by Jen Talty
He scowled. “Maybe not in so many words, but it’s true.” He fanned his thumb over her cheek. “Thank you for being there for Elle.”
They stood there for a long, awkward moment as if they were playing the staring game with flowers and a toy truck between them. His tongue parted his lips as he slowly licked them.
“Sit. I’ll be right back,” she said, needing a little space to calm her raging hormones. He didn’t need a chick throwing herself at him. He needed a friend to lean on, and she could do that. Actually, that was all she was going to allow. Didn’t matter that he made her all tingly inside, or that when she closed her eyes, she could see herself in his arms as she gently drifted off to sleep.
Stop that thinking.
She snagged a vase, filling it with water. After arranging the flowers, she turned and set them on the table. Out of the corner of her eye, movement caught her attention.
“Oh,” she whispered, staring at Jax as he sauntered around the table. “Have you slept at all? You really need to get some rest.” Her words staggered out of her mouth like a drunken sailor.
“I’ll sleep later,” he murmured, circling his arms around her waist. “Where’s Rusty?”
“Asleep in his room, why?” She leaned back, but that only forced her to grip his shoulders as his lips came closer and closer.
“Tell me to stop. Tell me that this is crazy. That we should stay away from each other.”
“Okay,” she whispered, breathing in his musky, pine scent that made her muscles turn to jelly. A faint moan glided across her lips.
“I need you to tell me.” His lips were scant centimeters from hers. His hot breath tickled her skin, sending messages to every erogenous zone she had.
She shuddered, digging her fingernails into his skin. He held her gaze, patiently waiting for her to tell him that she couldn’t, or wouldn’t be with him and as much as she knew she should firmly press her hands against his chest, pushing him away, telling him being together was not only a bad idea for...or was it? Lots of people with children developed long-lasting, loving relationships. It wasn’t like she didn’t understand Elle came first in his life, and Rusty in hers. They were two adults, needing adult companionship.
“I can’t,” she whispered, trying to take a deep breath, but her lungs were unable to fully expand. “I want you.”
He groaned as his lips crash-landed on hers, his tongue darting in her mouth, finding every crevice. His hands roamed her ass, squeezing gently before gliding down the back of her thighs. He hoisted her legs around his waist. “Where’s your bedroom?”
“Behind us. Second door on the right.”
“Does it have a lock?”
She pulled back. “It does, but I’ve never locked it in case Rusty needs me.”
“I won’t stay all night.” He pushed opened the door, gently setting her down on the small bed. “So, it will only be locked while absolutely necessary.”
As he attended to the lock on the door, she shook out her hands, waggling her fingers. Goosebumps lined her flesh. At twenty-three, she had very little experience sexually and as she watched the way he removed his shirt, she suspected he might be a master in bed. She swallowed.
“I just thought of something,” he said, his tall, broad body leaning against the door.
“What?” her voice squeaked.
“I don’t have any condoms.” He tossed his shirt on the desk in the corner and planted his hands on his hips just over where his jeans hugged his body.
Her stomach lurched forward like the finest BMW going from zero to sixty in five seconds flat. “I do.”
He arched his right brow, and the corner of his mouth followed in a sexy curve. “You don’t say.”
Embarrassment flushed her cheeks. “I bought them after I had Rusty as kind of a reminder of what happens when you have unprotected sex.”
“With a son like that, I’d want to toss the birth control out the window and have a dozen more.”
The moon shined through the window, casting a warm glow across his tanned skin. She reached out, touching the spot between his pecs where a trickle of hair gathered, fingering the curls.
“He is pretty perfect.” Kneeling on the bed, she kissed the side of his neck. “And you’re sweet to say something so nice, but—”
“Don’t worry. Condom it is. I’m just saying that you’re the kind of woman who could steal my heart.” He traced his thumb over her lower lip. “Then again, I might just hand it to you on a silver platter.”
“Do you always butter up the ladies when they’re already willing?” Before she lost her nerve, she slipped her shirt over her head. Her nipples tightened in the air-conditioning.
A deep growl echoed in her ears. “Do you always go braless?”
“Only when I go to bed.” With a shot of bravery, she took his hand and rested his palm over her breasts.
“Dear God, woman, you’re going to kill me.”
His thumb dragged over the tight nub, rolling gently.
She arched her back, biting down on her lower lip. A million firecrackers imploded over her skin with the promise of grand fireworks to light up her insides like the night sky on the Fourth of July. With every moist touch of his lips and tongue, her need grew. Desperation raced through her veins, pumping through her heart, demanding she take her fill for the very first time. She clawed and groped at his bare chest.
“Whoa,” she said with a heavy breath as he tossed her on her back and yanked her sweats to her ankles.
“Jesus, no panties either?”
“Not when I go…Oh my God,” she bit down on her hand as his tongue dived deep between her legs.
He knelt on the floor beside the bed, hoisting her legs over his shoulders, his hand gripping her ass, kneading her skin while his mouth did things to her she’d never imagined. It wasn’t that she’d never had oral sex before, of course, she had, but the few men she’d been with didn’t whorship her like a goddess. Jax moved over her with the same exultant desire she craved. Every stroke…every lick…every touch served to excite and satisfy.
Fisting the sheets, she dug her heels into his shoulders, pushing away only to bring him back in with a roll of her hips. His hot breath coated her like fudge dripping over ice cream.
His eyelids fluttered opened, his bourbon eyes filling her, making her drunk on his love. He reached up, covering her mouth with one hand while the other slipped inside, rubbing swiftly as he sucked hard on her swollen nub.
She pounded the mattress, thrusting her hips upward, groaning into his hand, fighting the urge to bite the soft swell of his palm.
The room spun, and she felt dizzy, like she’d been on the highest, fastest rollercoaster of all time, kicking her adrenaline into high gear, allowing exhilaration to take over her mind, body, and soul. Just when she thought it couldn’t get any better, he shifted slightly, changing the angle of his fingers and the pressure of his mouth, sending her into outer space at Mach five.
“Oh...oh…” She clutched his head with both hands; her stomach seized with tremors, jerking her forward. Warmth poured out of her body like a waterfall at a hot spring. She could feel the heat rise like steam, drenching them with pleasure.
She stared down at him, kissing her inner thigh while she urgently tried to catch her breath. Her lungs burned as if she’d landed on her back, knocking the wind out of her.
His hand flattened over her stomach. “Are you okay?” He kissed the space between her breasts.
She nodded like an idiot, heaving in breaths as if she were hyperventilating.
“I think someone liked that,” he mused with a wicked smile.
“Ya think,” she managed between pants.
“We can end there, if you want.”
“Hell no,” she said a little too quickly.
He chuckled. “I’m terrified I just set the standard too high, and I’ll never be able to make your body do that again.”
“We won’t know unless we try.” She slipped her hand into the f
ront of his pants, grazing him with her thumb. “We need you out of these constricting clothes.”
“I’m not going to argue.” He stood and quickly dropped his pants to the floor, exposing his body in all its splendor.
“Jesus, you’re beautiful,” she mumbled, taking him into her hands. Sex had never been an empowering act before. It had been something she did, trying to seek pleasure. Her body knew it was there, she’d felt it when alone in the bath, but no man had ever given her the kind of gratification that made her want to do whatever it took to make sure they shuddered with the same bliss. She wanted to make him dizzy with desire. Drunk with need.
She took as much of him as she could in her mouth, her hands following, stroking tightly, then soft like a feather. Exploring every inch, she thought only about indulging his cravings. Forgetting about her inhibitions, she cupped him and clasped her mouth around him, letting her teeth graze against his soft, sensitive skin.
His groans and hisses filled the air, and she wanted more. She wanted to play his body like a fine instrument.
“Scarlet,” he said with a deep groan. “Where are the condoms?”
She slipped her mouth off him, still holding him tightly in her hands, licking her lips, smiling, feeling like the sexiest, most desirable woman that ever breathed.
“You are going to kill me.” He reached down, tilting her chin with his thumb. “Where are they before I explode right here?”
“Nightstand.”
He batted her hands away, gently pushing her back on the mattress.
Watching his muscles flex as he reached across the bed made her skin prickle with heat. She propped herself on her elbows, heels into the bed, legs slightly spread. Her wariness disappeared as she sheathed him with protection.
He growled as he nestled himself between her legs, biting at her lower lip. “You have no idea how mad with lust you make me.”
“Why don’t you show me?” She raised her hips slightly, letting the length of him caress her. “Oh, Jax,” she said with a moan as he slid himself inside her in one long, slow stroke. She raised her legs, clasping her ankles at the small of his back. Her hips rocked back and forth, meeting his every plunge deep inside her.
He raised up, his hand pressed on the bed on either side of her head. He stared at her with his pools of dark cinnamon swirls that carried the depth and desire that could only come from having loved so deeply that it took a piece of your soul.
She swallowed as he tenderly kissed her nose and cheek.
The rhythm of his lovemaking didn’t slow, but it did change. It shifted from raw energy to something akin to utter devotion. She clamped around him, letting her climax propel to the surface. She shuddered, drawing him in deeper, needing to feel him swell inside her and release his pleasure. She urgently needed to know she had the ability to give him the most decadent experience he could possibly have.
He thrust harder and faster. “Scarlet,” he whispered, still holding her gaze. “Beautiful Scarlet.” Burying his face in her neck, he sucking on her earlobe, pumping frantically.
“Yes,” she said, holding him tight.
He let out a guttural groan as he twitched inside her, sending a mini shockwave through her system. For the next few minutes, they rocked slowly against one another, her hand roaming his back, his lips kissing her neck.
She accepted his full weight, relaxing into the bed.
“You’re way out of my league,” he whispered.
“You’re way too sweet.”
“I have my moments.” He rolled to his side, pulling the covers over their sweat-covered bodies. Propped up on his elbow, he stared at her, tracing her lips with his index finger. “I’ve never met anyone like you before.”
“I hope that’s a good thing.”
He laughed. “It’s a great thing.” He batted her nose. “I need to check my phone, just to make sure the hospital isn’t trying to reach me.”
While she completely understood, the gravity of the situation hit her full force. Others might be able to blend families, and it might work out just fine, but she wasn’t sure she could do it, and she knew Jax couldn’t. He was good with Rusty, but Elle was his flesh and blood.
“Go right ahead,” she said, expecting him to get out of bed and get dressed. But all he did was lean over the side and rummage through his jeans.
“No messages. That has to be a good thing.”
“Does she have her phone?”
He nodded, slipping his arm around her, pulling her head to his chest. “I feel like if I leave you right now I’m being a bigger asshole than I was earlier.”
She kissed his pec, forcing any negative thought she had to the recesses of her mind. “I need you to leave. It’s not about you, but about my son.”
“Believe me, I understand. If we were at my house, I’d be asking you to leave for the very same reasons. But it doesn’t make me feel any better about it.”
She took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “It’s probably best if we say good-night now before we both fall asleep.”
“All right.”
They got dressed in silence, though he tried to convince her to stay in bed, but she needed to get up and lock up behind him.
Leaning against the front door, she watched his hips sway in a masculine swagger, his jeans riding low and loose. He turned once and waved, before sliding into the front seat of his car. She stood there for a good five minutes after he drove off before shutting off the lights and heading back to bed.
Her phone beeped on the nightstand.
Jax: Good night, Scarlet. Sleep well and dream of me.
She couldn’t let that go unanswered.
Scarlet: Right back at you. Call me in the morning and let me know when and where I can come visit with Elle.
Jax: Will do. XOXO
Scarlet: XOXO
She set her phone on the table, and curled up on her bed, hugging her pillow, inhaling the fresh scent of pine. He always smelled like a forest and she wanted to run wild in one with him at her side. She let out a big sigh. She was in way over her head, and she was going to get hurt. She could handle that, as long as Elle and Rusty were protected. She’d do anything for those children.
Chapter 8
The next two weeks went by in a blur. Jax spent most of his time tending to his daughter. Actually, it was more like trying to tie her down so she got the proper rest she needed. The doctor said she’d heal quickly, and at the last visit he told them she could continue to increase her activity, depending on her pain level.
And then there was Scarlet, who started her new job. They had been able to occasionally sneak some alone time. A stolen moment for a bike ride at sunset, or a quick kiss while no one was looking, but they hadn’t been able to be intimate with each other again, and it was driving Jax absolutely mad. He craved to hold her in his arms until she fell asleep. To watch the sun peek through the window, kissing her blond hair, and watching her eyes flutter open so he was the first thing she’d see in the morning.
She’d been the only woman he’d ever met that he couldn’t stop thinking about. She’d seep into his thoughts at random moments, making him smile. His Crew Chief, Ace, twice the other day tossed a paperclip at him during a meeting, telling him to wipe the stupid grin off his face.
“Daddy, you’re burning the French toast,” Elle said, poking his biceps.
“Sorry.” Quickly, he flipped the fluffy, but slightly crispy bread on the griddle. He’d been dealing with lack of sexual activity since his Elle had been born, but now that he’d had the kind of mind-numbing sex others bragged about, he couldn’t look at Scarlet and not want to rip her clothes off and do unspeakable things to her body. No amount of cold showers would cure him of his ailment. Only Scarlet could take care of that.
And that was another issue. There would never be another woman for him, ever. She was it. The cream of the crop. His soulmate.
“Dad!” Elle grabbed the spatula from his hand. “What is the matter with you?” sh
e asked in a tone indicative of a mother scolding a small child.
“Sorry, my mind is in other places.”
“Obviously,” she said, shoving him aside. “You can set the table, and I’ll finish up here. When is Scarlet and Rusty coming over?”
“They said nine thirty, so about twenty minutes,” he said. He’d been looking forward to fishing with Rusty for weeks, but sure as shit wasn’t thrilled about his daughter going ‘bra’ shopping and then spending a few hours getting a mani-pedi, whatever that meant, followed by a hair appointment. That said, he’d promised Elle she could spend her Saturday with Scarlet, spending the rest of her birthday money.
But when the day was done, Mauve had promised to take the kids for the night, giving him and Scarlet a chance to spend some quality alone time together. Scarlet had balked at the idea, but he suspected she was more concerned about what her aunt thought of her spending the night with him. Mauve appeared to be more than thrilled with the concept, telling him she herself couldn’t have picked a better boyfriend for her niece. However, the jury was still out on his relationship status.
And with good reason.
They needed to take a step back and then move slowly going forward, making sure their children were protected. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to be together, but they had things in their lives that came first.
And then there was the question about Rusty’s father, who could come waltzing into their lives at any moment wrecking havoc, turning their worlds upside down. That thought reminded him of the recent email he’d sent Tex.
Sitting at the table, he pulled out his cell phone. His heart hammered with twinges of guilt. He knew, without a doubt, Scarlet would not appreciate him poking around in her background, much less Daniel’s.
His phone icon indicated someone had left him a message. He tapped on it, and then on Tex’s number.
Hey, Jax. I’ve got some good news, bad news, and worse news. The good news is I found Daniel. The bad news is he’s running drugs for Pepe Fernandez out of Miami. The worse news is he was in Rivera Beach last night, and I got word he’s headed north this morning on 95. The Feds have been trying to bring down Pepe for months now. His pipeline runs from Miami to Fort Bragg. Daniel is a new runner for them, so I tipped off the Feds, but I’d watch your back.
