by Marika Ray
That was as good as I was going to get, I knew. It was basically a stamp of approval, so long as this project didn't tank for some reason later on.
"Sounds good. Thanks for trusting me a bit longer." I smiled, sad that he couldn't just trust me without having to prove myself, but knowing this was the best he could do.
I'd build this restaurant, with or without his approval. And it would be fucking awesome.
13
Sage
We stood next to Jax' bed, the mood turning as deep as the night sky outside. After my father left, Jax had heated up two frozen meals and we'd feasted like kings, seated on the floor, our backs leaning against the side of the bed, laughing over Jax' imitation of my father.
Dishes cleared with a quick trip to the trash can, we faced each other, uncertain of where to go from here. I knew exactly what I wanted, but wasn't sure he was on the same page. I needed to know what he wanted from me before I leapt into that bed of his. Needed to know if I should guard my heart while I gave him my body, or let my feelings fly free like they wanted to do.
"The wheels in that head of yours are spinning," Jax whispered. He pulled me close, arms around my waist and foreheads almost touching.
My heart pounded, feeling like I was in a free fall with no parachute to catch me. "I'm just wondering what we're doing. I like you, Jax."
"But...?" His hands tightened on my waist.
"But I'm wondering where this can really go, and if you actually want it to go anywhere. Somewhere besides your bed." This felt a thousand times scarier than facing a five foot wave off the pier on a flimsy piece of foam board. I kept my gaze trained on his, hoping to see the truth in his eyes, even if his words were just what he thought I wanted to hear. I was good at reading people and it had never mattered more than now.
He shook his head slowly, each rotation making my heart drop. He didn't want this.
"I don't know where this can go, Sage, but if we end up in my bed tonight you can rest assured I intend this to go much further. We come from completely different worlds and I have no idea if that can work out. But I'd sure as hell like to try."
He pulled me into his chest, done with words, done with reassurances that didn't achieve their aim. I didn't know if we could work either, but my heart was flying out of my chest, wanting to at least try and what my heart wanted, it would get. I was done following my father's path and that included dating the men he set me up with. I was on a new path and Jax was standing front and center on that path, a gleam in his eye that boded well for this decision.
Jax' lips were on mine, hard and hot and demanding all of my attention. Thoughts of decisions went out of my mind as my body realized all the decisions had already been made, probably several days ago when I'd gotten my first glimpse of what lay behind the faded t-shirts and floppy hair.
His hard body pressed into mine, those bulging muscles I'd seen before making my head spin. From afar, his body caught my eye and made my cheeks blush. Pushed up against me, every valley, plane and hard bump known intimately by my own skin? An entirely different experience.
I pulled at his shirt, wanting to see and feel his strength without any barriers, and as flimsy as his work shirt might have been, it was still too much. He took over, whipping the material over his head and tossing it to the floor. My hands landed back on his chest, feeling his heart pounding and his skin warm to the touch. I silently begged for more light in order to see the specimen in front of me. I'd never been with a man like this, one who had a body I actually wanted to see.
"I want you, Jax," I said, the words more breath than formed speech.
Everything became a frenzy of clothes flying, lips smashing in some semblance of a kiss, and a blind desire igniting to touch and taste everything all at once. I let out a sigh of contentment when my naked body finally connected with his, the fine hair on his body a delicious scrape reminding me he was all male. Manscaping hadn't hit this lifeguard and I smiled in anticipation of what was to come.
Hands lifted me by the waist and tossed me back on the bed, the surprise of being airborne swallowed by the heavy body that lay on top of me before I'd finished bouncing. Jax grabbed my wrists and pulled my arms over my head, pinning them to the mattress.
I gasped, surprised by his forcefulness, yet loving every second of it. Sex had always been a short, concise endeavor that left me almost a bit bored. I'd never been tossed or pinned down, or had anything done to my body that made me feel drunk. Sensations hit me wave after wave, each touch of his hand on my breast or tongue flicking my nipple, making me feel like I'd burst.
I tried to lift my hand to grab his hair, or touch his body, to participate in this orgy of sensations, but he lifted his head and stopped me with a glare I couldn't ignore.
"Don't move, Sage," he ordered, his smooth voice holding more rasp than ever before. "If you touch me, this'll be over much sooner than I want."
I nodded my understanding, my breathing uneven because of his command, realizing that this must have been what I'd been missing with those assholes before. I'd been waiting for a real man, one who knew how to touch a woman, please a woman. One who put my pleasure before his.
And pleasure it was. A rough hand sliding down my torso, my back arching up for more. Hot mouth finding curves perfect for his kiss. Fingers sliding into my body, making me gasp and plead for more. His lips found the tattoo on my hip, stopping to give the small dream catcher special attention before moving on.
"You ready?"
My body was slick with sweat, my arms tight from being restrained easily in his one hand. He'd lifted up, his fingers and mouth stilling, leaving me wanting in the worst way. His eyes never left mine as he fumbled in the nightstand drawer, protecting me without hesitation.
"Yes!"
The corner of his mouth lifted, eyes glowing in the dark. "Say please."
I was beyond that point of self-preservation or restraint, that point I'd never even come close to hitting before. I'd left it far behind the moment I'd felt his hands on my body. If he wanted me to beg, I was happy to, too focused on the pleasure at hand to worry about a power struggle.
"Yes, please. Please, Jax, right now."
He slammed into me with no hesitation, aided by how ready I was for him. I yelped, feeling like the top of my head would explode, my body pulsing with feelings I couldn't define. Could one body contain this much sensation, this much pleasure, without a release of some sort?
His hips began to move, his long length retreating and advancing, the power of his thrusts moving the bed across the floor. My legs gripped his body tighter, desperate to hold on, my arms of no use above my head. My breasts, small as they were, bounced with each thrust, raking across his chest hair and driving me crazy. His elbows were on either side of my head, putting him in close contact with every inch of my body.
My head rolled from side to side, trying to stay ahead of the sensations rocking my body, a losing battle right from the first touch. Then his hand was turning my face to his, lips colliding in a white hot kiss, our breath mingling as we kissed and gulped in air. It was messy, it was sloppy, it was real.
"Jesus, Sage," he said on a moan.
"I know...I know...I know," I replied in time with his thrusts.
I started shaking from head to toe, my body maxed out, ready for something to give, unable to keep up this pace.
"Jax," I moaned, his name lingering on my lips as a silent plea.
He must have heard it in my voice because his hand traveled down to my belly, then lower still before reaching his destination. One pinch of his fingers and I was flying, my back arching off the bed, my head tossed back, eyes closed. Time and place ceased to exist, only the feeling between my legs and up my spine and out through my extremities. My scalp tingled, feeling like the top of my head really would explode after all.
When I fluttered back down to Jax' bed, my eyes able to open and function, I saw Jax staring intently at me, his jaw locked and his breathing labored.
"
Jesus, Sage. You're beautiful."
He thrust into me once, then twice, before touching his forehead to mine and releasing a deep breath while his body shuddered on top of mine. His hand tightened on my wrists, crossing the line into painful, but I said nothing, letting him enjoy what I'd just experienced. I laid underneath him, his heavy body pressing me into the mattress and thrilling me at the same time. Nothing felt better than a man, completely spent after delivering the best sex ever, laying heavily across your body.
I squeezed my legs closer to his sides, able to pull my hands out of his grip finally, and ran my hands through his hair like I'd been wanting to do from the beginning.
His eyes popped open and he smiled, the type of smile that made my heart lose its rhythm. Then he was busy kissing every available inch of skin on my face, neck, and ears, making me shiver and laugh. My sweet Jax was back, just like that.
He hoisted himself up and off me, pulling out slowly before heading to the kitchen. I still hadn't moved when he came back with a wet towel and cleaned us both up. Maybe I should have been embarrassed, but I'd already showed him something far more personal: my heart. Perhaps he didn't recognize it yet, but I felt it. It wasn't just really, really, really good sex for me. I wanted Jax, the man. All of him.
Before I could spill my heart out or make things awkward with premature admiration, he picked me up and scooted me up the bed, laying my head on his pillow and climbing in behind me. The sheets and blanket were pulled over us and he wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me into him yet again.
"Let's get some sleep, huh?" he whispered behind my ear.
I squeezed the hand laying on my stomach, not trusting myself with words quite yet. I thought I'd never actually sleep, too keyed up with him laying naked behind me, but I proved myself wrong by dropping off within minutes. I guess that's what happens when you're worn out.
Jax
I laid there listening to her breathing even out as she slept in my arms. The scent of her skin clung to the air around me, teasing me, mocking me, making me want to wake her up and ravage her again. She didn't smell like most girls with their expensive floral perfumes. It was more of a pleasant, earthy smell that made me think of waterfalls and tropical fruit and a naked Sage beckoning to me from the water. Whatever it was was intoxicating, much like the woman.
I had been honest with her earlier. I had no idea how this could work out between us. We couldn't be from more opposite worlds. The attraction was there alright, it was everything else that I worried about. I couldn't provide her with a lifestyle anywhere close to what she came from. I'd already been left by a woman who wanted more out of life and knew I couldn't give it to her. My heart couldn't handle another rejection like that.
Before I got more distracted by her body and her breathy little moans begging me to fuck her, I'd need to take a step back and make sure she understood what she was getting into. It was the thought of all the different ways she could react that kept me up far longer than I wanted.
Somewhere around two o'clock in the morning, I woke up from the best dream ever. I was hard as a rock and momentarily disappointed to have woken up. That is, until I realized I had Sage pressed against me, her gorgeous ass in my hands, my erection rubbing against her crack. I froze for a moment, wondering how she'd take to being woken up out of a dead sleep to a horny guy trying to ride her again.
A sleepy moan came from her pillow and I swooped into action, not wasting any more time second-guessing my decision. Fumbling in the dark, I found the little foil packet I was looking for on the nightstand. That taken care of, I rolled her over all the way onto her stomach, and I tugged on those hips, lifting her ass up a few inches. I worked a couple fingers into her, feeling how wet she was for me already, the discovery pleasing me to no end.
And then I was pushing her legs apart and thrusting inside, releasing her hips to grab her by the shoulders for better leverage.
Her soft moans turned to louder cries, muffled by the pillow. I brought a hand down her back and squeezed one round cheek, loving that I finally had my hands on what she'd already shown me twice out there on her surfboard. I knew then I had to get my hands on her and here we were, middle of round two, my big hand leaving faint marks I could just make out in the moonlight.
I knew I wouldn't be able to last much longer so I reached around and found her clit, remembering she'd responded quickly the last time, giving way to an orgasm that mesmerized me. A sudden need to make sure she let go and felt with abandon every single day flooded my body. A few strokes across her sensitive skin and she was gripping the pillow hard, her shout no longer muffled as the pillow came away from her mouth. I tumbled after her, unable to hold myself back seeing how her body responded to me.
As soon as I could breathe again, I rolled her back over, her body limp and sated. Pressing a kiss to her lips, I stroked the hair away from her face. Any excuse to keep touching her.
"Jax," she whispered.
"Yeah, baby?"
Her lips pulled up into a smile, eyes still closed. "We gotta do that again."
I chuckled, loving how honest and open she was. No one wanted a girl who played games and I didn't think this one had the ability to engage in such fuckery.
"You got it."
A quick trip to the bathroom and I was back in the warm bed. I tucked her back into my side and fell asleep immediately, my body finally spent and my brain quiet. How could two people who came together that seamlessly and perfectly in bed have major problems outside?
14
Jax
Morning came before I was ready. I'd fully intended to wake Sage up one more time during the night and experience the feel of her body surrounding me. The thought of her letting me do dirty things to her and loving every second of it, had me hard and ready.
Slamming car doors downstairs in my parking lot had me cursing at the time, cursing the people intruding on my night with Sage, and even cursing the fatigue that kept me sleeping when I should have been touching every inch of the beautiful girl tangled up next to me.
The clock said it was barely six o'clock.
I pulled her arm off my chest and sat upright, rubbing a hand across my eyes and through my hair. Voices floated up through my windows, letting me know I'd have to get up and deal with whatever was happening down there. Sunday mornings were usually slow, vacationers looking to sleep in, not rent a boat at the crack of dawn.
"Jax?" Sage's sleepy voice had me turning back to her, to hell with the people on my property. I rolled on top of her, her long legs opening for me immediately, like they knew that was the place I belonged. I couldn't help the roll of my hips or the growl that left my throat.
She drove me crazy.
I grabbed her hands and pulled them above her head, dipping down to kiss her, wanting to devour her before the outside world intruded on this perfect bubble we'd created in my shitty apartment.
A loud crash outside jolted my head up.
"What the fuck was that?" I groaned, dropping my forehead to Sage's. I rolled off of her, climbing out of bed and about to head downstairs to rip into whomever was the cause of this bullshit.
"Um, that may be my fault..." Sage scooted up on the bed, the sheet falling from her, making my eyes drop to take in the view. "Eyes up, lifeguard."
My gaze flew to hers, startled. I'd only looked for a second, or so I thought. It was hard to focus on the words coming out of her mouth, considering her hair was all a mess and knowing I'd done that. Those perfect breasts I'd feasted on last night were right there, out in the open. It had been dark last night. I hadn't gotten a good look until now. And they were breasts that were made for looking at. Intensely.
"... so it should just be a few people."
"Wait, say that again?" I forced myself to focus on what she was saying this time. I was strong enough to resist the pull of the most perfect breasts on earth. I was pretty sure.
"I called up Esa yesterday and asked for her help. I thought with the restaurant rebuild happen
ing next door, we'd want to spruce up The Surf Shack too. She called me last night, right before my father and I got here. It's all set up." Her eyes were wide, voice much less confident than last night when she'd told me she wanted me.
My brain was darting around, trying to connect the dots and coming up empty. It was still early, I needed coffee, and I needed another few nights with a naked Sage before I could function at a hundred percent. Make that more than a few nights.
"What's all set up?"
"The crew. A group of community members got together after Esa called them and they said they'd come out today to start the repairs."
The light bulb came on and I reared my head back. "Volunteers? Repairs on my shop?"
I was wide awake now. People, volunteers who must think I'm a charity case, were here to do things to my own store that I hadn't known about. What. The. Fuck.
I was seeing red in a matter of a split second, but Sage seemed oblivious, her gaze raking up and down my body.
"Hey! Eyes up here, heiress." Two could play this little game. I was breathing hard, partly from anger, partly from the hot look on Sage's face as she found a few body parts she liked. She jumped up, that lithe, naked body distracting in its perfection, draining some of the anger out of me.
"I'm sor--"
That was all she got out before I'd lunged at her, picked her up and spun her around. Her back hit the wall, the frame just two feet away clanking against the dry wall threatening to come down. In the back of my mind, I remembered I'd promised myself not to manhandle her again like this, but in my current frame of mine I couldn't seem to care. She'd pissed me off and then she had the audacity to look damn fine as she unmanned me in front of my town. Right or wrong, I had a sudden need to prove just how much of a man I was.