by Lisa Cardiff
“Me neither, but I don’t want to talk about him anymore tonight. I want to hold you.”
She sighed. “You’re right. I don’t want to talk about him, either.”
“Close your eyes. You’re tired from everything that happened today, and we have all day tomorrow to talk,” he said, brushing his lips against her forehead. “We’ll have plenty of time to figure it out before anyone knows. Tonight is about us, not him.”
She burrowed her head into his chest and fell asleep almost immediately. He wasn’t too far behind.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Propped up against the ivory quilted leather headboard in Jax’s bed, Bre sipped her coffee, letting the steam swirl around her face as Jax strummed his guitar on a chair in front of a sleek, rectangular fireplace. Smiling, she noticed that he looked lost in his thoughts as he hummed a tune in time with the slow, steady strokes against his guitar.
From the first time she saw him singing at the bar she loved watching him play, and now she couldn’t stop grinning at the personal show this morning. Bre closed her eyes and swayed to the melody, forgetting the chaos of the past couple weeks.
“You like that?” His deep voice interrupted her thoughts.
She opened her eyes only to be met by Jax’s stunning smile and radiant gray eyes. “Yes. You have mad guitar skills, but your voice is even better, if that makes sense.”
“Do you know how to play?”
“Cam tried to teach me when we were in high school, but he doesn’t have much patience.”
“Well, it’s your lucky day then, because my middle name is patience.” He rose from the chair, holding the guitar by its neck, and crawled on the bed. He handed her the guitar. “Let me hear it.”
She fumbled with the guitar and then let it drop into her lap. “I can’t remember where to put my fingers.”
A slow sexy smile spread across his face. “Are you sure you aren’t trying to get me in a comprising position again?”
“Jerk,” she said playfully, hitting him on the shoulder.
“Here, crawl to the edge of the bed so I can get behind you.”
“Now who’s trying to getting who into a compromising position?”
“Me. Always. Don’t you forget it.” He straddled her back and placed her hands into position. “This is a simple C chord,” he whispered near her ear.
Her finger strummed the string a few time. “Okay.”
He moved her hands again. “This is a simple G chord.” He dropped his hands, resting them on her bare thighs and she shivered, suddenly very aware that she was only wearing one of Jax’s t-shirts that barely covered the tops of her thighs. She hadn’t bothered to put her underwear back on after last night.
“Go ahead,” he coaxed, his chin leaning on her shoulder.
She strummed the chord a few times and his hand started trailing up the inside of her thigh. “Mmm,” she murmured almost involuntarily.
“You like that?” he questioned, nibbling lightly on her ear.
“Yes,” she replied breathlessly, relaxing her hold on the guitar.
“No,” he replied, placing his hands on top of hers once again. “Play.” He moved her into position again and kissed the side of her neck. “Now this is the D chord.”
His hands went to her bare thighs again, spreading them open for his touch. He brushed over her wet center, teasing her as he buried his face into the hollow of her neck.
“Oh, I think I like D.”
“I do too, but wait until we get to F chord. I really like the F chord.”
“What’s F?” She moaned, leaning into his chest and spreading her legs wider, silently begging him to touch her.
“It goes something like this.” Slowly tracing her wet folds with his finger, he teased her, sending her into a fevered cloud of lust. Then, without warning, his finger penetrated her and she nearly shot off the bed.
“You’re a good teacher,” she gasped, her voice raspy from the pleasure radiating through her body.
“You’re a good student,” he whispered as he kissed her earlobe, the feel of his hot breath causing her to shiver.
As his free hand reached around to squeeze her breast through the t-shirt, she leaned back even further, letting the guitar fall from her fingertips into her lap. The sensation was so insanely sinful she bit her lip to stifle a moan.
Grabbing the guitar out of her lap, he leaned it against the nightstand and then pulled her on top of him. Her heart slammed against her chest as he lifted her shirt over her head and let it drop on the floor. Holding on to the back of her neck, he bent her face toward him so that he could kiss her and she moaned from the feel of her bare breasts rubbing against his naked chest.
“Mmm,” he murmured, wrapping his hands around her waist, rocking her core against him. “That feels so good.” His eyes told her that he was as aroused as she was.
Unable to look away, she watched her nipples dance along his hard pecs, goosebumps erupting all over her body with every touch. Gazing into his hooded, smoky gray eyes, she ran her fingers through his wavy hair, down the sides of his face, to his wide, toned shoulders, loving the way his perfectly formed muscles tensed under her fingertips. She couldn’t get enough of him, of the way he felt pressed up against her and inside her. She could spend the entire day exploring every inch of his body with her hands and mouth.
Pulling her closer, his hands fisted into her hair as he sucked one of her nipples into his mouth, his unshaven face teasing her and heightening her need for him. Unbelievable. Each time he touched her, it was better than the last. She didn’t think she’d ever get enough.
Sitting up on her knees, she hooked her fingers under the waistband of his black briefs, and pushed them down. She rolled on a condom and mounted him, rubbing her folds along the tip of his penis over and over until she was nearly convulsing with the need to be filled by him.
“Now,” he growled, lifting her by the waist and centering her opening above him. Fascinated, she watched as he guided each glorious inch of his hard length inside of her. She expelled a long, needy breath from the sensation of being filled by him again, almost as if she were finally whole. Reaching up, he grazed, then pinched her taut breasts with his guitar calloused fingers and she whimpered. He chuckled at her startled expression, but when she started moving, his laugh disappeared.
Moving together effortlessly, she was so lost in him, she didn’t know if she’d ever be the same again. Her long brown hair cascaded down, creating a curtain of intimacy around them as they panted in unison with each delicious motion and swirl of her hips.
“I love the way you look on top of me,” he whispered reverently.
“Yes,” was all she could say in response, too caught up in the pleasure curling through her body, begging to be released.
His fingers dug into her hips, guiding her until her rhythm became erratic. Knowing she was close, she leaned down to kiss him, their tongues tangling wildly in unison with their hips. When he slid his hand between them, caressing her, she exploded, her orgasm overtaking her. Almost immediately he cried out, arching his hips into her, rocking repeatedly up into her and then he shuddered as he jerked his body.
Sated and completely content, Bre collapsed, her body spread out on top of Jax, clinging to him as she listened to the quick rhythm of his heart. His hand lazily drifted up and down her spine. How strange that last night she thought she had lost everyone and she was utterly desolate. This morning, she felt full and complete, and totally in love. Looking back, she realized that she had probably been in love with Jax for a long time, and she stubbornly refused to acknowledge her feelings because of her silly plan to marry Cam, hoping to avoid all the drama of her mother’s life.
She leaned up to kiss him and he smiled appreciatively at her as he pushed her hair away from her face.
“I like being with you like this,” she said.
“Good, because I have plans for you today,” he answered, pulling her close to him, running his nose along her nec
k, inhaling her. “I love the way you smell.”
His front door opened, and he lifted his head.
She froze. “Who is it?” she mouthed.
She didn’t have to wait for an answer. She immediately recognized the person’s voice.
“Jax, is your lazy ass still in bed? You need to get up. I need your help with Bre,” Cam yelled from the entry.
Bre looked at Jax, frozen with terror at the confrontation that was about to happen in the next few seconds. She didn’t want to face Cam yet.
Jax kissed her softly on her shoulder and rolled out from under her as he whispered in her ear. “Go into the bathroom and lock the door. I’ll get rid of him.”
At a loss for words, she grabbed the t-shirt she was wearing earlier, pulled it on, and watched while Jax pulled on a pair of jeans.
“Relax, Cam. Let me get dressed. I’ll be out in a minute.”
Before Jax opened the door, he grabbed her hands, holding them gently between his. Noticing for the first time that her hands were visibly shaking, she took a deep breath and smiled uncertainly at him.
“Bre, it’s going to be okay,” he whispered into her ear, and gave her a quick, hard kiss on her lips.
***
“Hey, Cam,” Jax said, running his hands through his messy hair. “What are you doing here?”
“I need your help. I can’t find Bre. She left last night, and I’ve been trying to call her all morning, but my calls go directly to voicemail,” Cam replied, dropping his keys on the entry table.
“Do you want some coffee?” Jax asked as he walked into his kitchen, trying to lead Cam away from his bedroom.
“No. I’m good. Have you talked to her?” Cam sat on a stool behind the concrete slab counter in the kitchen.
“What happened?”
“Oh man. It was ugly.” Cam leaned his forearms on the counter, bracing his head in his hands. “She found out about some of the other women, and she walked.”
“How did she find out?”
“I don’t know. I think she just put the pieces together, but that’s not the worst part. She confessed that she cheated on me, too. Can you believe it?”
Jax just shrugged, hoping Cam didn’t realize he failed to answer his question. Sometimes when Cam started talking, he didn’t listen for a response. “So why are you here?”
“I need you to call her. Maybe she’ll tell you who the other guy is. It’s killing me. I couldn’t sleep last night. I kept trying to figure it out. I’m pretty sure I know him, otherwise she wouldn’t refuse to give me a name—don’t you think?”
“Maybe,” Jax replied, filling a clear glass with water.
“At first, I thought it was her partner in the gallery, Mitchell or whatever, but I’m pretty sure he’s gay.”
“Michael.”
“What? She’s with some guy named Michael? Who the fuck is he?” Cam yelled.
“I didn’t say she was with him. I said his name is Michael, not Mitchell, and I think Michael is an equal opportunity type.”
“How do you know this shit?” Cam replied, clearly befuddled.
“I don’t know, Cam. I listen to Bre when she talks,” Jax replied in a patronizing tone.
“Remind me. Why, exactly, did you offer to go to that boring grand opening again?”
“Because it was important to Bre.”
“Whatever. So what do you think I should do about Bre? Can you call her for me?”
“No,” Jax said, shaking his head. “I already told you I’m done with that shit. You have to do your own dirty work.”
“Please, call her and ask her to call me. Now that she’s had some think to cool down, I think she’ll listen to me. She’s got to realize that those other women didn’t mean anything to me.”
“No,” Jax responded, slamming his glass of water onto the counter. “If she wants to talk, then she’ll call you. I’m done interfering. You used your last favor with the Anna debacle last night.”
“Fine.” The silence lengthened and realizing Jax was serious, he slid off the stool and started walking toward Jax’s front door, but he froze with his hand on the doorknob. Jax saw Cam’s back tense and his knuckles whiten. Jax’s eyes flew to his bedroom, afraid that Bre had come out of his room, but the door was still closed. Then he saw Bre’s luggage stacked neatly next to the door, and he nearly groaned out loud.
“What the hell? This is Bre’s stuff. She’s here, isn’t she?” Cam’s eyes quickly scanned the inside of Jax’s loft, stopping when his saw Jax’s closed bedroom door.
“Go home, Cam,” Jax said, walking toward his bedroom, trying to cut Cam off before he reached the door to his room. He didn’t think Cam would listen, but he had to try.
“No. I guess I came to the right place to talk to Bre. I begged you to call her for me, but now that I know she’s here, I don’t need your help.”
“This isn’t the time. She’ll call you later,” Jax replied, stepping in front of his door, effectively blocking Cam from the room.
“Bre!” Cam yelled. “I know you’re here. You can come out now.”
Jax felt the door open behind him, and he spun around, only to be greeted by Bre, standing in the doorway dressed in nothing but his t-shirt, her hand on her hips.
“Jax, it’s fine. I don’t need you to run interference. I can handle this.” She pushed her disheveled hair behind her ears and stepped in front of Jax. “Cam, what do you want?”
Cam’s eyes narrowed as he looked between Bre and Jax. “I think you guys need to explain what’s going on here,” he demanded.
“Cam,” Jax interjected, bracing his hand on the wall above his head. “I don’t think this is the time to do this.”
“No. I disagree. I think this is the perfect time.” Cam focused his attention on Bre. “I’m a little confused, Bre. Can you explain why you ran to my friend’s house after we fought last night?”
“I needed to go somewhere, and Jax is one of the only other people I know here,” Bre responded with a shrug.
“Have you ever heard of a hotel?” Cam said.
“I left my wallet at your house, so that wasn’t an option.” Bre’s eyes flashed to Jax.
Cam stood up straight and wrapped his arms across his torso. “No. That’s not what I meant. I’ll spell it out for you. Why would my-half dressed girlfriend be hanging out with my half-dressed friend in his bedroom when I stop by unannounced?”
“I’m not your girlfriend, and what I do is none of your business. We broke up last week, and I only agreed to this visit to see if we could fix our relationship, but like I said last night, we were over a long time ago, and apparently, I was the only one who didn’t know it.”
“So we have a fight, and that gives you the right to crawl into bed with my friend? Because from where I’m standing, that’s what this looks like. Can you tell me that’s not the case?”
Bre looked away, shame apparent in her every movement and Jax reached out to reassure her, placing his hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, Cam. Neither of us meant to hurt you.” Her voice cracked.
Cam grabbed Bre’s wrist and leaned toward her, his red face only inches away from hers. “You never meant to hurt me? Are you serious? Was this a one time thing or is Jax the guy you refused to name last night?”
Jax put a hand on Cam’s shoulder. “Back off, Cam. You’re scaring her.”
Throwing Jax’s hand off his shoulder, Cam said, “Fuck you, Jax. What kind of friend are you? Screwing my girlfriend behind my back. That’s low even for a selfish asshat like you.”
“I’m the selfish one?” Jax responded, his expression incredulous. “Are you capable of self-reflection or does your ego always get in the way?”
“Whatever. If you cared about Bre, you wouldn’t be dragging her into this mess. We all know you aren’t capable of caring about anyone but yourself,” Cam spat.
“If you cared about her, you wouldn’t have spent the last year lying to her. You would have actually made an effort to see her, to
spend time with her, instead of making excuses to spend time with other women.” Jax was so angry that the blood pumping through his veins roared in his ears. He took a couple deep breaths, trying to suppress the urge to hit Cam. He didn’t want this to escalate in front of Bre, but he wasn’t going to let Cam manipulate Bre any longer.
“Oh, I get it now. You’re the one who told her I cheated on her with all those girls, hoping that she would fall into your bed.” Cam shoved Jax. “You bastard! I trusted you. You knew those girls meant nothing to me. I hardly knew their names, but you knew Bre was different. She means everything to me.”
“No, you’re wrong, Cam,” Bre interjected, placing her hand on Cam’s chest. “Jax never told me about any of them. It was all me. I finally pulled off my blinders and realized what you were doing. There were enough clues. I should have realized it a long time ago.”
Cam grabbed Bre’s hand, his expression desperate. “Bre, I love you. I know I screwed this up, but we have a history, and if you give me the chance, I’ll prove how right we are together.”
“Cam, it’s over. We both know we’re better friends than lovers.”
“No, Bre, that’s not true. I can do better,” Cam replied hoarsely, pulling Bre toward him. “I don’t care what happened between you and Jax. I forgive you and I know you’ll forgive me soon, too. We can fix this. This is just a bump in the road.”
Bre laughed bitterly, pulling her hand away from Cam and walked toward the living room. “Cam, I don’t want to fix this. We’ve been over for a long time. You know it, too. Even when I stayed in LA, the cracks in our relationship were pretty apparent. You aren’t in love with me. If you were, you would have never touched another woman.”
Cam’s face twisted with anger. “And you think Jax loves you? You actually think he’ll treat you any better? If you believe that, you’re seriously delusional. Jax goes through women faster than anyone I know. By this time tomorrow, Jax will probably be letting a new woman warm his bed. When all is said and done, you’ll be just one more woman who spread her legs for Jax Carmichael.”
