Say It's Forever Read online

  SAY IT’S FOREVER

  A.L. JACKSON

  CONTENTS

  Also by A.L. Jackson

  1. Jud

  2. Salem

  3. Jud

  4. Salem

  5. Jud

  6. Salem

  7. Salem

  8. Jud

  9. Jud

  10. Salem

  11. Jud

  12. Salem

  13. Jud

  14. Salem

  15. Jud

  16. Salem

  17. Salem

  18. Jud

  19. Salem

  20. Jud

  21. Salem

  22. Jud

  23. Jud

  24. Salem

  25. Salem

  26. Jud

  27. Salem

  28. Salem

  29. Jud

  30. Jud

  31. Salem

  32. Salem

  33. Jud

  34. Salem

  35. Jud

  36. Salem

  37. Jud

  Epilogues

  Also by A.L. Jackson

  About the Author

  Connect with A.L. Jackson online:

  Copyright © 2022 A.L. Jackson Books Inc.

  First Edition

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior permission of the publisher. Please protect this art form by not pirating.

  A.L. Jackson

  www.aljacksonauthor.com

  Cover Design by RBA Designs

  Image by Michelle Lancaster Photography

  Editing by Stylistic Editing

  Proofreading by Julia Griffis, The Romance Bibliophile

  Formatting by Champagne Formatting

  The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Names, characters, places, and plots are a product of the author’s imagination. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Print ISBN: 978-1-946420-57-2

  eBook ISBN: 978-1-946420-58-9

  ALSO BY A.L. JACKSON

  MOST TITLES ARE FREE WITH KINDLE UNLIMITED

  Redemption Hills

  Give Me a Reason

  Say It’s Forever

  Never Look Back - coming 2022

  Promise Me Always - coming 2023

  Falling Stars

  Kiss the Stars

  Catch Me When I Fall

  Falling into You

  Beneath the Stars

  Confessions of the Heart

  More of You

  All of Me

  Pieces of Us

  Fight for Me Series

  Show Me the Way

  Follow Me Back

  Lead Me Home

  Hold on to Hope

  Bleeding Stars Series

  A Stone in the Sea

  Drowning to Breathe

  Where Lightning Strikes

  Wait

  Stay

  Stand

  The Regret Series

  Lost to You

  Take This Regret

  If Forever Comes

  The Closer to You Series

  Come to Me Quietly

  Come to Me Softly

  Come to Me Recklessly

  Stand-Alone Novels

  Pulled

  When We Collide

  Hollywood Chronicles

  A collaboration with USA Today Bestselling Author, Rebecca Shea

  One Wild Night

  One Wild Ride

  ONE

  JUD

  It was just before ten when I slowed my bike and made a right onto Dawson.

  Darkness had long descended on the small, mountain city, but a storm had rolled in, and the sky pounded its fury on Redemption Hills, California.

  “Shit,” I grumbled under my breath when I saw the red blinking lights up ahead. The last thing I wanted was to play savior right then. I was soaked through, and I was itching to get back so I could peel the drenched clothes from my body, hit a hot shower, and maybe kick back a beer or two considering I’d picked a really fuckin’ bad night for a joyride.

  But the storm had hit from out of nowhere, and I’d been halfway back to my place before I’d realized I was about to get slammed.

  I slowed my Harley, barely moving as I passed the car, hoping it had been abandoned for better weather.

  No such luck. The hood was open and…shit…there was a woman leaned over the front peering down at the engine.

  I groaned out a sigh and eased to a stop about fifty feet in front of the car.

  I could keep on going, but that would be a dick move. On this side of town, it was industrial, most every shop closed and locked up tight, and I knew full well the only ones out prowling at this time of night were hunting for trouble. Out looking for targets to unleash their sickness and depravity.

  I figured the pile of sins I was paying for was high enough not to add leaving some chick stranded in the rain to the top.

  Besides, it wasn’t like metal and oil weren’t in my blood. It was what I did.

  Kicking the stand, I killed the engine and swung off the bike. I dug into the saddle bag, pulled out a flashlight, and clicked it on. The beam glittered through the flood pouring from the sky. My boots were heavy, sloshing through the river that ran the curb as I strode that way.

  The woman whirled around, and I was squinting to see her where she had her back pressed to the front of the car, clutching her damned keys between her fingers with the tips facing out.

  Could feel the energy.

  Her fear rushing the air.

  Shit.

  I didn’t want to freak her out, but what the hell was I supposed to do? Leave her there? Fuck no. I might have been a monster, but my mother had at least taught me better than that.

  She slowly came into focus the closer I got.

  Well, fuck me.

  Would peg her at about twenty-four or twenty-five.

  The girl as drenched as me. Long, black hair was matted to her face. She wore a thin t-shirt, jeans, and sky-high heels, the fabric sticking to every inch of her lush body.

  The scattering rays of light caught on her eyes.

  Thunderbolt eyes.

  Blue strikes of lightning that raged.

  Turbulent.

  Tumultuous.

  Her face was a clash of soft and hard, her brow and chin and jaw sharp, but her cheeks and mouth were full and plump.

  So damned pretty I almost stumbled in my tracks.

  With my approach, terror ridged her expression, but she clenched those keys tighter. It was clear if I became a threat, she wouldn’t go down without a fight.

  A wild animal backed into a corner.

  Feral.

  Fierce.

  “Hey there, darlin’. You look like you’re having some trouble.” Basically had to shout to be heard over the driving rain that pounded against the pavement.

  Her chin lifted, and I could see her attention darting all around while she still focused on me, the girl calculating her escape route, her flight if she needed it.

  I stepped closer.

  Carefully.

  A roll of energy trembled the ground.

  “I’m just fine.” Her voice was this deep, sultry, wicked thing.

  “You sure about that?”

  Ferocity flared in her features, and shit, that was the wrong thing to say.

  I lifted my hands out to the sides, light blinking off to the side. “I’m not here to mess with you. I saw you were in trouble, and it looked to me like you could use some help. Not like I want to be standing out here in the rain, either.”

  A
little of the edge drained from her shoulders, but she watched me, refusing to let her guard down, not that I could blame her.

  There were some twisted motherfuckers in this world. Figured I’d known half of them by name.

  “Not out here to hurt you,” I told her, words gruff.

  She scoffed out a dismissive sound, shooting me daggers as she did. “That’s what they all say, isn’t it?”

  A slight chuckle rumbled out.

  Little wildcat.

  Hoping to put her at ease, I angled my head toward the engine. “Do you have any idea what the problem might be?”

  She huffed out her frustration and gestured wildly at it, all that soaked hair sticking to her gorgeous face.

  It was really damned distracting, if I was being honest.

  “It just died. I was barely able to coast to the side of the road.”

  Warily, I peeked at her as I moved closer because I was pretty sure she wouldn’t hesitate to chop off my dick if I made the wrong move. I leaned over the engine, jiggling a few hoses and wires to see if it was something simple that I could fix right there.

  “Hopefully it’s just the alternator or battery,” I mumbled as I poked around.

  “And how much is that?” An edge of hysteria slipped into her voice, like she was going to lose it if one more thing went wrong.

  My chest squeezed tight as I peered her way through the rain.

  Could see it written all over her, this desperation that lined her being. Padded her in steel and severity.

  “Not sure. If it’s the battery or alternator, it won’t be a biggie. If your engine seized—that could get dicey. Will have to get it into the shop and take a look before we can know for sure.”

  “Shop?”

  Our voices were raised over the drone of crashing rain.

  “Have one, right up here around the corner. Iron Ride.”

  So okay. Iron Ride was a custom bike shop. A spot for a restoration was highly coveted and didn’t come cheap. Our specialty was motorcycles, but every now and again, we brought in a collectible car that we rebuilt from the bones. Didn’t need to tell her my mechanics were going to have a field day when they found out I’d hauled in a ’99 family sedan.

  Her eyes narrowed in contemplation before she suddenly stepped back and shook her head. She looked like she was the one commanding the raging storm.

  This dark chaos that thrashed in the night.

  “What are you doing out here by yourself, anyway?” I asked, swiping the deluge pummeling my face.

  “You know what? It’s fine. I’m fine. Just…I’ll figure something out. I’ll call for a ride. You can go.”

  She flung her hand at my bike sitting in the distance, totally ignoring my question.

  Through the rain, I looked at her, studied her face that shimmered in the glow of hazy light. Her teeth were clenched, and my gaze locked on the long, jagged scar that ran the side of her left jaw that the grinding somehow accentuated.

  I had the urge to reach out and touch it. Run my fingertips along the flesh.

  That was some serious fuckery. This reaction she evoked. Like I suddenly couldn’t move.

  As stranded as she was.

  My hand curled into a fist to stop myself from doing something stupid.

  Like she felt the attention there, her teeth ground harder, but instead of dipping her chin and hiding it, she lifted it in some kind of challenge.

  Lust jumped into my guts.

  Yup.

  I was losing it. Mind traipsing into things that could set this freezing cold rain to boiling.

  I was there to help and that was that.

  But this girl was seriously hot and seriously savage, and my dick didn’t seem to get the memo that we were going to help her out and send her on her way.

  Thing was, I thought she could cast a spell with a glance.

  Hypnotize and mesmerize.

  Could feel it—some kind of magic that floated in the air.

  Enchantress.

  It wound with the storm and beat into the ground.

  A bolt of lightning lit the sky around us.

  One second later, thunder cracked.

  The hairs lifted on my arms.

  I inhaled a steadying breath and shoved the crazy shock of attraction down. I angled my head. “Do you really think I’m just going to leave you out here in this storm?”

  Defiantly, she crossed her arms over her chest. “I said I was fine. You can go.”

  Another bolt of lightning. I saw her flinch.

  “Go? That’s not gonna happen. Come on, we need to get out of this rain.”

  “That would be great…you know…if my freaking car was running.”

  I almost laughed. She was a fiery thing.

  “Grab your purse.”

  Her brow curled as a river of mascara ran down her cheeks. “What?”

  “Let’s go.” I pointed at my bike.

  She huffed and stomped her foot like I was crazy. “I don’t even know you.”

  “Name’s Jud. Jud Lawson. Like I told you before, my shop is around the corner. We can take shelter there until the storm passes. And guess what, don’t know you, either, darlin’, yet I’m out here trying to get my ass electrocuted to help you. So how about we get the hell out of here before we both end up on tomorrow’s news, yeah?”

  Distrust filtered through her expression, gaze narrowed before she huffed and threw up her hands. “Fine.”

  She strode on those sexy-as-fuck heels over to the driver’s-side door. She dipped in and grabbed her purse and slung it over her shoulder before she stormed back my way like a tempest.

  I closed her hood and reached for her hand.

  She glared at it like it was poison.

  A rough chuckle flooded the air around us as I dropped my hand. “Not gonna bite.”

  That wicked gaze narrowed.

  Damn. This girl could slay me with a look.

  I moved for my bike, and she kept her distance as we went. I swung my leg over and pressed the ignition button. The loud roar filled the night, mixed with the rhythm of the rain.

  The woman hesitated at my side, warring, looking back at her car that sat like a heap of disappointment behind us.

  I stretched out my hand again. “Get on. That thing’s going nowhere tonight.”

  Thunderbolt eyes pierced me, as sharp as a blade. “Touch me, and I stab you.”

  Deep laughter rolled. “Have no doubt about that, darlin’. No doubt at all.”

  Finally, she gave and put her hand in mine.

  A shockwave streaked my flesh.

  A clash of that severity that blistered in the air and coalesced with her touch.

  What the motherfuck?

  Sucking it down, I steadied her as she swung a long leg over my bike and tucked her body close to mine.

  She curled her arms around my waist, her breath hot on my neck.

  I felt her all around. Heat and flames and ferocity.

  Need went stampeding through my veins.

  I silently scolded my cock like it was a thirteen-year-old boy who’d cut class to get high.

  Make bad choices and you’re gonna end up no place good.

  I knocked my bike into gear and took back to the road that was turning into a river.

  A flood of water streamed down, and the tires of my bike cut through and created a wave.

  I took the next left, ignoring the way I could feel the hammer of her heart beating into my back, like that thunder could sink right in and take over.

  The way her arms curled tighter and tighter. Clinging to me like I could be her refuge.

  To the left was Absolution, the club my brother Trent ran and owned, though I had a piece of it since I’d invested in it when we’d come to build new lives here in Redemption Hills.

  Blue neon lights glowed through the storm like a mirage. A sanctuary sitting in the middle of factories and shops.

  It didn’t matter that the sky was dumping, the place was packed as always, the
club set in an old warehouse that we’d taken from the rubble and built a new dream.

  Where we’d taken the worth of our depravity and done our best to pour it into something better.

  Where we’d left behind the crimes and misdeeds and tried to come clean.

  But where Absolution was Trent’s baby, mine was on the lot at the back.

  I took the two short lefts that wound around the club to where Iron Ride sat on a four-acre lot behind Absolution.

  The building was massive. Two soaring stories. The customer lobby and entrance were through big glass doors that were on the right, and a row of huge garage doors ran to the left.

  I could feel half the woman’s tension drain away when she saw the building with the glowing sign.

  Slowing to a crawl, I pushed the button mounted on my bike that made the farthest garage door crawl open. Lights flashed on inside. They glinted against the shiny black epoxy floors of the shop.

  I eased my bike in, pulling it alongside my truck, ushering us out of the rain and into safety.

  My boots came out to plant on the ground to balance the bike as I turned off the engine and kicked the stand.

  In an instant, quiet surrounded us. The pounding of the rain that echoed on the metal roof had become a steady drone that covered us.

  A hazy, mesmerizing dream.

  The girl’s arms tightened around my waist like she didn’t know what to do with herself from there, and I could feel her reservations return full force.