Semua Bab Satisfying Her Darkest Fantasies: Bab 371 - Bab 380

She sipped at the chocolate, allowing it to burn a warm trail into her belly.Jack came in and sat across from her in the armchair, his own mug in his hands. But he didn’t drink. He just watched her with sad eyes.“You can’t worry about me now, Bethy. You have a life. You have a man who cares about you. You need to focus on that and quit worrying about me.”She made a sound of exasperation and downed half of the chocolate.“I can’t just stop worrying about you, Jack. I’ve been worrying about you for too many years. That just doesn’t go away because my circumstances have changed. Why don’t you care more about yourself?”“I came back because I’d planned to call you from the phone here,” he said quietly. “Wanted to say good-bye.”Alarm raced down her spine. “Good-bye? Where are you going?”“Away,” he said simply, not elaborating.She finished off the cocoa and set the cup back down on the coffee table with a thud.“Where?” she persisted. “What are your plans? Don’t do this, Jack. Please,

“Look, I was doing you a favor,” Jack said angrily. “You should be glad that I’m out of the picture.”“You disgust me,” Jace seethed. “Unbelievable. This isn’t about me. I don’t have to like you, but Bethany loves you and I love her. I want her happy. That’s all I care about. And you dead would not make her happy.”Pain and regret filled Jack’s eyes. “I didn’t mean for it to happen. You have to know I’d never do anything to hurt her.”“You fucking offered her drugs before!”“That was different. She wouldn’t overdose on them. She never did. She only took them when she needed them. I just wanted to make sure she had what she needed.”“She doesn’t need that shit. Ever,” Jace snapped.“Is she going to make it?” Jack asked fearfully.“Jace, man, you need to come,” Gabe said from the door. “She coded, man. They’re trying to get her back now.”Jace fell to his knees, grief crushing through his heart. “No!” he roared. “No! I can’t lose her! Goddamn it, no!”Ash looked stricken and pale. Mia w

Jack’s face grew grim and regret haunted his eyes. Then he stared directly into Jace’s eyes.“Take care of her for me.”“I will,” Jace said shortly.“And tell her I’m sorry,” he added quietly. “Tell her I love her. I’ll always love her.”“If you love her, you’ll take this opportunity to straighten your life out,” Jace said. “If you’ll stick it out, I’ll hire a lawyer for you. Try to work out a deal where you go to rehab and get probation as opposed to a jail sentence. Can’t guarantee anything. I don’t want you anywhere near Bethany. She’s been hurt enough. If things work out, I wouldn’t be opposed to you keeping in touch with her.”Jack stared at Jace for a long moment. “You’d do that for me?”“I’m doing it for Bethany,” Jace said stiffly. “Only for her.”Jack nodded. “Thanks, then. I’ll do it. It’s time to do something . . . different. Better. I almost killed the person who means the most to me. Can’t even say what that does to a man. I won’t touch that shit again. Ever.”“I hope you

She took a step back, her frown deepening. “Your Dom waiting for you?” Her eyes widened and her fingers automatically went to the collar where his fingers had been just seconds before. “What’s your name?” he asked, when she remained silent. “I gave you mine. The polite thing to do is return the favor.” “Josie,” she said barely above a whisper. “Josie Carlysle.” “And who owns you, Josie?” Her eyes narrowed then and she clutched her bag, shoving the remainder of her pencils into it. “Nobody owns me.” “Then did I misunderstand the significance of that collar you’re wearing?” Her fingers brushed over it again, and it made him itchy. He wanted to remove it. It wasn’t right for her. A collar should be carefully chosen for a submissive. Something that matched her personality. Something made especially for her. And not just any woman. “You didn’t misunderstand,” she said in a husky voice that sent shivers down his spine. Her voice alone would seduce a man in a matter of seconds. “But

Jace frowned. It was evident he didn’t quite swallow Gabe’s explanation. It didn’t wash with Ash either, but Gabe’s face was implacable. And him saying it was a business decision was bullshit. It was personal. Ash didn’t know what the hell had gone on in Paris, but whatever it was had turned Gabe solidly against Charles Willis. The man had dropped off the face of the earth after being cut loose from HCM’s operations.Ash shrugged. All he cared was that they’d salvaged the whole bloody mess. He wasn’t going to get into what had gotten Gabe’s underwear in a knot over the whole thing. It was behind them. No harm, no foul.“Now if we’re done, I’d really like to get home to my future wife,” Gabe drawled.Gabe rose and Jace followed suit. Christ, they really were getting old. It wasn’t even ten yet, and they were already folding up the tent for the night and schlepping home. But then, they had women to go home to. In their position, he wouldn’t be so eager to spend a night out with friends