Page 1 of Jaded Soul

1

JETT

“Have a good day!” Rowan says as she waves to one of the regulars here at Gracie May’s Diner.

It’s ridiculous, but my gut twists up with jealousy when she smiles at the old man. She should be smiling atme, goddamnit.

Stop it, I chastise myself, taking another sip of my coffee. I focus on the warm, bitter liquid, trying to shove my possessive thoughts down. The thing is, for every one thought I suppress, five more pop up.

I finish my coffee and set the mug down with a thud. Rowan snaps her head in my direction, and try as I might, I can’t look away. It’s those eyes. Deep violet with a magical golden sparkle. I swear I can feel her gaze coursing through my veins the longer I stare at her.

She makes her way over to my booth, her generous hips swaying hypnotically. Not that I’m looking or anything.Damn it.

“Time for another refill?” the angel with purple eyes asks. Her midnight black hair is twisted into a bun resting at the nape of her neck. I get the urge to unclasp the pin holding it all together so I can watch her river of hair fall around her back andshoulders. Then, I’d wrap it around my fist, tilt her head back, and…

My phone rings, startling both of us. I look at the screen, my heart torn between talking to Rowan or catching up with my little sister.

“I’ll let you answer that,” Rowan says, making the decision for me.

I open my mouth to say something, anything, really, but as usual, no words come out. I’ve been at the diner every day since Rowan started working last week, but I can hardly muster up the brain cells to put two words together. I nod, and the goddess rewards me with a smile. A real one. I can tell because her entire face lights up, making her uniquely colored eyes shine like precious gems.

Who the fuck am I right now?Waxing poetic about a woman’s eyes?

My phone rings again, and this time, I answer it. “Fiona,” I greet my sister.

“Jett,” she says in her best impression of my growly voice. The corner of my lip ticks up at my sister’s antics. We’ve been through hell and back, yet she’s resilient, kind, and funny as hell. Can’t say the same about myself.

“How’s school? Are you sure you’re able to focus on classes while working? I can send you more money–”

“I’m fine, Jett,” she answers with a sigh. “Stop worrying about me so much.”

“Not gonna happen,” I grunt.

Fiona just laughs dismissively.

Am I protective of my little sister? Hell yeah, I am. The world is a cruel place and I almost lost myself in the chaos of it all when I moved away at seventeen. Stealing, partying, drinking myself into a stupor almost every night; anything to numb me from the pain of existence.

Until thirteen years ago when one phone call changed everything. Suddenly, I was the legal guardian of my eight-year-old sister. Technically, half-sister, but that shit doesn’t matter. Fiona and I are family.

“What about the club drama? Last time we talked, you said Domino found a clubhouse for you guys?”

“He sure did. He went and found himself a woman, too,” I say for some reason.

“Oh,really?!” Why did I offer that information? She’s never going to drop it now. “Tell me literally everything.”

I can just picture Fiona grabbing her favorite stuffed frog, Mr. Ribbet, and flopping down on the bed, waiting for me to gossip with her. Not that I gossip. I just share stories from my week and she does the same. We grew up in the tiny town of Sweetheart Falls, where she still lives. I moved a few hours away to Texas when my sister started college a few years ago, so this is the only way I can keep up with everything around town.

“Her name is Calista,” I start.

“OMG, love that. Calista? Beautiful. Is she a biker, too? Or did he convert her or whatever?”

I shake my head at her questions. “We’re not a cult. We don’t convert people,” I tell her with a hint of amusement in my voice. “But, no, Calista isn’t a biker. She’s a real estate agent.”

“Adorable! Tell me she’s the real estate agent who sold Domino the clubhouse.”

“Yup,” I confirm. My sister squeals over the phone.

"That is too cute. Like romance novel kind of cute."

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