Jaxon: Heroes at Heart

by Maryann Jordan

  Jaxon introduced her to Zeke and Morgan observed the looks shared among the others and wondered the reason. Shifting her gaze back to him, she caught him staring at her. Ducking her head, she reached over to grab a wing before they were all gone.

  “Good for you, Morgan,” Rosalie said, grabbing one herself. “With these guys, they have super manners, are sweet as can be, but when it comes to food, you better go for it quick or it’ll all be gone.”

  Once the wings were decimated, leaving only a pile of bones, she leaned back against his side. Strangely comfortable with a man she just met, and with his friends, she felt at peace even in the loud, crowded bar.

  “So, what do you do, Morgan?” Rosalie asked, still licking her fingers from the barbeque sauce.

  “I’m a graduate student.”

  Jaxon realized that he had not attempted to find out anything about the woman he had been kissing and felt a stab of regret. With a look of chagrin, he admitted, “I should know these things. After all, we’re married now.”

  She snorted and elbowed him in the side, before explaining. “It took me five years to get my undergraduate and now I’m working on my Master's Degree in Education.”

  Rosalie perked up, her eyes bright. “Me too. I’m an English teacher at Hamilton High School.”

  She nodded as she wiped her hands on the napkins provided and said, “I know of that school. I’m getting certified in kinesiology and hope to work as a coach or athletic trainer, but I’ll take whatever job I get offered.”

  He listened with interest as she and Rosalie chatted for a few minutes about their shared career goals and realized it was the first time in a long time he was interested in what a woman was doing with her life. The shallowness of that thought sobered him and he shifted uncomfortably.

  She noticed and glanced at him, saying, “I’m sorry. This is probably boring you—”

  “Actually no,” he interrupted, his gaze roaming over her face, mesmerized with her startling clear eyes. “I’m interested, really.”

  Suddenly, she bolted upright and cocked her head to the side, listening. “Ohh, I love this song. It’s been so long since I’ve heard it,” she declared.

  “Then let’s dance,” he said, scooting his chair back and linking his fingers with hers. This time, there was no awkwardness on the dance floor as they swayed together, their bodies in sync as the music swirled around them.

  He nuzzled her hair and she buried her cheek against his chest. She sighed heavily, and he murmured, “You okay?”

  Nodding, her face still pressed against his heartbeat, she answered, “Yeah. I haven’t had this much fun in a really long time.”

  Before he could reply, she leaned forward, lifting on her toes to call out over the music, “You want to get out of here?”

  Surprised at her suggestion, he asked, “Whatcha got in mind?”

  She licked her lips and said, “How about a little diversion?”

  His grin matched hers as he said, “You lead, I’ll follow, Morgan.”

  Laughing, she slid her hand down his arm and linked fingers with him. Weaving between tables, she made her way to her table, where she bent down to snag her purse from the chair.

  One of her friends whispered into her ear and she grinned and shrugged in reply. Looking back at him, she nodded, “I’m ready.”

  He tossed a chin lift to Jayden, who rolled his eyes in response, then led her out into the cool night air. As soon as the door closed behind them, the noise from the bar faded away, leaving them alone under a street lamp.

  “What did your friend say to you?” he asked, curious.

  “She told me to be careful. That you’re a known player.”

  It was on the tip of his tongue to throw out his usual line of, ‘I’ll be your player for a night only, babe,’ but the words halted. Instead, he said, “For the right woman, I’ll no longer be a player.”

  He caught her wide-eyed look of surprise and wondered where the hell those words came from. Unwilling to think on them anymore, he placed his hand on the small of her back and escorted her through the parking lot.

  Morgan glanced to the man at her side as they neared his Jeep, her heart beating out of her chest. Her back burned where his fingers lay softly as he guided her along. His words should have sounded cheesy, but, the look in his eyes and the tone of his voice said something else. He sounded as though he really meant it and unexpected, tiny butterflies whirled in her stomach.

  Opening the door he took her hand, assisting her up into the seat. She remembered seeing him at the sports arena and thinking he might actually make her feel short. She was not disappointed—he actually was as tall as she as imagined. His dark hair was long, but unlike his brother’s long, messy ponytail, his was shorter and she had a desire to run her fingers through the shoulder-length curls.

  She had never dated anyone with long hair—wait, this is no date! She knew exactly why they were leaving the bar. A quick fuck and then it would be over. The release of pent-up hormones for her and a chance for him to get off. From what her friend had said, he did that a lot.

  Pickups were not usually her thing, but a girl had needs and with her swimming competition schedule, she hardly had time for a relationship.

  All these thoughts were swirling in her mind until he climbed into the driver’s seat and twisted his body to spear her with his grin.

  “So, where to, Morgan?”

  Suddenly unsure, she wondered what to say. My little apartment? Even if Cindy stays out late after her party, my room only has a twin-sized bed. His? Do women ask to go to his place?

  Her uncertainty must have shown because he leaned across the console and cupped her jaw. “Hey, don’t think so hard. We’ll only do what you want and go where you want. If you want to go home alone, I can take you there—”

  “Your place. Can we go to your place?” she rushed, deciding to take charge.

  He tilted his head to the side and stared.

  Blushing, she amended, “Sorry, that was probably weird…or stalkerish. It’s just that my place is small, and I only have a twin bed and my roommate—”

  He shushed her with his fingers on her lips. She felt his eyes boring into hers before he slowly nodded and said, “It’s absolutely fine. My place it is.”

  With another grin sent her way, he started the Jeep and they rumbled out of the parking lot, heading down the street.

  As the wind from the open window blew her hair, she let out a huge sigh. Practice tomorrow, a trial meet the day after, and tonight? Casting a glance at the man driving, she smiled. Finally, some fun!

  7

  Jaxon kept his hand on Morgan’s lower back as he escorted her from the Jeep parked on the ground floor and up the elevator to the fourth floor of the old, re-vamped warehouse. Not located in the best part of town, it was definitely on the edge of the ongoing revitalization of the downtown area.

  They exited the elevator and his fingers continued to guide her down the hall to his door. Unlocking it, he suddenly found himself nervous. It had been a long time since he had brought a woman to his loft, preferring the ability to leave when he was ready, which was usually long before the morning light shone through the windows. In fact, as he thought back, it had been almost two years since he had had a woman here and the memory of having to almost bodily remove her the next morning sent a shiver down his spine.

  Glancing at Morgan, he got the vibe that clingy was not going to be a problem with her. He watched as she entered and immediately moved to the large windows on one side of the living room. He held back, wondering what she thought of his place. The furniture was somewhat plain. A large, black, sectional sofa curved around an impressive flat-screened TV mounted on the wall. Two matching chairs, equally as comfortable, sat on either side with oak end tables and a coffee table.

  He had only bought the tables to give his friends a place to put their beer and chips when over watching a game.

  She turned and smiled. “This is a great view.”

>   He laughed, saying, “In the daytime, I can barely see the river from here, and the view is kinda industrial. But, you’re right, at night, the lights from the area buildings give it a cool vibe.”

  He stood awkwardly for a moment, unable to think of what to say or do. Most of the time, when he entered a woman’s apartment, the last thing he was interested in was making conversation. But with Morgan, he found that he wanted to know what she was thinking. Before he had a chance to speak, she moved around to check out the living room.

  A couple of pictures were mounted on the wall, hung by Rosalie, Eleanor, and Regina. They had determined that all Miss Ethel’s boys needed pictures of everyone. Morgan made her way over to them, peering closely at each one.

  “Are all these your brothers?” she asked, surprise in her voice. Her blue eyes found his as she turned to look over her shoulder.

  “Yes…and no,” he replied. Seeing her face scrunched in confusion, he explained, “Jayden, of course, is my twin. The others are my brothers, just not of blood.”

  Morgan nodded slowly and turned back to the photographs, perusing them carefully. One was when the boys were children, standing on the front porch of a house with a tall, thin woman behind them, arms stretched out, encompassing them all. The other was more recent and appeared to be at an informal picnic. Besides Zander and Rosalie, she saw that two of the other men had women with them as well. The older woman was in that picture, too, sitting in a chair in front of the others, her face turned to the side as she laughed at something one of them was saying.

  She could not help but smile at the obvious affection, but sighed slightly when she tried to think of the last impromptu gathering she had with her parents that did not involve swimming…and came up empty.

  Jaxon watched as Morgan stared at the pictures for another moment, but if she had other questions, she kept them to herself.

  Next, she moved to the DVD collection piled haphazardly next to his large-screen TV. Cocking her head to the side, she asked, “Old horror film buff?”

  “You expectin’ car chases and action flicks?”

  She knelt down to get a better view. Twisting her head up to peer at him, she asked, “Who made a better Dracula? Bela Lugosi, Peter Cushing, Lon Chaney, Jr—”

  “Seriously? You know these movies?” He could not keep the incredulity from his voice.

  “My Nonnie, uh, my grandmother, and I used to watch all the old horror flicks. Personally, I love Bela Lugosi but, I swear, Christopher Lee starred in a lot of them.”

  “Your grandmother watched horror movies?” he asked, his wide smile matching hers.

  Laughing, she nodded. “Not the gory new stuff, but yeah, the old classics. Frankenstein, especially with Boris Karloff. The Wolfman—oh, and she loved The Invisible Man with Claude Rains. She thought he was handsome.”

  She looked back down at his collection and asked, “What about you? How’d you get started watching these?”

  “The lady that raised me believed in us reading classical books and watching classic movies. One of my brothers, Cael, loved the old film noir movies, like Hitchcock’s. Jayden and I were fascinated with the old horror movies.”

  “Lady?”

  “Miss Ethel. My foster mom.” He waited for the continued questions or expression of curious surprise, but they never came. She just nodded, her smile still in place, and looked back down at the movies. He normally avoided talking about his upbringing with anyone, but with her, it felt easy.

  “Oh, my God,” she exclaimed, twisting to look up at him again, a DVD clutched in her hand. “You have Abbot and Costello Meet the Killer Boris Karloff? I haven’t seen this in forever! My Nonnie loved Abbot and Costello.”

  “You want to watch it?” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he wondered what had come over him. I’m just supposed to want sex, right? Looking at her bright smile and sparkling eyes, he suddenly wanted nothing more than to settle with her on the sofa.

  She ducked her head and nodded. “You don’t mind?”

  He bent to kiss her forehead and replied, “Just wanna spend time with you, however we do that.”

  He popped the movie in as she sat in the middle of the sofa. He moved to sit next to her, pleased when she immediately leaned in to cuddle with him. Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, he pulled her in tight and breathed in her delicate scent. The opening credits rolled and he forced his eyes to the TV, but his cock stayed at attention with her sweet body snuggled against his.

  “You know, it’s true that Abbott and Costello didn’t get along. They were always professional but by the end of their acting together, they did not speak to each other off camera.”

  “I had heard that but didn’t know if it were true.”

  She nodded and said, “That seems so sad, doesn’t it? Two people, who were so funny together and very professional when working, actually couldn’t stand each other.”

  “At least they weren’t related. Can you imagine how awkward family gatherings would be if they had a hard time being together?” he laughed.

  She remained quiet, almost sad, and he wondered if he had touched on a difficult subject. After a few minutes, she relaxed again and they laughed throughout the movie.

  Walking into the kitchen when it was done, he asked, “You want a beer?”

  She followed him but shook her head. “I think I’ve definitely hit my alcohol limit for the night. For the whole year, actually,” she laughed. “But, could I please have some water? I want to avoid dehydration.”

  He blinked, not sure he had ever had a woman ask for water. Another drink or even some hangover food, sure, but water? “Yeah, let me get some that’s cold.”

  Her lips curved as she smiled and slid onto one of his bar stools while he reached into the refrigerator for a bottle. He poured the water into a glass and handed it to her. Glancing to the side after taking a long drink, she said, “No table? You just eat here?”

  Chuckling, he said, “I know this seems like a typical bachelor pad, but I never have people over that need to sit at a table. I eat at the bar and when my friends are over, we pile up on the sofa.”

  Nodding, she said, “I like this place. It’s huge and has got personality.”

  “And your place?”

  Rolling her eyes, taking another huge gulp of water, she confessed, “Graduate school poor. I’ve got a little part-time income coming in and student loans that help cover some costs. But, just one more semester, and I can go to work full-time and make some money.”

  They were silent for a moment as she finished her water. Placing the glass on the counter, she smiled again. “Thanks. Um…in the light of full disclosure,” she began, drawing his instant attention. “I saw you the other day. At the sports arena on Layfayette Street. I was in the pool and watched you work on Mr. Carson, the man who had collapsed.”

  Eyes widening, he said, “That’s why you were wondering about my job and my twin!”

  Laughing, she said, “Guilty. I was so impressed with what you were doing and when I saw you tonight, I really wanted to meet you. Then I saw him and wondered if I had the right brother.”

  He rounded the bar and walked directly to her, moving his thighs between hers where she sat on the stool. Placing his hands on the counter behind her, effectively trapping her, he watched her pupils dilate and her breath hitch as he moved closer. “Oh, you’ve got the right brother, all right. You’ve definitely got the right man.”

  He moved in for a kiss, her lips just as delectable as he remembered from the bar but, now that he could hear the little moans escaping, he much preferred the privacy of his apartment. He felt the instant she yielded, her breasts pressing into his chest and her fingers clutching his hair. As his hands caressed her back, he was now fully aware of the taut muscles in her body. She tightened her thighs around his as he moved closer between her legs and again, he felt her strength.

  Leaning back, he held her lust-filled gaze, and said, “Swimmer?”

  “Mmm hmmm,” she
mumbled moving back in for more of his lips.

  Devouring her lips, he finally pulled back. “I can tell you’re strong,” he admitted.

  “You should see what I can do with my thighs,” she grinned, her eyes sparkling.

  “Oh, damn girl, you’ve just upped the game,” he laughed, pulling her closer. Standing, feeling her thighs wrap around his waist, he walked toward the sofa, then hesitated. She must have noticed his hesitation because she cocked her head to the side in confusion.

  “Would it be okay for me to take this to the bedroom?” he asked, wanting to make sure the direction they were going with the evening’s activities was what she wanted.

  “Have the sheets been washed since the last woman you’ve had here?” she quipped, her eyes twinkling.

  He pretended to glare, then replied, “Honestly? I haven’t had a woman here in about two years.” Hearing her gasp, he stared into her wide eyes and quickly added, “I’m no monk, but just not here.”

  She bit her lip for a moment, thoughts moving behind her eyes before asking, “So you had an easy escape?”

  Feeling the heat of uncomfortable honesty moving through him, he nodded. “Yeah…I…uh...yeah.”

  “That makes sense. It keeps someone from assuming too much and as long as everyone understands what it is, then there’s no hard feelings and no awkwardness.”

  Surprised at her acquiescence, he wondered what she thought about him. “I always made that clear, but found that a few women who came to my place decided that the evening would include something ongoing that I didn’t feel. I guess hearing that out loud makes me sound pretty smarmy—”

  “Smarmy?” she laughed. “I’m not sure I’ve heard that term outside of a historical romance novel.” She squealed as he dropped her a few inches before holding her tight again.

  “Hey,” he grumbled, “I thought that sounded better than saying that it made me look like some player asshole.”

  She grinned, bringing her hands up to his face, cupping his jaw. “It’s okay, Jaxon. I know the score. This is tonight. A chance for both of us to let go and have fun with no strings attached. Anyway, my life’s kind of crazy right now and there’s no room for anything but a little fun.” She kissed him lightly before asking, “But, why me? Why bring me here?”