Bounced Into Love Read online

  Bounced Into Love

  Rochelle Paige

  Contents

  Bounced Into Love

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Epilogue

  Also by Rochelle Paige

  About the Author

  Copyright © 2019 by Rochelle Paige

  Cover designed by Elle Christensen

  Edited by Manda Lee

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Bounced Into Love

  He hadn’t done anything to deserve her…

  Jackson Swift felt like his hands were still dirty after the things he’d seen and done as a collector for a Las Vegas bookie. Although he left his past behind him, he never expected to find someone like his red-haired angel when he came to Chicago.

  But that didn’t mean he was going to let her go…

  Kiara Kelly is too shy to approach the smoking-hot bouncer who’s caught her interest. Lucky for both of them, Jackson doesn’t have a timid bone in his body. And once he makes his move, there’s no going back for either of them.

  Chapter 1

  Jaxson

  “You do realize there’s such a thing as taking the dark and broody thing too far, right?”

  I reluctantly dragged my gaze in my boss’s direction and quirked a brow when I found him grinning at me. “I didn’t realize you had a sense of humor, Mark.”

  “Really? I thought everyone knew how funny I can be.” His head tilted to the side. “You probably didn’t realize it because of how we met since the circumstances were as far from funny as they could possibly be.”

  “You can say that again,” I muttered, glancing over to where his wife sat. The first time I met Ariana, she was in deep shit with my former boss. I’d warned her to get as far away from the sleazy bookie as she could, and she’d ended up running straight into Mark’s arms. It was nice to see her practically glowing with happiness as she chatted with the bartender. I was also grateful because her good fortune had spilled over to me when Mark had come to Vegas to clean up the mess her mom had landed her in. He’d offered me a job if I wanted to move to Chicago, and I’d found myself taking him up on it less than a year later.

  In the months since I’d been working for him, he hadn’t given me any reason to regret that decision. Until now; as he reminded me of how badly I wanted something I could never have.

  “You’re not going to get the girl if you never talk to her.”

  My gaze jerked back to Mark, and I found him staring at the woman I’d been obsessed with since she first stepped foot into Ice, the club where I was the head bouncer. Every day for the past five weeks I’d lived for the moment she showed up on Friday night. She always came in with the same group of women. I assumed she worked with them, based on the office attire they all wore and the snatches of conversation I’d overheard.

  She was fucking hot; tiny compared to my size, but with curves that wouldn’t stop. She had long red hair and bright blue eyes. Her pale skin looked so fucking soft. And I could too easily picture her plump lips wrapped around my cock.

  Having spent most of my life in Vegas, I was used to being around beautiful women. None of them had ever tempted me the way this one did. Something about her was different. I’d barely stopped myself from tossing her over my shoulder and carrying her up to Mark’s office that first night…and every single time she’d come in here since then. But her beauty shone from the inside too, and that’s why I’d stayed away from her. She was too pure for the likes of me.

  “Who said I wanted the girl?”

  It was a good thing I wasn’t in Vegas anymore. I couldn’t lie for shit when it came to her, and my ability to maintain a poker face had been one of the things that kept me alive when I worked for Louie DeFiglio. If he’d caught me in a lie, it could’ve easily been the end of me. But Mark was as different from Louie as I was from my red-haired angel.

  My new boss saw right through me when it came to the girl. Instead of using it as leverage against me like Louie would’ve done, he called my bluff, “Are you really going to try to pretend you don’t want her? Because if so, there are about a hundred guys in here that I can fix her up with.”

  A deep growl rumbled up my chest at the idea of some guy touching her pale skin. I knew I wasn’t good enough for her, not with everything I’d seen and done back in Vegas. But that didn’t mean I thought that any of the guys in here were good enough for her, either. As far as I was concerned, nobody was.

  “That’s what I thought,” Mark chuckled. “With the way you look at her, it’s obvious how badly you want her. So why don’t you do something about it? You don’t strike me as the kind of guy who sits back and lets life pass him by. If you were, you wouldn’t have stepped up and tried to help Ariana in Vegas.”

  I wasn’t. Not usually, but this was different. Just like everything else about my red-haired angel. “I’m exactly the type of guy a girl like her doesn’t need in her life.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “She deserves better than me.”

  Mark wrapped a hand around my shoulder, tugging me in his direction. When I turned towards him, his dark eyes were deadly serious as he growled, “You don’t work for Louie DeFiglio anymore. You left that life behind in Vegas to build a new one here.”

  “That doesn’t mean I don’t still carry the baggage from it.” And some days it felt like it was heavier than I could manage.

  “You work for Andrew and me now, in one of the same clubs as my wife.” Mark jerked his chin in Ariana’s direction. “Do you think I ever would’ve let you near her again if I thought you were a bad guy?”

  “Of course not.” He wouldn’t do anything that put her at risk. It was impossible to miss how protective he was with his wife. “I’m not saying I’m a bad guy.” Not exactly, anyway. “But working together and being in a relationship isn’t the same thing.”

  “A relationship,” he echoed, his grin returning. “Sounds like I didn’t pick the right word earlier.”

  “How so?”

  “I have a feeling ‘need’ would’ve been closer to the mark when it comes to describing your feelings for the girl.”

  “Want. Need.” I shrugged my shoulders. “It doesn’t really matter since she’s meant for better things than me.”

  “What if you’re wrong? What if she ends up with some guy who thinks he’s too good for her and treats her like it?”

  Another growl rumbled up my chest. This time, it wasn’t the thought of someone else having the right to touch her; it was the possibility that they’d hurt her.

  “Even the slimmest possibility of some guy treating her wrong has you looking like you’re ready to kick some ass. I think you’re exactly the kind of guy she’s meant to be with.”

  I shook my head in frustration. “Why are you making such a big deal about this? Do you interfere in all of your employees’ love lives? Or am I just special?”

  “Damn straight you’re special.” He tapped a finger against his wedding band. “Things might not have gone as smoothly for Ariana and me if it hadn’t been for you.”

  “Are you forgetting about the black eye I gave you?” I chuckled, hoping it would shift his attention away from the girl even while I couldn’t get what he’d just said out of my mind.

  “Na
h.” He shook his head. “But we both know I would’ve ended up with a hell of a lot worse if it had been anyone else in that room with Louie and me.”

  “This is true,” I muttered, thinking about the damage I’d seen the guy I’d been partnered with deliver when we were collecting debts for Louie.

  “Even surrounded by all that shit, you didn’t let yourself be dragged down by Louie and the rest of his guys. You hung on to your honor, and that says a fuck of a lot about the kind of man you are.” He clapped me on the shoulder. “Which is why you deserve a shot at the same happiness I’ve found with Ariana.” He shifted his attention to my red-haired angel. “And I’m thinking with the looks she sends your way the rare times when your focus is pulled away from her; she wants the chance to be the one to give it to you. Are you really going to take that away from her?”

  Chapter 2

  Kiara

  "Are you ever going to get up the nerve to say something to him? We’ve been coming here for weeks, and the only thing you’ve managed to do is smile at him. Once.”

  I tore my gaze away from the guy who’d starred in my fantasies for weeks to stare at Susan. She was the nicest of my coworkers, and the reason I’d come to Ice in the first place. She was too darn persuasive, and I found it nearly impossible to resist her when she had her mind set on something.

  “What?” I pasted on my most innocent expression. I didn’t like where this conversation was most likely headed…with me doing something even further outside my comfort zone than coming to one of the hottest clubs in Chicago on a Friday night. Five times in a row.

  “I think you’re giving her too much credit,” Candice snorted. “It’s more like she sort of smiled in his general direction.”

  My cheeks filled with heat as Candice sipped at her drink. She reminded me of the mean girls’ group from high school, and I hadn’t been able to figure out why Susan liked to hang out with her after work. They were just so different from each other.

  “What?” I repeated, with a sinking feeling in my stomach.

  “You know, the guy here who you like,” Susan explained. She made big eyes in the direction of the front door, and I knew my secret was out.

  Then it got worse as Candice added, “Yeah, the super-hot, big guy who’s way out of your league.”

  “Stop it,” Susan hissed at Candice. “That’s just your jealousy talking because you don’t like that he’s never noticed you. His attention is always on Kiara whenever we’re here.”

  “That’s ripe, coming from you,” Candice accused in a shrill tone.

  I didn’t have any idea what she was talking about since I’d never seen Susan be anything but kind to everyone around her. I didn’t wonder about it for long though, since Susan chose to ignore Candice’s verbal jab and continued as though she hadn’t heard her. “I noticed the way you looked at him that night when you finally agreed to come out with us.”

  “Wait! Is that why you keep insisting we stop here for drinks at the end of the week?”

  “Duh! Of course it is.” Candice rolled her eyes and slurped at her drink. “Why else would she want—”

  “Yes!” Susan interrupted Candice’s tirade. “I think you guys would make a cute couple. I was hoping if we gave you enough chances, you’d get up the nerve to strike up a conversation with him or something.”

  My gaze darted back towards the man in question, only to find his pale green eyes locked on me. I let out a little squeak and quickly looked down at my hands where they twisted together on my lap. “I couldn’t possibly.”

  “Of course you can!” Susan encouraged.

  I shook my head. “No, really. I can’t.”

  “See,” Candice huffed. “I told you it was a waste of time, dragging her out with us at the end of each week when all she wants to do is sit at home alone.”

  “Of course it isn’t a waste of time,” Susan insisted with a smile that looked a little forced. “Even if Kiara doesn’t end up going out with the guy, at least we’ve had fun hanging out with her.”

  “Uh huh. Fun. Sure. Whatever you say,” Candice drawled, sounding anything but sincere.

  Susan looked so irritated; I couldn’t help but try to reassure her. “Well, I’ve had lots of fun.”

  “I’m glad.” Her smile became more genuine as she patted my hand. “But I bet you’d have even more fun if you went and talked to him.”

  “Like I’ve been saying all along, there isn’t a chance in hell that she’s going to end up on a date with that guy”—Candice didn’t even try not to be obvious when she pointed in his direction—“no matter how many times we bring her here.”

  It was as though the entire club quieted at that exact moment, until the only sound left was Candice’s voice. Everyone at the tables next to us turned our way, and I felt my cheeks heat further as they stared at us. It felt like they were all focused on me, and I was so embarrassed. I wished the floor would open up and swallow me whole. But then I felt a large, warm hand on my shoulder. When I glanced up, it was him—the guy I couldn’t get out of my head.

  “It’s you,” I gasped, my head tilted way back to look at his face. At about six foot four, he was more than a full foot taller than me. His frame was muscular where mine was slight. I was only one hundred and fifteen pounds, and at my best guess, he weighed maybe two hundred more than me. His hair was thick, dark, and wavy. His eyes were a pale shade of green, almost the exact same shade as the cat I had when I was a little girl.

  “Yeah, I’m definitely me.” He offered the girls at the table a brief smile, aiming his question Susan’s way. “Do you mind if I borrow your friend for a moment?”

  “Of course not,” Susan answered as she nudged my chair with her foot.

  Candice leaned forward in her seat, giving him a clear view down her shirt as she asked, “Are you sure it’s Kiara you want to borrow?”

  I had a feeling Susan’s foot did a lot more than nudge Candice’s chair when she jolted up and cried out, while I glared at her.

  “Feel free to keep her as long as you’d like. The rest of us were getting ready to ask for our bills. I’ll make sure Kiara’s is taken care of.” She beamed a reassuring smile my way. “Since she was planning to request a ride share to get home, she doesn’t need to worry about hurrying up because one of us is waiting on her or anything like that. She can stay as late as she wants.”

  Everything Susan said was true, but I still couldn’t help but feel like she was serving me up to the guy on a silver platter. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. One part of me was excited that he’d approached me, but another was incredibly nervous. I was usually super shy around guys, especially hot ones. And Candice was right about one thing—he was super-hot and way out of my league. Susan should’ve known how out of my depth I was, but she didn’t seem to care.

  I felt a squeeze on my shoulder, and my gaze swung back up to him. “Are you okay with that plan?” I couldn’t get my lips to move, so I just nodded in agreement. He flashed me a grin and asked, “You sure about that answer?”

  I nodded more emphatically, and his green eyes filled with male satisfaction. “I’d like to hear it from your pretty lips. You think you can do that for me, my little angel?”

  My little angel.

  Oh.

  My.

  God.

  It was the sweetest nickname I’d ever heard, and he’d chosen it for me. Not Candice. Not any of the gorgeous, half-dressed women in the club who’d more than jump at a chance with him.

  Me.

  The least I could do was give him the answer he was asking for. The one I felt deep down inside.

  “Yes.”

  Chapter 3

  Jaxson

  Yes. They were only three little letters, but hearing them changed everything for me.

  After listening to what Mark had to say, I couldn’t take my eyes off my red-headed angel. When she’d gotten a startled look in her blue eyes after she caught me staring at her, I’d almost convinced myself that my boss was rig
ht—even though I was the last guy she should’ve picked, she wanted a chance with me.

  Then I heard the insulting way one of her coworkers talked about me being out of her league, and I couldn’t stop myself from walking over. I figured I’d prove to everyone that the woman had it all wrong. I’d take my red-head to the bar and talk with her for a little while. Soak up being close to her while she got to know me. I figured it wouldn’t take long before she realized she was the one who was out of my league.

  Then I’d try like hell to figure out how to let her walk away from me. For good. My only hope was that she’d stop coming to Ice every Friday so I wouldn’t be tortured by seeing what I couldn’t have each week. It was also my biggest fear because I wasn’t sure how long I’d be able to last before tracking her down if I didn’t get my weekly fix of her.

  But now? It had only taken one little word from her luscious mouth to get me to toss that plan out the window. If the interest in her pretty blue eyes was as real as it seemed, there was no way I was letting her get away from me. Making her mine would more than prove her jealous coworker wrong.

  Holding out my hand to help her up, I flicked my gaze at the woman who’d basically pushed my red-head into my arms. “Don’t worry about her bill. I’ll make sure it’s covered.”

  As I led Kiara—and fuck if her name wasn’t as sexy as she was—away from the table, the jealous one hissed something about how the other one should appreciate the sacrifices she made for their friendship. She was making about as much sense as she had been when she was spouting off that bullshit about me being out of Kiara’s league, so I shrugged it off. But I didn’t forget it. I made a mental note to keep an eye on the woman in the future since I didn’t like how she talked about Kiara.