by Marika Ray
"Jax, please. Please, please, please..." I was begging and didn't care. Every muscle in my body was tense, straining not from movement, but from the excruciating focus of stillness. I stared down at the top of his head, as if I had the power of psychokinesis and could make his head dip low enough. Make that tongue dart out. Make him feast on me.
Instead I got breath, the heat alone enough to make me gasp.
"Do you want to move, Sage?" If I hadn't been breathing so hard, I would have heard that his voice was losing its smoothness. A rasp had surfaced, a sign that he was as affected by everything as I was.
"No!" It burst from me. "No, I want you to fucking move!"
He chuckled darkly, his lips brushing my mound like the damn tease that he was.
"You have far more control than I would have guessed. Very interesting." His lips were lower now, brushing against my soft skin, literally touching where I needed him, but without enough pressure to finish the job.
Before I could beg again, his tongue darted out and swiped quickly, my hips jumping in response.
"Two," Jax informed me.
"Motherfucker..." I grumbled, jaw clenched tight.
My body was shaking, the trembling starting in my legs and moving to every part of me. The anticipation was like nothing I'd ever felt before. Hell, at this point, a mosquito could land on my pinkie finger and I'd orgasm.
In one quick motion, Jax scooped his hands under my hips and pulled me up so that my body met his face. And then he attacked me with his mouth. I was stunned into total submission, my mind still screaming at me to stay perfectly still even as he manhandled me in his rough, delicious way.
Tongue, lips, teeth, they all got in on the action, wrenching breathy screams from my throat. My body finally gave up the fight, too overcome by the fire lighting up my veins. My arms slammed down on either side of me and my fingers clenched, trying to find purchase on the shifting blankets below me. I didn't give a damn about our little game now, nor did he, since he didn't come up for air to call out my transgressions.
It took all of five seconds for my orgasm to come screaming up my body and out my mouth. Head thrashing, body trembling, eyes squeezed shut, I told the entire forest about the earth shattering explosion rippling through this tent. My muscles finally locked up, having spent all of their energy on remaining perfectly still under torturous conditions.
By the time I quieted down and felt sensation returning to my limbs, Jax had placed my body back down on the blankets and kissed his way back up to watch my eyelids flutter open again.
I smiled at him, the type of smile that's smug and sated, like after inhaling a huge meal when you'd been starving.
"You're up to at least three by now." His voice was serious, but his eyes crinkled in the corners, the way they always did right before he full out laughed.
"You can do whatever you want to me if it ends like that." I was nearly purring with satisfaction, willing to promise anything in my current state of mind, still floating on a cloud of post-orgasmic bliss. Good thing I wasn't still trying to buy his building from him. I would have lost now that he knew my weakness: silly sex games followed by outstanding orgasms in the middle of the woods.
His eyelids lowered and he leaned in even closer to whisper in my ear, "I'll collect those at a later date. Who knows? Maybe you'll tally up a few more."
The thought gave me a chill, my body shivering despite the heat from our bodies filling up the small tent. Then it was his scratchy beard moving down my neck to my breasts causing my shivers. I liked where things were going, this little camping sexcapade getaway, and I let him hold me down and have his way with me till late in the night when we both finally passed out.
The next morning, I woke to an empty tent and a chill in the air. I poked my head out of the sleeping bag to see that Jax had woken before me and stepped outside. I rummaged around in the blankets to find one of his t-shirts, putting it on, stretching and yawning, feeling deliciously sore from our tent gymnastics. My hair was a tangled mess so I put it up in a messy bun on top of my head.
I unzipped the tent flap, then crept out, realizing quickly I would need shoes when my feet encountered the rough ground, so back in I went to find the boots I'd brought with me. I climbed out, sure I looked a mess: hair in a rat's nest, naked except for big boots and Jax' oversized shirt. Before my first cup of coffee though, I couldn't find the energy to care.
Plus, I had to pee something fierce and I didn't recall seeing any little girl's rooms in the area last night. Back in the tent once more, I grabbed a packet of travel tissues from my backpack, congratulating myself on remembering to bring appropriate toiletries. As I left the tent yet again, I snagged my hair on the zipper and had to wrestle with it for a few long minutes before it let me go. Who knew tents could be so dangerous?
"Wishing you were in a fancy hotel room yet, heiress?"
Jax' drawl from across the fire pit scared the bejeezus out of me. I nearly dropped my packet of tissues in the fire pit.
In all my traipsing in and out of the tent so far this morning, I hadn't see him sitting there, still as a tree, a travel mug cupped in his hands. He looked delicious, another flannel shirt complimenting his dark beard and the panoramic view of pine trees behind him.
"Nowhere I'd rather be, lifeguard." I smirked before spinning around to find a private bush to relieve myself behind. I didn't embarrass easy, but the thought of my repeated not-so-graceful exit and re-entry of the tent without any underwear on while Jax just sat and watched the show, made me feel like finding a hole and hiding. My gynecologist probably hadn't even seen as much of me as Jax just did.
"That ass looks good in my shirt!" he called after me, making me blush harder. Growing up my father taught me to show no weakness when cornered. So I reached back and flipped up the bottom of his shirt, letting him get an unobstructed view of my fine ass while I picked my way through the woods. And really, a body wasn't something to be embarrassed about, or to hide away. It was just a shell that covered who we really were. If he wanted to stare at my booty and do naughty things to my body, I was happy to let him.
Once I'd taken care of business, Jax shared his coffee with me, made me breakfast, and then waited patiently while I got dressed and attempted to brush out my hair. Then we went on a flat hike around a portion of the lake, the views so beautiful I had to constantly stop and take pictures on my old Nikon.
If this restaurant thing didn't work out, maybe I could do something with photography. I loved capturing beauty from behind the lens. I could focus on the tiniest of things, the everyday things that were overlooked, and bring them into focus, highlighting them and showing off their beauty.
Jax was the perfect gentleman, helping me over logs, waiting for me to take pictures, even pointing out things he thought I'd like to stop and see. He told me about the area and we discussed local conservation efforts. He held my hand or touched my back or pushed the hair out of my face. His constant touching was sweet, and though normally I'd be irritated with someone that close to me all day long, with him, I couldn't get enough of his attention. I could feel him watching me the whole time, his gaze heavy, like a constant buzz of attention running in the background. I craved his touch, his thoughts on subjects, his smile, his gaze.
"So, Mr. Stern. I've told you a lot about myself. Maybe even some things you didn't want to know. Now it's your turn. Tell me about the girls you've dated."
We were sitting on a large flat rock, the lake at our feet, the sun high in the sky. Jax handed me an apple, taking one for himself and taking a big bite before turning to me and answering my question.
"There's really only been one woman." He didn't look happy about this turn in the conversation.
"Ahh...sounds serious." I bumped his shoulder, trying to keep it light.
"It was. Or, I thought it was. We dated for a long time and then she decided she couldn't handle dating a continually broke guy. Left for richer pastures." He shrugged, like it was nothing, but I knew from Bai
ley that it was definitely something.
"Did you love her?" The idea of Jax loving someone else was weird and repulsive. The idea that someone could leave him over money was also repulsive. I hated this woman already, but was thankful she'd been of so little substance. She'd left him single and available for me.
He shook his head slowly. "I thought I did, but looking back, there were a lot of other signs too. I'm happy for the experience so now I know what I want and what I don't want."
"And what do you want, Jax?"
He looked up at me then, his piercing blue eyes looking into my soul, rendering me motionless, on the edge of my rock, as it were, needing to hear his answer.
"I want a partner. Someone who understands my need to work hard and to preserve my father's legacy, even if it'll never make me a ton of money. I want a lover and a best friend I can build a family with."
I nodded, just then remembering the similar statement he'd made that first day we'd talked in The Shack after I'd rented a surfboard. I gazed back at him, hoping I fit the bill, even though we'd started out on opposite sides and seemed so different on paper. "I don't think that's too much to ask when you're planning to spend the rest of your life with someone."
Jax leaned in to pull a strand of hair out of my face, his fingers trailing down my cheek and then behind my neck to pull me in for a sweet kiss. We broke apart and finished our apples before hiking back to camp, all serious talk over for the time being.
I lobbied hard for an afternoon siesta, with Jax pulling out all the stops to take me fishing. Back at our campground, we compromised on something else entirely when I started stripping before we even made it to the tent. I only had my boots left on my body when Jax picked me up and sat me down on the end of the wooden picnic table next to the tent. The wood was weathered and rough, making me wince at the thought of splinters in sensitive areas. Jax, of the ever-present-gaze noticed, of course, and unbuttoned his shirt, lifting me up so he could put it under me.
He dropped his shorts and boxers, grabbing for his wallet then spreading my knees and pulling me to the very edge of the table. I bent my knees and placed my boots on the edge of the table, thankful for the grip the heavy tread provided. No time wasted on teasing, he put the condom on, lined himself up and thrusted, filling me. My arms went around his neck and my head dropped to his shoulder.
Damn, he felt so good. Like he was both splitting me in two and putting me back together. All my attention zeroed in on the center of my body where we were connected. His hands gripped my hips in a tight grasp, his body retreating and slamming back quickly.
Then he stopped entirely, which forced my head up, being that I was ready to beg him for more.
"Lay back."
The command was back in his voice, his need to tell me what to do when we were naked together. I kissed his neck, his ear, his cheek and finally a quick lick across his bottom lip before I laid back on the table, leaving my feet where they were. It was broad daylight and I was splayed across the picnic table, like a feast ready to be eaten.
It was worth it, to see his jaw clench and his eyes dilate. He still didn't move and I tried to take matters into my own hands. Literally. I palmed my breasts and pinched my nipples, wiggling on the table to get the friction I needed.
"Touch yourself." Another gruff command. His hands pushed my knees further out to the sides. "Lower."
His intention was clear and though I'd never done something so brazen in front of a lover, and especially not out in the open for anyone to see, I obeyed. One hand trailed lower to feel where he penetrated me, the quick squeeze enough for him to start moving again. A growl and a dark look had me moving my hand a bit higher to touch right where I knew he wanted me.
Only then did he pull almost completely out, hovered there for an agonizing second, then plunged back in all the way. Then again, almost out, barely dipping in, then back out again, ending with a hard thrust back in. He continued in this way, teasing me even as my desire ratcheted higher. Finally I couldn't stand it anymore and I begged him for more.
"Faster, please. Please." My hand was rubbing fast, my breaths coming out in pants and moans.
He gave me what I needed, letting out a loud holler the same time I arched my back and saw the stars. His heavy body lay over mine, his breath hot on my neck. I looked up and saw a bright blue sky with wispy clouds floating across. The breeze hit my skin and I smelled the forest, that natural scent you just couldn't bottle up. I wasn't sure how I felt about heaven, but I had to think this moment must be what it was like. Absolutely nothing could have made me happier than this. Right here, right now.
Except maybe a hot shower. I was feeling mighty hot and sticky. I wasn't a snob, but a girl had her limits.
17
Jax
Sage and I fell into a pattern. Work hard, play hard...together. She gave me space to work my lifeguarding shifts and run The Surf Shack. I gave her space to demo her property and start the rebuild of her restaurant. Our crazy schedules didn't leave a lot of room for extended periods of time together, but we squeezed out every last second available to us. Stolen moments in the early morning or a warm and willing body late at night. I rarely went to her place, but she was becoming a permanent fixture in my upstairs apartment.
I quit trying to come up with 'tests' for her to pass. After our camping weekend, I was ashamed of myself, realizing I'd stereotyped her and assumed that she was a stuck-up princess because of her family money. Which was ironic because it was the lack of money that caused my ex to assume I would never amount to anything. The same stereotype, just flipped.
I needed to get to know Sage and form my own opinions based on who she truly was. And what I was quickly finding was a beautiful woman, ridiculously smart and confident, perfectly capable of any task you threw at her. She assured me she had many flaws, but I had yet to find one.
After a particularly curt phone call from her father regarding a building permit that was taking longer than anticipated, she'd thrown a pillow at the wall and then promptly broke down into tears, explaining how badly she wanted her father's approval and how she was certain she'd never obtain it. Despite her insistence that she was only crying because she was so mad, I could see the scars beneath the surface.
A daughter should never have to fight so hard for a paltry pat on the back from her parents. I didn't pity her, because the girl was a straight up fighter: she didn't need nor want pity. But I did vow to make sure I spoke the words out loud, the ones I always thought in my head. I wanted her to hear exactly how incredible she was from a man who loved her. Her father may never get to the point where he could say it, but I could. I'd spend the rest of my life building her up if she'd only let me.
And that gets me to my next point. I was pretty damn certain I was in love with Sage. She was everything I'd always wanted in a partner, plus a thousand other things I was finding essential. It was the big things, like her zest for experiencing the present moment. Her ability to see the positive in every situation. The way she surrendered her body to me, completely trusting and open. Her beautiful brain that read spreadsheets and ran numbers and came up with brilliant business strategies.
And it was even more so the little things: blowing up a picture of my dad and I in front of The Surf Shack and hanging it in my apartment, the notes she'd leave by the coffeepot in the morning when she was up before me, or the disgusting green juices she'd bring home for me to drink so I'd clear my chi. She was a weirdo hippy burning incense and bonding with my buddy Kai over their mutual love of meditation.
What really tipped me off was the morning I stood in my bathroom, trying to shave after hopping out of the shower. I was shuffling around and realized her long, blonde hair was sticking to the bottom of my wet feet. Which led me to using a tissue to sweep up all her hair that was carpeting my tile floor. I should have been irritated at this micro-intrusion, yet I wasn't. I wasn't even worried about the fact that it looked like a wookie dehaired in my bathroom. I was mostly concerned about he
r losing so much hair. Was she balding prematurely? And then like a sick love puppy, I grinned, thinking how gorgeous she'd look even bald.
I mean, come on.
The green juice was either slowly draining my testosterone or I was totally and completely in love with Sage Vanderman. Given our long sessions in my bed and the frequency her naked body ran through my brain, I was going to have to call bullshit on the former and accept the latter.
That was why, on a bright and sunny Monday morning, I was standing on my porch, sipping a cup of coffee before work while I watched her talk to the crew next door cleaning up the debris from the demolition they'd just finished. I was contemplating her from afar, seeing her in a different light now that I acknowledged I was in love. The hair that was left on her head was up in a bun and she was wearing a white tank top over a long skirt. Gold sandals covered her feet, which left me nervous, worried a stray nail or piece of barbed wire on the job site would jab her through her flimsy footwear. She kept rubbing her nose, something I'd seen her do a few times before. I wasn't sure if it was a nervous habit or what.
She started gesturing wildly, her dozen long necklaces swinging and bouncing. The man she was speaking to was frowning and shaking his head, either not listening or not agreeing with anything she was saying. I gripped the wood banister of my patio, trying hard not to get involved. I knew she could handle this, but it was natural instinct for me to want to dive in and save her.
Thankfully, I caught a few words here and there as the breeze carried them to me. Something about a wall not being where she wanted it to be. Considering there weren't any walls left standing on her property, that was definitely a problem.
A dark sedan pulled into the parking lot while they argued and a man in a tight suit got out. Seeing how tight the asshat's suit was, I was surprised he was able to make it all the way across the rubble and over to where Sage stood. I didn't know what was up with these young business guys. A suit tight enough to be mistaken for yoga pants was not attractive. There was a fine line between tailored and too fucking tight and this guy had crossed the line two waist sizes ago.
