Careless (An Enemies To Lovers Novel Book 3)

by Michelle Horst

  When I read the same post for the fourth time, I sigh and lean my head back against the couch. Jaxson West. Even his name sounds hot.

  Ugh.

  Whatever I’m feeling right now feels nothing like the crush I had on one of my professors.

  No, it’s definitely not a crush. This is more like that feeling you get when you have an itchy bite under your foot, or when you sit in gum.

  Jaxson is nothing but an arrogant asshole, albeit a hot as hell asshole. He’s an asshole, nonetheless.

  He’s right. Since I’ve met him I’ve been using the word asshole way too much.

  Mindlessly, I look up the definition of the word.

  Merriam-Webster: A stupid, annoying, or detestable person.

  No, not quite the definition I’m looking for when it comes to Jaxson West. I scroll down until I find one which makes me smile.

  Bingo!

  Urban Dictionary: A guy who thinks he is the shit. In his eyes he can get ANY girl he wants. He thinks he can sleep with any girl. Not only that, he is just an ass to anyone and everyone.

  We have a winner.

  Jaxson scares the shit out of me when he suddenly flops down on the couch. I didn’t hear him come in.

  “Are you watching porn?” He grabs my laptop, and before I can try to get it back, he reads the definition out loud.

  This cannot be happening right now.

  I fight the urge to crawl under the couch as waves of embarrassment hit. It doesn’t help that he’s still shirtless. I can’t keep my eyes from feasting on his muscular chest and golden skin. For a senseless moment, I wonder what it would feel like to run my hands over his chest.

  He closes the laptop and places it on the coffee table before leaning back against the couch and throwing his arm behind me. I quickly move my eyes to his face so he doesn’t catch me gawking at him.

  I want to slap the smug look right off his face when he leans closer.

  “You’ve been thinking about me.”

  “Get over yourself,” I snap, feeling my victory of earlier slipping away.

  “Don’t worry, Princess. You’re not my type.”

  I don’t know why hearing that upsets me, but I refuse to let it show.

  “Like I care. You most probably find your kind at the nearest corner.”

  He lets out a sinister laugh which tells me I’m pushing all his buttons.

  Glad to know I’m getting under his skin.

  “Sweetheart, I like them to be of age and with a set of tits you can actually see without having to use a magnifying glass. I’ll need GPS to find whatever you’ve got hidden under that shirt.”

  What. The. Hell?

  His words hit hard, making my heart ache with the sting of not being good enough. I know I don’t have perfect breasts, but for him to blatantly point it out like that makes me feel self-conscious and flawed.

  Unable to be around him for a second longer, I get up and take the bottle of water back to the kitchen. I do my best to shove the negative emotions away. The last thing I want is for him to see how much his words have upset me.

  I wish Willow were here. Hell, I’d be happy if any of the girls came home right now, but they’re all at school. I should’ve locked the front door behind me.

  I hear him get up and keep my back turned to him as he walks into the kitchen. He opens the fridge, and I wish I could trust myself to tell him to go to hell without crying out of pure hurt and anger.

  “For a bunch of women, you have a lot of junk in here.”

  “Please leave.” I force the words out between clenched teeth, fisting my hands to keep control of my temper. My wounded self-esteem is quickly morphing into white-hot rage.

  When I feel his hand on my shoulder, I swing around, ready to slap the smirk right off his arrogant face. The look of worry is not what I expect, and it totally takes the heat out of my anger.

  “You’re upset?”

  I can’t believe the idiot has the audacity to look confused. I wonder how he would feel if I told him I’d need a magnifying glass to find his dick.

  “Just leave,” I bite the words out.

  “Hold on. We’ve been doing this back-and-forth thing since we met and now you decide to get your panties in a twist?”

  I take a deep breath.

  Assault will not look good on your record. Breathe past the anger. Don’t kill him.

  “This… back and forth...” I take a deep breath so I don’t lose my voice from all the emotions swirling in my chest. “It’s over. You’re a player and the second you can’t get what you want, you insult the woman. I’m done talking to you.”

  He tilts his head, not breaking eye contact, as his mouth sets into a hard line. When he takes a step closer to me, I tighten my fists, ready to punch him if he tries anything. When he takes another step closer, I give him a look of warning.

  “Princess,” he whispers darkly.

  He leans into me, and I bring my hands up to his chest with the full intention of shoving him away, but instead, my palms collide with his bare skin. Before I can yank away, he leans closer, pressing his chest hard into my hands.

  “Two things…” His voice is deep and gravelly, almost sounding like a low growl. “One, you have nothing I want.”

  I clench my jaw so tightly, I’m afraid I’ll crack a tooth.

  “Two, let this be a lesson to never start something you can’t finish.”

  I bite my bottom lip to keep the words from coming out. If I open my mouth now, I’m going to explode. Instead, I shove at his chest which of course doesn’t even budge him.

  I yank my hands away from him, hoping he’ll back off. When he still doesn’t move I look down and force myself to take deep breaths.

  “Princess,” he growls, sounding as angry as I feel.

  Good! I hope he chokes on his anger. He loves to argue and the fact that I’m keeping quiet is killing him.

  When he grabs hold of my hips and lifts me to the counter, a shriek of fright escapes with a gasp.

  “What the hell?” I manage to get out as my breathing speeds up. I’m not sure if it’s from anger or the proximity of our bodies as he pushes his way in between my legs.

  He places his hands on the counter, effectively caging my body with his. When he leans into me, I’m forced to lean back to avoid being nose to nose with him.

  My heart is beating so fast I’m sure cardiac arrest is a real possibility if it beats any harder.

  “On second thought, you do have something I want,” he says with an undertone of infuriation which makes his voice thick.

  “What?” I whisper, wondering what I have that will be of any interest to him.

  He inches forward until I can feel his breath on the corner of my mouth. It takes a lot of focus to keep absolutely still. Part of me wants to kiss him, just to shock the living hell out of him. The sane part wants to shove him away but seeing as it didn’t work the first time, I doubt it will be of any use now.

  When his nose touches my cheek, I close my eyes and will my heart not to fail me.

  Be strong.

  Keep beating.

  You’ve got this.

  Closing my eyes wasn’t the best idea I’ve ever had, seeing as it intensifies what I’m feeling as he brushes his stubbly cheek against my skin. His hot breath fans over my ear and then I feel his lips on my earlobe. Goosebumps rush over every inch of me, making my body feel alive with an unwanted need for him to touch me.

  “I’ll tell you once I’ve taken it,” he whispers.

  A burst of emotions erupts in my stomach, making my legs feel weak. At least I’m sitting, or I’d be sprawled on the floor at his feet.

  As he pulls back, his mouth lingers over every inch of skin along my jawline.

  When I feel his breath on the corner of my mouth, he growls, “Open your eyes, Leigh.”

  It’s the first time he’s called me by my given name, and that alone makes my eyes pop open. I’m shocked when I see desire as clear as daylight shining from his e
yes.

  The corner of his mouth twitches into a smirk, and it makes me worry what he’s seeing in my eyes.

  I don’t get to find out as the sound of the front door opening makes Jaxson take a step back. I take advantage of the interruption and push him as hard as I can so he’ll move faster. Luckily he does, and it gives me enough space to slip from the counter. I move out of his reach then dart for the front door. When I see Evie, relief washes over me.

  Evie’s eyes dart from me to Jaxson, before her gaze settles back on my face. A suspicious frown settles on her forehead.

  “Everything okay here?” she asks me, but Jaxson throws his arm around me, pulling me tightly to his side.

  “Sure. I was just returning the tray and glasses. Leigh was kind enough to bring us something to drink while I was looking at Della’s truck.”

  “Thanks for fixing her truck,” Evie says, all the suspicion easing from her face as she smiles. “Are you heading out?”

  “Yeah, I have a class this afternoon. Are you coming over later?”

  I shake my head which only makes him hold me tighter, squashing my cheek to his chest. His scent wafts up my nose, a mixture of his sweat and something earthy. I hate that I love the smell.

  “I’m not sure about Willow and Leigh, but I’ll come over around seven.”

  “See you then,” Jaxson says.

  He waits until Evie walks deeper into the apartment before he turns his body into mine, bringing us chest to chest. He takes hold of my chin which I yank free.

  “Stop touching me,” I hiss as I try to wiggle free of his hold.

  “Why? Your body seems to like it,” he whispers.

  When his knuckle brushes along the side of my breast, I lose the little control I had left. I bring my knee up and unfortunately it connects with his thigh. The shock on his face is totally worth whatever he’ll do to retaliate.

  “I. Said. Don’t. Touch. Me,” I grind the words out.

  The look of shock is quickly replaced by a calculating look. It sends shivers down my spine, and I’m not sure if it’s from worry or anticipation of what might happen the next time we’re alone.

  I’ll just have to make sure I’m never alone with him because he’s right. My mind might hate him, but my traitorous body wants him.

  It’s just an animalistic reaction. He’s attractive, and my body is obviously reacting to that.

  He winks at me as he starts to walk to the door. Before he pulls it closed behind him, he says, “I really hope you don’t come over with the others tonight. This back-and-forth dance was tiring enough for today. Oh wait, there was no back-and-forth. Seems I found a way to silence that pretty little mouth of yours.”

  He blows me a kiss then closes the door behind him, leaving me stewing in frustration and rage.

  Chapter 3

  JAXSON

  I’m a little disappointed when Evie and Willow come over without Leigh. I know I told her she’s not welcome, but I was hoping she’d come, anyway.

  “Where’s Leigh?” I ask.

  Normally I wouldn’t give a damn whether a girl shows up or not, but with Leigh, I can’t help myself. From the moment I laid eyes on her, she’s all I’ve been thinking about.

  After all the shit that went down with Mom, I’ve avoided feelings at all cost. I don’t date, and I sure as hell have no interest in getting to know a woman.

  I’ve never kissed a woman. Well, not on the mouth. I’ve kissed plenty of other body parts though. It’s just too personal. Kissing leads to feeling.

  Until Leigh.

  Never before have I had such a strong urge to kiss a girl. When I had her up on that counter, it was all I could think about. Seeing the anger mixing with lust in her eyes was one hell of a turn-on.

  Arguing is like foreplay to me, and the fact that she refused to fight back, got to me.

  “She has a headache,” Willow says.

  I stare at her, not sure what we’re talking about.

  “You asked where Leigh is,” Willow states as she tries to read my face.

  “Oh yeah,” I say, hating that I’m so deep in thought about Leigh that I can’t follow a simple conversation.

  “She just started wearing contact lenses, and they’re giving her a headache. She tries once a year but always goes back to wearing glasses.”

  Fuck, now I’m picturing Leigh with glasses. The last thing I need is to get wood while hanging with everyone.

  “What’s the story with her?”

  Carter’s eyes dart to me, but I ignore him. I don’t tell him how to handle Della who’s clearly gotten under his skin.

  “She’s taking a break before she starts her residency at USC. If it were up to her, she would’ve started already, but her parents forced her to take a vacation.”

  “She’s only nineteen, and she’s starting her residency. How did she manage that?” Carter asks.

  Willow smiles proudly. “She’s brilliant. Depending on which test you go with, her IQ is between one hundred and seventy and two hundred and five. She graduated school at thirteen and finished med school a few months ago.”

  That’s just my fucking luck. The first girl I fall for and she’s a fucking genius.

  I stare at Willow in shock. I don’t know where to begin to process that piece of information.

  “As proud as I am, I also worry about her.” Willow makes eye contact with me when she continues, “She hasn’t had a normal upbringing. She was tutored at home. No proms. No dates. That’s an important part of growing up she missed out on.”

  “Yeah, it couldn’t have been easy for her,” Logan says.

  “I’m not surprised. Both of her parents are cardiothoracic surgeons,” Carter adds his thoughts to the conversation.

  “Speaking of hearts,” Evie says, “How’s your dad doing, Carter?”

  “Fucking stubborn,” Carter snaps. “He’s busy closing a deal and keeps postponing the surgery. I can’t wait to be done with school so I can join him in New York. I’m hoping to take over so he can take care of his health.”

  When they start to talk about our upcoming exams, my mind wanders back to a certain feisty genius. She’s a plethora of everything I want in a woman. If I were a different man, the settling down kind, I’d do everything in my power to make her mine.

  Needing a beer, I get up. “Anyone else want a beer?”

  “Yeah,” Marcus says. As soon as I walk away, he sits down on the space I vacated next to Willow.

  When I walk by the entrance, I spot Willow and Evie’s bags. Glancing over my shoulder to make sure they’re both occupied, I take Willow’s phone from her bag. Finding Leigh’s number, I program it into my own phone. I decide to skip the beer and head up to my room. As I fall down on my bed, I type out a message to Leigh.

  Me: What’s up, Doc?

  Like an idiot, I stare at the phone until she finally reads it.

  Leigh: Who’s this?

  Me: Guess.

  Me: PS. I’ll have to up my game to match that IQ of yours.

  I watch her type for quite a while before a message comes through which makes me think she deleted it quite a few times.

  Leigh: It’s late, Jaxson. Can we continue this tomorrow?

  Remembering that she has a headache, I decide to take it easy on her tonight.

  Me: How’s your head? Willow said you have a headache.

  Leigh: It’s okay.

  Leigh: Thanks for asking.

  Me: So you wear glasses. Send me a pic.

  I expect her to tell me to go to hell, but instead, she surprises me. A picture loads onto my phone. It’s a recent photo of her and an older couple. They must be her parents. My eyes zoom in on her smile before moving onto the glasses.

  Damn, she looks hot. Librarian-fantasy-kind-of-hot.

  Leigh: The man on my right is my father. He’ll remove your heart, as in literally rip it from your chest, if you try to intimidate me again. The woman on my left is my mother. She’s really good with a scalpel, so unless you want y
our testicles in a jar, you’ll pay attention to the abovementioned warning.

  I’m quite attached to my testicles and have no doubt that her parents are protective of her, but it still doesn’t make me back down.

  Me: Thanks for the head’s up, Doc. BTW that’s a really good photo of you. You look hot with glasses.

  She reads the message but doesn’t reply for a few minutes.

  Leigh: Thank you. Why are you being nice to me, Jaxson?

  Me: You’re not feeling well. When you feel better, I’ll return to my usual asshole self.

  Leigh: Why?

  Me: Why what?

  Leigh: Why do you argue with me?

  I stare at the screen wondering if I should be honest with her. Honestly, I’d be pissed if I caught a guy being a dick to Leigh.

  Me: It’s safer if you hate me.

  Leigh: ???

  Me: I’m not dating material.

  Leigh: I never gave you any indication that I want to date you.

  Me: And that, Doc, is why you’re safe and sound in your bed right now, and not moaning as I sink my cock deep inside your pussy.

  Me: Come to think of it, we could hate-fuck and get rid of the tension.

  Leigh: Seriously? That’s never happening. You should try being decent, Jaxson. You might get laid more.

  Me: Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.

  Me: So you are open to the idea of sex with me. That’s good to know.

  Leigh: That’s not what I said!!!!

  Me: If I behave will you let me touch you? Will you moan when I slip my hand between your legs? Will you grind down on me as I finger you?

  Fuck, now I’m hard just picturing it.

  Leigh: You’re disgusting. Bye.

  I chuckle when she doesn’t go offline.

  Me: I bet you taste as sweet as you smell.

  Leigh: You’ll never find out. There’s no way I’m letting you kiss me.

  Me: Who said anything about kissing? I can already feel your thighs hugging my head as I devour your clit.

  Leigh: You’ve succeeded, Jaxson. I believe you. You’re definitely not dating material. I won’t be swooning over you in this lifetime.

  Me: Great, so you’re good with hate-fucking?

  Leigh: The day I have sex with a man it will be because I actually like him.