The Bonds We Break (The Four #5) Read online

  Austin’s expression turned thoughtful. “Could be. They wanted me to fly out to their distillery, but I’ve been too busy with the club opening, so our next step was going to be to set up a meeting with their contact, go through tasting options. If he’s working with them, then maybe…” A darkness came into his eyes. “He’s a marked man now.”

  As Creed gave him a brief nod, Jessa’s shoulders slumped in relief, and I was unreasonably annoyed. I should be happy that they were here to save the day. But for some reason, I wanted the gratitude she was directing at them to be directed at me.

  “We’ll sort it. He won’t get near you again, Jessa.” Austin was out of his seat now, crouched down next to her and taking her hand in his. His gaze arrowed to Creed, who gave another short nod.

  “If it turns out that he’s working with the Volkovs, which is the only connection I can see, then we’ll have to tread carefully. This deal we’re negotiating is worth a lot of money for a lot of people.” He pinched his brow. “The Volkovs are… You don’t want to get on their bad side, trust me. But they have a code of honour. Although Ivanov hasn’t directly disrespected them, by coming after you, he may have sealed his own fate.”

  Standing, he squeezed Jessa’s shoulder. “Either way, consider it taken care of.” She nodded, and he flashed her a smile that she returned with a small, genuine one that reached her eyes, and my stomach twisted with something that felt like jealousy but couldn’t be. Maybe I had some kind of undiscovered hero complex.

  What would my superhero outfit look like?

  “Cass?”

  I blinked, finding West waving his hand in front of my face.

  “Sorry, mate. Must’ve zoned out for a minute there.”

  “Didn’t realise we were that boring.” He grinned as I stood, stretching. Zayde was off in the corner of the room, deep in conversation with Creed, and Jessa was talking quietly with Austin. As I watched, Austin straightened up, kissed the top of Jessa’s head, then turned to me.

  “Can I have a quick word?”

  “With me?” My voice came out higher than normal, and he smirked.

  “Yeah, you.” Walking a short way from where Jessa was sitting, he waited until I was standing in front of him, then spoke again. “I just wanted to say thanks. She says you’ve been looking out for her.” He ran his hand through his hair, suddenly looking frustrated. “I should’ve been there for her.”

  “You didn’t know.”

  “Even so. I appreciate what you’ve done. If you ever need a favour, I owe you one.” Stepping a little closer, he lowered his voice, discreetly sliding a business card into my hand. “Can you keep an eye on her? Even after she’s gone back to her flat? I’m not asking you to spy on her or anything. Just…just let me know she’s okay.”

  I licked my suddenly dry lips. “Yeah. I can do that.”

  “Good.” With that settled, he spun away from me, raising his voice. “I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m off the clock and I need a drink after all this.”

  “Yeah. I definitely need a drink.” Jessa got to her feet, standing tall in her heels. She looked…lighter, if that made sense. Like a weight had been taken off. When she caught my eye, a smile curved over her lips, and she looked so fucking beautiful that all I could do was stand there frozen in place, staring at her.

  West nudged me in the side. “Don’t be so obvious. Her brother’s watching you.”

  “What? Obvious about what?” I played it off, but he just raised a brow.

  “I never thought I’d see the day,” he muttered, but I didn’t get a chance to ask what the fuck that comment was supposed to mean because the others were joining us.

  Back in the club, Creed and Austin hung around, Austin bringing out some celebratory bottles of champagne for Kinslee that he swore was the best shit we’d ever taste, although to me it tasted like shit. I grimaced as the drink went down my throat, longingly eyeing the lone beer that remained next to the ice bucket.

  Taking a quick glance in Austin’s direction, I noticed his gaze sliding over to where Winter, Lena, and Kinslee were dancing with Raine and the other girls from Alstone College that had shown up. Specifically, to Kinslee. I couldn’t blame him for looking—she was hot, although since Winter had moved in and Kinslee had been hanging out with us more, she’d become like a sister to me. While he was distracted by the view, I swapped out my champagne for the beer, ignoring the smirk Cade gave me.

  Once the bottles of champagne were empty, Austin disappeared somewhere with Jessa, and the second I finished my beer, West was sliding over to me.

  “I’m bored. Wanna check out the rest of this place?”

  “Let’s go.” Following him out of the VIP area and down the stairs, I smiled to myself. When Weston and my sister had got together, I’d been worried that he wouldn’t have time for me anymore. He was my best mate, and I was used to doing everything with him. I’d seen it happen before—couples getting lost in each other to the point where they forgot about their other friends. But my worries were unfounded. Anyone could see that he and Lena were loved-up, but both of them had their own shit going on, and my best mate had made sure that I didn’t feel neglected.

  We did a circuit of the main club floor, then ended up in the attached bar. It was packed, but we managed to grab a table and a couple of stools. West headed to the bar for drinks, and when he returned, he looked me dead in the eye.

  “Jessa.”

  “What about her?”

  “There’s something going on between the two of you.”

  I sighed. I knew this conversation was coming. “There isn’t, mate. We slept together, once—okay, twice—since she’s been staying with us,” I amended at his disbelieving look. “That’s it, though. You know it doesn’t mean anything. To either of us.”

  He sat back, making circles in the condensation on his glass. When he spoke again, his voice was quiet, his gaze fixated on the table in front of him. “You’d tell me if it was anything more than that, wouldn’t you?”

  “Course I would.”

  “Okay. I—” He broke off, shaking his head. “It’s one thing to be helping her out, but after all the shit that’s gone down, a relationship with her might complicate things. Her history with Winter, with Cade…”

  “Huh? Who said anything about a relationship?” I stared at him. “How the fuck did you come to that conclusion? There’s no feelings involved. It’s just sex. Anyway, she isn’t down to fuck anymore. She told me.”

  “Whether that’s the case or not, you’ve been different with her.”

  “That’s because I feel, I dunno, responsible for what happened. Whatever’s gone down in the past, she doesn’t deserve to be going through any of this shit, either. And she’s trying, West. She’s trying so fucking hard, and I can see that she’s changed, and I’m sure you could, too, if you took the time to fucking notice.” I was almost shouting by the end of my rant, and Weston stared at me, open-mouthed.

  “Okay then,” he said eventually. Picking up his pint, he downed it. “Another drink?”

  Taking a deep, calming breath, I glanced at my own mostly untouched pint, then shrugged. “Yeah, alright.” When he disappeared off to the bar, I gulped my beer, attempting to avoid thinking about the conversation that had just happened. Closing my eyes, I ran my hand down my face.

  An image appeared in my mind, out of the blue and completely fucking unwelcome.

  Jessa, grinding all over that stripper guy, both of them lost in their own world.

  I gritted my teeth.

  There were no feelings between me and Jessa.

  None.

  “Hey, did I show you this new drone I was thinking of getting?” West returned to the table, sliding a new pint to me. He tapped on his phone screen, and I’d never been more glad for a change of subject. After we’d had this drink, I was going to go back into the club, work my magic on a hot, willing, available woman, and prove to everyone that I didn’t have a thing for Jessa.

  Becaus
e I didn’t.

  FOURTEEN

  Back at the Four’s house the following afternoon, everyone was tired and hungover. I curled up on the sofa with my Kindle while Zayde and Caiden were setting up some new PS5 game. I was more comfortable here now, and it felt like I’d been accepted, however grudgingly, but I still had reservations. The biggest reservation being a certain blond god, who had spent the rest of the night in Sanctuary dancing with various women. I’d tried not to look, but…well, it was impossible not to. The only thing that made it bearable was that he hadn’t taken any of them back to his hotel. Although, as I kept reminding myself on what felt like an hourly basis, I had no claim to him, and seeing him with someone else was inevitable.

  But anyway, all this meant that I was on tenterhooks waiting for Austin to contact me so that I could finally move back into my flat. Time and space was what I needed most now.

  “His turgid member throbbed as he thrust inside her quivering mound.”

  “Cassius!” My screech was probably loud enough to be heard through the entire house. Cheeks flaming, I jumped up to snatch my Kindle back from him as he held it over my head. Somehow, he’d managed to sneak up behind the sofa and grab it from my hands before I could do anything about it.

  Laughing uncontrollably, he held it out of reach. “Babe, I need to see what kind of questionable reading material you have here,” he managed to choke out through his laughter. “Turgid member!”

  “I seriously hate you,” I muttered, giving up on the Kindle and collapsing back onto the sofa, burying my heated face in the cushions. Even Caiden and Zayde were laughing at me, or maybe at Cassius, who knew?

  “No, no, wait. Listen to this.” He cleared his throat dramatically. “Her moist channel sucked in his giant, pulsating rod, all the way to the root.”

  “Don’t ever say the word ‘moist’ again.” Now Winter had appeared, just to add to my embarrassment, and she accompanied her warning with a retching sound.

  “Please, just stop,” I begged, my voice muffled by the cushion.

  “What the fuck are you actually reading?”

  Raising my head, I glared up at Cassius, who grinned unapologetically at me. “It’s supposed to be a fantasy story with elves and things. I didn’t know there were scenes like that when I downloaded it.”

  “It’s a fantasy, alright.” A gleam came into his eyes. “Hey, let’s go upstairs and re-enact the scene. You can see my giant turgid member up close and personal.”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Winter roll her eyes at Cassius as she swung herself into Caiden’s lap, and I couldn’t hold my laughter in any longer, despite my embarrassment. “That’s such a flattering offer, Cass, but I’m going to have to say no.”

  The smile disappeared from his face, despite my teasing words. He handed my Kindle back to me, leaning down to my ear. “I bet if that stripper was here, you’d say yes.”

  What? My gaze flew to his. He was frowning, his lips pursed like he hadn’t meant to say those words out loud.

  “You mean JJ?”

  Straightening up, he muttered, “Forget it,” then made a point of going over to Zayde and asking about the game he was setting up. I stared after him, unsure of what to make of that comment that had come out of nowhere. One minute he’d been teasing me, the next—

  There was no time to think about it any further when my phone started ringing, my brother’s name flashing up on the screen.

  I crossed my fingers for some good news.

  A few days later, my bags were packed, and I was ready to move out. The last thing I’d heard from Austin was that Petr Ivanov was no longer a problem, and I didn’t really want to know any of the details. It was enough to know that the threat was gone. Suffice to say, a weight had been well and truly lifted.

  There was another bonus as well. Somehow, getting it all out in the open and having people actively wanting to help out had reduced my nightmares, too—I’d only had one since the club, and it was almost minor in comparison to the debilitating ones I’d been suffering with before.

  Cassius, Weston, and Lena were the only ones to see me leave. After asking Lena to pass on my thanks and goodbyes to the others, I hugged her, and then Weston gave me an awkward half hug. I returned it, appreciative of him making the effort. He owed me nothing, after all.

  My Mercedes had been driven back to my apartment building car park the previous week, because at the time we’d wanted Petr to think I was still there if he’d been watching my flat. Weston had been checking the surveillance feeds, but there hadn’t been any sign of him, which we now knew was because he’d been in London, and now there was no need to continue checking the feeds because he’d been dealt with.

  Anyway, all that meant Cassius was driving me home, and I couldn’t help wondering if it was the last time we’d be alone together. Both of us had kept our distance since our interaction the day after Sanctuary, not that it had helped with the feelings I had for him. If anything, they were stronger than ever, but I made sure to never even give him a hint of them.

  Cassius was uncharacteristically quiet on the drive back to my flat. I leaned against the window of his SUV, lost in my own head, and neither of us made any attempt to break the silence. When he pulled into the apartment car park, engine idling, I wasted no time in unsnapping my seat belt and getting out of there. Cassius was just as quick, jumping out of the car and opening the boot before I’d even reached it. When he pulled out my suitcase and placed it in front of my feet without a word, I got the hint. He couldn’t wait to get rid of me.

  I gripped the handle of my case and started around the side of the car. The lump in my throat grew.

  I wouldn’t cry.

  “Goodbye,” I managed, my voice barely a whisper, my words carried away by the morning breeze.

  “Jessa. Wait.”

  The sudden urgency in his low tone brought me to a halt, level with the front grille of the SUV. I inhaled a shaky breath.

  “Wait.” His voice was much closer. Then he was there in front of me, cupping my face in his hands.

  I stared up at him, unable to find any words to say.

  “A goodbye kiss,” he murmured, brushing his lips against mine. With a sigh, I gave in to the inevitable. He kissed me slowly, so slowly, like he was mapping out the contours of my mouth, sucking my bottom lip in between his lips before he slid his tongue into my mouth.

  He held my face in place, angling me just the way he wanted me, pressing me against his car. My hands came up of their own accord, winding around his waist, pulling him closer. I could feel his growing hardness between us, but he didn’t even attempt to do anything about it. Just kept on kissing me, long and slow and so fucking perfect.

  Kissing me like I meant something to him.

  The lump in my throat grew bigger, and I struggled to keep my composure.

  When we finally broke apart, he just stared at me, looking shaken. His fingers came up to touch his swollen lips, his eyes wide and his pupils dilated.

  “Bye,” he said, his voice raw.

  “Bye.” Picking up my case, I moved around him in the direction of my apartment building.

  This time, he didn’t stop me.

  I’d been back for an hour when the buzzer sounded to let me know that there was someone at the door. My heart stuttered before I remembered that the Petr threat was over, and I hit the button to answer the intercom. “Hello.”

  “Jessa. Let me in.”

  My heart stuttered for a whole different reason then. Pressing the key button to unlock the building’s front door, I leaned my head against the cool wood of my own front door.

  When the knock came, I swung the door open. Cassius stood there, shifting on his feet, tugging his bottom lip between his teeth, his brows pulled together.

  “Want to come in?” Stepping back, I pushed the door as wide as it would go.

  “I drove around,” he said, taking a step into my apartment. “I drove. And I…fuck.”

  “Cass?” Moving
around him, I clicked the door shut. He spun around, tracking my movements, and the frown disappeared, his gaze turning predatory.

  My stomach flipped.

  “I drove around,” he repeated, “and then I came back.”

  My back was pressed against the wood of the door, and he crowded into my space. “Why did you come back?” There was no way I could disguise the breathiness of my voice.

  “We had one last kiss.” His body pressed against mine. “Now.” His hands hit the wood on either side of my head. “We need.” A press of his hips as he rolled them against me, and I sucked in a shaky breath. “One. Last. Fuck.”

  Then his mouth came down on mine.

  He lifted me up, and my legs went around his waist, my back against the door, as we kissed and kissed and kissed, hot, rough, and messy, setting me on fire. I moaned into his mouth, and he pulled us away from the door, stumbling in the direction of my bedroom.

  We didn’t make it that far. Tearing his mouth away, he stared down at me as I attacked his neck and jaw with kisses, drawing out a growl of pleasure from him. “I can’t fucking wait,” he ground out, angling us to the left, and the next minute I was lying on a hard wooden surface while he tore the clothes from my body in rough, impatient movements. I barely registered that I was lying on my antique wooden dining table, rising up to rip his T-shirt over his head, then tugging down his jeans. No underwear, his cock sprung free, and I reached out, desperate to feel him.

  “Not yet.” His hands came to my shoulders, pushing me back down flat on the table. Then his arms were scooping up my legs, throwing them over his shoulders, and his hot mouth was on me, his tongue gliding across my wetness. My hands tugged at his hair as I shamelessly ground myself against his mouth while his tongue continued to drive me insane, the pressure so fucking perfect that I could already feel my orgasm building.