by A. M. Kusi
“Right, I thought that was over though. She won’t tell me who it is, but I can tell she’s really into this guy. I just wanted to check him out and make sure he deserves her. You know what I mean?”
“Uh, yeah. I’ll let you know. I’ll keep an eye on her for you if you want. Let’s get out there and play some soccer. You want to gossip? We can schedule a time to chitchat over fruity drinks or have a tea party later,” Jax said sarcastically. He ran off to the field before River could respond.
He and Harper needed to talk. Jax didn’t like being ambushed like that. He didn’t like having to be dishonest with his best friend either. Disloyalty and betrayal clawing his guts to shreds. Jax was between a rock and a hard place. If he told River now, he would risk losing his friendship and the goal he had been working towards his whole life. It was impossible to resist Harper, especially after he had gotten to know her body so intimately. Harper was his drug; the more of her he had, the more he craved. He wasn’t ready to give up his addiction yet.
“River!” Jax yelled, pulling his friend away from Ella and onto the field to practice for their game on Saturday.
After practice, Jax went straight to his car, avoiding further conversation with his friends. He sent Harper a text.
Jax: We need to talk. I’ll call you in the morning, 2 pm your time.
***
“Hey, sexy,” she answered.
“Hey,” he said quickly.
“What’s wrong, Jax?” She always seemed to read his moods better than he did. “Do you miss me?”
“I saw River last night and he asked me if I knew anything about this guy you told him you were seeing.”
“And what did you tell him?” she asked.
“I told him I would keep an eye out for him. Harper, you never told me you had that conversation with River. We agreed to keep this a secret from him and our families. Thanks for the heads up, by the way,” he snapped.
Harper was silent for a moment. “Can I explain now? Or do you not care to hear my side of the story?”
“Go ahead.”
“After dinner at my parents, he asked me if I was seeing anyone and I told him no, but he saw right through it. I didn’t want him saying anything to my parents so I told him I was, but that I didn’t want anyone to know until I got to know my new man better. I said enough to appease him, and to get him to drop the subject. I came home and told you about my dad asking me about who the best consultant was and you got mad at me, and then we were busy doing other things. I completely forgot to mention it. I diffused the situation anyways.”
“You underestimate how protective your brother is about you. He won’t stop digging until he figures it out. I think he still suspects Simon.”
“Okay, well, from now on, I will record every conversation I have with my brother and play it for you first thing. Is that what you want?”
“You don’t have to be a baby about it.” He sighed.
“Excuse me?” she snapped.
He had struck a nerve.
“Don’t you trust me, Jaxton?”
Using his full first name only confirmed what he knew: she was angry. “Harper, we are still navigating this new territory and—.”
“Don’t give me that bullshit,” she interrupted.
That was the thing about Harper; she saw right through him. No matter how much he tried to keep her out, she had a secret key to his heart and innermost thoughts. Sometimes she seemed to know more about him than he knew himself. “I’m sorry. You’re right. That wasn’t fair. I was just angry that I was ambushed. I thought you told him everything.”
“So, you don’t trust me.”
“Look, I do, I just…I’ve never had to do this before,” he admitted.
“Be in a committed relationship? Trust another human being?” she offered.
“Yeah. All that.”
She was silent. Waiting for him to continue.
Jax glanced at the clock; he needed to get ready to leave for work. “Harper?”
“Yeah?”
“I miss you.”
Three simple words, but they were some of the hardest he had spoken to anyone in his life, except for the few times he’d had to admit to failure to his boss or parents. Being so exposed with his feelings made him uncomfortable. Everything seeming unstable and shaky in his usually even controlled atmosphere. His hands balled into fists from the difficulty of exerting the energy to speak his vulnerabilities out loud.
“I miss you too. It would have been nice to hear that when you called. It would have been nice to hear that you were thinking about me. Instead, the first time you call me is to yell at me.” She had no bitterness in her voice; she was just stating the facts.
“I’m sorry, baby.”
“Baby?” she teased.
Jax smiled. “Goddess.”
“Keep going.”
He could hear the smile in her voice. He would do anything to keep it there. “I can’t wait to get you home and show you just how much I missed you, with my mouth and then the rest of my body.” Physical displays of affection always came easily to Jax.
“I would like that.”
“I have to get ready for work. I’ll call you tomorrow, same time?” he asked.
“Sure. Bye, Jax.”
“Bye, goddess,” he said before ending the call.
Damn, he was whipped. If he had heard any of his friends talk the way he did with Harper, he would tease them to no end. If only he had known being whipped felt so good. He had always felt sorry for the guys who had fallen head over heels for a girl.
Oh, hell no.
That wasn’t what this was. He wasn’t falling; he was just getting to know Harper. It was sex and having fun together. That was all it was. Someday when he had reached his career goals, maybe it could be more. Maybe.
Jax knew he still had some making up to do, which was so much more difficult when it was long distance. He made sure to use his lunch break to check in with Harper through text, and he called her in the mornings the next couple of days. She told him about her adventures in Greece and asked what kind of fun he was staying occupied with while she was gone. They managed to stay connected the rest of the week and a half she was away.
Saturday came, and Jax showed up at the airport. He waited for her in the parking garage, not wanting to be seen by anyone. He flipped the red Nike hat backwards on his head as he got out of his matching Audi. He stuck his hands into the pocket of his ripped faded jeans as he leaned against his car.
The wheels of Harper’s suitcase rolling towards him reached his ears before he saw her. She spotted Jax right away and ran to meet him. The flowy yellow short-sleeved dress she wore showed off her bronzed tan curves. With no makeup, she was breathtaking. Her hair was pulled back into a messy bun and the smile that spread across her face nearly stopped his heart from beating, because all that joy was for him. Pure adoration in her eyes, and it was all aimed at him. A shot to his heart, crashing through his armor, death by internal bleeding.
Jax opened his arms and caught her as she jumped into them. She wrapped her legs around him and let her suitcase fall to the floor. Harper kissed him hard as he dug his fingers into the soft flesh of her backside.
She pulled back enough to say, “You are a sight for sore eyes! You’re even sexier than I remembered.” She placed a series of rapid kisses all over his forehead, his cheeks, his nose, and finally his lips. Harper opened her mouth to let Jax’s tongue reacquaint itself with hers. Her taste enveloped his senses. He groaned with an urgent need to be inside of her.
“Woah,” he said, breaking the kiss. “I need to get you home right now or airport security is going to get a show they won’t ever forget.” Jax dropped her to her feet and picked up her suitcase. After putting her bag in, he climbed into the car where Harper was waiting.
Before he could start
the engine, she reached over and kissed him urgently. Needy and desperate. She slid her hand down the side of his seat and laid it back in one quick motion. Jax sucked in a shocked breath. Seeing her eyes grow dark, he realized what she was doing. Harper unbuttoned his pants and he helped her slide them down. He peeked out the window, making sure there was no one around to see them.
***
“This is too risky,” he said.
She straddled his lap, lifting her dress and connecting their bodies. Seeing him standing all sexy waiting to pick her up had her insides taut with need instantaneously. It had been two grueling weeks without feeling him inside her and she couldn’t wait another moment.
They moaned together, all worries about a potential audience forgotten. She ground against him slowly at first, gradually increasing her speed. He dug his fingers into her hips as he matched her thrusts, pumping her up and down. His hand sweeping inside, swirling the spot that ached and throbbed, sending sparks and shimmers clouding her vision. The windows had begun to fog up, and she knew it was only a matter of time.
“I’m going to come,” he warned.
His words sent a shockwave of pleasure rippling through her body and in that moment, there was nothing in the world she wanted more than the power to take him to the highest of planes of orgasmic ecstasy.
“Come,” she commanded, giving him her permission. She knew it was just the start of their reunion.
Jax pulled her closer to him and bit her nipple through the fabric of her dress sending her freefalling as he tensed and his face contorted with his orgasm. “Fuck!” he yelled.
Harper smiled, satisfied that she could illicit such a reaction from him, and sexually satiated herself at the same time.
“Missed me that much huh?” she teased, sliding off him and reaching into her bag for wipes to clean themselves with.
“I’ll have to encourage you to go on more trips if that’s the welcome I get.” He smiled.
Chapter 20
By the time they drove back to Jax’s apartment, he was ready to make good on his promise to use his mouth to show every inch of her body just how much he’d truly missed her.
He spent the next hour doing just that, as their bodies reunited. Harper moaned and screamed her approval throughout the time spent on his couch, and his bed, and then again in the shower. Exploring every peak and valley, drawing it out, bringing her close and then pulling back, teasing her with his tantric touches. They lay breathlessly satiated and sleepy with hair still wet from the shower, bodies naked and tangled together.
“I think your neighbors heard us.” Harper laughed.
“Oh well.”
“You aren’t embarrassed?”
Jax used his elbow to sit up and look at her. How could the woman in front of him be so forward one minute and shy the next? “Nope. The sounds you were making are like a resume of my talent. I don’t care who knows that I am a sex god.”
Harper laughed. “You better only use these talents with your goddess.”
Jax was instantly taken aback by her statement. He looked at her and frowned. “Of course. I may be experienced, and this is also my first relationship, but I’m not a cheater. Are you worried about that?”
“I’ve wondered,” she answered honestly. “I was gone for two weeks, and I know Natasha has a thing for you. She might have mentioned something a few times. Have you and her ever…?”
“Never. I’ve thought about it, but never acted upon it.”
“Oh,” Harper said, dropping her gaze to his chest.
“Are you jealous?” he asked, smiling.
“Maybe a little. She seems like your type. Career woman, focused, beautiful, confident, and I’m just me.”
Protectiveness swirled inside Jax at her words. He wanted to assure her, but also curious as to why she would suspect he would step out on her.
“I like you. You’re confident.” Jax used his finger to trace the shape of her face. “You’re beautiful and spontaneous.”
She smiled and looked up into his eyes again.
He continued, “You’re stubborn and persistent.”
She laughed.
“You’re disorganized, unless you’re cooking. How do you even manage that?”
“I never thought about it. I like certain things organized for me to function better. Other things, it’s more like disorganized chaos. But once in a while, when I can’t sleep, I stay up all night and arrange everything.”
“Wow. I don’t even know what to say to that.” He laughed.
Harper smiled and kissed him before snuggling back onto his chest. It was only the afternoon, but she had been on a plane most of the night and had told him she hadn’t eaten except for a few snacks on the jet. Tiredness and hunger seemed to vie for her attention as her stomach rumbled and her eyelids drooped closed. Sleep won.
Jax watched her as she fell asleep, her breathing growing deeper and slower. He laid there content. Since she’d left two weeks ago, this was the first time he hadn’t felt like something was missing from his life.
His phone dinged with an incoming text, so he tentatively reached over and grabbed it.
River: I’m coming over. We need to talk.
His stomach clenched in anxious tangle of knots. His blood turned to ice as panic seized control of his body. River knows about me and Harper. In a split-second decision, Jax sat up before pulling his arm out from under Harper. He shook her, and she stirred.
“Wake up. You have to leave. River is on his way over here. Harper!”
“I need sleep. I’ve been awake all night. I’ll just sleep and he will never know I’m here.” She yawned and pulled the blanket higher.
“Come on. You gotta get dressed,” Jax said. He started gathering Harper’s clothes from where he’d nearly ripped them off her when they’d gotten back from the airport.
“Meet him outside,” she groaned.
“Harper!” Jax said, his tone becoming angry. “Get your clothes on and get out. Now!”
She jolted upright. Jax got dressed quickly and ran down the stairs, making sure there was no evidence of her in his apartment.
She came downstairs a couple minutes later with her sundress on and began searching for her shoes. Jax was already waiting with them in his hand and her suitcase in the other. Harper grabbed them, and slipped them on.
“I called an Uber and they are waiting out front. You have to hurry.” He opened the door and picked up her suitcase but she pulled it from him. “Let me help you to the car.” Jax looked down, seeing her tears for the first time in the rush. Agony piercing through the panic that he was the cause of her pain.
“So you can take out the trash?”
“What?” he asked, his voice rising in anger again. They didn’t have time for this.
“You’re an asshole, Jaxton,” Harper said, rolling her suitcase away without another word.
“I’ll phone you after he leaves,” he called after her.
Harper was livid, but he couldn’t worry about that right then. River was on his way over and Jax had a bad feeling. When someone said ‘we need to talk,’ it was never a good thing. Unease slithered over his skin. Terror taking hold, constricting his breaths.
Ten minutes later, a knock sounded at his door. He opened it cautiously, trying to read his best friend’s face for any sign of what was to come.
“What’s up with you lately?” River said, pushing his way into Jax’s apartment.
“What do you mean? What’s wrong, bro?” Jax asked.
“My girl lied to me,” River said.
Jax felt a rush of relief flood over him. River didn’t know about him and Harper. His secret was still safe. Remorse overrode his temporary relief when he saw his friend was obviously suffering. “What happened?”
River told him about the secret he had discovered, and what Ella had
confessed to him. His friend’s whole world had been flipped upside down. Guilt weighed down like lead on his shoulders for hiding so much from River too. If he was this upset over his girlfriend keeping something from him for a week, how much angrier would he be knowing Jax had kept the fact that he was dating his sister for two months a secret without telling him first?
Jax asked River some questions and helped him make a plan of action to confront the issue, although it would mean that River would have to be out of the office for the next week.
“Can you cover for me at work?” River asked.
“Yeah, I got you.”
His friend called their assistant, Dorothy, as Jax drove to the airport for the second time that day. He dropped him off at the entrance and wished him good luck before finding a place to park and call Harper. His call went straight to her voicemail.
He drove back to his apartment, thinking about how he and Harper had left things. Surely once she got some rest she would understand why she’d had to leave his house so quickly. They could have been caught, and they’d agreed to keep their relationship a secret. He knew she was exhausted from her trip, plus adjusting to the time difference. He would give her some time to rest and then make it up to her.
Jax sent her a text message.
3:15 pm Jax: I’m sure you’re sleeping. Please call me when you wake up.
8: 01 pm Jax: Are you awake?
9:23 pm Jax: Please let me explain. Harper, just call me or text me when you get this. I need to know you are safe.
10:33 pm Jax: I called the Uber and they said you made it home safe. Please respond to me and let me know you are okay.
Sunday 6:01 am Jax: Goddess, please talk to me.
Chapter 21
Harper had gone home, too tired to even cry for long. She’d fallen into her bed and slept soundly from the afternoon on Saturday to eight in the morning on Sunday. Her body was sore from the time she and Jaxton had spent in his bed.
Harper felt fresh tears roll down her cheeks. She had never been treated so horribly in her life. She felt used. Hearing the anger in his voice when he’d yelled at her like she was nothing but an annoyance to him had nearly broken her heart. Her father was not one to yell, so the booming sound of Jax’s deep voice, the voice that had just loved and soothed her, had scared her. She had been too exhausted to try to hide her tears of rejection. He’d treated her like he was ashamed of her, having sex with her and then kicking her out on the curb. Jax didn’t care about her like she’d thought.