by Cassie James
Ace splutters for a moment, trying and failing to find words as his dick jerks for a second and then stills. I’m so fucking shell-shocked that for a second I just stare at him, wondering if what I think just happened actually happened.
“Well that’s the most embarrassing fucking thing I’ve done in a long damn time,” he mutters, his cheeks a bright red as he avoids meeting my eyes.
While I can’t pretend I’m not a little bit disappointed that he just finished before we’d actually started, there is a part of me that preens knowing I made him that out of control that fast, so much so that he literally couldn’t help himself. Still, my body feels the distinct loss as he pulls out of me and lets me back down to my feet.
The disappointment doesn’t hang around long. “I’m going to make it up to you,” Ace says with a growl, seeming to pull himself halfway together as he ditches his condom in the wastebasket by the door and then comes right back to stand in front of me. “And I swear, that’s never going to happen again. I’m not going to be the asshole that can’t get you off first.”
I open my mouth to reassure him that it’s really okay. Some women go without orgasms for years, missing out one time isn’t going to kill me. But I change my mind and close my mouth instead because I’m greedy as fuck. I don’t care about those other women, I want all the orgasms.
Ace’s eyes go hooded as he presses me back against the wall so that I can’t go anywhere, trapped between the wall and him as he runs his hand down my side. I barely process his intentions before his fingers find their way between my legs, the back of his hand nudging my thighs to part slightly to give him more room as he strokes me with two fingers.
And if I thought that was a shock, it’s nothing compared to the sight of this big guy sinking to his knees in front of me as he guides one of my legs up and over his shoulder. My breath catches as I watch him lean in and run his mouth up the inside of my thigh. When he reaches the top of my leg, he shifts to get more comfortable as he settles in, his tongue honing in on my clit like a beacon.
Holy fucking shit.
He dips his fingers into me as his tongue works in tandem to bring me quickly to the brink. He might not have been able to seal the deal for me before, but he wastes no time doing it now. When my orgasm hits, his shoulder and one hand on my other leg are the only things keep me upright as my whole body slumps.
He lets me go slack so that I can slide to the floor with him as the last remnants of pleasure wrack my body. He hefts me against him to kiss me once firmly on the lips, and then for a long time he just holds me close until finally the hunger from our missed dinnertime is too much to bear any longer. As he helps me to my feet, I think about how perfectly imperfect this was. That’s just life, and I’m so fucking lucky to be able to share it with him.
Chapter Fourteen
“Jules,” a voice whispers my name, barely breaking through the fog of sleep still trying to trap me in its warm embrace. I force my eyes to open even though they feel grainy from a lack of sleep. We stayed up far too late last night packing up the last of the folders. We could have taken an extra day, but after the emotional drainage this trip has caused, we all know it’s time to go home sooner rather than later.
I slowly push myself to a sitting position in the bed, careful not to wake Patrick, who I shared a bed with last night. There’s a figure hovering in the doorway, but it takes me a second in the dark to realize that it’s Jax.
“Come with me,” he whispers across the dark room.
Patrick stirs next to me, but only to roll over to his other side. I’m not sure why the hell Jax is waking me up before the sun has even come up, but his voice sounds urgent enough that I drag myself out of bed. I’m only wearing a tank top and underwear, but I don’t even have the energy to go searching for clothes so I just trail after him as I am. It’s not like there’s anyone left here who hasn’t seen me in my underwear at this point.
Even Jake, who I haven’t had sex with, has had plenty of chances over the years to see me in all kinds of states of undress. A tank and panties wouldn’t be too scandalous at this point.
“What are we doing?” I ask as Jax takes my hand in the dark hallway and leads me towards—and then down—the stairs. “And also, did you remember to go back and get your stuff from behind the fridge?”
He nods and whispers back, “Yeah, and I fucking shredded it.” I can’t blame him at all for that.
I don’t get an answer to my first question until Jax slides open the back door and gestures me forward onto the back porch. “I didn’t come all this way just to be the only one that hasn’t gotten you off on this trip.” I open my mouth to protest, not that he can see that in the dark, but he anticipates my response, anyway. “And before you try to tell me Jake hasn’t, you should know that I watched you yesterday morning when you decided to take a bath in the big jet tub.”
I’m suddenly glad it’s dark out because it means he can’t see the horrible flush that covers my face as I realize what he witnessed. I definitely did get myself off in that jet tub—who would fucking blame me?—but I hadn’t expected anyone else to know. “Jax…”
“That’s not the name you were saying in the tub,” he manages to choke out around his laughter. “But don’t worry, I’m more than happy to make up for being last.”
“I—”
“Shh.” Jax puts his finger in front of my lips. “You’ll have to be quiet unless you want someone to come out here and find us.” I can practically picture the gleam I’m sure is in his eyes at the prospect. He has no problem performing with an audience, he’s already more than proven that to me. Still, I let myself fall quiet, trying to focus all my senses to anticipate his next move since I can barely see him without a light.
I’m still not prepared when he suddenly grabs me by the hips and spins me around to face the railing. I look out over the beach barely illuminated by the lingering moonlight. In the distance, the sun is starting to rise over the horizon, meaning the moon won’t be sticking around much longer. And neither will the dark.
Jax doesn’t say a word as he takes each of my hands in his and places them on the railing going around the edge of the porch. He moves one hand to my back, his palm running the length of my spine and warming my skin through the thin shirt I’m wearing. My body convulses with a shiver that’s equal parts cold and turned on as he runs that hand down over my ass and then back up again. He flattens his palm on my lower back and with no warning, he presses down so that my whole upper body lowers, my grip on the railing the only thing probably keeping me upright. He grips my hips to keep them up, my ass on display for him. I have a pretty good idea of where this is going.
And we shouldn’t. We really shouldn’t be doing this out here in the open where technically anyone could wander along and see us. It might be the off-season out here, but this beach access isn’t completely private.
My mind goes blank on all the reasons this is a bad idea the second Jax runs his hand between my legs, his fingers teasing me through the cotton panties I slept in. Not my sexiest underwear by far, but that doesn’t seem to deter him in the slightest. I’m pretty sure I could wear a school mascot costume and Jax could find some way to turn that sexy. The guy is one-hundred percent sex appeal and poorly thought out decisions.
But I like it. I like it way more than I should.
“Remember,” Jax’s voice breaks through the silence, “you have to be very quiet.”
A strangled sound escapes my throat but I still refrain from speaking. I already know he’s enjoying this, teasing me with the risk of getting caught all while taking pleasure in knowing I can only be so quiet before it becomes completely impossible to help myself.
If I wasn’t awake before, I sure as hell am now as Jax hooks his fingers into my panties and drags them down my legs, his nails scraping the backs of my thighs. I whimper lightly, and he answers with a soft laugh. At least he’s staying quiet, too. He runs his hands back up the inside of my thighs, stopping just before ei
ther hand reaches the itch I now desperately need scratched. My body shifts, instinctually looking for his touch.
He waits for what feels like forever, to the point that my body is positively begging for him, before he finally closes the distance. He slips a finger over my clit, chuckling again when my hips push back to meet him. I still need more.
Jax stops playing around as he slips a finger inside of me. And then a second one. He doesn’t make physical contact with me anywhere else, our only connection those two fingers of his as he works me over, and that makes it that much hotter. He’s not seeking out anything for himself, he’s focused completely on touching me.
Not that it last forever. When I start to struggle to hold back my gasping, I feel him shift and glance back to find him using his free hand to work himself free from his briefs. He catches my eye, keeping his gaze on me as he starts to stroke himself in time to his fingers moving inside of me. It’s suddenly too much. I close my eyes tight around the sensation of my abdomen clenching as my whole body gives in to him. My legs shake as I orgasm, my hips desperately shifting from side to side as I seek some relief from the spark that lights me up from the inside out.
I barely manage to get through my orgasm before Jax speaks again. “I can’t wait any longer, Princess.” I try to stand so I can turn to face him, but he puts his hand on my back again to keep me still. “Stay just like that. Try to enjoy the view.” He reaches past me to point out the sun coming up in the distance, which I’d completely forgotten about already.
“Jax,” I whine, but he shuts me up quick as he wastes no time lining himself up behind me. He’s hard as a fucking rock as he slides into me without any fanfare. It’s a good thing he gave me one hell of a warm-up because he’s not playing around, that much becomes clear from the second he enters me.
His fingers clench my hips, keeping me where he wants me—and keeping me from having any control over the pace—as he jerks his hips hard against me. He moves with excruciating slowness that doesn’t match his intense thrusts in the slightest. I try to wiggle, wanting him to speed up, but it only seems to make him move slower. It almost feels like a punishment. Until he finally manages to find just the right spot, his dick sliding into me with the perfect friction to make my legs start to shake all over again.
“Faster, Jax. Please,” I pant out, struggling to hold it together.
This pace is not doing me any favors. I can feel my body tingling with its attempt to build another wave of pleasure, but his torturous pace keeps a second orgasm just out of reach. My words don’t do anything to change that, either. He keeps moving exactly the way he wants to. One of his hands lets go of me so he can grab my hair and tilt my head back. At first I think he’s finally going to fuck me right, but after a second I realize he’s only trying to make me look at the sunrise.
And it’s beautiful—it really is. But it is not my fucking focus at the moment. Finally, though, he seems ready to stop denying me. He starts to increase his pace as he holds my head there, forcing me to watch the sunrise from under hooded eyes.
The sun rises midway up the sky before Jax finally lets me come undone. All it takes is a little extra speed, and I go off like a lightbulb burning out, a flash of pleasure overtaking me so fast that I almost don’t get to enjoy it as much the second time around. Still, afterward, my body droops into that sated feeling that comes from good pleasure.
After we’ve both gotten off, Jax lets me stand again, his knuckles massaging my back in all the spots where it’s sore from being bent over like that. I let out a moan that makes him freeze for a second before continuing on to press his fingers into the skin at the back of my neck.
A breeze washes over us, making goosebumps break out over my arm. Jax pulls me back against him, his chin resting on my head as we both watch the last of the sunrise in the distance. It’s only a matter of time now before everyone starts waking up, and I know I should find actual clothes, but my body is still protesting at the very idea of moving. I settle back against Jax instead, letting him hold part of my weight as I lean into his protective embrace. Despite all the teasing, and the fact that I’ll probably have some bruising later from him gripping my hips so hard, I feel safe with Jax. I know without a doubt that he would never hurt me in any way except the good ways. And who couldn’t use a little bit of pleasurable pain in the bedroom department now and again?
Luckily for me, Jax is the only one who seems to be into getting too rough, though, because I would never survive five of him. I would never be able to drag myself out of bed again.
“I can’t believe we just did that,” I admit as I run my hands over his forearms. “You make me…” I take a second before landing on the perfect word, “brave.”
“Uh-huh.” Jax uses one finger to slide the straps of my top over to the side so that he can kiss the bare skin of my shoulder. “I believe I made you brave twice. I could make you brave a third time if you give me ten to recharge.” Surely he’s overselling himself, but I shake my head at him anyway, my mouth curling up into a grin that he can’t see. I don’t dare call his performance into question, mostly because I’m worried he’d prove me wrong. My body can’t take anymore.
“That was one hell of a way to watch the sun rise,” I admit.
The door slides open from behind us, but neither of us moves. I’m honestly not sure if either of us even can at this point. I listen to the sound of footsteps approaching, trying to guess who it is but failing hopelessly since the footsteps are all I have to go by.
Smith steps into my line of view. I can feel my cheeks start to go red as he stares intently at me, his eyes trailing down to look at my outfit—or rather, lack thereof. “Morning, babe,” he greets me sleepily. He leans in to kiss me, not the least bit put off by the way Jax’s arms stay around me. And damn him, but I feel Jax start to get hard again already.
“Nuh-uh,” I say over my shoulder quickly before turning back to kiss Smith again. He tastes good, like minty toothpaste, reminding me that I still haven’t brushed my own teeth yet this morning.
I start to pull back but I don’t get far since Jax is still basically a brick wall behind me. “Where are you going?” he grumbles.
“To brush my teeth. And then to get the other guys up. I have one last thing to handle in the cottage, remember?” The Juliet Lexington folder. I had refused to let anyone pack it last night. Hollis—or Pearl—left the folder out like that for me for a reason, and I want to do things right. If that office is where I was supposed to be when I opened it, then that’s where I’m going to be. Even though I want to do it alone, I still want the guys close by in case I don’t like whatever I find.
Chapter Fifteen
The guys all work on packing our boxes into the car the best they can as I sit in silence in the cottage office, my folder in front of me, waiting for me to face this last bit of the mystery. My chest burns with anxiety from not knowing what I’m stepping into. For all I know, there’s going to be some other horrible family secret that I’m about to discover. Something else to rock my world and leave me devastated. Or another fucking treasure or something.
“Won’t know until you open it, though,” I remind myself under my breath.
Gathering up every bit of courage I’ve got, I finally flip open the front cover of my file. It’s completely unexpected, but the first thing to greet me is a family photo. One of me with my parents and grandparents. Right away, I notice the weird way my mother was standing with her body turned away from me, like she was trying to draw attention away from me even though I was the center of the photo. My dad, though, my throat clogs up as I look at the way he proudly holds me up, a big grin on his face as he stands with his father’s hand on his shoulder. My grandmother looks proud, too. In an alternative universe where I’d gotten to meet all of these people beyond when I was a baby, I just know that the three of them would have been my rocks.
For all the time I’ve spent thinking about the person Nikon Park turned me into, I know that some of who I a
m comes from all of them. Even if they were alive, I never would have been able to thank them enough for that.
Family is everything, I’ve learned that since coming to Patience. Not just biological family, either, but also the families we make ourselves. Like the one I’ve created with my boys and my friends. Our own little family to love and protect each other.
The next dozen pages are all just from Hollis’ involvement with Benny Tribeca and then the ensuing investigation he led afterward to try to find me once I’d gone missing. It pains me to see it all written out there in black and white, but none of it comes as a shock thanks to Pearl’s explanation of what happened back then and why.
Then, that’s it. I turn to find one final folded sheet of paper in the back. My heart falls in my chest like it’s decided to take an impromptu skydiving trip. I just… thought there’d be more than this.
I slowly unfold what turns out to be a note scrawled in Hollis’ handwriting. I take a small comfort at least in knowing this he wrote specifically for me, at least I do until I actually read his words.
I always knew you would come home.
Don’t worry, you only have to do now what you think is right.
Lexingtons always know.
That’s it. That’s Hollis’ wisdom he left for me. That I should somehow just know what to do with this big mess he’s left me. But he’s obviously wrong because I don’t know. I don’t even remotely know what we should do now that the guys and I have done a deep-dive into a whole town’s worth of secrets, with probably a hundred or more still left to go.
I feel so damn cheated. Of all the things Hollis could have written to me, this was the one he chose. An ominous reminder to do the right thing. Angry tears fall from my face and stain the paper, but I don’t even care.
