Something Amazing

by M. Clarke

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “To others it was just a turtle, but to me, he was a part of my family, part of me.”

  “I understand. I had a dog, but she got too old and passed away. I cried for days.”

  “We have that in common.”

  “We sure do.” Then I changed the subject. “Are you going to Paris for my sister’s wedding? I figured since Hendrix was invited….”

  “I was invited, but I don’t know if I have to work.”

  “What do you do, anyway? You never told me. As long as you don’t sell drugs, kids, women….” I started to laugh and so did Jax.

  “Let’s just say I don’t do anything illegal.” Once more, Jax scooped up water with the palm of his hands. Not wanting to get aroused by him again, I turned away, but that water went straight to me.

  “Hey. You’re terrible.” Knowing he’d done that to change the subject, I splashed water back.

  “You’re so lucky we’re not on land,” he challenged.

  “No…you’re lucky we’re not on land,” I teased, laughing.

  Suddenly, Jax stopped with a straight face and rubbed the back of his neck. “I have to tell you something.”

  “What is it?”

  “I have to be somewhere tomorrow, and I don’t know if I’ll be back. So, I guess you’re mine for just today.”

  “Oh.” I didn’t know why this news stung my heart. I really wanted to ask him where he was going, but I knew it was none of my business and it was probably better that I didn’t know. “Well…wherever you’re going, I hope it all works out.” I tried to sound cheerful and nonchalant about it. “Thanks for being my friend and—”

  “I’ll try to be back before you go,” Jax cut in. “I mean, not that you’re expecting me to come back.” He angled his brows with a frown. “Hendrix will miss me too much.” Jax chuckled, trying to play off whatever he’d meant to tell me.

  Chapter 12

  Jackson

  I didn’t know what was wrong with me. Suddenly, the thought of never seeing Rachel again hit me hard, and my heart twisted not in a pleasant way. My confident side disappeared, and I was acting confused. Shit! This was not good!

  I also had no idea what I was saying. She had just told me she had broken up with someone right before she came here. Although I was glad she’d told me, I didn’t know what we were to each other, other than the fact that we’d both just established that the words “long distance relationship” were not in our vocabulary. I also didn’t want to be her rebound.

  Fuck it! Just have fun. No attachments, no commitment, no broken hearts…just two adults enjoying each other and being friends. I probably would never see her again, anyway.

  “Oh, of course. I mean…don’t feel like you have to entertain me for the rest of my stay. I’m sure you have other things to do and other people to date….” Rachel said, then looked away.

  Other people to date? “I don’t have time to date.” That came out wrong. “What I meant was, I don’t waste my time.” That came out wrong, too. I wanted to tell her that I wouldn’t be spending time with her if she didn’t mean something to me, and there it was…my own confession. Yup, I was starting to like her a little bit more than I wanted to.

  “Can we head back now? I think I’m getting a little sunburned. I put sunscreen on this morning.”

  “Sure. We should head back.” I swung the board to face the shore when I spotted something from the corner of my eyes. What the hell? Then I saw it for sure…a tail. At first I panicked, feeling my blood pressure shoot up. If I didn’t react appropriately, I knew there would be huge consequences for the both of us. Extending my arm out to her, I said, “Rachel, don’t panic or make any sudden moves. Give me your arm so I can turn your board next to mine.”

  “Why are you telling me not to panic?”

  I should have chosen better words. “Come on, baby. Just do as I say.” It was too late.

  Rachel spotted my line of vision and started to wiggle on her board and scream. “Look, Jax! Do you see it? It’s a shark. What do we do?”

  With her arms wrapped around her thighs, her legs were already on the board and tucked in, just like mine. I didn’t have to instruct her, her natural reflexes kicked in.

  With my most gentle tone, I said, “If you just stay calm, it might go away, but I need you to stay still. It’s just curious right now.” My heart was not cooperating with what I wanted it to do. My frenzied heart and my adrenaline that had kicked into high gear were out of control. Both of us could die today.

  As the shark slowly circled us, I held on to Rachel’s hand. Her hand was shaking, so I could only imagine how badly her whole body was trembling. With her head pressed into her knees, her muscles tightened, making her look as stiff as the board and scared out of her mind.

  “It’s okay, Rachel. See. It’s slowly moving away.” I just said those words to help her to relax, but it wasn’t working. Her eyes were rooted to the shark’s tail, just like mine.

  “Jax,” she swallowed and whispered, “if I don’t make it out of here, I just want to thank you.”

  “I didn’t do anything. Why do you want to thank me?” I whispered back.

  “I had a really good time. You made me happy.” Her lips trembled and frightened tears were rolling down the sides of her cheeks. She tried to hide them from me, but that was impossible when all I could do at that moment was stare at her. I couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of her mouth.

  “I have that effect on women,” I joked, even though it wasn’t a good time to say that.

  “I bet even blonde ones.” She squeezed my hand and shut her eyes when the shark came closer to her.

  Blonde ones? I brushed off her comment. Now was not the time to ask. “Look at me.”

  She opened her eyes.

  “I’m not going to let it hurt you, okay?” I tried to convey the sincerity of my words. “I will let it take my life before yours.” Rachel’s eyes softened and her lips curled just enough for me to know she was trying to give me a smile. “It’s going to be okay.”

  “Okay,” she whimpered, shifting her eyes to that damn tail again.

  My heart started to become steadier when I saw it move away. As I slowly released her hand, I pushed the water to adjust my board so that I could help her. There was no way Rachel could move. She was in shock. In the process, I temporarily had to lose sight of Rachel. Just before I could reach her board, Rachel fell into the water. Fuck!

  Rachel

  Exhaling the breath I was holding, I began to relax as my heart still continued to pound against my chest in fright. Suddenly, something bumped my board. I wanted to scream for Jax, but I couldn’t. We were so focused on the one near us that we had missed the second shark.

  Cold water stung every inch of me when I fell into the water. It didn’t take too long before I felt an arm pull me out. Plopping halfway on the board, I heaved a deep breath, and I felt Jax’s body behind mine. Jax pushed my board away from us to distract the sharks, then started to kick with his feet.

  “Jax. Two,” I managed to cry out, looking for the sharks. “Your board.” My vocabulary and my sentences were lacking.

  “It’s okay. The sharks can have it as long as I get to keep you. We’re going to be fine, Rachel. I promised I wouldn’t let it hurt you. Keep looking to the shore. I’ll get us there in no time.”

  I was freaking out, but Jax’s soothing tone was keeping me steady and focused on what I needed to do. I nodded and realized three things. First, Jax was a man of honor. Second, he would give up his life for me. And third, I’d just fallen a little bit deeper for him.

  Just as we reached the shore, we slid across the sand, overcome with relief and exhaustion. Still frozen from being scared out of my mind, I had a difficult time coordinating my muscles to move. The force of the water caused Jax and I to tumble, and he landed on top of me.

  “Are you okay, Rachel? We’re safe.” Jax’s knee supported his weight from crushing me as he cu
pped my face in the palm of his hands. He was breathing just as hard and fast as I was. Every puff of air collided between us as we stared into each other’s eyes.

  “We’re safe,” I repeated, placing my hands around his neck. “Thank you.”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared out of my mind. I thought I had lost you back there. I thought the shark had gotten you. I would never have forgiven myself if that had happened. I’m supposed to keep you safe. I’m so sorry, Rachel.” Jax dropped beside me and wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me to him.

  As the water drifted on and off us, we waited for our hearts to steady like the soft waves. I lay there motionless without a word, soaked in the warmth of safety, and thanked God we’d survived.

  Chapter 13

  Rachel

  Jax put on his T-shirt, set out a large beach blanket under the tree, and pulled items out of the cooler and his bag. He was busy setting up plates and containers of food.

  “You made dinner?” I asked, sounding surprised.

  “I catered. I hope you don’t mind.” Tapping the towel, he gestured for me to sit next to him.

  “No, I don’t mind. This is great.” I grabbed two bottles of water from his cooler and sat next to him. Though we were out of the water and safe, my knees were still a bit shaky.

  Jax handed me a fork and a square container, covered with thick tin foil. “Sea bass is their specialty at this restaurant I cater from.”

  “Thanks.” I opened it and waited for the steam to escape. “It looks delicious.” Underneath the fish was jasmine rice and few shoots of asparagus.

  “I’m sorry about today. If I had known about the sharks, I would have never put your life in danger like that.”

  “I know, Jax. It’s not your fault.”

  Jax ran his hand down his face, looking frustrated. “It was bad timing, that’s for sure. I’m surprised you didn’t want me to take you home.”

  “Maybe because you risked your life to help me out of the water.”

  Jax’s eyes glistened wickedly. “I’m your hero. I think I deserve at least a kiss.”

  “You deserve a lot more than just a kiss,” I said quickly, and realized Jax took it the wrong way when he showed me his adorable dimples. “Get your mind out of the gutter.”

  “It wasn’t there a second ago, but now that you put my mind there, then it’s what you really meant.”

  “What?” I laughed, and nudged his shoulder. “Was this your first time?”

  “Yes. You are the first one here. You are my first. Like you said, maybe there will be a lot of first times with you.”

  “Oh.” Jax misunderstood my question. Although a smile crept across my face knowing I was the first one he had brought to this special hideaway place, I had to rephrase my question. “Was this your first experience with sharks?”

  “No. A couple of years ago, Hendrix and I went fishing. I had jumped out to swim. Next thing I knew, those suckers had surrounded me. I thought I was going to die. Hendrix distracted them by throwing the fish he’d caught away from the boat. He saved me that day. I owe him my life. We had always been close, but that day, we bonded even more.” Jax leaned closer…closer to my lips. “Somehow when tragedy hits or you have a near death experience, it changes you, and you bond even more with the person that saved you. Do you feel it?”

  Jax coming toward my lips ever so slowly put me in a trance. “Bond?” I thought I repeated. When I realized what was happening, I snapped out of it and backed away just before his lips touched mine.

  “Ouch,” he uttered. “I just got burned.”

  I laughed and placed a scoop of rice in my mouth. “You’re something else,” I teased.

  “You said it. I’m something amazing.”

  We both laughed, then I changed the subject, wanting to get to know him better. “What did you study in college?”

  “I followed my brother’s footsteps and attended USC to study business, influenced by both of my parents. They are realtors. The house Hendrix and I occupy is the fifth one my parents own. They sell, rebuild, rent out, and make lots of money doing it. Before I graduated, I was offered a job I couldn’t refuse. My parents weren’t too happy about it, but they finally let it go. Besides, they had Hendrix. He has a natural knack for business. Me, on the other hand, I’m different.”

  “So, you’re not going to tell me what you do for living?”

  Jax glided his fingers over his stubble. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll let you know if we decide to take the next step.”

  “I guess you won’t ever tell me then,” I said matter-of-factly.

  Jax frowned at my comment and changed the subject. “Look. The sun is setting.”

  My eyes grew with wonder to see the beauty of pink and lavender spreading across the sky. As the sun’s rays reflected against the water, I considered how beautiful it had been, despite almost getting killed. And I thought about how much I was enjoying being with Jax and getting to know him. “It’s breathtaking.”

  “Is this your first time seeing something like this?”

  “Yes, I’ve never seen a more gorgeous sunset,” I replied, still keeping my eyes on it. It was slowly disappearing, and I didn’t want to let it go, and knowing I may never see Jax again after today, a part of me didn’t want to let him go. I hardly knew him, and yet it felt like I’d known him all of my life. How was that possible? It was the level of comfort I had with him that put me at ease to be myself, except when my mind wandered to that naughty place.

  “Rachel, I have to ask you something.”

  I looked at him with curious eyes. “What is it?”

  “It’s our last night together. Spend the night with me.”

  Before I could stop myself, I didn’t hesitate. “Okay.”

  “Jax, what are you doing? It’s getting dark. Shouldn’t we head on home?” Without answering me, Jax pulled the beach blanket toward what looked like a natural shelter created by the hills. Then he took out another beach towel. No, he didn’t! “When you said spend the night, you didn’t mean here, did you?”

  Jax looked up after finally setting everything in place. “I guess I forgot to mention where, didn’t I?” He paused, seemingly thinking of something. Then he went to his bag and placed battery operated candles around us. “We’ll need light when it gets dark.” After Jax spread across the towel, he patted the spot next to him. “Come. It’s comfortable.”

  “What if we get caught?” I shuffled under the blanket. “I mean, are there rules against sleeping on the beach?”

  Jax turned sideways to me. “This place is secluded, and nobody knows we’re here except for Hendrix.”

  “You told Hendrix?” My pitch went up a bit too high.

  “I had to tell my brother just in case you wanted to kidnap me.”

  “Haha. Funny.” I slapped him lightly across his arm. “What if I have to use the bathroom?”

  Jax reached over and pointed to the bushes, which gave him the opportunity to slide closer to me. He was sneaky that way. “I won’t look. You can go right there.”

  “Ugh,” I sighed. Though I might have sounded irritated, sleeping on the beach with Jax excited me.

  “I believe this would be your first. That’s four for me.” He slipped his arm around my neck and brought me to his chest with one easy pull.

  “How is that four? And you’re keeping score?” I let out a short laugh.

  “First time on the helicopter. First time facing the sharks, and sorry about that again. First time seeing a beautiful sunset. And first time sleeping on the beach.”

  “What’s the point of counting when you’re winning?”

  “Because, when I count to ten, we’re going to be a couple.”

  “Really? What if I don’t want it? I don’t even know what you do for a living?”

  “You’ll know by then.”

  “What if I don’t like what you do for living?”

  “Then, I’ll have to change to make you happy.”

&nbs
p; His words tugged my heart, and for a moment I was happy, but knowing he was sweet talking and didn’t mean it, I came to my senses. “Seriously. I don’t want to be thrown in jail if we get caught.”

  “Have you seen any police cars around? The crime rate is low. They probably sit in the office unless someone calls them. There’s only one reason I can think why we would get thrown in jail.”

  “What reason is that?”

  “What I’m about to do to you.”

  Before I could comprehend what Jax had just said, he crushed his lips on mine. His kisses intensified when our tongues danced together. Breaking away, he tenderly kissed my neck while his hand glided inside of my beach dress to my ass.

  “Jax. I’ll probably taste salty.”

  “It’s okay. I like salt,” he murmured against my skin. “It doesn’t matter anyway. I’m going to bathe you with my tongue.”

  When Jax rubbed my folds with his finger, my head tilted back from the pleasure.

  “Rachel, you don’t need this on,” he growled, yanking the dress off me, and then the bikini, leaving me exposed. Hovering over me, he leaned down to take my lips again and slowly trailed his tongue downward until he reached my nipple.

  I yelped and released a moan when he sucked and teased it with his teeth. It felt so pleasantly, achingly good that I wanted more. “Don’t stop,” I begged, and pulled a fistful of his hair and guided him to my nipple again. Jax did not disappoint. He stopped to pull off his T-shirt, and devoured one of my breasts and teased the other one with his hand.

  Arching my back in ecstasy, I took in what Jax was offering…one last night of pleasure with him. “Jax, I won’t forget tonight.” I didn’t know why I said that, but it just came out.

  “I won’t either,” he said, kissing his way down to my…holy Jesus! Jax’s tongue and his finger were on my clit, teasing the hell out of it. Squirming and moaning from the pleasure Jax was giving me, I ached for him to be inside of me. Jax understood when I tugged at his pants. He was swift to take them off, and seeing his naked body reflected against the candlelight was a heavenly sight.