by Eden O'Neill
“What?”
“Yeah.” he scrubbed into his hair. He looked at me. “Probably should have checked my phone sooner. I was supposed to pick them up.”
“Crap. Do you have to go?”
His response to this was covering me, like his whole big body. Hard heat surrounded me, and parting my legs, he slid himself inside.
My eyes immediately rolled back, my body humming as I rolled my hips. Dipping his head, Jaxen laved one of my nipples, and my toes curled.
“Probably,” he hummed too, sucking what he could of my breast into his mouth. I’d always had big boobs and used to be a little insecure about that. Especially when I’d been younger. I found I didn’t care now as Jaxen tweaked one, then bit the other. “But they’ll probably be okay.”
“Probably?”
Again, his response was to thrust, a heaved grunt as he smacked his hard thighs against the insides of mine. I hugged his ass, my ankles crossed behind his back. He held my feet there as he got on his knees and drilled his dick inside my sensitive core. We’d had sex a lot, so deliciously sore.
“That’s it, Girl Scout,” he growled. My nipple still in his mouth, he swirled his tongue around my areola. “Come for me. Feel me deep.”
I did, not here with him long before my tummy warmed and heat flooded inside my core. I exploded like a rocket, Jaxen picking up until he hit his own high. His biceps flexed and his eyes closed as my breast popped out of his mouth, and he let his head fall back.
“Fuck,” he gritted, his body golden and moist with sweat. We’d really had sex a lot, his body shaking like he didn’t have any more in him. But he always seemed to, his cum sticky and warm as he pulled out and my walls clenched from his absence. He always cleaned me up. Even after last night on his car. He’d had napkins then, which we used like the tissue box in the room now.
It might be weird, but that was one of my favorite parts, him taking the time and caring for me. He’d been so different.
I kissed his arms before he tossed the tissue and kissed me right back. He didn’t stop, making me laugh when he shifted to my neck, and I squeezed his arms. “Shouldn’t you go?”
Again, he said, “Probably,” making a smacking noise against my neck. He didn’t stop until he had me in a fit of laughter on the sheets. It was like he couldn’t until he heard it. Seemingly accomplishing his mission, he fell to his side, laying a heavy arm on me. I noticed his ring, and that’s what I’d been playing with this morning. He often wore it.
“This like a class ring or something?” I asked, studying the animal. I mean, it could be a mascot or something. It was kind of violent looking though.
“Something like that,” was all he said before kissing my hand. His phone buzzed again, and he rolled his eyes before shifting me and finding the device in the sheets. He studied it a second before rolling his eyes again and shooting off another text. After that, he tossed his phone again. “Yeah, I do need to go. Royal’s about to lose his shit. He said the guys already got a ride share and left, but they’re on their way to the tux and suit rental place and want me to come. December and the girls already headed back to the hotel in a cab.”
“You’re renting tuxes?”
“Buying suits and yeah. For the wedding.” Picking up my hand, he played with it. “Royal’s idea. He wants to get it done since we’re all here. The other guys go to school all over the place too. We’re all pretty much coming home for fall break but he wants to get it done ‘now.’ None of us would tell his ass, but he’s being a complete groomzilla already. December seems so lax about all this shit whenever she talks about the wedding, but Royal, it’s like legit serious.”
Laughing, I hugged his arms. “He probably just wants it to be perfect. Perfect for her.”
“Maybe.” He looped our fingers together. “But he’s being annoying as fuck.” Another buzz, which he didn’t even check this time. He smiled. “And I’d rather be with you.”
I’d rather be with him too, and we started to kiss again before the incessant buzz triggered and didn’t stop this time. It was so obviously a call, and when he picked his phone up, he winked at me before answering.
“Yeah?”
I couldn’t hear the other person on the line clearly, but he was male… and sounded pissed. A deep voice shot off like a minute long sentence before Jax was able to cut in.
“Yes, I’m fucking up. Jesus, Royal.” Groaning, he rested on a bicep. “Give me two seconds to get some clothes on and eat and shit. You want me to come down there naked?”
Snickering, I watched him roll his eyes again.
He winked. “I’m sure you’d like that, though. Wouldn’t you, big boy?”
He pulled the phone away at this point, that deep voice blasting into the line. He covered one of my ears like this was too sensitive for me to hear before kissing me and returning the phone to his head. He snugged the phone between his ear and shoulder before throwing his big thighs out of the bed. He stretched huge arms, and I already missed them wrapped around me.
“9678 W. Appleton Court. I got it. Yes, writing it down now.” He frowned. “How the fuck you know I’m not writing it down?”
Smiling, I watched, a long conversation as he grabbed his shorts from the floor and put them on. He left his boxers, covering a firm ass when he got up. He snapped them from the front. “I’m on my way so let me get there. You know I won’t leave you hanging. Never do.”
That made me smile too and Jax as well as he let his friend go before tossing his phone on the bed. Dipping, he picked up his shirt, shrugging it on before bending over and kissing me.
“Probably better go earn my slot now,” he said, pulling away. “He made LJ, Knight, and me his best men, and I’m not trying to be low hanging fruit. The asshole will quickly snipe my ass if I give him the chance.”
“Groomzilla?” I grinned.
He snorted. “Epitome of. Anyway, you’re free to do whatever. I probably won’t see you again until I get in, whenever that is. Dude’s actually having us go to a fucking vineyard before going to the club tonight. Even then, I’m told there won’t be any strippers. All responsible and shit and get this, that was his idea. Vineyard and all. Sometimes I don’t even know if he’s my same best friend.”
It just sounded like he grew up and was over it, and since Jax didn’t protest too much, maybe he was a little bit too. Then again, that just might be wishful thinking on my part. I obviously didn’t want any naked women all over him.
“I don’t know what December is doing,” he said, but then frowned at me. “But I really don’t want to hear about you being around any strippers. You see something, you call me or just get the fuck out of there.”
“I will not!”
He grabbed my hands, and before I knew it, he was on top of me. He nibbled into my neck until I wriggled, making me promise to call or text him if I saw any dick.
He grinned. “I don’t need any fuckers throwing their cocks in front of you, Girl Scout.”
“Okay, okay,” I laughed, completely awkward anyway. Knowing me, if I did see a dick, I probably would run. My cheeks even warmed just thinking about it.
I mean, unless it was his.
That thought made my face warm too and my whole body when he stopped playing and just kissed me. Eventually, he just brushed our noses together, lacing our fingers before putting them above my head.
“You going to be all right?” he asked, the humor gone from his face. “You said some things last night, and we really didn’t talk about it, but I wanted to.”
We’d said honestly quite a few things. I wondered which one.
He studied me. “About your brother?”
Oh… that thing.
Yeah, that I didn’t want to talk about, looking away, but he took two fingers to my chin and wouldn’t let me.
“What happened wasn’t your fault,” he urged, so serious. “You were a kid, Girl Scout. And even if you weren’t, it was an accident. You’re not to blame, and I doubt any of your fam
ily feels that way either.”
I knew that, been told that. But that didn’t mean I felt any better. I still held that on my conscience and may forever. “It doesn’t stop the fact that he’s not coming back.”
“No, but you don’t need to carry it.”
But I did, though. It still hurt like yesterday. I mean, my family shattered. We’d lost so much with Nathan.
“You’re using too much of this,” he said, touching my temple. “And believe me, that can be dangerous.”
I think I saw that on his end. I know I saw it. I frowned. “I don’t want to carry it anymore. I just don’t know how.”
“Start with saying the words then.” He fell off of me, but didn’t let go of my hand. “Say it’s not your fault. That it was an accident, and maybe one day, you’ll believe it.”
Gratefully, he didn’t make me do that in front of him. I wasn’t sure if I could, at that point, anyway.
Instead, he let go, kissing my nose before picking up his phone. “I’ll see you later. Okay?”
“Okay.”
A smile before another wink, and he left the room. I thought his words would go with him, but I lay back, studying the ceiling.
It’s not my fault, I thought, sighing. I didn’t want it to be my fault, but how could I make the truth a lie? Then again, maybe it wasn’t about that.
I studied the door Jax had left through, wishing for faith. Strength. I’d seen change. I’d witnessed the cusp of healing personally. Jaxen was starting to heal.
So maybe I could too.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Jax
“And so he lives.”
In their suits already, my boys situated around what appeared to be a dormant men’s formal wear shop. There were literally no other people around aside from the shop attendants who cared for each of them. Knight, the one who’d spoken, currently had one of his gorilla-sized guns hanging off one of the racks, a doting shop attendant smoothing his collar and brushing lint off his sleeves. LJ wasn’t far off with his own swag team doing something similar. The cake was Royal. The dude stood in front of about five goddamn body mirrors with one grown-ass man primping and fashioning him while another held a tumbler of what appeared to be bourbon on a silver platter. My buddy was extra as fuck and apparently, rented out the whole goddamn place just for the four of us. Knight smirked. “So whose legs were you between?”
“Fuck off,” I gritted, letting the door snap shut behind me. Another doting attendant immediately came up and asked me my drink order. I told him beer before he bowed like a servant, and I guessed he was for the day. I clipped my aviators into my collar. “And whose legs I was between is none of your goddamn business.”
Out of his wallet, LJ fashioned a thick wad of bills, grunting before slamming the cash into Knight’s awaiting palm.
“Nice doing business with ya, buddy,” Knight crooned, standing before fanning the cash. He grinned. “We had a little wager that was what hung you up.”
“And here I thought better of you.” LJ’s string-bean-looking ass tackled me in what was easily a five-thousand-dollar suit. I knew since I had a few. I often had to wear them for events back home and, of course, whenever I appeared at one of my moms’ restaurant openings. Our buddy Royal had expensive tastes, and where LJ might have cared before since he didn’t always have money, he didn’t now. He wasn’t in the drug game anymore, but he’d been smart and invested a fair amount of it, I guessed. The dude was basically printing money these days so here was Daddy Warbucks tackling me. He used to do that a lot in high school since he was taller than like, well, everyone in the goddamn world. He wrestled my hair. “So who is she, buddy?”
Again, none of his goddamn business. I wasn’t ashamed I was sleeping with my stepsister. Fuck no. But none of that shit was any of these fuckers’ businesses. Growling, I turned the tides and got behind LJ, and when Knight looked like he wanted to join in too, Royal barked a throat clear.
That shit drummed in this empty place, and stepping off his podium like a friggin’ lord, he snarled at us.
“If you’re done,” he stated, his eyes green fucking fire. He jerked his chin in the direction of the changing rooms. “Jax, you’re set up in room four.”
“Yes, Daddy,” I pouted. This fucker actually grabbed my goddamn head, faced me in that direction and pushed me off like his kid. I laughed my ass off the whole way, and when I turned around, I noticed both LJ and Knight pretended not to find the whole shit funny as well.
Knight had shrugged, “What?” before scampering back to the racks and pretending to look at shit. LJ dodged Royal’s eyes completely, and I rolled mine before getting into the room.
Royal had me set up with a similar three-piece suit, gray with coal-black tie and matching dress shirt. He himself just wore a different cut and since my buddy always had good taste, I wasn’t surprised to come out looking ready for a red carpet event.
The guys whistled like assholes when I came out, but Royal actually smiled before shaking his head and getting a look. I ragged on him for all this wedding shit, but I really did want to make him happy. We all did.
“So who was the girl?” he asked, standing behind me. Considering how we’d left things the last time we’d all seen each other, it was nice to not see him blazing daggers into the back of my head. Looking back, I realized those were deserved now, but still, I never liked the tension. We were brothers, friends since before I knew what a friend was.
I shrugged and only got a head shake behind me through the mirror. He’d find out soon enough. They all would. They’d been shocked as hell I’d entertained the idea of inviting Cleo to December’s bachelorette party. Obviously, December had been the one to throw that idea out there, but I had passed on the information. That fact alone had shocked the hell out of them, and I did get questions.
I dodged them all, not wanting that pressure. I didn’t know what Cleo was to me, but I didn’t need folks overanalyzing it.
I did that enough for the both of us.
In any sense, the door to the shop pinged, and Royal and I both turned, I think, on instinct considering no one else was here besides us.
“Hey, guys. Sorry I’m late.”
A fifth came in, a fifth I definitely recognized as the fucker’s height matched my boy LJ’s height and then some.
Ramses Mallick, a kid I knew from high school, walked up in this bitch and greeted my boys Knight and LJ like they’d been expecting him. They put their hands out to him, a shake and a back pat. I was fucking floored and even more so to see Royal’s reaction.
Mallick sprinted his ass over to us and not only had Royal given him his hand, he cuffed Mallick’s shoulder.
“Looked up the weather in Providence. Glad you were able to beat the storm out,” Royal said, actually smiling at this dude.
What the fuck?
These guys were the epitome of rivals in school, understood as Mallick had tried to mack on Royal’s girl. It got so bad at one point the two nearly killed each other.
Yet, here he was, hand in hand with Royal like they were friends? Nah, that was a strong word. Civil was a better one when Mallick shook back and slid a hand in his pocket. He was dressed for Rhode Island weather, jeans and a collared shirt, and his curly hair did look like he’d been caught in the rain at some point before it’d dried. He had it all over the place and wrestled with it.
“Yeah, delays out the ass coming away from Brown, but I made it,” he said. “Sorry for being late.”
“No worries. We got you set up in five if you’re all set.”
Royal waved him to follow him and as they passed, Mallick noticed me. He raised a hand. “Hey, Jax.”
“Hey… Mallick.”
A nod and more than friendly at me. I felt like I was in the fucking Twilight Zone as my buddy walked this dude he literally couldn’t stand last I checked toward the dressing rooms. Mallick trailed after him, and I moved into the center of Knight and LJ, who didn’t look as shocked as I felt. I tapped Knight
’s bear chest. “What the fuck?”
I got a smirk from LJ and a chuckle from Knight, who propped his arm on the racks again. Knight lifted his fingers. “What? You didn’t hear?”
“Hear what?”
LJ leaned in. “Mallick is, shit you not, December’s man of honor.”
“No fucking away.”
“Way, bro.” LJ tucked his hands under his arms. “Royal just told us on the plane. I couldn’t believe it.”
“I guess he and December kept up with each other while he was away at school.” Knight shrugged. “And get this. Dude’s transferring to Pembroke next semester.”
“No way.”
“Way,” he said, the statement flooring me. Pembroke-U was Knight, Royal, and December’s school. “Don’t know why, but it’s fucking weird, right?”
I’d say. I mean, who the fuck transfers from Brown University in the middle of their senior year? I knew I came down here for my senior year, but I didn’t go to fucking Brown. I exchanged glances between the guys. “Royal’s like okay with that? Okay he’s the man of honor too?”
“Why shouldn’t he be, bro?” Still hanging on the rack, Knight laced his fingers. He smirked. “He got the girl.”
Laughing, I guessed he was right about that, and maybe that’s what kept Royal’s calm so cool. He came back to us looking like he had not a care in the world, Mallick not far behind after he’d changed. He was in the same suit as us, making quick work of this shit as I had.
The three of us ambled over to them, crowding. Between the five of us, we looked like something out of GQ, even Knight’s ape-looking ass.
“Not bad if I do say so myself.” This from Mallick, the dude’s grin high as fuck. He had on the same ring I currently wore, the ring from our high school days at Windsor Predatory Academy. Normally, the other guys had theirs too, but they’d given them to their girls to signify their own personal steps in their varied relationships. The rings we’d all earned from being a part of a society known as the Court. That felt so far away now, a dark history connected there. But seeing us all standing here now, getting along with the likes of Mallick, I’d say we’d come a pretty long way. Mallick popped his collar. “I guess I don’t mind you fellas looking like me.”
