How Beauty Saved the Beast (Tales of the Underlight)

by Garren, Jax

  Hauk’s hand stilled. “How’d you know that?”

  She shrugged, faking casual. “I heard you talking about it at the show. I came by to apologize for being a hot-and-cold bitch earlier, and I overheard your conversation. I wasn’t…okay, I was eavesdropping.” Dropping the pretense she grumbled, “I’m not used to being jealous. Apparently it does bad things to my character.”

  “Jealous, huh?” He sounded amused.

  “Yeah, yuck it up. I was jealous of the—” munchkin “—petite one. But engaged? That’s serious. I’ve never even vaguely considered marrying anyone.”

  Hauk’s hand shifted from her hair to her shoulder, and he pulled her up on top of him.

  “Don’t hurt yourself!”

  “I’m fine.”

  His hand stroked down her back as if he were placating a cat, and she liked it way too much. She had a bad feeling he could convince her to do all kinds of things if he just put his hands on her in the right way.

  She could probably do the same to him…if she ever got her hands on his skin.

  “Ashley and I were engaged for four months. And yes, I loved her. I was also eighteen.” The cast tipped up her chin to face him. “I’ve changed, outside and in. I don’t feel the same way about her. And I want—no, I need—somebody who isn’t interested in who I was ten years ago but wants me as I am today. Scars and all.”

  Jolie bit her lip and tentatively reached a hand up to his cheek.

  He took a breath as if steadying himself, but he let her hand press against his skin without a flinch.

  “I don’t notice them anymore, you know,” she said. “I quit seeing them a long time ago. You are so much more to me than a face.”

  He relaxed as she stroked her fingers up his temple, along the piercings above his eyes, feeling his skin for the first time while he was awake.

  “I guess that’s how people grow old together. You don’t see wrinkles and receding hairlines. You just see what made you care to begin with—the beautiful things they have on the inside.” She scrunched her nose. “Unless you’re my parents. Then you get hair plugs and a face lift, ’cause God forbid you don’t look perfect.”

  Hauk chuckled and closed his eyes as she tracked her fingers up to the phoenix and traced the pattern of one flame-red wing.

  “I want to grow old,” she added. “And I want to look my age.”

  “You’ll always be the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met.”

  < same to h-1">She snorted. “Yeah, yeah. ‘Jolie’ means pretty in French. Did you know that?”

  “That’s not what I meant.” He opened his eyes and his hand slid down her face, down her throat and came to rest on her heart. “Like you just said. Beautiful in here.”

  His voice was so sincere, her heart beat faster under the pressure of his touch.

  “I…” His mouth formed the beginning of several words before he came up with, “I care about you. So much it hurts sometimes. I want you, Jolie. I want you, and only you, so badly I can’t think of much else anymore. Please give me a chance.”

  Those might be the best words she’d ever heard. She wasn’t used to dealing with guys who were so earnest and didn’t know the best way to go about it. So she tried to respond in kind. “You are the nicest, bravest man I’ve ever met.”

  His eyes slanted to the side as he frowned uncomfortably.

  “What?”

  “I’m saying I want to be more than friends.”

  For a moment she was confused but then realized he must know, or at least suspect, that he was nice and he was brave. That wasn’t what he needed to hear from her.

  Well then, she was back on solid ground. Pumping up a male ego she could totally handle. With Hauk all she had to do was tell the truth.

  This was going to be fun.

  * * *

  “Nice.” The kiss of death. He’d been “nice” before and it never got anywhere. Hell, Jolie thought the berserker-him was nice. And brave? Was there a more generic compliment for a veteran? No. Dammit all. At what point did continuing to pursue her make him creepy?

  He supposed that would be now. He’d said he wanted her and laid it on the table as plainly as he could. When she finally got through enough bullshit compliments to tell him no, that would be the final word he had to respect.

  And then she said, “You also give the best orgasms.”

  That got his attention. “Eh?”

  “Oh, yeah. The most breath-stopping, body-rocking, two-finger daydream-inspiring good time I’ve ever had was because of you.”

  “Two-finger daydream?” Did that mean what it sounded like? Because that would be awesome. Much better than “nice.”

  “You know exactly what I mean.”

  Hot damn. This was no longer sounding like a brush-off.

  The woman who figured pretty much exclusively in his own daydreams grinned and leaned coyly against his chest. “I tried so hard to assume it was the situation. The sheet thing was really hot. I’d never done anything like that. Or maybe it was the post-show glow or, I don’t know. A million things. And then you had to go and kiss me after a workout in the gymnasium. And when in that most unsexy of locations—”

  “Sorry about that.”

  “—I was ready to let you take me on the mat—”

  “You were?”

  “—I realized it had to be you.” She leaned over him until her cheek barely brushed his, and her lips were right next to his ear. “Your hands. Your mouth. You.” She nuzzled against him, sliding her smooth skin over the sknd her rough texture of his until her mouth was positioned right over his. “You’d better get your ass out of this hospital soon. When I decide what I want, patience isn’t one of my virtues.” She bit her lip and her voice dropped low. “And what I want, more than anything, is to shake you up and watch you explode like a damn rocket.”

  He crushed her against him in a kiss. Desire that somehow rivaled his own poured at him through her touch, her tongue and her body as she strained against him.

  He pushed up to sitting, cradling her as she straddled his lap.

  She pulled back just enough to mutter, “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “Trust me, I’m feeling no pain.” He kissed her again.

  She threw her arms around him and dug her fingers into his back.

  The IV got in his way and, not for the first time in his life, he pulled the damn thing out. Some machine beeped like crazy, but he didn’t give a shit. Her arms were steady around him and her tongue moved so perfectly in his mouth, and that was all that mattered.

  “Stop! What are you doing! This is a hospital!”

  Jolie pulled away with a blush as a doctor waved his arms frantically at them.

  Hauk held on. “Aw, come on, doc. I’ve heard about you surgeons. You can’t tell me you’ve never taken advantage of these nice, comfy beds.”

  The doctor blinked but didn’t respond to the taunt as he strode toward them with two nurses in tow. “Did you pull your IV out?”

  “It was in the way.”

  The doctor straightened up to his full height and started finger-waving. As if Hauk had never seen and ignored that before. “You were shot. Three times. Lie down and let the nurse put your IV back in. And this time, don’t take it out.” He pointed to Jolie. “You. Visiting hours are over. Get off of him and get out.”

  Jolie started to pull away, but Hauk held her tighter and dropped the cocky grin. “No.”

  The doctor reddened like he’d protest, but Hauk held out a hand.

  “Look, I’m being an asshole. I know that. I don’t like hospitals. It’s not too hard to see why.” He rubbed Jolie’s arm, and thankfully she stayed. “I’ve never heard of anybody who’s been through what I have and doesn’t have nightmares. None of that’s your fault.” He looked the doctor in the eye. “But don’t take her away from me. I’ll be good. I’ll lie down. I’ll put the IV back in and leave it. Just let her stay.”

  Despite Hauk’s plea, the doctor looked like he might sti
ll protest.

  Before he could threaten to be the most hellacious patient of the doctor’s career, Jolie shot the man a knowing glance. “Please.”

  Hauk had no idea what that was about, but the doctor seemed to catch her meaning and nodded. “Fine. But no more…racing heart monitors.”

  Jolie gently pressed Hauk backward. At her touch he obediently lay back down. “We’ll be good,” she assured.

  Stupid doctors.

  The nurse stuck the IV back in as Hauk kept his eyes on Jolie. The medical staff left and flipped the lights out, leaving them in the electric glow of monitors and the eek of a streetlight through the window.

  Jolie shook a finger at him. “You’re going to stay here until they releasel t the you.”

  Hell no. “I can’t hang out in a hospital. I’ll be found.”

  “The doctor is a friend of Mercy’s. Nobody’s calling the cops.”

  His brow furrowed. “Who’s paying for this, you?” Of course she was. Who else? Was the doctor bribing her for silence? Shit.

  “Yes, I’m paying the hospital bill.”

  Not okay. “You—”

  “Shut up. I didn’t earn that money, my grandfather did, and I won’t miss it. Besides, you could charge me three hundred a week for the training we do every morning, and you don’t.”

  “But—”

  “I said—” she kissed him lightly on the mouth, “—shut up.”

  He shut up.

  “You will stay here.” Another light kiss, and his shoulders relaxed. “And you will not bitch about me paying for things.” A final kiss, and he lay docilely on the bed. “Are we clear?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Good.” She settled against his chest.

  “On one condition.”

  She picked her head back up warily.

  Time to finally ask the stupid question he’d never found an appropriate moment to ask yesterday. Now was not an appropriate moment either, but if history was any indicator, he wasn’t going to get one. “Go out with me when I get out.”

  “You mean on a date?”

  She’d just kissed him. Why did asking for a date make his throat want to swell up? Combat zones scared him less than her answer. “Yeah. A date. I was trying to ask you out all day yesterday. Never seemed to be the right time.”

  Her lips curled so prettily, and he wanted to quit talking and kiss them.

  “You were?” she asked.

  Just focus on those lips. “I was thinking we could go for a ride on my bike, out in the hills somewhere. Take a picnic or something.” Did he sound as lame as he thought he did?

  But her green eyes brightened in a way that made him ready to do stupid things just to see it again. Who cared what he sounded like? Jolie was happy.

  “Sounds wonderful. I would love to, and I will…on one condition.”

  He frowned. “What’s that?”

  The joy faded from her eyes. She traced a pattern on the sheets separating their bodies. “I made a request yesterday. You didn’t answer me.”

  “Ah.” His reactions from yesterday and the doubts and fears they engendered rolled back through his mind. He wanted to give her the glib answer that should be so easy. Of course you can touch me. I have no problems with that. But she deserved better than a lie, no matter how much he wanted it to be true. And she deserved to be touched more often than professional sparring matches and thoughtless, heated exchanges.

  “I want you, you know,” she continued. “I want that date. But not if you’re going to keep me at an aeepess, heaterm’s distance. I’m okay with going slow. I’m not okay with being turned completely away. So I ask you again, will you let me touch you?”

  He deserved more, too. Determined to speak, he swallowed past the lump lodged almost painfully in his throat. He wouldn’t let fear choke him. “Yes.”

  Her fingers dragged up the sheet to the bare skin of his neck and his tightly clenched jaw. “Then we’re yesses all around.”

  She leaned down and gave him one more kiss, this one a gentle touch of lips, a promise of more soon to come. It wasn’t happily ever after, but it was a start.

  Hauk pulled her down and tucked her lithe body against him. She felt so good. “First time I’ll remember falling asleep next to you, and it’s going to be in a damn hospital. And I’m happy anyway. I’m in a hospital, and I’m happy.” He squeezed her. “You do make miracles happen.”

  “Only around you.” She stretched her arm around him and cuddled against him as the first yawn hit her. “Otherwise, I’m magic-free.”

  He stroked his good fingers through her hair, and watched her long lashes flutter closed. “I guess that’s why you’re so good for me,” he said.

  “No,” she said. “I think that’s why you’re so good for me. I like being a little bit magic.”

  * * * * *

  Wondering how it all began?

  Find out in How Beauty Met the Beast, book one in Tales of the Underlight by Jax Garren, available now!

  How Beauty Met the Beast

  The Beast

  Scarred. Damaged. Living with a terrible secret. Agent of the Underlight Wesley “Hauk” Haukon has nothing left but the fight for liberty against the oppressive Order of Ananke. He’s starting to lose hope…and then he sees her.

  The Beauty

  Despite her night job as a burlesque dancer, grad student Jolie Benoit has always played the mostly good girl. That all changes following a scorching sexual encounter with a stranger whose face she doesn’t see. After she’s kidnapped by thugs and rescued by a man with a very familiar voice, Jolie becomes a pawn in a struggle she never knew existed.

  Hauk knows he cannot have her, and resolves to protect his heart and his secrets. But as they work together and grow closer, he finds new reason to keep fighting. Dare he risk hope in a new life, one wh

  ere Jolie can see past his ravaged face and where their friendship can grow into something more?

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  About the Author

  Jax Garren is descended from Valkyries and Vikings (she’s part Swedish) but was raised a small-town girl in the Texas Hill Country. She graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in English and a minor in Latin and stayed in Austin to teach high school. During her eight years in public education she was in a riot, broke up fights, had cops storm her class with guns drawn…and met the most amazing young people who taught her more about life and hope than she taught them about any school subject.

  Jax believes in happily-ever-afters. She married her real-life hero, a handsome engineer who is saving the world through clean energy technology. Her heroine is Marion Ravenwood from Raiders of the Lost Ark, the perfect blend of tough and feminine. Jax blames Marion for her dream of traveling to Nepal to experience Himalayan palaces and monasteries and to drink yak butter tea. Jax can be found at www.jaxgarren.com or on Facebook. She would love to raise a glass with her readers to toast courage, adventure and love.

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  ISBN: 978-14268-9504-3

  Copyright © 2013 by Jennifer Hinson

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