The moment Autumn closed the front door, she inhaled deeply before slowly breathing out. This attraction she had to Jax kind of blew her mind. A week earlier she didn’t know if she’d ever be ready to date again, yet here she was, on her third date with a man she’d only recently met, and she could feel her heart reaching out to him, wanting to fall for him, but holding back.
After losing Mitch, she’d learned that her life could change in an instant, but she’d never thought it could change for the better so quickly. Yet that’s the direction it seemed to be headed. Was it too good to be true? Was she moving too fast?
As she gathered the glass cleaner and paper towels, she tried to talk herself down, to convince herself that there was no right speed she had to go. She just needed to listen to her heart.
Cheered by the thought, she walked back out front to find Jax kneeling beside Sasha, petting her and talking to her.
“What are you two discussing?” she asked with a smile as she approached them.
Jax stood and faced her. “Sasha told me that you need to go to dinner with me tonight.”
Laughter burst from her mouth and she looked at her yellow lab before meeting Jax’s gaze. “She did?”
“Yep.”
“Hmm.”
Tilting his head, Jax said, “What does that mean?”
“It means…” What did it mean? Autumn had no idea. Was this too much all at once? Should she put the brakes on? They were already going on a hike the next day. Then she asked herself what was the worst that could happen if she agreed to dinner? The only thing that came to mind was that her attraction to him might deepen. No, it would deepen. But was that such a bad thing?
“It means,” she said again, “that Sasha might be right this time.”
Jax’s eyebrows shot up. “Is that a yes?”
Nodding, Autumn smiled. “It is.”
One side of Jax’s mouth quirked up. “All right. Let’s get this bad boy done and then you’ll have time to clean up.”
“What do you mean? What’s wrong with the way I look now?” Autumn swept her hands outward, encompassing her wet shirt, dusty jeans, and messy hair.
Jax’s gaze lasered in on her face. “Not a thing.”
Heat rushed through Autumn’s body. Tearing her gaze from his, she walked toward his car and murmured, “I’ll start on the windows.”
Liking the way he’d unsettled her, Jax watched Autumn spray glass cleaner onto his windshield. He’d been surprised when she’d agreed to dinner after her reluctance the day before. Then again, they’d been having a great time all afternoon. Why not extend it into the evening?
His phone vibrated in his pocket, and when he took it out, he saw a text from Kelli Judd, the woman he’d gone out with a few times recently. Not wanting to read it while he was with Autumn, he tucked his phone back in his pocket and helped Autumn wash the windows.
“Your car looks great,” Autumn said as she scrutinized his Lamborghini, then she quirked a smile as she turned to him. “We’re good at this. Maybe we should wash mine.”
Not in any hurry to leave, he looked toward her car parked in the carport, then nodded. “I’m up for it if you are.”
She shook her head. “I’m kidding. I just washed it the other day.”
He laughed. “Okay. Maybe when it needs it again.”
Her lips pursed. “We’ll see.”
See? There she went again, not at all like the women he typically dated. Those women would be pulling out their smart phones and getting him to commit to a date they would get together. Not Autumn. Instead she had him on edge. He almost wanted to pull out his phone and get her to commit to a future car washing date.
Not sure if he liked this borderline interest/disinterest she displayed, Jax held on to the fact that she had committed to going out with him that night.
“Do you have a dice we can roll for where we’ll go to dinner?” she asked as she gathered up the discarded paper towels.
Chuckling, he shook his head. “I only use the dice to decide on activities.” Sasha sat in front of Jax then leaned against his leg. Jax looked at Autumn with raised eyebrows.
Autumn half smiled and half frowned. “Huh.”
“What?”
She shook her head. “Nothing. I guess she just wants you to give her attention.”
Jax was happy to comply, giving Sasha a vigorous back scratch. She pressed harder against his leg and he had to brace himself to keep from getting pushed backwards.
Though he would have preferred to stay at Autumn’s until they went to dinner, he knew she probably wanted to get ready for their date, and he needed a shower. “I’ll come back at six.”
She nodded. “I’ll be ready.”
“Thank you for helping me wash my car.”
“You’re welcome.”
He thought she would say anytime or something along those lines. Nope. He just hoped she wasn’t getting sick of him. Maybe after their date that night she would change her mind about going hiking with him the next day. That would be a big disappointment.
As Jax drove home he remembered the text from Kelli. When he got home, he pulled out his phone and read her text: Hi gorgeous. Let’s go out tonight. I’ll make it worth your while.
Frowning, Jax sent a quick reply: Busy tonight.
Should he say more than that? It had been a week since he’d gone out with Kelli, and at the end of that date when she’d pressed him for another, he’d been vague when he’d basically brushed her off. Evidently she hadn’t taken the hint that he wasn’t interested.
He hated when he had to flat-out tell a woman to stop contacting him. It was something he’d had to do a lot and it never got any more comfortable.
Would he have to do that with Autumn?
Shaking his head as he smiled, he figured it would be the other way around.
Chapter Twelve
“Did he kiss you?”
Autumn grinned as she pressed her phone against her ear. After Jax had left she’d called Haylie to tell her about their date. “He may have.”
“Stop being vague and tell me everything.”
Laughing, Autumn used her free hand to look through her closet for the perfect blouse, one that would set off her auburn hair and green eyes. “Yes, he kissed me. And before he did he said, ‘I’m going to kiss you now, Autumn.’” Grinning like an idiot, she heard Haylie sigh.
“You owe me so big.”
She found a sapphire blue blouse that would make the color of her hair look rich. “Why do I owe you?” Taking the blouse out of the closet and laying it on her bed, she pictured how it would look paired with her favorite form-fitting jeans. In a word—fabulous.
“Because if it hadn’t been for me, your dream man would never have found you.”
Was Jax her dream man? She didn’t know yet, but she was grateful to Haylie. “I suppose.” She set the jeans on her bed beside the blouse. “What do you want in payment? An extra day off?” Autumn smirked. “A new curling iron?”
Haylie laughed. “No. I just want you to be happy.”
“Aww, thanks, Haylie. You’re the best.”
“I know. Now, you’d better hurry up and get ready. Call me tomorrow and tell me everything.”
“I will. Loves.”
“Loves to you too.”
Taking her highest heeled boots out of her closet, Autumn smiled. Even with these on she would be a good six inches shorter than Jax. One of the benefits of dating such a tall man.
An image of Mitch filled her mind. He hadn’t been tall, just average height, but he’d been a good man, a man she’d loved with all her heart.
Melancholy washed over her. After letting it sink into her heart, she took a deep breath, held it for a moment, then slowly exhaled, expelling her sadness along with her breath. It was all right to miss Mitch, to still love him, while at the same time giving herself a second chance at love.
Feeling better, she continued getting ready, and as she showered her mind wandered. An image of
Sasha leaning against Jax’s leg filled her mind, and the same jolt she’d felt when she’d first seen it jolted her again. She’d only ever seen Sasha do that with one other person. Mitch. Did that mean anything, or was it just a crazy coincidence?
Jax knocked on Autumn’s door, then smoothed down his shirt. Coming to her house to pick her up seemed to take their dating to a different level, a more legit level. He liked it. Remembering their day together—the horseback ride, the picnic, their walk in the woods, washing his car together…their kiss—Jax grinned. He could only hope this evening went as well as the rest of the day had gone.
The door swung open, and when Jax saw Autumn standing there in a blue shirt that made her emerald green eyes glow and a pair of jeans that hugged her curves in all the right places, his smile grew. “You look…lovely.”
A soft blush colored her cheeks. “Thank you.”
Sasha pushed through the space between Autumn and the door frame, then bumped Jax’s hand with her muzzle. Laughing, Jax knelt and scratched under her chin with one hand while rubbing the top of her head with the other. “Hi there, Sasha.”
Surprised at how much he liked this dog after meeting her only hours before, Jax gave her one last scratch before standing to face Autumn. “Are you ready to go?”
“Yes.”
When they arrived at the restaurant—an Italian place he’d gone to several times before—they were seated in a booth in a rear corner of the restaurant, one where they were less likely to be disturbed by fans. Autumn had made it clear the other day that though she didn’t mind an occasional interruption, she wasn’t too keen on them either.
“This place is nice,” she said as she looked around the dimly lit space, then she perused the menu. “And everything looks delicious.”
Glad she approved, he gave her a few suggestions of things he’d gotten before, and after they’d placed their orders, he leaned forward and said, “I have to admit I like your dog.”
“Does that surprise you?”
“Kind of.”
“Why?”
Did he want to admit that dogs sometimes made him nervous? “When I was a kid a dog bit me on the arm.” He held up his arm to show her the scar. “Ever since, I usually approach dogs with caution.”
“That’s awful, Jax.” She touched the scar on his arm, sending a zing of energy right to his chest. “I’m glad you and Sasha are friends though.”
He rested his arm on the table. “Have you ever been bitten by a dog?”
She shook her head. “No. Never. I imagine it would be pretty scary though.”
One side of his mouth quirked up. “It’s not something I want to repeat, that’s for sure.”
Their food arrived a few minutes later, and as they ate, they traded stories from their childhoods.
“Jax,” a woman said as she stopped beside their table. “What a surprise.”
Jax jerked his head in her direction. “Kelli. What…what are you doing here?” Like usual, Kelli wore a revealing blouse with her skintight jeans. With a quick glance at Autumn, who looked none too thrilled to be interrupted by a woman who obviously knew him, Jax frowned at Kelli. When she’d texted earlier, he’d specifically told her he was busy tonight. How was it that she was at the same restaurant as him? He’d never brought her to this place.
“I’m here with friends,” Kelli said as she vaguely pointed to the main part of the restaurant.
Jax looked in the direction she indicated but didn’t see a table where she might have been sitting. All of the tables had couples or pairs of couples. One had a group of women, but there were no empty seats.
He looked back at Kelli.
“Aren’t you going to introduce me?” She looked between him and Autumn.
He didn’t want to, but saying that would sound rude. “This is Autumn.” He gave Autumn an apologetic smile. “Autumn, this is Kelli.”
Kelli looked at Autumn with a smirk. “Jax and I are dating.”
Dumbstruck, Jax’s gaze shot to Autumn, whose eyes had widened.
Autumn looked at him and blinked rapidly, then her eyebrows pulled together. “Excuse me.” Without giving him a chance to respond, she grabbed her purse, jumped up from her seat, and walked toward the ladies’ room.
Kelli slid into Autumn’s seat and grinned at Jax. “What’s her problem?”
Flabbergasted, Jax didn’t know what to say. Then his words came tumbling out. “What do you think you’re doing?”
Lips twisting into a smirk, she looked in the direction Autumn had gone, then turned to Jax. “Saving your evening, apparently.”
Screwing his eyes closed in disbelief, he shook his head. “What?”
“She doesn’t seem like much fun. You should have gone out with me instead.”
Stunned by her audacity, he stared at her for a moment. “I will never go out with you again, Kelli. Now, leave.”
Her lips pursed as she slowly stood. “How wrong you are, Jax-baby. You and me?” She pointed back and forth between them. “We’re perfect for each other. You know it and I know it.” Then, with a wink, she turned and sashayed away.
Jax had no idea what was going on. He’d gone out with Kelli a total of three times. They’d had fun, but they’d never done more than exchange a few kisses and he’d never promised that there was a future for them. So what was she doing?
Confused and dismayed, he considered going after Autumn, but decided to give her the space she needed. They would talk when she returned to the table.
Autumn stared at her reflection in the mirror.
What had just happened? Who was that woman? Jax had told her he wasn’t dating anyone. Had he been lying?
Clearly, the answer was yes. The proof was right there. The woman had said she and Jax were dating and he hadn’t denied it.
She’d known he was too good to be true.
All the warm feelings she’d experienced that day washed away. More like blasted away.
Then, not able to stop herself, she catalogued all of her flaws in comparison to that…woman. Kelli. Where Autumn’s hair could sometimes be unmanageable, Kelli’s was sleek and smooth and sophisticated, pulled up in a twist of perfect blondness. Yes, the color looked dyed, but it was done well, only noticeable to Autumn because she worked on hair all day. And that figure—curvy and lush in all the right places. Autumn frowned at her reflection. Her build was more athletic. She liked her body, yes, but sometimes she wished she had more curves here and there.
Didn’t matter anyway. Jax was not the man for her. Not if he was a player—something she’d specifically asked him.
Huffing out a breath, she took her phone out of her purse and typed a text to Haylie asking her to pick her up. Finger hovering over the Send button, Autumn reconsidered. She wanted to confront Jax. She erased the message, dropped her phone back into her purse and walked out of the bathroom.
As she approached Jax, first she made sure the woman wasn’t still with him, then she studied his profile. Jaw clenched, back ramrod straight, eyes staring straight ahead, he didn’t look happy. Was that because the woman’s appearance had shone a light on his lie?
Autumn was about to find out.
Chapter Thirteen
When Autumn slid into the seat across from him, Jax began to relax. He’d been certain she would leave without telling him and he would never see her again. Dismay had pounded through him at the notion. He really liked Autumn and he didn’t want a misunderstanding to screw things up.
Autumn’s lips were pursed and her body was rigid.
Okay, maybe the fact that she’d returned to the table didn’t mean all was well.
“I’m not dating that woman,” he said.
Autumn frowned. “You can date whomever you want. You can even date ten women at once. That’s fine.”
That wasn’t what Jax had expected her to say. His eyebrows shot up, but before he had a chance to respond, Autumn went on.
“What I have an issue with is you lying about it.”
&nbs
p; Did she think he was lying? Frustrated, he huffed out a breath. “When I told you I wasn’t dating anyone, I was telling the truth.”
A look of disbelief settled on her face, then her shoulders slumped. “You don’t have to explain yourself to me, Jax. We’ve known each other for less than a week. You don’t owe me anything.”
She pushed her chair back like she was going to stand, but Jax leapt to his feet first. “Wait, Autumn.”
She paused, looked at him, then settled back in her seat.
He sat back down and gazed at her a moment. “I’m not ready to end things.” He softly sighed. “I never lied to you. Yes, I went on a few dates with Kelli, but I’m no longer dating her. That’s the truth.”
Autumn desperately wanted to believe him. But she didn’t know him well enough to know if he was telling her the truth. A new layer of steel went up around her heart.
“If you’re not dating her, why did she say you are?”
“I don’t know.” He grimaced slightly. “Well, maybe I do know.”
Holding back a sigh, Autumn tilted her head. “Why?”
“The last time we went out I didn’t tell her I was no longer interested, so I guess she could have thought I still was. But tonight I made it clear that I won’t be going out with her again.”
“When did you last go out with her?” Autumn threw her hand up. “Wait. Never mind. It’s none of my business.” Even so, she was curious.
“A week ago.”
A week ago? That meant the same thing could happen to her. By the following Saturday he could be off with another woman, totally uninterested in Autumn yet Autumn believing he was. Nice.
Maybe Jax read her mind, because he said, “I never felt a…a spark with her. Not like I do with you, Autumn.” He paused a beat. “I wouldn’t do that to you.”
How could she know that for sure? She couldn’t. But she wasn’t ready to give him up. Not yet.
“All right. So now what?”
He seemed to relax. “Now we enjoy the rest of our evening and tomorrow we go on our hike.”
Pass Interference (Fair Catch Series, Book Four) Page 7