Smirking, he murmurs, “I’ll convince you to cuddle.”
“Maybe,” I whisper, finally giving in to my smile.
His face goes soft and his hands frame my face while his eyes move over my hair, eyes, and then mouth. “I like seeing you like this,” he says as he kisses my lips then moves his mouth down my chin to my neck. His hands move, cupping my breasts, making my knees weak and my core tighten.
“I have to get ready for work,” I moan in both frustration and relief. I don’t know if I’m ready to open myself up to him, especially when he doesn’t know everything. I don’t think there is any way for me to hide the fact I’m a virgin, and once he knows that, he’s going to know about Hope. I need to tell him, but I’m so scared.
Knifing off me, he pulls me up to stand, asking, “What time do you get off tonight?” as his hands smooth down my hair and his eyes search my face.
“We close the shop at seven. Is that too late to have dinner?”
“No, and just let me know when you can get lunch, and I’ll bring Hope by so we can spend some time with her, since we won’t see her until tomorrow.”
“I would love that,” I say quietly through the tears lodged in my throat.
“Go get ready, and I’ll drop you off at work then just pick you up at seven.”
“Please…?” I prompt, narrowing my eyes.
“I don’t mind staying here and using your body as entertainment for the rest of the day,” he says with a shrug, while his eyes sweep over me once more, causing my nipples to harden and the place his fingers just were to contract.
“I…I’m gonna go get…get ready,” I stutter out then take off up the stairs, listening to his laughter follow me as I shut the door for the bathroom behind me and lean back against it, breathing heavily. I’m so far over my head it’s not even funny.
*
“That was Jax Mayson,” Kim whispers to me as I set my bag down on my station. “He just kissed you.” She blinks at me then looks at the door Jax just left out of. Biting my lip, I nod, because I can’t exactly lie. Jax insisted on walking me into the salon, and when I tried to give him a casual goodbye, he grabbed onto the back of my jeans and hauled me against him so he could kiss me in a way that let everyone know we were more than friends. “I thought he’s with Mellissa.”
Taking a deep breath, I let it out slowly as annoyance washes over me. I don’t even think I’m jealous about the whole Mellissa thing really. I’m annoyed she thinks she has some claim over him, when he has made it clear she doesn’t. “He’s not. I don’t know what she’s thinking, but I know what Jax has told me, and I believe him.”
“Hey, I didn’t mean anything by it,” she says, wrapping her hand around my arm. “I don’t know him; I just know of him, because I’ve seen him around and she tells everyone they’re together.”
“It’s fine, and I know. It’s just crazy. Why would you push yourself on someone who’s not interested in you?” I ask, watching as her face loses some of its color. “What’s wrong?”
“Do you know Jax’s cousin Sage?” she asks quietly, moving to stand in front of the mirror between our stations, pulling her hair up into a high ponytail, and I notice her hands are shaking.
“A little, but really, things have been so busy that every time I’ve seen him, it’s just been hi and bye. Why?” I ask, wondering what she could possibly have against Sage. He’s always nice to me, and he’s so good with Hope, who loves him.
“I have a sister,” she whispers.
“I didn’t know you have a sister,” I mutter, watching her bite the inside of her cheek.
“We’re identical twins, and she’s not exactly a good person. Don’t get me wrong; I love her, because we’re blood, but she’s…” She pauses and her eyes meet mine in the mirror once more. “She has some problems.”
“Oh.” I know exactly what she’s saying. I have a whole family full of people with problems.
“My sister had a run-in with Sage before she left town,” she says then drops her eyes, along with her voice. “She tried to roofie him when they were at the same bar.”
“What?” I breathe, covering my mouth.
“Yeah,” she whispers with tears in her eyes. “She was going to get him alone and get his wallet…I don’t know exactly, but he caught her when she was trying to mess with his drink. And now he thinks I’m her.”
“Maybe you could tell him it wasn’t you.”
“She left town.” She shakes her head.
“If you talk to him—” I try again, but she cuts me off.
“I believe his words were ‘Stay the fuck away from me, you psycho bitch’ when I tried.”
“That’s not good,” I say as she turns around to face me.
“You wanna know the worst part?” she asks softly, moving to sit in my stylist chair.
“What?” I ask, thinking this couldn’t possibly get any worse. She has an evil twin—that’s storybook bad.
“I met him the day before it happened.” She takes a breath, letting it out slowly. “My car got a flat on Old Fork Road, and he stopped to help me change it. After he got the new one on, he asked me if I wanted to have coffee with him and I said yes. I never say yes,” she whispers as tears fill her eyes. “I know you’re going to think I’m a slut, but I swear I have never done anything like that.”
“Had coffee with a guy?” I ask, confused, seeing pain in her eyes.
“No, after we had coffee, we went back to my place, and one thing led to another,” she says, waving her hand around, and I understand what she’s saying.
“Oh,” I breathe, and she nods.
“Then later the next night, he met my sister, and now…” she trails off.
“Now he thinks you’re her,” I finish her thought.
“Yep.” She nods again as her mouth forms a sad smile.
“There has to be a way to prove to him it wasn’t you.”
“I tried to talk to him, but he refused to listen to me, and honestly, I don’t think I care anymore. At first, I was upset, because I really liked him—or what I knew of him—but since then, I have seen him around town numerous times, and he’s always with a different girl. Really, he left my place, and the next night he went out to a bar, so that says it all, I think.”
“I’m sorry,” I murmur, not knowing what else to say right now. I mean, maybe Sage is actually an asshole, ’cause this doesn’t seem like something a nice guy would do. A nice guy would at least listen to you.
“It’s okay, really. I don’t know why I just laid all of that out for you.”
“I would like to think we’re becoming friends,” I tell her softly, giving her a hug. “He’s not worth the tears,” I whisper as I hear her sob quietly into my shoulder.
“It’s not him. I just…I could use a friend right now,” she says, pulling away and wiping the tears from under her eyes.
“If you ever want to talk, I’m here,” I assure her, giving her shoulder a squeeze.
“You ladies ready to open shop?” Frankie asks, walking out of the backroom heading towards the front of the salon.
“Ready.” I smile at him as he passes by then turn to look at Kim, who has pulled out a compact from her bag. “Will you be okay?”
“One thing I know, Ellie, is I will always be okay,” she says softly, but I understand immediately what she means. Being happy isn’t something I found easily until I was blessed with raising Hope. I know how it feels to struggle everyday, never really feeling any true emotions like happiness or joy. Always just being okay.
Feeling my throat get tight, I swallow through the pain and press my lips together for a moment. “One day, you’re going to find happy, Kim,” I tell her softly when I catch her eyes in the mirror in front of us.
“One day,” she agrees, putting the compact away before heading to the front of the salon, out of sight. Pulling in a breath, I finish setting up my station then head to the front of the salon so I can take a look at the appointment book. When I walk aroun
d the corner into the waiting area, I see Mellissa talking to Frankie.
Ignoring her, I walk behind the reception desk and take out the calendar. Seeing I have a client coming in in twenty minutes who is getting a full head of highlights, I head to the back of the salon and go to the small color kitchen that is set up. I begin getting products out so that when my client comes in, the process will go by much faster. Once I have everything together, I start toward my station, but as I go to pass by Frankie, who is standing at one the shampoo bowls in the back washing Mellissa’s hair, I feel her foot hit me just above the ankle, which causes me to go tumbling forward. Dropping the items in my hands, I hit the ground hard, landing on my hands and knees.
“Ellie, are you okay?” Frankie cries, wrapping an arm around my waist and helping me stand.
“I’m fine,” I mutter, dusting my knees and hands off as I feel my cheeks grow red with embarrassment.
“Are you sure?” he asks softly, pushing my hair back over my shoulder and searching my face.
“I’m sure. I just hope my knees aren’t bruised. Jax and I have a date tonight, and I brought a dress to change into,” I tell him loud enough for Mellissa to hear. If she thinks tripping me like we’re in middle school is going to scare me into giving Jax up, she has another think coming.
“Oh,” Frankie’s eyes sparkle, “a date with Jax. Please tell me I get to do your hair.”
“Uhh…” I haven’t let anyone touch my hair since I was around twelve. I even do my own cuts when I need one.
“You’re not scared, are you?” He smiles wickedly, nudging my shoulder.
“You should really let Frankie do your hair, or a least have him cut off your split ends,” Mellissa chimes in from her position at the sink, making my teeth grit.
Looking over at her, I give her a fake smile and lie, “That’s a great idea. Thanks, Mellissa.”
“You’re welcome,” she says, rolling her eyes and leaning her head back into the bowl.
Picking up the stuff I dropped on the floor, I look from Mellissa to Frankie, seeing he has his eyes narrowed on her. When his eyes come back to me, he asks softly, “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine.” I nod, and he nods as well then gives my hand a squeeze.
“We’ll talk about your date later.” He winks.
“Okay,” I say, but this time I really smile and he grins back while shaking his head then moves toward Mellissa.
Going to my station, I set the items in my hands down on the counter then giggle when I hear Mellissa shriek, “Oh, my God! That’s too cold!”
“Karma is a bitch,” Kim says, smiling at me in the mirror between us.
“Yes, she is,” I agree then laugh harder when I hear Mellissa scream, “You’re getting me wet!”
*
“Mommy,” Hope yells as she runs toward me from the front of the salon.
“Hey, Angel baby.” I smile, but then frown when I see she has chocolate covering her face from her nose down to her chin.
Picking her up, I look at Jax, who doesn’t give me a chance to ask him why he gave her chocolate before he closes the distance between us and kisses me breathless. When his mouth leaves mine, he whispers, “Don’t be mad.”
“I’m not,” I tell him then smile when I hear Hope giggling. “But I thought we were having lunch.
“We are habing lunch,” Hope says, happily wiggling out of my arms and climbing into my stylist chair.
“We have to wash your face first, chocolate girl,” I tell her, grabbing my purse and pulling out a wet wipe. “Did you trick Jax into buying you chocolate again?” I ask her when I get her face cleaned.
“No, he just gabe it to me,” she says, making Jax chuckle and me shake my head.
Standing back up, I look at Jax and whisper, “Pushover.”
“I can’t say no to her.” He shrugs, not denying it, and I roll my eyes.
“Are you ready for lunch, or are you too full from eating chocolate?” I ask Hope, taking her hand and helping her off the chair.
“I’m hungry. I only had four pieces of my candy bar,” she tells me, holding up her fingers.
“Oh, you poor thing. You must be starving,” I tease, picking her up and tickling her. “Frankie, we’re going to go feed this poor, starving child. Do you want us to get you anything?” I ask my boss, who is smiling at us, while Mellissa—foils sticking out all over her head like Medusa waiting for an alien attack—is trying to kill me with her eyes.
“No, thanks. Have a good lunch,” he says, laughing.
“Thanks.” I give him a wave. “So where are we eating?” I ask Jax.
“I figured we could go to the sandwich place around the corner,” he replies, holding open the door for the salon.
“Sounds good,” I agree, moving past him through the door with Hope in my arms.
“I want Ax to carry me,” Hope says when we reach the sidewalk, causing me to feel something I didn’t expect. I never thought I would be jealous, but that’s exactly what I feel as Hope holds out her tiny arms toward Jax. Squeezing her a little tighter to me for a second, I almost feel panicked as he takes her from me.
“Hey, are you okay?” he asks, dipping his face toward mine and searching my eyes.
Swallowing hard, I look at him and Hope and know it’s completely irrational to feel like I do right now, but that doesn’t mean the feelings aren’t there as I nod, muttering, “Just hungry.”
“Let’s get you girls some food,” he says, but I can tell he doesn’t believe me. I have no idea where this feeling is coming from, but now that it’s there, I feel it gnawing at my stomach as we walk down the street, around the corner, and into the small deli at the end of the block.
Once we’re inside, we order our sandwiches then take a seat at one of the tables near the front.
“Mom and Dad said they’re happy to keep Hope for the night,” Jax announces, and Hope smiles at me, saying, “Gwamma said we’re going to be vegables and watch the snowman movie.” She smiles.
“Oh,” I mutter, biting my lip. Maybe this is all a really bad idea. Maybe I’m not ready for any of this.
“Ellie,” Jax calls, gaining my attention. “What’s going on?”
Oh, God, why do I feel like crying all of a sudden?
“Just hungry,” I repeat my earlier lie, and his eyes narrow on me from across the table, but I ignore it.
“Mommy, what’s ‘being a vegable’?” Hope asks, making me smile.
“It just means to be lazy, Angel baby,” I explain.
“Oh.” She scrunches up her face and Jax chuckles.
“Mayson, order’s up,” one of the guys calls from the front of the deli.
“I’ll be right back,” Jax says, leaving the table to go get our sandwiches. When he comes back, he sets my sandwich down in front of me and my mouth begins to water from the smell of grilled chicken, fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil. Then he mumbles, “Here, sweetheart,” to Hope.
He takes her grilled cheese and cuts it into small pieces, which should be sweet, but I find myself snapping, “I’m her mom; I can do that,” while attempting to take the knife out of his hand.
“You just eat,” he says softly, but I still hear the bite in his tone as he finishes cutting it up for her. Sitting there for the rest of lunch, I can feel Jax’s stare boring into me from across the table, but I don’t look at him. I either focus on Hope, or my sandwich, which should have tasted amazing, but instead, I don’t even enjoy it.
When we get to Jax’s truck and I have Hope buckled in, I can once again feel myself fighting tears.
“Bye, Mama,” Hope sings.
Giving her a kiss and hug, I fight myself from telling her I will see in a little while, and settle with telling her, “I love you, Angel baby. Be good, okay?”
“Okay, Mama.” She grins.
Shutting the door, I squeak when Jax takes my hand, pulls me to the back of his truck, and pushes me up against the tailgate, crowding my body with his and lowerin
g his face towards mine.
“I don’t know what the fuck is going on in your head right now, Ellie, but I’m telling you this. You are mine, and Hope is mine. I don’t give a fuck how hard you try to push me away; it’s not going to happen. We have happened, and I’m not taking a step back, so deal with whatever fucked up shit you have going on in your head and get over it. Tonight, we’re having dinner then spending time with my cousin. After that, I’m taking you home and eating your pussy until you beg me to stop, and then I’m going to keep going until you apologize for your shit today,” he snarls then his head ducks, and his mouth latches onto my neck. I feel him pull the skin there into his mouth so hard that I cry out and my legs get weak.
Wrapping my hands around his shoulders, I hold on to keep from falling, when he lifts his mouth away from my neck and kisses me softly. “See you at seven,” he says, leading me to the sidewalk. Then he places another kiss on my mouth before going to his truck and getting in behind the wheel. Opening and closing my mouth, I stand there on the sidewalk, watching as he pulls away, then turn around and go into the salon.
“You have a hickey,” Kim whispers, covering her mouth while using her free had to point at my neck. Looking in the mirror, I take a deep breath and grit my teeth. Not only do I have a hickey, but I have a huge, dark purple hickey that will likely never go away.
“So classy,” I hear Mellissa say from the chair she’s in across the salon, and without thinking, I turn and look at her, mouthing, Jealous, before pulling out my concealer from my bag and covering the damn thing up.
Chapter 7
Jax
“Hey, you,” Ashlyn greets quietly with her eyes on Hope in my arms as she opens the door to our parents’ house. “Mom and Dad are out back.”
“I’ll be out in a minute. I’m going to lay her down; she passed out in the truck on the way over here,” I tell her, and she follows me down the hall toward my old room, which mom turned into a guest room as soon as I moved out.
Settling Hope on the bed and covering her with a blanket, I press a kiss to her forehead then follow Ashlyn out of the room, asking, “What are you doing here?”
Until Jax Page 11
