narrowed. “Way to spill my tea.”

I reached out and gave her hand a squeeze. “I don’t judge.”

Jasmine looked at me. “Yeah.” She tipped her head at Rafferty. “Unlike him. Thanks for swimming with me this afternoon. Call me Sunday. I don’t have to work.”

“She’s busy,” Raffery said.

Jasmine shot him a look. “You’re being so extra. You can’t take up all of her time.”

Rafferty arched his brows. “That sounds like a challenge.”

“I’ll call you, Jazz,” I said before they continued bickering.