I turned on my stereo and danced into the kitchen, my two pups following me.
“Hey gang, you hungry?” I said to my entourage as I pulled dog food cans out of the cabinet and grabbed a can opener. My pups had become my everyday best companions. Truthfully, I had isolated myself from female friends and anything other than exercise, work and more work. I didn’t try too hard to make friends, not because I didn’t want them, but because I was so busy striving to be number one at my job.
The pups were another story. My white shaggy dog, Dinah, had been a puppy when someone found her wandering the streets of Irvine and took her to the pound. And my other dog, Matrix, was a full grown pedigreed Rottweiler. I had inherited Matrix from Stan when Tatyana was committed to the loony bin. Matrix had been her dog, one of the many purchases she’d made while living under Stan’s humble roof. I patted Matrix’s square head, and he gazed up at me with soulful brown eyes. “You’re a good pup, aren’t you, boy?” He wagged his stump of a tail furiously in answer.
As I bent over to scoop dog food into the bowls, my phone rang. The caller ID read “Jax Priest” and a frisson of excitement coursed through my body. My heart actually skipped a beat.
“Hello?”
“Hi there. I’m almost to your house. Why don’t you meet me down at the staircase?” That was a weird request, but I said, “Okay.” Dinner wasn’t ready yet. Why hadn’t I prepared earlier? My palms were wet when I brushed one hand through my hair and blew a kiss to myself in the mirror. “Here’s to luck!” I said before I dashed out the front door.
When I saw Jax on his knees on a stand up paddle board, gliding into the beach with a bouquet of flowers in his hand, a huge grin on his face, that bare chest even hotter than I remembered, I felt faint. I waved wildly.
I sprinted down the steps, my body flushed with heat. Exiting the ocean, Jax retrieved his pack from the back of the board, tucked the paddle board under his arm, and threw the paddle onto the sand, timing everything perfectly to expertly avoid the breaking waves. I couldn’t stop smiling. “What … how did you get here? Where’s your car? Did you park at San O?”
“You mean my truck,” he said. “No. I started paddling this morning from home.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
He smiled and slicked his hair back with one hand. It looked like he never did much more than comb his fingers through his hair and it was freaking sexy, mussed dirty blond hair. “As long as I’ve known you, have I ever kidded you?” he said. His eyes held a sexy mischief. “Here, these are for you.” He handed me a bouquet with a shy smile. I accepted the spring mix of orange, pink, and white flowers, which had wilted slightly from the sun. “Hope you like them. They got a little messed up from the trip.”
“Thank you.” My nose inhaled their scent. “I love them.” This guy knew how to charm a girl.
We walked into my cottage, and I set the flowers into a vase. Dinah and Matrix were instantly all over Jax.
“Dinah! Matrix! Get down,” I scolded.
“It’s okay, I like dogs,” he said, kneeling to get to their level. “Hey you two. If I’d known about you, I’d have brought biscuits.” He set the backpack aside, patting the dogs who were delirious from the attention, a flurry of wagging tails and happy whimpering. Jax stood up. “Do you mind if I shower off? If it’s okay, I mean. I’ve been paddling all day and—”
“Of course it’s okay.” The thought of Jax naked in my shower was a downright turn on. “Let me get you a fresh towel.” I retrieved a plush pink towel from the linen closet and handed it to him.
He accepted the towel with a grin. “Nice to have feminine things. Wait till you get a load of my old towels.”
“Yeah, well, I’m a girl all right.” My heartbeat sped up. “And I’m sure your towels are lovely.” Jesus, Holly, that sounded dumb. Say something witty. I swallowed hard. “I’ll finish getting dinner ready. Take your time.”
While Jax showered, I eyed the closed bathroom door then set to work with dinner. I wasn’t much of a cook, but I didn’t want him to know that. I set the herb crackers for dip into a bowl. Then, I removed the plastic lid off the pre-made artichoke dip, took a sharp knife to pierce the protective plastic wrap and pushed so hard that I nearly cut right through the bottom of the container. I selected one of my prettier decorative bowls, a handmade pottery piece I’d purchased from a local artist, and scooped the dip inside. Selecting a wooden bowl, I quickly dumped the spinach salad into the bowl and jammed the empty container into the bottom of the trash can. When I lit the gas stove to heat the linguine with clam sauce, the flame shot up so high I thought for a second that I might have to use my fire extinguisher. With sweaty palms, I turned the heat down to medium, placed the pan over the flame and added the pasta.
When Jax emerged from the bathroom, he had changed into faded blue jeans and surf T-shirt underneath a soft-looking, light blue plaid flannel shirt. “Smells good in here.” He sauntered into the kitchen as I stood at the stove stirring pasta. “And boy, am I hungry after that workout.” He stood behind me, so close that I could smell vanilla body wash. I turned around so quickly that we nearly bumped into each other. I reached for the bottle of cabernet, but he took it from my hands. “Let me open this. You got a corkscrew?”
“Helpful and athletic,” I said. “Where they been keeping the guys like you?”
He smiled, opened the bottle of wine, and poured us each a glass. “Let’s make a toast.” We raised glasses, and our eyes locked. “To pasta … and the beautiful lady who cooked it.” Our glasses clinked. We sipped the heady wine, and when the alcohol hit my bloodstream, I finally relaxed a tiny bit.
Jax helped me serve dinner on the outside patio table as the weather was so nice. We sipped the wine and feasted as the sun set. The sky turned into a dazzling display of reds, pinks, and purples with wispy white clouds. Seagulls glided lazily over the sparkling blue ocean.
“This is some place you got here,” he said. My cheeks flushed. The cottage really was a prime piece of real estate, but I made good money and could afford it. Would he think less of me? Would he wonder if I was one of those high-powered Amazonian women who didn’t need a man? “Yeah, I got a pretty good deal on the rent,” I lied. “Did you grow up in the area?”
“Point Loma, right by the beach. Spent most of my days surfing Sunset Cliffs. Was on a surfboard since I was old enough to stand up.” He softly stroked the stem of his wineglass and studied the contents swirling around the glass. “Can’t remember not being in the water. Guess it’s what I was born to do.” He looked into my eyes. I was startled once again by their deep blue color. I could see how his gaze could make some people uncomfortable, but I loved the way his eyes drew me into a vortex of passion. He took another sip of wine, and his lids grew heavy. I put my hand on his arm and he jerked to attention. “Sorry. Guess that workout was pretty intense.”
I asked him about the Big Wave World Tour. “Aren’t those waves brutal?”
“They can be. But I only have to compete about ten times a year at most, so it’s pretty easy.”
“Easy? You’ve got to be kidding me. No. You’re different from other surfers. Sixty foot waves? I’ll stay with San O.”
“There’s nothing different about me.” He reached out to pet Matrix, who begged for treats and attention. “Everyone has that special something in their lives that turns them on. What’s yours?”
What was mine? Closing a deal? Watching a sunset? Surfing, running, or yoga?
“Turns me on? Well, maybe if you stick around, you can find out,” I said, then instantly regretted it when I saw him turn the slightest shade of red.
His phone rang, and I looked down to see the name “Sandy Farnsworth” on the caller ID. He rapidly hit the clear button and turned the phone over. I wasn’t stupid. I figured that a gorgeous man like Jax probably had his pick of women.
We drank wine. Jax wasn’t much of a drinker and I outdrank him two to one.
Jax looked at me with half-li
dded eyes. “Did you grow up in Laguna?” he asked.
“Nope. San Fernando Valley.”
“Any siblings?”
“Only me. Guess it’s easier that way. No brothers or sisters to fight with.” Why did I have to say that? Jax would give anything to have his brother.
“Yeah, well, siblings can be a pain in the ass.” He smiled and took another sip of wine. “You ever been married?”
“Yep. Once. Nice guy. Just didn’t work out.”
“Why not?”
Would he think I couldn’t have a real relationship if I admitted the truth? Jax was easy to talk to, so I told him. I shrugged. “My husband was a nice man; just wanted me all to himself.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
Shoot, Holly! Why’d you say that? Of course my husband wanted exclusivity. I started talking too fast. “Not that I didn’t want to be in a relationship or anything. It’s mostly that he was kind of controlling.”
His eyes became wide. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
“No! I mean, of course not. I’d never be with a man that hurt me. It’s just that,” I toyed with the hem of my skirt. “I decided I wanted my freedom.” It was embarrassing to admit that I had become bored with marriage. I wanted freedom to sleep in my own bed, come and go as I pleased, and have sex with other men.
Jax’s eyes softened. “I can certainly see why he wanted you all to himself.” His gaze held mine. I drained the rest of my wine in one long gulp.
“Yeah, well, I suppose.”
“So, what are your hobbies?” he asked. “Besides work.”
Maybe I needed to do something intense like Jax if I wanted to impress him. “I surf, run, and practice yoga.”
“Yoga? You like yoga? Can you do a headstand?” He refilled my wine glass.
I giggled and took another sip of wine. “Yeah, I can do a pretty good headstand.”
He became animated and leaned forward. “You’ll show me sometime?”
“Now, why would you want to see that?”
He sat back in his chair. “Just … because I think it’s cool.” And then he got personal by asking, “Too bad the marriage didn’t work out, but did you guys ever think of having kids?”
Did he want children? “Nope. Guess it wasn’t in the cards.” He stared at me, expecting me to go on. “Been too busy with work. But I like kids.” Would he think I wasn’t feminine or maternal enough?
“I suppose having kids would really change your life,” he said.
“You’ve been asking all the questions. What about you? Ever been married? Ever think about having kids?”
His eyes had a faraway look as he fiddled with the top button of his flannel shirt. “No to both. My life’s way too crazy with travel and surfing.”
I patted his knee. “When the time’s right, it’ll happen. If you want it to, that is.”
We became silent, enjoying the cool ocean breeze, but the specter of his brother hung in the air, and I wanted to offer my condolences. The tragic story had been all over the news, and he might think it was strange if I didn’t mention something. Stan’s words rang through my head. “Don’t think I’m going to be sitting around the table at Thanksgiving with you and Jax.” Jax and I were on our first date and Stan was already planning the holiday drama.
I lightly touched his hand. “Hey … I was really sorry to hear about your brother.”
His body tensed, his eyes straight ahead, his mouth a firm line. “Yeah, it pretty much sucks. We don’t have to talk about that tonight, do we?”
“No.”
“But I appreciate your concern.” He took a gulp of wine.
And that was the end of that. For the moment.
“Hey, after dinner, let’s take a walk on the beach,” he said. At the sound of the word “walk” both Dinah and Matrix’s ears perked up. “It’s such a gorgeous night. Look at the moon. Can we take the dogs? Bet they’d like it.”
When we were done eating, we walked the dogs on the beach, the roar of the surf making conversation difficult. My nerves had calmed. Jax was so easy to be with and had a way of making me feel like I was his best friend. I’ve always tried to figure out what people mean when they say a person has charisma. Jax had charisma. My body relaxed, the ocean gently lapping at my bare feet, and we quickly fell into a peaceful walking rhythm.
“Can we let them off leash?” Jax asked.
“Sure. There’s nobody around for them to give slobbery kisses to. Sometimes people don’t like how happy they are.”
“You’ve got to be kidding. I love their happiness.”
We set the dogs free. They were such good pups that I often did this, and they’d stay right by my side. Unless they saw another person. They really were overexcitable.
As we walked, I ached to touch Jax, but didn’t want to make the first move. What would it feel like if he kissed me? I was hyperaware of his body next to mine. Kiss me, please kiss me. And then he did. Jax put one powerful hand on my arm, and spun me around to face him. “Hey you.” Time stopped, the tide rushing in and out as I gazed at him in the moonlight. It was a gentle kiss, his lips tender and warm against mine as his hand stroked my cheek softly. He pulled away, staring into my eyes. My heart hammered in my chest. I liked this guy. A lot.
“You’re so beautiful,” he said, kissing my forehead then my eyelids. He kissed me passionately, his soft tongue darting inside my mouth. “Need to keep you warm.” He removed his flannel shirt and helped me into it. “Okay if I put my arm around you?” I nodded. The man had me under his spell. I couldn’t believe my luck. As though we’d been together forever, Jax kept his arm around me as we walked under the moonlight, the puppies at our side. I kept stealing glances at his profile and wanted him to ravish me right then and there, but I forced myself to let him take the lead.
We walked home, and our evening ended when Jax called for a car to pick him up. He said, “I was hoping maybe I could leave my board with you tonight after I Uber it home then get it later. If that’s okay, I mean.”
“Of course you can leave your board here.” It would give him an excuse to come back.
Outside my cottage, he hugged me, then held me at arms distance. “Thanks for a great evening.” He smiled. “You know how to relax a man.” He got into the waiting car. “Okay if I call you tomorrow?”
I grinned, wanting to shout, yes! But I managed to keep it to a simple, “I think that would be okay.”
Bouncing into my house, I blasted my music, danced around the living room, and then collapsed on my sofa, hugging myself tightly, reliving his kisses, a happy smile on my face. I raced into the bathroom and twirled around, hoping to soak in Jax’s masculinity. Jax had been naked in here.
As I drifted off to sleep that night to the sound of surf pummeling the shore, hot thoughts of Jax danced through my head.
It wasn’t until the following day that I read a local news story about Jax saving a man’s life. Why didn’t he mention anything about it? The rescue he’d performed was kind of a big deal. It had to have been on his mind, at least part of the night. Had we not made enough of a connection yet? What would I need to do to break through to him? I knew I needed to rein in my desire to be aggressive and “close the deal” because I sensed that Jax would reveal the details of his life in his own time. I couldn’t stop thinking about him and for the first time in a long time I wanted more than a roll in the hay. I wanted that man. Badly.
Jax
The day after my date with Holly, Butch and I practiced our breath training in the pool of my apartment building. My record for holding my breath underwater was five minutes.
I had a lot of self-control when I set my mind to it.
And I’d needed it at Holly’s. It was sweet of her to let me shower off at her house, but what I wasn’t expecting when I got out of the shower, was this: Holly’s blouse that she must’ve worn to work that day was lying in a heap on top of the small vanity table. It was a feminine, burgundy-colored silky thing. I couldn’t hel
p myself from picking it up, caressing it, and holding it to my nose as I stood there naked from the shower, steam filling the small space. Whoa, the sexy scent that reminded me so much of Rosalyn filled my head with nasty thoughts of sex. I grew dizzy while inhaling deeply, and then I snapped my head up and forced myself to concentrate. Later, when we were standing on the beach and I felt her feminine warmth, saw her long hair swaying in the breeze, and inhaled her musk, ripe with sexuality, it was all I could do to keep myself from throwing her on the sand right then and there and ripping her clothes off. Instead I settled for a kiss.
“Your turn,” I said to Butch when I broke the surface of the pool. Practicing holding our breath underwater was a feat best performed with a buddy. More people drown from holding their breath under water and passing out than they do from an actual drowning accident.
“Four minutes and twenty seconds,” Butch said as he punched the button on his iPhone stop watch. “Pretty good.” He removed his leg, jumped into the pool next to me, and slapped me five.
I climbed out and started the stop watch. Butch’s hair swayed like sea grass as he sunk to the bottom. The hot sun beat down on my back, and I thought about the previous evening. Holly was special. She had her life together. Great job, lived in a cool house right on the beach, took care of those cute pups, traveled, single. And caring. The way she had seen to my every need, refilling my wine glass, serving me dinner, and making me feel at home was enticing. She’d even served me dark chocolate coconut ice cream from a crystal bowl for dessert. It had been too long since I felt that kind of pull toward a female. Not since Rosalyn.
Pleasure Point: The Complete Series Page 30