False Start (Mavericks #1)

by Julianna Marley

  Unable to keep from smiling into his lazy, lust filled eyes holding inside them all the promise in the world, she grabbed his hand.

  “Want to get out of here?”

  She knew she was playing in dangerous territory, giving herself over to him again and so freely, but it felt too good, too right, and she was already in too deep.

  “I thought you’d never ask.”

  Entering the lobby, they had to refrain from touching, keeping their hands to themselves to appear as a civilized couple. It would be too easy for someone to take a picture with their phone and post it to a gossip website that the Mav’s quarterback was feeling up his wife in public. Barely opening the door, they fell into the suite, her eyes adjusting to the pitch black room. Grabbing her, Jax slammed her back up against the door, closing it with their bodies. Biting her mouth, his hands traveled up her body, surging every inch of her skin in their wake. He was hot and greedy and it was enough to force her to pull the buttons of his shirt, ripping it open. His hands cupping her ass and his lips on her neck, provoked her body with each squeeze and bite, making her legs shake.

  “God, I’ve thought about this for so long,” he said through jagged breaths, bringing his hands up to stroke her breasts. Her nipples tightening from his touch.

  Running her hands up his back, she grasped onto his broad shoulders, leaning backwards, giving him more access to her body. How she went deprived of him for so long without going completely mad, she would never know.

  “Then make it good,” she gasped. She knew there was no stopping. Not now. And by the look in his eyes as he focused on her, he knew it too.

  “Challenge accepted.”

  Scooping her up effortlessly, he carried her to the bedroom stepping over their clothes, laying her down on the bed. The cool sheets sending a shiver up her body or maybe it was his hands running gently up her legs as he paused to kiss the inside of her thigh. Squeezing against the ache below her belly, she balled up her fists as he trailed his practiced hands up her hips. Feeling the hem of her dress move up her body, he lifted the tight material up past her belly, pausing to dust light kisses across her stomach, lingering at the base of her breasts. Taking the dress with him, he slowly picked up her body, pulling the dress over her head and tossing it across the room. Her breast in his hand, he bent down sucking on her hard nipples, giving each one equal attention, her body shooting from aching to completely on fire.

  “I want you, Liv,” he whispered in her ear, taunting her. “I need you.”

  And it was her undoing.

  Surrendering her mouth again, his strong hands drifted over her body, the need to have him inside of her increasing with each sweep of his mouth. But for as much as she was enjoying the ecstasy of his hands, she needed her mouth on him because one thing was certain, Jax Monaghan’s body was a playground.

  Her playground.

  And it had been way too long since she played.

  Forcing him to roll off her, she pinned him on his back. Climbing up him, she straddled him, her mouth never leaving his delicious lips. Moving her lips down to the hollow of his neck, she let out a small scream as he grabbed her ass smacking it.

  Hard.

  Pinning his hands on either side of his beautiful face, giving herself complete access to roam his beautiful body, she ran her tongue down his powerful chest, the hard planes of his stomach twitching as she bit down to the waistband of his pants.

  Grumbling, he let his head fall back onto the pillow.

  “Damn it babe, I’m not gonna make it if you keep doing that.”

  Unable to keep from smiling a little that she was still able to turn him on regardless of how big and powerful he was, she unbuttoned his pants without warning. Pulling the zipper down, she dragged the shorts down his thick thighs revealing the huge bulge inside his tight boxers. Stroking his heavy balls through the thin material, a hiss escaped his mouth and she knew that she was torturing him just as much as he had been tormenting her.

  Good.

  Running her tongue above the top seam of his boxers, she peeled off the thin material, taking hold of his heavy cock in her hands. He was bigger than she remembered, or maybe it just had been too long. Taking the velvety smooth length of him into her mouth, she wanted him to submit.

  Feeling him move beneath her in one swift movement, he had her on her back again.

  “Not a chance,” he ordered, shaking his head slowly, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. “I make you come first.”

  Running his expert hands down her body softly, he stopped at the hot slit inside her panties.

  “I need to hear you come,” he whispered, ripping off her panties, tearing them in half.

  “Hey!” she giggled, the intensity in his eyes igniting her body again. “Those were expensive!”

  “They won’t be the last pair I rip off this body if I have anything to say about it,” he promised, dipping between her legs, taking her into his mouth.

  The world knew Jax Monaghan as the man with the million dollar arm, but truth be told, he was the man with the million dollar tongue. The perfect combination of respectful and impolite and she relished in his urgency to take control. Being in control of so many things around her, it was liberating giving this powerful man complete rule over her. Where she could only feel, not think.

  Arching her back into the bed, her body tightened. Between the circling and the flicking, her body spasmed preparing for her release. It had been too long since she had any satisfaction from him that when he took her deeper into his mouth, she shattered, sensations rolling through her body. And in that moment she couldn’t have been more grateful for Jax’s unrivaled mouth. Well, that and the fact that she had talked herself into getting that Brazilian wax before the trip.

  Smiling to himself, Jax watched Liv come down from her high, the afterglow of her orgasm almost lighting the dark room. She had been so hell bent on getting naked and climbing on top of him, he wanted to slow her down. He had thought about this moment for too long wondering if it would ever happen again and he wanted to enjoy every delightful inch of her. Her eyes wild, she was so hot leaving him to wonder how slow he could actually take things without imploding. Watching as she sat up, she moved around the side of the bed, stopping between his legs. Grabbing her hips, he kissed her belly delicately. God she was beautiful. And warm, so warm. He couldn’t help but try to hide his surprise when she fell to her knees in front of him, placing her hands on his thighs, taking his now throbbing cock into her mouth. He was so hard it hurt. Letting out a groan, he eased himself further into her mouth, accepting what she was giving, wrapping his hands in her hair. The woman’s mouth was damn near fatal.

  “God I forgot how good you were at this,” he groaned, her hot tongue swirling and her delicate fingers wrapping around him, almost ordering him to the edge. Sucking him like an ice pop, he couldn’t hold back releasing himself inside her mouth, grunting as she took him completely. Collapsing back onto the bed, his chest slammed up and down, his heavy breathing filling the silent room. Feeling her crawl back up his body, she laid on top of him, a sweet smile on her beautiful face.

  “My God woman, you are going to be the death of me,” he huffed, looking up her.

  She was so sexy.

  And she was all his.

  At least for now.

  Kissing the corners of her mouth, he flipped her on her back rubbing against her core. Just touching her made him hard again and he couldn’t think of anything he craved more than to be inside of her. Nothing he needed more. Looking down into her blue eyes, the actual window to her soul, he looked past her lust, beyond the passion and further than her fear, promising her that he would take care of her as he slowly lined himself to enter into her tight body.

  Her eyes going wide, she placed her hands on his chest.

  “Wait!”

  “What?”

  More vulnerable that he had ever seen her before, she stared at him, her fingers clenching his chest.

  “You,” she
stuttered looking up at him, her hand shaking, “haven’t been with anyone since we’ve been…apart, have you?”

  Been with anyone? What?

  He wanted to laugh watching her chew on her lip vigorously, her timing absolutely horrible. But he understood. Everything had transpired so quickly, they hadn’t even talked about the possibility that one of them had been with anyone else while they had been separated. But did she really think he’d been with other women? Had she been with other men? The thought had never even crossed his mind, the idea now making him furious as he studied her a second.

  “No, sweetheart,” he assured shaking his head slowly. “I’m a taken man.” He bent down inches from her face, “Have been for a real long time.”

  Looking past him, her cheeks pink, she swallowed hard. Praying like hell that no man had the chance to touch her, he pressed his mouth against hers. “And you?”

  “No,” she said quickly against his mouth, relief washing over him. “I’m a married woman.”

  “Yes,” he breathed easing inside, filling her with himself, “Yes, you are.”

  Watching her eyes drift shut, he eased in and out of her, stretching her. She was tight and warm and damn near a dream. He had sworn to himself that if the opportunity had ever come to get reacquainted with her soft curves, the weight of her body beneath him, that he would take it slow. Steady and easy, as to savor every single part of her; parts that he had been deprived of for too long. Stamping kisses against her neck, reminded of how perfectly they worked together, he groaned. Wrapping her legs around his waist, matching his thrusts, she bought everything back to life. Their life together. The perpetual mark she had on his heart. The number one rule of being a quarterback was to never panic, but with Liv, he had panicked, depriving them both of this consuming need. Grabbing fistfuls of his hair, she picked up the pace and knew there wasn’t going to be any finesse. No slow and steady.

  “Come for me, darlin’,” he demanded, her body tightening under him. He loved watching her come undone ‘miss always in control.’ Slamming inside of her, she cried out, her body contracting around him. Warmness kicking him into his own release, he cursed out, collapsing on top of her.

  Catching his breath, he pushed a blonde curl out of the corner of Liv’s eye, wishing he could pause this moment. To exist in it forever because in this moment there was nothing but just the two of them. Back to basics. When things weren’t complicated and people weren’t hurt. Reluctantly rolling off of her so she could actually breathe, he rested beside her. Watching a bead of sweat roll from her cleavage, disappearing into the sheets, he brought his lips down to hers, kissing her gently. She was hot and sweaty, her smile reaching her eyes for the first time since he had seen her again; taking his breath away, the way it always had. Running the back of his fingers down her flushed cheek, he couldn’t help but chuckle.

  “It was about damn time.”

  13

  Unable to remove the grin from his face, Jax refused to take his eyes off of Liv curled up warmly into his side, looking as if a huge weight had somehow been lifted off her delicate shoulders. Her easy breathing and peacefulness made his heart constrict, reminding him of the previous night. Grinning, he pulled the covers over her bare arms, drawing her closer into his side.

  Last night had been hot.

  What they had done felt better than any sexually charged daydream he had formulated in his head over the course of the past year. He had looked forward to taking it slow, steady and savoring every part of her again, but she had been too ambitious. Too ready. And he wanted more. Immediately gaining consciousness after their first mind-blowing round, they had taken advantage of the large bathtub well into the early morning hours. Quietly laughing to himself, he thought about the mess they had made in the bathroom before both of them finally collapsed into bed. She was worn out, no doubt, which was fine by him because he didn’t want to move. He didn’t want to have to be forced to let her out of his arms. Not yet. The thought that things could be different and that he could actually make her happy again, to protect her and shield her, had his mind running laps all morning. Was it possible that she would let him back into her life? He had taken a huge risk when he had left, pushing her away her away like he had, almost losing her completely.

  Liv’s eyelashes fluttered open lightly, and she greeted him with a lazy smile. A smile that he was proud that he had put back onto her beautiful face again.

  “Hey you.” She looked up at him, stretching before curling back into his side, her voice husky.

  “Hey yourself,” he winked. Running his fingers through her hair, they laid in comfortable silence, and he wondered if she was replaying the last twenty-four hours in her head just as he was.

  “I guess we have to head back to reality, huh?” she whispered against his skin, goosebumps spreading across his body.

  “Yeah,” he resigned, wondering exactly what that reality held for them now. “But we get to see the munchkins,” he added, smiling at the thought of the girls.

  “I miss them so much.” She looked up at him and he hoped like hell that reality held with it the possibility of waking up every morning with her again, just like this.

  After several close, but unsuccessful attempts at convincing Liv for another go around in the shower before they checked out, Jax refused to give her a towel when she stepped out of the shower until she promised to finish what they had started when they got home. She had been quiet while packing their bags, a reminder not to rush her. The sex had been hard and fast, but he needed to take things with her slow and easy. Still unable to shake the small pang of fear that last night had been an isolated breakthrough; that they had finally succumbed to the sexual tension that had been suffocating both of them, but that she had no intentions of letting him back into her life. That his words had finally resonated with her that he, in fact, had nearly destroyed her. Pushing the unproductive thought aside, he carried their bags down to the lobby before grabbing them both a much needed coffee before reluctantly handing in their room keys to paradise. Pulling onto the freeway towards home, he instinctively reached for her hand, and this time she took it. Running his thumb over her knuckles, he couldn’t have imagined two days ago, when she couldn’t get far enough away from him inside the car, that now, heading home, to their home, he was holding her.

  Ear piercing screams and loud barks filled the house when they arrived home, as the girls jumped on them from all different angles the moment they walked through the door. He was happy to be back with his family again. Where he belonged. He had moved back home almost four weeks ago, but things between him and Liv had been rough, but now everything was good, real good and he felt on top of the world. After receiving a smug smile from Magda after stealing a kiss from Liv before running outside to play with the girls, he remembered his promise to Liv that they would take it slow in front of the girls as to not confuse them. Things had been complicated and he would do what she felt was best for the girls, which was fine with him because somewhere between the interstate with his wife’s hand inside his and pushing the girls on the swings in their backyard, he decided there was no more leaving. Ever. Liv had said he wasn’t the reason she had collapsed and although he didn’t completely agree, he had to trust her. He was going watch her like a hawk every day to ensure she stayed on track, but there was no more leaving.

  The normal nighttime routine between Liv and the girls that he had been a spectator to for the better part of four weeks, he was finally a part of again and he never thought that chasing Hannah and Hailey through the house to get them to take a bath would almost bring him to his knees. After Liv had bathed them, he read them a story, tucking them in, promising a special date just the three of them later in the week. Coming down the steps, he stopped at the bottom landing, watching Liv lean against the kitchen counter making the girls lunches for the next day.

  She was fascinating.

  Her long hair brushed back and forth down her back above a pair of tight pants that had him daring
to grab her ass, as he watched her move up on her bare tip toes looking for the girls’ lunch boxes inside the cabinet. Coming behind her, he wrapped his arms around her waist, brushing her wild hair off her shoulder.

  “Well hello there, Captain,” she giggled spreading peanut butter on a slice of bread. It had always amazed him how she had a way of making everything she did so damn sexy. Even making a simple sandwich.

  Kneading her shoulder, he nipped at her neck, her head falling back as she sank back into him. Running his hands up her body, he palmed her breasts through her thin tank top.

  “I do believe you promised me a repeat of last night?” he whispered, feeling her reaction to his touch on her arms. “And I’m here to collect.”

  Turning around, she wrapped her hands around his neck. “Do you really want a repeat or is this just a ploy to get back into our bed?”

  Pretending to weigh his answer, he pushed his erection into her stomach.

  “Maybe a little of both.”

  Laughing out loud, she shrugged. “Eh, good enough for me.”

  Picking her up, he took the steps two at a time, ignoring her complaints about the sandwiches on the counter before she made good on her promise back inside his glorious bed.

  * * *

  Absorbing the brilliant morning sun shining on her face, Alivia felt as if she could somehow breathe easier. She felt lighter and unable to remove the smile from her face. Silly, she knew, but that’s what Jax did to her. How much he affected her. So much so, that she was actually looking forward to the long day ahead of developing and designing the Maverick’s draft party with Ross. The weekend had certainly turned out differently than she had anticipated and although it scared the daylights out of her to let Jax slip right back into her life, she wasn’t regretting it. She had decided yesterday on the way home from the resort that she was going to trust him again, reminding herself that he had never lied to her in their six years of being together. Sure, he had withheld pivotal information about his motives for leaving, but he had never lied. And she couldn’t imagine that he would begin to start now.