Relentless (Relentless #1)

by Alyson Reynolds

  “Friend?”

  “Friend,” I confirmed with a shy smile. He smiled back at me and a flush covered my chest.

  “Come on Violet Montgomery, let’s get in.”

  Our conversation lasted for hours; it felt like I had known him forever. Topics flowed between us and we had a lot in common. At one point, he absentmindedly brushed a lock of hair out of my face; the second our eyes met a shiver went up my spine. His emerald eyes blazed, and my hazel ones mirrored the heat in his. The instant connection we shared shook me down to my core. Jaxon was witty, smart, and he had an amazing sense of humor. He threw me off balance, there was no way I could have a connection this strong with someone I just met.

  “I like your dimples,” he said running a finger down one of my cheeks. I ducked my head, but a smile crossed my lips as his fingers lightly brushed over them.

  “Tell me about your tattoos.”

  I watched as he pointed to each of them individually telling me the story behind them, script on his chest, a cross on his back, and a half sleeve on his left arm. The ink was amazing; I admitted I was too scared to go through with it, but I had tried to get a tattoo several times. I told him I had even gone as far as sitting in the chair, but sprinted as soon as the artist turned on the gun.

  We laughed so loud that conversations around us paused and people looked over to see what we were talking about. A light flush covered his cheeks, and I giggled even harder. Jax tugged a pair of lounge chairs to the side of the pool when we tired of swimming. Stephen walked over and smirked.

  “Do you guys plan on coming in any time soon?” I scanned the area and realized we were the only two still outside.

  “Wow. Did we really just spend all that time talking?” I asked Jax.

  “Yeah, we did,” he said biting his lip for a second. “I’m starving. Let’s go grab something to eat.”

  Jax took my hand and led me through the door to the kitchen. We shared a plate of food, each of us pointing to things we liked and making faces at things we didn’t. The sound of country music filled the house. He took the plate out of my hands and set it down on the counter. Again, I had that nagging feeling I had met him somewhere before, but I still wasn’t able to place him.

  He tugged me into the middle of the living room and started a perfect two step. I giggled and tried hard to keep up as he dipped and spun me around the room. Stephen grabbed Amanda and they danced alongside us. We all laughed and sang at the top of our lungs while we danced.

  Standing around on set a few days later, I remembered why I had taken time off from acting. Jax wrapped his arms around me, pulling me back into his muscled chest. I leaned into him and his lips lightly brushed against my ear.

  “Go on a date with me.”

  He didn’t ask, he told me we were going. The confidence in his voice and that damn accent made it impossible for me to tell him no. I might melt into a puddle one day if he kept that up.

  “When?”

  “Tonight. Be ready by eight. I’ll pick you up at your house.”

  As I walked away, I glanced back over my shoulder and caught him checking out my ass. He shrugged and grinned impishly. Shaking my head, I went around the corner with a huge smile on my face.

  Choosing what to wear was impossible, and Stephen was no help whatsoever. I modeled outfit after outfit, and got no more than a cursory glance up from the TV.

  “Stephen!” I whined, drawing out his name. “I need your help! I don’t even know what we’re doing tonight, so I don’t know what to wear. Did he tell you anything?”

  “Vi, really? We don’t gossip like middle school girls, but he mentioned he was taking you out to the boardwalk. Wear the black shorts from the first outfit with the coral shirt from the third. And thank you so damn much for making me doubt my masculinity.”

  I grinned.

  “This is why I love you.”

  I kissed his forehead and ran back to my room to get ready. Stephen might be a pain in the ass sometimes, but he always looks out for me. He has dealt with my crazy enough throughout the years that he doesn’t fight it anymore.

  When I walked back into the living room, a shrill catcall filled the air. I added a pair of wedge heels and a lightweight necklace to finish off the outfit Stephen had picked out. My long chestnut brown hair had been pulled up into a high teased ponytail, and I spent extra time on my makeup to make my eyes stand out even more than normal.

  “Looking good Montgomery.”

  I curled up on the couch next to him to wait for Jaxon. Stephen was watching Jaxon’s first movie. He was an amazing actor, and I couldn’t wait for us to be on camera together. Curiosity was killing me; I wanted to see if our off-screen chemistry would come through on film. Time flew by as I got lost in the story, watching Jax save the day with his gorgeous co-star.

  The doorbell rang at exactly eight. My eyes landed on the tight fit of his black Henley shirt and I had to stop myself from drooling. A five o’clock shadow played on his jaw line, making him even sexier than normal. He nodded a greeting to Stephen, took my hand and led me out to his car.

  “You look amazing. I’m sorry I forgot to tell you what we were doing, but you dressed perfectly.” His lips brushed against my neck as he reached out to open the door for me. The pulse in my neck throbbed as he leaned past me. I hoped he couldn’t hear the thudding of my heart. When did I become this girl?

  “It’s fine. I ended up bugging Stephen to tell me the dress code. Will you please give him hell for helping me pick out an outfit?”

  “I can definitely do that for you, love. Are you hungry or do you want to go walk on the beach first?”

  “I’m game for anything you want to do.” Realizing how the words sounded, a blush crossed my face, “Um, that is,” I trailed off.

  His chuckle filled the car, turning towards me he winked as he said, “I think I understand. Let’s get something to eat first. I have a surprise for later.”

  We never ran out of things to say to one another and I enjoyed his company more than anyone I knew, including Stephen and Lexi. He had a quirky sense of humor and a tendency to act like a caveman, but that only made me like him more. Our dinner was only interrupted once by a few fans asking for autographs. Lucky for us, we were filming in a part of town that didn’t have many tourists; locals in the area rarely bothered celebrities since they were so used to them roaming around. News about the movie leaked last week, so no one thought twice about us hanging out near the beach.

  Jaxon hadn’t been kidding when he said he had a surprise for me. He led me down one of the side streets to a little arcade with classic video games. My face lit up in delight when he told me he had found it a few days before when he was running on the boardwalk.

  We played on the old machines and listened to music from the ‘90s. He told me about hits from Australia versus the hits from the United States. When one of my favorite songs came on, I danced around him while he played, trying to distract him so he wouldn’t beat my high score. His arm snaked around my waist and suddenly he was behind me, grinding his hips against mine. My body flushed as he moved against me. Bright green eyes glittered back at me and I felt the familiar pull between us.

  We walked along the pier, licking at our melting ice cream cones. Jaxon leaned over and tried to take a bite of my chocolate cone. I laughed as it hit his chin when I pulled it out of his reach. He grinned and pulled me against his side.

  Would it always be this easy between us?

  Nothing had ever been easy with any of my ex’s. The night had been amazing. Beautiful oranges, pinks, and yellows streaked the sky as the sun set over the ocean. It was one of the most beautiful sunsets I had ever watched.

  Jaxon sat behind me in the sand, his arms wrapped around my waist. I looked down at our entangled hands, and he brushed his lips against my temple. He must have felt the connection as much as I did; there was no question of if there would be another date, only when. Our schedules were about to get crazy and we would only have stolen momen
ts, but it would be worth every second.

  We pulled in the driveway a little after eleven. After our ice cream, we sat out on the beach for a few hours. There was so much I wanted to say to this man. The tension in the car grew as Jax reached out to cup the side of my face with his large hand. My head tilted into his palm and my lips parted. Jaxon’s gaze locked on my mouth. His fingers traced softly down my face. I sighed, barely audible in the small car, but it was enough to make him move.

  His left hand rested lightly on my neck, and his other on my thigh as he leaned in, pressing his lips against mine. Fingers tangled in my hair as he deepened the kiss, and the grip on my leg tightened. My lips parted and his tongue brushed against mine. Jaxon’s mouth tasted like the chocolate ice cream he had stolen from me.

  He explored my mouth with expert skill. I sucked in a breath as he bit down on my bottom lip. It took everything I had not to moan into his mouth. As we broke apart, he rested his forehead on mine.

  “Wow,” he said.

  “Exactly,” I whispered.

  “That took me off guard. I expected it to be good, but damn.”

  His tongue ran along the column of my neck and a tremor of anticipation ran through my body. He pulled back, pecking my lips one last time before opening his door and coming over to my side of the car.

  Somehow we made it to the front door; my mind was complete mush, so there was no way I had helped us get there. I looked over at him, watching his face closely. “I had a great time tonight, Jaxon. Thank you.”

  “Me too, I can’t wait for our next date. See you tomorrow morning, love?”

  “Bright and early,” I whispered. His lips found mine one last time before he walked back to his car. My legs were jelly and I was ready to jump him after one freaking kiss. I was in way over my head.

  No man should be able to make a kiss be that good.

  Amanda pumped me for information as soon as I walked on set the next morning. She fired her first question at me before I could even hand over her latte. Her last relationship had gone south a few months ago, so she was living vicariously through me. I laughed as each question came faster than the last.

  “Tell me everything,” she pressed.

  “We had fun. He took me out to dinner, we went to the arcade on the boardwalk, and then we ate ice cream on the pier.”

  Her disappointment was evident at the lack of juicy details, but continued firing her questions anyway.

  “So was he a gentleman or did he try anything?” She asked wiggling her eyebrows up and down.

  I blushed, thinking of the amazing kiss. My lips tingled as I thought about Jax’s teeth sinking into my bottom lip and how he soothed it with his tongue.

  Not telling her that bit of information.

  “Complete gentleman. I’m telling you Amanda, there’s no juicy secret I’m keeping from you. We just enjoyed each other’s company and we might go out again. I like him a lot and I think he likes me.”

  “He definitely likes you,” a deep voice said from behind me. Holy crap. He heard me talking about our date. My face turned crimson. I wasn’t about to turn around to look at him.

  “Is he still behind me?”

  “Yep.” She smirked at me.

  “I really might hate you right now. You know that right?” I told her with a raised brow.

  “Yep. I know that too.”

  “I’ll talk to you later, Violet.” Jax said laughing softly.

  A huge grin broke out on Amanda’s face. I took a drink of my coffee to comfort myself. My friends had a way of embarrassing me far worse than I ever could. I laid my head down on the table hoping I would disappear into thin air before he came back.

  Jax and I went out the next night, and the one after that. Without discussing it we became a couple. The things we talked about became deeper and more important, more personal. I told him about my marriage, how horrible it had been, and my inevitable divorce. We talked about my relationship with my younger sister.

  He told me about his life in Australia and his twin brother. Jaxon had lost his father a few years ago, and his death pushed him to move to the States. The memories were too hard for him to handle back home, and he wanted a fresh start. I respected that because in a way that’s what I had done with my life. It was by chance that a producer saw him on the beach one morning and asked him to audition for a part in his movie. That chance encounter set his entire career in place.

  I could tell he missed his mom and brother. Conner, his brother, was also an actor and had just finished his first major movie. Jaxon was so proud of Conner and he asked if I would go to the premiere with him in a few months.

  He treated me like a queen, and he was so open and honest. It scared me that I could see myself falling for this gorgeous man after such a short period of time. No one had ever treated me so well. The need to pull back and distance myself consumed me when I let it. Jaxon Garrett was too perfect and I had learned from past experience if it seemed too good to be true, it probably was.

  Jaxon never left me; his hands were constantly touching some part of my body, reassuring me he wasn’t going anywhere. Every heated look or lingering touch we shared made my body ache for more. The chemistry between us was insane. His eyes were heated more often than not when he looked in my direction.

  I enjoyed spending time with him, and it amazed me how quickly we fell into a routine. We spent every day on set filming and rehearsing, but our nights were spent walking along the beach or hanging out with our cast mates. My favorite nights were the quiet times we spent lounging around instead of fighting the press for an evening out.

  Stephen pulled me aside at work one afternoon so we could talk. Even though we lived and worked together, we never spent any time together. I missed our one on one time, so it was nice to hang out, just the two of us. We sat and caught up on things going on in our lives, but the conversation turned serious. His stare made me squirm in my seat.

  “Are you happy, Vi?”

  I was surprised by his question, but I tried to answer honestly.

  “I’m happier than I have been in a long time. Why?”

  “I wanted to make sure because you’ve been distant lately.” He paused, but I knew there was more. I pinned him with a look and he continued. “Jax seems to open up around you, but you’re still keeping up your guard. He doesn’t share a lot about his personal life, and from what he’s told me, he’s just as scared as you are about having a relationship. The only difference I see is that he wants to work for it.”

  He didn’t come right out and say it, but his silent judgment stung. “Why you are holding back? You’ve never done that before, Vi.”

  “I don’t know,” I whispered. “It’s not like I mean to, but after everything with Aaron and Scott, I’m just not ready to let anyone in yet. With Jax, everything feels natural, but I don’t know if I trust my instincts anymore.”

  “Things with Scott were off from the beginning, but you insisted in trying to make it work. I’m not sure why you didn’t cut your losses sooner with him, and you never should have married Aaron. I know your mom blackmailed you into that unholy union.” He stared at me before continuing. “Vi, you can’t spend the rest of your life being scared of relationships.”

  “I’m not scared. I’m just…cautious.”

  “That’s a lie. I’ve never met someone as relentless as you are. You don’t take missteps. It’s really damn annoying to watch. Well, except for the marriage to Aaron, that was one big ass mistake, but we can blame that on you being young and dumb.” I stuck my tongue out at him and he continued. “I’m serious. Whether you want to admit it or not, you are falling for Jaxon Garrett.”

  “Stephen, I’m not some desperate girl who chases a man, or a relationship. If I was, I would have tried to save my marriage,” I snapped. “Do you think I wanted to be divorced at twenty-three?”

  My fingers clenched into fists at my side. Stephen noticed and tugged me into his chest.

  “Hey, calm down. I wasn’t try
ing to upset you. I just wanted you to know I’m here for you. We’ve always talked about this stuff.”

  “I’m not ready to talk about Jax yet. I admit it, I’m scared. And with good reason, every relationship I’ve been in has gone horribly, horribly wrong. Two guys cheated on me in awful, humiliating ways. So just let me be. When I’m ready, I’ll talk. Okay?”

  His brown eyes pinned me with a look that spoke volumes. He didn’t think I would actually talk about Jax, and he was probably right.

  “Okay,” he slowly agreed. “Just don’t push him away, or he might not be there for you when you are ready.”

  Stephen kissed the top of my head and I tried not to sigh in relief. This man was my rock. My partner in crime. My whole life he had been there for me no matter what I needed. I could talk to him about anything, and he always knew when I needed a push. It was one of his most annoying and endearing qualities.

  “Thank you,” I whispered.

  Stephen reached over and grabbed his iced coffee off the table next to us and handed it over. It was his peace offering for pissing me off. He wouldn’t push anymore today, but I was not disillusioned. If he thought I needed to talk about it again, Stephen would make me talk.

  Table reads turned into filming as the days and weeks passed. Jax and I became closer each passing second, and I tried harder not to push him away and open up more. Amanda joked that the sexual tension was so thick you could taste it. My nerves ratcheted up every time she said it. Jaxon and I hadn’t had sex yet, on or off screen, but there was no doubt in my mind that both would happen soon.

  I wanted Jaxon, but I wasn’t going to rush anything. I hadn’t slept with anyone since my divorce and the idea both scared and excited me. Sure I had dated guys since I had left Aaron, but I had always cut things off before it got to that point. My colossal fails at relationships had put me off men in general for a long time. It amazed me that Jax had even broken through any of that damage. He was slowly convincing me that not all men were complete jackasses.