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“It’s not a good idea,” I stated.“I—I called to tell you I wasn’t interested, not get talked into fucking the lust from our blood.”
I had a feeling such a thing wouldn’t be possible when it came to James Jenner.I’d experienced that kind of yearning before, the all-consuming desire for intimacy, and look where it had landed me.
“Kellen—”
“No,” I cut off his sure attempts to sway me.
JJ’s heavy exhale came through the cell loud and clear.
“I don’t fuck outside of Elite for a reason,” I stated firmly, “and that’s not going to change anytime soon.”
“Like I said, I’m not available,” JJ assured me, his tone contemplative, “but don’t you ever think about giving yourself another chance at something more than filling nameless holes?”
“Wouldn’t be worth the possible pain,” I stated bluntly.
“I beg to differ.”
Deep down, I wanted him tobegfor something different, but I squashed that thought as soon as it rose.
“I gotta go,” I lied, needing to silence his sexy, raspy voice that made me want to fold and offer my ass up on a platter for him to devour.
“If you change your mind…”
“I won’t,” I stated firmly.“Hope you have a great rest of the weekend, Detective.”
“You too, Kellen.”At least he sounded resigned, thank fuck.The last thing I needed was him pushing my buttons to override my better sense.
I hung up, tossed my cell onto my coffee table, and buried my face in my hands.“Fucking Xavier!”
Chapter10
JJ
Rain poured from the sky darkened by heavy clouds when I left the station on a Tuesday a few weeks into September.The heat of summer had finally relented, and a chill bit at me along with raindrops as I sprinted toward my car after a long day of work.
The case against Joseph Delaney III moved forward regardless of the fact Mason still refused to press charges.The rich, young punk would stand before a jury of his supposed peers in November for what he’d done to that second man, and I couldn’t wait to sit and testify against him.
I’d been born with a strong sense of right and wrong, following in my stepfather’s footsteps to become a cop.While he’d always dreamed of becoming a detective, he’d never gotten that far.So I’d accomplished his goal.Unfortunately, my detective’s badge got pinned to my chest a few years after I’d lain him to rest alongside my mom.
My mom hadn’t planned on getting pregnant with me at age forty, but when you fucked strangers without protection, shit happened.I hadn’t lied to Mason and Kellen that day outside the Peabody courthouse, but my mom had only sold her body for a few months in order to feed the two of us before she’d met John.
He’d refused to let her return to the streets and insisted we move in with him.And she loved him for rescuing us from the ghettos.Their relationship had been a beautiful thing to witness, and their tender loyalty toward each other had made a deep impression on my teenage heart.
John had adopted me.Loved me as though his blood flowed through my veins.He’d been my hero, the man I’d looked up to most, the one who had instilled morals deep inside me.
I’d been without both of them for too damn long.
Loneliness hovered like a dark shroud in the evenings when I got home.It was why I tended to stay at the office, putting in more hours than necessary.
Rather than turning on music to empty my brain while heading back to my place, I replayed the conversation I’d had with Kellen yet again as I’d been doing more often than I should.His ex had done a number on him, and years later, he continued to hurt.His voice had also hinted he wasn’t happy with his current life.
And I wanted to be there for him—
My cell rang, and I answered on speaker, surprisingly a little annoyed to have my quiet disrupted beyond rain hitting my windshield.Fucking guilt squashed the selfishness back down.“Hey, Alex.”
“You off?”
“Yeah.”
