“So what happened? What did you do?”
“I pulled the ring off her finger, made sure I still had the wedding band in my room, took what I thought was the cheap version just in case I was wrong, and threw her out of the flat, swiftly followed by her stuff. I then called a locksmith to change the locks. I never want to lay eyes on her again. I can’t fucking believe how stupid I was. It was all an act.” He puts his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. I pull him into my side and put both my arms around him in comfort.
“I’m so sorry, Jax.”
We sit, silent for a few minutes while he gets himself together.
“Right. Come on, we’ve got work to do. I’m not sitting here letting her make me miserable. She can fuck off if she thinks I’m going to waste any of my time on her from now on.”
“Good for you. But we are not working. Come one, we are going for lunch, then I’ve got something I want you to help me with.”
A couple of hours later, Jax is pulling up outside my house, having followed me here after lunch. I give him a quick tour before letting him get comfortable in the living room with a beer. I quickly go downstairs to change and grab my sketchpad.
“Right so, after Hannah died, I decided I wanted a tattoo. I wanted something to remind me how short life is, so I’ve been sketching. I’ve done loads based on the flower the forget-me-not, different patterns and words. But I think I’ve got my final design.”
“That’s so exciting! Your first tattoo. Let me see.”
“I knew you’d be helpful with this. I was also hoping you could recommend someone - you know, seeing as you have one or two yourself.”
“Yes, I know someone who is amazing,” he says, flicking through my sketches. “These are really good, Molly.”
“Thanks. It’s that one,” I say pointing at my final design. “Jax?”
“Yeah.”
“What made you get yours? And can I see them?”
“Molly, is that your way of asking me to get naked!” he says, smirking.
“No, Jackson, it’s me asking to see your tats! Now, kit off!”
I watch as he pulls his t-shirt over his head, revealing his toned torso and the tattoos that continue on to his chest, ribs and over his stomach.
“Wow. They’re awesome,” I say, running my finger over the one on his ribs. Jax goes on to point out each one and why he got it. I’m totally mesmerised by the ink.
“So, where do you want yours?” I stand and run my finger down my side from my bra strap to my waist. “Yeah, that should look good. Have you got any greaseproof paper?”
“Yeah, why?”
“I’m gonna trace your design, then we can place it on your skin so we can get an idea of what it will be like.”
“That makes sense,” I say, heading over to the kitchen.
I watch as Jax makes quick work of tracing my design with a sharpie. I pass him some scissors when he is done so he can cut it to size.
“Right, ready?” he asks me. I nod and lift the side of my vest.
“You’re gonna need to take your top off, Molly.”
I quirk my eyebrow at him, “now who’s the one trying to get who naked?”
“You won’t get the full impact if your top and bra are in the way.” I must look seriously shocked. “You can cover your front up still. You haven’t got to stand there totally naked and flashing me. Not that I’d complain, of course.”
“Shut up, Jax. I’m your boss!”
I turn my back to him and lift my top over my head. I remove my bra and throw it on to the sofa before gathering my top up and holding it in front of the girls, hiding them from view. “Better?” I ask, turning back to him.
“Yes.” He grabs the sketch and holds it against my side. “What do you think?”
“I think I love it. You’re the only one that I’ve told about this. I haven’t even told Ryan I’m thinking of doing it.”
“Your secret is safe with me. Can you hold it? I’ll take a picture with your phone.”
“What the fuck are you doing? Get your fucking hands off her, arsehole.”
Ryan’s shouting scares the shit out of me. I turn towards the door to see him storming our way, looking murderous. Jax is still holding the paper to my side but he quickly screws it up and puts it in his pocket. Just as he pulls his hand out, Ryan grabs his arm and throws him across the room.
“Ryan, what the fuck? Chill out. Jax wasn’t doing anything.”
“Then why the fuck are you both stood here half-naked? I fucking told you he wanted in your knickers.”
“Dude, that is not what is going on here. Molly’s my boss, and like I said before, I want nothing to do with her knickers. I was just helping her out with something.”
“What the fuck could you be helping her with that involves both of you being topless?”
Jax looks at me for help. I only just told him Ryan didn’t know, but it looks like I’m going to have to tell him now.
“Ryan,” I say, walking over to him. “I want to get a tattoo and I was asking Jax to help me with the design because he has some experience with them, as you can see. He’s topless because I asked to look at his ink, and I am because he was showing me what my design could look like. That’s it.”
“You’re getting a tattoo? Since when?” Ryan voice has softened and his body has visibly relaxed.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while. I’ll explain later. Right now, I’d like to put my top back on if you don’t mind. Turn around, both of you,” I demand, and watch them both do as they are told.
I’m just doing my bra up when I look to my left and see Ryan watching me in the mirror. His eyes meet mine and he quickly turns away, looking embarrassed. I put my top on and turn around just as Abbi walks into the room.
“Abbi, I wasn’t expecting you,” I say, walking over to her, but she doesn’t even look at me. Her focus is solely on Jax. I glance at him and see he is just as transfixed with her. I look back to Abbi to see her cheeks redden and her usually bright blue eyes darken. Wow, I could cut the sexual tension with a knife, and they’ve only looked at each other.
I put my arms around Abbi and pull her in to a hug. “Close your mouth, Abbi. You’ll start drooling in a minute,” I whisper in her ear. This seems to snap her out of it.
“Sorry. Who is he? He’s seriously hot,” she whispers back.
“Come with me and I’ll explain.” I pull away from her and look back to Ryan, who is stood looking between his sister and Jax with a completely dumbfounded look on his face. “Ryan, pour us both a glass of wine and get Jax another beer. We’ll be back in a minute.” I grab Abbi’s hand and pull her downstairs with me to tell her who Jax is.
When we return to the boys, they are sat on opposite ends of the sofa with scowls on their faces. I can’t help but think if something were to happen between Abbi and Jax, Ryan wouldn’t be too impressed.
“So, how come you came back early?” I ask Ryan.
“Liv had loads of work to do so we decided to come here. Abbi is staying until Saturday if it’s okay with you.”
“Of course it is, you know that. Have you guys eaten?”
“No,not yet, we were gonna see what you wanted to do. Takeaway?”
“Yes, perfect. Jax, are you staying to eat? If you want to get drunk, you totally should by the way. You are more than welcome to stay the night.” I see Abbi’s eyes light up at this suggestion.
“Uh, as long as Ryan doesn’t mind. It’s his home, after all,” Jax says politely, but I can tell he’s dying for Ryan to say yes. I fix Ryan with a glare.
“Of course, no problem with me,” he says through gritted teeth.
“Awesome, I’ll get the menus.”
We decide on Chinese, order a shit load of dishes, and just put them in the middle if the table for everyone to have a bit of. I watch Abbi and Jax chat between themselves while we eat. Apart from looking at their plates, they don’t take their eyes off each other.
I can feel the
tension coming off Ryan in waves. He is clearly unhappy about this. I place my hand on his thigh, making him jump. When I’ve finished eating, I lean in to whisper in his ear. “Chill out, Ryan. It’s not that bad.” He just turns and stares at me in total disbelief.
I wait until he’s finished eating before I say loudly, “Ryan, could you come downstairs with me a minute? I need you to look at something.” I don’t know why I said it aloud - Abbi and Jax are so lost in their own world they wouldn’t hear a bomb go off. Ryan doesn’t move, so I have to pull him from his seat and out of the room.
“For fuck’s sake, Ryan, get a grip.”
“Get a grip. Are you fucking serious? Did you not see them?” He gestures above our heads with his hand. “I do not want him lusting after my little sister. He’s not good enough for her, and forgive me if I’m wrong, but he’s fucking engaged.”
“Oh, come on, Ryan. Your little sister is an adult, and Jax is actually a really decent guy. You are always too busy trying to find a reason to dislike him to notice. Actually, he is no longer engaged sh-”
“They only got engaged two weeks ago! What the fuck happened?” Ryan interrupts me.
“It turns out we were right not to like her. She was playing him for his money. Completely screwed him over.”
“Oh. But still, I don’t like him.” Ryan is actually pouting. I lift my hand and flick his bottom lip, “Hey!”
“Stop being such a pansy about this. Jax is a great guy, and your sister is a great girl. If they get on as well as it looks like they are going to - I mean, sexual tension, hello - then we should be happy for them.”
“Ew, please do not say the words sexual tension and my sister in the same sentence again. And I’ll try. I’m not happy about it, but I’ll try.”
“Good. Ryan?”
“Yeah?”
“Welcome home. I’ve missed you,” I say, then throw my arms around him and squeeze him tight.
Ryan
Well today didn’t quite end as I expected it to. I was excited to come home early and surprise Molly. I was so glad to see her car parked outside when we pulled up, although I was curious as to who owned the other car. I had an awful feeling it might be Adam’s and we were going to walk in on them on a date…or worse. The thought of finding Molly in a compromising position with another guy actually makes my stomach turn.
I was not prepared at all for what I did find. Jax with his top off touching Molly, who also looked to be topless in front of him. I just saw red at the sight of him with his hands on her. I flew at him and launched him across the room. It wasn’t until I moved him that I saw Molly was covering herself up slightly.
It turns out - not surprising, really - that I jumped to conclusions about what was going on. Molly announced to me that she is thinking about getting a tattoo and wanted Jax’s help. He is pretty well-inked, so I can see why she asked for his help.
It might be ridiculous, but I’m a little jealous that Molly told him about the tattoo before me. I thought I knew everything about her so it hurt a little. I’m yet to find out what this tattoo is, but I’m dying to know.
The surprises didn’t end there. I’d left Abbi at the car to get the bags; she knew I was chomping at the bit to see Molly, so she waved me on, saying she would meet me upstairs. The moment she walked into the living area, her eyes locked onto Jax, and his onto her. The electricity between them was crackling from across the room. They just stood there looking like they wanted to devour each other right then and there. I didn’t know what to do - leave them to it, or throw Jax out of the house for looking at my little sister like that. I watched Molly go over and embrace Abbi, even though Abbi was paying no attention to her. Molly whispered something to her that broke her out of her spellbound state. Molly grabbed Abbi’s hand and pulled her downstairs while shouting instructions at me to sort out drinks and leaving me with Jax. Brilliant!
“Uh...who was that?” Jax asks as he puts his shirt back on, pulling me from my thoughts. I notice his voice is a little deeper than usual.
“That was my oldest little sister, Abbi,” I reluctantly tell him.
“Your sister, okay. She’s…um…pretty.”
“Beautiful, clever and amazing. She means the world to me. I’m very protective of her and Liv, my baby sister. And Molly, for that matter.” I try to put a little big brotherly threat out there.
“Yes, so I’ve seen. They are lucky to have someone looking out for them. I understand why you got the wrong idea about what Molly and I were up to when you came in, but seriously Ryan, I have no intention of trying anything with her. She’s my boss and a very good friend. You don’t need to see me as a threat.”
“What do you mean, a threat?”
“I know you want her. I can see how you feel about her every time you look at her. You’re not exactly making it a secret,” he tells me honestly.
“Uh…” Before I can say anything further, I hear footsteps and laughter heading our way, so I just shut up and sip my beer.
Dinner was seriously awkward. Molly sat next to me and Abbi and Jax were opposite. It was like we had front row seats to their foreplay. The sexual tension coming off them was making me very uncomfortable. I was so tense. I know Molly could tell because she kept looking at me. I’m sure she thought she would see steam coming from my ears at some point.
When we finished eating, she placed her hand on my thigh, making me jump. Not because of the action, but because of the shockwaves it caused through my body. She announced that she wanted me to look at something to excuse us from the table. I don’t know why she bothered really - I doubt they even noticed we’d left.
I followed her down to her room and listened to her try to relax me about the situation with my sister and Jax. She told me how he has been royally screwed over by Lucy, or whatever her name actually is. I feel sorry for the guy - no one deserves that, but I still can’t find it in me to like him. I don’t know why, though.
Molly surprised me when she suddenly announced how much she had missed me and wrapped her arms around my waist tightly. Having her body against mine had my dick hardening instantly. I put my arms around her and nuzzled my nose in her hair. God, I’ve missed her. I breathed in through my nose and took in her usual scent. Her hair smells of toffee from her shampoo, and her skin like sweet vanilla. She smells like home to me.
If it wasn’t clear from my reaction when I first arrived home, it is now really obvious that my time away from her hasn’t dampened my feelings at all. I really don’t know what to do about it. I want her so bad, but she is still pulling the ‘we are just friends’ card. I’m pretty sure she’s lying to herself, but I don’t know what I have to do to make her throw caution to the wind and give us a go. But I do know that I won’t be giving up on the idea of us anytime soon. She will cave to her feelings and the chemistry between us eventually. I just need to be patient. That is easier said than done though, when she is wrapped in my arms, and if my brain and heart think it’s hard, they need to speak to my dick!
We eventually re-joined Abbi and Jax upstairs again after a quick catch up. The four of us stayed up till the early hours, chatting away. I had to endure watching Abbi and Jax get closer and closer, and the bodily contact slowly increase as the night went on and the drinks went down.
They are once again deep in their own conversation when I see Molly nodding her head toward the door. She gets up and I follow her over to the stairwell.
“Ryan, you need to chill out and let them enjoy this. Imagine if it was the other way around, and you found someone you had that kind of chemistry with.”
I have to bite my tongue to stop me saying something I could regret, because the person I have that chemistry with is standing right in front of me. I do notice her cheeks redden a little, like she realised what she just said and is having the same thoughts. At least, I hope that is the reason.
“Would you want your sister ruining it for you?” I just look down at my feet. “No, I didn’t think so. Now let’s go to bed
and leave them to figure out what is between them. Alone.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. I don’t like it, but you’re right. Let’s go to bed. Yours or mine?” I ask cheekily, flashing her a cocky smile.
“How about you go to yours and I go to mine?” she says with a raised eyebrow.
“If you insist.”
“I do. Night, Ryan. I’m glad you’re back.”
She gives me a kiss on the cheek and I watch her walk down the stairs to her room. I watch until she turns the corner, and whisper the words I so desperately want to tell her. “I love you.”
I’ve been lying here for an hour. Thoughts of Molly are running around my mind and I can hear laughter coming from downstairs. I dread to think what is happening on my sofa, but I’m trying to take Molly’s advice and be cool with it.
I wake up with the sun streaming through the crack in the curtains and a raging hard on from the dream I was in the middle of having about Molly. I can’t help but feel total disappointment that it was just a dream. The thought of me coming home yesterday and being ravaged by her as I stepped through the door was much better than the reality.
I drag my sorry arse out of bed, jump in the shower, and set about relieving myself with thoughts of my very vivid dream still in my head. It doesn’t take very long before I’m shooting my load over the tiles. I don’t feel any better for it, though. My hand just isn’t doing it for me these days.
I throw on some clothes after drying off, and I’m making my way downstairs when I stop at the sound of Molly's voice. “You two might want to move before Ryan gets down here. He’s having a hard enough time already with what’s going on with you two. He doesn’t need to see it first-hand.”
I groan to myself and scrub my hands across my face. What the fuck am I about to walk into?
I take a deep breath, then finish my descent and enter the living area. When I look up, I see Jax pulling up his jeans and Abbi doing up her shirt. They both look guilty as sin.
“Ugh, my eyes!” I grumble as I walk past them towards Molly, who instantly distracts me from the half-dressed couple in my living room. She has on skin-tight white jeans and a black crop top, showing off her toned stomach.
Angel Series Books #1-2.5 Page 20