Love Heals (The Love Duet Book 2) Read online

  Unbridled selflessness.

  I wasn’t giving that up, not ever.

  And neither was she, either.

  Not a fucking chance.

  Mentally, I went through what I had to do for the rest of the day before I could clock off for the night. I texted Kelsey this morning before I left for the gym that tonight was going to be a late night, and to plan a late dinner for us. I didn’t include Kelsey in on one of my jobs today, choosing to leave out my intended visit to the prison her mother was currently residing in.

  Her parole was looming and because of that, her transfer to a medium security prison had already taken place. I managed to intercept the letter from the Corrections Victoria Adult Parole Board before Kelsey saw it, so she wasn’t aware that her mother was getting out in three months.

  I didn’t feel one bit ashamed for going through her letterbox every day until it finally arrived. Protecting Kelsey was more than important to me, I didn’t care if it was heatstroke, walking long distances or from her mother. It was my job to make sure Kelsey’s life was nothing short of fantastic from here on in. Granted my fuck up last night calling her my dead wife’s name had not been my most crowning moment, and I would be forever sorry for doing it. Unforgivable mistake or not, Kelsey was not pushing me away. If she was pissed then fine, she could be fucking pissed at me while I am there with her.

  Waking up the black screen on my phone again, I reread her message, my teeth grinding as I did. Doing a quick calculation of the time it would take for the one hundred and forty kilometre round trip, plus factoring in meeting with the bitch Belinda, I shot off a text to my sexy woman.

  ME: Yes I do mind. I am not going to let you sit at your house alone and make shit up in your head. You want to be pissed then fine, be pissed but you do it with me not without me. See you at 8pm.

  I added two x’s at the end of my message hit send and stared intently at the screen as it changed from delivered to read. Instantly the three bubbles appeared and started dancing up and down, indicating she was replying.

  MY MERMAID: Fine you annoying sexy poo face. Xoxo.

  Smiling and feeling relief at her reply, I couldn’t help but annoy her just a little more.

  ME: That’s my girl.

  Laughing when the bubbles immediately began bouncing I pocketed my phone. I would look at her reply to that later, I was going to need something to lift my spirits after I got done with my unpleasant visit.

  “Thank you, Detective. You can get your personal items and your firearm from this station on your way out,” the officer at the desk told me and pointed to a large double door. “Go through there and someone will take you to the visitor’s room,” the officer said again giving me a polite smile.

  Signing the envelope with my personal effects in it, I waited until I saw it placed in the appropriate lock box then headed towards the door. Belinda should be there waiting for me already, I called when I was twenty minutes away that I wanted her there before I arrived. The drive to Maldon isn’t exactly the most exciting sightseeing visual nor would be the drive home. Kelsey needed me with her, we had shit to work out. She was probably already half way into some bullshit scenario about why I called her Zoe, or didn’t stay the night. I could have had her in my arms all warm and sated after a passion-filled night, but no, I had to go home and sulk in bed alone.

  I could have kicked my own arse for the stupid slip. In no way was I thinking of Zoe, I was telling Kelsey the truth when I told her that. I didn’t stay the night because I was second guessing why I wasn’t in fact thinking of Zoe last night or any night since my feelings for Kels developed to… more.

  That alone scared me, why? Well it wasn’t because I couldn’t be with another woman other than Zoe. I got back on that horse before Kels, not that I had been promiscuous, far from it. To tell the truth I preferred a good ole’ rub and tug in the shower, then Kelsey happened and I was fucking hooked.

  No, the reason was simple, Kelsey was replacing Zoe in my mind and my heart. I promised Zoe no one would ever replace her in my heart, our love was once in a lifetime. I was perilously close to breaking that promise, if I hadn’t already.

  Reaching the next glass partition, I once again signed the visitor’s log, then turned to face the only person in the room other than me.

  “Belinda.”

  “Jason.”

  I took in the woman who had lived across from my parents for years, the same woman that made my Mermaid’s life a living hell. The years behind bars had not been kind, I made sure of that when she was in maximum security. This prison was like a transition step before release, a farm if you will. Medium security, rooms that were like four-bedroom apartments, minimal bars. Belinda deserved to rot for what she did to Kelsey, not be allowed to grow vegetables and read magazines.

  Taking a seat in front of her at the table, I stared at her raggedy wrinkled face, hating the smirk on her thin colourless lips.

  Time to bring her down a peg or two.

  “So, did you know that since you got put away I patched into the Wounded Souls? You remember them right, and my brother, their SAA?” I laid my trump card on the table then sat back and enjoyed Belinda’s smirk drop from her face, a look of terror replacing it.

  “Another thing you probably don’t know is Kelsey and I are together, as in she is mine to protect for the rest of her life, and with that brings the protection of my club, as well as the entire police department back home,” I added, with as much menace in my tone as I allowed without causing a scene for the officer behind the glass.

  “So, now I have your attention, this is how things are going to happen once you get out.”

  Chapter 16

  KELSEY

  The red numbers on the clock beside my bed read 8:03p.m. Jason was late, three minutes was late in my book.

  Goddamn it, I fudged up royally. I got stuck in my head, pushed Jason away and now he was late. Why?

  “Because you made a mountain out of a molehill nitwit,” I answered myself out loud.

  “You’ve got him, he is in your bed and you are in his. What more do you want?”

  One-sided conversations were not fun, listening to myself go around in circles pissed me off. Jason was my anchor, my safe place.

  My rock.

  His presence in my life wrapped me in a cocoon of happiness. Something I never thought I would ever have. Real life-affirming happiness.

  One thing would make it perfect, one promise.

  “Can I ever be as important to him as Zoe?”

  “Yes.”

  Letting out a scream, I rolled off the bed hitting the floor with a thud and shimmied myself underneath it.

  “Kels, what are you doing?” Jason asked, not trying to hide his amusement even a little bit.

  Groaning from embarrassment and from hitting my hip on the hard, wooden platform, I sighed, “Nothing. What is it about you and your brother sneaking up on me?” I grumbled into the floor.

  “Come here crazy lady.” Jason’s hand appeared under the bed, which I took and allowed him to gently pull me out, my silky nightie making it easy for me to slide from under the high bed and to my feet. Jason wrapped his arms around my waist holding me close to him.

  Pressing my nose to his shirt, I inhaled deeply. The musky scent of his cologne and him filled my nostrils, calming my stuttering pulse from the scare and the panic mode I’d forced my head into since his text that I was not allowed to push him away.

  “What did you mean about Deck?”

  “What did you mean when you said yes?”

  “Where did you get this nightie?”

  “What did you mean when you said yes?”

  “Okay, enough of this,” Jason muttered then dipped his shoulder into my belly and lifted me up in a fireman carry. Before I could even process that, I found myself tossed onto my comfortable mattress and Jason on top of me.

  “Jason!” I cried out indignantly, not because of his caveman act, that I found very hot. When he tossed me, my nightg
own became bunched at my waist revealing that I had not put on underwear. Reason being, while waiting for him to come home I busied myself with some mundane tasks like, cleaning the bathroom and… shaving my pubic area. The last one not being as mundane as I thought it would be. Before Jason, I usually just trimmed with scissors or an electric cutter, but seeing he liked being down there so much, I decided full service was in order. The chore had not been what I imagined or what I googled, those ladies on YouTube must have skipped a few steps in their videos because nowhere did I hear them say shaving cream can burn. Of course, had I actually used shaving cream and not depilatory cream the experience would have been a lot kinder to my skin and more fragile areas.

  So, after I realised my mistake I wasn’t going to start again, so I had no recourse but to continue with the brutal punishment, hence why I wasn’t wearing knickers.

  Jason’s hand was still at the top of my thigh where it creased to meet my vagina.

  “Kelsey why aren’t you wearing underwear?” he asked, his eyes darkening all of a sudden, his amusement gone and replaced with lust.

  “You answer my question and I will answer all of yours,” I countered breathily, biting my lip when his finger glided over the bareness of my freshly shaven labia.

  “Yes, you will,” he agreed readily. His finger moving to my opening with featherlight strokes up and down my heated flesh, trying to drive me to distraction.

  I opened my mouth to ask him again what he meant, when his mouth descended on mine in a soft, slow but heated kiss. His tongue, glided over mine and I nearly lost my sanity, all conscious thought went out the window as his mouth made love to mine. Add what his clever finger was doing to me, and I was ready to shelve the conversation for another time.

  “Yes,” Jason breathed into my open mouth. “Yes, you are just as important as she is… was to me. Just as special, if not more.” “I don’t want to lose you Kels, I like what we have, I like being with you, being your man,” Jason murmured, his plea so soft and gentle, tears pricked the backs of my eyes.

  “I don’t want to lose you either Jason,” I replied just as softly, my fingers tracing the small cleft in his chin.

  “I love you Jason, I will love you enough for the both of us until you are ready,” I promised him. Ideally, saying those three precious words should have been in a more romantic scenario, not like this and I would have liked them said back to me.

  However, I chose this when I gave myself to Jason, let him inside not only my body but also my life and my heart. Giving up on him, and taking a chance that he may come around with his attitude to love wasn’t something I was prepared to do, not yet. His feelings for me were gaining strength, he was catching up. whether that was wishful thinking on my part… that only Jason knew for sure. I wasn’t giving up, he was mine.

  “Let me show you how easy loving can be, how great it feels.” Using the power in my legs, I hooked one over his and pushed at his chest and used the momentum of my body to reverse our positions. Thanks to Jason’s surprise at my sudden bold move, he didn’t resist which made it less awkward.

  “Kels?” The shocked expression on his face had me giggling as I shimmied down his muscular chest until my face was level with his bulging crotch.

  “Happy to see me Detective?” I asked, giving him an impish grin and hiding my nervousness about what I was about to do.

  Our lovemaking so far, though wonderful, had been a little one-sided. Jason saw to it that I received nothing but pleasure every time he touched me. And, while I wasn’t complaining, it was time I womaned up and got down to some giving of my own.

  “Shush now,” I mock scolded him, pulling apart the button fly on his jeans and revealed his hard and very bare cock. “Mmmm, commando. I do love that about you, so thoughtful about time wasting,” I murmured in appreciation, releasing his thick shaft from the confines of the denim and stared at the magnificence before me.

  Licking my lips, my mouth watered. “I have been waiting to do this,” I groaned then flicked my tongue over the ruddy head. A burst of saltiness hit my tongue, and I greedily sucked the tip into my mouth. Call it instinct, call it whatever, my mouth opened fully and I took him deep into the back of my throat, my tongue gliding down the silky-smooth skin.

  Jason’s body tensed, a hiss then a deep low growl sounded around the room.

  “Oh, fuck me sideways Mermaid, that feels fucking amazing baby.”

  “Mmmm,” I groaned around my mouthful delighting in his reaction.

  “Oh fuck, do that again Kels, moan around my cock,” Jason begged, his hands suddenly fisting in my hair, holding me firmly without hurting me.

  Letting out a string of low moans, I continued to pull my mouth up his shaft then retreated back down, making sure I dragged my tongue flat against the underside of his thick cock, each time I hit the base I moaned.

  “Yes, yes, yes, just like that,” Jason encouraged me, helping me with his hands on either side of my face guiding me faster. “Oh Christ.”

  Spurred on by his obvious enjoyment of receiving his first blow job from me, I hummed my approval which made his hips lift off the bed, his cock swelling even more.

  “Oh shit, oh shit, not now, not yetttttt,” Jason’s feral roar left his mouth just seconds before his cocked swelled larger and filled my mouth with his warm, salty, thick cum. Working my throat muscles quickly I swallowed every last drop of his climax, the taste was surprisingly pleasant, not at all what I imagined it would taste like.

  Giving him one last lick up his semi-hard length, lingering to give his tip one last kiss.

  “Wow,” I exclaimed sucking in a much-needed breath, resting my face on his pubis and peppering small kisses there too.

  “I want… one of those… every single day… for the rest of my… life,” Jason stuttered out of breath himself.

  Giggling, I let Jason haul me up his body until we were eye to eye.

  “I will add it to the nightly routine,” I assured him with a wink.

  “Good, now kiss me woman,” Jason demanded lifting his head from the pillow to kiss me.

  Slapping my hand over my mouth I gasped in horror.

  “Babe, I just had your love gravy in my mouth.”

  “Love gravy? Seriously Mermaid, you just gave me the best blow job of my life, yet you can’t say cum?” Jason laughed, his blue eyes shining with humour and lust.

  “Whatever,” I huffed. “Let me go brush my teeth first,” I insisted, readying to get up, but Jason’s arms banded around me keeping me in place.

  “I eat your pussy and you let me kiss you, how is this any different?”

  Furrowing my brow, I took a second or two to think. “I guess it’s not,” I answered with a shrug.

  “I don’t give a fuck you just had a mouthful of my cum, it actually turns me on you swallow, baby. Now shut up and kiss me, then I will return the favour and by the time I make you come three times, screaming my name I will be ready for round two.” Jason’s promise sent shivers and tingles throughout my body, one part in particular.

  No more words were spoken for the rest of the night, not coherent ones anyway.

  Lots of screaming was done however.

  “Kelsey, this honey is the best. My honeycomb is practically walking out the door, I can hardly keep up with the demand,” Stella gushed, taking the box of honey from me holding it to her chest like it was a Christmas present rather than six jars of honey.

  Laughing at her, I swelled with pride. “Thank you, Stella, I put in six jars instead of four. I guessed you could use the extra and it will be a little while before I harvest the next batch,” I told her.

  “Well I promise to use it sparingly, which means I have to hide it from my husband and the club princess. Both of them have taken to it. Shiloh pours it over her cereal like it’s milk and Booth has replaced the sugar in his coffee with your honey.”

  Stella’s mouth twisted in a grimace. “Ah, that didn’t sound good, I don’t mean your honey as your honey,” she explaine
d, hurriedly waving her hand at my pelvic area. “I meant your—”

  “I get it,” I said, laughing at her. “Well I better get moving, before I go home I want to drop in and see Memphis, I ah… need a book.” I rushed out not wanting to tell her what I was on my way to get advice about—

  “Need to know how to deal with a man with a deceased spouse he loved very much and probably still does huh?” Stella cut in giving me a sympathetic smile.

  I automatically blushed red, I had no idea I could be so transparent.

  “Um, yeah something like that,” I grumbled.

  “Hey Kels, don’t feel embarrassed. Seeking advice from your friends isn’t something to be ashamed of, Memphis has been in the same position as you, well there are a few differences, but basically, it is the same.”

  Forgetting my discomfort, I looked at Stella eagerly, “What differences exactly?” I asked interested to find out her answer.

  “Well for one, Creed stopped living when he lost Lila. He never went out with any women at all, and he certainly didn’t start a sexual relationship.”

  “Huh, what else?”

  “He was still in love with his dead wife, unlike Jason. He loved Zoe before, yes. But I don’t think he is—”

  The bell above the door jingled as customers walked in.

  No, no, no, go away Stella still has more to tell me, I screamed silently at the intruders.

  “Good afternoon, welcome to Stella’s Slices, Sweets and Treats,” my friend greeted, her attention now away from our conversation and on the annoying, thoughtless people.

  “Okay, see you later Stella,” I called out, looking hopeful at her.

  “Bye sweetie, and thanks for the honey. Send me an invoice,” Stella called out giving me a wave, then moved onto making a sale.

  I moved woodenly to the door, confused and totally annoyed.

  Walking out on the pavement still bewildered by what Stella had only half told me, I decided to leave the Ford parked in front of the sweet shop and walk the one hundred metres to Memphis’ book store. One thing that I didn’t like about the huge ute was parking the blessed thing. The parking spaces were either getting smaller or I was just bad at parking. Grimacing at the haphazard way the brute of a thing was taking up nearly two spaces, and the small white envelope tucked under the windshield wiper. I hurried away before anyone figured out I was responsible for taking half an extra parking space.