by Joanna Wylde
She rolled over in bed, punching at her pillow and trying to find a cool spot. Jax wasn’t with her, and as far she could tell, he wasn’t up in his room. She’d been listening. He hadn’t taken his things, so she knew he’d be back, at least long enough to pack. She didn’t expect him to stick around any longer. Sure, he still had another week of their little “bargain,” but now that he knew he wasn’t going to get anywhere, he’d be leaving.
Against her will, she sniffed. Her nose was getting stuffed up, she thought in disgust. Her eyes were watering, too. Probably just allergies. One of the bushes outside her window was blooming. She’d have to start sleeping with the door closed. It was a shame, really, because she loved the night air.
She snuffled again, and this time her eyes watered more. She crushed her head down into the pillow and gave in to reality. She missed him already. The thought of him leaving was horrid. Sobs tore through her and she whimpered into the darkness of her room. How was she going to live without him?
Chapter Seven
“Good morning, Sarai,” Jax said as he walked into the kitchen. He had a bit of a headache, and the bright light made him want to wince. He wasn’t going to show it, though. He already felt stupid about drinking the night before. A lecture was the last thing he needed.
“Good morning, Jax,” she replied from her seat at the table, not looking at him. The two children watched them with interest.
“How come you didn’t sleep with mommy last night, Jax?” Mali asked brightly. Sarai dropped her spoon with a clatter and Jax coughed.
“What do you mean, sweetheart?” Sarai asked, her voice deceptively soft. Jax could tell the question made her angry.
“We’re not stupid, you know,” Able said, putting down his own spoon. He looked at them smugly. “Mali and I know all about where Jax has been sleeping. We’ve been watching you guys. You’re caught.”
“Well, I won’t be sleeping with Sarai any more,” Jax said quietly. “Not unless she decides she wants to keep me for good. I love her very much, and I want to marry her.”
“Jax—”Sarai tried to say, but Mali cut her off.
“If you marry mommy, will you be our daddy?” she asked, licking her spoon thoughtfully.
“If you’ll let me,” Jax said, catching Sarai’s eyes. She looked livid, but he didn’t care. She’d changed the rules last night. She hadn’t been fighting fair, and now he was done fighting fair. He’d do whatever he could to wind his way into her life, whether she liked it or not. He only had a week; there wasn’t any time to mess around. If that meant using the children against her, he’d do it.
“I would let you,” Mali said with a shy smile.
“Well, I won’t,” Able said. “You may not be as bad as our father was, but we still don’t need you here.”
Sarai and Jax both looked at the boy in surprise.
“You think Jax is better than your father was?” Sarai asked quietly. “I didn’t realize you were comparing them, Able. They’re two very different people, you know. Jax would never do the things your father did.”
A wave of warmth swept through Jax. No matter what she said, at least Sarai knew he was better than Calvin.
“I know that,” Able said, looking at Jax as if taking his measure. It was the same look he had given him in the garden after he’d attacked him, Jax thought. Clearly, their talk had given the boy something to think about. “But what you need to understand is that you don’t need him, Mom. You have me. I’ll take care of you and Mali.”
“I know that,” Sarai said, her face flushing. “You’ve always done a good job of taking care of me, Able.”
“And Mali,” Able added.
“And Mali,” Sarai repeated softly.
“Mommy, I’m done with my cereal,” Mali announced. “I want to go outside now. Did you know that we don’t have any lessons today, Jax? We just get to play all day long because our teacher has to go to the spaceport. Are you going to come and play with us?”
“Sure,” Jax said lightly. “Why don’t we go on a picnic? I’m sure that your mother would like to join us, too.”
“I don’t think—” Sarai tried to break in, glaring at him, but Mali squealed with delight, cutting her off.
“We’re going on a picnic! Can we go swimming? Mommy says we can’t go swimming unless we have grownups with us, but Kally’s daddy takes us swimming sometimes. Will you take us swimming?”
Even Able perked up at this.
“We have to do what mom tells us,” he said loyally, but his desire to go swimming was written all over his face. “Can we, mom?”
“There’s a lot of work that needs to be done around here,” Sarai said. Jax laughed.
“Sarai, there’s nothing that can’t wait. You don’t have any vacancies right now, and none of the rooms need to be cleaned. They were just done yesterday,” he said, trying to tempt her. “You haven’t taken a day off since I’ve been here. It won’t kill you to take a little break. You have to do fun things in life, too.”
“You realize the children can’t really swim, don’t you?” Sarai said. Her voice was wavering; he could tell she was close to giving in. “They just paddle around in the shallow water. We’ll have to keep a close eye on them.”
“I’m a good swimmer,” he said, smiling broadly at her. “Maybe I can teach them.”
“You can teach me how to swim?” Able asked, his face lighting up. “Kally’s daddy has been teaching me, but I still don’t know how to do it very well. We don’t get to go very often to practice. Mom doesn’t know how, so she doesn’t like to take us by herself.”
“There weren’t a lot of places to go swimming on the asteroid where I grew up,” Sarai said defensively. She stood and started clearing the table.
“Well, it sounds like I’ll just have to teach all of you to swim,” Jax replied. The thought was appealing… What would Sarai wear to go swimming? He’d never seen her wearing anything but her long dresses. He watched her stack the dishes speculatively, enjoying the sway of her cute little butt as she moved. What would she feel like all wet and naked against him? It was a pleasant thought, and he could feel himself hardening in response…
“I don’t want to swim in the deep water, though,” Mali said. “I’m scared of the deep water, Jax.”
“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to,” Sarai said reassuringly, turning back toward her daughter and smiling gently. “We’ll just pack a little lunch and go play in the shallow places, all right?”
Yep, she was all his, Jax thought smugly. By the end of the day he’d have her hot and ready for him. Now all he had to do was keep reminding himself why he couldn’t sleep with her. Not until she acknowledged that she wanted him for more than sex.
His plan was going to be harder to carry out than he’d expected, Jax realized later that day. He stood in water up to his chest, bracing himself again the current.
Sarai knelt in the shallows water of the riverbed with Mali, helping her build a little fort out of sand and sticks. Her white shift clung to every curve of her body, outlining her nipples enticingly and even giving a hint of shadow at the cleft between her legs. She turned away from him, and leaned forward to pull some more sand over for her daughter. The movement pulled the fabric tight against her heart-shaped ass, and he groaned. Even the cold water of the river wasn’t enough to keep his erection down. What had started out as his plan to tempt her was turning into his own personal hell.
“Jax, are you ready?” Able called. Jax turned his attention to the boy, who was standing in water up to his waist. His face was pinched and tight with stress, but he insisted on trying to swim out to Jax by himself.
“I’m ready, Able,” Jax said, holding out his arms. “I’ll catch you, don’t worry.”
“All right, I’m coming now!” Able shouted, and then threw himself forward into the slowly moving water. He thrashed his arms and legs desperately, slowly inching his way toward Jax. It took all of Jax’s willpower not to lean forward and pull the boy to him, b
ut he knew doing it by himself was important to Able. Then the boy was on him, wiry little arms and legs clingy. He twisted in Jax’s arms, shouting in triumph.
“Mom, did you see? I swam all the way out here by myself!”
“Oh, no, I missed it!” Sarai called, turning to look at them. “Can you swim back to shore? I’ll be sure to watch this time.”
“You can do it,” Jax said encouragingly. Able twisted to look back at him, scorn on his face.
“Of course I can,” he said. Without warning, he pushed himself free of Jax’s arms and started paddling back toward the shore. Instead of watching the boy this time, though, Jax watched Sarai’s face. Her expression was a mixture of concern and pride. She loved her children so much it was almost painful to watch at times. He felt like an intruder on their intimacy. Could he ever really be a part of the family?
Able had reached the shore, and Sarai wrapped him tightly in her arms. Mali jumped up and down, squealing in delight and clapping her hands.
“I can do it, too!” Mali said suddenly. She leapt forward.
Before either he or Sarai had time to react, the little girl flung herself into the water, flailing her arms and legs.
Chapter Eight
Jax leapt forward, unsure if she had any idea how to swim. She paddled her arms and legs furiously, just managing to keep her head above water. Then the slow current started tugging her away from him, and he leaped forward to catch her.
She squealed in delight as his arms came around her, clinging to him. He slipped and fell, instinctively holding her above him as he let himself relax and float to the surface. She seemed completely unconcerned, trusting him with the complete faith that only a small child can have. He bobbed up, leaning backward and cradling her in his arms. Then he kicked back, pushing himself upright and finding his footing on the slippery rocks.
Sarai was still standing in the shallows, her face white. She clutched Able to her, although he squirmed against her hold.
“Mom, let go!” he said sharply, and she shook her head, as if coming out of a dream.
“Jax, thank you so much,” she said as he started wading slowly toward her. Mali had grown quiet, laying her head against his shoulder and wrapping her arms around his neck. “Mali, you can never do that again! Don’t you realize that if Jax hadn’t caught you, you could have been drowned?”
Mali turned her head and looked at Sarai in confusion.
“Mommy, if Jax hadn’t been here, I wouldn’t have had the guts to do that,” she said slowly and clearly, as if Sarai were the child and she was the adult.
“I see,” Sarai said. She abruptly turned and waded out of the water. “I think it’s time for us to go home.”
“Mom!” Mali and Able wailed simultaneously. “That’s not fair,” Able added.
“We haven’t even had lunch yet, mommy,” Mali said. “Do we really have to go home?”
Jax could see the tension in Sarai’s face. Watching Mali fling herself into the water without warning had terrified her, although she was trying not to show her fear. He waded over to the beach, and walked up to her, still carrying the little girl.
“Sarai, perhaps we could eat before we go home,” he said in a gentle voice, trying to sooth her fear. “I’m sure both the children will promise not to go near the water again without your permission.”
“I promise,” Mali said quickly, and Able nodded in agreement. Sarai sighed, and ran a hand through her hair. It trembled slightly, and Jax averted his eyes.
“You know, you might find the water less frightening if you knew how to swim,” he said. “I could teach you, too.”
“I don’t think so,” she said with a sigh. She looked up at him, her face full of strain; seeing her like that made him ache. He had to do something to relieve her pain. Without pausing to think, he stuck his tongue out at her. Able and Mali burst into laughter. Her mouth twitched for a minute, then she turned away and walked over to the basket she’d packed their lunches in. He set Mali down, and the three of them exchanged a wicked look.
When she turned back, Jax and the children were all sticking their tongues out at her. Her mouth twitched again, and on impulse Jax raised his hands, spread out his fingers and waggled them along the sides of his head. She burst out laughing, and then they were all cackling.
They laughed until tears ran down their cheeks, and by the time they stopped the tension seemed to be gone. Mali got the hiccups, and Sarai gave her a drink to help her get over them. Inevitably, it didn’t work, and the next time she hiccupped, bright red juice came out her nose and they were all laughing again.
By the time they had finished lunch, a sumptuous picnic Sarai served on a large blanket, Mali’s eyes were starting to droop. Able was also looking tired. Exchanging a knowing look with Jax, Sarai said, “Do you want to lay down for a little while, Mali? I can scoot over on the blanket so there’s room?”
“No, I’m not tired,” Mali said instantly, sitting up. Able gave her a superior look.
“Young children need regular naps,” he said, his voice a perfect imitation of Sarai’s. His mother laughed softly, and padded the blanket next to her.
“I’ll tell you what, Mali,” she said. “All of us can lay down for a little bit, and I’ll tell a story. If you fall asleep, that’s okay, but if you don’t we’ll go for a walk before heading home. Sound good?”
“I want Jax to tell the story,” she said, lying down. Sarai raised a questioning eyebrow at Jax, and he nodded back at her.
“Do you want to hear a story that my mother used to tell me when I was a little boy?” he asked softly. Mali nodded. Sarai lay down next to her, on her side.
“Able, you have to lie down, too, before I start,” Jax said. Able flopped back on the blanket, and Jax lowered himself to his stomach next to the boy. He propped himself up on his elbows, and started speaking softly.
“Once upon a time there was a beautiful planet where every season was wonderful in its own way. In the spring, all kinds of new plants would grow, and there were parties to celebrate new life. In the summer, everyone would take the time to enjoy the beautiful weather. They would go swimming every day and eat yummy fruits that were only ripe for a few weeks every year. In autumn, they would harvest all the grains, makes piles of leaves to jump in and store up lots of wood to keep warm when it got cold. In the winter they would gather in close next to the warm fire and tell stories at night. During the day they would go sledding and ice-skating. They’d even build giant castles made out of snow and ice, and throw balls of snow at each other. Everyone who lived there was very happy.
“Now, the most amazing thing about this planet is that there were four different kinds of people, and each group had their own king or queen. The winter people had very pale skin, so pale that you could just almost see the light blue veins in their arms. They were ruled by a beautiful queen, who had long, straight black hair and eyes like blue diamonds. Her husband was the king of autumn. Like all of his people, he had dark skin, and beautiful hair full of orange, red and brown streaks. The summer people were all golden, from their skin to their hair. They were the most fun loving of the groups, hosting fairs and dancing from morning until night.”
“Every day?” Mali asked, popping her head up to look at him. Sarai reached an arm out to gently pull her back down, and Jax nodded.
“Yes, every day,” he said solemnly. “Now, the last group was the spring people. They were magical, because they could make things grow. They had a beautiful queen who was all green, even her hair. Everywhere she walked, little plants would sprout out of the ground and flowers would grow. She was married to the king of the summer people.
“Now, every year all of the kings and queens would take turns ruling over the people. For three months every year, they would open their palaces and have parties and feasts. It was a wonderful place to live, and everyone was very happy all the time. But then one day, something bad happened.”
“What?” Able asked, enthralled.
“Well, you see, every 20 years or so they would pick new kings and queens.”
“Why?” Mali asked, her face twisted in confusion.
“Well, I think it’s because being a king or queen if probably very tiring,” Jax said, trying not to laugh. He’d never considered the question before. “But this time, the winter queen they picked wasn’t a nice queen at all. All the people had gotten together for a special party to honor the new kings and queens. Now, that new winter queen didn’t want to take turns ruling, she wanted to rule all the time. So she invited all the other kings and queens to a special party, and served them a special kind of cake that she made herself.
“What they didn’t realize, until it was too late, was that she had put poison into the cake. All of them died that night, except for the king of summer, who didn’t eat any of the cake.”
“Mommy’s cake is very good,” Mali said solemnly. “No one ever dies from eating it. Not ever.”
“That’s good,” Jax replied. “Now, because the winter queen wasn’t able to kill the king of summer, she put a spell on him, freezing him deep down inside. You see, she knew that if she froze the summer king, there wouldn’t be any more summers until he woke up. Since all the other kings and queens were dead, she declared that from that day on, it would only be winter. All the summer, autumn and spring people had to work for the winter people. It was very hard for them, because it became cold all the time. They were very unhappy, but they didn’t know what to do to fix things.
“A thousand years passed under the rule of the evil queen, and it was winter the whole time. They learned how to grow all their food in greenhouses, and everyone was cold except for the winter people. The poor summer people were the coldest, and the evil queen forced them to work for her in the mines. No one had any idea how to get rid of her, and she used her magic against anyone who tried to stop her.
“One day, a group of summer people were working down in the mines and they found a magical cave full of ice crystals. Inside of one of those crystals was a frozen man. They realized it was the summer king, still being held prisoner by the queen’s spell. They tried to wake him up, but nothing worked. So they took him back to their camp and called a council, inviting all the spring people and the autumn people to help them try to figure out what to do.
