"I'm not sure I can wait until after dinner to have you."
Waverly peeked out from below the towel as she dried her hair. "If you want to skip dinner, then I'm interested. But if we're going down, I'm not embarrassing myself by arriving half-dressed, so you'll have to wait."
Jax sighed, his disappointment apparent from the exaggerated slump of his shoulders.
"What do you think is the deal with Del?" she asked, to change the subject.
Jax shook his head and pointed to his ear, then around the room.
Waverly scrambled to cover. She hadn't considered that anyone might be listening to them. "Do you think he'll link soon?"
Jax nodded, stepping from the tub. "Who knows? Most people link around his age."
In the bedroom, Waverly found new underwear neatly folded on the bed. Never one to get pleasure from fancy panties, a glance at Jax made her change her mind. He watched her from the doorway, appreciating the view, if his firm erection was any indication.
Waverly slowly, sensuously pulled on her underwear and bra, then rolled the thigh-highs up, resting each foot on the bed in turn.
She was rewarded when Jax moaned softly.
"You're torturing me on purpose," he said, his voice hoarse.
Turning, she gave him a knowing smile. There was something to say for having a man to tease. Jax crossed his arms, not moving to put on his own clothes.
Waverly picked up the high heels to see if they were her size. Strangely, they were. She wondered how Jax's mother knew. They were very tall shoes. She had never worn heels growing up, since she had always been abnormally tall for an Alterian.
After putting them on, she stood still for a second, getting her balance. She managed to take four steps towards Jax before she toppled. He jumped forward, faster than a man his size should be able to move, and caught her.
"Woman, if we didn't have ten minutes to get downstairs, I would do something about this," he said, pressing his erection into her stomach.
Waverly couldn't stop herself from humming. "Let's skip dinner."
"As much as I would like to do that," he said, nibbling at her neck, "I want to see Del's face when we walk in very much alive." His murmur tickled her ear, and goosebumps raced down her neck.
"I can't wear these shoes. I'll fall."
He balanced her while she took them off but once she got her dress on, she realized she needed the shoes to make the skirt fit correctly.
"Whose dress is this? A giant's?"
Jax laughed, pulling on his shirt. "Either you trip on the shoes or trip on the dress. Your choice."
He carefully tucked his erection into the formal pants, the act mesmerizing her.
"If I zip myself, it's your fault," he told her, somehow knowing she watched without looking up from his task.
"Want my help?"
"You've done enough already, thank you."
Waverly sighed, slipping on the shoes, then made her way carefully into the bathroom to do her hair and put on the small amount of makeup she owned.
Jax came up behind her and zipped the back of her dress. "We need to go, love."
He offered his arm, and they began the dangerous journey to dinner.
When she almost brought them tumbling down the stairs for the third time, Jax said in frustration, "Woman! Have you never worn heels before?"
"Of course not," she said. "Why would I make myself any taller? I'm already two hands bigger than the average Alterian male."
"I didn't think it was this difficult."
"Want to try walking in them later?"
"No."
"That's what I thought."
They started down the stairs again, and made it four whole steps before she tripped. Jax caught her, but lost his own balance, spinning them down two steps, before he pinned her against the wall to stop them.
"Waverly." He purred in her ear. "Del doesn't have to pay someone to kill me. He only needs to give you a pair of high heels."
He swung her up into his arms. Waverly suppressed a surprised yip at the unexpected action.
"Jax, put me down. I feel ridiculous."
"For our combined safety, I am forced to do this." He grinned, setting her on her feet at the bottom of the steps. When the clock began to chime, he hustled her to the nearest set of doors.
Eighteen people stood or sat in the small room, all dressed in formal attire. Waverly carefully kept her face blank when Del choked on his drink at their entrance. She turned to find Caelen watching her closely. He's a strange one, she thought.
Glancing around the waiting room, she realized that most of the people there must be related to Jax. Several of the men had his same strong jaw and at least three of the women had his dark green eyes. As a group, they studiously avoided acknowledging Jax, as if by not looking at him, he wouldn't exist. Unlike Alterian meals, this promised to be a stiff, uncomfortable affair. The air in the room was one of discomfort and stress. These people were here because they were forced to be, not because it would be a good time.
As the clock chimed for the eighth time, double doors at the other end of the room opened. Behind them, the ones they'd passed through closed and clicked shut, as if someone locked them inside. Waverly had a vision of someone pulling at them, screaming to get out, but shook it away. Ever since she'd arrived here, her imagination had gone into overdrive.
"Dinner is served," a uniformed servant announced.
The group shuffled forward into the dining room. With his hand under her elbow, Jax kept Waverly on her feet when she stumbled.
"I think I'm getting the hang of this," she whispered, when she made it several steps into the room without losing her balance.
"I hope so."
"Just don't let me drink any spirits during dinner."
Jax pulled out a chair and seated her in it. "I've already decided I'm carrying you up," he said, sitting beside her.
Waverly was wondering where Jax's mother and father were when they entered through a set of side doors. All the men at the table rose, and stood until Babbet was seated.
All the men sat.
Waverly longed for the simplicity of Sector 12, where eating meant throwing food on the table and shoving it down as quickly as possible.
Babbet rang a small bell. Through yet another set of doors, twenty-two servants filed in, ringing the table, bearing silver platters with a single small bowl sitting perfectly in the center.
As one, the servants stepped forward and placed the bowls before each seated person. Then, as one, they turned and marched back through the doors, closing them with a thump.
Irrational laughter bubbled up at the silly spectacle. What a waste of time and effort. Personally, she always thought eating was something you did so you had energy to do other things.
She concentrated on figuring out what type of soup it was, reaching for her spoon so she could stir the liquid to see what was inside. Her stomach lurched violently as she conjured up human eyeballs hiding beneath the surface.
Jax's hand came down on hers before she could lift the utensil. He held her fingers and looked pointedly at Babbet, who dipped her spoon into her bowl. When the bite passed her lips, everyone moved to eat their own soup.
Jax took a sip from one of the cut-crystal glasses on the table before him, his eyes twinkling at her above the rim. Her lips quivered as she met his gaze. They had a moment of perfect accord. She was relieved he thought it was all silly too.
Scanning the room, she caught Caelen staring at her again. His lips were compressed in a thin frown, and he seemed to huff with outrage at her almost-slip. Or maybe she just imagined his censure.
His concentration went to his own meal, releasing her from his gaze, like a bad child let go after a tongue-lashing. A spark of anger bolted through her. How was she supposed to know the rules when she had never attended a dinner here before?
Turning her attention back to her soup, Waverly dipped her spoon into the liquid. Instead of eyeballs, she was pleasantly surprised to fi
nd only vegetables in a light broth.
Dinner was a silent affair, punctuated only by servants marching in and out to take away plates and place down new courses, but tension seethed in the room below the surface. Waverly could almost see it wafting in and out between the people seated around the large table.
Babbet and Jax's father sat opposite one another at the head and foot of the table. A large centerpiece kept them from seeing one another. From the controlled way the older man ate his food, she suspected he just wanted the whole thing over with so he could leave. After learning that he hadn't supported Jax seven years ago, she spitefully wished him to a lifetime of these dinners.
The only person who seemed to enjoy herself was Babbet. With flawless manners, she ate daintily, smiling at the two men she'd placed on either side of her.
Del sat almost directly across from them. Jax seemed to ignore him, but Waverly couldn't stop herself from glancing at him often. She tried to keep her face blank, but his desire for Jax's death made her eyes narrow every time their gazes met. Del reacted by staring at her through the first three courses.
She tried to concentrate on her soup, the small piece of fish, and the jellied slab she had first thought was the insides of some unfortunate animal but turned out to be something sweet and thick made out of berries.
Promising herself she would corner Jax after dinner and ask him about Del, she took a small sip of the clear liquid before her. She'd found out the hard way that it wasn't water, but some sort of liquor she'd never had before. It tasted bitter and sweet all at once. She didn't like it, but since talking wasn't allowed, she couldn't ask for something else.
Waverly had eaten the first three dishes completely and was full when they brought some sort of meat course to the table. No wonder Jax had eaten only a small amount of his food. She added to her growing list of items to discuss with Jax, a stern lecture about letting her go to his family's events without prior coaching.
Thinking about how irritated she was with him gave her a very naughty idea. She amused herself by running her hand up his leg. He rewarded her by dropping his fork onto his plate with a crash. Every pair of eyes turned to them in the silent room.
"Pardon me," Jax said, dropping a hand into his lap to squeeze her fingers as he placed a bite of food into his mouth with the other.
Flattening her palm on his leg, he dragged it slowly up until it brushed his very hard erection.
Desire rushed through her. Gods, she wanted him. Right here in front of twenty other people.
No one looked at them. Even Caelen and Del had their eyes on their latest plate of food. Waverly rubbed Jax's cock again, her amusement draining from her, to be replaced by very serious desire.
Keeping that light pressure on him, she played with her food with her free hand, moving the piece of meat from one side of the plate to the other with her fork. Jax managed to make the motions of eating, but his hands shook and his breath became shallow. He stood on the edge of orgasm, she could feel it.
Doors opened behind her, and another course was served.
When the servants left, she rubbed him again, bringing him quickly back to the edge of orgasm. She slowed her hand then, remembering that this torture was also payback for letting her come to dinner without a warning of what it would be like.
The servants entered the room to clear plates and place another round of food before them. This next course resembled cake. Finally, the torturous meal would be ending. Waverly slid her hand back into Jax's lap.
She touched hot, hard flesh. He had taken his cock out of his pants. She blinked in surprise. He raised an eyebrow challengingly.
Waverly liked a challenge.
Pre-come beaded the tip of his erection. Smoothing her palm over it, she wrapped her fist around him, squeezing, then starting a slow, steady pump.
Setting her fork down carefully, Waverly dropped her free hand into her lap to press between her legs. She was so hot, so completely turned on, she had to touch herself to ease some of the pressure building inside her.
Jax was close, his fork poised above his cake, his eyes closed, his legs trembling. Waverly loved the sharp look of total concentration on his face before he came.
She increased the pressure and speed.
With a shudder, he orgasmed.
Wrapping her hand around his head, she caught the flow, while Jax's fork snapped in two with the effort to control his body language and breathing. Moments later, he stared at the broken utensil in surprise.
He raised his head and met his brother's gaze across the table. Del had been watching them, his mouth hanging open in surprise before it shut, and he narrowed his eyes accusingly. A mask settled over Jax's features--a male expression of insult and challenge, his jaw flexing as he gritted his teeth. Jax nodded his head, as if he delivered a promise.
Her face heated at the thought that Del might have guessed what she was doing. But Gods, she'd loved doing it. She'd almost come herself. She wiped her hand in her napkin, though she would have given anything to have caught his come in her mouth while Jax watched. Where had all these wild feelings materialized from? She felt wicked and right.
Her gaze strayed to the foot of the table where Jax's father sat staring at his two sons in total concentration. His brows lowered further for a second, his shoulder hunching. Waverly wondered what he saw, and how he felt about the obvious animosity between his only children.
Suddenly, Babbet stood. "Dinner is over. We will now retire for cocktails and conversation in the library."
Thank the gods, Waverly thought.
CHAPTER TEN LOVE AND MOONLIGHT
Jax had forgotten all about cocktails, just as he had forgotten how horrible dinner was when they ate formally in the dining room. Waverly had spiced up what would otherwise have been a very horrible meal.
Feeling Del's gaze on him, Jax had spent all his effort on eating his meal without showing his feelings. Until Waverly had started teasing him, he had concentrated on putting each bite of food into his mouth as normally as possible.
Then his mate had distracted him completely. He could still feel her hands rubbing his swollen cock. He shifted on the settee, trying to get comfortable again. The picture of driving his fingers into her sweet cunt kept flashing into his mind over and over. He could smell the cinnamon of her desire and knew she would be dripping cream, if he could only get her clothes off.
He stifled a groan and took a long gulp of the one drink they were allowed during after-dinner cocktails. Everyone sat silently while Babbet spoke, although she did ask some of the guests to read poetry and play instruments. Waverly rested her head on his shoulder and he felt her falling asleep.
"Rest up," he whispered low in her ear. "You'll need your strength later."
Caelen, sitting in front of them, turned to give him a harsh look for breaking the unspoken command of silence. Jax had no doubt he'd run to tell Babbet about their rudeness, after the evening ended. He could care less. Babbet just didn't frighten him anymore. He was more concerned about the state of Waverly's arousal, which called to him louder with each passing second.
He was just debating leaving, when they were formally excused. Babbet and Jax's father stood at the door and shook everyone's hand as they walked out. Because they had sat in the back of the room, they were in the last group to leave. Most of the other guests had practically stampeded to get out, including Del, who left without looking back. Jax wondered where he was going to in such a rush.
"Thank you for a wonderful evening, Father," Jax said, shaking his hand, his thoughts distracted by the scent of cinnamon.
"I heard from Babbet that you completed your linking ceremony. May I congratulate you both?"
Strangely, he seemed sincere.
"Thank you," Jax said, really looking at his father for the first time. Lines that hadn't been there seven years ago creased his face. His eyes looked tired, puffy bags drooping below them. The usually smashing grip of his father's hand seemed weaker. Jax was shocked to see
how old he appeared.
His father turned to Waverly. "Welcome to our family, Daughter." He leaned down to place a kiss on her cheek.
Babbet gave them only her thin smile, not bothering to shake their hands. Jax ignored her completely, walking into the foyer.
Pulling Waverly back, he let everyone filter around them until they were alone in the hall before swinging her up in his arms.
"I'm not taking a chance on you falling down the stairs."
She wrapped her arms around his neck. "You might fall down from lugging me up. I'm not exactly light."
"The day I can't carry you up the stairs is the day we need to move to a one-storey house." He grinned, and started up.
Living on the desert for seven years may have been hell for him, but his muscles had bulked up out there. He enjoyed the feel of his mate in his arms, the loving way she caressed the skin on the back of his neck, and the pressure of her hip against his cock.
"Jaxon," someone said from behind them.
Jax turned to find Del standing at the bottom of the stairs.
"How sweet. Carrying your mate up the steps." He paused and said with a sneer, "How primitive."
Waverly tried to wiggle down, but Jax tightened his hold.
"Did you need something, Del?" he asked, making his tone mild and slightly bored. He didn't want to have a confrontation now. He had something, or more accurately someone, he needed to do.
"You're lucky Jax, but luck runs out eventually."
"Just like yours will when you get caught selling 988's to non-Inter-world Council planets. With that kind of firepower, you'll attract attention, and they'll trace them back to you."
Surprise flashed over Del's face before he concealed it. "You've always thought you knew what's best for everyone around you, haven't you?" Del laughed. "Well, I'm not your little brother anymore. I'm a force to be reckoned with."
His voice climbed as he spoke, hatred and rage swirling up to them where they stood halfway up the stairs.
"Still struggling with that temper of yours I see." Jax shook his head. "When did we move from friends to enemies?"
"We were never friends, Jaxon. Never."
In Heat Page 10
