by Boone Brux
Before he could reply, Jax’s mom strolled onto the veranda. “Martin, what are you doing out here? Holding poor Poppy hostage?”
“I wasn’t holding her hostage. Just showing her the family cannon.”
“Yes, we’re all very impressed with your big weapon.” She strolled to where I stood. “But dinner is ready.” Her gaze drifted to me, and she smiled. Finally, a friendly face. “Poppy, I’m so glad you could come.” Her greeting seemed genuine. Gripping my shoulders, she leaned in and planted a kiss on my cheek. “Don’t you look lovely tonight?”
“Thank you, Mrs. Jackson.”
Her golden gaze softened. “Call me Donna, honey. We’re practically family.” A low grunt huffed from Martin. Clearly, he didn’t agree. Instead of releasing me, she twined her arm around mine and locked it in a firm but gentle grip. “You can stay out here and stroke your cannon for as long as you like, Martin, but I’m taking Poppy with me.”
With that, she swung us toward the house and guided me inside. When we turned the corner, I glanced at her and whispered, “Thank you.”
She patted my hand. “He’s not so bad if you can ignore his taciturn and unpleasant personality.”
A laugh hiccupped from me. “I see where Jax gets his sense of humor.”
“A sense of humor is the only way to make it in this family.” She patted my hand again and lowered her voice to a whisper. “I’m rooting for you, so hang in there.”
“I will.” Warmth spread through me, her vote of confidence fortifying my commitment to my relationship with Jax. Winning over the rest of the family might be impossible but having Jax’s mother on my side was a big victory. “He’s worth it.”
“I think so, too.” She glanced at me and smiled. “Then again, I might be a little biased.”
We rounded the corner, and the determination I’d mustered to get through the night nearly vanished. What the hell? Had every Jackson in the county been invited to the family dinner? “Oh shit.”
“Yep.” As if to stop me from bolting, Donna wrapped an arm around my shoulder. “Oh shit, indeed.”
She paraded me around the palatial dining room, introducing me to cousin whoever and uncle what’s-his-name. I tried to squirrel away each person’s name, but by the time we reached Jax, all the introductions had evaporated from my brain.
“Hey there.” He retrieved my hand from his mom’s hold as she handed me off like a baton in a relay race. “You’re still standing.”
“Of course, she is,” his mom said, winking at me.
“Donna, come help me in the kitchen,” Jax’s grandmother called.
“Be right there.” A sigh slipped from her. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m being heralded by the queen.” Releasing me, she strolled toward the door of the kitchen.
Watching her departure, I said, “I like her.”
“I knew you two would hit it off.” He wrapped his arm around my waist, and my body relaxed against him. Being held by Jack’s calmed my nerves and gave me balance. Though I still found it difficult to believe we were truly a mated pair, my reactions to him made it hard to argue. “I think she likes you too.”
“I think she just wants you to be happy, and if I’m the one that does that for you, she’s going to support us.”
“Jaxson.” Frank, Jax’s father strode toward us. “You finally made it.”
A wave of dread washed over me. I didn’t care for the man, and I was fairly certain he didn’t like me much either. I’d had a run-in with Martin and Frank at the beginning of my relationship with Jax. They thought I’d been the one making trouble on their property. In fact, it had been three crazy poltergeist honey badger’s that had gotten a hold of some dynamite. They’d had a grand time blowing stuff up.
I’d been dispatched to reap them, but since nobody except me could see the poltergeists, and nobody knew that I was a grim reaper, it had looked like I was the one who had blown up an old pickup truck.
Jax had thrown me in jail, and his dad had insisted on pressing charges. In the end, things worked out, but I suspected Frank still held a grudge.
“Hi, Dad,” Jax said. His hold tightened on me. “You remember Poppy, right?”
“She’s rather hard to forget,” he growled.
“Nice to see you again, Mr. Jackson.” Man, the lies were just rolling off my tongue.
He cocked a brow and then turned his attention back to Jax. “I need to talk to you.”
“Dinner,” Donna called as she carried a giant platter of steaks into the dining room. “Lynette and Virginia, go help carry in dishes.”
The girls groaned and skulked past us. Virginia and Lynette were twins, and I often wondered if they shared one brain. Neither were particularly bright or independent like their sister Sammy. And the stunning good looks that ran through the Jackson family seemed to have jumped over the two girls.
“Why doesn’t Sammy have to help?” Lynette whined.
“Because I asked you,” Donna said, cutting off further argument.
“How about we talk after dinner?” Jax said to his father, tugging me toward the table. “After dessert.”
His dad didn’t reply except to nod once.
The twins marched back into the dining room, each hoisting massive mounds of meat. Though his mother and grandmother followed with smaller bowls of veggies, potatoes, and baskets of bread, meat seemed to be the center of attraction.
Once all the food had been laid out on the table, we took our seats. Martin and Frank claimed the chairs at each end of the table, lording over the meal like a couple of kings, while everybody else filled in around them. Sammy, Jax’s cousin, plopped down in the chair to my right, giving me a brilliant smile. Out of all the Jackson cousins, Sammy was the only one that didn’t treat me like I was something to be buried in the cat box.
“Brave.” She nodded, respect clear on her face. “Good.”
“Thanks,” I said, keeping with the one-word answers.
Jax sat to my left, and his mom directly across from me. Though it wasn’t blatantly obvious, I suspected their positioning was a subtle show of support.
Palmer, another of Jackson’s cousins, reached across the table and jabbed his fork into it giant steak. With lightning speed, Glenda smacked his hand with the wooden spoon, wielding it like a weapon.
“Have you forgotten your manners, boy?” Laying the spoon across the bowl of mashed potatoes, she settled in her chair and folded her hands. “I don’t know how you run things in your house, but in my home, we say grace before we eat.”
Palmer’s fork clattered onto his plate as he snatched his arm back. He rubbed the red welt darkening on his hand, his lower lip turning downward slightly in a pout. Though well into his thirties, he looked like a scolded boy. “Sorry Grandma.”
Without prompting, Martin launched into his prayer. “Lord, thank you for this food we are about to receive. Thank you for bringing the family together and showing Jaxon his way home. Lord, help us all to stay on the straight and narrow path, to do what’s right and expected of us. To honor our family and our pride. And not to stray off the course you have set before us. Amen.”
Several unenthusiastic amens filtered around the table.
“Amen!” Glenda gave her husband a nod of approval. “Very nice, dear.”
Jax’s hand rested on my thigh under the table, giving me a gentle squeeze. I covered his hand with mine and squeezed back. If Martin praying for Jax to dump me was as bad as it got tonight, then I’d be lucky. “Yes, Mr. Jackson,” I said. “Very nice.”
A quiet chuckle snickered from Sammy. Not looking at her, I instead maintained eye contact with Martin. It was a little like staring down a beast. He eyed me, probably trying to figure out if I was serious. I wasn’t, but he didn’t need to know that.
With his gaze still locked on me, he jabbed his fork into the top steak and dragged it onto his plate. Maybe I was being paranoid, but his actions seemed like a threat.
“So, cousin,” Sammy said, handing me a basket o
f biscuits. “How’s life in the big city?”
I smirked and retrieved the basket from her. Our big city consisted of one main drag and a couple of blocks of residential area. It was small, but that’s how I liked it.
“Going great.” Jax plopped two biscuits onto his plate and handed it off to his Uncle Newton. “My office is almost done, and I’ve settled into the job.” He bit off a hunk of bread and chewed, nodding. “Things couldn’t be better.”
His dad grunted. “It would be better if you got your ass back home.”
“I don’t even know why you’d want to live in that ratty old apartment.” Virginia gave a delicate shudder. “It’s so dirty and gross.”
“Yeah,” Lynette chimed in. “The only people to talk to is that grouchy old lady that runs the grocery store and a few other town folks.”
“I get by just fine,” Jax said, sliding a steak onto his plate. “Besides, I have Poppy to talk to.”
“Yes,” his father said, “We’ve noticed.”
“Now, what’s going on with you two anyway,” Jax’s Aunt Anita asked, venturing into the conversation.
My gaze slid to Jax, but I didn’t say anything. No way was I taking the lead on this.
“We’re dating, Aunt Anita,” he said.
“Yes, we all know that, but what does that mean exactly.”
I jabbed at the lump of potatoes on my plate, still not saying anything. To be honest, I was a little curious what dating meant to him as well.
“It means spending time together. Going out on dates. Enjoying each other’s company.”
Sammy snorted. “Is that what the kids are calling it these days?”
“Hush, Samantha Jean,” Glenda snapped. “Keep your filthy comments to yourself.”
Though Sammy complied with her grandmother’s command, she didn’t bother wiping the smirk off her face.
“I think what your aunt means,” said his Aunt Vickie, “is that we’re all wondering just how serious the two of you are.”
At her words, everybody at the table froze. Their attentions were riveted on Jax. Even Palmer stopped hacking at his steak and stared.
“I thought this was supposed to be a nice family dinner,” Jax said. “Not an inquisition.”
“I think it’s only fair we know where you and Miss. Carlyle stand,” his Uncle Newton said.
“Actually.” Jax set down his fork and folded his arms over his chest, leveling an unwavering stare at his uncle. “It’s not anybody’s business.”
Go Jax. I glanced at him. The muscles of his jaw flexed, and his gaze remained riveted on Newton. It was a given that I’d get a lot of flak tonight, but I don’t think Jax thought he’d be so openly grilled. Not caring if anybody saw me, I laid my hand on his thigh. Hine glanced at me, and I nodded, giving him a reassuring smile.
“Let’s cut to the chase.” Martin leaned forward and rested his arms on either side of his overflowing plate. “Where do you see your relationship with Poppy going?”
Jax was silent for so long I wasn’t sure he was going to answer. It was clear he didn’t want to, but this was his grandfather asking. In the south, respecting your elders was a huge deal. In a Shifter pride, even more so.
He’d answer, no matter how much he wanted to tell his grandpa to go to hell. Okay, maybe I was superimposing my own thoughts into the situation.
“All right.” Jax set his fork down and crossed his arms over his chest. “You want to know where our relationship is going? I’ll tell you.” He paused. “I don’t know.”
I won’t lie, I was a little disappointed by his answer. Not that I didn’t agree, just that I was hoping for something more. A glimpse into Jax’s thoughts about us. Wanting to show support, I chimed in, “Yep, we don’t know. Just taking it day by day. Having fun. I mean, what’s the rush?”
Jax smiled at me. That one look chased away all my doubts about sitting through the torturous dinner.
“Well, you’re certainly not getting any younger,” Anita said.
“That’s right,” added Vickie. “At a certain age, women start having trouble bearing children. They call it advanced maternal age.”
“That’s true.” Anita nodded, her eyes rounding to the size of quarters. “Why, I know for a fact that when Emma Porter got pregnant at thirty-five the doctors acted like it would be a miracle if she was able to deliver her baby at all.”
“Yep,” Vickie said, picking up the story. “They likened her uterus to rotting fruit.”
“Oh geez, Aunt Vickie,” Palmer whined. “Stop talking about your womanly parts.”
“Yeah,” his brother Peter said. “That kind of talk should be saved for your lady lunches or whatever it is you women do together.”
“God, you are both such idiots,” Sammy said, glaring at the brothers. “Do the world a favor and never reproduce.”
“Don’t worry about Poppy,” Jax cut in. “She has plenty of time.”
“So, you guys have already talked about having kids?” his grandmother asked. She was tough to read. Her expression gave nothing away.
“No, we haven’t talked about it at all,” Jax said.
“Then you’re not serious?” his father asked. From the way his shoulders relaxed, his relief was clear.
“I didn’t say that either,” Jax barked, his voice raising a few decibels. He inhaled, holding up his hand, and then blew out a breath. “I will tell you this, I don’t see things between us changing anytime soon.” He paused again, probably for effect, and then said, “Or ever.”
“I hope you’re not saying what I think you’re saying,” his father growled.
“What is it you think I’m saying?”
“That you’re planning on marrying this girl.” Frank gestured toward me. “The granddaughter of your grandfather’s enemy.”
After several long seconds in which we all held our breath, including me, Jax simply shrugged. His silent answer sent the table into an uproar.
“I won’t have it!” Jax’s dad slammed his hands on the table and stood, knocking over his chair. “No son of mine is going to marry a human.”
“Well, dad,” Jack said, slowly rising to his feet. “You don’t really have any say over it.”
“The hell I don’t.” His dad glared at him, ignoring me completely.
“No, you don’t. If I want to marry a human, I will.” Which I was not. “If I want to marry a witch, I will.” Also, not a witch. “Hell, if I want to marry the grim reaper, I will.” Bingo.
Through gritted teeth Frank Jackson said, “Over my dead body.”
Geez, I hope it didn’t come to that—no matter how much I might enjoy it. Jax extended his hand. I took it and rose. “Come on, Poppy, I’ve lost my appetite.”
Fine with me. The knot in my stomach made it impossible to eat. “Thank you for...” What the hell was I thanking them for? I looked at Jax’s mom. “Everything.”
Apologetic sadness dripped from her smile.
Without another word, he guided me to the front hall. Mia stood at the door with my purse, a smug grin on her face. I snagged the bag out of her hands and let Jax drag me out of the house and down the steps.
When we made it to the truck, I stopped and turned to him. “Well, that wasn’t so bad.”
“Yeah, it went much better than I thought it would.” Sarcasm tinged his answer. He sighed and pulled me to him. “You know what the worst part is?”
“That we didn’t get to eat?”
“Exactly.”
“That bread smelled so good,” I moaned.
He hauled open the passenger door. “If we hurry maybe we can get to Big Ray’s Rib Shack before it closes. They’ve got killer corn fritters.”
“I knew there was a reason I loved you.” The L-word slipped out so naturally it didn’t seem weird.
He leaned in and kissed me. “If you play your cards right, I’ll give you a couple more reasons.”
Tonight was ending better than I’d ever imagined. Corn fritters and sexy times...lucky me.<
br />
Chapter Two
I woke with Jax’s warm body pressed against my back. The sun streamed through the tall windows of my bedroom, and I couldn’t help but stretch like a contented cat. This was bliss.
His hold tightened on me, and a low growl vibrated against my neck. “Where do you think you’re going?”
The words going to make coffee hovered on my tongue, but his hand drifted up my waist and cupped my breast, diverting my train of thought. “Nowhere, now.” A pleased purr hummed from me as he stroked my nipple. His erection pressed against me. I arched, pushing my rear end against him. “Good morning to you too.”
Without warning, he flattened me on the bed and covered my body with his. As if they had a mind of their own, which they did when it came to Jax, my legs parted to accommodate him. Maybe I was giving myself too much credit, but I loved that he had an insatiable desire for me.
Yes, I was naked and rubbing against him, but I wasn’t always like that. Most of the time I had clothes on and still got this reaction. It was all part of the mating game Shifters bought into.
When Jax first told me we were mated, I’d been skeptical, and a little freaked out. I’d read romance novels. The whole one-mate thing, I’ll turn into a monster if I don’t have you scenario put a lot of pressure on a girl. I mean, what if I hadn’t liked Jax? What if he’d been a misogynistic asshole who lived for NASCAR? I would have ended up reaping him. But I’d lucked out, and though I’d accepted that we were mated, we hadn’t tossed the L-word around much. For now, I was happy playing house and fooling around. Especially the fooling around part.
His head lowered, his mouth covering mine. Zings of endorphins rushed through my veins, making my skin tingle. My lips parted and his tongue glided against mine. His hand drifted around my thigh and lifted it as he pressed into me. Another purr slipped from me as I welcomed his sweet invasion.
Like the true mountain lion he was, Jax’s mouth glided from my lips to my neck and gently bit. Another growl rumbled from him as his body rocked into me. My nails dug into his back and I cocked my head, giving him better access.
