by Riley Storm
“I was wondering. Would you like to have lunch with me?” Jax smiled tightly at her, revealing his nerves. “We can split the bill if you want, if that makes you feel better.”
Sarah covered her mouth to hide the smile threatening to break out on her lips. It was cute that he wanted to split the bill, if that was what it took to get her to come out. Perhaps he was finally getting it through his skull that all the wealth in the world wouldn’t do any good when it came to her. She’d had that before and realized that what she truly wanted was a good person instead.
“Why?” she asked, curious what had brought about such forthrightness from Jax.
It was no surprise that he was interested in her; she’d seen that from the very start, when he’d locked eyes with her in the lobby. He either hadn’t known he was broadcasting his interest, or he’d not bothered to hide it. Regardless, despite his attempts to couch it in wanting to hire her, this next move didn’t surprise her.
What she wanted to know was what had prompted him to abandon his pretense and just get straight to the point—much to her relief, because now she could turn him down and move on from all this ridiculous parading about behind facades.
“You intrigue me,” Jax said at last.
It was yet another answer she hadn’t expected. Sarah had been prepared for any manner of comments about her appearance, his desire for her, or an attempt to straight-up call out some sort of ‘connection’ between them as the reason they should get together.
“You’re smart, strong-willed, not afraid to voice your opinion when you believe in it. You’ve stood up to me multiple times, regardless of who I am. You don’t want what I have to offer, and yet you didn’t immediately say no when I asked you out. I want to figure you out, Sarah Mingott, and I suspect that if I do, I’m going to like what I find. The only thing that remains, is if you can do the same to me.”
He’d called her out. Just not in the way she’d expected. Again. G-Nance’s words echoed through her head. Not all rich men are the same. Here was proof. Instead of trying to sweet-talk her, Jax had used the truth to reach out to her. Then he’d turned around and told her in as many words, that if she could look past his cover, she might like what she finds inside. It was a challenge, but not one Sarah had any intentions of partaking in.
“So, lunch?” Jax pressed gently.
Finally. A chance to turn him down and be done with this.
“Lunch would be nice,” a voice said. “I’d like that.”
Her voice.
Oh no.
Chapter 16
They went to a casual restaurant in the heart of old Plymouth Falls. Sarah had been to the Girard Family Restaurant many times before. In fact, it was a favorite spot for her and her grandmother to get brunch on Sundays when they felt like going out. Or at least, it had been until she lost her job and money grew tight.
“How did you know I liked this place so well?” she asked after they had placed their orders.
“I’d love to give a cute, non-creepy answer to that question that would make you think well of me,” Jax said. “But the truth is Sarah, I had absolutely no idea.”
She laughed. “Fair enough. Though I still can’t believe I said yes.”
Once the initial shock of her agreeing to do lunch with him had worn off, Jax had surprised her with the knowledge that they were doing it that day. She felt woefully unprepared and wished she’d taken a bit more time doing her hair in the morning. It was in a ratty ponytail that hadn’t improved much after ten minutes brushing it in the washroom with her emergency hairbrush from the bottom of her purse.
“I’ve only been twice since they renovated it last year,” she said, looking around. “I like what they’ve done with the place.”
“Why did they renovate it?” Jax asked, also looking at the new décor, very bright and light blues and grays with a mixture of black furniture and charcoal tablecloths on the tables.
“Well, it was a bit run down,” she said. “But I also heard that there was a fight or something that did a lot of damage, so they just decided to remodel.”
“Interesting,” Jax said, his eyes wandering over the other patrons, and then to a staircase that led to the second story of the building. “Very interesting.”
“If you say so,” she said, shrugging. “The food is just as good as ever though.”
“Glad to hear I picked a good spot then,” he said, smiling at her. “So, you’re not native to Plymouth Falls?”
“No,” she said. “None of my family is. My grandmother moved here, oh, twenty years ago? When my grandfather passed away. She always wanted that small-town living, and Boston just wasn’t cutting it for her.”
“Boston is quite a hike,” Jax said. “Why did you come here?”
Sarah hesitated. “To look after her, mostly,” she lied. It wasn’t a complete lie, that had been part of the reason she’d come. But there had been other, more extenuating circumstances that led to her arrival in the small town.
Still, she didn’t regret it. Despite the lack of jobs for her industry, Sarah had found that the small-town life agreed with her a lot. There was no going back to the big city now, that was for sure.
Jax’s eyes tightened at her response. He knew she was lying. She waited for him to push, to pry into her life and find out the real reason, but he relaxed, nodding once, to show he knew she wasn’t telling him everything, but that he was respecting her wishes to keep it private.
“I like your grandmother,” he said, sitting back suddenly, the motion pulling his dress shirt tight against his body, revealing the muscle underneath. He was absolutely ripped, and not for the first time, she wondered what he would look like without a shirt.
“Yeah, she’s a character,” Sarah said, forcing herself to laugh and look away.
“Very much so,” Jax agreed. “Does she always get involved—”
“In everything?” Sarah finished, interrupting him with exasperated words. “Yes. Completely, and totally. Stereotypical nosy grandma that wants to be involved. Love her to bits, but oh my goodness.”
Jax threw his head back and laughed, a deep good-natured sound that seemed to emanate directly from his belly. Sarah found she liked the sound of that.
“So, you came here to support her then? How was she doing before then?”
“She lost a lot in the crash,” Sarah explained. “Sold some of my grandfather’s stuff that she’d had in storage, that gave her a few more years, but she was running on empty. The amount the government gives just isn’t enough for her. So, I live with her now and together we manage to make ends meet.”
Sarah didn’t like revealing her financial circumstances at all, least of all to someone like Jax. She waited now for him to offer her money, something to help ease the burden. It was what she expected him to do.
The offer never came, however, and all Jax did was nod.
“That’s very admirable of you,” he added in a quiet, respectful voice.
“What about you?” she asked, changing the subject, wanting to know more about the mysterious Drakon scion. “Nobody had heard of you, or your brothers really, until recently when you decided to make a splash with the Outreach Center. Mysterious and aloof, I think is how the news described your family. What’s your story, where have you been, why come back now? Give me the details,” she joked, leaning forward to rest her head on her palms, elbows on the table.
“Oh, me is it?” he said lightly, smiling. “Well, let’s see. Where have we been, I guess is probably what you want to know most. The answer is, right here. We never left we just…did our own thing.”
Like her answers, Sarah could tell it wasn’t a complete one. There was a lot missing from that explanation. A lot.
“We decided to come back to town, to get involved, because we could tell that Plymouth Falls was suffering. It could use our help. As one of the founding members of Plymouth Falls, I thought it best to give back.”
She frowned. “You mean your family.”
&nbs
p; “Pardon?”
“Your family were founding members,” she said. “Not you. You made it sound like you helped found Plymouth Falls.”
Jax looked confused, then wistful, then sad. A quick shake of his head, however, and the expression cleared, replaced with that smile. “Yes of course. I’m not as young as I’d like to be, but that would make me a bit old now, wouldn’t it?”
“Just a bit,” she teased. “Though you certainly have aged well if that’s the case!”
They both shared a laugh.
“Anyway, as I was saying, we wanted to help make the town thrive again. We couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. Not any longer.”
“That’s very admirable of you,” she said, echoing his words about her grandmother.
Before Jax could respond, their food arrived and the deep conversation stopped. They both dug into the meals, clearly quite hungry.
Shortly after clearing their plates, the waitress dropped the bill off and swept on to the next table before Sarah could ask to have it split.
Jax stared at the piece of paper but didn’t reach for it. His eyes caught hers.
“Would you let me pay for it?” he asked politely. “Or do you truly want to split it? I will do whichever you wish, though I feel like I should point out that I may as well spend my money on something.”
Sarah shrugged helplessly. Her morals insisted she share the bill, pay her equal share, because that was the type of woman she wanted to be. Yet reality said Jax had money to burn and she had none.
Jax noticed her hesitation, and he took the bill, pulling a few bills from his wallet and tucking them under the paper.
“Thank you,” she said, looking down. “For paying, and for asking, instead of just doing it. That’s what means the most I think.”
“It was my pleasure, Sarah,” Jax replied, his voice soft, deep, and very melodious, pleasing to the ear. Again, she liked the way her name sounded when he said it.
Suddenly unsure of everything, of why she’d come, of whether or not she should be there, Sarah stood up and went to leave, turning her back on Jax.
She’d gotten perhaps five steps before a hand on her shoulder stopped her and turned her back around.
There was a brief moment to realize Jax was there, that he was still stepping closer. Then fingers cupped her jaw and lifted her chin up as he covered her mouth with his.
Right there, in the middle of the restaurant. In full view of everyone. She froze.
Oh God, it’s good. His mouth. So nice, the touch of his lips.
A quiet whimper sounded in her throat as she melted into him, her body responding to his touch. Sarah wanted to let herself fall into it, into him. She almost did.
Almost.
Chapter 17
Sarah pulled away without warning.
Jax straightened, surprised. She had been kissing him back. He knew she had been, he’d felt it. There was no denying that, he wasn’t that out of practice. Her tongue had been in his mouth, and she’d arched into him.
So, what was wrong? He fought through the rapid mindless urges of his dragon, asserting control over his body again, determined not to lose control and do something he would regret. Whatever might have been about to happen, it was clear that Sarah had other opinions about it now.
But she had responded. On some level, somewhere in her, he had confirmation that she was interested.
Slap.
“How dare you?” she hissed, eyes narrowing dangerously.
Then she turned and left the restaurant, leaving Jax standing there, hoping she hadn’t hurt her hand too badly from hitting him across the cheek. He paused to regard the fact that all eyes were on him.
Shrugging, he went after Sarah. Now was not the time to back down, he sensed. If he did that, if he just let her leave, she would never talk to him again, of that much he was certain.
“Sarah,” he called, trying to get her to slow down.
She was already halfway down the block, hurrying away in the opposite direction of the car. It led out of town, toward nothing, but he doubted she cared just then. Jax broke out into a slow jog, easily closing the gap between them. When he got close, he reached out and took her elbow, forcing her to turn.
“Leave me alone!” she snapped, wrenching her arm free and continuing to walk on.
“Not yet,” he rumbled and chased after her again, this time racing past her and blocking the sidewalk, forcing her to look up and meet his eyes.
“I’m not leaving yet,” he said. “So, you may as well talk to me.”
“I’m done talking to you,” she said angrily, but she didn’t turn to go.
She was waiting. Giving him time to speak.
Don’t fuck this up, Jax. Do better than you did with Raptere. Because you won’t get another shot at it.
“Sarah,” he said, standing his ground, but not getting in her personal space either. “I’m sorry, that was wrong of me back there. I should have asked. I should have—”
“Damn straight you should have asked first,” she cried. “I can’t believe you.”
“I thought—”
She waved a hand at him, silencing him.
“I should have known better, Jax,” she said softly, meeting his eyes, a said, distant look on her face. “It’s my fault, really. I should have known better. I should have said no to this from the start. Then we wouldn’t have been in this situation at all. If I’d have been able to do that, then you wouldn’t have been tempted to do that.”
He frowned. She was as much admitting to him that she wanted to go on the date but had thought saying no would be the better idea. Why was it that she didn’t want to let herself get close to him?
“I should have known that all you wanted was sex. That you were just like all the other rich guys.”
Ah. There it was. He had his reason. Well, part of it.
And just what other rich guys are you referring to, I wonder, he thought to himself. Who has hurt you in the past, Sarah Mingott? Give me their names, and I promise you, I will destroy them.
That was for later, however, not for the immediate moment. He needed to patch things up with her before she cut him out of her life forever. The only question remaining was, how?
“Listen, I thought you were interested in me. I thought you were running because you wanted to kiss me, and that by taking charge, it would push through your wall. I was wrong. So incredibly wrong, and I’m sorry, Sarah. It won’t happen again, I promise.”
“You’re right,” she said tiredly. “It won’t. Goodbye, Jax.”
Then she pushed past him.
This time, he let her go. Goodbye. There was a finality to that. She didn’t want to see him again.
Ever.
I’m not sure I can do that, Sarah. I can’t stay away from you. For now, maybe, but I’m going to see you again, and I’m going to fix this. I know you care for me too. You just have to learn to admit it to yourself.
What remained to be seen, was how he was going to do that, how he was going to convince her of her own feelings.
Maybe you can’t convince her.
Jax watched her retreat down the street, and a slow, happy smile spread over his face.
He couldn’t convince her to accept her own feelings, no. She was resistant to him, to what he represented in her mind.
But Jax knew someone who could talk sense into her.
Chapter 18
Jax eased back into his chair, beer in hand, tuning out the regular chatter of the others around him. His mind was elsewhere, many miles to the east, back in Plymouth Falls, where he knew a certain young woman would be sitting down to dinner with her grandmother at any point now.
He longed to be there, to knock upon the door and smile at Sarah’s grandmother, whom he was sure would invite him in.
Jax was no idiot, he was aware he had faults, but Nancy Mingott seemed like the sort of woman who could see past those and knew he had no ill intentions in mind for her granddaughter. She, at least, didn’t ju
dge him because of the wealth he possessed.
He’d almost gone straight over there after the disastrous end to the lunch date, but in the end, had decided to give things a day to calm down. If he showed up so quickly, it was all too likely that Sarah would be unwilling to see him at all, regardless of the—hopeful—help from her grandmother that Jax was counting on to get her to see reason.
Tomorrow, he thought, smiling to himself. Tomorrow he would go over, after work was done, and try to smooth things over. To see if he could coax Sarah into giving him a second chance, and maybe even realizing she didn’t hate him as much as she pretended.
Perhaps he would even figure out how she had been hurt in the past. Maybe there was something he could do about that, a way he could put his wealth to good use. His fingers tightened around the glass dangerously as he grew angry at the thought of someone hurting Sarah.
Only the sound of a baby’s cry prevented him from accidentally shattering the glass. He looked up with a smile, watching Liz gently croon to her child, rocking the infant back and forth.
“Not too much longer now for you,” Valla teased, pointing across the room. “Then there will be double the trouble here.”
Jax followed the finger, joining in the soft laughter that filled the room as Cheryl rested a hand on her swollen stomach, while beside her Victor pretended to look queasy.
The near-forced confinement that the human women had been undergoing lately had meant the mated pairs were spending even more time with each other than usual. It was only normal, Jax thought, that something like this would happen. If anything, he was more surprised that only Liz had gotten pregnant. He’d figured Olivia would be the first since she and Aaric had been together the longest, but they didn’t appear to be in any rush.
I wonder how much of that has to do with the stress Aaric is under, feeling like he has to hold this little band together all on his own?
The fire dragon didn’t meet Jax’s eyes, but he didn’t have to. The stress was clear in the lines on his face, and even the slight bags under his eyes, a very uncommon feature for a dragon to sport. Aaric was taking things with the vampires harder than the rest of them, and it was starting to take its toll on him.