“Hey.” Jax’s deep voice came through the line and her stomach dropped. He really called? A goofy grin spread across her face.
Say something! “Hey yourself. I wasn’t sure if I would ever hear from you again.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah, seriously.”
“Karma you have issues if you thought for a second I wouldn’t jump at the opportunity to spend time with you.”
“That’s what my shrink says.”
“Your shrink?” Jax’s voice sounded weary.
“Don’t worry, I’m not a loon. My family just believes therapy is good for the soul.”
“Interesting.”
“Is it? Most of my friends go to therapy. It’s really not a big deal these days.”
“Oh no, are you some stuck-up rich girl?” Jax teased.
“Not exactly. I mean my dad’s a plastic surgeon and makes good money. But I’m not stuck up and I go to community college and drive a Ford Focus. That should count for something, right?”
Jax laughed. “Fair enough. When can I pick you up?”
“I’m ready whenever you are.”
“How about an hour?”
“An hour’s perfect.”
“Bring your bucket list.”
“My what?”
“Your bucket list you told me about last night.”
What the hell? She must have been drunk if she told him she had a bucket list. Karma had never made a bucket list in her life. The only thing she knew about it was from a movie about old guys which she only saw half of. Why the hell did she tell him she had a bucket list? Obviously, she’d had too much to drink. How the hell was she going to get out of this one?
“My list is private.” Hopefully, that would put a stop to the madness.
“No list. No date.”
Okay, so maybe not. Karma blew out a long breath. “Fine, I’ll bring the list. You’re asking a lot, you know.”
“And you’re offering a lot.” She could hear the smile in his voice and couldn’t help but smile herself.
“See you in an hour,” Karma said. She clicked off the phone and looked around in a panic. How in the world was she going to come up with a bucket list? She didn’t even know how long they were supposed to be. Why did she have such a big mouth? Bucket list? Jesus, Karma, you could have come up with something better than that...
“Dad!” Karma yelled down the stairs and he came running up.
“What’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong is I’m a complete idiot who doesn’t know how to keep my mouth shut. Apparently, I told Jax I had a bucket list last night, and now he wants me to bring it on the date.”
Her father scratched the top of his head. “A bucket list? A list of things to do before you die? That’s just weird, Karma. Why would you tell him you had one if you didn’t?”
“I don’t know. It was the only thing I could think of for my reason behind the one-night stand.” Karma crossed her arms and leaned against her computer desk. “He’s picking me up in an hour. I have no idea what to put on it.”
Just as she finished speaking, Matt came into her room. “Did I hear you say a bucket list?”
“Yeah.” Karma filled him in on her dilemma.
“Just print one off-line. There are literally tons of them to choose from. I think half the people have the same things on them anyway. I made one a few years ago, but forgot all about it. Maybe I should look into starting mine...”
“Really? I can just print one off of the Internet?”
Matt looked at her like she’d lost her mind. “You can get anything on Google. You should know that, everyone knows that.”
“Maybe she should make up her own list,” her father said, looking over at Matt. “I mean after all, the guy asked to see it. A bucket list says a lot about a person.”
Karma rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to rack my brain to think up a damn list. I like Matt’s idea.” Karma crossed the room and stood on her tiptoes to kiss Matt on the check. “Thank you. You’re a lifesaver.”
Matt shrugged, his face turning slightly pink at the praise.
“So are we going to get to meet this guy?” Karma’s father asked, putting his arm around Matt.
Oh boy. She wondered what Jax would think when he met her two dads. He was such a manly man. And these two were—well, not. But then again, it was her life and her dads were great. And besides, she and Jax weren’t actually dating, it was just a crazy arrangement to ease his conscience.
“Of course, just don’t embarrass me,” Karma said firmly even though she knew it was useless. Her dad would probably have naked baby pictures out before Jax drove into the driveway. Or even worse, videos. “Yes, but seriously, no videos. And don’t say anything to humiliate me. I do a good enough job of that on my own.”
“Not even your dance recital video? You know I love to show that off. You were precious.” Her father was dead serious. She had to put a stop to his fatherly pride before it got out of hand.
“Especially not that! I was the only chubby girl in tights.” Karma grabbed her laptop and fell back on her bed.
“You were not chubby. You were well fed and healthy.”
Karma rolled her eyes. She had been chunky, there was no denying that fact.
“Speaking of food, don’t forget to eat something,” her father said before leaving the room.
“I’ll be down in a minute,” she mumbled as she ran a search on Google.
It was insane how many bucket lists there were. She scrolled through a few and Matt was right. A lot of people posted the same outrageous things they wanted to do and places they wanted to go. Some of them looked fun, and she’d always wanted to travel more. Without paying much attention Karma copied and pasted one hundred items. She scrolled to the top of the list and added “have sex.” That should do it. Good enough anyway. She found it odd that he even wanted to see the silly list, but whatever. As long as she got to see him again in all his hotness. Hopefully, she hadn’t drunk too much and would discover that in reality he wasn’t such a gorgeous specimen after all.
Karma looked down at her phone; she still had a little while before Jax would be there. She wasn’t sure why, but she started to pick up her messy room. She threw all the dirty clothes in the hamper, made the bed, and shoved the rest of the stuff in the closet. It’s not like he was even going to see her room.
The doorbell rang. She looked in the mirror and smoothed down her unruly hair. She’d decided on casual for the date. The front of her hair was twisted up at the sides so it was out of her face, but there were flyaway strands as usual. She’d opted for jeans and a sweater. She didn’t want him to think she really was a stuck-up snob.
CHAPTER 10
Jax pulled into the driveway, jumped out of his truck, and was surprised to find he was nervous. The kind of nervous you get right before a big fight. He used to be a boxer until he had one too many concussions and the docs warned him to stop fighting or he’d be in danger of screwing up his brain. He happened to like his brain very much so the choice was easy. He still missed it though—the adrenaline rush of meeting an opponent in the ring.
The house was larger than an average colonial—white pillars and all. It was set back from the street, surrounded by a spacious lawn and towering oak trees. Karma wasn’t kidding when she said they had money. A Porsche, Land Rover, and an older Ford Focus sat in the driveway. Maybe he was in over his head. What the hell was he thinking coming up with this crazy idea of three weeks anyway? The girl just wanted to lose her virginity. He should have just manned up and taken it, but no, his conscience overrode his body. He had been more than prepared for a long night of sweaty sex.
A virgin. It’s like seeing the Loch Ness Monster. A rare find indeed.
Taking a deep breath, he dried his palms on his jeans, climbed the stairs, and then pressed the doorbell. A moment later the door swung open and two older men stood there given him a once-over. Karma’s dad and uncle maybe?
“Hello
, I’m Jax. I’m here to pick up Karma.” He reached his hand out to the tall distinguished-looking man. He was about the same height as himself so around 6’2” and slender. He looked like a runner.
“Hey, Jax. I’m Karma’s father, Garrett, and this is my partner, Matthew.”
“You can call me, Matt.”
Jax took in the other man. He was younger, shorter, and had movie star good looks. They shook hands. Partners—he was surprised, although he wasn’t sure why. It’s not like it was unheard of. Hopefully, the surprise didn’t show on his face. Last thing he needed was to make a bad impression on her father.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Jax said.
“Come on in. Karma will be down in a minute.”
“This is a beautiful house.” Jax looked around. The kitchen was off to the left. It was spacious and everything was white and immaculate, from the tile to the faucet. An ugly pug picked its head up and looked at him and then laid it back down like it couldn’t be bothered to get up.
“Thank you,” Garrett said and led him across the foyer to the living room.
The living room looked like something out of a magazine spread. A large fireplace took center stage, wide plank wood flooring, and just the right amount of artwork on the walls. Photographs lined the fireplace, and Jax had to stop himself from going to get a peek. Karma was probably adorable as a child. Instead, Jax sank into the leather couch and Garrett and Matt sat on either side of him. He felt like he was about to be interrogated.
Garrett cleared his throat. “I appreciate that you didn’t take advantage of my daughter. She doesn’t always think before she acts.”
She told her father? Jax wanted to bolt, but he was stuck there between them. “Um...no problem, sir. She seems like the type of girl that deserves more than a one-night stand.” Jax couldn’t believe he was talking about a girl’s virginity to her father—awkward.
Matt patted his knee. “That she does. It takes a good man to realize that. She’s a great girl.”
What the hell had he gotten himself into?
Just then Karma entered the room carrying a sheet of paper, and everything made sense again. Damn, she took his breath away. She was wearing a pair of jeans that hugged her curves in all the right places and a gray sweater that brought out her unique eyes. She looked down at the ground and then back at him with a smile that nearly stopped his heart. What the hell was wrong with him?
“I hope my dads aren’t giving you a hard time.”
Jax rose from the couch. “No, not at all actually; they have been very welcoming. You look great, Karma.”
A flush of pink rose to her pale face. “Thanks.”
“I see you got the list.”
“I really don’t want you to see this. It’s kind of embarrassing.” Karma put the papers behind her back. “Anyways, let’s get out of here.”
Jax told the dads he’d have her back at a decent time. The two men followed them to the door. Jax wondered if he met with their approval or not.
As they walked out the door, a breeze whipped Karma’s hair back. Jax was close enough to inhale the clean scent of her shampoo. Vanilla and something else; he wanted to bury his head in her hair. Get it together, man, Jax scolded himself as he opened the passenger door.
Karma grabbed hold of the handle and pulled herself up, making her sweater pull up in the back, revealing flawless pale skin. This was going to be much harder than he expected.
“Let me see the list,” Jax said when he got behind the wheel. He was very curious to see what this beautiful girl had on her list of must do’s before she left the earth. And he needed a distraction.
“Why?” She clutched the papers to her chest.
“Because that’s how we’re going to pick our date. Every time we go out we’re going to cross something off your list.
“Really?” Karma frowned.
“Yes, now let me see the list.”
Karma sighed and handed him the list.
He whistled. “Jesus, Karma, most of these things require traveling.”
Karma shrugged. “There’s a lot I want to see.”
Jax scratched the back of his head. “You want to meet the Dalai Lama?”
“Who doesn’t?” Karma replied.
“Yeah, I guess this is going to be harder than I thought. Oh, whoa. I see a couple that could work out, but will make it very hard to keep up my three-week plan.”
“Oh really? Which ones are you talking about?”
“Skinny-dipping and kissing passionately in the rain. Nice choices, by the way.”
“Well, it was a good idea. Let’s just do a normal movie and dinner.” Karma reached for the list, but Jax turned his body so she couldn’t reach it. “I’m still looking,” he said, scanning the list. We could give blood at the Red Cross. That’s number twenty-four on your list.”
“Give blood? I don’t want to give blood,” Karma said, her face turning pale. “That must be a mistake. I hate needles. I would never put that on the list.”
“Maybe you wanted to overcome your fear.” Jax set the list between them in the truck. He pulled open his phone and searched for Red Cross locations and backed out of the driveway. “There’s one not too far from here.”
Karma threw her head against the seat. “Jax, let’s pick something else. I don’t think that’s first-date material.”
“You made the list.” Jax flicked on the blinker, leaving the neighborhood.
“I’m going to pass out.”
“Lots of people pass out when they give blood. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Your blood could save someone’s life.”
Thirty minutes later Karma was sitting in a chair and staring at him like she wanted to throttle him. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. The nurse came around and tied the rubber band on her bicep and gave her a ball to squeeze.
“There’s nothing to be afraid of, people give blood all the time,” Jax tried to reassure her. He thought it was cute she was scared and also brave of her for wanting to overcome the fear, even if she went kicking and screaming.
Karma glared at him as the nurse swabbed her arm and removed the needle from the package. Karma’s face took on a greenish hue. Well, she shouldn’t have put it on her list if she didn’t want to do it, Jax thought with a smirk.
As soon as the needle entered her arm, Karma looked down. “I feel light-headed,” she said; then she slumped to the side, passing out.
Holy shit, she really does pass out. Jax rushed to her side and held her up. The nurse just rolled her eyes. “Honey, she’s fine. It happens all the time, she will be back to herself soon.” She pulled the needle out, set the blood on the counter, and placed a Band-Aid on her arm.
Jax shook Karma by the shoulder, and her eyes fluttered open. “Is it over?”
“Yeah, it’s over,” he said, smiling. She looked so innocent and fragile it brought out a protective streak in him. “You did very good.”
The nurse came back over and handed her a container of juice and crackers. “This will help. Do you need to lie down?”
“Nah, I’m fine. Thanks,” Karma said and gave her half a smile.
“At least I didn’t slide to the floor this time.” Karma took a sip of the drink.
“I would have caught you.” Shit, what was it about this girl that made him want to put a protective barrier around her to keep her safe?
“Thanks for making me go through with it. It’s not so bad once it’s over.”
“I think it’s pretty cool that it was on your list.”
“I might need to reconsider my list,” Karma said with a sigh.
“No way. I hope this is a copy, because I’m keeping it. I need to figure out what we’ll do tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? Don’t you work? Or go to college?”
“I do work. Unfortunately, I’m going to have to miss out on some of our days. I work two twenty-four-hour shifts a week.”
Karma set down her drink and peeled open the crackers. “What kind of job h
as all-day shifts?”
“I’m a fireman.”
She looked up, her gray eyes full of surprise. “Get out of here. You are not.”
Jax laughed. “Why is that so hard to believe?”
“I don’t know. I guess I just thought of you as some tattooed bouncer. Now you tell me you have this life-saving job. It makes you even sexier—if that’s possible.” Karma shoved one of the crackers in her mouth.
“You think I’m sexy?” Jax gave her a crooked grin. He still couldn’t believe this girl wanted to spend time with him.
“Everyone thinks you’re sexy.”
“Watch it, Karma, you might cause my head to swell.”
Karma looked at him out of the corner of her eye and smiled wickedly. “That’s the plan.”
Jax’s pulse raced; this girl was going to drive him crazy. He wanted to take her right then and there, he didn’t even care if everyone watched. How in the hell was he going to make it through three weeks?
CHAPTER 11
Karma watched as Jax took his turn giving blood and tried not to drool all over herself. His large athletic frame barely fit into the small metal chair. She could stare at his hulking arms forever. Well, maybe not that long, but a very long time without a doubt. There was much more to admire about Jax than just his tattooed arms. Such as the way his T-shirt stretched across his broad chest as if it was hanging on for dear life. Her eyes drifted downward, taking in his flat stomach and muscular thighs; she felt heat rise to her face when she recalled running her hand up the length of him the other night. He was so hard, long, and thick she couldn’t help but grin at the memory. Shit, just looking at this guy made her body tingle and her panties damp.
He looked up and gave her one of his crooked grins that caused her heart to go into overdrive. His face was transformed when he smiled, making him look relaxed and happy. It was refreshing to see that instead of the cold hardened look he had at the club.
What an unusual man he was turning out to be. A fireman? Does it get any sexier than that? Karma thought to herself as she took a sip of the juice the nurse had given her. She felt physically unable to take her eyes off him.
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