Jail Bird. by Em. Z. (good book recommendations .TXT) 📖

to protect you, Dickhead! If Ike caught us together he'll cut off your head and wave it in the air like a victory flag!"

Victor was stunned into silence.

"So before you go off accusing me of being so selfish as to refuse your love for publicity reasons, you might want to think!" My voice faltered, as hurt panged at my heart.

I couldn't believe he thought of me that way. It was humiliating, and degrading. I wanted to smack him. 

So, I walked right up to him, and before he could blink, I placed a red mark on his cheek. "Fuck you." I spat.

He caught my wrists as I tried to do it again, and pulled me close to him. I struggled, trying to twist my wrists out of his grasp, but I always felt so weak when I was near him.

"If you even try to kiss me I swear-" I my threat was cut off abruptly by his lips on mine.

Well, there goes that.

I made quite the effort to keep his lips from shredding every thought I had like a hungry paper-shredder, and I was proud of myself for keeping sane...for at least a few seconds.

And then instinct took over.

With his hands still wound around my wrists, I slid my hands up, gripping the back of his neck and deepening the kiss. My hair was let out of it's ponytail, as he tangled his fingers into it. This was not a soft and slow kiss, this was a hot, demanding, frustrated kiss. He communicated everything to me through this kiss. He wasn't letting me go. This was a kiss of dominance. Fierce, demanding dominance.

He pulled back, freeing my wrists as he leaned down to growl into my ear, "You're mine, Jane."

I shoved away from him, wiping the back of my hand across my lips. "Like hell I am."

I stormed past him before he could see the goofy smile that took over my face.

Like hell I wasn't his. I was head over heals for the jerk-wad.

"Oh Jane." He sang, his melodous voice doing strange things to my balance.

I worked to make my goofy smile turn to a frown, as I turned to him. "What?" I snapped.

He grinned. "Your eyebrow twitched."

Damn it!

Decisions.

 

I lie on my bed, staring up at the ceiling as frustration muddled my thoughts. I wasn't going to give into Victor. I was doing this for his own protection. Ike was still out there, and if he saw us together...

I couldn't risk it.

Ike was dangerous. He had connections that the police weren't aware of. He could kill Victor without even having to lift a finger. I wouldn't let that happen. Victor meant so much to me. Enough for me to let him go.

But he'd been fighting me tooth and nail!

I growled in frustration, running a hand through my hair as I remembered his recent act of "persuasion."

It had been a week since I'd confessed about my plan to die, and Kent still wouldn't talk to me. He knew I was serious about what I said, instead of drunk off my ass and incoherent. We'd sit in the kitchen in a stony silence, both ignoring each other's presence. We'd gone out to eat under Mother's orders.

***

One hour ago.

Sitting in my room, I was watching a random cartoon I found, when Mom came bursting into my room.

"Jane Lane Harison I have been calling you for an hour, turn that blasted thing down!" She yelled over the TV.

I grinned. I'd turned it up after she called me the first time. "Oops." I said innocently.

She let out a breath as I turned down the TV. "Thank you. Now get dressed, we're going out." She ordered.

"Wait, what?"

"We're going out to eat. I'm tired of all this tension over something that didn't even happen. You didn't die. You're fine. So we're going out to eat and you and your brother are going to talk this out like responsible adults."

I gaped at her. "Do you even know who we are?"

"Yes, and that's why you are not going to be who you are, we are going to pretend to be a normal family, with normal problems like a disliked co-worker. You are going to smile and be polite to each other or so help me I will throttle you both!" Her eyes blazed and I knew that she wasn't bluffing.

I held up my hands in surrender. "Fine! Jeez, it's not that big a deal!"

So we went out.

Victor, Logan, Mom, Kent and I went to this little restaurant called Sue's Kitchen. Most would probably think of it as a Diner, but it was so much bigger and fancier than that. It had Diner food, but the location was gorgeous, right on the beach with an open patio, and the indoor dining room was so beautiful, with a beach theme. Seashells hung on the walls, and seashell-shaped napkin holders sat in the middle of the round tables, covered in soft-coral colored cloth. It was dimly lit, with candles on each table, and small, round lights above. 

Mother asked for a patio table. The patio was even prettier. Round wooden tables sat off to the right, with white, fluttery curtains separating us from the beach. Tiki torches sat in the middle of each table, and a large chandelier lit the night up brilliantly.

What I loved, and hated, most about this place, however, was the dance floor. To the left, there was music playing, with a few couples dancing together to the slow song.

I gulped. I actually gulped at that.

We took our seats, and our waitress came out, smiling warmly at us all. "Hi, my name's Minnie, and I'll be your waiter today. Can I start you guys off with anything, an appetizer?" She suggested.

Mom glanced at the menu. "We'll have the fried pickles."

I grinned. Mom knew Kent and I so well.

"Okay. And what to drink?"

"I'll have Dr. Pepper." Kent and I said at the same time.

We went silent. The waiter gave us confused looks. "I'm sorry...I'm not familiar with that."

I furrowed my eyebrows and looked up at her. "What?"

Victor cleared his throat, chuckling. "We'll just have some sweet tea. Extra sweet." He said, glancing at me.

"All of you?"

"Yes. Thank you." He said.

I gave Mom a wide eyed stare when the waiter rushed off to give our order. "You took me to a place where Dr. Pepper isn't heard of?" I hissed.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh Jane. The world does not revolve around Dr. Pepper."

"For me it does!" Yet again, Kent and I were like the creepy identical twins.

This time, we smiled slightly at each other.

I'd gone a week and three days without Dr. Pepper. I was dying for one, and I find out that I can't have them? I wasn't going to survive.

"You're both being such drama queens." She rolled her eyes.

After a few minutes in silence, looking at our menus, the waitress came back, giving us our drinks, and our appetizer. Kent almost mauled her hand before she could get the plate down, but I smacked the back of his head, giving Minnie an apologetic smile. She quickly took our order, afraid of Kent's intent to kill her, and then scurried away. I rolled my eyes, smacking the back of Kent's head again for good measure.

He rubbed his head, glaring at me.

"Jane." Victor said, grabbing my attention immediately.

His voice was like honey. It sent shivers flowing down my spine.

"Yeah?" I asked, a little breathless.

He didn't speak for a second, glancing around the table at the others. Mom got the hint. "Kent, Logan, let's take a walk down the beach, eh? I'd like to see the sunset." She said.

It was true, the sun was dipping lower and lower in the sky, and soon the moon would replace it.

"But what about the food?" Kent complained.

"I'm sure Victor and Jane will tell us when it's ready, won't you?"

I hadn't taken my eyes from Victors. His golden gazed had trapped mine, and it wasn't letting go. I hardly even glanced up at Mom. "Sure...yeah."

They all shuffled off of the porch, leaving Victor and I alone, staring at each other. Finally, after a few moments, I got uncomfortable, and tore my gaze from him. "So...you wanted to ask me something?" I guessed, looking down at his chest. His chest was an easy option, something that wasn't gold and soft and held no  underlying emotions. Like love.

"Dance with me." It wasn't a question.

I looked up at him in surprise. Bad idea. His eyes were smoldering, underneath long black lashes. God-damn it I was going to have to say yes.

"Victor..." I sighed, desperately trying to say no.

"Please, Jane. Just this once." He pleaded softly, taking my hand in his.

Oh no. He was pulling out the big guns. His pleas were like icing on an already too sweet cake. I couldn't resist.

"Fine." I gave in, standing up.

He looked like the kid who got the piece of candy he begged his mother for. He lead the way to the dance floor, me reluctantly trailing after him. The couples that had been dancing before had cleared after the first song, their food having arrived. So it was only Victor and I. He pulled me close to him, chest to chest, and laid his hand on my hip. I hesitantly put my hand in his, lying the other on his shoulder.

He chuckled at my reluctance, leaning down so his lips were at my ear. "Don't fight this, Jane. You want me, just as I want you."

I shivered but forced myself to deny it. "You can't fight what you don't feel."

He pulled back, his eyes searching mine, before he grinned, and spun me out. I let out a yelp at the sudden movement, and then he twirled me back into him. "I can't say I agree with those words." He whispered.

I glared at him, my breathing labored. "And why... is that?"

"Because I happen to remember a certain someone yelling that they lied about not loving me. Funny thing, eh?" He said, twirling me around a little more gently this time.

My cheeks burned. "I happen to remember being angry and thinking I'd do anything to get you to shut up." I lied.

He grinned, letting go of my hand to smooth my eyebrow, I cursed to myself, realizing it had quirked upward.

"I'm sure." He chuckled softly.

We swayed together in silence, staring each other down.  Finally, he looked away, searching the room with a musing look on his face. "You know, the last time we danced, on the beach, it felt like nothing I've ever felt before, having you in my arms. Now? It feels so much better." He said.

I furrowed my eyebrows."Why's that?"

He sighed softly, looking down at me with loving, yet hungry eyes. "Because I can do this."

He let go of my hand and my hip, taking my face in both his hands, and leaning down to press his lips against mine. It was a brief, but intimate kiss, and it still left me breathless when he pulled back.

When he settled back into his former position, hand on hip, other hand grasping mine tightly, I spoke.

"You couldn't do that before?" it definitely wasn't what I wanted to say, but I just blurted it out.

He chuckled, seeming happy with my reaction. "Yes, but I didn't know if you would slap me or