by Jordan Marie
“I am, leaving today actually. I just needed to pick up a few things. How did you know?”
“It’s a small town Aubree. Everyone knows everything.” His blonde hair is shaved shorter. He must’ve gotten it cut recently.
“But…I didn’t tell anyone,” I answer, still confused.
His blue eyes darken, but they don’t match his tone as he talks. “Well, you had to silly! Or else I wouldn’t have known. How about you grab a hot chocolate with me, before you leave me alone?”
“I don’t know…I’m running late. I really should be getting back,” I tell him. I get this strange feeling I shouldn’t be here, only this time I think it’s more than just the fact that Jax wouldn’t like it.
“Come on Aubree. I got you something for Christmas. I thought I’d have to wait until after the holiday to give it to you. This way I can give it to you early. I even had the store wrap it.” He winks and my stomach churns.
“But, it’s early. Christmas is another three weeks away. I haven’t got anything for you. Honestly, I’ve barely done any shopping.” I fake a smile in return, trying to hide the off feeling I’m experiencing.
“It doesn’t matter. You sharing hot chocolate with me will be my gift.” He smiles at me and it feels…I don’t know, fake.
“You do realize it’s like sixty degrees today, right?” I fight the instinct to run.
“I know. This weather is awful. It’s been warmer this month than it was back in September.”
“I kind of like the weather, but yeah, it puts a damper on the holiday season, for sure. Okay, one drink, though it will be a cherry Coke.”
“It’s a deal. You like the weather? I want snow,” he says putting his hand in mine. I try to jerk it away, but he doesn’t let go. That feeling inside increases. I don’t fight him though. The restaurant is just on the corner. We’ll be outside, and I can break away quickly, get back to the apartment, all before Jax finds out…hopefully.
“I love it. I got to wear shorts a week ago. It reminds me of Florida.”
“Well, I have to admit I do like you in shorts.” His eyes rake over me, making me more uncomfortable.
“Jeff—”
“I know, I know, I’m a guy though,” he adds with another wink. Jeff has been trying to get me to go out with him forever. I’ve never agreed, telling him over and over I’ve always thought of him as a friend. I thought everything was okay between us, until this moment. Today something is setting off my creep-o-meter.
When we make it to Weavers, an old restaurant downtown, Jeff pulls out a seat on one of the small outdoor tables. I sit down, looking around, expecting to see Jax. Why does it feel like I’m doing something wrong here? The waitress comes by, and I order a cherry Coke—to go, while Jeff orders a cheeseburger box. I realize immediately I’m going to have to be rude and leave while he’s eating. It’s annoying that he would order food when I told him I couldn’t stay long. It’s silly. I mean he might not even be expecting me to stay, but I’m just aggravated with him in general, and I don’t want to be here.
“Listen Jeff, I better get going,” I tell him, when the waitress brings back our drinks. “I need to finish umm…packing.”
“You’re going to your Aunt Roxanne’s?” There’s no way he should know that.
“Yeah, I leave tomorrow,” I tell him, adding to my mountain of lies.
“She lives down by Cherokee Lake doesn’t she?”
“Close, but no. Roxy lives on Douglas Lake. It’s a beautiful place. I once thought about moving down there, but Pops begged me not to.” I offer him a tense smile.
“Well, I’m glad he did.”
“Yeah, I guess. I do like Kentucky. Listen, Jeff, I hate to be a broken record, but I really have to head out if I’m going to leave in time.” I start to get up but he won’t shut his mouth.
“Oh, come on, Aubree. You can give me ten minutes. You stood me up the other day when we were supposed to celebrate taking our SAT’s.”
“I just have a lot going on right now. Maybe we can have dinner when I get back in town.” Yeah, right. Not happening.
“Five minutes, that’s all I ask, Breezy.”
I shrink back. “What did you call me?”
“Breezy. That’s your nickname, right?”
“Only Pops calls me that and a few other close family members. How did you know about it?”
“You’ve mentioned it before,” he says coolly.
“But, I haven’t,” I tell him convinced of that. I rarely share anything about my life with anyone. I sure wouldn’t be so forthcoming with anyone at school. I definitely wouldn’t share my nickname.
“You must have, or I wouldn’t know it, now would I?”
“I don’t remember telling you,” I say again, feeling really weirded-out.
“Geez, Aubree you’re getting all paranoid. Can’t we just sit down and enjoy each other’s company.”
“Another time, maybe.” Like when Hell freezes over. “I really have to go now.”
I stand up to make my getaway. I’m not sure what’s going on, but I know I need to leave and get back before Jax comes home. I also know that in the future I’m going to avoid Jeff at all costs. I know I haven’t mentioned my nickname to him, and I know that something feels really strange with him. What I can’t figure out, is why I never picked up on it before.
Jeff reaches out and grabs my hand. His fingers encircle my wrist, hard with bruising pressure. His skin feels cold and clammy. I jerk my hand away and look up at him. Jeff is a good looking guy in that neat, sports jock, letterman sweater kind of way. He’s nothing like Jax, and nothing that has ever appealed to me. He’s also blonde. I’ve never really been attracted to men with blonde hair. Very few men can pull off that color for me. He’s too clean cut, too…nice looking. He’s nothing like Jax.
Right now, however, he has a coldness about him that turns me off more than anything. His blue eyes are overly bright, but there’s no emotion in them. He’s trying to smile and appear at ease, but it’s coming across fake. There’s an anger that I can see easily.
“Sit down Aubree. We need to talk.”
I try again. “I told you, Jeff. I have to go. I’m heading to my aunt’s, and I need to finish packing.”
“You have time for me,” he says, increasing the pressure on my hand and jerking it so I nearly fall into the table. It hurts, but I resist, yanking my hand back.
“I don’t. I need to go,” I grit attempting not to make a scene and draw attention to us.
“You need to—”
“You need to let go of Bree’s hand while you still have your own, asshole,” Jax growls from behind me. A shiver runs down my spine. His voice is deadly calm, but the anger I feel radiating off of him makes me almost afraid to turn around. Because, I’m not sure if his anger is directed at me, or at Jeff.
I’m afraid to find out.
Chapter Thirty-One
Jax
“I don’t think what happens between me and Bree is any concern of yours,” he smarts off.
“That’s where you’d be wrong,” I tell him, trying my best to beat down the urge to shoot off the bastard’s hand.
“How do you figure?” the asshole asks.
“Anything to do with Bree has to do with me,” I answer, putting my hand on Bree’s shoulder. A show of ownership. I’m about one step away from fucking this punk’s face up so bad even his mother won’t know who in the hell he is.
“What the hell? Jesus Bree, are you letting him between your legs?”
“Jeff…” Bree gasps, and I don’t have to see her face to know she’s embarrassed. Honestly, I’ve had enough of this fucker. I walk around her and lock my hand on his wrist. He doesn’t get the hint, so I apply more pressure, and when I hear him grunt in pain, satisfaction runs through me. He drops her hand, she immediately puts it on my arm, trying to stop me.
“Jax, it’s okay,” she whispers, because she sees the anger on my face. What she didn’t realize is that in doing
that, it would only make me angrier. There’s marks on her wrists. Marks that I know will turn into bruises, where the fucker grabbed her.
I don’t even think. I just snap. I clamp down on the motherfucker’s wrist, and when I feel something crack beneath my hand, I want to fucking celebrate. He’s jerking around and whining like the little bitch he is.
“Jax, please! Let it go,” Bree says again, and the stress in her voice gets through to me. Still, this asshole can’t get away with this shit, so I twist his hand hard, satisfied that I broke something, or at the very least caused him enough pain he’ll think twice before laying hands on my woman again.
“What the fuck dude? Where do you get off?” the bastard cries, holding his hand.
“Keep your hands to yourself,” I growl, wanting to say a lot more, and barely containing myself. The only thing stopping me from going after him again, is the fact that Bree still has her hand on my arm. I bring my hand over hers, using my finger to rub against the darkened skin. “You ever put your hands on her again, I’ll make you sorry you were born,” I tell him, and it’s not an idle threat.
“Who in the hell do you think you are?” he asks, still holding his hand.
“I’m her man!” I growl, not taking the time to think or to even try to stop my words.
“I can’t believe you Bree. You’re letting something like this between your legs? If I had known you were this hard-up I would have helped you out,” the slimy bastard says. I lunge at him, but Bree, moves so she jumps in front of me.
“You need to leave, Jeff,” she says, her voice tight with stress.
“He better get the fuck out of here, while he can still walk on his own,” I threaten.
“I’m going. You can call your grandfather off. I thought more of you than this. You’ve disappointed me,” the asshole says and that’s it. That’s It.
“I warned you asshole,” I growl right as my fist connects with his face. Immense satisfaction fills me as blood spurts from his nose, and he falls back on the stone covered patio. The chair he had been sitting in before I got here rakes loudly before toppling over itself. I kick him and would do more, but Bree is desperately grabbing at my waist, trying to pull me back.
“Jax, please! Please sweetheart, let it go. Please,” she cries and I can hear her tears and that’s the only thing that stops me. I look back at her and tears are running down her face. I don’t know why she’s so upset. Is she worried about this asshole? “He’s not worth it,” she whispers. “He’s not worth word getting back to Pops,” she whispers softer, so that only I can hear her.
I swallow down the objection boiling inside of me. I’m keeping her, but I don’t want to have to deal with the fallout of what that means before we have to. As much as it burns me to admit it…she’s right. I pull her into me, and we walk around the asshole that’s still lying on the ground. My steel-toed boot connects with him one more time as I get Bree away from here. I don’t want her breathing the same air as this asshole.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Bree
I feel like a nervous cat, walking back with Jax. We haven’t spoken since the incident with Jeff. I can still feel the anger vibrating off of him. I don’t know what to say to him. I have always heard people say don’t poke a bear when he’s angry. Right now, Jax definitely resembles a bear.
“What the hell were you doing there, Bree? I told you to stay at the apartment. Things are going to hell right now with the club, and I need to make sure you’re safe!”
“Jax, I just needed to run out and get something. I wouldn’t have been a minute if Jeff hadn’t been there. I was just leaving when you found us and—”
“It didn’t look like you were leaving. It looked like he was hurting you.”
“Jax, you’re exaggerating,” I argue.
“Those marks on your wrist say I’m not.”
Belatedly, I look down at my wrist and see the darkened skin. There will be bruises there. I don’t know what happened. Jeff has never been like he was today. I’d try to explain that to Jax, but I don’t think he’d listen—or that it would matter.
“Can we just let it go? It’s done now,” I say with a sigh, not sure how to end this argument, but just wanting it done. Tonight, was supposed to be so great. I envisioned Jax coming home and finding his clean apartment, and dinner and…
And what?
In my head, I had this vision of him hugging me while telling me that I was who he had been waiting on his whole life. It sounds crazy now. Like a stupid school-girl dream. Now, I suddenly feel embarrassed.
“What were you thinking, Bree? Jesus this is what happens when you deal with—”
“Don’t say it,” I warn him, I can’t handle hearing him say I’m too young right now.
“Say what? That you’re too damned immature to follow a fucking order?” he growls just as he opens the door to his apartment. His words feel like a slap in the face, and one I absolutely don’t deserve. When he turns to close the door, I take a breath and back up away from him.
Suddenly, the dinner I fixed, the house I cleaned, and even the silly little miniature Christmas tree I put up seem stupid. So stupid I can’t breathe. “Explain yourself Bree,” he growls like he’s talking to a four-year-old who has been caught writing on the wall with her crayons.
“Explain myself?”
“That’s what I said.”
“Go fuck yourself, Jax,” I tell him, finally having had enough. I’ve taken enough crap in my life. I made a promise that I’d never do it again and I won’t—not even from Jax.
“What did you say to me?”
“You heard me. I’m out of here,” I huff, walking towards the door. I thought I’d be home free once I passed him, but he grabs me around the waist and hauls me back to him.
“You’re not going anywhere,” he growls, and I just want to slap the hell out of him. I try, and I almost connect before he grabs my hands, gathering them in one of his. He uses his hold on me to force me backwards. My legs hit the couch and he literally pushes me down on it, stretching out over top of me, and trapping me beneath him with my arms pinned above my head. I twist and turn, trying to get away, but it doesn’t work. He moves his leg to push against mine, putting his in between both of mine. I try one last time to push away from him, but I can’t move. “What did you say to me, baby?”
“I said go fuck yourself, asshole,” I grumble, breathless from trying to get free.
“Little girls shouldn’t use that language,” he says angering me more.
I lose my cool. “I hate you.”
“Good,” he growls and then his lips crash hard against mine in a fiery passion.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Jax
This woman is driving me crazy. When I saw her with that kid, I wanted to wring her neck. Then I realized he dared to put his hands on her, snapping his neck was a near thing. Hell, I still might for putting marks on her skin. The only thing that kept me from it right now was Bree. I needed her back under my roof, locked up, protected, away from everyone else. My dick was hard as a fucking rock, my control snapped when she told me to go fuck myself. The woman is killing me and tying me up in so many fucking knots, I’m never going to undo them. My tongue is plunging into her mouth, demanding she surrender, but she doesn’t. She’s trying to pull away from me. Fighting me. My hand clamps on the back of her neck, refusing to let her move her head. In retaliation, she attempts to kick me. I push her up against the back of the couch and wedge my leg between hers, bearing my weight down on her so she is basically my prisoner.
“You’re such an asshole,” she mumbles against my lips. Her hands are pushing against my chest, but I’m not about to move. I love that she’s putting up a fight, but I won’t admit that to her.
“I gave you an order,” I remind her. “You disobeyed and it’s time you pay the piper, baby.”
“I’m not property or a dog, Jax. You can’t order me around.”
“That’s where you’re wrong sweet
Bree. You let me touch you. I liked it baby. I liked it so much that I’m keeping you,” I promise her.
“Jax,” she gasps, and I can feel her pulse beating to death under my hand, rapidly and so hard it jumps under my touch.
“You’re my property Bree and you’re going to give me everything I want.” My words are firm, directly to the point.
“What do you want?”
“You.”
“But…” she hedges, dancing around the words.
“And you’re going to give your body to me aren’t you, Bree?” I narrow my eyes on her, demanding she bends to submission.
“I thought you said you didn’t want to...until I graduated.”
“Didn’t want to what? Say it Bree. Give me the words.”
“Didn’t want to…”
“Say it. Let me hear the words from those lips that took my cock. Say it.”
“I thought you said you wouldn’t fuck me?” she whispers, her face filling with color.
“I said entirely too much, and I think you need to know who you belong to. Fuck it, you’re legal, and I’m sinking inside of you so deep you will be able to taste me in the back of that pretty little throat of yours.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Bree
I bite my lip hard. So hard, I can taste the coppery tang of blood seep into my mouth. It’s either bite or beg him to fuck me now. It’s hard to breathe. Each breath is painful because it takes so much effort. I’m completely enthralled in Jax. He’s holding me so tight I can’t move. That should infuriate me further. Yet, looking into his brown eyes, which seem even darker than normal, everything fades except desire…want…need.
The way he talks only adds fuel to a fire that’s already burning out of control inside of me. I’m so wet and every wicked thought and vision he puts in my mind, just makes me wetter.