Read Online Locked and Loaded (Bullet, #6) by Jade C. Jamison - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Jade C. Jamison
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and it barely even registered that the girl moaning around his cock looked an awful lot like the woman he considered the love of his life, the one he’d be meeting for dinner in a few short hours.
Chapter Nine
––––––––
“O H, ZANE, THIS place is amazing. Why haven’t I ever heard of it before?”
Zane smiled at Jennifer, and she loved how that smile lit up his eyes. In this light, she could almost see him as nineteen again, when they were just stupid kids too young to fall in love and yet too idealistic not to be able to resist. This, yes, this was the boy—the man —she’d fallen in love with. Charming, sweet, happy.
She knew some about his dark childhood, what little he’d been able to talk about, but she also knew that he’d managed to get over it, unlike his friend and then roommate (now bandmate) Ethan. Ethan had once worn his demons like a cloak—anyone who spent any time in the guy’s aura could see that he was a complete and utter train wreck...but he had charisma out the wazoo and people loved him in spite of it.
Including her best friend Valerie.
But Jen couldn’t understand why everyone put up with so much shit from Ethan, even with his powers of charm. A cheating asshole, no matter how charismatic and irresistible, was still a cheating asshole.
Zane, though...if they could just get past the constant bickering, he would be the ideal mate.
No, she was lying to herself. There was more to it than that. The bickering often stemmed from his other issues, problems she always tried to block out when she once again wanted to make it work.
Crap. She was just like Valerie.
But wasn’t Zane different from Ethan? She knew Zane had struggled off and on with addiction and he had other similar vices...but Zane was a good guy, right? Wasn’t Ethan an egotistical asshole? Wasn’t that what made his crimes so unforgivable?
She cleared her mind, trying to focus on the positive. Jennifer knew Zane had recently gone through rehab again, and her hope was that this was the last time. If he could kick his addictions, she knew—just knew —he could overcome all his other woes.
She wanted it to work.
Needed it to work.
Not just for his sake, but for her sake.
For Zoe’s sake.
Zane’s child needed her father, but no way was Jennifer going to risk letting him into their lives as her child’s dad without knowing for certain if he was reformed for good.
Zane started speaking, breaking her out of her consuming thoughts. “I can tell you exactly why. Three reasons.” She raised her eyebrows as he raised his index finger. “One, it’s almost downtown, and I know you avoid downtown like the plague. If I recall, you said something about rather losing a limb than walk the Sixteenth Street Mall again.”
“I said that?”
“Yeah.”
“Well...maybe that was a little drastic.”
“Yeah, probably.” He lifted the bottle of Dos Equis and then said, “Two, it’s a little hole in the wall. It doesn’t advertise like some of the bigger restaurants—no billboards, no newspaper ads, shit like that.”
Jennifer nodded. “Okay, yeah. And what’s number three?”
Zane leaned over the table and whispered. “It’s kind of a dive.” Jennifer couldn’t help but giggle. “But in a good way.”
She laughed out loud at that. “Yeah, definitely.” She picked up a chip and dipped it in the warm queso next to Zane’s bottle. “The food is amazing so far.”
“Just wait.”
The waiter came by with a pitcher. “More water, señorita?”
“Please.” After the waiter was back on his way, she said to Zane, “I love it. I love the people and I even love that stupid TV in the corner.”
Zane glanced over. “Yeah, well...”
“No, seriously. They don’t have the sound on, but it somehow makes it feel like home in here, you know? Lights and movement, but the sounds are coming from the kitchen and some weird
Chapter Nine
––––––––
“O H, ZANE, THIS place is amazing. Why haven’t I ever heard of it before?”
Zane smiled at Jennifer, and she loved how that smile lit up his eyes. In this light, she could almost see him as nineteen again, when they were just stupid kids too young to fall in love and yet too idealistic not to be able to resist. This, yes, this was the boy—the man —she’d fallen in love with. Charming, sweet, happy.
She knew some about his dark childhood, what little he’d been able to talk about, but she also knew that he’d managed to get over it, unlike his friend and then roommate (now bandmate) Ethan. Ethan had once worn his demons like a cloak—anyone who spent any time in the guy’s aura could see that he was a complete and utter train wreck...but he had charisma out the wazoo and people loved him in spite of it.
Including her best friend Valerie.
But Jen couldn’t understand why everyone put up with so much shit from Ethan, even with his powers of charm. A cheating asshole, no matter how charismatic and irresistible, was still a cheating asshole.
Zane, though...if they could just get past the constant bickering, he would be the ideal mate.
No, she was lying to herself. There was more to it than that. The bickering often stemmed from his other issues, problems she always tried to block out when she once again wanted to make it work.
Crap. She was just like Valerie.
But wasn’t Zane different from Ethan? She knew Zane had struggled off and on with addiction and he had other similar vices...but Zane was a good guy, right? Wasn’t Ethan an egotistical asshole? Wasn’t that what made his crimes so unforgivable?
She cleared her mind, trying to focus on the positive. Jennifer knew Zane had recently gone through rehab again, and her hope was that this was the last time. If he could kick his addictions, she knew—just knew —he could overcome all his other woes.
She wanted it to work.
Needed it to work.
Not just for his sake, but for her sake.
For Zoe’s sake.
Zane’s child needed her father, but no way was Jennifer going to risk letting him into their lives as her child’s dad without knowing for certain if he was reformed for good.
Zane started speaking, breaking her out of her consuming thoughts. “I can tell you exactly why. Three reasons.” She raised her eyebrows as he raised his index finger. “One, it’s almost downtown, and I know you avoid downtown like the plague. If I recall, you said something about rather losing a limb than walk the Sixteenth Street Mall again.”
“I said that?”
“Yeah.”
“Well...maybe that was a little drastic.”
“Yeah, probably.” He lifted the bottle of Dos Equis and then said, “Two, it’s a little hole in the wall. It doesn’t advertise like some of the bigger restaurants—no billboards, no newspaper ads, shit like that.”
Jennifer nodded. “Okay, yeah. And what’s number three?”
Zane leaned over the table and whispered. “It’s kind of a dive.” Jennifer couldn’t help but giggle. “But in a good way.”
She laughed out loud at that. “Yeah, definitely.” She picked up a chip and dipped it in the warm queso next to Zane’s bottle. “The food is amazing so far.”
“Just wait.”
The waiter came by with a pitcher. “More water, señorita?”
“Please.” After the waiter was back on his way, she said to Zane, “I love it. I love the people and I even love that stupid TV in the corner.”
Zane glanced over. “Yeah, well...”
“No, seriously. They don’t have the sound on, but it somehow makes it feel like home in here, you know? Lights and movement, but the sounds are coming from the kitchen and some weird
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