“Wrong,” Ivory shot to her feet. “You are the lowest, shittiest, scumbag I’ve met yet, and I fucked you. Guess I’m moving up in the world.”
Blood trickled out of Nathan’s nose, but Ivory could find no remorse for him. Why did she ever think she loved this man? He rose to his full height, and Ivory felt around for Jax’s hand. She wanted his reassurance.
“Who are you going to run to when Jax bails on you, Ivory? He’ll leave you, pregnant and alone. The only chance you’ve got at saving your reputation is me.”
Jax went to step forward, but Ivory said, “I’ve got this.”
With a bravado she didn’t feel, Ivory stepped up to Nathan, his eyes focused on her. At one time, she thought their children would be the most beautiful in the world. She thought the man in front of her could do no wrong. He carried the weight of Boston on his shoulders, and she loved him for it.
Now, she knew different. Ivory brought her knee up, straight into his balls.
When he doubled over with a grunt, she brought her knee up again, connected with his nose, sending him flying backward.
A spew of blood gushed forth, and Ivory jumped back to avoid the mess. Someone must have called the cops, because patrol officers were on her in seconds, with cuffs on her wrists. “Wait a minute,” she said. “I have something to say to this bastard. The first was for Ashley, and the second, was for Jenny. Two-timing son-of-a-bitch. Don’t you come near me or mine again. I mean it, Nathan. I’d rather have no reputation than be associated with you.”
The rookie she’d worked with on the Green case tipped his head at her. “Nice to see you again, Miss Black. Though, sorry you’re on the wrong end of the cuffs.”
She didn’t care about the cuffs. Once Nathan sobered up, and Ivory threatened to go to the papers with the sordid story, he’d drop any charges he might press. Boy, did her New Year’s go out with a bang.
It was the first time she’d even been in the back of a squad car, her arms uncomfortably positioned behind her, and Ivory grinned.
Damn, it felt good to finally tell a scumbag just how much she hated him.
Chapter Twenty
The police station bustled with activity as Jax waited for Ivory. Phones rang, people getting booked hurled cuss words, and the night crew rambled out with looks of relief written on their face. Boston’s night crowd hit the streets with enthusiasm.
He’d posted her bail, and she’d spent the night in the block. When she appeared, she still looked pissed as all get out. Her black hair hung around her face, and the dress she’d worn looked tattered, a speck of blood on the bodice.
“Thanks,” she mumbled. “That’s an experience I wouldn’t like to repeat.”
His admiration for his spitfire grew. “Nana and Mickey are waiting for you outside. Claire left a message she wants to speak with you, and Ashley is with your ride.”
He held open the door, and listened to her deep inhale. Jax smiled at her exuberance and beauty despite her ragged appearance. She stopped when she reached her nana. “Are you coming over?”
Suddenly the ground took on an interest for him, and he stared at his feet. He couldn’t look at her now. “I’m going home. To pack. I figure I’ll leave Ashley’s situation in your very capable hands now.”
“So that’s it? You’re just going to leave?”
He didn’t like lying to her, and he wouldn’t. “Yes.”
The fact his flight didn’t leave until tomorrow evening didn’t matter. He needed to make a clean break. He’d said his good-byes to Nana and Ashley. Mickey took him by the side, and asked him if he planned on coming back any time soon. When Jax said he wasn’t sure, his old friend patted him on the back. If anyone understood what he needed to do, then it would be Mickey.
“I need sleep.”
She shifted her weight from foot to foot. “Come over later?”
“I’ll call you if I can.” He leaned in for a kiss and ghosted his lips across hers. He didn’t want to delay her ride. Truth be told, he didn’t want the good-bye to linger any longer than necessary. He would be back, but he didn’t know when, and he couldn’t tell her. Nathan had been right about one thing. He didn’t deserve Ivory. Not one bit.
* * * *
The shower felt like heaven to Ivory. She washed her hair of the grime and hairspray. She scrubbed her skin until it hurt, and spent extra time lathering her body with lotion and creams. She knew jails smelled awful, but to spend the night in one . . . She shuddered. Her nose would forever carry the smell of urine and sweat.
She had to call Claire and straighten her boss out, but she wanted to put it off. Something about Jax’s demeanor at the station bothered her. Nana was awfully quiet, and Mickey busied himself with Ashley, evading her questions.
When she couldn’t put it off any longer, Ivory called her office. “I know, I know. I’m suspended, right?”
Claire’s sigh echoed in her ear. “You can’t just beat the Chief of Police up in public, dear.”
“He had it coming,” Ivory fumed.
“I’m sure he did. There’s something else, Ivory. Ashley, by law, will be placed in Nathan’s custody.”
“He’s unfit.”
“Not by the standards of our laws. Sure, he’s a male whore, but that’s not against the law.”
“He used Mary and then left her high and dry. Literally.”
The pause that filled the line spoke volumes to Ivory. If this was the kind of system she worked for, then she didn’t want to work for it anymore. Empowered by her display with Nathan, Ivory steeled herself for the statement she prepared to let loose. Claire spoke before she could.
“It’s the law. He’s the father, and unless he decides to give up custody, then, Ashley belongs with him. He’s got a steady income, a good job. He’s in good standing with the community. He’ll have to go through the standard interview and checks, but what judge is going to say his rights aren’t validated?”
“He slept with prostitutes!”
“And you can’t prove that, Ivory.”
Oh, she had it. “Claire, I’m sorry, but I don’t think this position is working for me anymore. I’ll be in on Monday to put in my resignation.”
She slammed down the phone. The full repercussion of her decision still evaded her, and Ivory refused to believe she would have to give up Ashley. That was her baby. She raised her. Ashley called her Mama. Nana placed her hands on Ivory’s shaking shoulders.
“It’s all right, dear. We’ll figure this out.”
She turned into Nana’s arms, hot tears flooding her eyes. She wanted to run to Jax, but he seemed so different, so far away, and she still didn’t know where they were relationship-wise. His distant reservation proved he wanted to cut her off, but if he did it for her sake, then he had another thing coming.
“Come on. Ashley is asleep, and you’ll have plenty of time later to see her. Get some rest. All this stress isn’t good for you or the baby.”
“I quit my job. What am I going to do now?”
They traversed the stairs together, and Nana tucked her beneath the covers of her old quilt. Nana’s papery lips fluttered across her brow, and Ivory closed her eyes. “You’ll do something, baby girl. You always do. Got your Nana’s blood in you.”
Ivory smiled, and when sleep came, she didn’t resist. Her tired body and exhausted mind, broken heart, and weary soul welcomed the rest. When she woke, dusk settled over Boston. She pushed herself up on her elbows and stared at the clock. She’d slept for eight hours. Jeesh. She tiptoed down the stairs in case Ashley napped, but when she didn’t immediately announce her presence, she heard Mickey say, “His flight leaves tomorrow at five.”
Ivory held her breath.
“Doesn’t he see this is the wrong thing to do?”
Mickey sighed. “He’s got a lot to deal with, dear. He’ll do the right thing in his own time.”
Jax? Were they talking about Jax? She walked into the living area, nonchalant as she could be, and Nana’s face brightened.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Yeah, I guess I did,” she said, smiling at the newlyweds. “Eight hours.”
Mickey’s belly bounced as he chuckled. “Well, after the workout you had last night, no wonder you did.”
The smell of roast beef beckoned her, and Ivory made herself a bowl of Nana’s homemade stew. The taste of the heavenly broth and rich meat made her empty stomach jump for joy. She closed her eyes in sorrow as the last drop went into her mouth. “Nana, you’ve got to tell me your recipe for this.”
“Never.”
The running joke between her and her grandmother made Ivory’s heart lighter. Mickey’s troubled expression brought her right back to the conversation she overheard. “Spill it.”
Their expressions fell in unison, and Ivory waited to hear what they had to say.
“Jax is leaving. Tomorrow.”
She gathered that much. “Where would he be tonight, Mickey?”
“You know,” Mickey said. “I imagine if you leave in an hour, you’ll catch him drunk enough to rip him a new one and convince him he’s got it all wrong.”
She stared at the clock over the mantel. In an hour it would be seven. She spent the time with Ashley. Her nerves skittered back and forth, and her heart wavered between letting him go and making a last stand. When Ashley fell asleep, Ivory carefully backed out of the nursery, shutting the light out. She stood there, watching the child sleep for a minute. If she had to let Ashley go, and she had to let Jax go, and she quit her job, what did that leave?
The baby.
Right, she thought. She changed into a pair of jeans and a thick cable-knit sweater, tossed on a pair of boots and ran a brush through her hair. Before she left, she kissed Nana’s cheek.
“That’s my girl. Go get him.”
The Jeep wouldn’t drive fast enough to carry her toward him. As Mickey predicted, Jax’s black Ford sat in the parking lot at Magruder’s. When she entered the din of the room, the shabby lighting and loud music assaulted her senses, temporarily making her blind and deaf. When she adjusted to the atmosphere, Ivory remembered the last time she’d stepped foot inside the place.
Jax sat in the back, his jean-clad legs propped up on a chair and a beer bottle in his hand. He chatted with the waitress, a frown on his face. His black sweater pulled over his muscles, rippled when he moved. She felt her mouth begin to water. He glanced up and caught her staring.
Her heart did a little flip, and Ivory forced her feet to move. Each step she took, Jax sat up straighter, and Trixie moved off. He crossed his arms, his black brows a slash across his forehead. The closer she drew, the more her heart quickened. “Just going to leave without saying good-bye?”
She hated that her voice cracked.
His green eyes didn’t give a thing away. “Better that way, but you just shot that to hell.”
She stepped over to him, planting her foot up his hypothetical ass. “Then you’ve got a lot to learn about me, Jax Morgan, because I’m not letting you leave without a proper good-bye. You owe me that.”
He sat forward, his nose nearly touching hers. “Don’t make this harder than it already is, babe. Please, don’t.”
His soft tone made her throat clutch. “Then don’t leave.”
His hand circled her neck. “I have to.”
“Come outside with me,” she whispered against his mouth. Jax stood, threw down some bills, and led her through the small crowd. Trixie yelled her good-bye, and Jax shut the door on the bar. Ivory took his hand. The cold didn’t bother her so much. She’d been born here and had tough skin. Her heart hitched when she reached the exact spot Jax gave her the first taste of addiction, his passion. She turned to face him, leaned against him. “This is where it all began,” she said. “This is where we’ll end it.”
The emotions she tried to keep inside, the hurt, burst from her, and she broke down. She let him in, the gate to her heart wide open. He pushed her back against the wall, and Ivory welcomed his rough palms beneath her shirt as he slid her bra up, cupping her tits.
His kiss tasted like black cherry and bourbon, heady, sexy. She wanted to feel his body one last time, as they moved together. In public, her expression of love for him. Something she never thought she’d have the courage to do, and Jax showed her what real passion felt like. Any time. Anywhere.
* * * *
The feel of her breasts against his palms, their increasing weight and tight little nipples, drove him mad. He’d come to the bar, as he always did, when he needed to forget, and then the little vixen walked in.
She’d come for this last thing, and Jax intended to brand himself in her mind, her body. Her hot little mouth greedily met him as he drew her deeper into his embrace. She arched up on her toes, her back bowed. She trusted him. He recognized this for what it was. She trusted him enough to take her in a public place.
He undid the jeans, heard the rasp of the zipper. “Ivory,” he prayed.
He felt tears against his cheeks, and didn’t know if they were hers or his. Her fingers burrowed beneath his sweater, the cold digits a shock to his hot skin. She unsnapped his button, worked her way down the row. He felt the freezing air against his groin, and then the soft touch of her hand wrapped around his dick. He groaned in encouragement as she worked him, the velvety skin sliding up and down in her palm.
He could feel the humidity of her arousal when he dipped into her jeans, sought out her warmth. He slid his index finger down, through her outer lips and coaxed the cream from her body. She bucked against him. Jax heard cars pull in and out, voices floating toward them, but they were on the other side of a fishing shack, closed off from view.
If a boater passed by, he might get an eyeful, and Jax’s much larger body sheltered Ivory’s. He lowered his mouth to her tits, sucking a pebbled peak into his mouth as he sank two fingers deep inside her. Her soft moans of pleasure echoed in his mind, in his heart.
“Please, don’t stop, Jax. Just give me this, please,” she begged. Jax buried his face in her hair, and worked her jeans down until they were around her ankles. She had to be freezing her ass off, no pun intended.
“Turn around, babe,” he ordered her. He pulled away long enough for her to face the wall of the shack, and Jax freed his dick from the toasty warmth of his jeans. The nip in the air didn’t have time to make him lose his hard-on, because he thrust into her with one, hard shove. Her mewl broke his restraint, and Jax pounded into her, his mind black. All he heard, all he saw, was Ivory, her tight channel pulsing against his cock. His balls curled up, tense and achy.
He gripped her waist as he pushed into her, then pulled out. He tangled his fingers with hers, placing kisses on the back of her neck, and when her inner muscles locked on him, the blood in his cock sizzled. His legs tightened. He took her over as he fell into the abyss of her warmth.
The soft mists of their mingled breath floated around them, and Jax helped Ivory straighten up, a lazy smile touching his lips. He buttoned up his fly and knelt down to pull her jeans back up. She turned into him, her face against his pecs. Jax wrapped his arms around her back. “I told you by the time we were through, you’d beg for it, even in public.”
A gurgle of laughter reached his ears, and Jax hated what he had to do.
“When you go, I wanted you to take this with you,” she said. “I want you to remember this night, out here.”
Never would he forget a moment with this woman. Jax kissed the corner of her eyes, her nose, her mouth. “I couldn’t forget if I tried, Ivory.”
“Then don’t.”
His heart thawed, and he owed it to her. He also owed it to her to do something about it. “Go home. Enjoy your Nana and Ashley. I’ll be back.”
“Someday, right?”
The sentence hung between them. Jax couldn’t make any promises. He needed to do a little soul searching, and where that took him, he couldn’t know. “I’ll be back for the birth of the baby. When is that by the way?”
She smiled, her eyes blue flames. “End of Ju
ne.”
“It’s a date.”
Silence stretched between them for a minute before she palmed his cheek. Jax kissed the satiny skin. The wind picked up. Her hair whipped around her face, her lips reddened and swollen from his mouth. “I won’t say good-bye, Jax.”
He stepped back, shoving his hands in his pockets. “You’ve changed me, Ivory.”
The walk down the boardwalk while she remained behind was the second hardest thing he’d ever have to do, but he couldn’t afford to lose the courage now. He got into his truck and drove away.
* * * *
Time for grieving Jax’s departure didn’t last long. Ivory woke up two days after he’d officially left with Claire and Nathan on her doorstep. She let the bastard in, but didn’t like it. She excused herself to get dressed, but took longer than necessary just to piss him off. He looked like hell.
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