“When am I going to see you again?” Jax said.
Sarah noticed his wording: he wasn’t asking if he could see her again; he wasn’t saying he’d like to see her again. It was a promise to see her again, and in fact, it was more than that. It was a guarantee, and there was no room for discussion or resistance. As far as he was concerned, it was a done deal.
“Not this week.” He heard the regret in her voice. “I have a few deadlines for the restaurant, non-negotiable. If I miss them, I start to lose money.”
“Well, we can’t have that.” Jax kissed her nose. “So, next weekend?”
“Maybe Saturday,” Sarah said. “I’ll check Mom’s work schedule.”
“Let me know, doll.” He took a business card out of his wallet. “That’s my cell. Call me and tell me when to pick you up, OK?”
“I will.”
“You promise?”
“Yeah. I promise.” She smiled up at him. “Maybe next time, I can cook for you? Like, in your fancy kitchen? Chopping things and boiling water and wearing an apron?”
“You can cook?”
“I’m not bad,” she said.
“OK, then. Next time, I sit on my ass and swig the pricey wine and you do all the work.”
She laughed, and he loved to see her so happy.
“Deal, Stud.”
“Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.” She got up on her tiptoes and kissed him again. “And thanks… I had a wonderful time tonight.”
“Me too, Sarah.” He was still a bit surprised at how much he’d loved her company, her warmth, her smile. Having her writhing and naked in his arms had just been the cherry on the top of the cake. “Me too.”
**
It wasn’t late when he left Sarah’s place, so Jax decided to drop by Curves to check in. He walked in to his bar, his practiced eye taking in the scene at a glance. Busy, loud, full of laughter. Some drunk women dancing, getting eyed-up by guys sitting in groups at the large tables. Typical Saturday night, and Jax nodded at some of his regulars while simultaneously avoiding the eager eyes of some of his more-regular crash room fucks.
He spotted King and Mac at the bar talking to Trey, Aidan’s replacement on his nights off, so Jax walked over to them. They looked surprised to see him.
“What the hell, man?” Mac said. “I thought you were seeing Red tonight.”
“I did.” Jax nodded at Trey to give him a beer. “Just dropped her off at home.”
“Didn’t go well?”
Jax glanced at Mac, perplexed. “It went great. Why?”
“Because it’s not even midnight, and you’re here.” Mac grinned. “Shouldn’t you be balls-deep between Red’s legs right about now?”
“Unless she turned him down,” King said. “Again.”
Jax shrugged and drank some beer. “She has to get up early.”
“Oh, right. So you just fucked her earlier than you usually do?” Mac said. “And now you’re here for round two?”
Jax was shocked at how fast the anger moved up his body. “Fuck off, Mac.”
“What?” Mac blinked. “What’s the problem?”
“The problem is the way you’re talking about Sarah. Fucking knock it off.”
“What?” Mac said again.
“She’s not like that, OK? It’s not like with her.”
The men regarded him with astonishment.
“So… you didn’t fuck her?” King said cautiously.
“Nope.”
“And you haven’t yet?”
“Nope.”
“And you’re not here to get laid?”
“Nope again.”
“I don’t understand what the hell you’re talking about,” Mac announced. “Do you mean to say that you’re dating Red? Like, exclusively?”
Jax shrugged again, scowling.
“Man, you don’t do dating, and you sure as hell don’t do exclusive.”
“How do you know?” Jax said.
“Because we’ve known you for five years, and you’ve done nothing but make fun of all these assholes pussy-whipped in to having girlfriends.” Mac’s blue eyes were watchful. “Unless you’ve changed your mind about that?”
“OK, well.” Jax set down his mostly-full beer bottle. “Everything looks under control here. I’ll check a few things in my office, and then I think I’ll head out.”
“You’re not staying?” Trey said. “Raylene was asking about you.”
“Oh, yeah?” Jax said. “What’d she want?”
Trey shook his head. “Not a clue.” He walked to the other end of the bar to serve a smoking-hot blonde with the shortest skirt that Jax had ever seen. He checked her out, as a matter of course, but she didn’t do much for him.
“What do you think she wants?” King said to Jax. “She wants what you always give her.”
“Yeah, well, not tonight.”
“Again, I don’t understand what the hell you’re talking about,” Mac said. “I mean… who the hell are you?”
“Again, fuck off, Mac.” Jax stalked down the hall to his office. He unlocked it and stepped inside, grateful for the silence and privacy. He needed to calm the hell down – it was no good having people out there seeing him upset. It sent out the wrong message, and considering the kind of people all gathered out there in the same space, Jax had to always look in control of the situation. He ran his hands through his hair and sighed as he heard a knock at the door.
“Yeah, come in,” he said.
The door swung open and there stood Raylene. He sighed again.
“Hey, Jax,” she said.
“Hi.” He backed up a bit, put the desk between them. “How you doing, Raylene?”
“Well, I’m OK. But I could be a hell of a lot better.”
His heart sank at the implication.
She closed the door behind her and approached, all long, slim legs and large breasts. The woman was fucking hot, no doubt about it, and she had a body that just didn’t quit. She was an enthusiastic and skilled fuck, and she wasn’t in to commitment. Before Sarah had appeared in his life, Raylene had been the ideal woman – fast, easy, casual – and she was all he thought he’d ever want or need. Now he thought differently.
“Hey, Raylene, look… I’m not staying tonight. I’m just running in and out.”
“In and out is just fine, baby,” she purred. “You know I love it fast and hard sometimes.”
“Sorry, but I’m out of here.” He grabbed a few papers, and headed for the door. She grabbed him as he passed.
“Maybe you want me to suck you off?” Her knowing hands ran down the front of his jeans and he flinched. “You love having me down on my knees, right?”
Jax wasn’t able to identify the emotion rising in his chest right away, but he knew it didn’t feel good. As he stared down at her heavily-made-up face, he was able to give a name to the feeling: disgust. Not for Raylene – because despite being amazingly hot, she gave off an air of desperation that he’d never noticed before, and that made him feel a bit sorry for her. No, the disgust was all for himself.
Fuck me. This is all I’ve ever been good for, huh? Banging a chick in my office, having her suck my dick. I’m a fucking mess.
He thought about Sarah now. Sarah standing in front of him tonight, touching his chest and shoulders gently, with wonder and awe. Sarah kissing him, so sweet and hot. Sarah wrapped in his arms, coming for him, trusting him to make her feel good. And in this moment, Jax knew that he could give a woman more than just back room sex, or meaningless orgasms. He could give more. He could give Sarah more – and he wanted to.
He took Raylene’s hands in his, pulled them away from his disinterested cock. “Sorry. Not tonight.”
She gazed up at him. “You for real?”
“Yeah. I’m for real.”
She shrugged. “OK. Next time, yeah?”
“I don’t think so.” He opened the door for her. “I’m with someone now, Raylene, and I’d appreciate it if you let word of that get around.”
She stood totally still, staring at him in shock. Then she laughed, a loud, long laugh. “Holy shit, Jax. Really?”
“Really.”
“Yeah, OK.” She shook her dyed-blonde head. “We’ll see how long that lasts, huh?”
“What’s that mean?”
“It means that you ain’t the kind to be with someone for longer than ten minutes in a row, and you know it damn good and well. We all know it. So when you and your little fling crash and burn, you come on back to me.” She ran her long fingernail down his chest. “I’ll be waiting to give you what you really want… and I’ll give it to you on my knees.”
She sashayed out, her slim hips swinging and pumping, and Jax slammed the door behind her, trying to calm down. He hated what she’d said about him, hated how Mac and King had reacted to him not fucking Sarah, hated Raylene’s casual assumption that he’d just fuck her here and now. But Jax had only one person to blame for all of it, and he only had to look in the mirror to meet said asshole’s eyes.
No, Sarah isn’t forever, but you’ve got her right now, and she’s something good, something clean. Take good care of her, man, because God knows, she deserves that. And maybe – just maybe – at last you deserve that, too. At least for a little while.
Chapter Nine
Sarah spent the next few days wandering around in a haze of lust. She did good work for the restaurant, and she stayed on top of everything for Noah, and she got all the stuff on her checklist done. But she did it all while thinking about what Jax had done to her, how he’d made her feel.
She called him on Wednesday to tell him that she could see him on Saturday, and just hearing that husky, sexy voice in her ear had her wet between her legs. But she was halfway to orgasm at just the thought of the man, anyway, and that voice drove her almost over the edge.
She thought about how he’d looked, standing there in the moonlight, half-naked, drops of water running down that large, hard body. The bulge in his boxers hadn’t just been impressive, it had been awe-inspiring, and the thought of taking that in to her both thrilled her and scared her to death.
In bed at night, she burned up with wanting him, and for the first time in her life, Sarah fully touched herself. Oh, she’d tried before, of course, and it had felt good sometimes. But like what had happened with Dave, stroking her own pussy had sparked something that had never really finished. She’d been left frustrated and agitated, not all that eager to try again.
Now, though, she couldn’t help herself – she had to touch her aching, soaked sex. Late at night, she lay in bed naked, her legs spread wide, her fingers slippery with her own juices, her breath shallow and hot. And her fingers became Jax’s.
Thick, rough, tender, they slid inside her body, circled her clit. They pressed deep, hard, touching the most secret parts of her flesh. She tasted his lips on hers, felt his arms around her, and her whole body tensed up with the need to come for him, with him. Sarah turned her face in to her pillow to muffle her groans as she tightened around her thrusting, gliding fingers, over and over again. And still it wasn’t enough; still, she wanted him.
His sexual confidence hadn’t surprised her, but his humor and thoughtfulness had. His mastery of her body had been expected, but his careful handling of it hadn’t been. The man was everything she’d thought he would be – and nothing at all what she’d thought he was. Jax unlocked parts of herself that she’d never known were there, and he made her want to do wild, wicked things. Dark things, things that shouldn’t ever see the light of day. Jax was a surprise, a mystery, a fantasy. A gift.
My God. Saturday can’t get here fast enough.
**
By Saturday evening, they were both in a fever of impatience. When Sarah heard the roar of Jax’s bike in front of her house, she lost all control of herself. She flung open the door, flew down the porch steps to meet him. He was hurrying up the path to her and when he saw her, he opened his arms. She launched herself in to them, feeling like she was in the safest and riskiest place on earth.
He caught her to him, pulled her up off her feet. Sarah gasped as his hungry mouth descended on hers, kissing her like he was starved for her. His hands were on her rounded ass, her legs wrapped around his waist, and they didn’t care who the hell might be watching. All they saw, heard, felt, knew was each other.
Jax finally broke off from kissing her. His knees were shaky under him, and he stared in to her blue eyes. They were bright with want, and his cock reared up.
“Hi,” she said.
“Hi.”
“I’m glad to see you.”
“Jesus Christ, doll. I’m glad to see you, too.”
“I can tell.” Her grin was smart and sexy, full of knowledge. It was the grin of a woman who knows that she’s desired by a man, and who has no problem with that whatsoever.
“Yeah, sorry about that.” He set her back on her feet, and glanced down. “Damn thing has a mind of its own when you’re around.”
“Uh-huh.” She smiled, slow and hot. “I don’t mind.”
“Me either, actually. So.” He looked up at the house. “You ready to go?”
“Yeah. Just let me lock up.”
“Noah and your Mom here?”
“No.” Sarah shook her head. “Mom actually took him to the park.”
Jax stared. “Really? She broke his routine?”
“Yeah, we’re working on it, you know. I’d like to eventually work up to taking him out three evenings a week, maybe. Just casual stuff, you know, like going for ice cream or for a walk.”
“That’s amazing.”
“Well, when it works, it is. But it’s hard, you know. Takes lots of planning and organization.”
“Yeah?”
“Oh, yeah.”
“Like how?”
“Well, we had some hits and misses with taking Noah out, but I finally found a thing that he can latch on to when he feels unsafe. I introduced a backpack in to the whole thing, and he loves it.”
Jax cocked his dark head at her. “A backpack?”
“Yeah. He packs up his favorite stuff – his Sudoku puzzles and pencils, his baseball cards – and I give him a juicebox, and then he’s OK. Feels like he’s going on an adventure, you know?”
“Really?”
“Yep. He won’t leave the house without his backpack now… and if he feels overwhelmed or freaked out, Mom and I just sit him down and tell him to take something from his backpack to distract him. So far, it’s working.”
“God, you’re smart.”
Sarah laughed. “Sometimes.”
“OK, Red. On to the bike. I bought all the groceries you asked for, so everything’s ready.”
“You got dessert?” she said.
“Nope.” His stare made her stomach clench. “I want what I had last time.”
“Me too.” Sarah’s voice was small, breathless.
“Good.” He held her eyes, his gaze smoldering. “Glad we can agree on that.”
**
Jax sat on a chair in the kitchen, watching Sarah. She was making some kind of pasta dish with seafood and a white wine sauce, and it smelled incredible. She looked happy and relaxed, and he found himself smiling like a fucking lunatic, smiling at absolutely nothing. Just her.
“OK,” she said as she closed the oven door. “That needs to bake for about forty minutes, on low. You starving, or can you wait that long?”
“I’m starving,” he said. “And I can’t wait.”
“Oh, damn, Jax. Really? I’m sorry… you want something while you’re waiting?”
“Hell, yeah, I do.” He got to his feet now, advanced on her slowly. “You.”
“You.”
He picked her up and carried her to the sofa in the living room. Carefully, he lay Sarah down, smoothed her hair back off her flushed face, then leaned in and kissed her. She responded completely, her tongue meeting his, luxuriating in him.
God, he’s delicious, absolutely everywhere.
She let her hands run over his body more freely this time. Jax loved that she was more comfortable with him, and he sank down on top of her, let his weight push her in to the sofa. She moaned and the small sound spurred him on.
He slowly took off her shirt and bra, then impatiently yanked his own t-shirt over his head. Those blue eyes went smoky with lust, and she reached for Jax, pushed him on to his back, twisted so that she was above him.
Her sweet mouth moved over his chest now, kissing a trail of fire over his skin. Her tongue traced the lines and curves of his tattoos and he clenched his fingers in her hair, holding her close. His eyes shut, his neck arched and he pushed his head in to the cushions.
Goddamn, she makes me lose control faster than anyone I’ve ever known.
“Sarah?” His voice was a hoarse whisper.
She raised her head. “Hmmm?”
“Can I taste you?”
“…Taste me?”
“Uh-huh.” His fingers moved between their bodies, stroking her through her jeans. “Right here.”
She gasped.
“I did say I wanted something while I was waiting for dinner.”
“You did,” she agreed.
“So that’s what I want. I want to taste you.” His eyes searched hers. “Is that OK?”
“Jax…”
“What? Too much?”
“No.” Sarah smiled at him, that pure, shining smile that he was fast becoming addicted to. “Not too much.”
Jax sat up and took her by the shoulders. He gently lay her down again, and she went, trusting him. He undid her jeans, pulled them down her legs. Her panties quickly followed, and there she was, totally naked under him, that body just begging for his touches and kisses. He paused for a few seconds to savor the sight of her – so creamy and curvy, and yep, she’s a natural redhead – and she watched him.
Dangerous Curves Page 11