Jaxon set his knee at her side, the better to lean over her. He pushed her hair over one shoulder while she peered up at him from the corner of her eye, the edge of her mouth turned up.
He liked her smiling. He liked when she gasped and sighed. He liked making her happy. Making her come. All things he wanted more of, and right now he’d indulge all of that.
He grasped the zipper pull, a gold thing with a shiny bauble attached to the end, and tugged it down. The click of the zipper was far too loud in the silence of the Queen’s Nest. He bent his head, kissed the nape of her neck, and the newly exposed flesh of her spine.
Freya sighed and relaxed into the cushions.
Jaxon stroked her side and pulled the zipper down farther, exploring with his mouth and tongue. Her shoulders lifted, spine arching. He circled the next vertebra with his tongue. She shivered under his touch. Inch by inch he explored her in a way he hadn’t last night.
He unclasped her bra when it got in his way. Her shoulders gave a little shake and she chuckled.
Jaxon slid his hand under her, cupping her breast. He could feel the hard bead of her nipple through the fabric of her dress and bra. A good sign there. He squeezed the mound, then let it go.
He wanted to make her feel good from head to toe.
Her breathing was the only other sound he focused on. The way it hitched, her sighs, how she shifted under him. He enjoyed a fast fuck at times, but with Freya he wanted to...worship her. To make her feel. To brand himself on her forever.
When he reached the small of her back, he lifted his other hand and splayed it at the top of her shoulders, right over her spine, then slowly slid his palm down, applying the barest amount of pressure. She sighed, her body relaxing further.
He reached the bottom of the zipper, the dimples on either side of her hips barely hidden from view.
Jaxon straightened, taking in the visual of Freya at ease. She peered back over her shoulder, a sensual light in her eye. Inviting.
He’d remember this picture forever.
He stood and shrugged out of his coat, tossing it over the back of the sofa.
Freya rolled over, reclining back on her elbows, lower lip caught between her teeth.
“You like the show?” Her smile was contagious, the energy palpable. What he wouldn’t give for a hotel room and a week alone with her.
“I do. I like looking at you.”
“I don’t mind the view either.”
With each button he slid free, her smile widened.
He shed his shirt, tossing it in the general direction of his coat.
Freya scooted forward and grasped him by the belt, tugging him forward. He let her lead, stroking her hair as she fumbled to get his belt undone and his trousers open. Her grin was both wicked and delightful as she slid her palm into his boxers and grasped his cock.
It was his turn to groan at her touch, the way she fisted his erection.
He hooked his thumbs in his clothes and pushed them down, letting gravity do the rest.
Freya bent forward, pressing a chaste kiss to the head of his cock.
He fisted her hair, pulling her dangerous lips away from himself.
“Not this time,” he said. He didn’t trust himself.
Jaxon hooked a finger in the neckline of her dress and pulled it off one shoulder.
She stuck out her lip, pouting for all of a moment before she gave up the pretense.
So many sides of this woman he hadn’t yet been able to fully learn. But he wanted to. There wasn’t anything about her he didn’t want to know intimately.
She pulled the dress down around her waist, her bra falling to the floor. Forgotten.
Damn, but she was beautiful. Curvy. Just right. It wasn’t just her body, though. It was...Freya. Something about her. Something about the way she looked, how they were together.
She stood, releasing him, and allowed the dress fall to the floor, leaving her in just panties.
He tightened his grip on her hair, bringing her closer until he could kiss those smiling lips of hers.
He’d made her smile. Made her forget everything but them in these moments.
She curled her fingers against his chest, pressing her nails into his skin.
“Jax,” she whispered against his mouth.
He slid his hand into her panties, cupping her mound, pressing his fingers against her. She whimpered, tipping her chin up.
It wasn’t just him, then.
He walked her back until her calves hit the sofa.
Freya sat down, staring up at him with eyes dilated from arousal.
Good.
He toed off one shoe and then the other, pausing only to grab the condom from his wallet. He lost no time in rolling it on.
“You like watching?” he asked.
“You.”
Jaxon planted one knee on the sofa and nudged her shoulder. She lay back, spread out like some sensual buffet just for him.
He bent forward, kissing the soft curve of her stomach, her hip. He slid one hand under her and lifted while his other hand pulled her panties down to her thighs, then off. He was glad for the lights, for the ability to see her. The way she looked at him, completely lost in the moment.
Jaxon sat back on his heels, drawing his other leg up under him, and grasped her knees, bringing her legs over his thighs. She lifted her hips, pressing her wet heat against him.
Who would have pegged her for the playful kind? He hadn’t.
He grasped his cock, stroking the length of her slit with the head. He gritted his teeth against the urge to slam into her, feel her quivering around him. This time, he wanted it to last. To go on. To be different.
Freya lifted her hips, her breath coming out as little moans. Aroused sounds that frayed his resolve. He stroked her pussy once more, assuring himself that she was soaking wet.
“Jaxon.” She cupped one breast, her other hand grasping the sofa cushions.
“I’m right here.”
He flexed his hips, pressing into her.
Freya’s mouth opened. She gasped for breath. He slid into her, deeper than he expected.
Damn she felt good. Her tight sheath hugged him, pulling him in deeper.
He grasped her hips and lifted, thrusting the barest amount.
“Oh—god. Jax.” Her breasts jiggled, her chest heaving.
“You like that?”
“Yes.” She shifted against him, grinding their sexes together.
“Good.”
He slid his hands around to her ass, the better to control not only his thrusts, but the angle and depth. He was in control of her pleasure, and he meant to make it good for her. Very good.
Jaxon lowered her, allowing his cock to slide out until her pussy hugged just the very tip of him. He lifted and thrust, sliding back into her. She groaned and arched her spine off the cushions.
“Yes,” she hissed.
He lost himself in the way her muscles squeezed him, the tremors around his cock, the way her face glistened with pleasure, how her noises of abandon rose in pitch. Her breasts moved with each thrust, the tight tips pointed straight up, begging to be toyed with. Later. Right now, he wanted to make love to her pussy, to make her come.
God damn, she was amazing.
Her legs shifted around him, her heels driving into his ass.
“Harder,” she panted.
Her fingers curled over her mound, brushing his cock.
Fuck.
She stared at him while she stroked her clit.
There went all intention of slow and savoring.
He hauled her closer, leaned forward and rocked into her without mercy, driving deeper and harder. Her jaw dropped and she gasped. Never once did she look away.
“Come on, Freya. Come on my cock. You’re so damn beautiful when you come.”
“Oh—Jax!” She drew his name out, her head tossed back, gripping the cushions.
“That’s it.” He leaned over her, planting one hand on the sofa at her waist, rocking
into her.
She wrapped her hands around the back of his neck, pulling him down into the cradle of her body. He thrust, her nails scoring his back, his shoulders. She bit down on the tendon along his neck, a wild thing now unleashed.
“Fuck,” he roared, as the skin at the base of his spine began to tingle.
All at once, his vision seemed to blur. He thrust, grinding into her as pleasure robbed him of his senses.
Freya’s body softened against his, pulling him down deeper, cradling him in her embrace.
He buried his face against her neck, wallowing in the warm, fuzzy feelings taking up residence in his chest.
Damn, but he didn’t want to live without her in his life.
12.
Freya pulled on Jaxon’s arm, treating him more like a human blanket. She liked his warmth, feeling surrounded by him. That, too, was new. She liked the company of a man as much as the next girl, but she also liked her space. With him, she wanted him close all the time.
It had to be a byproduct of their circumstances. Wasn’t it?
He shifted, mumbling something in his near-sleep state.
They’d moved to the bed, but she couldn’t find it in her to sleep. Uncomfortable thoughts and feelings were knocking around inside of her.
Why was Jaxon here?
Why would a man she’d never actually gone on a date with drop everything to save her? People didn’t do that. This wasn’t a fairy tale. This was her life.
Good guys held the door for a person, they shared their umbrellas, offered to get a cab. They didn’t put their lives on the line for someone else unless...unless that person in danger was someone they cared about. Deeply. Probably even loved.
Freya swallowed.
Did Jaxon think he loved her? Was that why he was here?
She’d told him she couldn’t love, that she didn’t believe in it.
She stroked his forearm, wrapped around her chest. His warm breath stirred her hair every couple of seconds.
Freya cared for Jaxon. He’d interested her when not much else had. But...love?
The only meaningful connection Freya had experienced in her life was with her mother. Even the relationship she had with her sister wasn’t always healthy. Michelle had issues, she took more than she gave, and she was manipulative. But Freya still cared her sister. Felt responsible for her. Things would always be lopsided with them.
How could someone Freya had just met, who’d been in or around her life for just a little while, care so deeply for her?
Okay, they’d been acquaintances for a year. They’d hung out in the same circles. She’d seen him anywhere from four to seven days a week. He’d been a constant in her life. Always there. A comforting, familiar presence she’d gravitated toward.
She’d liked his smile, his quiet strength. And then he’d opened his mouth. Jaxon was more than a bouncer or a thug. He was smart, even if he didn’t see that himself. For her, that first time he’d begun discussing anatomy with her as part of a weird, crazy conversation about the impact of party drugs she’d just... She’d wanted to go out with him. Under that swag, under the appearance of just another club guy, he was more. And she’d been drawn to that.
He couldn’t love her.
She couldn’t love him.
That was crazy.
She could care for him. She did. But love?
She didn’t believe in love.
Look at what so-called love had done to her family. Her father loved the idea of her mother. Her mother had liked their father, but she hadn’t loved him.
Did she even know what love was?
She’d dated plenty in college, looking for something more, for that fairy tale romance every girl but her seemed to luck into, but all she’d found were people interested in her name. In who she could be to them.
Jaxon hadn’t known. He still didn’t seem to care.
He stroked her back and kissed her shoulder.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked.
“I was asleep.”
“No.” He chuckled and pushed her hair off her neck. “I can hear your wheels turning.”
“Are you a mind reader now?” She tilted her head and held her breath.
“Nope. Just a Freya reader.” His lips slid sensually over her neck, an answering warmth unfurling in her belly.
Maybe this, between them, was a mistake. She’d succeeded in forgetting where they were, what was going on, but at what cost? What was happening between them?
She didn’t want to hurt Jaxon.
He tucked her hair behind her ear, reminding her that he was awfully aware of her.
“Just thinking about how I should be registering for classes soon.” She covered his hand with hers, snuggling deeper into his embrace.
“Don’t tell me about it.” He groaned.
“Come on, you can’t tell me you hate school. If you did, you wouldn’t have gone back.”
“I don’t hate it, I’m just not good at it. I feel like I have to work twice as hard to be half as good.” He rolled onto his back, depriving her of his warmth. “For once, it would be nice if something was easy.”
“Then it wouldn’t be worth it, right?”
Jaxon’s flat stare said otherwise.
“What? Did I say something wrong?” she asked.
“No, it’s just...” He sighed. “I’m complaining, and that does nothing.”
“But sometimes it makes you feel better.”
“It doesn’t solve anything. I’d rather talk about what you’re going to do when I get you out of here.”
“Hm.” She pillowed her head on his shoulder. “I think I want to finish my PhD. Go back to real work. Not that working at the club isn’t real work but—”
“It’s not a career. I get ‘ya.”
“What about you? When do you graduate? What’s next?”
“December, if I get my ass in gear.”
“And then?”
“Well, I’ll have enough education to get a job I want. In theory.”
“What’s that? You never told me what you were studying.” She drew on his chest, over lapping, invisible circles.
“I haven’t told anyone really. I started to tell one of the guys, but we got distracted...”
“Why not?”
“Because... Because the way my family looks at me. They think I’m a perpetual failure.”
“You can’t be a failure and use a word like perpetual in casual conversation.” She poked his cheek.
“If everything pans out, I’ll graduate with a B.S. in Kinesiology and a minor in psychology.”
“Yeah? Going to work for the guys you used to beat up?” She could see him being a kick ass coach or something. He had a quiet confidence that wore off on others.
“Hell no.” Jaxon rolled his eyes.
“What then?”
“I want to work at the physical therapy place I was at as a patient.” He stared up at the ceiling.
“Yeah?” She barely dared to breathe. He was trusting her with an inside view he hadn’t given to others. She wasn’t worthy of this, or him.
“I could work as an aid or something, but I want to do more. I want to go back and focus on pediatric physical therapy. There were days I was griping about working with these elastic bands, and there’d be this five year old, learning to walk. You learn a lot about...life. Just watching a kid get to do something for the first time.”
Freya bit her lip. She hadn’t pegged Jaxon as the kind of guy who liked kids. Then again, she’d seen him in those birthday pictures that’d gone viral. The way he’d looked at the little girls, like they were the most precious things in the world.
She swallowed.
“My buddy’s niece was the biggest ass-kicker of all. She’s had something like a dozen surgeries just to give her the ability to walk. She’ll probably always need crutches and braces, but damn.” He blew out a breath. “Watching her take her first steps... I want to work with kids like that.”
“I neve
r pegged you for a softy.”
“Sh. Don’t tell anyone.”
“What do you need to get there?”
“A PhD.” He grimaced.
“You can do it. Hey, I could be your PhD buddy.” The words were out of her mouth before she could think better of them. Studying together, even in different fields, would mean a lot of time. Just them. Dangerous time.
“You might regret that offer.” He tapped her nose.
She already did. And she didn’t.
Things were not simple where Jaxon was concerned. Maybe they never would be, but she wasn’t ready to give him up yet.
Charles finished scrubbing down the kitchen. It’d been ages since he’d done this part himself. Yuri had spoiled Charles into simply paying for what he wanted, when he wanted it, and leaving the rest to the professionals.
This wasn’t exactly a job he could let anyone else do, or it would get back to Yuri.
Tonight, he would make Freya understand. He’d get through to her, that together they could be something amazing. He’d take her from Yuri’s custody, and she would save him from his demons.
It didn’t hurt that by marrying her, he’d also gain a couple million dollars.
That money would go toward ensuring that he and Freya never wanted for anything.
Yuri was right about her. She was strong willed. She wouldn’t break easily, and in the long run he had no interest in a broken woman.
Charles straightened and shook out his hands. Sweat pooled in the fingers of his rubber gloves.
First, he’d win the girl over. Then they’d secure their future by becoming filthy rich. After that, they could do anything they wanted.
Jaxon dragged his hand over his face and squinted into the morning sunlight.
Two hours of sleep in his own bed should be criminal. But Zach had called. His only words were, “Get over here,” and so Jaxon was getting.
He just hoped that Zach had coffee, and not that fancy press stuff he liked to make. That shit took forever. Jaxon needed something he could guzzle by the gallon to give him the jump start he needed.
When he got to Zach’s place, he had to circle the block before he found a spot he could wedge his car into. It still wasn’t the best parking job, but it’d have to do. He jogged to Zach’s condo and pounded on the door.
Bad Boy Prince: A Modern Fairy Tale (Twisted Royals Book 3) Page 15
