by Maya Nicole
"Well, thanks." I got to the door and stared at the doorknob before turning toward Jax. "Why do you hate me so much?"
I walked to the bed and looked down at him. He turned his head away from me, but not before I saw the tears on his cheeks. I wasn't prepared to see him crying.
"Get out." His words lacked any authority and my heart clenched in my chest for some unknown reason.
I dropped the towel and climbed onto the bed, lying down next to him. He rolled back onto his back again.
"Answer my question first." I put my hand under my cheek on his pillow and waited.
He rolled to face me, wiping his hand across his cheeks. "I don't hate you."
"Yes, you do. You look at me like you want to throw me off your cliff."
He put his hand on my cheek. "You're a job. We're supposed to be getting to your father through any means possible. The shit we've done to you is child's play compared to what we should be doing."
"A job?" I searched his eyes. "Like the mafia?"
"We're nothing like the mafia. Consider us... military. High school is part of our training, and since you happen to be there..."
"But why use me to get to him?" I put my hand over his, the need to touch him undeniably strong. "I'm nothing to my father."
"There's other motivation." He shut his eyes. "My sister is dying."
Tears instantly welled up in my eyes and I scooted closer to him. "Jax..." I don't know why I felt my heart breaking for him, but it pained me to see him hurt.
"She was trying to help a pod of dolphins that were surrounded by the oil." His eyes opened and anger flashed through them. "She is young and stupid. Just because it didn't look like there was oil in the water she was in, didn't mean there wasn't any there. It got into her lungs."
He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me against him. My hands went to his bare chest and I laid my cheek against his skin. "I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault." His hand moved to my lower back and settled under my shirt, causing warmth to spread through my body. "Every time I see you..."
"You think of her." I traced a small scar on his chest and wondered how he'd gotten it. "If I knew where my father was, I would tell you."
"I know." He ran a finger along the waistband of the shorts. "My father is out for blood. If he thinks we aren't doing what we need to, he will get more involved."
"I might share blood with my dad, but he lost his right to call me his daughter a long time ago." I went to sit up, but Jax kept his arms locked around me. "What are you doing?"
"Stay." He slid a leg between mine and my body went rigid and tingly all at once.
"I'm a virgin." The second it left my lips, I wanted to smack myself. Just because he was holding me and caressing my skin did not mean he was making a move. He loathed me.
"Figured as much." He laughed lightly and his hands went to my hair, his fingers sweeping against my scalp. "I can't deny the attraction I feel toward you, virgin or not."
I melted against him as his fingers worked through my damp hair. "What if it's all part of me being a siren hybrid creature thing?"
He laughed. "It doesn't matter. Are you planning on luring me to your lair to feast on my flesh?"
I gasped as his hands moved down my back and slid into the shorts, his hands settling on the bare skin of my ass. My skin felt like it was on fire.
"You feel it too, don't you?" His lips slid across my jaw and I groaned as he gently dug his fingers into my flesh. "You feel the pull toward us even though you don't want to."
I shut my eyes as his lips trailed to my neck. "I shouldn't because you are all assholes and bullies."
"You should." His hands left the shorts and my body shivered at the loss of contact. "You're mine."
It sounded so possessive and animalistic coming from his lips, but it sent a tingling sensation to my clit. I squeezed my legs around him, trying to squeeze away the ache that had started between my legs.
It was a mistake coming into his room in only a towel. I knew that, yet I did it anyway. I might have changed into clothes, but it didn't change the fact that subconsciously my body had driven me to his door, hoping he'd want me.
He pushed me back on the covers and hovered over me. "Tell me no."
I stared into his darkened blue eyes. I brought a hand to his cheek and ran my thumb over the skin under his eye. He looked tired and worried, but also looked like he was ready to pounce.
"I don't want to tell you no, even though I should."
He groaned and dropped his hips, his erection resting against my center. "I want to fuck you so bad." He moved his hips and hit right against my clit. "But not tonight."
I opened my mouth to protest, but he silenced me with his lips, his tongue sweeping against mine. I moaned into his mouth and raked my fingernails down his bare back. His muscles flexed against my hands.
He kissed along my jaw to my ear. "Let me touch you."
"Only a little."
He smiled against the sensitive skin of my neck and gripped my hip before sliding his hand up my stomach to rest underneath my breast.
"Your skin is so soft. I love how it feels against my hand."
I whimpered at his words, already feeling intoxicated by him.
His thumb moved under my breast and I arched into him, wanting him to touch me higher. I whimpered when he touched everywhere except my nipples.
"Jax, please." I'd imagined what it would feel like to have a man touch me as I pleasured myself. Doing it myself was nothing like having someone's fingers traveling across my skin.
"Tell me what you want, baby. I want to hear it." His hand moved up to rest on my breastbone and I pushed my head back into the pillow in frustration.
My face heated as his dark gaze searched my face, waiting for a response. He knew what I wanted; why wouldn't he just do it?
His other hand came to my lips and he probed at them, sticking two fingers in. "Suck."
My eyes widened a bit, but then I closed my lips around them and sucked. He groaned and moved against me. My hardened nipples rubbed against the fabric of the shirt.
I moved my hand under my shirt and took his hand, moving it to my breast. His eyes closed as I moved my fingers over his to pinch the hard point of my nipple.
"Fuck, Riley." He removed his fingers and lowered his mouth to my other nipple, sucking it through the shirt.
I gasped. "Oh, yes." I wanted him to rip the shirt off and remove the barrier between us, but it was too fast.
I moved his hand down my stomach to the waistband of the shorts and sucked in a sharp breath as I lifted his hand and moved it between my legs. "Touch me."
I let go of his hand and he cupped me through the smooth material of the shorts. He buried his face in my neck as he slid a finger along the slit, pressing the fabric between my folds.
The sensations coursing through my body were unlike anything I'd ever felt, even when using my vibrator. I was half tempted to say fuck it, take me, but knew I'd regret it if I let my body rule my brain too much. I was already making a questionable decision letting him touch me so intimately.
I rubbed his erection through his pants as he increased the pressure between my legs. The shorts were slick with my arousal and my clit throbbed every time his hand pressed into me.
My fingers roamed across his pecs, sweeping across his nipples. He moaned into my neck and moved his hand faster as my hands slid down across the contours of his abs and to his pants.
I moved my palm across his hard length. I didn't know what I was doing but thought back to what he did to himself in the shower and stroked him from root to tip.
His lips covered mine again in a brutal kiss and he rolled completely on top of me, settling between my legs. He began moving against me like there was no clothing between us.
"Jax... please, I need-" A groan left me as he ground his erection against me and hit my clit just right. "Oh my God."
"Can you imagine me sliding into you?" He kissed along my jaw to my ear. "I
bet you're so tight."
"Yes." I moved my hips up to meet his thrusts and gripped the sheets. "So good."
He was breathing hard against my neck and rolling his hips in a way that made me want to spread my legs wider, take off the shorts, and welcome him home.
But we needed to go slow. I needed to go slow. There was no telling how he'd feel about this later, and I didn't know if I could handle giving him that part of me only to have him ignore me later.
I cried out as my orgasm spread through my core and my clit exploded with sensations. My body shook and my legs locked as Jax didn't let up.
He groaned in frustration and then was off the bed in an instant, practically running to the bathroom and shutting the door to the small room the toilet was in behind him.
My chest tightened and I shut my eyes. Fuck. I should have known I was just being used. Part of me had hoped it wasn't just that. How could someone as smart as I was be so stupid when it came to men?
"Look at me."
My eyes opened and I blinked up at him. His chest was heaving and sweat lined his brow and his chest. His face was softer than I had ever seen it. He looked magnificent.
"Is this where you tell me to get out?" I bit my lip and adjusted my shirt that was riding up.
"This is kind of awkward, isn't it?" He sat down on the edge of the bed and ran his hand over his head several times before gripping the back of his neck. "I don't usually take things slow."
"I'm such an idiot." I covered my face with my hands.
He pulled my hands away from my face. "You enjoyed it, didn't you?"
"I did."
We stared at each other for a few moments before he laid back down next to me. "Maybe we took it a little too far for your first time being touched like that."
"It was perfect."
My eyes grew heavy and I knew it wasn't even close to a decent time to sleep, but I was exhausted.
I drifted off, drowning in the blue of his eyes.
Chapter Twenty-Four
I don't know why I expected things to change after what happened between me and Jax. The morning after was awkward, especially with the three of them at breakfast. They had another swim meet midday, so luckily there was an excuse to get out of there.
The next week of school passed quickly. In class, they ignored me, and while I was grateful for the break from them tormenting me, I felt like a used rag just tossed to the side.
Friday rolled around and I was grateful the week was over. The final bell rang and Jax was out the door before I could even ask him to talk. My texts to him had gone unanswered.
I went to my locker to find Aiden standing next to it. His eyes were darting around the area, and when I got closer, he grabbed my hand and pulled me into an empty classroom.
Aiden had been doing what he was told for weeks now. We still talked on the phone and texted, but it wasn't the same as hanging out in person. I missed him and wished he hadn't been thrown in the middle of my problems.
"I overheard them today." He pulled me into a hug and then pulled back, a seriousness to his eyes I hadn't expected. "None of what they said made sense, but something big is going to happen."
"What did they say exactly?" A lump formed in my throat.
"Something about the admiral getting impatient about their lack of progress. Who's the admiral? Like the navy?"
"Jax's father. He wants my father, but I think it's for more than just the oil spill."
Things all of a sudden connected and my knees turned to mush. Aiden caught me and helped me sit down. "What is it, Ri? Should I call for help?"
My mom was with Finn West for years. She had to have known he was different, just like I knew they were different. Is that why she left him in the first place?
Just how dangerous was he?
How dangerous were they?
"I think we just need to forget about everything for the weekend and focus on you." He rubbed my back. "I'm coming to your party."
I stood and looked down at him. "You can't."
"I'm done being blackmailed. Let them release the video. Then everyone will see how great I am."
I laughed. "What about your parents?"
"I'll have to deal with them. I can't hide it from them forever. I was just hoping to wait until I went away for college." He handed me my bag that I had dropped. "We have a party to plan because I'm sure Ivy has messed everything up."
I put on a smile, despite my mind screaming warnings at me.
I couldn't believe I was eighteen. Things felt real now. I was on my own and no one cared if I was without a mom and without enough money to pay the electricity bill. My mom probably didn't anticipate it being so difficult for me to get the money out of my trust. If she had, she probably would have gone about it a different way.
Did she just wake up one morning and decide she needed to put things in place in case something happened to her? Did she not think my father would step up and take care of me?
I dressed casually in ripped black skinny jeans and an oversized, off the shoulder cream sweater with a lacy black bralette underneath.
I could already smell the scent of the hamburgers Alex was grilling. My mouth watered as I applied the last of my make-up.
"We're ready!" Ivy walked into the bathroom without knocking and whistled. "Damn, girl."
"Is it okay?" I walked into my room and slid my feet into black and white checked Vans. "I didn't want to wear a dress like you suggested."
"No! It's perfect." She linked arms with me and we headed down the stairs. "Shut your eyes."
I had been banished to my room over an hour ago so they could set up the outdoor area. I really had some of the best friends a girl could ask for.
The night air was cool and I was glad I wore a sweater and not a dress. "Can I open them yet?"
The smile on my face didn't feel forced for the first time in weeks. Guilt welled in my belly but I pushed it away. My mom would want me to enjoy my birthday.
"Open them!"
It was perfect. They had moved the kitchen table out and made one giant table with the patio set. There were candles running the length of the table. Strung along the fence and across the space between the house and the fence were lights that made the area seem like something out of a fairytale.
A table along the side of the house held tins filled with iced drinks, snacks, and a small pile of presents.
"This is perfect." I bit my lip to stop the tears that were threatening to fall.
"Let's get this party started!" Ivy put on some music before pouring Sprite into a cup and adding rum. "A drink for the birthday girl."
I took a sip and couldn't taste the alcohol at all. I'd probably drink too much if I wasn't careful.
As friends arrived, I was tempted to check my phone. I had invited the yearbook staff since we worked so closely all the time. I hoped Ashley didn't show up, but if she did and was a bitch, Ivy said she'd kick her ass to the curb.
We sat down at the table to eat. I glanced down at my phone. I don't know why I cared, but I had expected them to say happy birthday.
"Stop it." Ivy put another cup in front of me. "They aren't doing a good job of redeeming themselves."
Ivy hadn't said much when I told her about dinner with Morgan and what happened with Jax. I couldn't tell her it was something else that was probably making me want them. She'd think I was crazy.
Aiden stood and made a noise to imitate clinking glasses. I rolled my eyes and took a big gulp of my drink, knowing he was going to embarrass me.
"I know this isn't a wedding, but I feel like turning eighteen requires a speech." He cleared his throat and held his cup in his hand. "Riley, you are the best friend a guy could ask for. If I was into the vag, you'd totally be my woman." Everyone laughed. "Don't ever change, because you are something special."
I sniffled and everyone touched their cups together. He was right, I was special, but change came as we grew and had more experiences. I just hoped the changes I was going through did
n't ruin my life.
I'd had alcohol before, but after three cups of Ivy's concoction, I felt great. After we ate, had cake, and opened presents, games were brought out. I was a big fan of intoxicated Cards Against Humanity. My stomach hurt from laughing so hard.
My phone rang and Aiden picked it up off the table. "I'll get it, sweetie. You just keep drinking." His speech was slurred slightly. "Hello, this is Riley's sexy secretary. How can I be of service?"
I practically fell out of the chair, and I would have if Ivy wasn't sitting right next to me. I put my head on her shoulder.
"Oh, bitch, we've been looking everywhere for you!" Aiden stood quickly, sending his chair toppling back.
My brain took a minute to process, but then I jumped up and grabbed the phone from his hand. "Mom?"
I walked into the house and shut the sliding door behind me, shutting out the noise of the party.
"Riley." Her voice was barely audible. "Happy birthday, sweetie."
The alcohol running through me made me unable to stop the sob that came from my throat. "Mom, where are you?"
There was some shuffling on the other end of her phone and I hoped she wasn't about to hang up. "I'm with your father."
The room felt like it was spinning. I had somehow made it to the living room and gripped onto the back of the couch. "You left me! I have no money! They took my car!"
Anger surged inside me and I wanted to break something. I should have known drinking given my emotional state was a bad idea. I had been on the edge of snapping for weeks, but her being with my father was my tipping point.
"I'm sorry. I didn't have a choice. Did you find my letter?"
I wiped at my eyes and sat on the arm of the couch. "Yes. Are we part siren? Why are you with Dad? When are you coming home?"
I could barely understand my words through my tears and my slurred speech. There was a moment of silence.
"I can't come home. Not yet. Are you safe? Did you get the money from Tran Nguyen?" Her words were rushed, like she was running out of time.
