Jett

11 - Stranger over the wall

Maria

I need to clear my head, but I can’t find anything bright in my world, even in this vast garden filled with flowers and garden furniture, ornaments, and water features.

I slump down on the stone bench beside the rose bushes and sigh. “I wish you were here, Mama,” I say to the sky.

I do wish my mother was here. She wouldn’t allow my brother to do this to me. Mom died when I was twelve of a heart attack. She was so young, too young to die like that. Just forty years old.

My mother was beautiful, classically so. She reminded me of a dark-haired Jayne Mansfield. She was always impeccably dressed, never leaving the house unless her hair was styled beautifully, and her body was always waxed to perfection. I never saw her without makeup or a smile on her face.

How my father managed to get her to fall for him once was beyond me, let alone twice. My father was handsome in his own right, but he was no George Clooney. Plus, he was so very mean to her all the time. She could have done so much better. My father was also disgusting in the way he got my mother pregnant when she was fifteen. He lied about her age for many years, but when she died, I found her birth certificate. He had lied and said she was nineteen, but she wasn’t. The thought made me shudder.

We were close, my mother and me. I loved spending time with her, and I loved the makeup and fashion lessons she gave me. She taught me so much about being a perfect young lady, one my brother and father could be proud of. But I can’t help but wonder if she’s ashamed of me up there because I know she’s in heaven; she was too good to go anywhere else.

I close my now wet eyes and let the tears fall, and the sobs escape me. I miss my mother so much that I can’t cope without her. I need her here to tell me how to get through this. This whole mess is my fault, and I will do what’s expected of me, but my brain is fried, and I can’t hold myself up as much as I try.

I hear a rustling near the wall that leads to the outer grounds. It’s not an overly high wall, maybe eight feet, but guards are permanently stationed outside of it. It must be one of them.

However, the noise is getting louder. My heart is beating a little faster. I should go inside and tell Draven in case there’s an intruder, but I can’t seem to force my feet to move.

Why can’t I move?

I can’t even get any noise to come out of my mouth!

I hear an oof sound as someone falls to the ground. They jumped over the wall! I wish it were lighter so I could see who it was. Even though I’m scared right now, I’m wondering if maybe whoever it is will kidnap me and take me the hell away from here.

What the hell am I thinking?

I do not want to be kidnapped, no matter how much my life might suck right now!

Oh, God, he’s coming closer!

How did anyone get in here without being seen?

Why is no one doing their job?!

I turn to run, but arms encircle my waist, lifting me off the ground. I try to scream, but a hand slams over my mouth. I’m so scared. I should have run when I first heard the nose. I know not to linger when I sense danger. Always trust your instincts and your gut feeling.

Why the hell didn’t I run?

I scream behind his hand while struggling to get away from him. I don’t want him to hurt my baby; I want to go inside to my brother where I’m safe.

Oh, God, my heart is racing in fear.

Please let me get out of this in one piece. Please don’t let this man hurt my baby and me. I’ll do what Draven wants me to, and I won’t complain again. I promise.

“Shh, baby. Calm down. It’s me. It’s Jett.”

Jett?

I instantly calm down and go slack in his arms. I can smell him suddenly, that woodsy, manly scent that had me falling for him in the first place.

“I’m not here to hurt you. I just want to talk. Okay?”

I nod my head, and he removes his hand from my mouth.

I turn to face him, and it’s really him, Jett. The father of my baby, the man I’ve been dreaming about all these weeks.

He strokes my face with his big hand, and it feels so good to have him touch me. “You’ve been crying.” His eyes narrow.

But I shake my head. “You can’t be here, Jett. Draven will kill you.”

“I don’t care about Draven, Maria. All I care about is making sure you’re okay.”

As sweet as that is, I’m scared something bad is about to happen.

“I’m fine.” I look behind myself for a second to make sure no one is coming before looking back to Jett. “You have to go; it’s not safe here.”

“You’ve lost weight,” Both his hands come around my face, caressing my cheeks with his thumbs. He’s not even listening to me. “I know this is hard on you, but you have to take care of yourself, Princess.”

“I’m trying. It’s not easy, though. I had to meet my future husband this evening, and I hate him already.”

“He’s not going to be your husband, Maria. Trust me. I’m not going to let it happen.”

“You can’t stop this.” A tear falls from my eye.

I can't think straight when he’s close to me like this. He clouds my mind much like he did the night we slept together.

“I’m getting married next week. Oh, Jett!” I wail.

He grabs me and pulls me into his strong arms, and I melt into him, nuzzling his big chest. If only I could hold onto him and never let go.

“I don’t want you to worry about anything, Princess. I’m going to fix everything.” He strokes my hair softly, and it’s soothing, so much so my eyes are getting heavy.

“I wish I could be with you tonight.”

Damn, where the hell did that come from?

“Is there no way you could sneak out?” I shake my head. There’s no way on earth I could do that. “I best go.” He says as he kisses my head. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“Okay,” I say with little effort. “Will I see you again?”

“Have no fear, baby, you’ll see me again.” I nod while forcing myself away from his big body. “Try not to worry.” He winks at me, and I can’t help but smile. Then I moan the second his lips hit mine. I didn’t expect it, but I won’t deny it.

Sliding my hands around his neck and into his hair, I pull him closer to me. Jett’s hands slide around my body, over my ass, and back up over my spine. I’m groaning into his mouth, shamelessly rocking my hips against the monster erectio.n through his jeans, and I feel the same fire I felt within me as the night he first took me. Oh God, I want him so badly.

He pulls away from the kiss but rests his forehead against mine, one hand on my stomach, and I smile. This is what it’s supposed to feel like, natural. I know he’s not in love with me, but he wants to be there for me, to marry me, and to take care of our child. I know I could be happy with him. I could fall in love with him and be happy for the rest of my life.

Of course, there’s the worry that he might cheat and find pleasure with other women. But I would be so good to him that he wouldn’t need other women. I could love him so well that he’d fall in love with me faster than the breeze blowing through the trees in a storm.

“See you soon, beautiful.”

“See you soon,” I fold my arms around myself and watch Jett scale the wall like a professional ninja, his huge size not making it difficult for him to move quickly. I giggle to myself because he holds himself on top of the wall for a second and winks at me before dropping to the ground below.

“Maria!”

I’m coming, big brother.