JAX (The Beckett Boys #2) - Olivia Chase Page 0,40
I can’t help the smile that curls my mouth.
“So, what did you think?” I can hear sleepy satisfaction in his voice. He knows it was good, but he’s still Jax—the man loves that ego stroke.
“It was…decent,” I say saucily.
“Decent?” His hands are suddenly tickling my ribs, and I squirm and squeal to get away, laughing. “I guess I’ll have to do it again until I get a better rating, huh?”
“I suppose we could have a do-over,” I say in mock concession. “I’ve had professors allow it in my classes, after all. Seems fair.”
We remain in peaceful silence for several minutes, letting everything sink in. I just had sex with Jax. A man I’m drawn to. A man who by all rights is bad for me, but I can’t stay away from.
When his hand reaches out of the blanket to stroke my hair, the other arm tugging my back against his sweat-dampened chest, I realize what this emotion I’m feeling is.
Bliss. Sheer, utter bliss.
It’s a dangerous relative of the word I can’t let myself start to think.
The word that could break me in two.
Jax’s fingers are woven through mine as we head out to a flea market he told me about yesterday, hopping in his car with the windows down and the radio playing.
One of his buddies does metal sculpture, and Jax wants to swing by and say hi. The implication of me meeting one of his friends isn’t lost on me.
The last couple of weeks have passed in a haze. When I’m not in class or sleeping, I’m spending my time with Jax. Something about that day, having sex in the grass, changed everything for us. We’ve gone for long, wandering drives in his car, had more sex—lots more sex, and just hung out and talked.
I’ve actively avoided visiting Outlaws—I haven’t been back since that night. Too afraid to see how he’d act if I was there. It’s cowardly, but so be it.
I don’t want to rock the boat. Not when things are going so well.
Okay, not everything is going well. I’ve bombed out on a couple of tests. My stomach sank when I saw the scores, the disappointing frowns on my professors’ faces, but it’ll be fine. I’m almost done—these can’t hurt me that badly. Right?
And even if a few bad tests can hurt me a little, I still want to be with Jax. Especially like this, doing couple things together. We’re driving in his car, we’re going somewhere together—and it’s not just about sex.
Does this mean we’re getting serious? Can Jax even do serious? I’m too nervous to ask, but that doesn’t stop the question from circling around in my head. It doesn’t stop me from wanting it.
We pull into a dusty parking lot, and he takes my fingers again when we exit the car. I try to not read into the gesture, but it’s hard not to. Jax weaves me through the crowd down a row of vendors. We get near the end and I see a stall full of metal sculptures, ranging from tiny creatures to massive human-sized animals. They’re contorted and strange, but compelling to look at.
A broad-shouldered man in his twenties with a thick black beard and short-cropped black hair comes over and gives Jax that guy hug thing, slapping him on the back. “You made it. Thanks for coming out, man.”
“Looks great.” Jax gives an approving nod. “You’ve added some new stuff in the rotation, I see.”
“Just keeping things fresh.” The guy’s gaze turns to me with more than a little interest. “So who’s your friend?”
“This is Brooklyn.” It’s not really the words that he says but the way that he says them, low and possessive, that makes my heart flutter.
I offer the guy a hand. “Hi, pleased to meet you.”
“I’m Rob. Since this fucking oaf didn’t bother to tell you my name.” Rob laughs and takes my hand in his large meaty one.
The two guys start talking, so I step away to let them converse, wandering through his table and checking out the small sculptures. They’re made with gears and wires and other metal parts. The one that looks like a dachshund is so cute. It reminds me of the dog we had when I was little. I reach out and stroke the smooth surface.
“—fucking over it,” Jax is saying in a low mutter. “Smith’s smothering the life out of Outlaws. I can’t seem to get through to him, make him see how he’s killing the bar.”