by Marika Ray
My hands held her head in place while I attacked her mouth, my tongue plunging inside, shutting her up and making her remember who the hell I was. A moan escaped her mouth right before her legs came around me, ankles locking behind me at my waist. My girl liked it hard, liked it rough.
Another crash sounded from outside, reminding me of what was important right now. I pulled my mouth off of hers to growl my displeasure.
"You made decisions about my business without consulting me first?"
She was breathing hard, her breath mixing with mine as I ground my hips into her. I was hard again, using my own body to drive her crazy, yet not giving her what she wanted.
"I'm sorry, I didn't think. It through. I just wanted. To surprise you." She was gasping now, her mouth latching onto the skin at my neck, hands trying to pull my head back to hers.
"Mission accomplished, babe. I'm surprised." I stopped moving, waiting for her to realize this couldn't be fixed with a quick fuck against my wall.
Her hands quit pulling and her eyes lost their frenzied haze. She dropped her head and pressed a kiss to my chest.
"I'm sorry," she whispered into my skin.
I pulled her head back up by her soft hair, the lust flaring back to life in her eyes.
"I know. Let's talk about this later, okay?" I placed a quick kiss on her lips and then let her slide down to the floor. She gave one last regretful look to the only part of my body still completely happy with her and oblivious to the tension between us.
I think we'd just had our first fight and we weren't even officially dating. Yet.
By the time I made it downstairs appropriately dressed for the community event that was happening in my parking lot, the walls to the building had been power washed and the doors and windows taped off.
A dozen familiar faces greeted me as they bustled around working on various projects. One lady even handed me a donut before she snapped on some gloves and started cleaning out the weeds and trash from the parking lot. Everywhere I looked, there were happy faces, like repairs and clean-up were the ideal thing to do on an early Sunday morning.
Esa and her gaggle of girls pulled up and added a layer of chaos that seemed fitting. Not quite sure how the Beach Squad got involved with Sage, I left them alone, needing some time to cool off about Sage going behind my back. I had no idea what was going on or how I felt about it, but I had to admit, the place did need some work. I'd been planning to tackle quite a few of these items soon, but I was waiting to save just a bit more money. To have the community I'd grown up in come out and help me on their own dime was a weird mix of wonderful and embarrassing.
The mayor came by with a couple huge buckets of paint, letting me know with a pat on the shoulder that they'd been donated by the local hardware store. I must have looked a little shell-shocked since he pulled me aside once the buckets were unloaded from his truck.
"You got a hell of a girl there, Jax." His bushy eyebrows waggled and I wondered just what he thought Sage was to me.
"Um, yes sir, Sage is impressive, for sure."
"You know, I helped your Dad when he built The Surf Shack years ago. We were just kids then. Had no idea what we were doing. Surprised the whole building didn't just crumble down around us after a few years." He chuckled, shaking his head. "Your Dad was a stubborn son of a bitch. He had a dream to build something to bring this community together. Do you know he brought in more celebrities and surf competitions than any other event or store in HB for decades?"
I shook my head, enjoying hearing stories about my father, even if it poked at the pain that still resided in my chest any time I thought of him. "No, I didn't know that."
"Back then, HB was a tiny little town with no money. Your Dad gave people a reason to visit, to spend money here at other local businesses. You could say the town owes him for his kindness when it was needed the most. Maybe today is just a small way the community can pay him back, even if he's not here to see it himself."
I got another friendly pound on the back and then he was gone, off to supervise the paint job that was starting on the east wall.
I studied the asphalt at my feet, hand running through my hair as I ran through what he'd imparted. Maybe what the mayor said was accurate. Maybe this wasn't a case of charity for the poor son who couldn't keep his father's business afloat. Maybe this was just a community wanting to help out as a form of gratitude. I couldn't stop them now, Sage had made sure that train left the station. Didn't mean I was happy about it, or with Sage for orchestrating this behind my back, but I had to admit, the help did lift some of the weight off my shoulders.
A loud cacophony of voices pierced my thoughts. I looked up to find the Beach Squad girls all hugging Sage, who had just come down from my apartment. They looked like old friends, which was crazy since I knew they'd just met Sage a few days ago. But then again, I'd known Sage not much longer than they had and I'd had her in my bed all night, the taste of her still on my tongue, the sound of her moans permanently recorded in my brain.
I watched her talk to each of them, laughing at their jokes, looking just like one of them. She didn't look like she'd just rolled from my bed, having begged me to give her what she needed. Or having spent the last few days orchestrating a million dollar deal that would make new jobs for the community and raise the property values of everyone in the neighborhood. I wasn't quite sure who she was and that left me feeling oddly adrift.
The woman could work a room, that's for damn sure. She left the girls and had a kind word for every person now working on my shop. They lit up at her praise, loving her already, trusting her immediately. I wanted to do the same, but I'd been burned before. I'd need more than a night in my bed and some pithy praise to trust her fully.
As if she could read my thoughts, she turned her gaze to me, her smile slipping a bit. But my girl was no coward. She squared her shoulders and walked over, her easy gait sexy in all its confidence. I clenched my jaw and resolved to focus on the conversation that needed to be had. If we had any chance of moving forward, we needed to talk more and touch less.
"Can you just yell at me now so we can get that part over with?" She stood a foot away from me, her eyes wary.
I crossed my arms over my chest. "Yell at you? Why would I yell at you, Sage?"
When she frowned, she got this adorable little wrinkle in the middle of her forehead. "Well, for starters, I didn't run this whole building improvement thing by you first. And then once it was set up, I forgot to tell you about it ahead of time. And because my little project interrupted our morning together...?" She trailed off, her eyes darting away from me for a second before coming back.
I nodded slowly. "Yep, those are all really good reasons to be mad. But mostly it's just that you didn't talk to me about this little project of yours before setting it in motion. Do you like it when you father doesn't ask for your opinion on something before doing it? Do you like having your control taken away?"
Her shoulders drooped and her eyes filled with tears. I wanted her to understand why I was upset, but I didn't want her completely demoralized either. What she'd done was nice when it was all said and done, it just should have been run by me first. No need to cry over it.
I took a step forward and tried to pull her into my arms, but she pushed away just far enough that she could look me in the eye.
"Jax, I'm sorry. I hate when my father does that and now I've done it to you. I honestly thought it would be a sweet gesture, but I totally see why you feel the way you do. I won't do it again."
"Okay." I tried to pull her in again, but she pushed away, surprisingly strong for her thin arms.
"Okay? That's it?" The wrinkle was back.
"Yeah, I was mad, you apologized. It's over. Now will you please let me hug you?" I tugged on her arms again, relieved when she finally let me pull her in, her head fitting perfectly under my chin.
"So...we're good?" she asked into my chest.
I laughed quickly, wondering what kind of men she was used to deali
ng with. "Yeah, of course we're good. Thank you for helping to bring all these people out here. The Shack is going to look better than ever, thanks to you and Esa. By the way, I want to take you out on a date. How's next weekend look for you?"
She wiggled closer to me, finally settling into the hug. "I'm wide open. Whatcha got in mind?"
"I've got a few ideas. I'll let you know what we're doing once I've got it set up. Just set aside the weekend for us, okay?"
Pulling back, she lifted up on her toes and kissed me quickly. "Heck yes, I will. Come on, let's check out the progress."
She grabbed my hand, a ball of excitement now that we'd talked it out. We walked back across the parking lot and talked with all the people I'd seen around town since I was a kid. They all seemed happy to be there, happy to spruce up the building they'd come to see as part of HB culture.
Later on, several of the men and I were trying to replace the planks on the dock that were looking worn out and unsafe. I ended up whipping off my shirt when the sun got too hot. Bailey immediately had something to say about it.
"Yeah, mama! Now I see the benefit to doing all this manual labor." The girls all snickered, Sage included. If I hadn't been so used to Bailey's ways, I would have been embarrassed.
"Hey, eyes on your own man," Sage called out from a ladder up against the main building. Another truck had just pulled in the parking lot and five guys filed out, like clowns out of a small car: Ivan, Jack, Dean, Kai, and Cain.
I was surprised to see Cain, as he didn't normally hang out with us much outside of work. He was a bit of a loner as far as I could see, but maybe Ivan was getting him to come out of his shell.
"What the hell, Stern? You're flaunting your abs to our girls while we're not here?" Dean yelled over to me, a teasing grin on his face.
"Figured they wanted to see what a real man looked like, asshole," I yelled back. That got a rise out of everybody, turning our work group into more of a social gathering. Somebody turned on a radio and we picked up our pace, reenergized by the fast beat. Eventually, the guys disentangled from their ladies and got to work. It wasn't long before they too, were stripping off their shirts, much to the delight of all the females onsite.
"Oh, lordy, those boys are liable to draw quite a gathering..." Hessa mumbled a little too loudly. Kai just smirked at her, turning her cheeks pink.
"We should charge admission. That'll pay for a lot more repairs!" Esa, the consummate business woman was seeing dollar signs.
We all settled into a rhythm, the painting of the outside almost completed by the Beach Squad. Surprisingly, they did a hell of a job, making the building look almost brand new. The guys and I replaced almost half of the boards on the dock, and several other volunteers had scrubbed windows, weeded the lot and planted flowers in new pots outside the front doors.
The sun was lowering in the sky by the time we called it a day. I sent home the volunteers that were here first thing that morning. I promised myself I'd do something special for them to thank them for their time. The lifeguards (and detective...couldn't forget Jack wasn't really one of us, and boy did we make sure he didn't forget it either) and the Beach Squad finished the clean up on our own. When we were done, we ordered pizza delivery and I lit the portable fire pit I had upstairs on my porch. The group paired off, all of us finding somewhere to sit, whether it be the few chairs I had or blankets on the floor. Cain was the odd man out, having no girl by his side. Ivan teased him that it was probably his first time without a date. Apparently, Cain was quite the ladies’ man with a different girl every week. I'd have to make sure I kept Sage far away from him and his charm.
We all chowed down on the pizza, our bellies empty after all that manual labor. My arm was around Sage's shoulders, her head on my chest. I'd watched her interact with my friends all day. She fit right in and I could tell they genuinely liked her. I counted that as another good sign for us working out as a couple. We should still be in that awkward, get-to-know-each-other phase, but it wasn't like that with Sage and I. Things were settling into place, far sooner than I ever expected.
I looked around the circle at all my friends, their faces lit by the dancing flames, knowing I was lucky to have a group who'd drop everything to come help me. I raised my beer up in the air and toasted the group.
"Thank you for coming out and helping me today. It means more to me than you'll ever know. To lifelong friends."
Everyone cheered and sipped their beverage, our conversation continuing late into the night. At one point, I looked down at Sage and just stared at her, taking in all of her expressions. She was looking around the group with a sense of wonder in her eyes, like she'd never sat around in a circle of friends, shooting the shit and being comfortable being herself. The smile never left her face and I was glad I’d let the argument go and just enjoyed everything she'd set in motion.
I wanted to know everything about this woman. And next weekend, on our date, I'd get to fill in the blanks.
15
Sage
The week flew by, the paperwork and phone calls stealing all my time. I'd only made it out to surf once and I only saw Jax twice in passing when I was over at my property supervising the demolition. Between his schedule and mine, we were finding it difficult to secure alone time. That made our date this weekend all the more to look forward to. He'd told me we were going camping about an hour or two northeast of HB, at a place called Big Bear.
I didn't really care where we camped, I just wanted time with the lifeguard I was quickly falling for. My bed felt empty at night, needing his strong body in it to warm me up. Every time I looked at him, my body went into overdrive, heating several degrees and making me think dirty thoughts, the likes of which I'd never thought of before. It was like I was constantly turned on, our first night together awakening some slumbering part of me I didn't realize was there. I mean, I knew they said sex drive was in top form in your thirties, but this was ridiculous. If this trip didn't come soon enough, I'd have to surprise Jax one night at The Shack while he worked.
Friday dragged out, the clock mocking me with each tick of the second hand that took far too long to have been accurate. I was at my rental house, my backpack stuffed with clothes and toiletries, waiting for Jax to get off work. I packed as light as I could, knowing we'd have to haul in our stuff on our backs. Jax had told me he'd carry the tent and food, plus his own bag. I was responsible for the sleeping bag and my backpack.
Nervous energy was pumping through my veins. Partly because I was going off for the weekend with the man who wouldn't get out of my head, and partly because I wasn't sure how the whole camping thing worked. In theory, I'd hiked quite a bit in my life, but I'd never camped in a tent before. My family's version of camping required a state of the art log cabin mansion on a pristine golf course in the woods. Somehow I didn't think that's what Jax had in mind.
My doorbell chimed, startling me badly enough I dropped my bag and had to scoop it back up again and swing it onto my shoulder. I opened my door to find the hottest outdoorsman I'd ever seen, not that I'd seen a lot. Jax had let his beard grow out all week, leaving him with the start of a lumberjack look. A flannel shirt and dark cargo pants tucked into boots topped off the look and made my insides feel funny. I was completely out of my element and I couldn't think of a trip that I'd looked forward to more than this quick getaway to the lake. When you've been to most of the first world countries on lavish vacations, that was saying something.
"You ready for this?" Jax reached for my hand, pulling me out the door.
"Ready as I'll ever be," I responded with a bounce in my step as I locked the door and raced down the walkway to his truck.
"Here, let me get that." Jax took the bag off my shoulder and placed it in the bed of the truck, along with our other supplies.
We passed the time stuck in traffic by playing twenty questions. His wild guesses made me laugh, adding to my delight with the whole weekend. This was going to be great, I could feel it.
Once we were ou
t of the city, the open road stretching out in front of us, Jax turned the conversation more serious.
"So, tell me about your childhood. Where'd you grow up? Go to school? Tell me everything."
I chuckled. "Well, that's gonna take some time."
He squeezed my hand, the one laying on top of his on my thigh. "Then get to talking. I want to know everything about you."
I took a deep breath. "Okay, well, I grew up in New York, out in the suburbs, not in the city. My father inherited his company from his own father. He was gone a lot working and my mother and my nanny raised me. My mother tries to be a good mom, but she's mostly there to back my father up. Whatever he says, goes. And my father wants me to take over his business one day. I'm sure he wishes he'd had a son, but it just wasn't in the cards. He sent me to all the best schools. I enjoyed college, which is why I went on to get my master's degree, but mostly it was to have something to do other than work for my father."
"You don't like commercial real estate?" Jax flicked me glances as I talked, looking intrigued. Guess I hadn't bored him yet. His hand kept tracing the lines of the henna on my hand. I'd finally used that bag of henna I'd bought at the street fair, designing henna tattoos all up and down my body. I may have gone a little wild. Jax hadn't said anything about it yet, but I was waiting for some sort of reaction. My father and his mini-me's that I'd dated had always had something to say...
"Not particularly. It's mostly just a bunch of assholes in suits throwing their money around to get what they want. I don't want to just buy and sell things. I want to grow something, from the ground up. I want to settle into a town and see that my work is valued and essential to the community. Buying a piece of property just to grow my bottom line doesn't appeal to me."
