Chapter 41
Amber
Our first night apart and he couldn’t even call me back.
It told me a lot about Jax’s intentions of keeping us together. I had to face the cold-hard facts; it wasn’t going to work out between us.
Jax tried to call me constantly for the first week. I’d randomly send him a short reply in the middle of the night, when I knew he’d been sleeping. I think the first time I spoke to him on the phone was the day before I was supposed to come see him for Labor Day. I’d purposely avoided all video chats, on account of seeing him would only make me run right to North Carolina to be in his arms.
He rang my phone seven times constantly, hanging up and trying again. I should have turned it off, but just knowing he was reaching out gave me some sort of comfort to the constant ache in my heart.
“Hi, Jax.”
“Finally! What the hell, woman?”
“I explained in our texts that I wasn’t going to hold onto hope. Our lives are going in different directions, Jax.” I thought he’d give up, or maybe just leave it be enough for time to help heal me.
“I need my best friend. I miss her,” he responded quietly, as if he was getting emotional. This sent me into a cry fit, because I couldn’t stand to associate with that same debilitating pain.
“Jax, I -.”
“Come see me,” he interrupted.
“That’s not a good idea.”
“I’m lonely.”
“There are plenty of women that would love to keep you company.”
“They’ll never be you, Amber. I don’t want their pussy, not when I know what it feels like to have yours.”
His words send chills through my spin. “Don’t talk like that.”
“If I have to drive to Kentucky to get you, I will.”
When I sat there imagining the progress I’d tried to make with only a failed result, I decided to let my heart decided for once. I needed Jax like the earth needed the sun. He’d awakened that dormant part of me, and since he’d gone away I could feel those walls going back up. The truth was that I didn’t feel safe without him by my side. I yearned to feel that again, if only for a short time. “Fine. I’ll come see you, on one condition.”
“Anything.”
“We part ways when I go home.”
The line was quiet for a second. “If that’s what you want.”
“It’s what needs to happen. I need to be able to be your friend, but it’s going to require me to sort out my feelings before that can happen.”
“Just come. Come right now if you can.”
I snickered. “I need to pack, Jax.”
“You don’t need clothes.”
“Be serious. I’ll message you when I’m on the way. Text me the address and your dorm number.”
“Meet me at the farm. I’ll give you the street address so you can plug it into you GPS. I’ll drive us to the dorms, because parking is ridiculous.”
“Okay.”
“Thanks for agreeing to this, Amber. For what it’s worth, I am sorry for not calling you that first night. I know I fucked up.”
“I’ll see you soon, Jax.”
I couldn’t deal with this, none of it. Determined to get through the weekend in one piece, I packed my things and got on the road. It was still early in the day, and I knew I’d be there by mid-afternoon.
During my drive my nerves were all over the place. I wanted nothing more than to run into his arms and feel his love radiating through me. It wasn’t like I longed to forget about Jax or the short time it took me to fall hopelessly in love with him. I’d treasure our romance, and the deep connection that we shared. All I wanted was to be able to talk to him without feeling like my life would fall apart if we weren’t together.
I arrived at the farm after several hours of driving. Before I could climb out of my vehicle I saw his mother coming outside to greet me. She pulled me into a hug. “I’m so glad you came to visit. Jax is on his way.”
It was so good to see her treating me kindly. She led me inside and got me a glass of tea while we waited. Bella came over to drop off Sarah for a little while, and she lit up when she saw me. Her beautiful green eyes popped against her fair skin and blonde hair. She ran up to her grandmother and wrapped her arms around her legs. Jax’s mom walked around the kitchen with her clung to her. “This is what we do everyday. I tell ya, I’ve never had such strong thighs.”
I smiled and sipped on my tea, wondering where Jax was. I don’t know why I asked, but something made me feel like I could talk to this woman about her son. “Do you think I’m a fool for coming to visit Jax?”
“Why would you say that?”
I shrugged and played with the edge of my glass. “I don’t know. Our lives are heading in different directions. I feel like I’m holding onto false hope.”
“Jax is hard to deal with. He always has been. That boy should have been named trouble. From the time he came out of the womb he’s been causing mischief. It’s funny, because Jake was always the opposite. He liked to cuddle and always cared about other people, even when he was helping his brother torture them. For a while I couldn’t see them making amends. He told me you pushed him to come home. You either didn’t care enough about him to want him around, or you made a selfless decision based on the love that you two shared with each other. I already have my answer, so you don’t need to admit it. I just want you to know that it means more to me than you could ever know. Jax needed you. My boy was broken and you rescued him. I’m not saying this so you feel bad. I’m telling you because I know he’s difficult, and stubborn. I also know he’s in love with you. Maybe it’s not enough to hold onto. Who am I to judge? I had a secret relationship with my husband for months, and then ran off and married him.”
“Your story is romantic. Jax told me about it when he was trying to explain how everyone was related.”
The sounds of rustling gravel followed by a car door shutting told me that Jax had arrived. The patter of my heart reminded me of how excited I was to see him. Before he came through the door his mother put her hand over mine. “Be gentle with him. He acts tough, but I know his heart is big.”
Then he was standing there, only a few feet from me with a huge grin on his face. He was still in his football gear, minus the pads, which told me that’s what held him up. “There’s my girl. Get your tail over here, and hug my dirty ass. I practically ran off the field to get here in time.”
I slid off the kitchen stool and cantered over toward him, not stopping until his strong arms were holding me tight. He gently kissed the top of my head as I closed my eyes and felt as if I was in heaven again.
Jax seemed like he was in hurry to get back to school, so after we said our goodbyes, and he put my things in his vehicle, we were back on the road. From the moment we got in the car his hand was laced with mine. I caught him looking at me instead of the road. “God, I missed you. You look beautiful, by the way.” He lifted my hand up and kissed it.
“I missed you too, Jax.” I couldn’t deny the way he made me feel. I was right back to being utterly in love with him.
“Jake promised to give us privacy this weekend. Reese’s roommate has a boyfriend that lives off campus. She’s hardly ever there, so Jake stays over a lot, hence the reason I said you wouldn’t need clothes.” He chuckled to himself. “It’s good you brought some, though. There’s a party tonight, and we’re going. I’m not missing the opportunity to show my girl off.”
“What if we don’t make it out of bed?”
Jax pulled the car over and put it in park before reaching over and pulling me toward him with the fabric of my shirt. “I can’t wait any longer for this.”
He kissed me hungrily, giving me more reason to crave him. As we pulled away he nuzzled his nose over mine like he always did. I unbuckled my seatbelt and climbed on top of him, feeling his already hard erection underneath me. “Jax, I’ve missed this.”
He rocked my body, pulling me closer by my ass. “We can fuck r
ight now if you can’t wait five more minutes. My school is right down the road. I get that I’m irresistible, but damn woman, you know I can’t control myself around you.”
I pressed my lips to his and pulled away slowly. “I require more than a fuck today, Jax. I need all of you.”
“Oh, well I think that can be arranged. I hope you let me take a shower first. I’m a little sweaty and my balls keep sticking together when I walk. You may need to massage them later. Practice has been kicking my ass. I was out of shape. Apparently, carrying my girlfriend around, and having all night sexcapades doesn’t count as working out. Who knew?”
“I plan on tending to your every need, Jax.” Our final kiss was like promising that as soon as we were behind closed doors we were going to make love. I could hardly contain my excitement.
Once inside of his room, we wasted no time removing our clothes and heading in to take a shower. Jax wasn’t even giving me an option to not join him. He pulled me along so quickly, I hardly had time to look around the bedroom. Right before my foot reached the tile, I spotted something that caught my attention. Next to one of the beds was a frame, and inside of it was a picture of me that Jax took. I was laying in bed without clothes, but all of my appendages were covered. He’d told me that it was erased, but obviously not before he’d made a copy. I stopped dead in my tracks. “How long has that been there?” I pointed to the frame.
“Since the day I moved back in, why?”
“You keep a picture of me?”
“My whole phone is filled with you, baby. Did you think that I’d pretend you didn’t exist or something? Let me guess, you think I have random chicks stop by for fucks?”
“I didn’t say that.” The thought had crossed my mind. Who wouldn’t worry about their sexy-quarterback boyfriend being so far away and having needs?”
“Woman, do you have any idea how easy it is to turn them away when I know I have you?”
“Maybe you should remind me.” I placed my hand on his naked chest and felt a jolt of electricity run through me.
He looked me in the eyes with the most serious grimace across his face. “You know, I tried to video chat with you, but you refused to answer. I played it out my head how we could pretend we were with each other, while pleasing ourselves. I was even willing to buy you a big dildo the same size as me so I could watch you.”
“You’re crazy, do you know that?” I lifted my hand up and ran it through his thick-dark hair.
“Before the water gets cold forcing me to shrivel up, let’s get in. I’ve been craving your pussy for weeks, and nothing’s going to stop me from me bringing you to your knees.”
We’d been together for less than an hour, and I already felt complete again. When he pulled me under the running beads of water I accepted that this was where I needed to be; with Jax, in his arms.
Chapter 42
Jax
I had my girl back, and nothing felt more perfect than spending the first four hours we were together naked, re-exploring one another. The only reason we got out of bed was because I longed to show her off to everyone I could. I wanted the whole world to know she was my girl, and I was her guy.
While Amber was in the bathroom getting ready to go out, my brother and Reese showed up. I was surprised that she’d agreed for all of us to hang out, and more shocked when she went into the bathroom to talk to Reese. “If she pissed off Amber, you’re never going to hear the end of it, Jake.”
“Relax. She’s apologizing. Amber is everything Reese isn’t, and it got to her. Come on, Jax, put yourself in her shoes. You once loved her.”
“I thought I did. I mean, I cared a lot about her, but now I don’t know if I’d call it love.”
“You’re just being bitter.”
“No,” I argued. “I love Amber, and I know I never felt this way for Reese. It’s different.”
“I still can’t believe she gave you the time of day. You’re such a dickhead. Why chicks dig you is absurd.”
“Fuck off, douche. You’re a sappy homo, who prefers sloppy seconds.”
“Hey now. Watch where you step.”
I smiled and shook my head. “Sorry. I get off on reminding you of your screw-ups.”
When the girls stepped out of the bathroom I think we were both speechless. I knew Amber would look gorgeous, but I couldn’t have imagined that she’s take my breath away. She was wearing a little red strapless dress. It wasn’t tight, or revealing, but it was short enough to make me want to bend her over. “Whoa, baby, you’re stunning.”
She walked up and planted a chaste kiss on my lips. “If you don’t like the dress I can change.”
“The next best thing to this attire is being naked, and I know that’s not an option.” Amber laughed and rolled her eyes. “You’re too much.”
“Are you two good now?” I asked Reese directly.
She nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”
Amber tapped me on the side. “Everything’s fine. Stop worrying and take me out.”
When I took her hand and walked out of my room I knew all eyes would be on us. Amber wasn’t the type of girl that someone could walk by and miss. She didn’t have to do much to look gorgeous, even though on this occasion she’s gone all out. Her straightened hair hung halfway down her back. Her eyelashes were extra long, making her baby-blues bright. When we started walking, I picked her up on my back and carried her so she wouldn’t have to walk in heels. With her legs wrapped around me, I felt like the king of the world.
I could tell she was nervous when we walked inside. Amber had given up the party life when everything went down with Seth and Christian, and she realized she could have prevented my cousin from being hurt. I knew that still bothered her, and wondered if bringing her out would open old wounds, though she seemed happy and excited to be with me. From the moment we entered the house all eyes were on us. I was used to getting attention. I’d been the starting quarterback for two years, and with that came popularity. This was different. They were in awe of Amber, and I wanted them all to know she was mine.
It was a good thing she and Reese had worked out their shit, because Amber seemed overwhelmed when some of my friends approached us and introduced themselves. Never once did I let go of her hand. “Do you want something to drink, baby?”
“Whatever you’re having is fine.”
I kissed her before walking away to grab us a couple beers. While I waited in a line, a couple of my buddies pulled me off to the side and handed me two cans of cold brew. We shot gunned them, and celebrated, immediately becoming rowdy and making a scene. I saw Amber laughing at me in the distance, up until some stupid little cheerleader walked up and whispered in my ear. “It’s too bad you brought someone.”
I watched Amber’s face change and knew what she was thinking. Shoving the girl out of my way wasn’t difficult. I didn’t care about her, or anyone else there when it came to my girlfriend. In my defense I’d done nothing wrong, but this chick’s timing couldn’t have been more destructive.
I followed my girlfriend outside and placed my hands on her hips from behind her. “Don’t you dare get upset about some little tease. She was asking me to hook her up with the kicker on the team,” I lied to make her feel better.
Amber turned around and I could tell she was jealous. A part of me liked knowing I got under her skin still. “I’m sorry. It’s why this was a bad idea. Jax, I’m kidding myself if I think I can handle us being apart.”
“Come back inside with me and stop this right now.” I turned her around to face me. “Do I need to make an announcement that I’m in love with you to everyone inside?”
She looked away smiling. “No.”
“I will if it makes you feel better. Fuck the haters.” I kissed her knuckles before pulling us back inside the party.
Reese had gotten us drinks, and Amber seemed to calm down as I stood there holding her in front of me. When a song came on that I knew she liked I saw her spin around with wide eyes. I couldn’t refuse a dance, beca
use I knew guys would be all over her. I handed Jake my drink before being led in the middle of the room, in front of a bunch of people just standing around. Amber started swaying her hips, taking me back to when she danced without a top. Being this close to her while she was doing it was only making my dick hard. I pulled her close, making sure she was grinding all of that energy against me. She turned around and led us to the tempo of the music. I nuzzled my lips into her neck, sucking on her sweet smelling skin. My hands, which started at her waist, had come up to hold her chest and she didn’t push them away. Everyone in the room knew she was mine, and when I turned her around to face me, I made sure they also knew what we’d be doing as soon as we left the party.
As the song ended, Amber and I separated so she could use the bathroom. Reese went with her to show her where it was, while I headed back to hang out with my brother and our friends.
They’d been gone for a few minutes before I started worrying. Girls took forever, so I just assumed they were reapplying makeup or something. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted Amber, and then Reese running after her. They passed us, heading outside. I tapped my brother on the shoulder before heading out after them. Reese had her hands up, pacing around while Amber leaned against a tree in tears. I was fast at running, but didn’t get to her soon enough. “What the hell happened?”
“Some stupid girl started shit in the hallway while we were waiting. She asked me if I like still fucking you and Jake,” Reese explained.
“What?”
Jake was behind me, probably thinking the same thing. “So what? Who cares what some bitch said. It’s not true.”
I tried to touch Amber, but she pulled away and faced the tree. “What else happened, Reese?”
“She said you asked her to blow you last week after practice.”
This could not be happening to me. For the first time in my life I was completely faithful in every way possible, only to have my past reputation bite me in the ass. “I never said that shit. Amber, baby, you’ve got to believe me.”
Jax Mitchell Page 28