JAX (The Beckett Boys #2) - Olivia Chase Page 0,20

and squeeze my thighs. The arousal is hitting me harder now, with my pulse picking up, my clit beginning to throb. I can’t help but remember how it felt to have his fingers inside me.

I want more.

“My youngest brother, Asher, is a junior in college,” he says, and I blink at the sudden topic change. “He’s a football player. Acing his classes.” I see the pride clear on his face, and I feel my heart tug in response. It’s evident how much he loves his family. “Do you have any siblings?”

“My sister, Della.”

“Is she in school?”

“No, she’s working. She has a toddler—she’s a single mom.” Thinking about my sister makes me feel a sudden surge of guilt. She’d be so disappointed in me right now, saying I should be learning from her example, not repeating it.

She already made this mistake of getting involved with a man who only wanted fun and didn’t want to deal with any real life consequences.

I shift in my seat and glance down at the table. Should I go? I don’t want to, but I can feel myself weakening around Jax. Wanting more from him.

The other night was supposed to be a one-time event. That’s all.

“That must be a handful to deal with,” Jax says, breaking through my confusion. “And on her own, too. It’s not easy, I’m sure. I don’t know how my dad did it, to be honest. Raising us three boys alone…we were insane.” He shakes his head and chuckles, and there’s a bittersweet look in his eyes that makes my heart clench.

“Did your mom pass away?” I ask.

His face hardens, and he stares over my shoulder. “No. She left.”

My cheeks burst into flame. “God, I’m sorry. It’s none of my business. What’s your brother’s major?”

“Sports medicine.” Some of the tension leaks out of his shoulders, but the stiffness is still there. “He wants to get into coaching. He’ll be good at it—he’s a fantastic athlete. Way more than I or Smith ever were.”

“So you decided to not go to school?” I’m finding myself more and more curious about this man. What makes him tick. I can see his mother’s abandonment has impacted him—he still feels very strongly about it. Bringing her up clearly touched a nerve.

His eyes land on mine again, and my chest tightens at the weight in his stare. I can’t read his emotions right now. “Schoolin’ wasn’t right for me, darling. We can’t all be Shakespeare.”

“Intelligence isn’t reflected by a college degree,” I reply. I absolutely believe it. My mom didn’t go to college, but she’s one of the smartest people I know. She can talk circles around her friends about politics, sports, and books. “I know lots of idiots taking courses on campus. I’ve seen people in my class turn in papers with their own names misspelled.”

That makes him laugh. “And these folks are going to be our future doctors, lawyers, and presidents. Scary. I may go move to the mountains and live in a cabin.”

“Nah, you’d hate not having a bunch of girls around you,” I tease. “Where else would you get your ego inflated?”

“You put me in my place, Brooklyn,” he says, shaking his head. He leans forward again and this time touches my hand and slides his fingers along the small bones of my wrist. He squeezes there. “Maybe I need a little more of that in my life.”

My throat is tight and I’m unsure what to say. I can feel my heart slamming against my chest. Could Jax want more from me? Before I can speak, my roommate and her girlfriend stand beside the table, staring down at me and eyeing Jax with more than a little interest.

“Brooklyn. Hi.” Gail’s grinning down, a wicked flare in her eyes, a smirk painted on her face. “Introduce me to your friend.”

Jax stands and offers his hand. “I’m Jax. And you lovely ladies are…?”

“Gay as fuck,” Gail’s girlfriend, Samantha, says with a laugh as she slides into the seat beside Jax. “But you’re cute, and I can see how that works for you on straight girls. Good for you, Brooklyn. He really is ripped like you said.”

My face is burning now. Shit. I told them about the coffee date this morning, confessing how cute Jax is and how I was a bit nervous to meet him. Their boisterous affirmation that it was going to be fine helped sooth me a bit.

Before I know what’s happening, Jax has moved to sit beside me, leaving his seat open for