Take the Fall (Take the Fall, #1)(46)

“Not helping,” he points out and takes a step back. He holds up his hand. “Not going to touch you.”

“I don’t have a problem with you touching me,” she says and I want to cover her mouth. “We’re friends, Jase, and I only wanted to check on you and bring you something to eat.”

His dark blue gaze roams over her. “You brought me something very delicious.”

Oh Jesus. Yeah, he’s smooth, but I do not have time for this. I’m tired as f*ck from extra PT, dealing with Rowan, and getting my ass chewed out by my commander before he realized his mistake.

Piper’s hazel gaze drops, her cheeks flushing. “Your date is looking for you.”

“My what?” he says and then glances behind him. I look, too, only to see the face responsible for the panting. She’s nice to look at if you like that fake-tit shit. I don’t. “Oh. Go back inside, Angel.”

Piper sucks in a breath. “She’s your angel?”

“It’s her stripper name,” I reply.

“It is?”

Jase glares at me. “There’s no shame in working for a living.”

“Of course not. I didn’t mean to imply there was,” Piper says. She starts edging away and I take a look at what she’s wearing. Oh, hell. No wonder Jase is so hell-bent on changing her mind. Piper looks like a winter pinup girl, wearing a sweater dress that clings to every lush curve and fur-topped high-heeled boots. But the kicker is the pearls in her ears and around her neck. They scream class and innocence on her.

Hell, even I approve of her outfit, though I’d rather see Rowan wearing it. That is, if we were on better terms and she didn’t hate me right now.

“You really want to take that,” I nod at Piper, “and dirty her up with Angel?”

For a minute, he considers it, I can see it with my own eyes. Then he shakes his head. “No.” He turns to Piper again. “Thanks for the casserole, kitten.”

She frowns. “I don’t think it’s appropriate for you to call me that anymore. I’m not fourteen anymore.”

He’d been calling her that since she was fourteen? How in the hell had I missed—oh, right. Rowan.

Jase holds out his hands, clearly insulted by her reprimand. “Excuse me, Ms. Ross. Or is it Princess Piper?” He points to her. “I like the sound of that. Go home, Princess, your kingdom misses you.

“And I’m the damn fool who can’t have you,” he mutters as she speed walks to her sport coup.

“I’m horny, Jase. Can we finish f*cking?” Angel asks, not in the least disturbed by what just went down. She gazes at me with glassy eyes. “Are you staying?”

“Yeah.”

“With me and Jase?”

“No,” Jase says, brushing past her and taking her hand. “Let’s get you inside before you freeze.”

“That girl was so pretty. I wanted to touch her.” She pouts. “She smelled so good, too. Like one of those classy perfume stores.”

“Cacharel Ana?s Ana?s,” he murmurs.

“What’s that?”

Jase leans down, running his nose along Angel’s neck. “It’s French.”

“I want some,” she sighs. “I want to smell like her.”

“Too innocent for you,” he says, and I have to wonder if he’s talking to himself or to the female in his arms.

“I want her.”

“She’s forbidden, remember.” Yeah, he’s completely talking to himself.

Angel pouts even more. “Him, too.”

“Yeah. Him, too.”

Her full lips turn down. “Maybe you’ll have friends over later who aren’t?”

Jase glances at me. I hold up my hands. “Your house. No judgment. I only want to crash until Sunday.”

He gives me a grateful look. “Yeah, we’ll get you some friends,” he says, tugging her upstairs. “But, this time, we stay in the bedroom.”

“She watched for a long time.”

“Too long,” Jase said, and, turning to me, cleared his throat. “Make yourself at home. Pantry’s stocked.”

Make myself at home in the house that had been my second home while I grew up. I look around the kitchen and smile a little. Nothing has changed. Despite Jase’s ragged appearance, he is OCD about cleaning. He hates dirt, and I think being in prison probably made it worse.

I hear a rhythmic creaking, but other than that and Angel’s calling out his name and God’s, the house is quiet. Pulling my earbuds from my bag, I tuck them in and blast music from my phone.

Growing up, this place had always been full of people, and I had always worried about Rowan’s safety. But Jase had taught her how to defend herself. And, as much as he could, he watched her like a hawk.

I think I’m the only guy to ever have dated her without getting my ass handed to me. Then again, he knew I loved and respected her. Still do, in fact. I make my way to the other side of the house, to the room in the back. At one time this huge house had been someone’s pride and joy. It’s enormous, about five thousand square feet, and sits on an unheard-of six acres. Hence the reason why parties did so well here.

Apparently, Jase and Rowan’s dad is some big-shot millionaire who’d given it as a present to their mom before he’d taken off. Supposedly, he couldn’t handle the whole family responsibility thing. Their mom couldn’t take it and fell into drugs. Sometimes, I think she took Jase with her.