Fuck. There goes my plan to tell her that I love her, huh?
She must have seen something on his face because suddenly, she was crying. “I’m sorry, Jax… I’m so, so sorry. I’ll try hard to remember us, OK?”
He caught her in his arms. “Hey, don’t do that… it’s not your fault. None of it.”
She sobbed now, and he planted soft, little kisses on her cheeks and forehead, desperate to offer her some comfort.
“Shhh. It’s all going to be fine.”
“Are you going to leave me?” she said.
“No way.” His response was instantaneous. “No fucking way. You’re back and I’m here, and neither one of us is going anywhere, not ever again. As far as I’m concerned, we’re not broken up anymore.” He pushed her hair off her face with both hands. “You my girl, Sarah? You mine again?”
“Yes,” she whispered. “Yes.”
“That’s all I care about, and everything else can wait. Mac says your memory may come back in time, so let’s just keep breathing and hang on. Alright?”
“But what if all those memories of us are lost forever? What if I can’t ever get them back?”
Jax kissed her lips now, gentle and hot. “Then we make new ones, baby.”
Chapter Nineteen
6 weeks later
Jax held the heavy door at Curves for Sarah, watched her carefully as she limped through. The private and intensive physical therapy sessions were doing her a world of good, and here was the result: his girl was walking on her own. Slow, a bit shaky… but on her own two feet.
Aidan saw them come in and practically leapt over the bar at them. He watched Sarah approach, his eyes glowing at her. “Hey, Red.”
“Hey.” She smiled at him. “How’s it going?”
“Oh, awesome. You know me.”
“Uh-huh.”
He opened his arms to her, and she walked in to them. He enfolded her gently, still not totally able to believe that she was here, and warm, and talking. Aidan had always assumed that a coma was a death sentence in slow-motion – that had been his experience, anyway – and the fact that Sarah had returned from that shadow world seemed to him to be nothing less than a miracle.
He held her away from him, really took her in. She looked tired, but tough and focused. Jax said that she was working like hell at her physical therapy, pushing herself almost to the point of collapse some days. Sarah’s determination to walk again – no limp, no weakness – was a driving force in her life. If only she could regain her full memory through the sheer force of her will… but that part was all about time. And luck.
His eyes met Jax’s, and the two men exchanged warm glances. When Jax had told Aidan about his decision to have Tank drop an unharmed Dave at the Denver PD, Aidan had immediately requested to stay at Curves. Jax had been more than happy to agree, and had torn up his two-word letter of resignation. He’d been amused to notice that the words were not, ‘I Quit’.
“OK, let’s sit down,” Jax put his arm around Sarah. “She’ll be here any minute.”
“Cosmo, hon?” Aidan asked with a wink.
Sarah laughed, and both men loved to hear it. “It’s not even four o’clock.”
“You’ve never had a drink in the afternoon?”
Sarah paused. “I – I’m not sure.”
Aidan bit his lip.
Goddammit, I didn’t mean to call attention to the gaps in her memory. Fuck, Carter. Nice job.
“Hey…” Jax reached for her hand. “You OK?”
Sarah was thinking. “You know what? I actually… I think that when I came here one time, I wondered what it would be like to drink in the afternoon.”
Jax’s heart jumped. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” She stared around. “I know! It was the day I came here to accept your offer!”
“What offer?” Aidan asked.
“Never you mind,” Jax huffed at him. “So – you remember that day?”
“I do…”
They all smiled at each other, the relief etched clear and bright on their faces.
“OK, then,” Aidan said. “So, I’ll bring you a Cosmo, and you can enjoy your first foray in to wonderful world of afternoon boozing.”
She giggled. “Sounds perfect.”
Without saying a word, Jax led her to the same booth they’d sat in together on their first date. He slid in next to her, just like he did that night, and he waited to see if she made a comment. She didn’t say anything, though, and he didn’t push.
Time, man. Just give it time.
The door opened and they both looked up to see a woman standing there. She was short and curvy in all the right places under that straight-laced suit. She clutched her cell phone like a lifeline, and right now she looked scared out of her mind. Jax got to his feet and she blinked at him. He wondered if his bar’s reputation was freaking her out to the point that she was actually going to take to those expensive high heels.
“Naomi?” he said,
She relaxed a bit. “Jax?”
“Yeah.” He extended his hand. “It’s good to meet you.”
“You too.” She took a step forward and looked at Sarah. “Sarah?”
“Yes.” Sarah smiled. “Hi.”
“Sit down,” Jax invited.
Naomi Abbott sat across from them, and they gazed at her. Her blonde hair was short and chic, bringing out her wide brown eyes and razor-sharp cheekbones. Her lips were generous and lush, but right now, they were being worried between her teeth. She shot a quick look around Curves, and a flash of something resembling fear went across her face.
Aidan came over now, set the drink in front of Sarah. Naomi’s eyes zeroed in on it, then skittered away.
“Hi,” Aidan said, turning on the charm. “What can I get you, hon? You a Cosmo girl, maybe?”
“Oh!” Naomi looked flustered. “Oh, no, thank you. Just coffee, please.”
“You sure now?” Aidan asked.
“Y – yes. I’m sure.”
“OK, then.” He gave her a wink and she stared at him, totally astounded at the blatant flirtation. She didn’t usually get too much of that in business meetings, and she was a bit flummoxed. “One coffee, coming up.” He wandered away, and Naomi found that she kind of enjoyed the view.
“Thank you so much for seeing us here,” Jax said. “It’s kind of unusual meeting in a bar, I guess, but all my documents are in my office.”
Naomi laced her fingers together, held on tight. “It’s no problem.” Her words and body language were in direct contradiction with one another, and both Sarah and Jax noticed.
“I’ll just go get the papers.” Jax stood up. “One sec, OK?”
The women nodded.
“So…how are you doing?” Naomi asked Sarah hesitantly, once they were alone. They’d been speaking on the phone for the past two weeks or so, hammering out some details, and Sarah had shared much with her. Naomi knew all about Noah, of course, but she also knew about Sarah’s recovery process.
“Oh, much better.” Sarah took a sip of her drink and Naomi watched every movement as she set the glass down. “My balance is coming back slowly, as I regain mobility. I’m remembering things better, too. Mac was right and I’m often triggered by my senses. Touch and sight, mostly.”
“That’s amazing,” Naomi said, completely forgetting her tension at being in Curves for a few seconds. “And how is Noah handling what happened?”
“Incredibly well. I think that he’s more adaptable to new situations than we thought. He’s getting way better at breaking routine, though he still needs some every day. And he needs a heads-up, you know, if something different’s about to happen. Sometimes he loses it, but that’s happening less and less often.”
“So you think he’s ready for the program?”
“I do. I’ve talked to him about it a few
times, and he loves the thought of being able to take his backpack to the center every day, and to paint with other people around. He’s also pretty excited about being able to buy his own baseball cards and puzzles with money that he’s earned himself.”
Naomi hesitated. “And – and what about the man who attacked you?”
“Dave?” Sarah’s voice was pure ice. “In jail, killing time. No bail for him, since he’s shown himself to be a flight risk.”
“You’ll have to go to trial?”
“We’ll see. There may be a plea bargain.”
“How do you feel about that?” Naomi’s eyes were gentle.
“I’m not sure, to be honest. I guess I have to see what his lawyers offer.”
Jax came back now, carrying Naomi’s coffee, and she found that she was slightly disappointed that the sexy blond hadn’t brought it to her. She was a sucker for Texan men and their accents.
“There you go,” he said.
“Thank you.” She stirred in some sugar, took a sip. “So we’ve talked about every detail on the phone, except for one thing…”
“I haven’t told you the actual amount I’ll be donating to your organization. That’s here.” Jax handed her a piece of paper and her eyes widened.
“But – but – that’s… are you sure?” she said.
Jax nodded.
Naomi stared at the dollar amount again, calculating what could be done with that much money. It made her head spin and she glanced up, trying to fight back her tears of shock and gratitude.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“And actually, there will be more than that,” Sarah said.
“M – more?”
“Uh-huh.” Jax grinned. “A friend of ours will also be making a sizable donation to the Art With Heart program.”
She swallowed. “They will?”
“Yep. His name’s Matt Kingston.”
“OK.” Naomi regained control of herself, and managed to resume her professional calm. Well, as much as she could hold on to in this goddamn bar. “Will he be contacting me directly? Or should I meet him separately?”
“Oh, no. He’s on his way here now.”
“Oh.” Naomi smiled. “Great.”
Bang on cue, the door opened and Naomi blinked as a man stood there in the doorjamb for a minute. He was backlit and illuminated and all she could think was that he had to be – quite literally – the biggest man she’d ever seen. Tall and broad, she could feel his power radiating across the cement floor at her. Her reaction was visceral, instinctive, and she shivered.
He stepped in to the bar and shut the door. Naomi saw him clearly now, and she felt ripples of pure lust crawl over her skin. Dark hair, cropped close to his head; gray eyes that nailed her to the spot in the booth. Black leather jacket, jeans, boots. Stubble on his square chin, heavy silver rings on his thick fingers. Hard, strong, tough as hell, pure sex on legs.
His raw masculinity was like an onslaught of testosterone and heat and she was flattened by it. In her mind, she was on the floor, gasping, her trim little pencil skirt hauled up and over her quivering thighs, being ravished and overwhelmed by this man. All he had to do was touch her, just once, and she was sure she’d melt in to a puddle of desire on the spot.
Jesus. That is what trouble looks like.
He grinned at her now, and seeing that hard face flash with light slayed her all over again, in a totally different way. She nodded back, so prim and proper, then dropped her eyes. She assumed he was a bar patron, so when he came over to the table and hugged Sarah, Naomi felt a bizarre combination of horror and delight.
Lord have mercy… please don’t tell me that this is Matt Kingston. Also? Please let this be Matt Kingston.
He turned to her now, extended a huge hand. “Hi, Naomi. Matt Kingston.”
Fuck. Me.
“Hi.” To her relief, her voice was steady and measured, but under the table, she clutched her cell phone hard enough to make her worry about cracking it. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“You too.” He peeled off his jacket as he sat beside her, exposing tattoos running the length of his massive arms, and she practically climbed the wall to give him enough space on their side of the booth. Now that he was right next to her, she was very aware that this man was too much – much too much. She’d been prepared to admire him from across the room as he drank beer with some friends. Having him mere inches away from her was not what she’d been expecting, and it was scaring the life out of her.
“So.” She cleared her throat a bit. “Jax and Sarah were just saying that you’re also interested in the art program I run for adults with autism?”
“Yeah.” King’s voice was all morning-after sexy, even though it was late afternoon, and she idly wondered just how sexy he’d sound in the morning. “I like what you do, a lot. I like the idea that you market and sell their art, and the artists get a significant portion of the earnings. It’s a great way for them to actually develop some financial independence. That’s sadly rare for autistic adults.”
She was surprised. “So you know the program?”
“I do. My niece is in it.”
Naomi stared at him, and he found himself wanting to dive in to those dark eyes. “She is?”
“Yeah. Callie Winters.”
“Oh.” Naomi smiled now. “Callie’s your niece?”
“My sister’s kid.” King nodded at Aidan behind the bar. “Since going to your center four times a week, her behavior’s done a complete one-eighty. She also earns about seven hundred dollars a month, and has a savings account. She loves having her own money. Mostly uses it to buy clothes and makeup – but then again, how’s she any different from most every other twenty-year-old female on the planet?”
“Well, she works at it,” Naomi said. “And she’s a talented artist. She deserves every penny.”
“Yeah.” That grin again. “I love her stuff. I have about twenty of her sculptures and pieces of pottery all over my house and office.”
Naomi was about to answer when Aidan brought over a beer and set it right in front of King. She froze as the smell hit her. She didn’t like beer, but right at this moment, that hardly mattered to her. All she felt was the wave of pure need – a need to drink until all her confusion and insecurity just faded away. If she had a few drinks, she’d be able to talk to Matt Kingston with total confidence, she knew. He wouldn’t scare or intimidate her anymore.
Uh-oh. Dangerous thoughts. Time to get out of here.
King raised the glass to his lips and she practically licked her own, imagining the taste, the sting, the tang. The slow slide of gorgeous, perfect alcohol down in to her body, warming her and reassuring her.
Goddammit. I need to call Mirrie. Like, now.
Matt was between her and the door, and the idea that he could move that mountain of a body seemed impossible. But he’d have to shift, because despite her unruffled appearance, she was fucking losing it. She pressed the number ‘7’ on the phone hidden in her lap, waited a few seconds, then disconnected. She knew Mirrie was waiting, just in case, and sure enough, her cell rang less than ten seconds later.
Naomi picked up with an apologetic grimace. “I’m so sorry. Is it alright if I take this?”
They all nodded. Sarah drank the last of her Cosmo, King sipped his beer again. Naomi felt her whole body go shaky with want.
She put the phone to her ear. “Hello?”
“Naomi? You need to meet?”
“Yes. Yes, I do.”
“Twenty minutes. Our usual place. Tell them you’ve got to go right now. OK?”
“It’s no problem. I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
She disconnected, looked around the table. “I really have to go – it’s kind of an emergency.”
“Everything OK?” Jax asked.
“It will be.”
<
br /> Matt stood up, offered her his hand. She hesitated before taking it, and when he pulled her across and up, his casual strength awed her. Now that they were standing next to each other, she got the full measure of the man, and quite literally. Even in her smart high heels, her eyes were barely level with that muscular chest. If she stepped forward, her head would be tucked right under his stubble-covered chin. She tried hard to not want to be there.
From his side, King was getting his first full look at Naomi’s body, and good Christ, he was going to look his fill. She wasn’t anything close to his usual type, and he was astonished to find that made him more aware of her charms.
The woman was short – not what he went for, as a rule – but holy fuck, those curves were something else. She was making one hell of an effort to cover them up in that suit, but it was a losing battle. A body like that couldn’t be contained by gold buttons and severe little jackets and straight skirts that went past the knee.
King imagined Naomi in a silk sheath, tight and cool on her hot little body, slippery and gossamer-thin. He’d lower the straps with his teeth, watch all the silk just slither right off those glorious breasts. God, he’d love to get his hands on her, to blow past those polite walls she had up, to shatter her reserve.
“Can we reschedule?” Naomi dug deep to be cool. “Maybe for tomorrow?”
“Sure. Should we come to the center?” Sarah asked.
Naomi almost sagged in relief that she’d be away from Curves. Or any bar. “Yes, that would be great. I could go over some of my budget proposals, and show you some plans for expansion.”
“You have all that ready?” King said.
“Yes. I have a five-year plan.” She took a deep breath. “But with your help, I may be able to accomplish much of it in just one year.”
“Great,” Jax said. “So tomorrow. Maybe at noon?”
“Oh, no,” Sarah said. “I have physical therapy until noon, remember. Maybe one o’clock?”
“Perfect.” Naomi shook hands all around, avoiding King’s intense stare, and then shot out the door.
They all sat down again. King rubbed his hand on the back of his neck.
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