“Stodgy?” I asked in surprise while Devin and Avery laughed themselves to tears.
“I couldn’t agree more,” Devin said when he managed to control himself. “He really does have a stick up his ass most days.”
“Don’t hurt your brother’s feelings,” Avery chided, rubbing Devin’s shoulders. “You don’t want to make him look bad in front of his date.”
“Babe, I think the cat’s already out of the bag.”
“It’s just that every time Jaxson has shown up at Elena’s doorstep, he seems so…formal and—”
“Well, the first time I came was strictly for business,” I countered.
“Business?” Her sister giggled. “I think you just found a good excuse to see my sister.”
“Possibly.” My eyes connected with Elena’s, and I felt an insane need growing inside. I wanted to get her on the dance floor so I could feel her body next to mine. “She seems to have cast a spell in my direction.”
Elena’s smile grew a little at my confession, and I softly groaned, knowing I’d lost the battle I’d barely begun.
“Everything okay?” Devin asked, and I cocked a smile in his direction as my hand fell to Elena’s bare leg. She moved closer, and it took everything I had to maintain control.
“It’s not his fault, though,” Avery added. “Jax never goes on dates.”
“You’re telling me that the city’s most eligible bachelor doesn’t date?” Elena’s brow arched seductively, and my pulse climbed. “I can’t imagine that Jax goes anywhere alone.”
I loved hearing her call me Jax instead of Jaxson.
“I don’t date,” I confirmed.
“Curious,” her sister drawled.
“I don’t have time for a relationship. Among other problems.”
And it was true. I didn’t have the time, patience, or lifestyle that allowed for any long-term relationships. I tried it once and that was enough.
“But you sleep with women?” Sadie asked.
“You don’t have to answer that.” Elena’s eyes were wide and filled with horror, which only made me want her more.
Elena’s hand slid to my leg, and her eyes stayed on mine.
All I wanted to do was slide Elena on my lap and feel her soft lips against mine.
“So, Jax told us that you’re a writer,” Devin began, and all I could think about was Elena’s hand on my thigh. I suddenly felt like I was in tenth grade where this kind of touch nearly undid any teenager exploring boundaries, and I was that teenager.
Damn. It was hard to concentrate.
“I am.” She nodded and eyed me, making my pulse climb to a dangerous level.
“What do you write?” Avery asked.
“My sister writes everything from articles for magazines and journals to blog entries. She does mostly freelance work,” Sadie informed them.
They both looked at Elena, and she nodded in agreement. “What she said. I mainly write about what captures my interest. Right now, I’m writing about the string of murders that plagues the city.”
“Interesting,” Devin began. “Why something so dark?”
“Well, it probably never would have crossed my radar as an article I wanted to write until some people showed up at my door threatening me. Since then, I’ve become fascinated with the inner workings of politics in this city. Other than that, I don’t know where the story will take me.”
“Makes sense.” Devin nodded and smiled. “Do you plan on—”
“Would you like to dance?” I interrupted, softly squeezing her thigh.
“I’d love to. Anything to get us out of twenty questions,” she whispered.
Elena moved out of the booth and gave her sister a quick hug before I led her down the stairs to the dance floor.
Even though there was a crowd of people, it felt so good to finally be alone with her.
Elena shimmied her way through the crowd, keeping hold of my hand as she wove our way to the middle of the floor. The crimson dress that she’d thrown on before we left her apartment accentuated every curve of her luscious body. Her hips swayed with every step forward, and I knew all the men were watching her as she turned to face me. She slowly brought me into her as her eyes stayed fastened to mine.
As the first song traded out for a slower one, I pulled her closer. Her breathing quickened as our bodies met, and my hands slid along the curves of her hips, the softness of the fabric gathering along my palm as she rested her hands along my chest and looked into my eyes as if I were the only man alive.
“You’re so extremely beautiful, Elena,” I whispered, feeling her body moving next to mine.
“It’s just good lighting.” She smiled. “I do better when I’m in the dark like this.”
“And humble,” I murmured, feeling her hands slide along my belt as our bodies continued to glide to the music. I hardened immediately, and her smile grew.
“Do you treat all of your dates to this special treatment? Telling them how beautiful they are?”
“I told you, I don’t date.”
“I don’t know that I believe it. You have to sleep with women.”
“I do, but I don’t date them. I don’t take women out to dinner. I don’t go dancing.”
“Then how do you meet them?”
“Well, when I do, it’s usually through one of our establishments and it’s not…” I bit my lip, wondering why I was telling her any of this. “It’s understood that spending a night together means nothing more than something physical.”
“I can’t imagine any woman would fall for that. They may tell you they can sleep with you without hoping you’ll call, but I’m sure they’re lying.”
I brought my lips closer to her neck. “Is that what you’d want, Elena? You’d want me to call in the morning and the day after?”
A shiver spiked through her, and I moved back, still holding her.
Her eyes were burning with the same lust churning through my body. The anticipation of getting her into bed had to be one of the most painfully delicious thoughts I’d ever had.
“Yes,” she said simply. “I can’t do one-night stands.” Her body froze and sadness flicked through her eyes. “So if this is all for one night, I’m sorry to—”
“I wouldn’t sleep with you unless I knew there was a promise of tomorrow.” The words tumbled from my lips before I knew what was coming out.
But it was true.
There was something different about Elena. I didn’t know whether it was her smart mouth, or the way she didn’t care how she came off, or what it was, but the moment she refused to move out of my way the first night I met her, I was hooked.
“Do you believe in love?” she asked, her eyes still full of longing.
“I do.”
She tilted her head, and her eyes stayed on mine as her hand ran up my thigh.
“Have you been in love before?” she asked.
“Once.” I drew a breath and felt her hands circle my waist. “I married the woman I loved—or thought I loved. You?”
“Never.” She shook her head. “Not true love. Maybe puppy love.”
“I’m not sure there’s much of a difference.”
“Sure, there is.” Her lips stayed parted and her tongue slowly slid along her bottom lip.
Elena definitely knew what she was doing, whether or not she’d ever been in love.
“Tell me what it is. What’s the difference?” I asked, feeling her body stay connected to mine as we still moved to the music.
“I got over my puppy love. I don’t think you ever get over your true love. There’s always a part of you that would yearn for that someone you couldn’t have. True love is soul crushing and all-consuming. Puppy love is easily forgotten.”
“Is that so?” I scratched my chin and smiled. “Then I must have had puppy love with my first wife.”
She chuckled.
A few seconds sat between us as we just stared into one another’s eyes, something I had never done before. Not like this.
Or maybe that was what I’d hoped.
“Do you have any plans for tomorrow?” I asked, wanting nothing more than to kiss her.
“I do, actually. It’s my sister’s last night in town so I’m taking her to dinner.”
I nodded. “The next night?”
“I could possibly clear my schedule for the right person.” A wry grin spread across her beautiful mouth. “If it’s a date you’re talking about.”
“Oh, it’s a date, Elena.” I brought my lips to the soft spot right behind her ear, inhaling the sweet scent of perfume and Elena as my mouth moved along her silky skin, down to her shoulder.
She let out a soft moan, and my body ached with desire, but I knew I needed to keep my promise. I didn’t want to sleep with her and never call again. Her hands combed through my hair as my mouth moved along her neck up to her lips. She tasted even better than I remembered. Her mouth broke from mine, her breathing heavy.
“You certainly make it hard to stick to my own rules,” she murmured.
“Which one?”
“No one-night stands.” Her eyes were full of the same longing that raged through my body as her hand fell to my hardness.
“I wouldn’t let you. Not until you’re ready.”
“You mean not until you’re ready.” She bit her lip and dropped her gaze to the floor before bringing it back to mine.
“I know I’d call you tomorrow.”
“But I don’t know that.” She looped her hands around my neck and continued to dance slowly.
“Exactly, but someday, you will know that.”
I brought my lips to hers and wondered if this could ever be the real thing.
Chapter Thirteen
Elena
“I think this would be really cute on you.” I held up a pink mohair sweater that screamed my sister.
“You think?”
“Totally. Pair it with grey leggings and you’ll be the talk of our hometown.”
“Is that a good thing?” She chuckled.
I handed over the soft sweater, and she plopped it over her arm. The pile of clothes for her to try on was increasing by the minute. Today was her last day in the city, and I wanted to spend as much time with her as possible. We had a great dinner planned, but it was bittersweet to have her leave.
Part of me was itching to finish up Part Two of my story on the serial killer connection. Even though I came home half-delirious from spending the evening with Jax and his brother, I went right to work on the first article I planned to post on my blog. In fact, the post was scheduled to go live during our dinner tonight.
There were too many things about this investigation that were either being overlooked or covered up, and I was excited to start bringing them out the world. Plus, finishing up the first article last night helped me relax since I was so high-strung from all the kissing and dancing with Jax.
So I never went to bed.
“What about this?” My sister held up a tweed skirt.
“Cute.”
She added it to her pile.
“Is Dad really travelling to Dubai next week?” I asked, noticing a jacket for me.
“He is, and Mom is not happy about it.” She grimaced, adding another shirt over her arm. “After they held him up in customs last time for so long, she doesn’t want him traveling over there anymore.”
“Why doesn’t she go with him?”
“I don’t think she likes it very much. Dad doesn’t either, but he tends to find buyers who are willing to pay a lot more than some items are worth.”
I chuckled. I’d gone to Dubai with Dad once several years ago. Everything was over the top. Lavish fixtures, extremely expensive sports cars cruising down the streets, and women showing off their wealth through jewelry and clothing, and not much else.
Our family was well-off, but I never understood the need to spend sixty thousand dollars on a purse or half a million on a car. It wasn’t my style, and neither was Dubai. I like to think of myself as being somewhat understated, and Dubai was anything but. The opulence was laughable, but to each his own. I knew my sister loved the place.
“Why don’t you go with Dad?”
“I thought about it, but since I’ve been gone for so long, I’m sure I have a ton to catch up on.”
“But it will be waiting for you. Work always is.”
“True.” A spark of excitement surged through her gaze. “Maybe I will. It might be fun to spend our future inheritance on a ridiculously overpriced bracelet or something.”
I cringed at her honesty but nodded in agreement. “Spend it while they’re still alive so they can see what a good head you have on your shoulders. That’s the spirit.”
“It is, isn’t it?”
I laughed. “And maybe it will sidetrack you enough not to tell Mom and Dad about what I’m up to.”
“I should have known you had motives.”
“Don’t I always?”
“It does seem that way. Even in grade school.”
“What can I say?”
“I think it’s time for me to try some things on.” She glanced at the jacket I had hanging from my hand. “That’s all you’ve got?”
“You’ve seen my apartment. It’s not like I can fit much of anything else in it.”
“Which is another reason I can’t understand your wanting to live here. Everything is so expensive and you get so little.”
“I’m not sure why I do either. There’s just something about it beyond what I’m working on.”
My sister grunted as she walked her haul into the dressing room. The sales associate scurried over several times to help my sister, but she never accepts their help and winds up carrying fifty pounds of clothes to the dressing room.
As Sadie tried on outfit after outfit, my mind wandered off to Jax and last night. I hated the fact that I felt something when he kissed me, when he held me, but that would only make my job easier. So far, things were going as planned, and as long as I stuck to what I needed to do, I’d get my answers.
I’d learn which politicians were in the pockets of the Volkovs and what departments looked the other way when the V Mafia invaded the streets at night doing their dirty work.
Just the thought of getting to take them down was exhilarating, and I knew Joey would be proud.
But the way Jaxson’s blue eyes penetrated mine and looked so deeply into my soul made my stomach knot. I quickly squashed those thoughts and peeked behind the periwinkle curtain.
“Oh, that’s cute.” She’d somehow managed to come up with keep and discard piles in a matter of a couple of minutes.
“I think these jeans will look good with so many things,” my sister gushed.
“Jeans often do,” I teased, and she rolled her eyes. “Maybe we should head home before we go out to dinner. Something tells me you’re going to have a lot of bags.”
“Nah. I don’t mind hauling them with me. I’m starving.”
“Your wish is my command.” I chuckled and closed the curtain before finding a seat.
Apprehension slithered through my veins for seemingly no reason, especially with the security guy following our every move. Currently, he was stationed outside the store.
I glanced around the boutique and only saw a couple of women examining clothes and shopping for jewelry.
I took the jacket to the cashier and paid for it when another wave of trepidation settled around me.
The sensation was in my head. The first blog post wasn’t scheduled to go live for another hour. The threats were merely that because as far as they knew, nothing more was happening.
Threats. There was no one around who knew or cared who I was. This endless worrying had to be in my head. I had a lot of balls up in the air.
I slid the new jacket on and sucked in a breath, but a sick sensation crept over my skin again. Glancing toward the door, I saw it swing shut. I made my way over to
the entrance. Dashing outside, I saw no one other than a few moms with their children on the sidewalk and business executives rushing to their next appointments, cellphones in hand.
See? Foolish.
I can’t let these people—whoever they are—get to me.
I went back inside to see my sister carrying her keeper pile out of the dressing room.
“Where’d you go?” She cocked her head, pulling her brows together.
“I thought I saw someone I knew.”
“You barely know anyone here.” Her furrowed brow suddenly arched.
I hated lying to my sister, especially since she could see right through me.
“I got hot.” I twisted my lips into a scowl and she chuckled.
“Sure, you did.”
The sales associate ran over to my sister and insisted on taking the clothes from her and over to the register.
I heard my sister and the sales associate chitchatting back and forth as another flutter of unease crawled up my spine. I turned to look out the window and saw absolutely nothing out of the ordinary.
I never should have avoided sleep last night. I was a walking mess of emotions, and yet, I fully planned on skipping sleep tonight so I could answer any comments and questions from my post. I’d sleep when my sister left tomorrow.
Sadie had three full bags of clothing by the time she was done. I grabbed one from her, and we made our way onto the city streets. Being outside with my sister suddenly made me feel lighter, less anxious.
It had to be due to a lack of sleep.
We arrived at the restaurant. We were earlier than our reservations, but I was pretty sure they’d get us right in.
I yanked on the oversized wooden door, and the smell of wood-fired pizza drifted out. This little Italian café was one of my favorites and not far from home. Besides the extraordinary pizza, they also had homemade pasta that was incredible. After last night, I needed carbs and more carbs to mop up all the alcohol that was probably still swimming through my veins.
The hostess recognized me immediately because I came here at least once a week up until my sister arrived. I didn’t want Sadie to know all my secrets, like I had takeout nearly every night. Did I mention they have the best sausage and pepper sub?
Jaxson: A Romantic Suspense (V Mafia Series Book 3) Page 11