3. Alex
Jaxon pulls his car into the driveway of a cute little two story home that I’m assuming is his. We haven’t had a dinner night at his place yet, but he's on the schedule for next week. I’m finally going to get a peek behind the curtain, and maybe learn about this man who has the need to watch over our little group.
He parks in the detached garage that sits back from the house. We are both quiet getting out of the car, exhaustion kicking in. I follow Jaxon to the front porch, sending up a silent prayer as I watch his delicious ass climb the stairs. God, why does he have to be so fucking hot?
When Jaxon unlocks the door, stepping aside to usher me in, I’m hit with warmth. Not just heat, but that feeling of being wrapped up in your favorite blanket. I have one of those, but I can't even think about the state it must be in right now.
As I take off my shoes, I look around the room. On my right is a living room with tan walls and dark wood bookshelves lining both sides of the flat screen TV, which sits above a fireplace. The focal point is a big dark brown couch with a soft pink throw over the back. I can see Jaxon falling asleep on that thing. It looks so comfy. Who doesn’t love a good couch, am I right? A coffee table sits in front, and there is a recliner positioned in the corner.
To my left is a small dining area, open to the living room, making it feel rather large. In the middle is a staircase leading upstairs, sliding glass doors are to the right, and in the back left corner is an archway, which I assume leads to the kitchen. The house looks lived in but tidy.
“So,” he says, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s not much but…”
“No, it’s perfect,” I rush out. “It’s the kind of house I would like someday.”
“House of Arrows did pretty well, so maybe it won’t be that far off.”
There’s a flutter in my stomach.
He knows about the game? I never thought he really paid much attention.
“Yeah, maybe, if this situation doesn’t bring me back to square one,” I say, rolling my eyes. Stupid water pipe.
“Which is why you are staying here as long as you need.”
I nod my head, “Thank you.”
None of us can say no to Jaxon. One glance alone and your panties will melt. Well, in my case, tight colorful briefs. Maybe it’s the black biker boots and dark-colored jeans that make him sinfully attractive, or his tight maroon t-shirt that hugs his muscles like a glove. So much like a glove that I can see the raised outline of…. Damn! He has his nipples pierced.
His blue eyes shoot straight to your soul. I want to run my finger through his brown hair with specks of gray starting to peek through and tug. A man with a little gray is so sexy. And his scruff… Yes, please!
Jaxon claps his hands together. “Come on, I’ll show you to your room.” As we head upstairs, I again send up a silent prayer of thanks to the ass Gods .
“For now there is only one bathroom upstairs. I’ll be adding a second at the end of the hall and this will become the ensuite to the master bedroom.” Jaxon flicks on the light, and I nearly gasp.
“Damn, this bathroom is huge.”
He chuckles as I move further in.
“Umm, how many people can you fit in this bathtub?”
Jaxon barks out a laugh. “So far, I’ve only tried one.”
Interesting.
I haven’t seen him date much. There was that one guy a few years ago. I think his name was Ben or something. We weren’t really that close back then.
Not like we’re that close now. But I mean, as a group, we are.
On the outside, I’m sure we look like bumbling idiots working through our new friendships. Many of us are finally allowing ourselves to lean on someone for the first time in a long time.
“Over here is your room,” he says, pushing the door on the right open.
It’s your standard spare bedroom. A bed pushed up against the wall and a small dresser in the corner.
Crap, that does not leave me much room to set up my computer.
“I know the room is not big, but Beckett said the mattress is still decent,” Jaxon says, stepping into the room behind me.
“Hey, it’s better than sleeping in my car,” I say with a wry chuckle. “If I move everything around right, I might be able to fit my computer.”
Jaxon looks around. “It’s gonna be a tight fit… There is a room off the living room that I currently have set up as my office. I bet we could fit another desk in there. Then you will have some separation between sleep and work.”
I laugh, “Working from home every day, that helps.”
Sitting on the bed, I bounce a few times. Then chuckle when I wink at Jaxon as thoughts of me bouncing on his dick invade my brain. He shakes his head, knowing exactly where my mind wandered. He's way too easy to flirt with because I know it will never go anywhere. He thinks I’m too young, or some shit like that.
I get up from the bed and make my way to Jaxon, giving him my best help me eyes. “I hate to ask, but could I maybe borrow something to change into? These pants are driving me nuts,” I say, looking down at the horrible black slacks, desperately wishing I could adjust my fucking dick without looking like a perv.
You know how some people get hangry? Well, I’m about to get pants-gry, because these pants are making me irritable. Of course, it would have nothing to do with the fact that my apartment flooded, and I lost everything I own. Oh, and my car broke down.
Sooo… Yeah, Fuck. My. Life.
Jaxon gives me a sad smile.
Great! Just what I need, pity.
“Of course. I’m sure I have something. I’ll be right back.”
You know that moment in life where your biggest crush finds out just how big of a loser you really are? I’m standing in it, and I’m the loser.
I plop myself back down on the bed. Okay, so I need to make a list of shit I need. Priority number one, clothes. Priority number two, computer.
My mind races, adding to the list, and I have a mini freak out. Everything! I need everything.
I jump at the tap on my shoulder. “Sorry, I called your name but…”
I wave him off. “I was just off in my mind. So, got anything to fit my boney ass?”
“From what I can gather, your ass seems pretty perfect,” Jaxon mumbles, before his eyes go wide like that was not meant for outside ears. The sexiest blush creeps up his neck. Wow, Jaxon blushing.
Wait, so he’s been noticing my ass?
I continue to play off of that spark of confidence as I crawl to the head of the bed, pretending like I’m fluffing the pillows. Looking over my shoulder, I wiggle my ass.
“So you’ve been looking at my ass, huh?”
“Boy, you are something else,” he chuckles. “Get dressed. I am going to throw in a pizza. I’m starving.”
Slowly getting off the bed, I walk towards him, taking the clothes he's still holding. “I could eat something, ” I whisper before brushing past him and walking to the bathroom .
As soon as the door shuts behind me, I lean back against it and suck in a deep breath. I can’t believe I just did that. I let out a burst of laughter. Now that he may actually notice me it sends a little thrill up my spine.
I’m sure I'm seeing something when there is nothing there to see. Either way it’s fun to see if I can get him riled up.
He’s hung up on the age difference, but it doesn’t bother me. The fact that I find it incredibly sexy should say something.
We are twelve years apart. He's only 37, that’s not old.
He's just more stuck on the fact I’m 25.
I guess I can understand his hesitation, but I have been on my own for a while. I’m not some kid fresh out of Mommy and Daddy’s house. Not that I would even know what that is. I just wish he could look past the age difference and see that I’m a mature and responsible person. Most of the time.
I still have my faults. I’m not perfect, but I’ve always managed to make it through. Sometimes it just takes me a few wrong turns.
But, seriously, the age thing is not an issue. When Jaxon goes all daddy bear, I wanna drop to my knees. Who wouldn't? I’ve seen it a few times. Like once after a night of tequila and possibly puking on his shoes. It was not my finest hour.
In the beginning, I could barely talk to Jaxon. Heck, I wasn’t the only one who was crushing hard on the men of Ink Me. They are all so fucking hot, but I seem to have my eyes glued to only one.
I’ve never been with someone like Jaxon. He was always the fantasy. The people I went on dates with were mostly fellow geeks like me… and maybe there was one professor. I can flirt and hold my own with that group, but a leather biker who owns his own tattoo shop? That’s a whole new ball game I don’t know the rules for.
I take a quick shower to wash off the shittiness of this day before changing into the clothes Jaxon gave me.
I’m going to have to freeball it, but whatever. The basketball shorts are a little big. A few rolls of the waistband and it will work. Better than those fucking pants, that's for sure. I might have to burn them. I take in the opportunity to inhale Jaxon’s scent as I'm practically swimming in the t-shirt .
I throw my clothes in the hamper that is tucked in the corner of my room, s ee, I can be adult like, and head downstairs.
When I peek into the kitchen, I see Jaxon bending over the oven. I swear, this shit practically writes itself.
Dear Universe, It’s Alex. Could you take my biggest crush, who is unattainable, and throw his ass in my face a bunch of times? K Thanks!
Jaxon pulls the pizza out, leaving it to cool. “Smells good. I didn’t realize how hungry I was.”
“Can I get you something to drink…?” The question falls away when he sees me. His eyes widen before he schools his expression.
“Does it look that bad?” I ask, glancing down at my all too large outfit.
“No, of course not.”
“Okay,” I say, while trying to wrangle all the extra material.
Before I realize it, he's in front of me, and a hand gently pulls at my forearm, dropping it to my side.
“Stop, you look great. Too great, almost.”
“Well, that’s just silly. One can never look too great,” I joke.
He gestures for me to sit. “I have beer, soda, water?”
“After today, I think I’ll take you up on a beer.”
He takes a couple beers out of the fridge, popping the tops and setting one down in front of me. “Don’t worry, I hid the tequila,” he says, referring to the last time I got sloppy drunk in front of my whole friend group.
I narrow my eyes. “It was a moment of weakness!”
Spencer and Finn were becoming a thing and, well, Jules and Mira were doing whatever they were doing. I was feeling lonely and the crush of my dreams was there looking hot and sexy with his black biker boots, black jeans and a black hoodie. My dick was hard practically all night long.
Jaxon lets out a laugh as he cuts the pizza. Putting a few slices on plates and walking back to the table, he sets it down in front of me before taking a seat.
“What's on the agenda tomorrow? I have the day off, so I’m at your disposal.”
“You don’t have to do that. I can take an Uber or something. ”
“Okay, one, I already planned on taking the day off, so I’m helping you. End of story. And two, you have lived here for 25 years, Alex. When have we ever had Ubers?”
I sigh, “Fine. But just for the record we need some kind of ride share in this town. Someone other than Jerry’s. Then we wouldn't have to play musical cars every morning after a night out of drinking.”
I bite into my pizza and my stomach growls like it’s just catching up to how hungry I am. I inhale the first piece of pizza, and start on the second before I answer his earlier question.
“You name it and I have to do it. I need to go a couple of towns over, to Liberty, and pick up a computer. I need to call the apartment management office and see about when I can get in. I need to figure out what is wrong with my car, and no matter how sexy I look in this outfit, I need to buy some clothes.”
Jaxon chuckles.
“Let me handle the car, okay? I already called Joe while you were in the shower. He's going to tow it to the shop and call me when he has had a chance to look at it. I know you love that blue hunk of junk, but it might be time…”
“Don’t you dare say it! Trixie is going to be fine. She has a lot of life left in her.”
I lie through my teeth, but she is my baby. She just likes to act like an old lady from time to time.
I wonder how old she is in car years? That has to be a thing, right?
“Let’s just see what Joe says, okay?” Jaxon pauses, cocking his head before he continues, “Yep, gonna totally ignore that you just called your car Trixie.”
I roll my eyes, “Fine, whatever. He better not put a scratch on her,” I mutter.
Jaxon tilts his head again with a quizzical look. “I mean, would you even be able to tell which ones are new?”
“It’s a talent,” I say, getting up and rinsing my plate before I put it in the dishwasher. See, adulting.
I wash my hands, looking out the kitchen window into the little backyard. It’s dark out, but I can see the fairy lights strung up across the patio. It looks quiet and peaceful. I let out a long breath and feel my shoulders deflate. I’m so fucking tired.
Jaxon comes up behind me, and I can feel the warmth of his body without him even touching me. The hairs on my arms stand up and my whole body tingles as he crowds behind me. My head barely coming up to his shoulder.
“It’s going to be fine, Alex. We’ll get you a computer first thing in the morning. Have you called your business partners yet?”
Ohhhh, fuck! “No.”
Jaxon kisses the top of my head. The move causes me to inhale sharply. We don’t normally stand this close to each other, and he sure as fuck has never kissed the top of my head before.
“I’ll clean up. Why don’t you go call them? I’m going to head up to bed when I’m done. You should try to get some sleep.”
Oh, wow, the command in his voice is hot.
And hello again, daddy bear!
“Did you make it home okay or did Trixie die on the side of the road and you had to be rescued by a hot tattooed tow truck driver?” Trent says, staring back at me through my phone. I figure it would be quickest to call and video chat both of them at the same time.
“Yeah,” says Billy, “Did he inspect your undercarriage?”
Trent and I both groan.
“What? I thought that was a good one.” And that, ladies and gentleman, is Billy, a man of few words and shitty jokes.
“Well, he was hot and tattooed,” I mutter.
Trent’s eyes go wide, “Dude, I was kidding.”
“Yeah, well, that’s not all that happened.” I proceed to tell them about Trixie breaking down in front of my building and the fire trucks and the water pipe. I could go on and on.
“And the worst part of it all… Jaxon showed up like a pretend knight in shining armor. ”
“How do you know it was pretend?” Trent asks, stupid eyebrow raised.
“We have already gone over this. He will never see me like that. Now, can we move on from the catastrophe that is my life and talk about how much this will put us back?”
“Whatever, but I’m just saying…” he sighs, knowing he’s going to get nowhere. “I don't think this will set us back much, it's mostly equipment. There have to be some computer stores around there somewhere, and we can ship whatever you can't find. We built days into this project for a reason, we should be fine.”
“I’ll keep you posted on what I can get. Jaxon has offered to drive me.” I hold up my hand… “Shut it.”
“Fine, we can just talk about the fundraiser,” Trent says.
“Oh, yeah. So when’s the wedding?” Billy says with a smirk.
Fucker.
I bury my head in my hand. “I panicked. You told me to focus on the technical stuff for the meeting. So I did. And with trying to remember all of that, I didn't have time to go over the rest of the notes you gave me.”
“When is the fundraiser?” Trent asks.
“In a couple weeks, I don't know the exact date. Mr. Withermore said he would email all the information to the office, so I’m assuming that is you.”
“See, you have plenty of time to find yourself a fake fiancé.”
I just stare at Billy because I have no words, and I have no idea what the fuck I’m going to do. Maybe I can just ignore it. That sounds like a great idea. I like it. Yep, I’m going with that.
“Don't worry, We’ll figure it out,” Trent pipes in again with the optimism I don't seem to have after a night like tonight.
I take a deep breath as exhaustion kicks in.
“I need to get some sleep. I’ll keep you posted on what I find tomorrow.”
“Alex, It's going to be fine.” I nod at Trent.
“Yeah, okay. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
I hang up the phone, and plug it in to charge before I plop back down on my bed, falling asleep exactly how I landed.