By the time she reached the Maryland state line, she was convinced that she looked like a wreck after traveling all day and that she should make a pit stop at her house before going anywhere. But a quick glance in the mirror at a fast food bathroom told her that she wasn’t a complete mess. Her makeup was still where it was supposed to be. Her hair was, though not its best, passable. And besides, she didn’t want to waste one more minute of her time without him. Not to mention that he’d already seen her in fleece pajama pants and a ratty old concert t-shirt.
As she turned into his driveway, the clock on her dashboard read exactly twelve a.m. She knew a moment of panic as her tendency to overanalyze and run from conflict hit her again with the force of an early winter blast of wind. It was late, yes. Too late to be arriving unannounced at the home of the man she didn’t even know if she could still call her boyfriend after she’d ignored him for the last few days.
Every call, her conscience reminded her. All six.
She cringed, slowing as her headlights illuminated his garage doors. She forced her car into park and took a deep, steadying breath for fortification. She told herself that coming here hadn’t been a mistake. That Jax wouldn’t take one look at her standing travel-weary and bedraggled on his front porch and tell her to fuck right off. That if he did open the door, he wouldn’t notice the ketchup she’d unsuccessfully tried to scrub from her shirt after that ill-advised cheeseburger at the fast food joint a few hundred miles ago. Feeling even more self-conscious than ever, she took off her seat belt and readjusted her sweater to cover the stain in question.
It was dark out. A girl had to do what a stubborn, scared-out-of-her-mind, loved-up girl had to do. She snatched her purse and keys and opened the door. Early December in Maryland was every bit as cold and unforgiving as it had been back in New York. She pulled her sweater tight against herself as she made her way up the familiar pavers that led to his front door.
And then she rang the doorbell.
And waited.
And waited.
No lights came on. A sudden gust of wind smacked into her, whipping her hair across her face. She could hear the leafless branches of the trees on his property creaking and clacking together. The moon overhead was unnaturally bright. She shivered again and lost her nerve.
He wasn’t going to answer the door, and whether it was because he was too deep in his sleep to hear her or he just plain didn’t want to see her, she didn’t know. Either way, she knew when it was time to fold her cards. Kassie spun on her heel and headed back down the path of pavers to her waiting car. In the sheen of the moonlight, it glowed like an ugly, otherworldly monster. It was time, she decided, to pull the pin for good and buy a vehicle that wasn’t an outdated, cracked-up piece of crap.
The realization she’d been dodging the entire trip back from New York hit her then, like a full-on slap across the face. She may have been avoiding her old life in the city when she’d fled Adam and her job and friends. But she had found herself in Atlantic. Even if Jax told her to go straight to hell, she wasn’t leaving. The mental door she’d been leaving open just in case she needed an escape route slammed closed. She didn’t want her job back. She didn’t want the city.
She wanted freedom, a new start, a job she loved, a small town, walks on the beach. But more than any of that, she wanted the man she loved. She wanted Jax, the stranger who had somehow become more familiar and dear to her than anyone else she knew. He was sexy and alpha to the core, and he knew how to make her heart race and her panties melt. He knew how to make her smile, laugh and experience life in a way she never had before.
Jax.
Damn it. But maybe, just maybe, he wouldn’t want her back. Her frozen fingers wrangled with her car keys as she attempted to shove them into the lock on her door.
“Kassie?”
The keys dropped from her numb fingers, collapsing on the macadam with a musical jingle. She looked up to find Jax’s front door open, a low light illuminating his sexier-than-ever form. He was wearing his signature blue jeans and no shirt.
Her mouth went dry. Even from a distance away, he still had the power to turn her on as no other man ever had or could. Her heart kicked into a rapid staccato. She knew she had to face him, but somehow, everything she’d been rehearsing, all the careful words she’d planned in her mind in the hours she’d spent en route to him died an inglorious death in that moment.
“Kassie, get your sweet little ass back here,” he called when she hesitated, and his drawl made something inside her sigh.
After weighing her options—stay in the frigid night fumbling for her keys or head inside a warm house to an even warmer, half-naked man—she obeyed. Her keys remained abandoned on the ground. She was reasonably sure no one in their right mind, should they be loony enough to wander around Jax’s acreage in the middle of a winter’s night, would steal her car.
She made her way back up the path, hesitating when she reached the doorway. He looked even more delicious up close than he had from afar. His dark hair was sleep-tousled, his scruff a sexy shadow on his jaw, his naked chest was undeniably a thing to be worshiped and his blue eyes were practically undressing her. Not to mention that tattoo of his. A ship’s anchor had never looked so appealing. She wanted to lick him from head to toe, starting with the inked image and ending with his cock.
Oh boy. She had to get a grip on her raging libido, because she had some things to say to him. Lots of things to say to him, in fact. Even if she couldn’t think of a single intelligent word to utter. She became aware that she was standing awkwardly in front of him with a ketchup stain on her shirt and yesterday’s makeup on her face.
Yeah, things were going just great. So much for being an adult and having her Oprah aha moment and all that. God, she couldn’t just wait on his porch forever. She had to make the first move. She was the one who’d run, who’d been ducking him for the last few days. Kassie knew she owed him that much. She forced her cold lips to move.
“Hey,” she said softly, hugging herself as another gust of wind whipped against her.
“Hey, baby.” He stepped back, his expression cautious but not precisely unwelcoming. “You’re shivering. Come inside.”
Okay, said her cold body and her raging lust in unison.
Suddenly, she started second-guessing herself again. Maybe it hadn’t been wise to come straight to him. Maybe she was all wrong in thinking she could make things right between them.
“I don’t know if I should,” her rational self made her say instead. She was afraid that if she ventured too close to him, she’d be persuaded by her baser instincts to rip off his jeans and allow her wayward tongue to have its wicked way on him.
“I know you should.” He sent her his trademark grin, his dimples appearing to work their sinful magic on her. “I prefer my woman to not be a popsicle.”
His woman. She liked being this wild, sexy and potently alpha hunk of man’s woman. Kassie once again weighed her options. Remain in the dark cold night and keep her sanity intact or step into Jax’s domain.
She crossed the threshold without bothering to labor over the decision. Really, with a man that wonderful waiting for her, how could she stay outside? No way. She stepped onto the tile floor, buffeted by a wall of warm air and his indefinably delicious masculine scent. So him. So manly. So perfect. Kassie inhaled deeply, trying not to allow her eyes to drift to the hair on his chest that led to a tantalizing thin line that shot straight past his hip bones down to the center of him. Damn, those jeans were slung low. One pop of a button and slide down of a zipper, and his cock would be in her hand…
No, Kassie. You need to focus.
The door closed behind her with an almost ominous click. The time for ogling him was over. Well, partially over, anyway. She needed to speak. Kassie blinked, then allowed her gaze to meet his. A familiar jolt passed over her. Oh sweet Lord. He did something powerful to her insides, this man. “If I was a popsicle before, now I’m in danger of melting,” she quipped.
Damn it. Living room conversations usually meant business. But she nodded anyway, still half frozen and completely overwhelmed by the emotions buffeting her. “You lead the way.”
He turned on his bare feet and headed down the hall, leading her into his sumptuous living room. A light flicked on to reveal the hardwood floors, fireplace and copious amounts of overstuffed leather couches. His back was a sinewy plane that tempted her with his every step. His ass was a tight, firm enticement.
Jax stopped before a couch and turned to face her, catching her stare in mid-admiration. Oh shit. He raised a brow, as if to acknowledge he’d caught her, and sank into an oversized couch. Much to her dismay, he gestured for her to take a seat opposite him on a loveseat. “Sit down, Kassie.”
She sat, feeling more uncomfortable than ever. It was her turn to speak. She held his bluer-than-blue gaze. “There’s so much I need to say.”
He raked a hand through his hair, setting it even more on end, but somehow the effect was more devilishly sexy than anything. “Damn right. You’ve been avoiding my calls for the past few days.”
“You only called a few times,” she hedged, hoping he wouldn’t remember just how many times he’d dialed her up.
“Six times,” he said, defeating her hopes with the ease of a star quarterback passing a game-winning touchdown.
“A few times,” she agreed as if she hadn’t already known. “I owe you an apology, I think.”
He stared at her. “You think? You told me you loved me, and then we had one misunderstanding and you fell off the face of the earth.”
Kassie smoothed her palms over her thighs, collecting herself. “Not the face of the earth, exactly. I went to New York.” She paused while she allowed that news to sink in for him. His handsome face went blank, utterly unreadable.
“To your fiancé?”
She swore she detected emotion in his tone, but she wasn’t certain if it was jealousy or anger or something else entirely. “Ex-fiancé,” she corrected. “And no, I didn’t bother to see him while I was there. I stayed with my friend Elle.”
Jax’s strong hands came to rest in his lap, his long fingers steepled together as he seemed to fight to maintain his calm. “And why did you go back, Kassie?”
“Because I needed some time away,” she admitted. “I needed time to gather myself. Meeting you here in Atlantic was completely unexpected. I was supposed to come here and have some time to myself, some time to figure out where I wanted to go with my life.”
His jaw clenched. “If you’re about to say you figured it out and you need your space, you can spare me the goddamn details.”
Kassie almost smiled at him in all his surly sexiness. God, but she loved him. It was incredibly real, the way she felt about him. And this time around, it was right. The emotions binding her to him hadn’t changed. They were stronger than anything she’d ever known in her life.
“I don’t need space,” she told him. “What I was trying to say is that I came here to Atlantic hoping to find myself. I spent years living a life that didn’t make me happy, in a city that didn’t make me happy, with a man who didn’t make me happy.” She stopped and took a deep breath, looking down at the hands she hadn’t realized she’d clasped. “And then I met you. Jax Taylor, you’re the best thing that ever happened to me. Or to be more accurate, you’re the best thing I’ve ever run into in my life.”
“You’re definitely the best thing that’s ever run into me too, darlin’.”
She looked up to find him grinning at her. Damn, but he was a panty-melter even at his most earnest and heartfelt. The simple act of meeting his eyes sent a fresh wave of lust right over her. So much for taking things slowly. Every bit of her wanted to close the distance between them, sit on his lap and kiss him until they both went weak with desire.
“Do you mean it?” she asked. Part of her was hardwired to expect disappointment. Lord knew she’d experienced more than her fair share of it in the past. “Wait. Before you say anything else, I just want to tell you that my old boss offered me my job back and a promotion to boot.”
He stiffened, and she could tell that her revelation hit him. “Of course I meant it, and tell me. Are you going back to the city? Back to your old life? Is that what you’ve come here to tell me in the middle of the night while you’re wearing that shirt I can’t wait to peel you out of?”
Well, when he put it like that…
Kassie swallowed. “Um, no. I don’t want the job back. I’m happy here. I belong here. Actually, I came to ask you to forgive me. I’m sorry for reacting the way I did that night. I was upset that you hadn’t trusted me.”
“Is that all?”
“Too perceptive again,” she accused without heat, watching him and wanting him all the more. Damn it, but no man had a right to look that good. His anchor tattoo seemed to mock her with the promise of what she could do to it and, if she were exceptionally lucky, to him. “I was afraid, Jax. Things were moving so quickly between us and before I knew it, I was in love with a man I barely knew. A man who was keeping secrets from me.”
“I’m sorry too, baby,” he interrupted then, his tone sincere. “I should have told you the truth from the beginning. I wish to God I had. I was stupid, and I allowed my past mistakes to taint what we had.”
She held his gaze. “Thank you for saying all that. But I want you to know that when I went back to New York, I realized all over again that it’s not the city for me. I’ve built a home here in Atlantic. I love the town, the people. I love driving on the beach in your Jeep and boating on the bay. I love your family. But most of all, I love a man I met completely by accident one day.”
“Oh?” He grinned at her again. “Could it be that you ran into the back of that same man’s brand new Ram diesel truck at a traffic light?”
Kassie smiled back at him. “It’s possible.”
He stood, closing the distance between them and holding out his hand for her to take. “Good. Because when I saw you tonight, the first thing I could think about was how damn much I love you.”
Her breath caught. She had anticipated any number of reactions from him. She’d thought he’d be angry with her, that he wouldn’t want to see her. That he’d be hurt. But instead, he was the same blend of man she’d fallen for, half sweet, half sexy. He was breaking her heart.
She swallowed, demanding her brain to stay on task. “What was the second thing?”
His gaze lowered to her lips. “How long it’s been since I was inside you. And the third thing was how I can’t wait to make up for all the time we’ve missed.”
Oh dear, sweet Jesus. His first, second and third thoughts were all definite winners in her opinion. Her willpower instantly fled, replaced by a warm, hot surge of desire. She placed her hand in his, lacing their fingers together. The same wonderful spark was there, shooting up past her wrist to her arm. Ready to burn her alive.
Jax pulled her slowly to her feet until every inch of her body was pressed firmly against his. She was no longer cold. In fact, her skin was on fire. Her hands slid around him of their own will, cupping his tight ass through his worn jeans. “You’re enough to make me crazy.”
“Likewise,” he said before taking her mouth in a slow, swift kiss. His tongue sank inside her mouth to tease hers, claiming.
She rubbed her tongue against his, loving the seductive invasion. She was instantly wet for him, ready. She moaned into his mouth, wanting more. Her left palm pressed to his strong, bare shoulder. Her right skimmed down over his taut abs, her fingers making short work of his button and fly. Her hand met with his ready cock.
Success.
An answering pang of need shot straight through her. She gripped him, earning a groan. He caressed down her back, cupping her ass and squeezing. When he broke the kiss to dr
ag his lips over her neck, she tipped back her head, allowing him better access. He nipped her skin lightly, his tongue darting out to taste and tempt her.
“God, I missed you,” she said, working his cock the way she knew he liked, running her thumb from the sensitive underside and then circling his tip. She slicked a wet bead of pre-cum over the head, her body hungry for him. Desperate for him.
“I missed you more,” he breathed against her collarbone.
Suddenly, she was hot, too hot inside her thick wool sweater and simple button-down shirt. All threat of frostbite was officially nixed. In fact, she was more likely to spontaneously combust than freeze at the moment. Yeah, of all the possible outcomes she’d dared to fantasize about on the way back to Atlantic, being in Jax’s arms was, without a doubt, the best.
Fuck. Jax couldn’t form a coherent thought. His heart was pumping, his blood racing straight to his already rock-hard cock. Kassie’s sweet, firm ass was in his hands and his mouth was just a few life-changing inches from her beautiful tits. The only barrier between him and heaven was about an acre of ugly wool sweater and a handful of buttons. From the second he’d caught sight of her in the moonlight, he’d imagined popping every one of those pearl circles right off their cotton moorings.
Her hand on his cock was driving him to the edge of reason. It had been too long since they’d been together, setting each other on fire. As good as her knowing touch felt, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to last if she kept at it. Jax kissed her soft, sweet-smelling skin just above her racing pulse and then with great reluctance raised his head. She gave him a tug that set his teeth on edge. He responded by sliding his hands up over her waist, grabbing her shirt in his fists and pulling the two sides apart in one swift move.
The buttons he’d been longing to do away with popped off, falling to the throw rug at his feet. The creamy swells of her breasts, barely contained by twin scraps of white lace, made his mouth water. He wanted to lick her, suck her, drive her wild.
But first, he wanted to do away with that damn bulky sweater of hers that was keeping him from her lush curves. And keep himself from coming in her hand. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her away from him.
LovedUp Page 18
