WILD ZONE, A Rough Riders Hockey Novel
Page 38
Lexi slapped his hand and pulled the bottle away, laughing. “It’s not for that. It’s for your shoulders and your legs. Aren’t they sore after swinging a sword and riding a horse all day?”
He lifted her upper body from the bed to drag the jacket from beneath her, then tossed it aside.
“Really?” he said, sliding onto his side next to her, propping his elbow on the bed and his head on his hand. He spread his free hand flat over her belly. “Sure you weren’t trying to get a massage out if it yourself?”
“Smell it,” she said, pouring some on her hands and lifting them to his face. “If it was for me, I wouldn’t get something that was going to make me smell like a guy.”
“Smells good.” Warm, spicy, sultry.
“And it’s edible,” she said, her voice lowering with insinuation. “But I don’t like massages, so I’ll be doing the tasting.”
Warmth flowed into his cock again. “What? Who doesn’t like massages?”
“I’m ticklish, remember? And I don’t like having a stranger’s hands on—” She stopped suddenly, leaving the sentence hanging there in the dark. Then she laughed. “Well, that’s a pretty ridiculous thing to say, considering…”
A place deep in Jax’s belly softened. He slid his hand to the opposite side of her waist and pulled her close until they were skin to skin.
She flinched, squirmed, laughed. “See?”
Jax laughed and rolled to his back, taking her with him. He found more ticklish spots on her sides, and she laughed, screamed, wiggled. She was breathless when he finally stopped tickling her and draped her body over his, heavy and relaxed.
“Oh yeah,” Jax moaned, closing his eyes as he ran a hand over her hair and down her back. “I’ve been thinking about this all day. This right here.”
A moment of silence passed. Jax felt sleep try to tug him deeper into the mattress. He wished he could fall asleep with her in his arms. Wake up with her in his arms. But knowing this was the only night he’d get with her meant he had to savor every moment.
“Jax?” Her voice was soft.
A tiny flare of discomfort brought his eyes open. But it dissipated quickly. He tightened his arms around her and kissed her head. “Hmm?”
“Before I forget, or we get…involved in something and lose track of time and I have to rush out…”
She piled her hands on his chest and propped her chin there. And even though he couldn’t see her face, he sensed her seriousness.
“Thank you,” she said, voice gentle and sincere, “for the very best night of my life.”
A cord of heat pulled straight down the center of his chest, and a wave of sweet emotion overtook him. He couldn’t help himself, just combed his fingers into her hair and pulled her head down as he lifted into a half curl to press their mouths together. He’d intended the kiss to be sweet, but it instantly turned hot. Her mouth mirrored her body so perfectly—wet and hot. He hadn’t even fully softened yet and his cock was already rising again.
“Baby,” he said between kisses. “I know we agreed to just tonight, but you gotta admit we’ve got something amazing here—”
She kissed him harder, smothering his words.
In frustration, he pulled his head back. “Lexi, just think about—”
She pressed her fingers to his mouth. “Jax, I can’t. I can’t even consider it. Just giving myself that sliver of maybe with you is like a fault in a dam.” She curled her fingers and brushed her knuckles over his cheek. “Tell me about your day. You don’t have to go over the part that upset you again…unless you want to talk about it.”
He grabbed her hand and pulled her palm to his mouth. After kissing it, he sucked every fingertip between his lips. “I want to talk about seeing you again.”
“Jax…” she said, exasperation trailing his name out. “You don’t understand. That’s like offering an addict crack.”
He burst out laughing, pulled her to him. “I’ll be your supplier, sugar.”
“Shut up.”
“Honey, do you realize how rare it is to be so comfortable together so fast?”
“Jax—”
“To be so explosive in bed, so fast?”
“Stop—”
“I just want to get to know you better. See if there’s something more. Is that asking so much?”
She pressed her fingers to his lips again. Then removed them and pressed her lips there instead. The kiss was slow, sweet, filled with emotion. When she finally pulled away, she combed her fingers through his hair and said, “Tell me about your day.”
He sighed. “It was great. I’m a lucky bastard. I’ve got the best job in the world. I get paid to play all day.” He smiled just thinking about how much fun he’d had with Ty. Maybe opening up to her would help her open up. “Wanna see me being an idiot?”
“Of course,” she said with so much enthusiasm, he laughed.
He kissed her and shifted her to the side. “Let me get my phone.”
He slid out of bed and retrieved his jeans from the living room. Back in the bedroom, Jax pulled condoms from his wallet and put them on the bedside table, then tossed his pants on a side chair and stood at the edge of the bed, thumbing across screens to pull up the video. Lexi’s hand reached out and stroked his hip, slid down the front of his thigh. The touch was more affectionate than sexual, and it made that soft place in his chest open wider.
When he’d found the video, he handed her the phone, climbed over her to the other side of the bed, and propped himself up behind her. She leaned back against him as he slipped his hand between her body and her arm, pointing to his starting image on the screen. “That’s me. I was taking a break with the other guy while they moved cameras. I was trying to take my helmet off.”
He adjusted the sound and tapped Play.
Ty had been filming well before Jax had known, and the first frames of the video showed Jax fighting with the helmet.
A muffled, “Who the hell…last wore this thing?” made Lexi giggle.
The sound drew Jax’s gaze, and he realized the light from the phone cast a glow on Lexi’s face. But she had her head tilted down and away, toward the phone. He pushed up a little, trying to get a better view.
He caught sight of just a portion of her face. Long, golden eyelashes over one crystal-clear blue eye and smooth skin. His craving to see her face intensified.
“How do you do that?” she asked without looking away the phone. Jax’s gaze lowered to her mouth. Her lips were full, pink, pretty. “Ride like that with no hands?”
“It’s just balance. And I’ve been riding since I was little.”
She hummed, the sound impressed. “I bet you were an adorable kid.”
In the video, Jax called Ty a piece of shit, and Lexi laughed. Crinkles appeared in the outer corner of her eye. He caught a flash of straight white teeth.
“Who are you talking to?” she asked. “Who’s taking the video?”
“One of the actors. He runs his own stunts.”
Another hum, but no real interest. And her laughter picked up at Jax’s antics just before he finally pulled the helmet off. “Oh my God.” She laughed the words. “Is he falling off his horse?”
Jax returned his gaze to the phone where the image was slowly tilting sideways, Ty’s hysterical laughter booming from the speakers. “No, he’s just screwing around. He’s as good a rider as I am.”
Jax returned his eyes to the tiny corner of her face. Took in the way her blonde hair lay softly against the part of her forehead and temple he could see. He wanted to turn her toward him and kiss her, eyes open and staring into hers.
“Did you grow up on a ranch or something?” she asked.
“No. My mother was very into horses, mostly because they were prestigious and allowed her to meet the people she wanted to meet. When I was old enough to decide whether or not to ride on my own, I stuck with it because it got me away from everyone before I could drive.”
“Hmm, I’d have loved a getaway like that as a kid
.” She laughed at something on the video again, and he didn’t get a chance to ask more. “He seems so fun. Do you like him?”
“Yeah. He’s a good kid.” A thought occurred to him, a way to test her. He clenched his stomach in preparation for a spastic response—he got that a lot when he mentioned Ty. “It’s Tyler Manning.”
She didn’t react—at all. Just kept watching the video with a small shake of her head. “I don’t recognize the name. Are you two always this funny when you’re working together?”
If she’d known who Ty was, Jax doubted she could have held back a reaction. He had to admit, he’d been skeptical after the demonstration Ty had given today.
“Usually, yeah,” he answered belatedly. “Like I said, I get to play all day.”
On the video, Jax barreled toward the phone’s camera, and Lexi gasped. Then the picture went dark as Jax’s hand covered the lens, plucked it out of Ty’s hand, and raced off. But his voice came over the audio: “Try, kid. It’ll give me an excuse to knock your ass off that horse.”
Lexi was laughing so hard tears gathered in her eyes. Then the video cut out, and the room went dark again.
“Oh my God, you two are hilarious. How old is he?” she asked. “You call him kid.”
“Twenty-four.”
“And you’re twenty-nine?” she confirmed from their earlier texts.
“Yep. You?”
“Twenty-eight. When’s your birthday?”
“July 7th.”
“Mine too. July, I mean. The 14th. We’re both Cancers.” Her voice smoothed and softened. “Homebodies. We’d both rather be home, but…here we are.”
Jax didn’t really have a home. Not in the traditional sense. He hated LA as a city. Hated what it stood for. But it was the hub of the career he loved. His own family wasn’t what people thought of when they thought of family. He was closer to the guys he worked with than his siblings or parents. And his house, while gorgeous, was big and empty.
“Home is where you make it and who you make it with.” He reached down and turned her face toward his. He kissed her mouth, which was still curved with laughter. And now he’d gotten a glimpse of that mouth. A tiny flicker of her eyes.
Keeping the lights off was truly the way to go. He shouldn’t have looked. Because when he put it together with everything else he’d learned about her in their short time together, he didn’t want to let her go.
“Do you realize your birthday is 7-14?” he asked. “The same numbers as this room? I think you’re right where you belong.”
“Oh my God.” She turned to face him, and he could imagine the wonder drifting through her eyes. “You’re right. That’s…”
“Fate,” he whispered, rolling to his back and pulling her on top of him. “Tonight, baby, this is home.”
Chapter 14
The ring of Jax’s cell pulled him from a deep, dreamless sleep. He blinked as the morning light hit his eyes. He was worn to the bone, and his mind wouldn’t start.
He stared at an armoire with a flat-screen television inside. Another goddamned hotel. Christ, where the fuck was he now?
He rolled to his stomach and groped for his phone on the bedside table. Lamp, clock, hotel phone…no cell. Just as he realized the sound was coming from a different direction, the damn thing stopped ringing.
Jax let his arm fall. It missed the bed and dangled alongside. The stretch felt good, and Jax sighed. The sensation nudged his brain, but he resisted. Didn’t want to think. Didn’t know why, just knew he wanted to avoid it.
He pushed both arms over his head, stretched his shoulders, his back. And groaned. He felt good. Sore, but good. His mind nudged again. He let it float, and the memory came back slow, languid. Hands on his back, relaxing every overworked muscle. Sweet thighs straddling his hips, working out knots in his neck. His shoulders. His ass.
Lexi.
The entire evening came back to him at once, like an explosion. He flipped to his back and pushed himself up. “Lex?”
His gaze held on the door to the bedroom.
Please walk through that door.
He swallowed and called again. “Lexi?”
He already knew it would go unanswered, but sat there, propped up by his hands, waiting. Hoping.
The room remained silent. And he brought her exit back from his memories, the way she’d come to the side of the bed before she’d left.
“Lex,” he’d whispered to her in the dark as she’d leaned over to kiss him good-bye. She’d been dressed in one of his T-shirts that hit her midthigh because she’d refused to take his jacket and didn’t have anything else to wear back to her room. He’d slipped his hand up the back of her thigh and squeezed her ass. “Please say you’ll see me in LA.”
He’d kissed her long and slow and tender. Rolled his tongue with hers, eased his hand between those soft, toned thighs from behind and fingered her, still slick and swollen from his cock. She’d groaned, rocked that sweet pussy into his hand, then abruptly stepped out of reach. “I’m sorry, Jax, I—”
“We can keep it just like this, baby. No one has to know.”
She’d thought about it for two full seconds before she’d denied him again and walked out of his life.
His one night with a woman as close to perfect for him as he ever hoped to find was over.
“Fuck.” He dropped back to the bed and threw his forearm over his eyes.
His phone rang again.
“Jesus.” Jax rolled toward the sound and gropped for it on the opposite nightstand, eyes still closed. He answered with a grouchy, “Yeah.”
“Dude, you out partying late last night?” Wes’s voice registered instantly. “You sound like you just woke up.”
“I did. I don’t have to be on set until noon.”
Jax glanced around the room. His gaze caught on the pillow next to his and a pair of red lace panties perfectly laid out on the white casing. His stomach clenched. Chest tightened. But a smile quirked his mouth as he reached for them.
He slid the fabric through his fingers, fisted it, wishing he could have held on to Lexi as easily. Her little memento didn’t make him feel any better about not being able to convince her to see him again.
“Hel-lo. Chamberlin, dude? You fall back to sleep on me?”
“No. I’m here.” Jax kicked the sheet off his legs and sat up on the edge of the bed. “What did you say?”
Wes gave an exasperated sigh. “Do you remember the conversation we had on the way to the airport, or are you missing too many brain cells?”
Jax winced. The airport. What did they talk about?
When he didn’t answer, Wes prodded, “About finding you a girl like my Kayla?”
Wes’s question temporarily rendered him completely dumb. What in the hell—?
Oh…that. Oh…shit.
“Uh, yeah,” he said, “I remember.” Fuck. “Listen, Wes, I don’t think that’s—”
“We found the perfect girl,” Wes said. “She’s absolutely fantastic. And, dude, I know your taste. You’re going to like her. She’s super pretty and really smart. And she’s got a sweet streak that makes you want to eat her up.”
Jax winced. This was so not the time to talk about another woman, because there was only one he wanted to eat up. “Hey, Wes, listen—”
“I know what you’re going to say—if she’s so great, why isn’t she with someone? Well, she was, which, honestly is why I’m not dating her. Not now, I mean, ’cause I’m crazy about Kayla, but I met Tawna before I knew Kayla and would have totally gone for her, but she was in this long-term thing then.
“She’s been out of it about six months now, lying low to make sure the guy was out of her system before she dates again, which I think is really smart, you know, balanced. And when Kayla and I told her about you, she was game.
“So what do you say? We’ll double when we get back from this gig next week?”
Jax was staring at the beige carpet, Lexi’s panties crushed in his hand. “Are you done?”
“Thing is, bud, I hooked up with someone here.”
A beat of silence filled the line, then, “What? I just left you at the airport. You flew six hours, hauled your ass to the set for twelve, and should have been too tired to do anything but sleep for the rest. When did you have any time to hook up with someone?”
Jax rubbed his eyes. Dropped back to the bed. “I’m not really awake yet, Wes—”
“I imagine not, considering what you’ve been doing. Fuck, Jax, this is so you. You know, if you want to keep making the same goddamned mistakes, fine. Just don’t bitch about the fallout. You pick up women so fast, you don’t take the time to even get to know them. Then they screw you over and—oh shit, look at that, what a fucking surprise.”
Jax sighed. “Why are you yelling at me like a mother hen?”
“Because you’re my friend, asshole, and I’m sick of watching you let women walk all the fuck over you.”
Guilt layered on top of his misery over losing Lexi. Wes was right. And Lexi was gone. She’d made the word no very clear in a dozen different ways.
“Look,” Jax said. “You’re right. It was a fluke thing. We started talking, hit it off. But it’s…it’s nothing. Just a one-night. I just…really liked her.”
“Dude, you really like them all at the beginning.”
“You really should let me have coffee before you gut me. Give me a fucking break. I haven’t had any in over a month, she was hot as hell and offered. Don’t tell me you wouldn’t have done the same.”
He needed to get Wes off his back, and that seemed to make the guy at least think a minute.
“So you flipped one, no big deal, right? You’re not going to see her again, right?”
Jax hated that term. Wes applied the term flipped, as in flipping houses—getting hold of one, working it over, then getting rid of it—to one-night stands.
Jax looked at the ceiling and forced himself to say the words, hoping they’d sink in and he’d get over…whatever this was. “No, Wes, I’m not going to see her again.”