Until Jax

by Aurora Rose Reynolds

  Pulling her hair away from her face, I rub her back, waiting for her to finish being sick before grabbing a washcloth and turning the water to cold. Placing it on her forehead, I wait a moment until I know she’s good then wipe her mouth. I help her sit up then grab a toothbrush from the holder. Muttering, “Open,” I move it around her mouth while her head tilts back and her eyes close. Once I’m done, I get her to the sink to rinse her mouth before picking her up and carrying her to bed, putting my knees on the mattress with her in my arms and laying us down, tossing the covers back over us.

  “Jax?” I hear her whisper as I hit the remote for the light to go out.

  “Yeah, baby?”

  “Thank you for taking care of me.”

  “I’ll always take care of you, Ellie,” I say softly, listening as her light snore fills the quiet. Wrapping my arms tighter around her, I fall asleep with her weight against me, knowing this is how it’s supposed to be, and there is no way I’m ever going to give it up.

  Waking up, I feel my hand on something soft and smooth before it registers that Ellie is with me, her ass pressed to my morning wood, my hand holding onto her stomach, and my other arm dead from being underneath her. I lay there, enjoying it for a moment, and know exactly when she wakes up, because her body goes solid against me and her hand goes to her head. Turning she looks over her shoulder, her sleepy eyes meeting mine, and a dark blush creeps over her cheeks.

  “Morning.” I smile, trying to ease whatever embarrassment she’s feeling.

  “Um…” she mumbles then looks around. “I…what am I doing in here?”

  “You got drunk last night,” I remind her, and she nods then rolls to her stomach and blinks. “Wes brought you home and you got sick.”

  “You took care of me,” she says softly, closing her eyes like she’s remembering. “I’m sorry you had to do that.”

  “Baby, taking care of you isn’t a hardship for me. Plus, now I can say you owe me one, and you can take the Rover, and the silent treatment can be done.”

  “I don’t want the car, Jax.” She frowns.

  “What if I say it’s my car and you’re just borrowing it?”

  “Jax.” She shakes her head against the pillow.

  “I want you and Hope to be safe, Ellie, and I know you can get a car for yourself, but until you do that, please use the Rover,” I plead.

  “I looked up the price of the phone you got me, Jax,” she says, narrowing her eyes.

  SHIT.

  “I bought it off someone for fifty dollars, Ellie,” I lie, and she closes her eyes.

  “I hate feeling like I owe people. I have always done everything on my own, and it’s really difficult for me to accept help,” she confesses then opens her eyes, dropping her voice. “You and your family have been so amazing, and I don’t want to feel like I’m taking advantage of your generosity.”

  “Baby,” I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her closer to me, as close as I can get her, before her body freezes up, “have you asked me for anything?”

  “No,” she whispers, looking at my throat.

  “Have you asked my family for anything?”

  “No,” she repeats, and I give her a squeeze, bringing her gaze back up to meet mine.

  “Then you’re not taking advantage. If it makes you feel better, we can say the car is on loan from me to you, and when you’re done with it, I can sell it off. But until then, please use it.”

  “Have I told you that you’re annoying?” she asks then huffs when I smile.

  “A few times.”

  “You’re annoying. Bossy. And annoying.”

  “You already said I’m annoying.” I grin.

  “It needs repeating,” she mumbles under her breath.

  “No more silent treatment,” I tell her on a squeeze, dipping my face closer to hers. “I don’t like it.”

  “Well, I don’t like you buying me expensive phones or cars, so we’re even.”

  “One more thing we need to talk about,” I warn.

  “What?” She frowns.

  “Last night, you brought up the name Mellissa,” I say, watching as her face loses color and she tries to pull away. “Stop,” I growl, pulling her back to me when she attempts to tug my arms from around her.

  “You have a girlfriend. We shouldn’t,” she cries in distress.

  “Ellie, listen to me,” I state firmly, and her body stills and her eyes go to my throat again. “I do not have a girlfriend, not yet anyways.” I gently nudge her, feeling her stiffen further. “And when I do have one, I guarantee you will be the first to know.”

  “I have a headache.” She breathes out a puff off air that hits my chest.

  “I’ll get you some aspirin and some food in a minute, but only after you tell me that you understand what I just said.”

  “I understand,” she wheezes out as her nails dig into my arm.

  “Good.” I give her a squeeze, dip my face, and brush my mouth across hers before rolling out of bed and heading to the bathroom.

  Walking back into the room, I’m not surprised to see that Ellie is no longer in my bed. I’m sure she’s down the hall freaking out about what happened this morning. Instead of giving her time to think too much, I go to her door and knock twice. It only takes a moment for her to open the door, and when she does, her eyes meet mine then drop to my mouth before moving to my throat, when she mutters, “I think I’m just going to get back into bed.”

  “You’re going to take these,” I say, handing her two Advil, “and then we’re going to have breakfast. After that, we’ll go pick up Hope from my parents, so get dressed. We’ll head out in fifteen.”

  “I… We’re not going to eat here?” she asks, tugging at the bottom of my shirt.

  “Best hangover food you’ll ever have is extra greasy and from a place called Jones’ on Main.”

  “My diet—”

  “Babe.” I shake my head, cutting her off before she can say more, while roaming my eyes over her. I have no idea where this diet shit is coming from, but no way in hell does she need to lose weight. She’s perfect. “You do not need to diet.” When my eyes travel up to her face, her cheeks have a pink hue that wasn’t there before and her eyes have gone soft in a way that makes it really fucking hard not to lean in and kiss her. Clearing my throat, I turn on my heels and growl over my shoulder, “Get dressed and meet me downstairs.” Before I do something like push you back to the bed and show you with my mouth how beautiful I think you are.

  Hearing her mutter, “Annoying,” as her door closes, I smile and head to the kitchen, picking up her coat and shirt from the floor before sending a quick text to my mom, telling her we’ll be there to pick up Hope in an hour or so. Then I send a text to Sage, asking how his meeting went this morning with our client. My cousin hates being the one to give bad news, and the news he was delivering this morning was definitely that. The man’s wife was having an affair with her co-worker. Obviously, since he hired us to check into her, he had his suspicions, but thinking it may be happening and seeing proof are two completely different things.

  Getting a response from my mom almost immediately makes me smile, because all it is, is a sad face. Sage’s response takes longer, but his message lets me know he had to talk the guy down from going over to his wife’s co-worker’s house and going postal after he saw the photo evidence. I can’t imagine what the guy is feeling. He and his wife have two kids, both under the age of five, at home, and he now has to think about what to do regarding his marriage.

  Typing a quick response, I let him know to check in with me once he is done filing the paperwork and closing out the case, then tell him I will be out with Ellie having breakfast. To that, he responds almost immediately with, Is she talking to you again? to which I responded, Fuck off. My cousins and Evan had been giving me shit all week about Ellie’s silent treatment, most of them staying out of my way, because they knew I was likely to blow at any minute.

  I know she’s downstairs before I see or h
ear her when her smell wraps around my lungs. I’ve been with women who wear perfume like a coat of armor that’s overpowering and covers up their natural scent, but not Ellie. Her scent of vanilla and cherries is so subtle that I crave getting closer to her, wanting to pinpoint where the scent is located on her body, so I can breathe more of it in.

  “Ready,” she says, walking into the kitchen then frowns, going over to the counter where I sat her coat and shirt. “How did this get here?” she asks, holding up her shirt.

  “You took it off last night when you came home,” I say with a shrug, not wanting her to be embarrassed, but not wanting to lie either.

  “I took it off down here, wi…with you here?” she whispers in horror, balling the shirt up in her hand.

  Moving toward her, I take the shirt from her, laying it on the counter while placing my fingers under her jaw and tilting her head up until her eyes meet mine.

  “I didn’t see anything more than what I would see if we went to a pool and you wore a bikini.”

  “I don’t wear bikinis.” She closes her eyes. “I don’t even know how to swim.”

  “We’ll add learning to swim to the list of things I’ll teach you,” I declare quietly.

  “This is so embarrassing,” she murmurs with her eyes still shut, moving her head back and forth and causing her hair to slide over my hand.

  “Would you feel better if I took off my shirt?” I ask, pulling on her chin so she opens her eyes.

  “I’ve seen you without your shirt,” she mutters as her cheeks turn pink.

  “Well then, we’re even.” I smile. “Now, are you ready to go have breakfast?”

  Pulling in a lungful of air, she lets it out slowly then nods.

  “Good.” Smiling, I lean in before she can stop me, placing a soft kiss on her mouth. I move away without acknowledging her quick intake of breath or the way her eyes go half-mast, even though I really want to do it again to see if I can get the same reaction.

  Handing over her coat, I grab the keys from the counter and head for the door, holding it open for her to go out before me. Then I wait, watching as she pulls her bottom lip between her teeth, pulls her jacket on, and then slides past me out the door, ducking her head as she moves to my truck.

  “You’re driving, baby.” Her body turns toward me and I toss the Rover keys to her. She catches them, muttering something under her breath before stomping to the driver’s side, popping the locks, and getting in behind the wheel. Sliding into the passenger seat, I fight back my smile and the urge to pound my chest like some kind of caveman as she looks around the car. Her eyes sparkle with excitement and happiness, even though she tries to hide it as she starts up the car and moves her hands along the steering wheel.

  “Do you think this would be a good time to tell you I don’t have my driver’s license?” she asks, putting the car in reverse, pressing the gas then braking hard, causing me to lurch forward before slamming back against my seat. Feeling my heart pound in my chest, I’m about to tell her we’ll add driving to the list, when she breaks into a fit of laughter that causes my chest to tighten.

  Without thinking, I wrap my hand around the side of her head, tangling my fingers in her hair, and pull her towards me roughly, covering her mouth with mine and swallowing her laughter down my throat as I thrust my tongue into her mouth. Her hands on my chest that had started out pushing me away wrap around my shirt and pull me closer. Groaning as she whimpers, I start slowing down the kiss, swiping my tongue across hers once more, then pull her bottom lip into my mouth, giving it a tug and soft peck before reluctantly pulling my mouth away and placing my forehead against hers. Opening my eyes, I notice hers are still closed.

  “That…that was wow,” she whispers, opening her eyes slowly and swallowing when our gazes connect. “Is it always like that?” she asks in a whisper.

  Placing my other hand on the underside of her jaw, I mutter, “Never, baby.”

  “We…um…” She looks away. “We should get breakfast,” she states after a long moment, slipping from my grasp, her eyes going to the windshield before looking at me once more. She shakes her head and places her fingers against her lips, taking a breath then shaking her head again.

  “You taste like you smell,” I tell her, not wanting her to forget I’m here with her, that I’m still in the car, that just because my mouth isn’t on hers doesn’t mean I can’t still taste or feel her lips against mine, her hands wrapped around my shirt. Putting the car in reverse, she begins to back out without acknowledging my comment, which only eggs me on. I know she wants me as badly as I want her, and I refuse to let her ignore this thing brewing between us just because she’s afraid.

  “I wonder if the rest of you tastes like that.” I smirk as she slams on the brakes, jolting the car. “You okay to drive, baby? I don’t mind taking over if you need time.”

  “Jax,” she warns, turning to glare at me.

  “Baby, unless you’re gonna give me something to eat at home,” I drop my eyes to her lap, “then take me to get food.” Lifting my gaze to hers, I watch her cheeks turn an even darker shade of pink that starts to spread down her neck.

  “You really like embarrassing me, don’t you?” She frowns, breathing heavily, something that says she’s not embarrassed, but turned on.

  “If you’re asking if I want to lick over the pink your skin turns to see if it has a flavor, then the answer is yes.”

  “Oh, my God,” she whispers, covering her face with her hands.

  Laughing, I pull her hands away from her face. “Okay, baby, I’ll stop.” Bringing one of her hands to my mouth and kissing it, I mutter, “Scout’s honor,” while holding up two fingers.

  “I doubt you were ever a boy scout.” She rolls her eyes before looking over her shoulder and backing onto the street.

  When we arrive at the restaurant, the place is packed, like it normally is on Saturday morning. You can tell by the crowd that most of the patrons were up late partying. Almost everyone has on sweats, and half are wearing sunglasses and holding coffee cups in their grasp, praying it cures the hangover they are suffering from. Placing my hand against Ellie’s lower back, I move us through the small restaurant to the back, where there is a free table for two, sitting close to the counter where you can watch the three cooks on the grill.

  “Jax,” Jones, the owner and my friend, calls from behind the counter, where he’s stationed flipping eggs. Jones and I went to school together. He played football with me; his short, stocky build ruled the field every time he stepped onto the turf. He was our secret weapon. Hell, he still is.

  “How’s it going, man?” I ask, pulling out Ellie’s chair for her to sit before taking my seat across from her, which gives me a view of the whole place.

  “Can’t complain too much.” He smiles.

  “You know you owe me ten on the Giants game, right?” I remind him, watching as he shakes his head, grinning.

  “You’re really gonna make me pay up?” he asks, pointing at himself.

  “Fuck yeah, you would’ve had my ass behind that grill if I lost.”

  “You’re right.” He smiles. “You want coffee?”

  “Yeah, two,” I tell him, watching as he signals for one of the busboys to bring us two coffees.

  “How’s Sylvia?” I inquire, talking about his wife.

  “Good, she’ll be in soon. Who’s your friend?” he asks, dipping his head towards Ellie, who is looking over the menu while simultaneously trying to hide behind it.

  “This is my girlfriend Ellie,” I announce, watching a few heads in the room swivel my way as she hisses, “Jax,” while kicking me under the table.

  “Baby, this is Jones, the owner,” I say, ignoring the look in her eyes that promises retribution.

  “Nice to meet you,” she says, plastering a smile on her face.

  “You too, beautiful.” He smiles then laughs as Ellie tries to kick me again, narrowly missing my junk.

  “I told you you’d be the first to know if I h
ad a girlfriend,” I remind her.

  “I’m too hung over and haven’t had enough coffee to even contemplate how the hell I ended up in this situation,” she murmurs, taking another sip from her mug.

  “Fate, baby…this is fate,” I tell her seriously, wondering how crazy she would think I am if I told her about the Boom.

  “Jax?” Pulling my eyes from Ellie, I groan, seeing Felicia walking toward our table. Felicia has been one of my regular hookups for the last year. Unlike what my family thinks, I don’t sleep around with just anyone. Most of the women I’m with are people who don’t have time for relationships or just don’t want one. Which was perfect for me—that was, until Ellie. “You haven’t been returning my calls,” she says with a fake pout while crossing her arms under her chest.

  “I’m off the market,” I tell her with a shrug, hoping she gets the point and moves along. She’s a nice woman, who is very intelligent when it comes to books, but common sense, not so much.

  “I saw Mellissa at the nail salon and she told me you two were back together, but I honestly didn’t believe her,” she mutters as my teeth grit and Ellie’s body grows stiff in front of me, her fingers wrapped around her coffee cup turning white.

  “I’m not with Mellissa,” I growl, annoyed that I fucking have to call her and make clear the status of our relationship. That being we don’t fucking have one.

  “Oh.” She tilts her head. “Who are you with?”

  “I’m going to the restroom,” Ellie says, standing suddenly, causing Felicia to jump back from the table and me to stand with her, trying to grab her arm, which she pulls from my grasp.

  “Fuck,” I clip, watching Ellie rush across the room and out of sight.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t know,” Felicia says as I scrub my hands down my face. “It’s okay, but I’m serious. I won’t be calling you again,” I tell her, hating that I feel like an asshole, but knowing I need to make it clear to everyone, not only her, that I’m off the market.

  “Sure, I understand. Take care, Jax,” she says, turning to leave, but not before I catch something in her eyes that sets my nerves on edge and has me instantly on guard.