Keeping Her Forever

by Winter Sloane

  spotted when he first saw her.

  The mental scars this piece of trash left her wouldn’t heal as

  easily as the physical wounds. He pummeled the bastard against the

  wall. Adrenaline spiked through his system. Blood began coating his

  gloves.

  Dwayne Wright is one fucked-up mess of a human being, Jax,

  but don’t go overboard. Kill him and you’ll land yourself in prison

  again. This time, you’ll rot there forever.

  Ben’s warning drifted to his mind. It surprised him Ben cared

  that much about his well-being when all Jax did was help Ben from a

  group who liked kicking around and showing new inmates their place.

  He saw Lia’s crumpled face in his mind’s eye. If he got locked

  up behind bars again, at least this fucker wouldn’t be able to put his

  hands on her ever again. How would that arrangement turn out for the

  two of them, though?

  Jax and Lia barely knew each other, but he’d known enough.

  She’d remain loyal to him, would spent the rest of her life clinging to

  him, and he’d only have their monthly visits to look forward to.

  Dwayne wasn’t worth it. Jax couldn’t let one ugly bastard ruin their

  future. He wouldn’t do that to her, to them.

  Lia had shown him how to live again when he thought he had

  no reason to keep on going. She didn’t know it, but she taught him

  that even a man like him who made plenty of mistakes in his life

  could change, could be worth loving.

  Jax used to think men like him didn’t deserve redemption or

  happiness, but he’d fight for their future. He took a step back, breath-

  ing hard. Dwayne lay in a miserable heap on the floor, unconscious.

  Fuck, so close. Any longer and he’d snuff the life out of Dwayne. No

  doubt he broke something vital, but it had been enough to satisfy his

  craving for violence.

  Someday soon, the police would receive an anonymous call

  about Dwayne and he’d tell Ben to drop off all the evidence he’d col-

  lected on the fucker, all the testimonies of the women whose lives

  Dwayne ruined. He doubted the police would connect him to

  Dwayne.

  According to Ben, Dwayne had made plenty of enemies. Any

  one of them could have administered this beating, and a man like

  Dwayne would be stupid enough to go to the local authorities. If he

  did, good for Jax. The police would only unearth Dwayne’s secrets.

  He’d let the coppers deal with the fucker because he had more

  important things on his mind.

  Jax left the house, mood lifting. He disposed of his gloves and

  walked away from the neighborhood. Jax left his ride at a truck stop a

  couple of miles away from the town Dwayne lived. The walk back to

  his truck cleared his head. Halfway back to the stop, his phone

  beeped. A message from Lia, telling him she was ready.

  He smiled. Time to pick up his woman and tell her about his

  little side trip. Jax would make her a promise. This would be the last

  time he kept something from her.

  ****

  Taking a deep breath, Lia rang the doorbell. She looked

  around the neighborhood while she waited. Jax mentioned Nancy

  grew up in a bad neighborhood in their town, but it looked like his ex

  had done something good. Did Nancy bar Jax from seeing their son

  because she thought Jax wasn’t good influence, or wouldn’t make a

  good parent?

  Lia still couldn’t comprehend why anyone would be so heart-

  less to deny the father of their kid to see their son.

  A haggard-looking blonde opened the door moments later,

  frowning at her. The blonde matched Jax’s description of his ex-

  girlfriend.

  “If you’re selling something—”

  “I came here on behalf of Jax.”

  Nancy glowered at her, about to slam the door in her face, but

  Lia had been prepared for that. She wedged her body and hand against

  the door.

  “Who the hell are you? His latest bitch? Jax doesn’t have balls

  to see me himself?” Nancy demanded. “Leave or I’ll call the cops.”

  God. This woman certainly had a high and mighty chip on her

  shoulder.

  “One, Jax doesn’t know I’m here. Second, if you do that, then

  expect Jax to file a motion. He has a decent employment record, has

  been doing so good, and you’re denying him visitation rights. I just

  need a few minutes of your time.”

  The pressure on the door elevated, but Nancy still didn’t wipe

  the scowl off her face. “Fine. Five minutes. Come in or the damn

  neighbors will think something’s fishy is going on,” Nancy muttered.

  She stepped inside. Toys and a few clothes remained scattered

  on the floor, which Nancy picked up.

  “What are you, his lawyer?” Nancy finally asked.

  She ignored Nancy’s question. Telling her she was Jax’s new

  girlfriend would only set them both off the wrong foot. “I don’t ex-

  pect you to start letting your son see him right away. Why don’t you

  have a sit down with Jax, just the two of you? Settle your issues or at

  the very least, talk about them.”

  “You don’t know Jax as well I do. He has anger issues, and do

  you know what it’s like, if your friends know the father of your son is

  an ex-con? My son and I want nothing to do with him and your five

  minutes are almost up.”

  Lia reeled in her own temper. Did Nancy really think she’d

  been innocent in all this? Nancy had cheated on Jax first, triggering a

  series of events. Despite how tempting it was to bring that up, to de-

  fend her man, Lia knew one wrong word meant Jax never seeing his

  son again.

  “Jax’s record is clean. When your next court date comes

  around, you know what they’ll discover? Evidence Jax is an ex-con,

  trying to straighten his life out for his son, and you’d come off as the

  selfish mother who can’t even allow him supervised visits.”

  “What right do you have to come into my house and call me a

  selfish mother?” Nancy yelled. “Get out.”

  “Supervised visits, Nancy. You can see how he’s like with

  Matt from one visit and decide after that. Think about it,” was all she

  said, before leaving the house.

  Walking back to the bus station to meet up with Jax, she won-

  dered how he’d react after he found out she spoke with his ex behind

  his back.

  Epilogue

  One Year Later

  Lia nervously wrung her hands in her seat while she waited for

  Jax to finish refueling the truck. Jax caught her gaze from the win-

  dows, but she didn’t quite return his smile. He frowned and finished

  talking with the gas station attendant.

  She stared at the pregnancy test she left on a little pink towel

  by the dashboard, wondering how he’d react to the news she was

  pregnant. Lia wasn’t sure whether to be elated or nervous. Deep

  down, she knew Jax would support her no matter what. It wasn’t hard

  to see Jax was a good father.

  Nancy had finally allowed Jax short visits with his son, and

  sometimes, the three of them spent the day together. Lia loved Matt

  like her own, too.
The six-year-old kid had been a joy to be with. For

  all of Nancy’s faults and disdain, the woman possessed one good

  quality. Nancy considered her son the most important part of her life.

  He’d been slightly pissed she went behind his back, but at the

  same time, Jax had been grateful for her actions.

  A year had passed since Jax found her on the road. Plenty of

  things had happened since then. Lia got her driver’s license and they

  took turns, taking shifts on the road. She loved it, liked those wonder-

  ful, quiet moments with Jax when they didn’t say anything as the sun

  rose for the day. Lia relished the nights they warmed each other in the

  back too, bodies and hands entwined as she lay next to her man,

  whose heart beat for her.

  Those nights and days would come to an end once she an-

  nounced she carried his baby. Lia even bought an extra pregnancy test

  from their last convenience store run to make sure she hadn’t made an

  error.

  “What’s wrong, sweetheart?” Jax asked the moment he got

  back behind the driver’s wheel.

  Lia stilled, waiting for him to find the test on the towel. Jax

  furrowed his brows, lifted the little device, and asked in a hoarse

  voice, “Is this what I think it is?”

  Lia wet her lips. She knew she couldn’t remain in their little

  world forever, but was Jax ready to take their relationship to another

  level?

  “I took another test, to make sure,” she murmured, feeling

  anxious.

  When Jax looked at her, all her worries and doubts seemed in-

  significant because she only saw tender affection in his gaze. Jax got

  up from his seat, kneeled on the space between them, and hugged her,

  resting his head on her lap. Surprised, she recovered, running her fin-

  gers through his thick, short hair.

  A small smile played on Jax’s lips as he placed a big, callused

  hand on her belly.

  “Do you think it’ll be a boy or girl?” he asked.

  “You’re not mad?” Lia asked.

  “Why would I be?”

  “We can’t raise a baby on the road,” she finally said.

  “Small details. I’d been thinking over the past year that it

  wouldn’t be so bad to put down roots somewhere. Build a small home

  for us.”

  Shocked, Lia was rendered speechless by those words. After

  testing positive, she’d begun to harbor dreams about their own modest

  home, about making dinner for Jax after a hard day of work and sing-

  ing to her baby at night.

  “You’d make such a great dad,” she whispered, voice clogged

  with emotions.

  He raised his head, then leaned up to slant his lips over hers.

  The kiss was soft, sweet, and wet. She closed her eyes, enjoying the

  taste of Jax, liking the bristles of his stubble rubbing against her

  smooth chin.

  When he pulled away, he said, “And you’ll be a kick-ass

  mom.”

  Lia tried to process what just happened. “What about your

  job? I mean, you love being a long-haul driver.”

  “Before I met you, I’d been a bad place in my life. I couldn’t

  adapt to life after prison, but it’s different now. I thought a man like

  me only belonged in the dark, unfit for human company. You changed

  that, you dragged me to the light. Baby, you keep me so fucking

  steady.”

  Tears of joy gathered at the corner of her eyes at those words.

  Here she was, getting all emotional, and she wasn’t deep into her

  pregnancy yet. Jax kissed her tears away.

  “Matt is going to love his new baby brother or sister,” she said

  as he closed his fingers over hers. “We’ve both come so far, haven’t

  we?”

  ****

  One Year Later

  Lia felt the press of lips on her mouth, waking her. She opened

  her eyes only to see her man, smiling up at her. She blinked, realizing

  she’d fallen asleep in the living room right after putting Amy to sleep.

  Her gaze found Amy’s bassinet. Their little girl remained fast asleep,

  lying next to her favorite bunny-shaped pink pillow.

  “Sorry, I fell asleep as soon as she did,” she confessed.

  “Maybe you’ve been overworking yourself too hard,” Jax

  chided.

  They spoke in low voices, so as not to wake Amy. Lia made

  some space for her husband, always amused when his bulk took up

  most of the sofa space. She didn’t mind. That meant more cuddling.

  She curled next to him, resting her head on one broad shoulder. Jax

  curled his fingers over hers.

  “How was your day?” she asked, raising her head. After

  choosing a town to settle in, they both found the perfect home in a

  good and quiet neighborhood and Jax found work at the local repair

  shop.

  “Slow day. That’s why I couldn’t wait to return to my wom-

  an.” Jax took her mouth, stealing a kiss.

  She parted her lips, letting him thrust his tongue down her

  throat. He gave her nipple a squeeze through her shirt. The bud tight-

  ened. Her core heated up. Lia didn’t feel sexy, not in her loose shirt

  and jogging pants, but what she wore didn’t seem to matter to Jax.

  Under that heated look, she felt like the most desirable woman in the

  world.

  They’d been both kept busy by Amy, by the move, getting the

  house in order and Jax finding a job, that they had no time for them-

  selves.

  “I smell dinner,” Jax said after releasing her mouth, his blue

  eyes gleaming with hunger. A shiver went down her spine as she

  knew what his next words would be. Jax continued, “I think I want

  dessert.”

  Lia had been craving him lately, although they ended the day

  curled around each other.

  “There’s definitely time for sex,” she said.

  Amy didn’t look like she’d wake any time soon. Lia watched

  her man gather their baby girl in his arms, a smile on his lips. The

  precious sight tugged at her heart strings. Jax had still been behind

  bars during Matt’s earlier years and she knew her man relished these

  moments with Amy. He kissed Amy’s forehead and took her to the

  baby room, which sat next to theirs.

  She went into their bedroom and checked the baby monitor

  was working. Jax entered the room, dispensing the mask of doting

  father and the wearing the look of possessive husband.

  “Why are you still dressed?” Jax practically growled out the

  words.

  Lia didn’t get very far on her own. She took off her shirt when

  Jax yanked her bottoms down. The plain cotton panties, he left. Final-

  ly, she stood in her underwear. Wanting his skin to touch hers, for his

  big body to straddle her, she reached for his shirt, but he caught her

  wrists. He slammed her against the nearest wall, lowering his mouth

  to hers, the kiss full of bite and heat.

  Lia responded hungrily, eager to feel him buried deep inside

  her wet pussy. Jax stepped away for a moment, then discarded the rest

  of his clothes in a hurry until he stood in front of her, massive body

  looking like it had been carved from rock. They resumed.

  Jax kept o
ne hand on her arms, and he used the other to un-

  clasp her bra. The sexy bastard moved his big hand down her belly,

  past the waist band of her panties. Lia parted her legs for him, moan

  muffled as he found her slick. Jax rubbed circles around her clit be-

  fore thrusting two fingers into her cunt.

  She cried out as he released her mouth only to feel him close

  his talented mouth over her right nipple. Jax grazed the sensitive bud

  with his teeth before biting down, leaving a perfect imprint of his

  teeth there. Lia hardly felt the pain, especially when he began rubbing

  her pussy lips. Without shame, she thrust herself at his hand.

  “Go on, baby. Get yourself off on me,” he ordered, the words

  raising goosebumps over her arms.

  One tug from Jax and the fabric gave away. Cool air kissed

  her pussy lips, but the warmth of his hand kept the cold at bay. She

  rubbed her cunt on his hand, aware of her nipples pebbling as they

  came in constant contact with Jax’s hard wall of muscle. A mewl

  slipped from her lips as he pulled her hand away and then pushed his

  engorged cock into her opening.

  She gasped as he let go of her arms. Jax buried himself all the

  way in, until his balls brushed against the curve of her ass. Like al-

  ways, he felt so massive inside her, completely stretching her. Lia

  gripped his shoulders and mounted him, back digging against the wall

  as she wrapped her hands around his neck. Jax automatically gripped

  her ass, easily holding her up as he started moving in and out of her.

  Lia met her man for every thrust, loving how the sounds of

  their pants and bodies repeatedly clashing filled the room. She

  moaned as Jax kept hitting the swollen bud of her clit with each

  shove. With each thrust, he pushed her closer to the edge of oblivion.

  Jax picked up the speed, seemingly able to penetrate her deepest area.

  He shifted his angle and slammed into her G-spot as Lia raked her

  nails down his muscled back.

  She kissed him then, nipping playfully at his bottom lip. Jax

  gave her ass a pinch as he continued hammering her against the wall.

  When he pulled his prick out of her, she whispered in his ear, “I’m