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Tawni was the first girl I ever truly loved. I’d said those three words to quite a few, but with her, I actually meant it and wasn’t just chasing tail. She was the one. She fucking gave me her virginity. I intended to marry her, and if that asshole Sid hadn’t come along and ruined everything, I’d be living a life far different than the one I did now.
Her electric blue eyes barely noticed who I was, passing over me without recognition, and that wasn’t a surprise. I looked nothing like the guy I did when we dated. I was twenty years old, unable to grow a decent beard, a hell of a lot skinnier, and my voice probably sounded gruffer now from the harsh life I lived.
She hadn’t changed much. Same sparkling eyes, blonde hair, and stubborn personality. Her figure had filled out nicely over the years, and those curves would mold into my body perfectly if I got the chance to get close. Same feisty, bold, unapologetic demeanor. Her smile wasn’t as bright as it used to be, but that probably had a lot to do with her visit.
I was still as attracted to her as I was that Halloween, nearly seventeen years earlier.
My heart hammered as I sucked in a breath, suddenly thrust down that lonely dirt road I swore never to travel again . . .
“THE STARS LOOK PRETTYout here tonight, don’t they?” Tawni whispered as I slid my fingers through hers, marveling at the softness of her skin. I’d never met any girl with a body that silky and smooth. From the first moment I grazed her skin with my fingertips, I became addicted to the lustrous shine and coconut-scented lotion she used.
The fluttering of my heart hadn’t eased since the moment I climaxed and brought her close into my chest afterward. She was everything to me—my entire fucking world.
In six weeks, I’d have enough cash to buy that ring I spotted at the jeweler. All the hard work and late nights, the extra shifts at the construction sites. The sacrifice was worth it.
I’d saved any extra money I made for nearly three months. Nothing was gonna stop me from asking Tawni to be my wife once I paid for those diamonds.
“Not as beautiful as you,” I murmured, sliding my hand along the curvature of her spine, brushing against her back with a mixture of possession and affection. My fingers had a mind of their own, mapping out each tiny crevice or divot as if they longed to memorize every single inch from her luscious ass to her delicate neck.
“You’re always complimenting me,” she teased, inhaling as I dipped slightly inward at her waist, tickling the sensitive skin.
“Because you make me happy,” I admitted, swallowing hard. The confession slipped from my tongue as easily as a knife slid through warm butter. There was a time when I didn’t think I would ever find someone who loved and accepted me just as I was, unconditionally, and without any hidden agenda. “You’re my heart, Tawni.” Swallowing hard, I cupped her cheek, spilling my feelings as I’d never done before tonight. “I love you.”
Her blue eyes blinked back sudden tears as a soft smile teased the corners of her mouth. She lifted her head and pressed a kiss to my lips. “I love you, Jasper. Probably since the moment we met,” she added with a blush. “Ever since you took me to that ridiculous taco truck on our first date.”
Laughter shook my chest with the memory. “I couldn’t think of a damn thing to say that night. I watched you eating those tacos, and I knew I wanted to see you again, not just once, but a hell of a lot more. Before I knew it, you owned my ass and captured my heart.”
“Jasper,” she breathed out, biting her lip. “What are you saying?”
My hand slid over the contour of her belly and down between her legs, skimming her damp core as excitement stiffened my dick. “You’re so wet for me, baby.”
“You didn’t answer,” she moaned, opening her legs wider.
I slid a finger inside her as my thumb teased her clit, pressing down lightly and slowly increasing her arousal again. We’d already had sex once, but it wasn’t going to be enough, not after she gave me her virginity tonight. And it wasn’t just that sweet spot between her thighs. She’d given me her heart and fuck if I didn’t want to cradle that organ in both of my hands just to protect it.
Rolling us over, I settled in the crevice of her sexy, soft thighs. “Can you take me again? Or are you too sore?”
“I can,” she answered with a blush.
Palming my fully erect dick, I pumped a couple of times and then slid inside her sweet cavern, groaning from the tight, wet heat that surrounded my cock. Gliding in and out a few times, I captured her mouth, sliding my tongue between the seam of her lips, caressing her tongue with my own.
It took all of the will that I possessed to take my time and build up her orgasm, not taking her savagely as I wanted to do at that moment. Heat flared between us as the air nearly crackled with energy. With a single hard thrust, I buried all the way to my balls and then stilled, brushing my knuckles across her cheek.
“I’m saying forever, Tawni. I want forever with you.”
My gaze locked onto hers as she smiled, her fingers smoothing the skin over my shoulders and then rising up my neck to settle on my face where they trembled as she lightly stroked my jaw.
“Forever, Jasper. That’s all I want. Me and you.”
“Me and you,” I repeated, sliding out of her warmth briefly and then ramming back inside, pumping my hips as she grasped my arms, her eyes glazing over as the pleasure began to build . . .
I FUCKED HER, AND Imade love to her, and I gave her a piece of me that no one else before or since had ever received. There was something special about Tawni. I knew it then, and as I stared into those familiar blue eyes, I knew without a doubt that nothing had changed. My heart still sensed our connection. My body still reacted with her proximity. Instantly hard, I remembered the way she felt when I was inside her and how soft her lips pressed against mine when we kissed.
Tawni Baker owned a portion of my wretched soul, and that was dangerous.
I was no longer the same man she met as a teenager. My life wasn’t my own. I bargained with the devil, and my ass belonged to Lucifer Morningstar. I was a Royal Bastard, and the man she loved was dead and buried. Gone forever.
I might have risen from the grave, but when I did, the naïve young man I’d once been was replaced with a ruthless monster.
My fists clenched, and I knew there wasn’t a damn thing about my life that had room for Tawni Baker in it. Even if she was alive.
And I was fucking wrecked by that revelation.
My mind fought against the truth I didn’t want to believe. I couldn’t return to the rest of that Halloween night, the horrific memories that barely had a chance to surface, or the resulting trauma that separated me from Tawni, tearing us apart after only a few short hours of bliss. With a snarl, I spun around sharply, forcing myself not to stare any longer at what I’d lost. Not giving two shits how it looked, I left the Crossroads, bolting through the door and out into the Nevada sunshine. Heat blasted my face from the dry afternoon and scorching temperature while I stomped over to my bike, straddling my hog before firing it up. Without a glance backward, I rode off toward Hwy 95, hoping to chase the freedom of the open road.
No matter how far or how fast I went, I couldn’t outrun the rage that surfaced or the knowledge that I left her behind without an explanation to my pres. The worst part was, Tawni didn’t even remember who I was or what I meant to her. There was no hint of recognition in her eyes. Pissed off, I felt my Reaper rise, hovering close to my skin as he sensed my need for distraction.
Turning off the road, I rode into the desert to forget my past, my broken heart, and worst of all, the woman I was murdered to save who disappeared and left me in an unmarked grave. She never even came back. Just turned her back on me as if everything we shared that night meant nothing. Like it had all been a lie. I never should have fallen in love with Tawni. She fucking carved my heart from my chest and left it to rot.
I made a lot of mistakes in this life, but loving her haunted me the most.
