24. Jaxon
24
JAXON
“I think Rya is still riding high on earning the spot in the spring performance.” I grin at Logan, raising a brow.
We’ve just settled back into the hotel room we’ll share again tonight. I won’t deny it, I got a sick sense of satisfaction when Coach threw Logan and me together again for this set of away games. Who knows what the old guy thinks of the shift that’s happened between the two of us in recent weeks. He probably assumes the canyon we’ve bridged is all thanks to his “disciplinary” tactics. Hell, maybe I’ll even throw his surly ass a bone and admit forcing us together is where it started . But I don’t think he can claim credit for the current state of us. It’s more owed to getting past the misunderstandings, the discovery of our terrifyingly hot chemistry, and the girl who’s been right there for us through all of it.
Logan chuckles softly from behind his laptop. “Yeah, she’s always been like that, though. It’s kinda like she doesn’t see how good she is. She plays the comparison game way too often. But maybe this will be a good step toward her being able to accept her talent for what it is. Anyway, based on how she could hardly sit still to talk to us, I’d say yeah, she’s very happy and excited.”
“Agreed.” I tip the bottle of water I’ve been downing to my lips again. “I’m just glad she wasn’t derailed by any of the shitty things that happened leading up to the audition. That would have been a shame. When we get back to campus, we should sit down with her and look at this clusterfuck from all angles.” At Logan’s nod of agreement, I grab a pair of joggers from my bag and begin to strip on my way to the bathroom.
Pausing at the door, I hold up a hand to get his attention. “Hey, what was that about Hazel and notes? I kinda lost the plot when she butted in.”
Logan rolls his eyes. “That girl, I swear. She swapped into my math class. Apparently she bit off more than she could chew with the one she registered for and was close to failing and wigging out about it.” He makes a yikes face. “Anyway, I told her she could borrow my notes, then forgot about it until she texted me. And of course, I didn’t even get the message until we were done with the game today. Shit, I should snap some pics of them now and get that off my plate.” With an obviously frustrated shake of his head, he twists around to grab a notebook out of his backpack.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say that girl has a thing for you.” Pitching his voice to sound like our girl’s roommate, he gushes, “‘Thanks so much, Logan, I’ll pay you back somehow. Promise .’”
“Shut the fuck up.”
The laugh I’d been trying to stifle bursts from me, and I wink at him. “I’m just messing with you.” He shoots me a disgusted look as I jut my chin toward the bathroom. “Be out in a few. Now that we’re both done pitching for the week, we can relax tonight. Watch a movie or something.”
“Yeah, cool.” Logan’s head bobs as he snaps a few photos of his notes before pointing at the screen before him. “I’m just going to send these, then finish up the essay for my English class. Shouldn’t take me long.”
I make quick work of cleaning up, then dry off and tug on my clothes before picking up my phone. The banking app on my home screen taunts me. Mom added me as a user on her account when I turned eighteen so I could help her pay bills and stuff when she wasn’t feeling well. I’ve been watching it carefully this week, waiting for the first installment of money to be withdrawn for the payment plan I set up with the hospital.
But… there’s nothing. What the hell ? It’s seriously not what I need right now because if that money comes out when I’m not expecting it, I’m bound to have trouble paying rent or buying groceries and meds for Mom. My molars grind, and I shake my head, disgusted, as I yank the bathroom door open, letting the steam pour out. Grumbling under my breath, I sit down on the end of the bed, propping one elbow against my thigh while I continue to stare at my phone. With the other hand, I rake through my damp hair.
In my peripheral vision, I can tell Logan is watching me. He slowly closes his laptop. “What’s going on?”
I work my jaw to the side, scanning back through transactions to make sure I don’t see the payment earlier than it was expected to come out. But it’s not there. And it’s not pending either. Fuck . What the hell am I going to do if this wreaks havoc on our finances, the way I know it has the potential to?
Logan’s weight depresses the mattress beside me as he sits down. “Everything okay?”
I’m so used to not telling him shit, it takes me a second. “Um. I set up a payment plan for the medical bill from Mom’s last hospital stay. When I was there, I swear the woman who helped me said it would come out yesterday. But it hasn’t.” I toss my phone to the side. “It’s just one more thing to keep track of and worry about.”
Logan rubs his hands over his face. “Yeah. You don’t need that.” On a heavy breath, he gets up from his perch and turns to face me. “Uh. I’ve gotta tell you something, but—” His jaw snaps shut as he studies me. After a moment of consideration, he huffs out a sardonic laugh. “I doubt you’re going to like it, seeing as how you reacted to me paying for the car repairs.”
My brows furrow sharply together, and my ears buzz so hard I can’t be sure I heard him right. “Wait, what?” He didn’t. No. Tell me he didn’t.
The easy smile that has been present more and more lately on my stepbrother’s lips is gone as he lets air hiss from between his clenched teeth. “I kinda took care of it that day at the hospital. I overheard you asking if they could split it into payments over six months.”
I stare into twin pools of blue that watch me so carefully, it’s almost uncomfortable. A month ago, it would’ve sent me off the fucking deep end. Blinking, I shake my head. “You didn’t.” The words burst from me, flat in tone because I’m so used to responding from a place of pride. Since my own father doesn’t think we’re good enough to help, I’ve needed to show him it didn’t fucking matter. We can manage on our own, my mother and I.
Drawing in a deep breath, he nods. “’Fraid so.”
I shoot to my feet. “Why would you do that? You didn’t need to.”
Logan’s chest jerks, and he looks at me in a way he never has before—like he actually fucking cares. And then, he follows it up with words that tell me exactly that. “I did it so you wouldn’t have to worry about it.”
My lip curls, fighting my gut reaction that would have me starting an argument with him over it. “You should have told me you did that,” I mumble after a moment, my cheeks flushing hot when it hits me that all I want to do is fucking yank him against me and hold on tight.
“I was planning to.” He winces. “I hadn’t gotten around to it yet because I was worried about whether you’d be capable of accepting it at all without a fight.” His tongue slips out to dampen his lip as he eyes me. “But dammit, Jax, I knew you’d have less weighing on you if I just took care of it.”
I huff out a breath, eyes piercing his. “Fucked if you don’t know me better than I know myself sometimes.” I shake my head in disbelief. He did this. For me. Before things were even close to right between us. That alone has the ice around my heart melting into a puddle at my feet. My lips twitch. “Have you ever minded your own business in your entire life?”
“I can’t,” he rasps, maintaining our eye contact as he runs his hand over his jawline.
“You can’t, huh?” I throw my arms out from the sides before stepping close. My breathing is erratic and rough, and his is much the same. A growl works its way up my throat. “And why the fuck not ?” I’m well aware I’m using the same tactics that were meant to scare him in the past—only now, they’re more of a test. To make sure I can trust him. I’ve only been able to rely on myself for so long…
“I can’t.” His chest jerks, and I witness the hard swallow that travels down his corded throat. “Not when it’s you, Jax.” Then, quieter, he murmurs, “Not when it’s you .” We’re standing so close his lips brush mine as he repeats himself. His eyes roam over me, wary, but he doesn’t back down—he never has when I’m on the attack.
My eyes crash shut. But I don’t want to attack him for this. Don’t fucking have it in me. Because he doesn’t fucking deserve it. Heart thudding, my arms shoot out, and I grasp his hips, fingers depressing into his skin. With my jaw locking up, I don’t know how to tell him what I feel. But I can sure fucking show him. I roughly tug him to me, my lips a heat-seeking missile that won’t miss their intended target. Crushing my mouth to his, I make him aware of everything racing through me with each kiss and nip and lick.
His body shudders in my hold as his hands drift up my bare chest, setting off sparks everywhere he touches me. As we ravage each other’s mouths, plundering with tongues and sharing breath, I grasp his shirt in my hands, tugging it upward, only breaking the kiss to tear it over his head. A half second later, we collide again, skin on skin.
Gasping for air, he whispers, “Fuck, Jax. I’m sorry. I knew you’d hate it.”
“Shut up. Show me how sorry you are.” And with that, I yank him with me, tumbling backward onto the bed, and bring his body down on top of mine. The sheer masculine weight of him makes me groan aloud, a strangled sound of pleasure that reverberates through the room.
Memories of the last time we went at each other in a hotel room spill through my mind, only then, I was the aggressor. The punisher.
This time, it’s not about that. It’s about showing him that I don’t fucking hate him. Not even a little bit. Not even at all.
I need him in a soul-deep, heart-crushing way I never fathomed I would.
We grind together, the heat between us rising. His teeth sink into my neck, and he alternately sucks on my skin and teases me with his tongue. I grab his ass, holding us together as I thrust against him from below, and whip us into a frenzy.
“Yeees.” The word drags raggedly from his lips as we roll to our sides. His thick cock lines up so perfectly with mine, it makes the blood in my veins boil. It makes me sweat. It makes me goddamn needy for him.
And this dry humping action is hot, but it’s driving me right the fuck out of my mind. I want more. So much fucking more. I pause, staring at him from under hooded eyes. “I want you to fucking touch me. Need you.” The words come out gritty and raw and so fucking real, they knock the wind from me. My eyes bore into his, and I let him see the truth of what I’m asking. It’s there for him to decipher.
Knowing we’re about to find out how well my stepbrother really knows me has a zing of anticipation shooting down my spine, making my dick jump against him.
His wild blue eyes search my dark ones, and he quickly nods, heat flooding his gaze. In some sort of unspoken agreement, we release each other, both of us shoving at our joggers at the same time. We kick from the remainder of our clothing, then lie there for several seconds with our chests heaving, dicks out. Completely buck-ass naked. If anything has become clear to me, it’s that everything is shifting between us. Again.
Logan makes an abrupt roll, diving off the side of the bed. “The fuck?” I growl, frowning as he throws something onto the bed beside me. It takes a second for my brain to engage. I exhale hard. Lube. Holy fuck .
He crawls over to me, cock jutting from his groin as he lies beside me again. “I’m not saying that’s where we’re headed, but stopping to hunt for it is the least fucking fun thing ever.” Fisting my dick, he gives it a slow stroke before rasping, “Get outta your head.”
I groan at the feel of his hand on me, and the buzz shooting under my skin only gets more insistent when I look down to watch the way the muscles in his hand and forearm move as he knocks the breath from my lungs. I can’t help myself. It feels so damn good, I throw my head back, staring up at the ceiling to try to stop my world from spinning. But that’s not going to happen because if I face facts, I’m very sure I want Logan to send my world toppling right off its axis.
His dick is hard, sliding over my thigh, and I have the sudden need to touch him, too. “How fucking bad do you want me?” I grit out, meeting his eyes, then grasp the back of his neck with one hand and slam my mouth to his. As we give in to instinct, our tongues exploring, I bring my other hand to his dick. He’s long and hard and so fucking thick, a deep groan rumbles inside my chest. The things I want… Oh, fuuuck.
Logan tears his mouth from mine. “How fucking bad do I want you?” His repeat of my question comes out on a growl as he climbs over me. “You’re about to find out. Spread your legs for me.”
I suck in a breath but shift them slightly. The second they part, he kneels between them, then taps the top of my thighs. “Bend your knees.” His eyes are alight with a fire that threatens to burn down this hotel room around our heads, and he watches as I obey his command, bringing my legs up and putting myself in the most vulnerable position I’ve ever been in before. He nods, his gaze roaming over me. My hard, dripping cock. My ass.
Leaning down, he takes my dick and slowly pumps it from base to tip, over and over, all while my heart trips all over itself inside my chest. And then his mouth is devouring me, and he sucks me so good, I could swear my eyes roll all the way back in my head. I’m in immediate danger of blowing my load. “Fuck,” I bite out, watching the expert way he handles me. I grunt, barely able to maintain any sense of composure.
But no sooner do I think I’ve got control over myself than the click of a cap opening is like a gunshot going off in the quiet room. My eyes widen involuntarily, and I find my breath caught within my lungs, like I’ve forgotten how to fucking breathe.
“You seemed to like it the last time I touched your ass. But say the word if you want me to stop.”
I don’t get more than a nod out when the cool, slippery lube on his fingertips comes into contact with my hole. “Jesus fucking Christ.” My chest jerks and my ass clenches at the sensation. But it’s so good, I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop a damn thing that comes out of my mouth.
Logan pauses. “Trust me?” I stare into his eyes, but when I don’t answer immediately, he comes down over my body, his fingers still circling my ass. “Trust me.” This time, it’s not a question but a demand.
I don’t know if I can find my voice, and my ears are ringing, my vision tunneling a bit at the rampage of sensations swamping me all at once. Finally, I manage to croak out, “I fucking do.”
“Good.” He nods, those pale eyes of his searing into me at close range.
“F-f-fuuuck,” I stutter as a fingertip enters my ass. I grip the front of his neck, pulling his mouth to mine. “Kiss me. It makes me hot.”
A huffed sound bursts from him. “So long as you aren’t closing your eyes to forget who’s got their hands on you.” And with that, he turns up the intensity, teasing my lips, all while maintaining eye contact with me.
We’re caught up in the toughest staring contest I’ve ever taken part in when his finger slides farther into my ass. An immediate shudder of pleasure washes through me as he rubs the pad of his finger over a spot that makes me feel like my body is coming out of its skin. “Oh, fuck,” I heave out, gasping for air as my cock twitches, leaking onto my stomach.
“Feels good, doesn’t it?”
It’s all I can do to focus and nod. My heart pounds in my ears so loudly, I must have missed him opening the lube again because a moment later, it trickles down my taint and meets his fingers.
“Gonna give you another.”
I blink, then nod again. “Fucking do it.” And when the first joins the second, it’s all I can do to grip his shoulders and hang on.
He nips at my lip, then slides his tongue along my jaw until he tugs my earlobe with his teeth. In my ear, he moans. “I’m gonna fuck you now, baby.”
I swallow. “How do you want me?”
“Just like this. I wanna see you fall apart when I take you.”
A laugh trips from my mouth. “Fuck.”
Logan shifts back to kneeling but doesn’t remove his fingers, leaving them inside me, moving, always moving. Scissoring, playing, driving me out of my fucking mind. With his free hand, he thumbs open the lube again, drizzling it on his cock. He takes his time stroking himself while he pumps his fingers in and out of my ass.
I’m on fire, the anticipation making me needy. “Please,” I groan, staccato breaths falling rapidly from my lips.
“When you said you wanted me to touch you… did you mean fuck you?”
I nod. No sense in denying it. “You make me want things I didn’t know I wanted.” I hesitate only long enough to suck in a breath. “And I fucking want you so bad.”
“Good.” He slips his fingers from my ass, and that both halts all words in my head but also makes my mouth drop open at the loss.
Pushing on the back of my thighs, he smiles when I hike them farther, exposing my ass to his view. “Good fucking boy,” he groans, taking his dick in his hand and bringing it to my eager hole.
Who the fuck knew I’d be willing to spread myself wide and anxiously wait for him to give me his dick? Who knew the guy who would make me want to do any of this would be my stepbrother?
“Look at me.” His voice is husky, his tone sure. “Jax. You’re mine .”
My eyes snap to his blue ones, and they bore into mine, the connection between us steady and strong. “I’m yours for the taking. Do it.” A moment later, I can’t think about anything, can’t question what we’re doing because the thick head of his cock eases into my ass.