“I am.”
“Good, because he’s an idiot and he doesn’t deserve you, but I promise you there’s a guy out there who does. When he comes along, you’ll know it.”
Lucy
Lucy looked into Jaxon’s deep blue eyes and felt her heart thump erratically in her chest. She smiled, hoping he didn’t notice how her pulse picked up when he looked at her like that. Lucy was beginning to think Jaxon was right about a better guy coming along. The trouble was, she might have already met him. He might actually be sitting right next to her. But it seemed he didn’t know it yet.
To mask her nerves she reached into her bag of mini wine bottles and cracked one open.
“Hey,” Jaxon said, swiping it from her. “Did I say you could have one of those yet?”
“Do you want one?” she offered.
“Nope, I’m driving.”
Lucy shrugged, grabbed another one from the bag and twisted off the top.
“You really shouldn’t mix drugs and alcohol.”
“Lay off, Doc. It’s been hours since I took a painkiller.” She smirked. “Besides, these are like liquid painkillers.”
He frowned at her.
“Kidding.” Though really she wasn’t. Lucy was hoping the delicious red wine would kill the ache in her heart she felt every time Jaxon looked at her like he thought she deserved the world. He seemed adamant to prove to her that there was a better guy out there for her, but she couldn’t help but notice he wasn’t volunteering for the job.
27
Jaxon
Jaxon realized Lucy was a lightweight a bit too late to do much about it. She’d finished three mini wine bottles while she watched the sunset, snuggled against him in the back of his truck. She was just about to open the fourth when he swiped it from her hands.
“I think you’ve had enough, Smalls. And it’s time we get back on the road.”
“Oh come on, Jaxon. One more!”
“How about a water instead?” he asked, handing her one.
She tossed it out of the truck bed, pouting. “You’re no fun.”
“And you’re drunk.”
“Am not,” she said leaning over his lap to retrieve the bottle.
“Oh no ya don’t,” he said trying to keep her at an arm’s length without hurting her. But she’d somehow weaseled her way onto his lap and was batting her pretty eyelashes at him, giving her pouty face. Goddamn, she was irresistible. Even when she was tipsy.
“Can’t we stay a little longer?” she begged.
“Lucy . . .” he warned, but the way she was moving in his lap made it hard to think. Shit, he was putty in her hands. Especially if she kept wiggling her fine ass against him. “Fine, one more but take it slow. I’m not holding your hair back if you puke.” Another lie. He totally would.
“Yay!” Lucy howled, bouncing on his lap in the most delightful way.
Shit! If Smalls didn’t get off his lap soon he’d probably earn a merit bag for his tent pitching skills. Jaxon needed to get her off of him quick or his true feelings were gonna be pretty evident. “How about you have your drink and I’ll get us a blanket. It’s getting chilly.”
“Okay!”
Jaxon took his time grabbing a blanket from the back seat of his truck. He needed to put some space between him and Lucy so he could cool off. She was flirty when she drank and that did not bode well for him. He was a guy, not a saint. He only had so much will power and Lucy was quickly burning though it.
Jaxon wanted her—that much he was sure of. But she’d just broken up with her boyfriend a few hours ago. Hell, he wasn’t even sure they were officially broken up. Alex and Lucy probably owed each other a conversation before they started anything else.
“Jaxon, you’re missing it! The stars are coming out!” Lucy called.
He rubbed a hand over his face. This was not gonna be easy.
Lucy
Lucy cozied up next to Jaxon under the blanket, warm and happy, nursing the last of her wine. She rested her head on his shoulder and gazed up at the night sky. “How come the stars don’t look like this in LA?”
“Because everyone who lives in LA is trying to outshine each other,” Jaxon cracked.
Lucy giggled and turned to face him. Their faces were only inches apart and she could see the starlight reflecting off the deep blue pools of his eyes. She’d turned to ask him something, but suddenly there wasn’t a thought in her head other than how much she wanted to kiss him.
Seeming to sense what she wanted, Jaxon stilled. Lucy’s hand slid up to the nape of his neck where her fingertips brushed his soft, dark hair. She moved her hand up further, twisting her fingers deeper into his hair. Jaxon’s eyes fluttered closed for a moment and Lucy pressed closer.
“Lucy . . .” Jaxon murmured, his voice strained.
She closed her eyes, ready to let her lips brush his, but the next words she heard made her eyes pop back open again.
“Not like this,” Jaxon growled.
Lucy blinked in surprise. It took a moment for his rejection to sink in, but when it finally did, embarrassment rushed through her like an ice cold tidal wave. She was grateful that the cover of night helped hide her burning cheeks as Jaxon quickly scrambled to his knees and collected their things from the back of the truck. That’s not what a girl wants. Jaxon couldn’t have run faster if a bullet was chasing him. What the hell had she been thinking?
Just this morning Lucy told Jaxon that they were just friends. Yeah, okay, so it wasn’t the whole truth, but she’d been trying to do the right thing. But that was before Alex ripped her heart out.
Lucy groaned. How had she lost two boys in one day? Alex didn’t want her, and apparently Jaxon didn’t either. He at least returned to help her down from the truck bed, but the damage was done. She felt like an idiot.
Lucy didn’t know if it was the sudden realization that she’d made a complete fool of herself, or if the wine was catching up with her, but she felt like a newborn deer trying to use its legs for the first time as she stumbled to her feet. Her broken leg only magnified her tipsiness.
Always the gentleman, Jaxon was back at her side in a flash, helping her down in his steady arms. She wanted to cry again. How could she feel so much just being in his arms and he feel nothing at all? It wasn’t fair. Why did she always fall for the wrong guys?
As Jaxon buckled her safely in the truck, Lucy found herself wishing she had more wine. All she wanted to do was drown her sorrows and pretend she hadn’t just ruined a good thing.
28
Jaxon
Jaxon kept glancing over at Lucy as he drove. He’d tried to get her to drink some water, but she’d fallen asleep almost as soon as they’d gotten on the freeway. He could hear her softly snoring over the music he was playing. He found himself smiling as he listened to her. Even her snoring was adorable. She sounded like a purring kitten.
He still couldn’t believe she’d tried to kiss him. And even more unbelievable was that he’d stopped her. He knew it was the right thing to do . . . but goddamn did he wish he’d let her press her full pink lips to his for just a moment—just one kiss, one taste.
His heart had nearly jumped out of his chest when he realized what she wanted. And damn did he want it too. But he knew if he’d let her kiss him, he would’ve never been able to stop.
Jaxon wanted to do things right with Lucy. She deserved the best, which he still wasn’t convinced meant him. But if she did want to be with him, he wanted to be damn sure of it. And that meant their first kiss was not going to be in the back of his pickup truck when she was drunk.
Brooke
“Finally!” Brooke yelled when she heard knocking at her door.
She’d been waiting up for Lucy for hours. She’d called her and Jaxon, and neither of them seemed to know how to answer a freaking phone. She’d consulted her Magic 8 Ball no less than seven times in the past two hours wondering if they’d been involved in another car accident or something worse. She’d been close to calling Sergeant Sex
y when she heard a knock at the door.
Brooke whipped open the door prepared to bite Lucy’s head off for worrying her, but her words died on her lips when she was greeted with Jaxon, carrying Lucy like an unconscious rag doll.
“What the hell is this?” Brooke whisper-yelled.
“Shhh,” Jaxon hissed.
“Where have you been?”
“Long story.”
Brooke crossed her arms. “I was worried.”
“I’ll explain but first help me get her to bed,” Jaxon said breezing past Brooke into their dorm room, Lucy still cradled against his chest.
She shut the door behind him and followed him down the hall to Lucy’s room. “What the hell happened to her?” Brooke asked noting her friend’s steady snoring.
“She had too much to drink.”
“You got her drunk?”
“No, she did that all on her own. PS, she’s a lightweight.”
“Ya think?” Brooke muttered, scowling at Jaxon. Lucy didn’t weigh a hundred pounds soaking wet. It didn’t take a genius to figure out she wasn’t gonna be drinking anyone under the table.
Brooke pulled Lucy’s covers back while Jaxon took painstaking care to put her gently to bed, tucking the covers up around her like a dotting mother hen. Watching him took some of the fight out of Brooke. She’d been ready to lay into him when they were out of Lucy’s room, but seeing the way Jaxon cared for Lucy melted Brooke’s normally steely heart.
Once Lucy was settled, Brooke followed Jaxon back into the living room, leaving Lucy’s door slightly cracked. It had become Brooke’s new habit so she could hear Lucy just in case. And ‘just in case’ was becoming a frequent occurrence—another reason Brooke was glad Jaxon was there.
When they were in the living room, Brooke pointed to the couch. Jaxon got a few points for putting Lucy to bed but Brooke wasn’t letting him off the hook that easily. “Spill it, Hero-boy.”
Jaxon
“That explains why that little crap taco called me,” Brooke said after Jaxon got done explaining their eventful day in San Diego.
“Alex called you?” Jaxon asked.
“Yeah, but I was in the shower so I missed it and he didn’t leave a message.”
Jaxon rubbed his jaw. He could feel his stubble growing back. It had been a long day. A shower was definitely in order when he got home, though that might be a while still since it didn’t seem like Brooke was done with her questioning.
They’d been talking for nearly an hour. Jaxon had filled Brooke in about everything that went down from the soccer game, to the zoo, to Lucy having a bit too much wine. The only thing he left out was how Lucy tried to kiss him.
He was sort of hoping maybe Lucy wouldn’t remember it in the morning. That would make it easier on Jaxon. He didn’t want things to be awkward between them. But if she did remember the almost kiss, he also didn’t want to add insult to injury by talking to Brooke about it. That would only make Lucy think he’d truly hadn’t wanted her to kiss him. And nothing could be further from the truth. He just wanted it to be under the right circumstances.
“I can’t believe Alex!” Brooke ranted. “I mean I can because he’s been a complete chode-muffin the entire time I’ve known him. But with Trista? How could he?”
“What’s the deal with that girl?” Jaxon asked.
“Other than the fact that she’s the antichrist in couture?”
“She seems like the kind of girl who gets off on drama.”
Brooke snorted. “You have no idea.”
Jaxon was just about to ask what Brooke meant by that when he was interrupted by a scream coming from Lucy’s room.
Brooke swore under her breath and was on her feet in seconds, dashing toward Lucy’s bedroom. Jaxon was right behind her, his heart in his throat as Lucy cried out over and over. Brooke threw on the light and knelt by Lucy’s bedside trying to grab her flailing limbs.
The second Jaxon walked into the room he knew Lucy was having another flashback. It was like what happened at the precinct, but this time was so much worse. Lucy was screaming and thrashing wildly. Jaxon took in the scene looking for the trigger. There was usually a trigger and he spotted it immediately.
The cast on Lucy’s broken leg had gotten twisted in her blankets and was pinned at an awkward angle as she thrashed and screamed. Jaxon moved swiftly, untwisting the covers while Brooke held Lucy’s arms, trying to get her wake up.
“It’s never been this bad before,” Brooke said sounding frightened. “Why the hell won’t she wake up?”
“Let me try.” Jaxon took up Brooke’s spot on the bed and spoke firmly in Lucy’s ear just like he had at the wreck. “Lucy, I’m right here. I need you to open your eyes.”
She murmured incoherently, and Jaxon worried maybe the fact that she’d had so much to drink would make this more difficult. He scooped her tiny body into his lap holding her tightly against him so she wouldn’t hurt herself with her thrashing.
He tried again. “Lucy! I need you to open your eyes.”
“Jaxon?” Her voice made his heart jump with relief. She was in there. He just needed to get to her.
Jaxon stroked her cheek. “I’m right here, Lucy. You just gotta stay with me.”
“Jaxon?”
“That’s right, angel. It’s safe. Just open your eyes.”
And just like that, her eyes fluttered open. Jaxon sagged with relief as he looked at Lucy’s beautiful hazel eyes staring back at him with such trust.
“Jaxon?” Lucy blinked twice, three times. “What are you doing here?”
“You were having one of your nightmares,” Brooke said from the foot of the bed.
Jaxon looked at her, noticing for the first time that the feisty blonde looked like she’d lost some of the swagger that she normally had an endless supply of. Seeing her best friend that way must have terrified Brooke, and Jaxon didn’t blame her. If he hadn’t dealt with episodes like this himself he wouldn’t know what to do either.
Lucy started to look around the room nervously. Jaxon could feel her heart pounding in her chest. He didn’t want her to get more upset than she already was. “Hey,” Jaxon said drawing her attention. “It’s okay, Lucy. It was just a bad dream. But you’re safe. You can go back to sleep now.” He looked at Brooke and motioned for her to turn off the lights.
Lucy didn’t need to be over-stimulated right now. Jaxon was actually hopeful her wine buzz would keep her drowsy enough to let her go back to sleep. He started to slide her back onto her mattress but she stiffened in his arms and wound a tiny fist in his shirt.
“Will you stay?” she whispered, peering up at him with those gorgeous eyes of hers.
Goddamn. Of course he’d stay. He’d walk through hell if she asked him to. Jaxon nodded and settled Lucy back into her bed, leaving space for himself next to her.
Brooke gave him a cautioning look, but silently left the room.
Jaxon pulled the covers over Lucy. This time he was careful to make sure he left her cast free of the blankets. Then he settled next to her, letting her cuddle against his side. Her tiny hand rested on his chest and he wrapped one arm around her boney shoulders, pulling her close.
She felt so fragile in his arms and it only made him want to hold onto her tighter. How could this tiny, breakable girl make him feel so sturdy? It made no sense. But when she was close to him like this was when he felt strongest—like she was somehow the piece he needed to be whole. Lucy filled him up, and he never wanted to let go.
An hour later, when Jaxon was sure Lucy was sleeping soundly, he dragged himself from her bed and made his way back to the living room. He was surprised to find Brooke still awake. She sat on the couch, her feet curled beneath her, a mug of tea in her hand and a book on her lap. Her blonde hair was wet and braided around her head like a crown and she’d washed all her normally loud makeup off. She looked younger, more vulnerable.
Brooke looked up the moment Jaxon entered the living room. “How is she?”
“Aslee
p.”
“You look like you’re about to fall asleep on your feet. Why don’t you crash on the couch tonight,” she offered climbing to her feet.
Jaxon looked at the clock. It was two in the morning. He had to admit the prospect of driving all the way back to his uncle’s house didn’t excite him. “You don’t mind?”
Brooke shoved her hands into the pockets of her pale pink hoodie. “Actually, I think I’d feel a lot better if you stay in case that happens again.”
Jaxon sunk down on the couch. “Has that happened before?”
Brooke nodded. “But not like that. Not that bad.”
Jaxon had pretty much guessed as much from the way Brooke reacted. He rubbed the weariness from his eyes, frustrated with himself for not anticipating Lucy’s struggles. He should’ve known. He should’ve been there so Lucy didn’t have to deal with it on her own.
“They’re not just nightmares, are they?” Brooke asked, joining him on the couch.
“No. They’re more like flashbacks. They feel real and can be hard to come out of.”
Brooke stared at him, concern for her friend vivid in her clear, blue eyes. “What can I do for her?”
“I think Lucy is suffering from PTSD from her car accident. The best thing we can do for her is get her to talk to a professional.”
Brooke nodded, swallowing back tears. “Thank you for being here for her tonight. You’re really good with her and Lucy could use someone good in her life.”
“I know.”
Brooke sniffled. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“How did you know what to do when you saw her like that?”
Jaxon exhaled. He knew this question was coming. Brooke was too observant not to catch on. And since she was most likely already forming her own opinions, Jaxon decided to answer her honestly. “I knew what to do because the same thing used to happen to me after my car accident.”
The Accidental Boyfriend: A YA Contemporary Romance Novel (The Boyfriend Series Book 7) Page 19