She focused on his sensual lips, and all she wanted to do was trace her thumb around them. His lips had felt incredible on her last night. Hopefully, she didn’t have to wait the full three weeks to get them back on her body.
She was so lost in her fantasy she didn’t even realize he had stood up and was coming her way.
Her eyes were glued to him as he walked toward her with athletic grace and the confidence of a man who’s completely at ease with himself. And why wouldn’t he be? He was perfection personified.
“Now what?” Karma asked as Jax approached her. Her breath caught when he was in touching distance, sending a thrill through her body. The warmth from his body invaded her personal space, but she didn’t mind, not one little bit.
Jax pulled out her list from his back pocket and scanned it. His blue eyes flicked up to hers, causing her knees to weaken. “Now we go to lunch, and pray for rain,” he said as an impish grin crossed his face.
“You don’t need rain to kiss me, you know,” Karma shot back playfully.
Mother Nature, if you’re listening, now would be a good time to turn on the water works!
Jax put his hand on her back and gently nudged her forward. “Let’s get out of here.”
Karma laced her arm through his, and they strolled out the door. Being so close to him made her heart pound like a jackhammer against her chest. However, she wasn’t going to let her nerves get in the way; she was going to take advantage of any time they had together. There was no way she was going to screw up another chance of—well, getting screwed.
“What’s your favorite food?” Jax squinted down at her as they walked into the bright sunlight.
Karma pulled out her sunglasses and settled them on her nose. “Pizza, steak, ribs, pasta. You name it, and I probably like it.”
“A girl who likes to eat—that’s refreshing. All right, where is the best pizza joint in town?”
“That’s easy, Michael’s Pizza. It’s not too far from here either.”
“After you, Karma,” Jax said as he gestured for her to take the lead.
Twenty minutes later they were sitting in a booth across from each other. Karma had an overwhelming need to learn as much as she could about Jax. She wanted to know what made him tick. Their time was limited. She knew she wanted to remember every last detail about him for the rest of her life, so she had to be a sponge and soak in as much as possible.
Karma ran her hand over the sticky red-and-white-checkered plastic placemat. So many questions ran through her head, and she had no idea where to begin. She figured she would start with the most intriguing thing about him.
“What made you decide to become a fireman?” Karma asked as Jax looked over the menu. What compelled someone to willingly walk into a burning building? Karma always admired the courage they had to possess to risk their lives for a living. Definitely a rare breed of men and women.
Jax glanced up, and their eyes met. His clear blue eyes clouded over for a second as a play of emotions crossed his face.
Finally, he looked away and said, “My father was a fireman. I guess you can say I followed in his footsteps.”
“Oh, that’s cool. Do you guys get to work together at all?”
Jax looked down again. “No, he was killed in a fire when I was younger.”
“Oh, wow. I’m sorry. I can’t even imagine,” she said, trying not to squirm in her seat. Why did she always have to stick her foot in her mouth? She struggled to come up with something to say to break the tension.
His jaw clenched and relaxed just as quickly. “It’s okay. It was a long time ago.”
Karma absently moved her fork around on the table. She tended to move her hands a lot when she was nervous or unsure of what to do or say. “Still, that has to be hard.”
“You could say that,” Jax said as he pushed the menu to the middle of the table. He looked relieved when the waiter came over and placed two glasses of water on the table.
“Hey, Karma, the usual?” Stephen, the owner’s son, asked.
Karma nodded and then figured she’d better make sure it was okay with Jax. “Meat lover’s?” She raised an eyebrow.
“Perfect.” Jax smiled his approval and added two Cokes to the order.
They sat in awkward silence for a couple of minutes. She needed a subject change and fast. “So, five sisters, huh?”
“Oh yeah. The house was always full of drama growing up.” Jax laughed, clearly grateful for the subject change. “What about you, any brothers or sisters?”
“Nope. Just me. I always wondered what it would be like to have a brother or sister, but to be honest seeing my friends fighting with their siblings all the time didn’t look like much fun to me.”
“It’s not so bad. I honestly can’t imagine being an only child.”
“Are you the youngest?” Karma asked.
Jax grinned. “People always assume I’m the youngest. Thinking that my parents kept trying for a boy, but that’s not the case. I’m actually the third in line. If my father hadn’t passed away there would probably be ten of us. My mom loved being pregnant.”
“I can’t imagine raising six kids on my own. Your mom must be one tough lady.”
“That she is. Salt of the earth as they say.”
“Does your mom still live in the area?” Karma took a sip of her water and began to relax.
“Yeah, about twenty-five minutes from my place. I still go over for dinner every Sunday if I’m not working.”
“That’s cool, she must love you coming by still.”
“Probably. So, are you adopted?” Jax asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Actually, I’m not. Garrett is my biological dad. Long story short...he was in the closet and tried living a straight life. As you can see, that didn’t work out very well for him. I was four when they divorced, and I’ve been living with my dad ever since.”
“What about your mother? Is she still in the picture?”
Karma shifted in her seat. She hated talking about her mother. “I guess you could say that. She comes and goes. She’ll never be nominated for mom of the year, that’s for sure.”
Jax eyed her for a moment. “Sorry to hear that.”
Karma shrugged, brushing it off. “That’s all right, my dad makes up for it.”
Just then the waiter set the pizza down in front of them. Jax reached over and put a slice on her plate before placing one on his own. Obviously, his mother had done a good job of raising him. He really seemed too good to be true.
“Man, this looks delicious,” Jax said. He took a bite and pulled away, eyes wide.
“Hot?” Karma laughed.
“Just a little.” He took a sip from his water.
After they finished off the pizza, Jax pulled Karma’s list out of his back pocket. He walked over to the cashier and asked for a pen and came back with a check mark on the accomplished task.
“How many have you marked off so far?” he asked.
Karma couldn’t meet his eyes. “Umm, none. I always meant to get around to the list, but never had the time. I probably never would have if it wasn’t for you. I can’t even believe I mentioned the list to you.”
“Really? Well, that’s a shame.” His eyes ran down the list. “Are you free tomorrow?”
Was she free? Of course she was free. The clock was ticking. “I have classes, but I can ditch them.”
Jax looked up. “You shouldn’t ditch class.”
Karma rolled her eyes. “It’s not like I have a test or anything, and I can get notes from Eva.”
He looked skeptical. “You’re sure?”
“Positive.”
“Well, if you’re sure, are you up for a day trip?”
“Of course. What do you have in mind?”
Jax’s eyes twinkled. “Great, we’re going to go bungee jumping!”
“What?” Karma said loudly. This could not be happening; she was terrified of heights. The idea of jumping off a ledge with just a rubber band tied around her was bey
ond absurd.
“It’s on your list.” He pointed at the paper. Karma looked at him like he’d lost his freaking mind.
Damn that stupid list.
She should probably just tell him she never had a list, and she was beyond drunk when she said she did. She opened her mouth to say just that, and immediately closed it. The words were stuck in her throat. She didn’t want to come across as a liar on their first date. What if he never wanted to see her again?
“Karma?”
She couldn’t believe what she was about to say. Clearly, she’d completely lost her mind. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. So why not?” Jumping off a bridge with nothing but a stretchy rope around her ankles? If nothing else, this crazy bucket list was really making her face her fears. Maybe it was a good thing in the end. Or maybe it was going to be the death of her.
CHAPTER 12
Jax really didn’t want the day to end, but he also didn’t want to monopolize all of her time either. “I guess I should get you home.”
Her full lips pouted, and it tugged at his chest.
“Really? It’s not that late.” Karma glanced at the clock on the dashboard.
He stared at her for a moment. “Don’t you have anything else to do?”
“Nope, I cleared my calendar for you.”
Her bluntness was refreshing. He couldn’t stand the mind games girls usually liked to play.
There was no way he could tell her no, and he had nothing else planned either. He racked his brain trying to think of something they could do together that wasn’t lame. He really wanted to make a good impression on her. “Did you have anything in mind?”
“We could always just go back to your place.” Her gray eyes crinkled as she smiled.
“Nice try.” Although there was nothing he’d rather do than take her back to his place and tear her clothes off. He had to push back his inappropriate lust that was causing his jeans to become uncomfortable. “If you’re up for it, there’s someplace I want to show you.”
“Ohhh! I love surprises.”
So she loved surprises—he’d have to file that information for future use. “It’s a bit of a drive though.”
“That’s okay. I really don’t have anything going on today or tonight.”
They drove about forty minutes, making idle chitchat. Jax was surprised at how at ease he was in her company. He found her completely fascinating. She was funny, sexy, and sweet. It amazed him she had remained a virgin so long and that he had been lucky enough to meet her.
“How old are you, Karma?”
“I’ll be twenty in a couple of days.”
“Twenty? How were you drinking at the bar? Never mind, obviously you have a fake ID. You could go to jail for that, you know.”
Karma rolled her eyes. “How old are you?”
“Twenty-five.”
“That’s about what I thought.” Karma put her bare feet on the dashboard, and Jax had to force his eyes to stay on the road. “How much longer?”
“Just another ten minutes.”
They turned off the paved street onto a gravel road. Jax couldn’t believe he was taking her to his special spot. It’s where he went to think when something was bothering him, or if he just needed to be alone. He’d spent a lot of time there after his father got killed. He had never taken anyone there before. And he had no idea what made him want to bring Karma. Maybe because their time was limited? Even if they made it to the three-week mark, she’d probably hightail it out of there once she got what she wanted.
Jax turned the truck into a grassy plain, came to a gradual stop, and cut the engine. “We’re here.”
“Where is here exactly?” Karma asked, looking around, her doe eyes wide with curiosity.
“You’ll see.” Jax jumped out and opened her door. He grabbed her hand as she jumped down. He didn’t want to let go of her hand, so he didn’t. “We have to walk a little ways.”
She nodded, but was busy taking in her surroundings. He had to admit it was breathtakingly beautiful. The leaves were just starting to turn colors, the green mixed with gold and burnt orange, forming a beautiful canopy above them. Sunlight just barely filtered through. A squirrel scampered across a tree branch. He could hear the water rushing from the river below them. Just being in the area made him feel at peace. He wasn’t sure if it was the sound of the river or just being immersed in nature. Probably a little of both.
They walked down a long narrow winding path. Karma was a trouper and didn’t complain at all. Yet another thing to add to the already long list of things that made her sexy as hell. Eventually, they burst out from the trees into a clearing.
“Close your eyes.”
Karma tilted her head up and looked at him funny.
“Just close them. Trust me.”
She hesitated slightly and then closed her eyes. He pulled her gently out of the pathway. “Keep them closed.”
She giggled, and Jax smiled; he loved the sound of her laugh.
“It’s just a little further.” He led her down a steep incline before coming to an abrupt stop. “You can open them now.”
Karma opened her eyes and gasped. “Jax! It’s incredible.” Her eyes scanned over the cliff. She grasped ahold of his arm as if to steady herself even though he made sure to keep her at a safe distance.
“I come here when I need to think or just want to be alone.”
Karma turned and looked up at him. “Thank you for bringing me here.”
He couldn’t help himself. Without thinking, he pulled her close to him and pressed his lips to hers. She didn’t hesitate to meet his kiss; her hands came up to his chest and grasped his T-shirt. His mouth was devouring her with his own urgency; her body seemed to meld to his.
Jax pulled away. Damn, he swore he wasn’t going to do that.
She was gasping for air when his mouth finally left hers. Just being near her was driving him wild. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to. I couldn’t help myself.”
“Please, don’t stop.” Karma ran her hand up his chest, and he grabbed her hand and pulled it down to her side.
“No fooling around, remember?” Jax said softly, gently raising her chin until their eyes met. “It’s just three weeks.”
“Do you take pleasure in torturing me?” Karma said, her shoulders slumping and lips pouting.
As if his body had a mind of its own Jax pulled her back passionately, holding her head in his hands and kissing her with everything he had. He couldn’t stand seeing her lips pout. He slid his palms down her arms and pulled her closer at the waist. It was as if his brain stopped working, and his senses were overwhelmed. Her curvy body contoured to his while her small hot hands roamed up the back of his shirt. His skin was on fire from her touch. Jax groaned against her mouth. God, he wanted her right then and there. She tasted so sweet; his mind began to wonder where else she tasted sweet...
Jesus, what was he doing? Stop. Stop. Stop. He couldn’t stop. He felt like a caveman that wanted to claim her for his own. His hand grabbed her ass and pulled her tighter to him. He wanted to be her first everything and also her last. They felt so natural together.
That thought brought him crashing back to reality. What the hell was wrong with him? He broke the kiss, breathing hard. She stared up at him, her silver eyes bright and shiny. She was as breathless as he was.
“Wow,” she said in wonder.
“Yeah, wow.” Jax tried to control his breathing. They were still holding each other close and neither wanted to let go. Why was he so drawn to this girl? Obviously, she was sexy as hell, but so were a lot of girls. It was probably the challenge. She was a virgin after all, so obviously there was a lot of appeal in that fact alone. Finally, he pulled his arms away from her. He felt surprised by the way his body ached with an emptiness he’d never felt before. He dragged his tongue across his lower lip, and tasted mint and cinnamon. He tasted Karma.
“Maybe this wasn’t the best idea.” He cleared his throat, dropping his hands. He looked
over the cliff; it was so desolate up there it felt like they were the only people in the world.
“I think it was a great idea,” Karma said, touching her swollen lips, her eyes wide and innocent. Just one look from her and his knees felt weak. He had to get away before he did something he would regret.
“We should go.”
“We just got here. Let’s stay awhile. We don’t have to kiss or anything else. I just want to sit here with you.”
Jax looked down at her, and their eyes locked. “Are you sure? Because I can’t handle kissing you again right now.”
“Positive. I just really don’t want to go.”
Jax grabbed her hand and pulled her over to a large boulder he often sat on, and she pushed herself closer to him, laying her head on his shoulder. The sun was rapidly setting and soon it would be twilight. “This is nice,” she whispered.
He didn’t bother to answer. He was completely content to sit there for as long as she wanted. They talked about everything and anything, getting to know each other better, and watched as the sun set. Jax couldn’t remember feeling this happy in a very long time. He also knew he was in too deep. It was going to be hard to let her go at the end of the three weeks. He could already hear the sound of his heart breaking. Maybe he should just end it now.
CHAPTER 13
Karma ran a brush through her hair while staring at herself in the mirror. Did she look good enough? She still couldn’t believe Jax found her beautiful. The only other people to call her beautiful had been her father and Matt. And dads are supposed to say stuff like that. Her mother had certainly never called her beautiful before. Ever since Karma was a little girl, her mother had only pointed out her flaws. Karma could name them one by one they were so ingrained in her brain: stop being a wallflower, put the cookies back, you’re going to be as fat as a pig, put your head up, walk straighter, do something with your hair, aren’t you good at anything? On and on her mom’s words bounced around her head on a daily basis. Her shrink said she gave her mother too much control. Karma knew she was right but it was hard when deep down she believed everything her mom said was true.
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