"I needed to text Beth and Sarge. Tell them about the oven and how the bakery is closed today," she explained with a grin. "A whole day with nothing to do. Isn't that a shame?"
"A crying shame," he agreed, grinning back.
"What are your plans for today, Jax? Have you got time…" she started but he interrupted her quickly.
"Whatever plans I had just got cancelled," he said firmly, his heart beating so goddamn fast and hard.
"So, uhm…" she began.
"You want to go for a drive or something?" Jax asked.
"I'd rather go to the farm," she answered without hesitation.
He felt the smile bloom up from his heart before it hit his face.
Excellent choice.
"Let's hit it," he said, reaching for her hand.
They were quiet on the road out to the old farmhouse, the sound of the truck engine the only noise in the morning air. The air in the cab was filled with a building tension fed by their shared looks and smiles.
*.*.*.*.*
"I've made a few changes," Jax explained as he opened the passenger door and handed her down. "Turner used to do construction and, once the court said I was okay to handle my own shit, I decided to upgrade a bit."
He watched her eyes as they slid over the new flagstone patio that had been laid, covering what used to be the grassy area from the back porch to Grams' garden. He wondered what she thought about the patio furniture and gas grill that dotted the new space.
"I'm trying to learn how to cook," he mumbled, feeling his face heat. "I'm not very good with most of it, but I can grill."
Her hand squeezed his as she shot him a smile.
"It's really nice," she breathed.
"Come see the rest," he offered, holding the screen door open.
He saw her eyes begin to widen as they moved from the porch, now filled with wicker furniture and an upgraded laundry area, to the kitchen.
"Oh. My. God," he heard her breathe, her eyes roaming as she stepped through. Her gaze swept through the large expanse of the lower floor.
His eyes followed hers as she took in what was now the full space of the downstairs area. He hadn't like all the small rooms and had decided to open everything up as much as the weight-bearing walls would allow. With the exception of the bathroom, the whole of the first floor was now one big room, intersected with columns and a gleaming, breakfast bar.
Jax put his hands on her shoulders and turned her to the kitchen space.
"I didn't know shit about kitchen stuff so I called the chef we used to use in Malibu and asked about it. He told me what I needed to get and to have," he said, his lips against Lacey's ear. "Do you like it?"
"Oh. My. God," he heard her repeat, her hands now covering her mouth. He leaned over to see her expression, her shining eyes. "It's beautiful."
"Functional, too," he said. "The appliances are the best on the market."
He turned her to face him.
"I've been trying to make it a home, Lace. The more I learn about myself, the more I work towards becoming the person I want to be, the more this place comes together." He heard the hint of nervousness in his voice. "Change is hard. But, I'm trying."
Her arms stole around him and her head slid into the spot between his shoulder and neck.
"I know, honey," she whispered. And he knew she did. "You want to show me the upstairs?"
Their tour ended in the master bedroom, which had originally been covered in all sorts of flowered shit. It had taken him almost a full week just to remove the fucking wallpaper alone. But now, it was done in the sleek modern style that he'd discovered he liked.
He watched her as she moved further into the room, her eyes doing a slow sweep. Then returning to the three photos on one of the nightstands. Behind the frames was a small bud vase holding a stalk of freesia.
She swallowed thickly as she stepped around the bed and picked up one of the pictures. It was the only snap he had of Lacey by herself, the one captured on his cellphone when she'd been at the stove and laughing at something Grams had said.
She carefully put it down and picked up the next one which was a close up of Grams as she sat in one of the old webbed lawn chairs, her beautiful garden blurred in the background. He loved the soft, contented smile on Gram's face. A smile he mourned the loss of every goddamned day.
Lacey stroked the wood frame before looking up at him. "I still miss her."
"I know. I miss her, too," he sighed, staring into the crystalline blue of his girl's eyes.
She picked up the third photo, the one of him, Lace and Grams huddled together. The one the battle-ax of a home nurse had taken at his request in one of the last days. His girls were looking at each other and laughing while he had a hand on each of their shoulders as he pressed a kiss into the fluffy white hair of that wonderful old woman. It was a priceless picture, one that struck his heart deeply every time he looked at it.
Lacey sat on the edge of the bed and put the picture back in its place. Jax got caught in her wet, shining eyes and saw she was biting her lip.
Was she trying not to cry?
"Oh, hey. Lace? It's okay. It's all good, Baby. Please don't be upset," he murmured, sitting next to her and pulling her into him.
"It's just all so new," she confided into his shirt.
He nodded. "Yeah, it is. But, new isn't necessarily bad."
"I know," she muttered. "I just…"
"Lacey, just kiss me. Please?" he urged on a whisper.
"Oh, yes," he heard her breathe as her mouth moved to his.
And, just as before, as it had from the beginning, their kiss took on a life of its own. As their tongues danced, their hands came into play to stroke, to caress, to touch.
Soon, clothes became too confining, bared skin too alluring to ignore.
Their fingers rediscovered each other's bodies, enflaming and exciting as their fingers glided.
Touching wasn't enough, not nearly enough.
They wanted to taste, to savor one another and let their mouths move to lick and suck in an attempt to get closer, the effort bringing a primal tension between them.
He didn't know who was first bold enough to reach for the other between their legs, but once one did, the other followed.
"God, Lace, you're fucking soaked," he murmured against her lips, his fingers stroking along her swollen folds. He found the nub of her center and, pressing, he circled it before slipping a finger inside, moving his thumb to continue the pleasure in the way he knew she liked.
Her hips lifted and he heard her moan deeply.
"And you're so big, so wonderfully hard," she whispered back, her hand wrapped and shuttling on his length. "Please, Jack."
"Please what?" he asked, moving up to hold his lips on hers.
He saw her open her eyes and pulled back enough to watch her face.
"Fuck me, please," she implored and his cock flexed at everything he saw, everything he heard in the quiet of the room.
Jax raised himself up and reached for the nightstand drawer, pulling out a large box of condoms, still sealed in its cellophane. Lacey had lifted her head when he'd moved, but dropped her head back when she saw what he had in his hands.
She made a low noise in the back of her throat and he caught a glimpse of her as she draped an arm over her eyes.
"What?" he asked, trying desperately to find an opening in the plastic wrap of the box.
"You'll never get it open that way," she mumbled, one eye uncovered as she watched his increasingly frantic efforts.
He spent a few more seconds trying to find an space, to create a tear to get the fucking thing open. The mood was shifting and he could feel the frustration within himself building.
"Here." He saw her holding out a hand. "Give it to me."
Jax handed her the box and watched as she rolled to a sitting position as he leaned back on his heels.
"I swear to God, Jack. I'm going to the doctor tomorrow and getting on the stinking pill," she announced firmly with
a frown. "These damn things cause us so much trouble."
His eyes were glued to her as she twisted and turned, her fingers moving over every surface of the cellophane. Finally, she brought the box to her mouth and tore into it, ripping the plastic away, the foil wrappers spilling out onto her chest and stomach.
She shoved one at him as she pushed the all the others onto the floor, dropping the now mangled box there as well.
He just sat there, mouth agape, holding the foil packet between his thumb and his forefinger.
"What?" she asked, a frustrated note apparent in her tone.
"You are so fucking awesome, Tiger," he said in reverence.
"I'm glad you think so," she said, her face breaking out in a grin. "Now, are you going to put that damn thing on or not?"
She rolled back down and opened her legs as she let a hand trail down her chest, her stomach, over her navel jewel. He lifted his eyes and saw the grin was gone but the oh-please-fuck-me-light was back and burning bright.
His eyes followed her fingers as they slid further down, watching her touched herself until they reached the source of her wetness. He brushed her hand away and leaned down, way down, until his mouth was millimeters away from her heat.
"The smell of you turns me inside out," he admitted, dragging his eyes to hers, as his tongue dipped. "Your taste brings me to the point of coming, Baby."
Her hands threaded through his hair as she arched, a deep groan escaping her kiss-swollen mouth.
The condom long forgotten, he moved her legs so he could fill his hands with the warm globes of her ass, bringing her more firmly to his mouth, his busy tongue.
"Yes," she hissed. "God, yes, Jack."
It wasn't enough, though.
He wanted to taste her deeply, to feel her as she came apart on his face. He released her cheeks, draping her legs over his shoulders and moved to insert two fingers inside the drenched core within her.
"Aw, damn," she panted, throwing her head back, her hips thrusting as a full body shudder rolled through him in response.
He couldn't help his own moan as he felt her insides begin to pulse, begin to flood as her orgasm hit.
Not waiting to wait another moment, another fucking second, Jax fumbled to find the condom he'd dropped and ripped the wrapper off with his teeth. In one hard stroke, he covered himself and shot up from between her thighs.
"I need you, Lace," he ground out against her mouth, holding himself by the base as he stroked himself along her leaking wetness. "Need inside you so fucking bad."
She lifted her legs to capture him as he gently eased into her tight, hot chamber.
"Goddamn," he growled, sinking into her heat, going out of his fucking mind with how her body grasped at him. "Fuck me, Baby."
Their hips joined and retreated, bodies filling and withdrawing, the speed increasing with every thrust, every release. The sounds that echoed in the space of his room were of bodies rhythmically rocking, muffled mouths moaning, groaning in carnal delight.
Jax tore his mouth away, needing to concentrate on not coming too soon, not wanting to reach it before she did. Her mouth was close to his ear as she began to whisper.
"You're consuming me, honey. Devouring me, while you jam your hot, hard cock inside my wet pus…"
"Fuck, Lace. Shut it," he begged, his voice breaking. Hot darts stabbed his balls, his lower back, at her words.
He was seconds away from losing it.
Her short nails raked down his back, but she didn't stop talking.
"That's it, Jack. Fill me. God, that feels so good," he heard her pant turn into a deep groan before her sheath clenched him tightly, rhythmically. It was like a deep, squeezing heartbeat turned inside out.
Thank, Christ!
He gave a wrenching cry as he pounded his throbbing member inside her, until he was lost in sensation. Her nether parts milked him as his cum jetted thickly in the tight confines of the latex. His mouth completed his cock's movements, feasting on her lips and tongue as the action of their hips slowed.
"Holy fucking chocolate," he moaned against her neck on a panted breath as he waited for his heart to steady, his body tremors to slow.
"What?" she asked and he felt more than heard her mirth.
"Awesome. Goddamn, awesome, Lace," he enunciated, still panting.
"That's not what you said," she offered with a gentle giggle. "You said 'holy fucking chocolate', you perv."
"Why am I a perv?" he asked, frowning as he rose up on an elbow to gaze at her frosted eyes and swollen mouth.
"Chocolate is sacred, my love," she explained slowly, with soft kisses. "And, though your moving within me is almost a religious experience, the word 'chocolate' needs to used thoughtfully and wisely."
He tilted his head as he considered what she said.
"For like, what, anniversaries, births and shit?" he asked.
She nodded, her smile brilliant.
"Then take it as I fucking said it, Lace. Because you are the most sacred piece of me," he growled and felt his heart double-thump as it, too, recognized the sincerity beneath his words.
Epilogue
They were married on a Tuesday afternoon in February, on a day so clear and bright that it almost hurt to open your eyes in all its glittering madness.
Sarge stood in as Jax's best man after he'd, of course, walked Lacey down the short aisle.
Ricki was the maid of honor, who'd been warned about bouncing or squealing during the ceremony.
Lacey and Jax vows were exchanged in front of, and officiated by, Boots one of the circuit court judges at the tall, stately Auburn courthouse.
Lacey, being herself, had made the wedding cake which they'd cut into and she'd helped pass slices to anyone and everyone that wandered into the distinguished rooms that Boots had finally admitted were his chambers.
Jax, being himself, had hired Trick to play acoustic guitar after discovering his new friend was a very good musician. A man that considered restoration of motorcycles his primary career but who had music as his hobby. Jax thought the dickhead had it completely ass-backward.
"Where you gonna live, Slugger?" Sarge had asked Jax, straight up and direct, around a mouthful of Lacey's white cake with fruit-filled custard in between the layers.
"The farm," Jax answered with pride. "We're turning the stables into a recording studio and practice area. I'm thinking of producing."
"Excellent," his new in-law pronounced on a deep rumble, before leaning into his new grandson. "But, if you fuck it up again, Slugger, you're dead."
Jax's plastic fork stopped half-way between the paper plate and his mouth as his eyes shot to the old rocker.
"Seriously, you hurt her again and I'll find a shotgun and the aim will be to the heart, Dude," Sarge said slowly with a dour tone and a stone face, facial piercing gleaming in the light. "You absolutely will not do that to my Lacey again."
The younger man completed the bite, although it was hard to swallow under the old man's threat.
"If I hurt her again, Sarge, I'll be the one on your doorstep with the shells," Jax said fervently.
God, how he wished Grams was here to see this, to be a part of him and Lacey getting married.
She would've been over the fucking moon.
But, from the feel of the room, maybe she was. Maybe, just maybe, her spirit was here soaking up all the love that was bouncing in the air.
She'd known how much he'd wanted, needed Lacey in his life. How she added so much light, hope and, he might as well admit it, magic to everything when he was with her.
'I still love and miss you, old woman', his heart said.
'Back at you, Hot Stuff', the place in his chest, that special room for the wonderful woman who'd tried to teach him of life and of love, shot back.
"Ohmigod, ohmigod, ohmigod, you're married," Ricki bounced, hanging on to Lacey's hands as Turner's fingers gripped his tiny girl's waist. She, in turn, was rubbing the huge ruby of Jax's great grandma, Stacia's ring. "My bestie just m
arried the guy in the poster from the back of my bedroom door!"
Lacey caught Turner's eye roll at his girl's words, but she knew he was secretly pleased. He seemed to love everything about Ricki and reveled in the drama being with her brought.
"Can I call you 'Mrs. Rock God?" Ricki asked.
"No. Absolutely not," Lacey responded firmly.
"Mrs. Eternal Teenager, then?" Ricki asked again, her voice going even higher with her question.
"Oh, hell, no," Lacey replied with a frown.
"How about…" Ricki started.
"Mrs. Emerson-Wynter," Lacey finished, her eyes flashing and catching on a pair of chocolate brown eyes, lit from within, knowing that the light was just for her.
Was all for her, if both Jax and Lace were being truthful.
#.#.#.#.#
Thanks so much for reading Everybody Falls. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Won't you take a quick moment to rate or review it? Your input is very important to me and helps me grow as a new author.
Smiling and waving into the heated morning of the Arizona desert,
J. A.
Phoenix, AZ
6/13/13
About the Author:
J.A. Hornbuckle is currently living in Arizona, but who is, as ever, getting the urge to move on. She's lived or traveled through forty-three of the fifty states here in the U.S. and has even lived in Wales and England.
J.A. is an avid reader and calls her Kindle, "Boyfriend" or her "Ken Doll". She loves live music, red wine, Arizona in the winter and reading.
"My real life is really pretty boring. But there's always a flipping party raging in my head."
Come visit her at http://www.jahornbuckle.com or talk with her at [email protected]
Everybody Falls Page 28
