Obsessed: Part Three (The Obsessed Series)

by Bladon, Deborah

  I sigh as I close my eyes and drift off into a heavy sleep.

  Chapter 10

  I feel his breath on my thigh before I open my eyes. I struggle to process where I am. It's Jax's bed. The room is dimly lit. It's just the breaking of the new day. I can make out a small silver of light bursting into the room.

  "Jax," I murmur as I fumble for him. I reach down and my hand wraps itself into his hair. He's there. He's so close. He's going to make me come again.

  "Relax, beautiful." His lips tickle my hip. "This is how you're going to wake up every morning."

  "No." I protest lightly. I don't mean it. I want this. I want him. I want to wake up in this bed every single day.

  "No?" His body shifts and his lips are touching my chin. I feel his fingers trace a lazy path along my clit. "What do you mean? You don't want this?" He pushes a finger into my wetness. "Your body is screaming for me."

  "We just made love last night," I say breathlessly, my voice rising when he slides another finger into me causing me to involuntarily move my hips.

  "So?" He traces his tongue over my lips pulling back when I reach to kiss him.

  "It's so much." I lick my lips wanting him to taste them.

  He catches the tip of my tongue with his, pulling it lazily across. "It's never going to be enough." He presses his lips against mine as he speaks, "I could make love to you all day, every day until I take my last breath and it won't be enough."

  I wrap my hand around his head and pull him hard into a kiss. He responds in kind, pushing himself up from the bed, plunging his fingers deeper within me.

  "Oh, please." I moan at the sensation.

  He pulls back from the kiss and drops his mouth to my breast. I feel his tongue trace a circle around my erect nipple before he yanks it between his teeth and bites it softly. "Your breasts are amazing." He grazes his teeth along the skin of my chest before claiming my other nipple.

  "Fuck me, please," I say it without candor. I don't care how it sounds. It's all that I want.

  "Not now. Not yet," he says softly. "You're going to come like this. Open, exposed and wanting me."

  I gasp as I feel the pad of his thumb push on my clit. I stare into his eyes as the pleasure ripples through my body.

  "Take it all. Own it beautiful. "He edges me on, circling my clitoris with just the right amount of pressure as his fingers hone in on my most sensitive spot.

  I relish in the feeling of being so exposed, so open to this man. I move my hips below him, moaning with each touch of his fingers and thumb. I push his lips into mine, pulling his tongue between my teeth. "Fuck, it feels so good," I purr. "So good. Never stop."

  "Never," he growls before kissing me deeply. "You're going to crave my touch."

  "I do," I whimper. How can I lie? He knows it already. My body can't shield the desire I feel for him. It's there, always on display. I can't get enough of him. I ache for him.

  He takes my breast in his mouth again, circling the now aching nipple with his tongue. I buck against his hand harder, reaching down to push it into me.

  He moans. "You're so wet." He weaves my fingers between his so they're gliding over my wetness just as his are. "Touch your clit. Show me how you do it when you're thinking about me."

  His brazen words spur on my desire and I greedily stroke my clit, pushing my finger around it, racing to the edge of my desire. "Jax, yes," I whimper through clenched teeth.

  "Come for me, now." He pushes his fingers deeper still as I plunge off the edge and feel intensity unlike any other charge through my body. My body moves uncontrollably, my hips pushing off the bed, my legs thrashing.

  I gasp for air. "That was…" I can't speak. I can't breathe.

  "That was just the beginning." His lips brush lightly against mine. "Go back to sleep. I want you rested for round two."

  ***

  "You didn't come back to bed after…well, you know." I blush as I open the shower door to see Jax soaping his body.

  "You're finally awake." He pushes his lathered hair away from his face. "Get in here."

  I acquiesce quickly, shedding the pajama top before stepping into the warm water and wrapping myself in his arms. "How long have you been awake?"

  "I didn't sleep much at all." He motions for me to push my chin back. I do and I feel his hands pull my hair through the water.

  "Why not?" I close my eyes as he pours shampoo onto my head and starts massaging it into my scalp.

  There's silence as he pushes me back slightly so he can rinse my hair. I bite my lip wondering why he's not responding. I don't know that my heart can take any more Jax surprises at this point. He gently pushes the water from my forehead before he kisses my nose.

  I open my eyes. "Why didn't you sleep?"

  He casts his eyes downward, kicking the water that's gathered near the drain with his foot. "You deserve to know everything."

  I freeze. He's going to confess something to me. Last night was still part of the lie. He's going to tell me he's really the cold, heartless man I thought he was.

  "I did sort of arrange for Liz to be at Brighton's opening."

  "Why?"

  He studies my face before he responds," I was scared."

  "Scared of what?" I push.

  His hand reaches behind me to retrieve a bottle of scented body wash. I watch him pour some into his palm before he brings it to my arm. "I couldn't just walk up to you on the street and say, 'hey, I'm Jax Walker and I'm your ex fiancé's business partner and oh, by the way, I'm in love with you.' I didn't know how else to approach you."

  I step back so I'm just out of his reach. "So instead you went to all the trouble of getting Brighton to accept Liz as a prospect in his program so by some off chance I'd come to his opening with her?"

  "You make it sound far-fetched." He laughs as he steps closer to me again. He picks up soaping my shoulder where he left off before I pulled away.

  "It's convoluted. Why would Brighton agree to it?" I cock my head to the side.

  He massages my shoulder, driving his finger into the stressed muscles. "You've met my brother, Ivy. If he thinks any woman sees him as the second coming of Picasso, she's in his inner circle at the drop of a hat."

  "How did you know Liz loved his work?" I ask pensively. I'm scared that he's about to tell me that he had someone following Liz.

  "I didn't." His hand moves down to my right breast. I don't react as he pulls his fingers across it, covering it with the sweet scented soap. "I actually had little to do with her getting onto that prospect list."

  "Don't say it was all by chance." I stare into his face.

  "Hardly." He shakes his head as his hand runs to my other breast. "Mark actually set the wheels in motion."

  "Mark?" I take a step back. I can't focus on what he's saying when his hand is touching my breasts. "Why would Mark set that up?"

  "He didn't, at least not knowingly."

  "What do you mean?" I fold my arm across my chest. I feel exposed even just talking about Mark when I'm standing here naked with Jax.

  He motions for me to come closer so he can continue to wash me. I wave my finger in the air playfully. "Answer the question, Jax."

  "One of the sticking points between my dad and Mark was the art in the corporate offices." He steps back into the water holding out his hand for me to join him.

  I ignore the gesture and wait for him to continue.

  "Mark was in charge of design and he commissioned a bunch of Liz's work. Those paintings were everywhere. In the personal offices, the boardroom, waiting areas, even in the washrooms. You couldn't escape them and all their glory." The sarcastic tone in his voice makes it evident he's not a fan of Liz's work.

  "And your dad didn't want that?"

  "It should have been Brighton's work hanging on those walls," he snaps. "Instead there's some nobody getting the recognition that my brother deserved."

  I flinch when he calls her a nobody. That's exactly who she is to me now too.

  He steps out of th
e water and moves his body closer to mine now. I try to step back but the cold shower wall is waiting for me. I pull back suddenly as a chill runs through me.

  "Come here." He wraps his arms around me coaxing me back into the heat of the water.

  "I remember how excited she was when Mark ordered all those paintings. I thought he was doing my friend a favor," I say, my lips breezing across his chest.

  "I didn't give it much thought until a few months ago when I saw her in Mark's office. It dawned on me then that she was your friend. I saw you two together a couple of times."

  "Where?" I push for more anticipating he'll be hesitant to offer any more details.

  "I asked Brighton to come see my office before lunch one day." He proves me right and skips over my question as expected. "I played up Liz's work and threw in a few comments about how attractive she was and he took the bait."

  "You did that so she'd be at the opening and you assumed I'd be there too?" I pull my lips into a tight pucker. "That's so much trouble just to bump into me."

  "Actually." He strokes the small of my back with his palm. "I did that because I wanted to do something nice for your best friend. I knew that she was important to you."

  "Oh," I murmur trying to absorb the kindness of the gesture.

  "When Brighton added her to the list I do admit I suggested strongly that he invite her to his gallery opening and I pressed him to tell her to bring you," he says sheepishly.

  "That's why Liz was so adamant about me attending with her." I pull up memories of Liz insisting I go with her even though I had whined about how boring it would be for me.

  "I took Brighton to Veray to see some of your collection a few weeks before the opening and then mentioned you were a friend of Liz's and I'd like to meet you." The words come out slowly and purposefully. It's almost as if he's choosing each one very carefully.

  "So, you did manipulate him into inviting me?" I stare at his face hoping to catch his gaze.

  "I wanted you to be there. I just wanted to be close to you." He locks his eyes with mine. "I can't tell you what it felt like when I saw you standing there alone."

  I pull my arms around his waist and rest my head against his chest again. "Jax?"

  "What is it, beautiful?" He softly caresses my shoulder.

  "Thank you for making sure I'd be there."

  Chapter 11

  "Why are you getting dressed?" he asks. He shakes his head as he playfully grabs at the hem of my dress.

  "I need to take care of a few things today." I pull back and slip on my heels. "I'm meeting Nathan shortly."

  "Let me get ready." He pushes past me to his closet and rips a shirt from one of the padded hangers. "It won't take me long."

  I tap him on his shoulder trying to divert his attention away from the wardrobe. "You aren't coming with me," I giggle.

  "Yes, I am," he says boldly before stepping into a pair of slacks. "I'm not letting you out of my sight. Besides, I don't like the way he looks at you."

  "Jax." I reach to button the white dress shirt he's pulled on. "I'm meeting my attorney to talk about my business deal with you. Do you see how that might be just a bit of a conflict?" I tilt my head to the side.

  "Ah…" He masterfully ties a blue bold-patterned tie around his neck. "You two are going to scheme to get more from me, aren't you?" he asks teasingly while pulling out the empty pockets of his slacks. "I'm all tapped out, Ivy. You ran me dry with your list of demands."

  I laugh loudly as I swat him on the forearm. "It's just to finalize some things with Madeline."

  "I heard about that." He kisses the top of my head before he continues, "I'm proud of you, beautiful. You told Madeline who was boss."

  "Hardly," I scoff. "I just don't want to suffocate my business anymore. I need it to grow and getting out from under her wing is a good start."

  "I'm glad you see that." He walks over to his dresser and loops one exquisite cufflink through the arm of his shirt. "I knew buying into Veray would pay off. It bought you some time."

  The comment jars me. Why would he say that? "What?" I blurt out. "What do you mean it bought me some time?"

  He turns as he fastens the other cufflink into place. "Veray is on the verge of bankruptcy."

  Startled, I don't say a word in response.

  "I've known Madeline for years." He's standing in front of me now, adjusting his suit jacket. "She's a horrible businesswoman."

  "When did you know it was in trouble?" I inhale sharply. Why hadn't he mentioned this to me before? Is this why he was so reluctant to sell his shares in Veray to me?

  "The day after I read in the Dialogue piece that you had an exclusive contract with her," he says it so easily. It's as though the details of that knowledge are lost on him. Does he not understand that I've placed the success of my entire business into Madeline's hands for the past few years?

  "I had no idea." My skin is burning in frustration. I feel as though he's been orchestrating my life behind my back for the past year.

  "Why did you think I bought into it?" The smile on his face has faded into a frown. "I did that so you wouldn't get stuck in limbo when the creditors came looking for their money."

  I'm losing my footing. The room is spinning. I reach behind me to find the edge of the bed. "When were you going to tell me this?"

  He stares at my face. "Sit down, beautiful." I feel him push me down until I'm sitting on the edge of the bed. He sits next to me, holding my hand in his lap. "You were so intent on wrestling those shares away from me." A light smile crosses his lips. "I was thankful when Gilbert told me you'd given up on that."

  He's throwing so much information at me that I'm having difficulty absorbing it all. "But before I saw the video, but that night…" I pause before I continue, "you agreed to sell those shares to me."

  "You fought so hard for that." A ghost of a smile waves across his lips. "If the deal would have gone through that way I would have just bought Madeline out and closed the business."

  I feel overwhelmed. He's controlling everything. He's been hiding so much from me. It's as though I'm the puppet and he's pulling all of the strings. I pull myself back onto my feet. "I need to go. Nathan is waiting for me."

  He nods in agreement. "Signing those release documents today is a fantastic start. Then we'll work on getting you a studio and maybe a shop of your own. Do you think Tribeca is good or something closer to Chelsea?"

  "I put an offer on a space in Boston," I whisper while holding my breath.

  "You didn't say Boston, did you?" His question makes me tremble inside. I knew we'd need to have this conversation but I wasn't expecting it to be this morning.

  I face him directly. I don't want to appear meek to him. "Yes. I've made plans to move there."

  "You made those plans before last night?" He motions towards the bed. The sheets are still rumpled, casting a hint of what took place there.

  I stare at the bed for a moment before I respond. "Yes, I did, but I'm determined to make it on my own and Boston is home to me."

  The veins in his neck tighten and I can tell that the territorial part of him is quickly sprinting to the surface. "You can't just pick up and move there."

  "Don't tell me what to do." My response is quick and intuitive. The words shoot out.

  "Why would you leave me?" There's pain in his voice.

  I sigh heavily. "My decision isn't about you, it's about me." I cast my eyes down to the bed. "We had a beautiful night. I understand more but I still have a million questions."

  "Like what?" he snaps. "What do you want to know?"

  I shake my head. "Much more than you can explain in the next five minutes. I need to get to my meeting."

  His face hardens before he speaks. "Fine. We'll have lunch afterwards and you can ask me anything you want."

  "I hope you realize what that means." I pick up my phone from the bed, turn towards the door and march out of the apartment.

  ***

  "My mom was talking about your sister ye
sterday when I called her." Nathan reaches over his desk to point to yet another dotted line that I need to sign on.

  "How's your mom?" I smile brightly when I ask about Gloria. She was the mom that everyone could depend on to have an open door. Her refrigerator was always full of lemonade and brownies and her heart filled with love when I was a kid.

  He turns the page scanning the document. "She's really good. I told her you're moving back and she's excited to see you."

  I hesitate before I respond searching for the right words. "I'm reconsidering that move."

  "Because of Jax?" The question is loaded and comes with just the right amount of spite in his tone.

  "I thought you were on his side."

  He puffs out a breath. "He was pretty torn up at our meeting. I take it you watched that video that he was talking about?"

  I nod. "I did after coaxing by you and my neighbor."

  He cocks an eyebrow. "Your neighbor?"

  "Not important," I say quietly.

  "What was on it?"

  I stare out the window behind him. "Jax and a woman." I finally answer. "She was plotting to take over the company with him."

  "Mark's company?" He pushes back into his chair.

  "Yes or Jax's father's company I guess depending on who you ask." I shrug my shoulders.

  "So blackmail was mentioned?" he asks tentatively.

  "Off the record?" I joke.

  "I hereby evoke client, attorney privilege." He laughs as he waves the pen in his hand in the air mimicking a magic wand. "We're good to go."

  I smile weakly. "The video started with the two of them in bed. I thought he was going to make love to her." I shudder as I think about what I felt the moment I first saw them in together.

  "That's all you initially saw?"

  "Yes. I stopped it at that point when Jax walked in." I stand and walk to the windows. "I finished watching it yesterday."

  "And they didn't?" His words are clipped.

  "No." I stare out at the expansive view. All the people milling about the city's streets look so small and insignificant. There's so many of them. Hundreds upon hundreds at any given moment. "Do you think it's odd?"