“Luke and I had a good conversation on our way to Boston. If you have anyone to thank for my cooperation at this point, it’s him.”
The sound of the horn interrupted Jax’s reply, and he took one last look at her before he opened the door. “New Year’s Eve then. I’ll pick you up at nine.”
* * * *
“You look beautiful, Cha-Cha,” Nana said.
The reflection in the mirror lied. Ivory didn’t feel beautiful. She felt like crap. The material of the dress stretched too tightly, not quite comfortable. Her feet felt swollen in the sea-foam matching strappy things he’d sent along with the dress and shawl. Her lower back ached, and she felt like at any second she would pass out.
Nana had pulled her hair up, ringlets gracing her face, and Nana weaved dark green ribbon through the crown of her do, the bun sitting low. The soft eye-shadow and mascara highlighted her blue eyes, but accented the green dress.
Jenny sat back, her own black dress a customary tradition among the women on New Year’s Eve. “Well, you look like a million bucks.”
She twirled, and the skirt flared out around her knees. Nana held out the matching shawl. “It’s time. He’s already downstairs. Mickey is keeping him entertained.”
Ivory rolled her eyes. “Jax knows how to entertain himself.”
The round of laughter the three shared at the innuendo filled Ivory’s heart with love. She’d missed Jenny, and didn’t understand her frequent absences these days, but Ivory suspected it involved a man.
“All right, well, let’s get you belles off to the ball before you turn into pumpkins,” Nana said, clapping her hands.
“Or my stomach turns into a pumpkin.”.
That statement elicited another round of laughter from the women, and they finally made it down the stairs. Mickey sat with Jax, the festivities in New York displayed on the television, and Ashley on Jax’s lap.
Her palms started to sweat when she saw him in a tux, fresh-shaven. The black on black of his shirt and suit lent an air of danger with his dark skin, hard jaw and eyes. His tattoos were sufficiently covered, but Ivory wouldn’t have cared. Her hormones kicked to life at the sound of his deep voice.
“Are you ladies ready to go?”
“You get two for the price of one,” Jenny interjected.
Mickey took Ashley, and Ivory bent over to kiss the baby on her head. She’d never spent a night away from her since she’d come to live with them. “Midnight and no later,” Mickey said as he gave her a playful wink.
She wrinkled her nose at his tone and pretended to gobble Ashley’s fingers. Satisfied with the round of giggles and her ease, Ivory saw no reason to delay, yet she couldn’t tear her eyes away from Ashley’s blinking brown ones.
A hand on the small of her back, and the amount of heat that hand generated, sent a wave of ecstasy up her spine. His breath against her ear drew her attention away from the baby. “She’ll be all right, and it’s time for you and I to have that talk. Jenny will follow us to the party.”
Ashley focused her attention on Mickey once Ivory let go of her little hand. Her thoughts turned to Jax and their night out. The last time they’d been alone together, things hadn’t gone so well. When she stepped outside, and a long black limo parked at the curb waited for their departure, she turned to him. “This is too much.”
Her toes curled in the too tight strappy shoes when his grin breached her reserved attitude. “Not really.”
The limo driver got out of the car to open the door for them, and Ivory thanked the kid for his manners. She knew it came with the job, but it never hurt to show her gratitude. She slid across the large backseat, the warm leather against her bare legs serving to chase the chill from her. Jax settled in beside her, bumping the ceiling with his hand to signal the driver.
Once they moved away from the house, Ivory’s butterflies started running into each other, causing chaos in her stomach. She pressed a hand to her tummy, and waited for Jax to say something. Anything.
His silence lingered until halfway to the city. “I’m going to be leaving again. Soon.”
Not what she wanted to hear. “I see.”
The chill snaked through her once more. He laid a hand high on her thigh, absently tracing circles over the soft skin. She would not allow him to seduce her into thinking his actions were all right.
“I don’t think you do,” he said. “But, that’s all right. I’ve got a few things to wrap up here before I go. I can’t be around you, right now, Ivory.”
Her heart tore open, just a little. “And the baby?”
“Ashley will be fine with you.”
“I mean, our baby, Jax. The one unborn.” She risked a look at his face. The small lights that lined the car’s interior and the occasional street lamp revealed his grim face. Ivory felt the tear turn into a rip. “What about him or her?”
“I’ll be a part of the baby’s life.”
“But not mine?”
Jax flexed his fingers against her thigh. “I choked you, Ivory. I’m not a safe person to be around.”
Funny, she thought. He was the only safe person she knew. “Then get help, Jax. Don’t leave me if you don’t have to.”
“I have to go.” He scooted closer. “It’s my job. I’ve been given a clean bill of health.”
“Great way to start off the night, babe. I’m sure I’ll remember our first date for the rest of my life.” She would not let the tears show. She would not cry for him again. He wanted to leave, then he could leave. She’d find a way to get over him.
“I don’t want to mislead you. When you said you loved me, I reacted badly.”
“I’ll say,” she muttered.
She refused to look at him, but Jax knew how to get a reaction from her. He slid his hand higher, to the vee of her thighs. The little thong she wore didn’t protect much from his seeking hand. Her bare lips were only hidden by a silk scrap. Oh, her body would always betray her to this man.
“I just meant, what you feel for me is lust. No one could love me, Ivory. You don’t know me.”
She might have argued her point, lashed out at his declaration of impossibility. She knew her heart better than he did, but his fingers skimmed past the lace to her drenched folds. “You can’t always sway me with this, Jax.”
He nibbled her earlobe, licking the soft hollow. “Sure I can. Feel how wet you are.” He raised his fingers to his mouth, sucked the juice off. Ivory felt a quake slice through her defenses. “We will always have this, won’t we?”
The bitter tone didn’t faze her, and somehow, Ivory figured out his own defense mechanism. Belittle something meaningful until it meant nothing. Safer that way. “Then finish what you started,” she challenged him.
The limo seats were perfect for reclining, and as they sped through the night, the dark windows of the long car hid from the world all the ways he finished her, with his lips, his tongue. Shame at her wanton behavior in his presence had long been forgotten, and Ivory gave as much as she took. By the time they reached the party, she was ready to leave.
* * * *
He hadn’t told her when he’d be leaving exactly. He didn’t plan on a big send-off. He’d rather slip away quietly into the night. He would confront Nathan the following day, with Luke, and be on a plane back to Bragg in less than seventy-two hours.
The smile on Ivory’s face lit up the Hilton ballroom. She mingled with Jenny and a few friends, each who seemed inclined to touch her stomach. Jax occasionally participated in the festivities, but for now, he was content to simply take in every facet of her. Her smile, her frown, the line between her brows when she grew confused.
The way her hips swayed, her small toes flexing occasionally. Her pale skin beneath the chandeliers displayed her inner light, her happiness in the moment. Her blue eyes rivaled navy runners on the white table cloths.
“Jax Morgan, I’ll be damned. When did you get in town?”
He flinched at the familiar brusqueness. “Harry Porter,” he said.
Harry’s boisterous laugh drew looks, even Ivory’s. “I try, but old age is catching up with me. How have you been, son?”
“Busy. Doing this and that.”
Harry’s thin lips curled in on his thick mustache. “There were some new developments in your dad’s case. I’ve got word they’ve reopened some of the cold cases, and this new detective is hot on a trail.”
His old friend anger bubbled to the surface. Anger at his inability to do anything. “I doubt they’ll ever catch the bastards, Harry.”
“Have faith in the BPD, kid. Your pop did.”
The former Chief moved off to greet fellow retirees and rub shoulders with the rich and powerful of New England’s heart. The news of the case being reopened sucked all the fun out Jax’s night. When Ivory touched his arm, he jumped, ready for action.
“Hey, it’s just me. What’s wrong? Who was that guy?”
The love he saw, the worry, in her shining eyes made Jax’s self-hatred grow. How could she love him? He didn’t even think he was a good guy. “No one.”
“Well, the ball is getting ready to drop. Do you want to dance with me?”
They made their way onto the dance floor, and Jax let the sins of his past go for the moment. When he left, he could take tonight with him. He pulled her into his arms, breathed in the smell of her hair, felt the velvet of her cheeks against his neck. Her heels made her just a little taller, and Jax took full advantage.
His cock took a backseat, despite their earlier tumble. He wanted to just feel what it might be like with her, without the sex interfering. Her body, pressed to his. Her small stomach against his abdomen. He imagined the life inside of her reach out to him, ask for his love. The last thing he wanted to do was fuck up a child.
They moved to the music, and as they counted down the seconds of the final hour, Jax took possession of her lips, suckled the cider from her tongue. Her drugging heat curled on his tongue, and her little nip as the hour struck made his honorable intentions nil.
“Let’s get out of here,” he whispered against her cheek.
“We can’t just leave Jenny.” Ivory stepped out of his arms. “She will need a ride. She’s already on her fifth cranberry vodka.”
“Well, see if she is ready to go. Otherwise, tell her to get a hotel room on me.”
Ivory tossed a smile over her shoulder as she searched out her friend. For the moment, everything in Jax’s life felt right. As if he belonged there. Her easy laugh and glowing cheeks drew him in, and he couldn’t think of anywhere else he’d rather be at the moment.
Until reality settled in.
* * * *
Jenny stood just a few feet away, her face crumpled. Ivory rushed over. “What’s wrong?”
Her best friend looked up, her eyes going wide. “I’m sorry, Ivory. I, uh, have to go.”
Before Ivory had a chance to ask her what the matter was, Nathan appeared with two drinks in his hand, obviously surprised to see her. “Where did Jenny go?”
She fisted her hands on her hips. “I don’t know. You tell me why she’s so upset. What did you do to her, Nathan?”
“That’s what I would like to know,” Jax said, coming up behind Ivory, with Jenny in tow. The three of them passed several looks, and Ivory felt like she’d missed some inside joke.
“Will someone please tell me why we’re all so hostile here?”
The hiccupped sobs coming from Jenny drew Ivory to her friend’s side. She gathered the woman against her shoulder, and Jax planted himself firmly between them and Nathan. The men stared each other down, and Ivory felt the familiar trickle of unease scoot through her body. She tensed, wondering if they would break out in another round posturing.
“If you two are going to fight, then take it outside,” Ivory hissed.
Jax acquiesced. “I agree. Let’s take this someplace else.”
The foursome moved into the lobby of the Hilton, and when they hit the pavement, the two men in penguin suits began to circle each other. Jenny still bawled, and Ivory couldn’t figure out what had them so riled. All of them.
“Stop this.” Ivory let go of her friend, placing herself between the two. “We’re adults here.”
“I’m sorry, this is my fault,” Jenny blurted. “Nathan and I had a fight, that’s all.”
Jax swung around. “His irresponsibility and lies have nothing to do with you, Jenny.”
“Huh?” Ivory’s mind tried to piece together what the hell might be going on, but for the life of her, she could only guess Nathan hurt Jenny, and Jax had issues of his own. “Jax. Nathan. I want to know what this is about.”
Nathan finally spoke. “You know, don’t you?”
Cars, taxis, and partygoers passed, tooted horns and blew whistles. Confetti rained down on them, caught on Ivory’s dress and hair. She brushed away the offending pieces of plastic and paper, her shoulders shaking and her teeth chattering. Maybe going outside wasn’t such a good idea after all. Nathan handed her his suit jacket, but Jax cut him off. “Get away from her.”
“She’s cold, asshole,” Nathan raged. “And you’ve got us all out here for nothing.”
For all the good it did her, Ivory attempted to maneuver the group back into the lobby. Her feeble attempts to herd them fell on deaf ears. It went to hell when Jenny slapped Nathan for no foreseeable reason. Nathan rubbed his jaw. “I’ll deal with you in a minute,” he growled at her.
Jenny took off back inside, and Ivory felt torn. Should she go after her friend or keep these two ego-junkies from murdering each other? “Explain, right now, Jax, otherwise, I’m going back home. Without you.”
He handed her his tux jacket, and Ivory slipped the material over her shoulders, grateful for the barrier between her and the cold wind. Her breath still plumed out in a cloud of mist, but there was nothing to be done about that. Jax gathered her close to his body and she leaned in, for the sake of his body heat.
“Nathan is Ashley’s father.”
Her ears rang. Her breath came in short pants. Her head hurt. Tiny dots exploded behind her eyes. “But she’s almost a year old.”
Wildly, she pleaded with Nathan. “Please tell me, Nate, it’s not true.”
Nathan’s usually tan face had gone green. He wouldn’t look at her, but focused all his anger and energy on Jax. Ivory felt her orderly little world come tumbling down. “Say something!”
“You heard the lady, Nate. Tell her how you kept my sister in exchange for her services,” Jax issued softly.
She needed to sit down. On the curb, next to a parked car, she hung her head. She could smell the sewer, cigarette butts and gutter trash littering the ground. Jax knelt down beside her, rubbing her lower back. “I didn’t want you to find out this way,” he said gently. “But Nathan is Ashley’s father, babe.”
“Did Jenny know? Is that why she was crying?”
Nathan cleared his throat. “Actually, since we’re spilling dirty little secrets, Jenny and I have been fucking for nearly a year now. I just told her it was over.”
She twisted around so fast, the muscles in her neck strained. “Excuse me?”
The aura of danger Jax exuded sheltered Ivory from the blows. Her head hurt. Nathan’s bloodshot eyes bored into hers. As he drew closer, she could smell the liquor on his breath. She flinched when he crowded Jax. To her surprise, her soldier didn’t move a muscle, but kept his gaze focused on her.
“Did you really think, Ivory, you were enough? Little ice princess is what you were.” His chuckle sounded cold, evil to her. “And then Jax comes along, and you spread your legs for him like a bitch in heat.”
How had she never seen this side of Nathan? His eyes weren’t beautiful, but twisted. She saw no remor
se there. Her stomach rumbled in warning. Bile climbed the passageway from esophagus to throat. Her lungs felt cut off.
“I’ll only tell you once, Nathan.” Jax’s words came out controlled, dead. “Don’t say another word to her, or I’ll have your badge so fast, you won’t know what hit you.”
“How? What can you do, Jax? You’re nobody,” Nathan raged. “I’m the Chief of Police, buddy, and it would serve you well to remember that.”
She didn’t see Jax move, but the sound of a loud thwack told her Jax, indeed, punched Nathan. “You son-of-a-bitch,” Nathan growled. “Always getting what you want. Well, not Ivory. You won’t have her. You’re not good enough for the little ice queen. Only the best for Ivory, huh?”
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