With that, he attacked my neck with rough kisses and playful nips. I could feel him hardening beneath me. I was frozen in my position because of his hold on my hair. With his free hand, he reached between us and stroked his shaft, rubbing it against my core to ensure easy access.
“Oh fuck yeah,” he gritted out as he slipped into my greedy, needful body.
He felt like home.
Chapter Eleven
~Leila~
The next day, about an hour after Jaxon came home from working on the house, my cell phone chimed. Brody. Crap. I had forgot to let him know about the doctor’s appointment.
“Who you texting princess?” Jax came in from the kitchen where he was cooking dinner.
“Brody. He’s texted me twice and I forgot to reply earlier. He wanted to know about my check-up,” I answered without looking up. “He also wanted me to meet him this weekend.”
“What the fuck for?” Jax growled.
“I don’t know, I told him I’d see if we had plans and that if not we could meet him.” I looked over my shoulder at my sexy brooding alpha who had two fistfuls of couch. “What are you feeding me for dinner?”
With a snort, he seemed to drop it. “Chili and cornbread.”
“You didn’t—” I started to ask.
“No, I didn’t make it too spicy babe,” he answered my question before I could finish it.
“Okay goodie.” I got up from the couch. “I’m gonna pee, then we can eat.”
“Good, we can talk about your work schedule,” he said, walking back into the kitchen.
Groaning and rolling my eyes, I waddled to the bathroom. When I came back, I saw the dining room table set for two, with bowls of chili, and a plate full of cornbread muffins. I loved that my man cooked for me. It might not be a gourmet five course, but it was delicious and it was made with love.
I pulled the chair out and spied Ruger sitting just outside the kitchen entryway. Begging, of course.
“You want cheese for your chili?” Jaxon asked as he threw a piece of cornbread in the air to Ruger.
“No, and stop feeding him people food. He’s gonna weigh a hundred and fifty pounds if you don’t.” I sat and put my spoon in my chili for a little taste. “Jesus Jaxon. I thought you said it wasn’t spicy.”
“Lightweight,” he muttered as he sat down at the table with my water and the cheese. “What if I said I wanted you to put off going back to work for just a little while?”
“I would say you’re nuts. I love working. You know that. Besides, why would I?” I added some cheese to my chili.
“You’ve had a rough pregnancy. I just think you should give yourself a little more time to relax. I don’t want to see you in the hospital bleeding again because you pushed it too much too soon. And we both know you would.” He picked up his longneck and took a swig. “I’m not saying you shouldn’t go back to work. I just think maybe take another week. Maybe during that time we can move some of your stuff to my house.”
I took a bite just as the baby kicked the crap out of me, which caused me to cough and sputter all over myself.
“You okay?” he asked and sat his spoon down.
“Yeah, I’m good.” I cleared my throat.
“I’m not tryin’ to be an asshole babe, I just want you to take care of yourself. That’s all.”
“If you think an extra week off will make a difference, then I’ll take one more week before I go back,” I compromised. The beginning of this conversation actually started last week. He’d said he wanted me to wait to go back to work until after the baby was born. Moving off that notion was his compromise.
Over the next week he slowly started moving my stuff to his—our—house. Drew’s lease was going to be up in a few weeks, so he agreed to move into my place and pay rent. I told him to just pay the utilities. That was another argument. After an hour of back and forth, we finally agreed to five hundred dollars a month. Which I thought was too much, but he told me his last place was paying twelve hundred a month, so it would save him a ton of money.
Monday morning, in our new home—which was weird, I had to admit—I woke up early and told Jaxon that I was going to go over to the hospital and see about picking up my shifts again.
When I returned home I found an empty house. He left a note on the gray quartz countertop in the kitchen.
Had to go to the Clubhouse. Will probably be late. Don’t wait up.
Opening the crate door, I let Ruger out the back door to the small side yard to use the bathroom. As I stood in the covered breezeway between the back door and the garage I looked around my new home. Jaxon had done a beautiful job remodeling this place. It would take some getting used to, but I loved the extra space and the large gourmet kitchen.
Ruger trotted back over after chasing a few squirrels and one very irate mockingbird. “You ready to go in boy?” Opening the back door, Ruger went to the kitchen and sat by the corner where his treats were. “Just one mister. You’re starting to get a little too fluffy.”
Grabbing my phone, Ruger and I went to the living room and watched a little television. An hour or so later I tried to call Jaxon, but after two rings it went to voicemail. Correction, he sent me to voicemail. I left a message asking him to call me and that I was starting back to work Tuesday night. That was at 2:00 p.m. and it was now 10:30 p.m. No call back, no text. I was starting to get pissed. Then I got worried. Then I would get pissed he was making me worry. I was my own worst enemy.
Stop this, you’re makin’ yourself crazy.
I locked up the house, set the alarm and went upstairs to the third floor master bedroom. It was really more a master retreat since our room took up the whole third floor. Half of the floor plan was our bathroom and walk-in closet, the rest was our bedroom. Jax also set up a bassinet and portable changing table in our room for the baby. That way, for the first few weeks, she was right there next to us. Of course, Ruger has an oversized orthopedic dog bed near the foot of the bed.
Our bed was set off to the right of the stairs. A solid-wood, black, four-poster king-size bed with a crème-colored upholstered headboard adorned with crème gossamer curtains that encompassed the edge and draped to the floor. A large plasma screen hung over a traditional floor to ceiling, brick exposed fireplace. Jaxon had done an amazing job and now, it was starting to feel like home. Our home.
*****
~Leila~
I woke to Ruger’s growl. Jaxon was finally home. I heard his heavy Docs trudging up the stairs. I was still angry with him for not bothering to call or text me so I closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep. I wasn’t ready to have this fight, and a fight it would definitely be. He sat on the edge of the bed and cussed his boots, which hit the floor with a loud thud. He stripped and climbed into bed.
Ugh, he reeked.
A large palm curled around my chest and pulled me backward as he tucked in behind me and whispered in my ear, “Lei, babe, you awake?”
“No Jaxon. Go to sleep.” I tried to pull away, back to my side of the large bed.
“I don’t think so babe. Not goin’ anywhere.”
“Jax, unless you want to have a conversation right fuckin’ now about why you smell like a skanky stripper, you’ll let me go and do not push the issue.” I tried to pull his arm off of me.
“Well, I guess we are havin’ this shit out now then. ’Cause I ain’t lettin’ ya go babe,” he said, holding his ground..
“Fine.” I rolled toward him and planted both palms on his muscular chest and pushed him back. “You can start by explaining why you didn’t call me back or text me for that matter. Then you can explain where you’ve been for fifteen hours and finish it all up with why you smell like a dirty whore.”
“Babe,” was all he said.
“Don’t babe me. If you aren’t gonna explain then fuckin’ say so.”
“One, I was handlin’ club business, that’s all you need to know about that.” I had come to accept there were certain things he didn’t share about the club.
“Second question, same answer as the first. Club business. And three, I don’t smell like a whore,” he said, agitation grated in his voice.
“Fuck you Jaxon. I can deal with you being vague about the club bullshit, but what I can’t ignore is why you smell like those whores down at the club. I can’t believe you.” I ripped myself away from his hold. “For weeks I was on bed rest. Is that when you started fuckin’ around?”
“You gotta be shittin’ me. Do you fuckin’ hear yourself? Leila, I haven’t fucked anyone else since we have been together. Hell, even for months before we were together.” He slung the covers back and leapt from the bed.
“Then why do you smell like pussy? Just be fuckin’ honest.”
“I swear to fuckin’ Christ Lei, you’re losin’ your shit. The hormones have gotten to you. I have not fucked anyone other than you.” He got about three feet away and was yelling back at me before Ruger’s training kicked in. I heard him before I saw him. He was growling and even though he hadn’t barked, I was scared for Jaxon. Ruger put himself between us, but Jax didn’t take the threat seriously and kept coming toward me. I knew he was only trying to hold me and make me listen, but Ruger didn’t and that’s when he lunged and snapped at Jax. “Ruger pfui.”
Ruger did not stand down. Jax put his hands up in surrender and looked at me for help.
“Ruger pfui! Nein.” I grabbed his thick brown leather collar and regained his attention. He lay down. Quietly, I said to Jaxon, “I would suggest not yelling at me.”
“Fine.” He sat on the foot of the bed on my side. “I’m sorry Lei.” Tears welled in my eyes. Bastard. He did fuck around. “I should’ve called. I got back from the run about one a.m. and me and the boys decided to grab a few beers at the clubhouse.”
I grabbed a pillow and curled myself around it. “Oh God, this is not happening right now,” I muttered under my breath.
“We drank, a lot. And yeah a couple of the girls tried, and they rubbed up on me, but I swear nothing happened. Okay, well, nothing happened between me and anyone. Not sayin’ the guys didn’t bend a few over the pool table, but I swear on my life, I didn’t touch any of them.” He reached for my hand and moved up to the pillows. “Babe come on. Look at me.” I lifted my eyes to his. “Babe don’t cry. You know that fuckin’ guts me.”
I grabbed a tissue with my free hand and blew my nose. “Why didn’t you call me? You had to know I’d be freakin’ the fuck out.”
“I’m an asshole. I shoulda. I promise I’ll do better baby. Come here.” He pulled me to his hard, bare chest. “I love you Lei. You’re mine and I’m yours. You mean the world to me darlin’. Just ’cause we have a fight, doesn’t mean I’m gonna fuck that up.”
“I love you too,” I whispered against his naked skin.
“Thank God. Can we please go to sleep now? I’m fuckin’ exhausted.”
“Oh no, if you’re sleepin’ in this bed, you have to shower. I’m not havin’ our bed reek like cigarettes, stale beer and skank. I’d have to burn the sheets, I don’t think you want that.” I pushed him toward the edge of the bed. Muttering a few choice words, he stalked toward the bathroom.
Chapter Twelve
~Leila~
The next few weeks came and went. I was back at work in the ER, which I loved. I didn’t realize how much I enjoyed my job until I couldn’t do it. I missed the adrenaline rush I got when EMTs sprinted in the ambulance bay with someone coding. I missed being perched over someone and doing chest compressions and watching them come back to life. I missed the calm all of that insanity brought me. It sounds ass-backward, but it was true. When shit went south in the ER, I found my zone and became methodical. My actions were precise and even in split second decisions, my actions were well thought out. It made me feel alive.
Jaxon didn’t understand it until I asked him why he did so many tours in the Marines.
“What do you mean why did I do it?”
“I mean exactly that. Why go back into war zones so many times?”
“Lei, I’ve already told you I’m not talkin’ about my deployments.” He threw up the familiar brick wall when I asked about his time in the service.
“Babe, I’m not asking what you did. I’m asking why you kept going back when I’m sure you saw and had to do some awful shit.”
“It was my job and I was damn good at it. It was exhilarating. Not knowing what would happen from one minute to another.”
“And the ER is the exact same for me. That’s what you’re not gettin’ Jaxon. I love the thrill of not knowing what is going to come through the door next. It’s an adrenaline rush knowing you have the chance to save someone’s life.” I walked into the bathroom while he turned the shower on.
“Oh.”
“Yeah, it’s the exact same thing. Well, except you were killin’ people and I’m saving them.”
It was like I flipped a switch and the lights were finally on.
We got into a comfortable routine. Jaxon would drop me off at work in the evening then pick me up in the morning if he wasn’t on a run for the club. The two times that happened, Barb had been on the same shift so she brought me home.
Jaxon had been going on more club business recently and I wish I could say I was okay with all of it. At first all of the secrecy and disappearing for hours at a time didn’t bother me much. But recently it had been happening too often.
This week alone he had been out of the house for almost three days straight. When he came home, I had asked where he was going. He’d looked at me blankly. “Babe, you know the drill.”
“Well maybe that’s not good enough anymore. There is this whole other part of your life I don’t know anything about. I understand that you can’t go into details, but—”
“Then just drop it if you’re so understanding. I don’t want you a part of that world.” He grabbed the keys to the bike from the counter.
“Why? What are you doing? Is it illegal? For fuck’s sake, my brother is a cop, Jaxon.”
“Would you just leave it alone? I can’t say and it’s in your best interest to stay the hell out of it.” With that, he stormed out of the house and I spent another night alone with Ruger.
Even though I was living with someone for the first time in my adult life that wasn’t my brother or Barb, I spent as much time alone in this house as I did with Jaxon. I tried to take advantage of the quiet time and read or take Ruger to the Battery, but I felt lonely and confused. He’d wanted me here so badly, pushed so hard for us to live together and now where was he and what was he doing?
Tonight, I wasn’t in the mood to cook myself dinner and eat alone, so I called Drew. “Hey bro, what are you doin’ tonight?”
“Just chillin’ here at the house. Why, what’s up?” Drew asked hesitantly. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I just don’t wanna eat alone. Jax had MC shit to do and Barb is working.”
“Oh so what, I’m your last choice?” he asked, pretending to be hurt.
“Yep, absolutely my last resort. Dork. Do you wanna get a bite to eat with your little sister or not?” I chuckled while I watched the little nub slowly move from one side of my belly to the other. It still fascinated me to just sit and watch her.
“Yeah, come over here and I will order Chinese.”
Weird being back at the condo and it looking like a bachelor pad already. We sat around the coffee table with cartons of food and watched a movie, laughing until we cried. It felt great to have some down time with my brother.
My cell phone starting playing Big & Rich’s “Run Away With You,” Jaxon’s ringtone. Looking down at my watch, I realized it was almost 11:00 p.m. “Hello?”
“Where are you? Are you okay?” Jaxon sounded frantic. I hadn’t left a note or texted him where I was going or when I would be home.
“I’m fine. I’m at my brother’s. We had dinner and watched a movie.”
“Oh. Why didn’t you tell me you were goin’ over there? I got home and freaked the fuck out. I thought someth
ing happened to you.”
“I’m sorry. I should have left a note. You’re right. Give me a few minutes, then Ruger and I will be home.”
“All right, be careful,” he grumbled.
Jaxon was waiting on the front steps as I got out the car. He was still in his tattered jeans and black cut, but his feet were bare. Ruger took off ahead, excited to see Jaxon. “Hey.”
“Hey,” he repeated as he held the door open for me. Once we were all inside he caught my arm before I could make it out of the foyer. “Lei, we should probably talk.”
My heart started pounding and my palms got sweaty. Nothing good ever came after those four words. “Can we do this in bed? I’m really tired and my feet are killing me.”
Jaxon reached his hand out and tucked my curls behind my left ear. “Of course babe.”
Leading the way, I followed him up the stairs to the third floor, then climbed into bed after kicking off my flip-flops. I watched as he stripped down to his gray, tight boxer briefs. This man could be covered in engine grease and I would still melt every time I looked at him. His body was mesmerizing. I could stare at him for hours committing every curve, dimple and muscle to memory.
“I’m sorry for the shit I said earlier. I know you’re just worried about me and I shouldn’t have been such an ass.” I took a breath to speak but was stopped before I was able. “No, just listen. You asked questions that I cannot give you answers to right now. I will tell you that it’s MC business and there are some aspects of it that aren’t exactly on the up and up, but I try to distance myself from those runs and those dealings.
“I love you Leila. I will always want to keep you safe and sometimes that means being left in the dark. Some of the people that we deal with in the club will exploit any weakness they can find to get ahead. You are my weakness. You are the only thing in this world that could break me. So the less you know the better and the further away from that side of my life the better.”
“So you expect me to be okay with you living two lives?” I was a little outraged.
Pulled Page 11
