Chapter 12
Ripped
Paxton
Cade’s brow furrowed. “What the hell’s your problem?”
“Shit,” I muttered under my breath as I snatched up my beer and took a long swig.
“Is Joseph keeping you up at night again? If he is, I’m sure Seren would love nothing better than to keep him overnight this weekend.”
I was putting a major damper on our Thursday night Mayfield meeting, and I knew it. I’d been in a foul mood all week. Jessica had been annoyed with me ever since our argument over her working at a strip club, and I’d returned to sleeping on the couch. “It has nothing to do with Joseph.”
“Is it Jess?” Cade asked.
Evan shook his head. “No talking about women on Thursday nights.”
“That’s right,” I agreed. “So let’s talk about this weekend.” I slapped Evan on the back. “You ready to win the photo op in Muscles & Mayhem?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
Cade motioned toward him with the neck of his beer bottle. “I saw him in the gym today. He’s ripped.”
“Yeah, he is,” I agreed.
Mason approached us from the opposite side of the bar and set another beer down in front of each one of us. “So how’s this meeting of the Woman Haters Club going?”
I barked out a laugh. “Our problem isn’t that we hate women. It’s that we like them a little too much and all too often, the same one.”
“Hey,” Evan protested, “leave me out of that one. That’s a Pax-Cade problem. It has nothing to do with me.”
Cade leaned back and stretched his arms above his head. “I’m out of it now, too. I found my woman. As long as you keep your hands off her, we’re good.”
Mason shot me a grin. “So how goes it with Ms. Jessica Beacham?”
I pointed at him. “No talking about women.”
Mason chuckled, threading his fingers through his shoulder-length hair. “Hey, that’s your rule, not mine. I’m a bartender.” He tapped the bar. “Most of the guys who park their asses on my barstools want to talk women. It’s part of my job.”
I took a long pull from my bottle. “Well, I have no desire to talk about Jessica.”
Mason scoffed. “She’s pissed at you, isn’t she?”
How the hell did he always know this shit?
My lips pulled into a frown. “It doesn’t really matter whether she is or not.”
“I’m calling bullshit,” Cade announced, leaning forward again, suddenly finding newfound interest in the conversation. “Y’all hooked back up, didn’t you? And now you’ve done something stupid.”
I cocked my head in his direction. “Seriously, Cade?”
He lifted his palms and gave me a baffled look.
“Maybe we can pass a note in the hallway,” I suggested, “or better yet, I’ll meet you in the girls’ bathroom after class and tell you all the juicy details while you braid my hair.”
Cade’s mouth twitched into a grin. “Deflecting my question with sarcasm. I knew it. What the hell did you do to her?”
“You’re out of your mind if you think I’m having this conversation with you.” I took another sip of beer.
“Well, now that I’ve livened things up on this side of the bar,” Mason said, “I’ve got to check on my other customers.”
Cade rolled his beer bottle between his palms. “You know, Pax, the two of you should be together.”
I studied his profile, thinking how much things had changed between the two of us in the last few months. “I don’t know, Cade.”
“What’s stopping you? The instant father thing?”
“I’ve never had intentions of having children.”
“But you’ve been around him now. Surely it’s not as bad as you imagined. Unless you’re a total hardass.”
“And what if I am?”
Cade stopped rotating the bottle and looked at me. “Then you’re going to have a mighty lonely life.”
I took another long pull from my bottle. “So anyway, Evan, what time do you want to leave tomorrow?”
“Since the competition doesn’t start until Saturday, I don’t see that it matters what time we get there tomorrow,” Evan said.
“Why don’t we both work until two?” I suggested. “We can bring our stuff with us and leave from the gym.”
Evan nodded his head in agreement. “Works for me.”
“Man, I’d like to be there,” Cade said.
I finished my beer and set the empty bottle on the cardboard coaster with a soft thud. “You’ve got to hold down the fort. Besides, in less than a month, we’ll be leaving it with Evan while we head to the beach.”
Cade cast a grin in my direction. “If you hurry up and propose to Jessica, you could have a double wedding with Hawk and Amber.”
“Shit!” I looked at him as if he’d lost every last marble rolling around in that dense skull of his.
He chuckled. “Just saying.”
I yawned. “I’m going home.” I tossed a few dollars down on the bar to tip Mason. “Evan, I’ll see you in the morning.”
“You got it.”
I lightly punched Cade in the arm. “Later.”
He tilted his chin. “See you tomorrow.”
On the drive home, I thought about what Cade had said where Jessica was concerned. Ever since she and I had made love, I couldn’t get her out of my head. Spending the night with her in my arms had been the best damn thing that had happened to me in a very long time.
I had let jealousy drive a stake between us, and it had nearly taken her from my life forever. So why couldn’t I let it go? Why couldn’t I forgive and forget and move on with my relationship with her?
When I arrived home, the apartment was dark. Jess was at work, and I assumed Mrs. Hawkins or Seren had Baby J. I flipped the light on and glanced around the living room. Baby J’s blanket was folded on the floor, its fabric wrinkled, most likely from him trying to crawl away. I grinned when I thought about how much he had changed in the last month. He no longer cried at night, and he had gotten in a couple of more teeth. He was beginning to crawl, and on most days, he babbled constantly.
The house was deserted. I should have been grateful for the time alone, but instead, I just felt…lonely. Shit. Just like Cade said.
I kicked my shoes off by the front door.
The house smelled good, like someone had been baking, and I headed to the kitchen to investigate. A plate of cookies wrapped in cellophane sat in the middle of the table. Other than the cookies, nothing was out of place. All the dishes had been washed and put up. I grabbed a glass of milk and sat down, snatching a couple of cookies from the plate. When I finished, I set my glass in the sink and went to the bathroom to get ready for bed. I pulled my shirt off and threw it in the empty hamper, followed by my jeans and socks.
I started to pull out the spare pillow and blanket for the couch, but since Jessica wouldn’t be home for a few more hours, I decided to catch some sleep in my bed. Once she got home, I would relinquish it to her.
I was exhausted. When was the last time I had a good night’s sleep? I couldn’t even blame it on Baby J. He’d been sleeping virtually all night. Hell, I hadn’t slept well since the night Jessica and I had shared the bed.
After folding down the covers, I collapsed onto the mattress and jerked the sheet up to my waist. I fell asleep thinking the house was too damn quiet.
When I awoke, it was nearly pitch black. The mattress dipped, and I could see her faint silhouette from the bathroom light spilling through the thin crack in the door.
“You’re home.” I watched her crawl onto the mattress and sit. “Where’s Baby J?”
“He’s sound asleep.”
I pushed the cover back. “I’ll move to the couch.”
She reached out and grabbed my arm. “Don’t,” she whispered.
I froze, waiting for her to continue.
She released me. “I don’t want to be alone tonight, Paxton. Right now, I d
on’t even care what we call whatever this is going on between us. And I’m not talking about sex. I just want to know that I can reach out and touch you, that for just one more night, I get to be in your arms. Let come what may tomorrow. Tonight, I just want to be with you.”
I understood exactly what she meant. With us, it wasn’t just about the sex. It was about being with someone who understood you, the good and the bad, someone with whom you shared a deep connection.
I reached out and ran my fingers along her thigh. “My sweet Jess. Come here, babe.” I held the sheet up, and she stretched out beside me, curling into my chest. I settled the cover around her, encircled my arm around her slender frame, and kissed her forehead. Her hand rested against my chest, her fingers cool against the heat of my body. A strong need to protect her enveloped me, and instinctively, I tightened my hold around her until she was cocooned by my body. She stilled, and her breathing pattern became deeper.
“I love you, Max,” she whispered, her words heavy with approaching sleep.
I’d had to strain to hear her, and I wasn’t even sure if she realized what she had said. Warmth exploded in my chest and flowed through my body like thick lava, disintegrating all the doubts that lingered. I wasn’t sure whether it was the fact that she had professed to love me or the fact that she had called me Max that had affected me. Maybe it was a combination of both.
I allowed myself the rare moment of holding this sleeping beauty in my arms without worrying about all the uncertainties, the fears, the suspicions, a relationship with her could bring. It was strange how loving someone could bring out the best and worst qualities in a person.
Jessica made me want to do great things in life. She made me want to be successful and to take care of her. Not that I didn’t already want those things, but being with her added urgency. I could make more money, but it wasn’t the money that would make me happy. It would be the ability to do things for someone I cared about. I could travel the world over. Hell, I’d been to Ireland. But it wasn’t nearly as fun or as exciting when I had no one to share those moments with.
But loving Jess also brought out my less-than-stellar qualities. When it came to her, I was selfish, and that selfishness often led to jealousy. Hell, look what it had done to my relationship with my brother.
I could only hope I was older and wiser now, but after seeing her in that skimpy outfit and knowing that she would be surrounded by men, I wasn’t so sure. Hell, no. I would never let any woman of mine work in a place like that.
But Jessica wasn’t mine.
Damn, I wished my mind would just shut the hell up and enjoy this quiet moment with her. Forcing any thoughts out of my head, I lay still, aware of everything about her, savoring this closeness between us until I finally fell asleep.
***
I cursed when my alarm went off. I wasn’t ready to leave the comfort of my bed or the dark-haired lovely who had entwined her legs with mine during the night.
But I still had to pack, which meant I had zero time to waste, so reluctantly, I released Jess and scooted to the edge of the bed.
“No,” she said softly, “I don’t want the night to be over yet.”
“Go back to sleep. The sun won’t rise for a couple of more hours.”
“It’s not the darkness I want.” A soft sigh escaped her lips.
I paused wondering if she would say more, but she didn’t.
Quickly dressing into workout clothes, I stuffed a few necessary items into a small suitcase and grabbed a couple of dressier outfits, one to change into after I worked out and showered and one for the competition tomorrow.
Once I had everything loaded into my car, I walked back into my bedroom. The room was dark, and I couldn’t tell whether Jessica had fallen back to sleep. I walked in and sat on the edge of the bed, not quite ready to leave her.
She reached out and cupped her hand around my forearm. “Do you have to go?”
I would be the one opening the gym for our customers. “Yeah, unfortunately.”
“Maybe we could do this again tonight?”
This. What was this exactly? “Evan and I are leaving right after work to go to his competition.”
She sat up in bed. “Oh, that’s right. You’re going to pitch your articles.”
I nodded. “I’ve already sent one to them that I’m hoping they will review by then, but I have several more. Wish me luck.”
Her fingertips traced a pattern on my arm. “I have faith in you, Paxton. You can do this.”
I closed my eyes, surprised by how damn good it felt to hear those words from her mouth. She believed in me. I didn’t know why it mattered, but it did.
I caught her hand in mine and entwined our fingers together. “Do you have to work tonight?” Just thinking about her wearing that skimpy uniform made my blood begin to boil. I had to remind myself that she wasn’t mine. She had offered, and I had been unwilling to commit. She was right. I had no say in what she did.
“No, I’m off the next two nights. The manager didn’t want me to work the weekend until I had a little experience under my belt, which is unfortunate, because I’m sure the tips are a lot better on the weekends.”
“Come with me.”
“To Atlanta?” I could hear the surprise in her voice.
“Yes, to Atlanta.”
“What about Joseph?”
“Bring him, too,” I answered, squeezing her hand.
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.” Hell, she should know by now that if I wasn’t sure, I would have never asked her in the first place. “Evan and I were going to share a room, but when I get to the office, I’ll book us another room with a crib.”
“Are you sure?”
I chuckled. “Babe, you just asked me that.”
“I know, but….”
“I’m sure. It’s a done deal. I should warn you, though, that I’ll be tied up part of the time. Can you and Baby J entertain yourselves while I’m busy?”
“That shouldn’t be a problem. He and I are used to entertaining ourselves.”
“Good. I’ll have Cade come by and pick y’all up on his way to work. It’ll probably be about one o’clock or a little after.”
“We’ll be ready.”
Curling my palm around her nape, I pulled her to me and kissed her forehead. “I’ve got to go. I’ll see you this afternoon.”
“Bye.”
On my way to work, I realized that I was pretty damn happy she had accepted my invitation, but my excitement would have to wait. I needed to concentrate on all the things I needed to accomplish over the weekend. Every spare moment I had throughout the day, I tweaked my articles, rewording and reading, and then rewording again. If I could get the editor of Muscles & Mayhem to agree to even one article, then it would make me more credible as a writer if I submitted articles to other publications.
Even though Muscles & Mayhem catered to a wide range of articles that appealed to men, everything from fitness to sports to advice, my articles concentrated on the fitness side. Hell, running the gym was all I had ever done, not just running it but keeping myself in shape and helping our clients, as well. I knew fitness, and I had faith in my writing capabilities, but I was hungry for validation.
I didn’t know what the future held for Jessica and me, but I had promised I would help her if she needed it. Since I was already funneling most of the gym’s profits to my brothers so they could have a regular salary, I needed to come up with a way to increase the profits, earn income from an outside source, or do both.
Writing articles would be an easy way for me to make additional money since I could do it during slack periods at the gym.
By the time Cade came into my office, all I could do was search behind him for Jessica. “Where is she?”
He thumbed over his shoulder. “She’s coming. Joseph’s attracting quite the crowd, so it takes her a little longer to get anywhere versus a couple of ugly dudes like us.” Cade walked farther into my office and stood behind a ch
air, leaning on it as he spoke, “So what’s your plan?”
“We should get to Atlanta in three hours or so….”
“No.” Cade shook his head. “What’s your plan with Jessica?”
My teeth clamped down. “Why? Surely you don’t want her for yourself now that you’re married.”
“Hell,” Cade muttered under his breath. “I’m in love with Seren, so no, I don’t want her for myself. I thought we were finished with all this jealousy shit between us.”
“Then why do you care?”
“She’s a nice girl, Pax. And she’s crazy about you. I don’t know what your intentions are, but whatever the hell you do, don’t hurt her. Shit, she’s been through enough.”
“The truth is…I don’t know, Cade. I don’t know what my intentions are. All I know is I want to spend time with her. But other than that, I can’t make any promises.”
He nodded. “At least that’s an honest answer. Just be careful with her, Pax.”
“I will, but you need to remember that she’s not the only one in this relationship.” If anyone knew that Jessica wasn’t the only one who would be opening herself up to heartache, it should be Cade.
“Fair enough.” He shot me a grin. “Want me to braid your hair now?”
I picked up an empty water bottle off my desk and threw it at him. “Shut the hell up.”
Joseph’s babbling echoed down the hall, and Cade and I both turned to see Jessica pop up in the open doorway. “Hey.” She smiled at me, and it was the best damn thing I’d seen all day.
“Hey.” She and Joseph were wearing the Tennessee shirts I had gotten them, and something about that simple fact made me feel possessive of them.
She pointed back down the hallway. “You want us to wait out in the main lobby?”
“I’m turning it over to Cade, so we should be good to go.”
I gathered my things and met her at the doorway. Cade followed us back out to the front lobby where Evan waited.
“I’ve got the gym covered,” Cade said. “Now the two of you need to go take Muscles & Mayhem by storm.”
Betrayed (Whiskey Nights #4) Page 15
