From Us, Forever (Four Foxes #3)

CHAPTER 1

“Ah.” I giggled, swapping away the brick of muscles holding me down. “Get away from me.”

“No can do.” Strong, long fingers tickled down the side of my ribs as I wriggled myself away from him. We’d been locked in a tangle of limbs for the past ten minutes while he tickled me to his uttermost satisfaction.

“Jay,” I shrieked, tears gathering in the corner of my eyes, breathless from the laughter. “But who’s your favorite person in the whole wide world?”

“You are.” He smirked, nipping my ear as he dragged his tongue over the shell. “But I’m still not letting you go till you give me an answer.”

“I already did,” I spit through my labor-breathed giggles. “It’s still a no, no, no. Just like the last time I told you.”

He swirled his tongue inside my ear while his fingers still dug into my ribs. “Then I’m not going to let you go today, Evy.”

“Jay, stop. I can’t anymore.” I was giggling so hard from his tickling that I fought to catch my breath. “Jay, please…”

My struggles didn’t last long because a pair of soft lips captured my words in a hard kiss. Fuck me. All my previous fight fled from my body. The taste of his warm breath on my lips and the heat of his body tingled like a warm cocoon wrapping around me.

Content—I felt content.

Like this right here, this moment with him—this was enough.

Enough to live as a happy girl for the rest of my life.

My rattled breathing echoed through the room when we came up for air, my skin burning from his electric touch as his body settled over me.

His blue eyes darkened with desire as they locked on mine. I was pretty sure mine mirrored the same hunger.

“Let’s be fashionably late to the party,” he muttered, his lips skimming over my jawline.

“Hmm, I agree.” My fingers threaded through his raven locks, which he’d been growing out for a while now. They were long enough to sweep over his shoulders.

Jay peeled off my T-shirt, leaving me naked and weak-boned beneath him.

I blushed as his eyes scanned over every crevice of flushed skin, which only made every fiber in my body burn for him. He quickly peeled away his clothes and bared his body flush with mine.

“As much as I would love to be like the alphaholes from your books and fuck you in sexy positions, nothing beats looking at my girl’s face when I fuck her missionary,” he rasped, placing a soft kiss on my cheek. “The glow in youreyes, the pink in your cheeks, and your lips parted in pleasure when I fuck you long and hard and soft is the sight that I’d happily die to,” he said so softly that it warmed my soul and melted my heart .

My stomach felt like a little bird was flapping its wings inside. I was totally and completely fucked when it came to this man. “Jay.” I licked my lips as I locked my arms around his neck. “I want you. Now.”

“Anything my girl wants.” His lips curved into a cocky smile as he teased the tip of his throbbing hard length over my soaked folds, dragging it over my clit.

“Jay, come on,” I whined, hooking my leg over his hips and trying to pull him closer to me. “Don’t be mean.”

“Okay,” he muttered, seizing my mouth in a harsh kiss as he drove his cock inside me.

I gasped, so full as I felt my walls stretch and clench around him. He was so deep and hard inside me. My eyes glazed with pleasure as he fucked me at a maddening pace, thrusting soft and slow, then long and hard. The whole time, his eyes never left mine.

Just like he promised.

His face was pinched in deep concentration, his blues dark and his lips pursed as he plunged into me over and over again. The head of his cock caressed the sweetest spot inside me with every thrust.

He was right. Nothing was like looking into his beautiful face when he made love to me.

“I love you,” he whispered. The pure sexiness of his hoarse voice when he looked at me like that made me want to explode into smithereens.

My heart pounded in my chest, every beat thumping for him. “I love you, Jay,” I said as a tremble wrecked my body, reaching the high of the crescendo .

“Come for me,” he grunted, lifting my hips as he increased the rhythm of his thrusts.

His fingers stroked my clit in harsh circles, and my mind went blind as the orgasm burst out of me. His groan reverberated in my ears as he came, spilling his warm cum deep inside me.

“Fuck,” he muttered, burying his face into my neck.

“I don’t want to move a muscle, let alone go to an event after this, and it’s all your fault,” I whispered through my labored breath.

His laughter vibrated against my chest. “What did I do? If I remember correctly, you were the one begging.”

“Only because you were a teasing ass.” I pinched his side.

“Ouch,” he said, latching on to the skin on my neck.

I gripped his hair, pushing him away. “Don’t you dare leave a hickey on me. I’ll have my neck exposed from my dress, and I don’t want to be bothered covering it up.”

He grinned, raising a brow. “Will any other part of you be exposed?”

“You wish,” I mumbled, struggling under his heavy weight. “And get off me before I die.”

He laughed, removing himself from me as he sprawled on his back by my side, his skin still touching mine. “You know you can skip the party if you don’t want to go.”

I gave him a pointed look. “Are you kidding me? Gabe will have my throat. Plus, it’s Matty’s big night, and I want to support him.”

Tonight, we celebrated the launch of Matty’s record label. Though he was the lead producer, the boys were a part of it too, as co-producers, so I wouldn’t miss it for the world .

Now that I was back in his life, I wanted to be there for him like he’d always been there for me. Moreover, Gabe was helping Katy with the event planning, so I had two important men in my life whom I wanted to support tonight. I refused to be holed up in the apartment even though every cell in my body was screaming to do just that.

“So I’m not the reason, huh?” He raised a brow, his hand skimming over my waist. “I don’t like you talking about supporting other men while you’re naked in my bed and filled with my cum, Evelyn.”

I flushed hard, gaping. “Jayden Jameson, you’ve got a dirty little mouth.”

The tips of his fingers traced over my skin, eliciting a shiver out of me. “It wants to dirty you up. Big time.”

My eyes widened as I shot up to sit. “Nope.” I wiggled my finger, retrieving my sluggish body from the tangles of sheets. “Enough for today,” I said as I dragged the T-shirt over my head. “I’m going to get ready now.”

“Great. Leave the bathroom door open.” He grinned, plopping his head on his fist, and turned to his side, where he had a clear view of the bathroom.

“Yeah, right.” I rolled my eyes and slammed the door with a loud thud, locking it for good measure.

A loud groan of protest leaked through the walls, but I paid it no heed as I tossed my shirt and hopped into the shower. I had no clue why I even bothered wearing it. It felt like my brain was all over the place recently.

Every turn I took, Jay was there, and it was consuming and exhilarating at the same time. Not that I was complaining, but I needed a breather. It didn’t help that he constantly asked me to move in with him as if his presence wasn’t already clouding my mind.

But in reality, I was terrified.

It’d only been a few weeks since I’d agreed to date him. I was still putting off on officially calling him my boyfriend as a joke, but who was I kidding? As much as I liked to be this levelheaded, grounded person when it came to him, I became mush on the inside.

That would be my weakness. He would always be my weakness. A welcome weakness, though.

Back then, all it took was one look at him across the hallway at Bellevue High, and I was obsessed with him. We both were to the point that the delicate immaturity of our relationship got plagued by doubts and deceits. Everything fell into place perfectly, but then it all fell out of place painfully.

And I lost myself in the end. I knew my doubts, fears, and insecurities wouldn’t be fixed overnight, and that it would take some time.

But I was almost there. I could feel it brimming under the surface because I’d never been so happy before.

Because one thing was constant—our love didn’t fade or simmer. It grew calmer and louder.

The rainfall shower poured over my head like a massive downpour, sinking into my muscles as it woke me up. I lathered a thick foam of Jay’s expensive body wash over my skin as I drenched myself under the hot steaming water, smelling like seawater and oak.

A happy sigh left my lips as I closed a fluffy robe around me ten minutes later. My skin pruned and flushed from the heat as I stood in front of the pristine stormy-gray bathroom counter.

Weaving a brush through my wet hair, I untangled my long brown strands till they fell soft and straight. Peering at the soaked brown locks cascading down just above my hips, I realized my hair had gotten too long.

The more I stared at myself in the mirror, the more self-dooming thoughts laced through the existing wildness in my head.

This was the first time that Jay and I would be out in public together as a couple.

I could already feel my stomach turning at the thought of being at this party by his side. I was going to skip the red carpet, but still, people would see me with him.

A washed-out pale-skinned girl with wide brown eyes and a nose too small for her face.

It felt like I was right back to the first day of high school again, and no amount of deep breaths would make it right.

I sighed onelast breath at the wide-eyed girl staring back at me in the mirror and headed out.

I knew I was spiraling into my old beliefs and patterns. I thought I’d gotten so much better, but the thought of being in the public eye with him was spinning me back.

Since we got back together, we’d only kept to ourselves, so I wasn’t sure if I was ready just yet. But when would I ever be if I wasn’t now?

“You’ve been in there for a long time,” Jay said as I entered the room. He had shifted to the lone armchair by the expansive window and was playing his guitar .

I shrugged, easing down on the edge of the bed. I read books about strong female characters who wouldn’t let something like this wreck their mind, and at times like this, I wished I was like that, blazing through the doubts to stand proud and tall with the love of their life.

“What’s wrong?” Jay sounded concerned as he walked up to me. “I thought you were getting ready? Do you not feel well?” His palm touched my forehead.

I forced a small smile. “I’m fine.”

He gave me a pointed look. “I know when you’re fine and when you’re not, Evy. Don’t try to fool me. Tell me what’s got you sulking?”

“I’m not sulking,” I protested, my gaze dropping to the floor.

“Cute.” He placed a quick kiss on my pouted lips, bringing my eyes back to him. “But you can’t fool me.” He put a hand on my shoulder, threading it through my hair. “Fuck, your hair is wet. Did you even try to dry it?”

“No,” I mumbled, and he gave me an exasperated look before disappearing into the bathroom.

I sighed. There was no escaping him. Moments like this were the hard part of being in a relationship. It felt like I had to bare the naked, vulnerable parts of me that he could see straight through.

It was one of the reasons I was putting off moving in together. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to get thrust into his level of scrutiny.

“Here,” he said, turning my back toward him as he towel dried my hair.

And my heart tugged .

Because even though dreaded thoughts sucked me alive, there was him. There was this man who loved me and took care of me like no one else did. It only made me fall for him more than I thought possible.

It was a crushing and soul-wrenching kind of love. Our love.

“There you go,” he said, his eyes soft after he had toweled off most of the wetness from my lengthy brown strands. He cast the towel aside and dropped beside me, gathering me in his arms.

With my back hitting his chest, he hooked a finger under my chin and brought my gaze to his imploring blues, so full of questions. “Now, will you tell me what’s wrong?”

I sighed a heavy breath, but it still didn’t help with the heaviness in my chest. But I swallowed through it as I mumbled, “It feels weird to go out with you. I mean, people will be looking at you, at me .”

He frowned. “Why?”

I could tell this man just about anything, but this felt too raw for some reason. Like I felt less than him. “I don’t know.” I averted my eyes to the invisible lint on the covers.

“Hey,” he whispered, cupping my cheeks and redirecting my sight to him. “Why do you feel like that? You’ve never had a problem before.”

I swallowed the hardness that formed in my throat. “I did,” I replied in a low tone. “Even back then, I did, but I didn’t show it because it wasn’t that bad, but now, I feel so… so insecure being with you in the public eye, Jay.” A burn stung my eyes. “I just… I… look at me, just a regular girl who can’t even walk straight, someone who used to be a maid not too long ago. Is that the kind of girl you should be with? They’re all go ing to judge and talk about how you ended up with a loser. You should be with a model or an heiress, not me.” I couldn’t help the single tear that cascaded down my cheek.

“Fuck,” he mumbled, wiping away the salty trickle with the pad of his thumb while he regarded me with a sharp gaze. “Are you kidding me right now, Evelyn?” His tone raised a decibel, suggesting how ridiculous I sounded. “I don’t fucking want a model or an heiress. I want you. I’ve always wanted you. Do you really think I’ll let anyone say a word about you in front of me? Honestly…” He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “It won’t be as bad as you think. Most of these people have their own shit going on, okay? So stop overthinking.” He tapped his pointer finger on my forehead.

I nodded. He was right. I knew that, so why was I thinking like this?

The warmth of his hands spread over my skin as he brought us just a whisper away. “I’m the lucky bastard to have you by my side, sweetheart. Do you know I thank my lucky stars every single day for that?”

He looked at me with so much love that I felt breathless. “You’re the beautiful one, Evelyn. Not me. I don’t stand a chance next to you. You’re this gorgeous creature who got my heart roped in a loop I can’t undo. I don’t ever want you to think less of yourself again, alright?”

I stared at him with my glittering eyes—pooled with impending tears. “Do you say pretty words because you write songs, Jay?” my lips whispered against his.

“I say pretty words because I love you. It’s as simple as that.” His eyes lightened to match the smile that spread across his lips .

My cheeks blazed pink with a blush. “I love you more, Jay.”

“I know,” he said as he brushed his lips against mine in the softest kiss that somehow drained away all my anxious nerves into nothing. Only he could do that. Even though I was already in love, it felt like I was falling in love all over again.

“Now go get your pretty ass ready,” he said as we parted, pressing one last kiss on my lips.

“Okay.” I smiled, some weight of my previous trepidation fleeting as I scrambled out of bed. I planted a quick kiss on his cheek before I scurried to the closet.

My fingers glided over the soft satin dress as I brought it to the huge vanity in the center. The faint sound of the shower hit my ears as I untied the robe around my hips and let it fall to my feet.

I shimmied into a pale pink lace panty before I carefully got into the dress. It felt like I was handling a fragile item because I just about fainted when I saw the price of this dress. Katy assured me it was nothing and that I would have to get used to it if I was going to be Jay’s girlfriend.

The fact that this dress didn’t even need a bra made me squirm. The entire back was open, stopping low at the small of my back. It was a full-length muted pink dress with dainty spaghetti straps beaded with pearls. The material was soft and glittered when a certain angle of light hit. It was so pretty that I almost didn’t want to wear it.

I regretted not getting my makeup done professionally while I painted my lips in a darker shade of mauve pink and ran some blush over my cheeks, trying so hard to get it perfect and flawless .

The thud of footsteps shifted my focus to Jay entering the room. My breath hitched as I tried hard to concentrate on the task at hand, my eyes sweeping over to him as he walked toward me just in his low-slung towel, dripping wet from the shower.

All the air in my lungs stopped when he crouched and pressed a whisper of a kiss on my neck. He then stepped back toward his side of the closet, unzipping his dress bag to reveal a very delectable tux.

“Well, aren’t you going to say anything?” I met his eyes in the mirror.

“Tell you what?” He raised a brow, flinging away his towel, then dragging a black boxer over his hips.

My mouth went dry at the show he was putting onfor me. It felt like he was taunting, showing off his carved body, every inch of it inked and delicious.

I swallowed, returning my attention tohis question. “I mean, do I look okay?” I twirled a finger around a strand of hair as I asked him. It’d been a while since I’d attended an event with him, and even then, it was nothing on this scale, so I wanted to look perfect tonight.

His eyes pinned me in an intense glare. “You’re looking at the mirror. What do you see?”

Staring back at me were big brown eyes framed with thick lashes, pink lips and cheeks, and flowing hair. The shimmering dress hugged every inch of my skin. I frowned, my eyes darting to him. “I don’t understand. Is there something wrong? I did exactly as Katy toldme.”

He nodded while he buttoned up his black shirt over his chest. “You did, and what do you see? ”

I shrugged. “Plain old me.”

“Nothing about you is plain or old. You’re perfect. I just told you that a few minutes ago.” He sighed a heavy breath. “You need to see that for yourself, Evelyn. You need to see for yourself how beautiful and worthy you are. You don’t need me to remind you every second.”

He was right. I was seeking his validation to put aside my insecurities when I should have been the one working my way through them. “You’re right,” I mumbled. “I’m just being stupid.”

“You’re not stupid either.” He held me in his impassive gaze.

“Definitely at least a bit, I think,” I muttered with a small smile as I dabbed some perfume on my neck. “Do you think I would’ve been different if we’d been together? If I went to college and… if Auntie M hadn’t died? If things had been normal and I wasn’t being manipulated and played with? That I would’ve been more confident and less insecure?” I was genuinely curious about what he had to say because I felt it was a big reason.

He lifted a shoulder, clasping his slacks closed. “Maybe, maybe not. All I see is a strong girl who overcame all the shit thrown at her but still fails to see how beautiful she is.”

I couldn’t help the smile that curved my lips. “Maybe love has got you seeing me in rose-colored glasses, Jay.”

He smirked, but his eyes said another story. “Sweetheart, I was celibate for six fucking years. Because every time I closed my eyes, all I saw was you, and every time I opened them, all I wanted to see was you.”

A flutter fired into my heart. “Pretty words again, rock star,” I said, fixing my hair one last time before I stood and slipped on my sensible ballet flats that would be hidden under the train of my dress.

He clasped my chin between his fingers. “Only for you.”

I rolled my eyes as I straightened my dress, sweeping my clammy palms over it. “Ready to go?”

“Yes.” His fingers laced with mine in a tight grip, and his smoldering blues met mine. “And you look beautiful. Now, will it be so hard to believe it for one night?”

I smiled. “I guess not.”

His lips molded over mine in a soft kiss. “Good. Now, let’s go.”