by A. M. Kusi
“I think almost everyone is,” she said.
They were quiet for a few minutes. A flight attendant came over and took their drink orders. They didn’t continue until she brought them back.
“Jax?”
“Yeah?” he asked, distracted by the softness of her touch on his hand.
“Why don’t you do relationships?”
Jax cleared his throat and adjusted in his seat, pulling his hand back into his lap. “I am too busy.”
It was a safe answer, but partly true nonetheless. He changed the subject. She was asking too many questions that made him uncomfortable. He didn’t want to go to those dark hidden places that she was so adamant about breaking into. “So, we will get settled in the hotel after we arrive, maybe grab some dinner and have an early night? Active Zone is expecting us tomorrow morning to do a tour of the complex. We can meet up and discuss our first impressions when we get back. Sound good?”
“Sure,” she said.
“Did you bring your book for me to read?” he asked.
Harper blushed. “No. I mean, I don’t think I’m ready for you to see it yet.”
Jax sipped the water the flight attendant had brought him. “Worst thing that ever happened to you?” Jax asked.
Harper looked out the window, ignoring his question.
“Harper?” He had known her since she was ten. She had two living parents and a great relationship with her only sibling. Jax would have heard if anything terrible had happened to her. Wouldn’t he? “Was it your mom?”
She shook her head. “I’d rather not say.”
“How about the best thing that ever happened to you?” he asked. It bothered him that something bad had occurred to her and she didn’t feel comfortable sharing it with him. Anger at the thought of someone hurting Harper turned his stomach to acid.
“Um, you mean besides almost having the night of my life with a perfect stranger who turned out to be you?” She grinned.
Jax laughed. “I mean, I know I’m pretty great, but that can’t be the best. You have traveled all over, seen so many things, grown up in a life with so much privilege.”
“It’s the moments that make life special. I have had several great ones in my travels, but honestly, the most raw, excited, alive, and free feeling I have ever felt was that night.” Harper met his eyes as her cheeks flushed pink.
Jax was floored. Surely this woman who had been everywhere and had access to almost anything she wanted in life wouldn’t choose their almost-one-night together as one of her top five, never mind the best. Jax looked away, unsure what to say, but knowing he couldn’t hurt her by downplaying their time together and how it made him feel.
Harper and Jax went back and forth, having conversations that he made sure never got too personal. He would change the topic back to Harper or business, or make a joke to get the pressure off himself. Harper seemed to know what he was doing, because she didn’t press.
The lights for the seatbelt came on and the captain’s voice came through on the speaker, letting them know they were about to make their descent to Richmond, Virginia airport. Jax reached his hand back over to Harper, knowing this part was scary for her and at that moment, he would do whatever it took to make her feel safe. He was uncomfortable with the spectrum of emotion and vulnerability, but with her by his side, it was easier.
***
After they checked in at the hotel, they opted for rest and takeout. Their rooms were right next to each other’s.
“Go ahead and order whatever you want for dinner and meet me in my room,” Harper said, handing him her spare key card. “I am going to take a nap.”
Jax nodded and headed into his room.
She walked into her room and left the suitcase near the door. The open space was bigger than she’d expected with a kitchenette, living room with a couch, coffee table, and desk with a single chair. The room was clean, updated, and cold from the air conditioning, but had a gas fireplace.
In the bathroom, she splashed her face with cold water from one of the double sinks. She glanced at the large tub with jets before walking towards the bedroom. Memories of their time at the adventure course the previous day teased her with what could be. Feeling his touch against her skin when he’d accepted her words, appearing grateful for the contact. Also, he hadn’t left her hanging with the simple pinky swear. Something about the action had made her insides melt. He cared more than he admitted.
He was so masculine, and she had a hard time controlling her own urges around him. Like the constant craving to suck on his brown and pink-tinged lips, and feel the hardness of his body against hers.
Harper lay on her bed, needing a nap after her emotionally draining morning. Flying always took a lot out of her. Jax had held her hand long after they had gotten in the air. She knew he wanted to be with her, but there was so much holding him back.
She took off her bra and yoga pants, opting for the comfort of her T-shirt and black lace thong. She pulled the white down comforter that smelled clean with a hint of bleach over her shoulders, falling asleep quickly.
***
Jax opted for a run on the treadmill of the hotel’s gym before ordering food and returning to his room for a shower. After a quick rinse, he threw on a pair of athletic shorts and a blue tee.
When the food arrived, he tipped the delivery guy and made his way over to Harper’s door. He knocked first, but when she didn’t answer, he used his key card to open the door.
Her room was dark except for a pane of light where the blackout curtains didn’t quite come together. Jax flipped on a light switch and set the food on the counter of the kitchenette. Their rooms were identical. A small form caught his attention in the bedroom. He stepped in and found her tangled in the blanket, sleeping, her chest rising and falling with her even breaths. Jax walked over to her side of the mattress, wanting to climb in next to her and wake her up with kisses on her cheek and neck. He could feel an actual ache in his body to be close to her. Instead, he let her sleep.
He turned to leave, but froze when she spoke.
“Mmm Jax…please?” Harper said.
Jax answered, “Please what?”
After a long pause with no answer, he opened the curtains a little wider. Her eyes were still closed. She had been talking in her sleep. She was dreaming about him. Were her dreams as illicit as his own? “Harper?”
She stirred, blinking her eyes a few times before they adjusted in the room. “Jax?”
“I brought lunch, but first I want to know what you were dreaming about,” he said with a knowing smile.
“I don’t remember,” she answered too quickly.
“Was I in it?” he asked.
“No.”
“If you don’t remember, then how can you know?”
“You said you brought food? I am starving. I had whiskey for breakfast,” Harper said, pulling the covers off her and standing up abruptly. The moment she stood up and he saw her hard nipples through the fabric of her shirt, his mouth went dry. She stalked her way to the chair where she had left her pants and bra. Her curvy naked ass was in just a small thong, and he strained against his zipper. Visions of just how he would take her from behind exploded in his mind. Reason was at war with his traitorous body.
Harper bent down to retrieve her clothes, giving him the most perfect view, one that had starred in most of the fantasies he’d had about her since the masquerade ball. The force between them tugged and pulled him maliciously with forbidden lust. He nearly fell to his knees from the pressure building, the flood of desire rising. He wanted to plead with her to release him from her spell. To bed her. She had taken a part of him hostage and he wanted it back.
She wiggled into the second skin of her pink leggings and then pulled off her black T-shirt. Facing to the side just enough so that Jaxton would get a peek of her naked breasts, she put on her matching b
lack lace bra and finally, her shirt. She turned and gave him a sly smile. “Hungry?”
Even in the dim light he could see the desire in her eyes. She knew the power she wielded over him, punishing him for what he couldn’t control. He would bet his life savings that she wasn’t talking about food anymore. “Starving.”
“Let’s go eat then,” she said, walking over to the kitchen to open the bags of takeaway he’d brought.
He had forgotten how little innocent Harper could turn into a confident sexpot on the drop of a dime. She was cute and funny, but then this other side of her came out. Power and sex. Fire and lightning. His Aphrodite. And Jax wasn’t sure how he was going to make it through the week knowing the only thing that separated them was a thin wall.
She was teasing him, just as he had done to her. This girl was fire, and he knew he would get burnt. The longer they spent with each other, the less he cared about the consequences.
Jax needed a moment for his arousal to get under control. He reminded himself of all that was at stake if he crossed the line with Harper. When that didn’t help, he thought of his manhood being put through a paper shredder, because that was what her brother and father would do if they found out exactly what kinds of things he imagined doing to Harper Parker.
Chapter 12
After Harper and Jax spent the afternoon going over the data on Active Zone, they agreed to get changed and meet at seven for dinner at the hotel restaurant. Jax didn’t seem relaxed, rushing her to order as though spending time with her was a nuisance to him.
He ordered whiskey. She opted for vodka this time. They stuck to conversations about the plans for the next week with Active Zone.
She had chosen a floral print black dress with no straps. Her hair was pulled back in a braid that hung over one shoulder, and her face was makeup free. She knew Jax was admiring her, and with each additional whiskey, he became more verbal about it.
“You are absolutely stunning, you know that?” he asked.
Harper licked her lips. “It’s nice to hear you think so.”
“Don’t do that.”
“Do what?”
He held her chin and rubbed the pad of his thumb along her bottom lip. “Lick your lips.”
“Why?” she asked, heat pooling between her thighs from his touch. No man had ever had this much control over her body before. She had never felt as ready, or as wanting as she did with Jax. Every cell in her body craved him and feared him at the same time. Whatever this attraction was between them, it was powerful and constant. Overwhelming and overriding all her senses, it threatened to destroy or save her, she wasn’t sure which.
“Because it makes me have thoughts I shouldn’t be thinking.”
“Why should a woman be responsible for a man’s thoughts?” she asked, leaning closer to him.
“I am powerless against you,” he admitted. She could see his guard was down for the first time.
The feminist in her wanted to argue with him, and tell him that it was rape culture to blame a woman for a man’s inability to control his mind, and then actions by default. The woman in her wanted to lick her lips again, and see just how far she could push him. So she did.
Jax leaned closer, his lips almost touching hers. His breaths tingled her lips with each soft exhale as he spoke, “But, you’re right. It is a man’s job to remain in control of himself, no matter how tempted he might be.” Jax dropped his hand and sat up straight before taking one last sip of his drink and waiving over the waiter.
She didn’t think she could be more turned on by the man sitting next to her, but he’d proved her wrong again. How could his rejection have felt like a triumph at the same time? She knew he was a man of good character and that made her feel safe and thoroughly aroused at the same time. Before she could speak another word, he stood and spoke to the waiter.
“Charge it to the room please.” Jax turned to Harper and said, “See you bright and early.”
She watched him walk towards the lobby where she knew he would get on the elevators and head up to his room. She wasn’t ready for bed, unless he was going to be in it. So, she finished her drink and headed back to her room where she changed into a pink bikini before venturing down to the pool.
Surprised, an awareness slithered through her when she saw Jax as she walked into the pool room that smelled strongly of chlorine. A hot tub bubbled where he sat, broad muscled tattooed arms outstretched, a glass of whiskey in one hand. The man oozed sex. A decadent dark treat for her viewing pleasure. Her body ignited with the familiar ache that throbbed and pulsed whenever she was near him. His naked chest seemed to rise more rapidly the closer she walked barefoot towards him.
Her skin burned as his eyes caressed every inch of her body. Exposed and alone in the empty pool room with him. He was staring at her like he was a hungry lion and she the gazelle at this watering hole. Tension and a tingling consciousness that something was different surged through her. Had she found a weak chink in his armor?
***
“I guess we had the same idea,” she said, slowly lowering herself into the hot water. A mirage of the very fantasy that he had been entertaining just moments before she’d walked in.
Jax didn’t answer. He took another sip of his drink, not taking his eyes off her. The streams of water and bubbles massaged his skin, relaxing him further. He knew there’d been a tent in the front of his swim shorts the moment he’d spotted her in that pink bikini walking through the doors. Avoidance had been working, but now that he was thrust together with her for a whole week, he was starting to rethink his approach.
“Do you want me to leave?” she asked.
Jax shook his head. He wanted her on top of him. He wanted to be inside of her, hear her scream his name. He did not want her to leave.
“Can I ask you a question, Jax?”
Jax knew it was a bad idea, which was why he would say ‘no’ and go to his room.
He cleared his throat. “Sure.” His body betrayed him and he stayed where he was.
“Why didn’t you want to finish what we’d started that night in the penthouse?”
Of all the questions she could have asked, she chose that one. “I found out you were my best friend’s little sister. My boss’s daughter,” he said it out loud, more to remind himself than for her benefit. “I don’t do relationships, but I have needs. One-night stands seem to be mutually beneficial. You were forward.”
“And you liked that?” Harper asked, interrupting.
“Do you do that often?” he asked, hating the idea of her being with anyone else.
“Interrupt?”
“No, have sex with perfect strangers.”
“Not as often as you do, I’m sure,” she said, evading the question. Harper moved closer to him. Grabbing his drink, she took a sip, licking the drip from the side of the glass while holding her gaze. She handed him back the cup and licked her lips one more time. His erection was painfully hard as he watched her sensual display like a mere mortal captivated by his lust for a goddess. Aphrodite, his temptress.
Jax was more than relaxed from all the whiskey he had been sipping throughout the night. All warnings left his head, and his body flooded with warmth and endorphins. Harper’s closeness turned him on like no one else, and if he didn’t get relief soon, the pain between his thighs would make it impossible to walk back to his room.
“I think that’s just an excuse. We obviously have something between us that is worth exploring,” Harper said, leaning her body against his with her head on his arm.
“What makes you so sure?” Jax asked.
She smiled as she faced him, straddling his lap. He groaned as she ground herself against his hardness. “You think I don’t notice this? Or the way that you watch me like you know exactly what you would do with me if you’d just let yourself have the chance?”
Jax looked into her dilated eyes
with edges of golden honey.
She moved her mouth to his ear and whispered, “I know that you want me. I want you too. I also know that you don’t want to take a risk.” Harper moved her mouth right in front of his so her sweet, minty breath blew against his lips, sending a shudder of anticipation throughout his body. “Good thing for you is, I’m worth the risk.”
Harper’s eyes flickered as they stared into his. Powerless to her temptation to make the first move and seal his fate with one kiss, he gave in. Knowing he wouldn’t be able to stop until they were both naked and sweaty. Until he claimed every part of her until they were thoroughly satisfied with each other’s bodies, falling into a deep satiated sleep.
Harper stood, and he immediately missed the connection of their bodies against each other. She grabbed a towel from a wire rack against the wall and walked out of the pool room. Jax watched her slip away, grateful that at least one of them had self-control, yet utterly wrecked that she had left him hard and wanting at the same time. Jax waited a few minutes before he got out. Grabbing a towel, he went to his room. A long cold shower was in order.
Tuesday morning, Jax took their rental car to buy coffee and muffins from Starbucks. He didn’t bother asking Harper what she wanted because he knew she would ask him to surprise her. He opted for two blueberry muffins and black coffee for both of them. He wasn’t sure how things would be after the last twenty-four hours between them. And once he’d had time to sober up, he’d realized they would have made a huge mistake if they’d slept together.
Jax knocked on her door, and she opened it after a few seconds. Harper slipped on a pair of heels, her legs pulling against her tight grey pencil skirt as she wriggled her feet in. She leaned down, giving him a clear view down her soft pink blouse. He wanted to…well, it didn’t matter because he couldn’t do it. Today was about business. This week was about his job. If he hit this contract out of the park, there would be no reason for David to pass on him for the promotion. Jax needed to stay focused, to keep his eye on the prize.