Four
I hardly got a wink of sleep that night due to whittling about Jaxon.
In the morning, Daisy was all over me like a rash, which was proof that Marcus must have told her what he’d witnessed in the gym. The realisation that he probably thought we were shagging made me want to bury myself under my bed covers and never come out.
Who knew what Marcus had said to my mother? The situation could have been handled so much better. Jaxon’s attempt to make his dad lose it had now made a mountain out of a molehill.
Daisy knocked on the door and swept in before giving me any time to answer. I was hardly awake as she glided over and sat on my bed. She’d brought me a cup of coffee, but I’d immediately seen straight through that bullshit. My mother never brought me coffee in bed.
I was surprised, as she usually took a lifetime to get to the point. This time she went straight for the jugular. “Is there something going on between you and Jax?” she questioned with a firm look. The fact that she just blurted it out suggested she found the thought stressful. I suppose she would have since she was now pregnant with Marcus’s child, but she need not be. I’d looked it up last night to double-check. Jaxon and I were not blood-related so yes, sharing a half-sibling would be weird, but it wouldn’t be considered incestuous if we were having sex. I’d gotten carried away and continued reading; it was also legal for step-siblings to marry when their parents were married. As if, and why the heck was I checking it was OK to have sex with a stepbrother I disliked so much? Because you want to get into his pants my libido echoed with a Tarzan-like call.
What can I say, I got ahead of myself.
My eyes narrowed as I took in the way she wrung her hands in her lap. She was agitated, possibly because she was rushing. My mother was wearing gym clothes and would be on her way out. She must have felt this conversation important as nothing came between my mother and her morning routine.
Peering at her through one eye, I visibly wilted. It took me a minute to construct my reply. “No, there isn’t. Not like that anyway. We don’t even get on. You know that.”
Daisy didn’t look relieved at my reply, quite the opposite. “You know he’s too old for you,” she rasped out, folding her arms across her slight chest, something she did when she was trying to look assertive. Forcefulness was an alien concept to my pushover of a mother.
“He’s not that much older than me,” I thoughtlessly batted back. Why the hell I had chosen to point that one out was anyone’s guess. It almost made me sound as if I saw him as potential boyfriend material. Yes, he was fit and would probably be a demon in the sack but no thank you.
My outburst backfired like a motherfucker. Daisy didn’t like it at all and she embellished her comment. “I don’t mean in years; I mean in life experience. He’s probably slept with lots of girls.”
“I imagine he has but so what? That has nothing to do with me.” I buried that slight twinge of jealousy I’d experienced at her un-shocking revelation. That type of emotion connected with Jaxon could do one. So, what? Any female with a pulse probably fancied him, but I wouldn’t allow myself to get caught up in that shitstorm. As if I’d want a relationship with someone so socially impaired my mind told me. What, not even as a fuck buddy? That other side of me questioned. I batted those thoughts to the side.
Daisy released a sigh of exasperation. “I just don’t want you getting hurt sweety.”
Her words annoyed me as did her endearing name. I looked after my mother , not the other way around. I always had done. We were both a bit ditzy but my mother had her whole head in the clouds, with me it was just the top section. That’s what I told myself anyway .
I sighed and gave her a pointed look. “Anyway, I have a boyfriend, Mum. You remember Dominic?”
She huffed and shrugged her Lycra-encased shoulders. “Marcus mentioned he caught you and Jaxon downstairs and you looked close.”
“Yes, in the gym. We weren’t doing anything though. Jaxon was winding his dad up on purpose. You know what a shit he can be.”
Some of the tension left her face. “Marcus thinks you have a crush on Jax.”
“What the actual fuck,” I yelled, almost imploding at such a crippling observation.
If I upset her by swearing, she didn’t show it. “He said things looked— heated between you.”
“Well, I wouldn’t disagree with that one. We had a brief workout and then argued.” Daisy’s eyes widened at that.
“What type of workout,” she questioned with raised eyebrows, freshly tweezed ones. Mum was always immaculate.
“Not like that ,” I assured her wearily, my cheeks heating. I so didn’t want to be having this conversation with my mother, especially when I was barely functioning. I felt shattered as I’d spoken with Dominic on the phone last night for over two hours. Probably out of guilt after being so close with Jaxon in the gym. There was also that burning fact that we had kissed in front of him. I was surprised that Dominic hadn’t brought it up again but he probably wanted it squished. He had shown Lexi his junk after all.
Daisy slowly pushed to her feet and peered down at me through her blonde fringe. “You promise me that nothing’s going on then?”
I indulged her with a ‘you have nothing to worry about’ face. It was odd that Daisy was suddenly showing such parental concern.
I narrowed my eyes as she started to rub her bad wrist. It still pained her, she tried to hide it but I could tell. And to think she’d injured it in the gym all those years ago; that now being her favourite place to be. I wondered if she’d keep going once news of the baby was confirmed.
“Look, I promise you. Nothing is going on between Jaxon and me,” I replied smoothly.
The silence stretched between us. I wasn’t lying. Yes, we’d kissed a couple of times but that first one was during a moment of madness and the other one was part of a juvenile party game. Not exactly the ingredients for going steady.
My mother seemed to buy it and her expression became more relaxed. I shuffled further up the bed and she whipped the covers off me. Great; it appeared I was getting up.
“I’ll leave you to get dressed. I’m going to the gym and then Marcus and I have an appointment with the Doctor. What do you think, about the baby? You were awfully quiet at the table,” Daisy questioned with an unreadable look.
“I was shocked, but I’m happy for you,” I replied with a slight shiver now I had no covers on.
“Thank you, that means a lot. We’ve been trying since we got married and I was starting to get worried I couldn’t conceive again.” Daisy informed me.
I smiled reassuringly. “Well go steady in the gym then.”
She nodded and as I slid my feet to the floor, I was overcome with curiosity as to what she would have said if I’d told her Jaxon had kissed me.
“Why are you so worried about me and Jaxon anyway? I thought you liked him. You know we’re not related by blood, even when we end up with a half-sibling?” I pointed out as she trotted towards my door.
Her hand stilled on the doorknob and she turned to look at me. “I know that and I do like Jaxon, but he reminds me of your father at times and I wouldn’t want you wrapped up with someone like that. Not in a romantic way.”
I was surprised I didn’t choke on my tongue as she hardly ever mentioned my dad. I partly knew what she meant, Jaxon liked the sound of his own voice and could be quite vocal, but that’s where any similarity between him and my father ended. Yes, he was mostly a shit to me, but I’d seen how caring he could be with his brother and even his friends. He also occasionally dropped his guard with his father. From the few things my mother had said to me, my dad cared for nobody but himself.
“Well, don’t worry. He’s my stepbrother and a pain in my arse. Which is what he will always be,” I replied stiffly, ignoring the crack in my voice.
Daisy’s eyes roamed over my face before she declared in that soft voice of hers, “Just be careful Wynter. You’re so beautiful and sweet and I’ve seen him watching you and not in a brotherly way. He’s also a good-looking guy and you aren’t blind. If he turned on the charm, you may find him hard to resist.”
The thought of Jaxon watching me caused goosebumps to skitter across my flesh. I swallowed and pursed my lips, fully digesting her words. “Jaxon Savage is not the boy for me and you have nothing to worry about. And as for charm? I doubt he could even spell the word.”
This thankfully drew a line under that awkward, want-to-jab-a-pen-into-my-eye discussion.
As my mother left the room, muttering something about being late for the gym, I padded over to my bathroom and started my usual routine.
Thoughts of my father circled my head. When my mum met Marcus and I initially rebelled against the idea, I found out that my father owned a law firm in Norwich. I had attempted to see him at his office but his secretary (who I imagined had been more than that in the past) said I wasn’t allowed to see him. Her choice of words had been odd. That visit had been the final straw and I had decided to give up. It wasn’t like I was missing anything; he hadn’t been the best of dads when my parents were together from what I remembered.
As I made my way downstairs, my thoughts were swiftly interrupted as I bumped into Chris on the stairs. “Morning sunshine. Marcus is looking for you,” he informed me breezily .
My stomach dropped. Great. If he started asking me uncomfortable questions about Jaxon, I’d die on the spot. I walked down the rest of the stairs as though I were heading to my death.
My stepfather was in the kitchen and looked up when I walked in. “Good morning Wynter.”
I smiled and grabbed a banana, feeling suspicious. He seemed way too pleased to see me. He wasn’t ever moody with me, but he wasn’t this bright. Something was off.
“So, what are you doing on Friday?” he asked.
Unpeeling the banana, I searched my memory banks. In the evening I was going to the cinema with Dominic, but for most of the day, nothing. Unfortunately. I searched my brain for some fake plans, totally not sure what Marcus was going to suggest.
Dang it. I came up with zilch and muttered, “Nothing until the evening, why?”
That was when my stepfather explained that he had managed to arrange for me to go to the base in Marham to speak to some soldiers about my article. I was to travel to work with Jaxon, he would chaperone me and then bring me back during the afternoon.
Excitement simmered inside me but never came to a boil. Possibly because Jaxon was part of the arrangement. The thought of travelling with him in an awkward silence was not something I welcomed. Especially after last night’s events.
Maybe he’d just ignore me. One could only hope so.
*****
During the rest of the week, I went to work a couple of times and used the resource centre to gather some statistics about past soldiers who had taken their own lives and patterns of recorded mental health issues. I seemed to spend most days with my head buried in a book, so much so that my glasses had started to leave a semi-permanent indentation on the bridge of my nose.
Friday morning came by quickly and I had been told to wear comfortable clothing that I didn’t mind getting dirty. I hadn’t seen Jaxon all week as he had remained at the base for a few nights.
Although he didn’t need it, he kept a room there. Most of the soldiers lived at the base but as Jaxon’s house was so close, he got to come home when he wasn’t on duty.
In respect of my dress code for the day, I played it safe and decided to wear black leggings, a red T-shirt, a navy jumper, and trainers. I had tied my hair in a ponytail so it was out of the way and felt comfortable even if the bottoms fitted too snuggly. I also pulled on a black leather jacket which made me feel tough. I looked ready for action. At least, I did in my eyes.
As I forced myself downstairs to meet Jaxon that Friday morning, my mouth dropped open.
He was leaning back against his Range Rover Sport with his arms folded over his wide chest and my God, he looked hot. His uniform fit his body in all the right areas and strained against the wrong ones. The ones that were wrong for me to think about anyway; like the area across his chest and those mouth-watering shoulders of his. He was strength-encapsulated and so very drool-worthy.
My legs started to shake as I crossed the yard. How the heck did Jaxon acquire such an insane ability to make me weak at the knees without even speaking? His voice was something else and created its own havoc. It made me think of sex, all the time . I had some type of Jaxon disorder and my body continued to react to him without permission or apology.
My stepbrother oozed confidence and masculinity. The level of testosterone he omitted should be made illegal and my stomach continued to tighten at the impact of him. He was the devil and a God rolled into one .
I forced myself to take a deep breath and moved forward so I didn’t continue to look like a besotted moron. Jaxon quirked his head and shoved off the car, taking a step toward me, and staring down at me with a semi-fond expression. It was odd as he never looked at me like that.
“Good morning waif,” he drawled, instantly getting my back up. Waif indeed. Jaxon’s eyes roamed over my body, but it wasn’t a look of approval.
I gave him a spin, saying, “Morning sweet brother. See, I can look like a badass.”
He snorted. “And a badass would never say that.”
I rolled my eyes as Jaxon paused and continued to scrutinise my outfit. “Are you going jogging?”
My lips curled into a fake smile. “Nope, this is my attempt to blend in with the natives,” I explained, adopting just the right amount of sarky.
Jaxon shrugged. “Well, at least it’s stretchy. You look about as sexy as a limp lettuce,” he returned dryly.
“The brief I was given didn’t say I needed to look sexy,” I pointed out.
“It’s probably for the best, otherwise I may need to get territorial,” Jaxon said under his breath, a nerve, jerking in his cheek.
My mouth dropped open, but before I could ask what he meant he moved on.
“Get in the car.” He was such a bossy fucker. I did as he commanded of course whilst casting an eye at the awkward way he lifted himself into the vehicle. My stepbrother almost had to fold his body in half to fit in front of the wheel.
As he shuffled to make himself more comfortable, he bumped his head on the sun visor and grunted. I hid my smile as he shot me an accusing glance, his early fond-type look, had evaporated with lightning speed.
Settling into the plush luxury of his car, I psyched myself up. I could feel a bad case of the mood swings coming off my stepbrother in waves. As I pulled on my seatbelt, Jaxon turned toward me without starting the car. “Right, a few ground rules,” he began in a brisk voice. Great, here we go. Jaxon and his fucking ground rules. He was looking at me like I was the biggest inconvenience of the century.
My spine stiffened in my seat and I released a noise that resembled a pig snort, airing the words I had been thinking. “Oh my God. You and your ground rules. Is that an army thing?”
His eyes narrowed. “Nope, that’s a Jaxon thing,” he sniped with pride.
Releasing an exaggerated sigh of exasperation, I gave in. “Fine. Crack on then.” I said casually and stared out of the front windscreen, wishing he’d start the engine so we could get there quicker and I wouldn’t have to keep feeling so out of my depth in his company. He was so large, that he dwarfed the entire car, making me feel claustrophobic. I felt like rolling the window down and sticking my head out.
“So, listen up, as this is how it’s going to go. When we get to the base, you do as I tell you. You don’t answer back. I’m in charge, always. You get it, Brainiac?”
“Yes sir.” I managed to stop myself saluting by folding my arms across my chest.
My comment caused him to cock an eyebrow. “Don’t try and be cute Wynter, it doesn’t suit you,” he admonished, his tone now deadly serious.
I released an elongated sigh. “Fine. Yes. I will do as I’m told. Well, to a certain extent of course.”
“What the fuck does that mean?”
“I don’t have the crayons to be able to explain it to you,” I sniped.
“Funny,” he deadpanned, totally unphased by my suggestion that he was thick.
I sniffed. “My point is that being totally at your mercy would be one step too far into crazy town.”
He ignored that and started shuffling in his seat again, pulling his gaze away. Odd as I wouldn’t have put him down as a fidget .
“I have a training session first thing. After that, we’ll go to the mess hall and I’ve lined up a couple of guys you can talk to about your bullshit article. You’re not to use any surnames in anything you write and I need to see it first.”
Furrowing my brow I shot back, “Fine. You can read I take it?” I taunted.
My comment caused a small chuckle to roll off his tongue. “You are on form today,” he retorted with a twist of his lips.
I lowered my arms. “Is that all?”
Jaxon’s expression switched to one of silent assessment before he said. “No. I’ve signed you up for the morning session.” He leaned across the handbrake and gave my knee a reassuring pat. WTF did that mean?
My heart sank. “For the what?” I managed to stop myself from stuttering.
Jaxon leaned back into the soft leather of his seat and turned the key in the ignition. The engine roared to life. “The training session I’m running for the guys this morning. You’ll take part.” For fucks sake, kill me, kill me now!
I eyed the wall of muscle beside me like he was nuts.
“You are joking.” Doom swirled inside my gut at the thought of having to do anything strenuous. I wasn’t into working out and had never been to the gym in my life.
I watched as his shoulders bunched as he put the car into gear. “Not at all. It will allow you to meet the guys. Then when you see them later, they’ll feel more at ease. You never know, they may off-load a little. Consider it a bonding session.”
What a pile of shit! Bonding indeed, he just wanted to make me bleed.
Jaxon steered the car out of the driveway and onto the road, concentrating on driving whilst shooting me the occasional glance.
I attempted to relax and uncurled my arms, dropping my hands in my lap. “What exactly am I doing in this session ?”
Jaxon accelerated. “It’s an assault course. Fairly tame, it’s one used for basic training, even you have nothing to worry about. ”
“You talk as if you think I’m unfit or something.”
“Well, you’re not exactly the athletic type, despite the get-up.”
Turning and looking out of my window, I silently thought about ways to get my own back and came up with nothing. As usual, Jaxon Savage held all the cards. I needed him, as I needed access to his men.
After a stony silence, I huffed, “I can’t believe you’ve shoe-horned me into training with you. You are so sly.”
Jaxon’s fingers curled tighter around the steering wheel as he groaned out, “It isn’t about that. Don’t you think it will be handy to have some background? See the guys in their natural habitat so to speak. How they live. I could show you my room if you’d like. Give you a taste of what it’s like living at the base.” He delivered this suggestion with a raised eyebrow, mischief dancing in his eyes. I wasn’t amused, Jaxon could stick his innuendo up his arse.
I started to play with a thread of cotton which was protruding from my leggings. “I don’t think I need to see your room Jaxon,” I said in a firm voice. Shooting him a sideways glance, I could see he was smiling.
“Why not? My dad already thinks we’re fucking and so we may as well make him right.”
I hated the fact that his words made my body hot. I so needed to have words with my vagina. Jaxon’s come on wasn’t a compliment. I knew he didn’t really want to sleep with me, he was just playing. Even so, I hissed, “I’m not sleeping with you Jaxon, end of.”
His brow creased and he revved the car, he almost looked upset, almost, “Why not?”
Was the guy for real? “Because you’re not my boyfriend.”
My eyes moved to the muscles of his thighs as they flexed as he used the pedals. “I thought you were a modern woman. ”
I raised my eyebrows and shuffled back into my seat, the leather creaking against my bottom. “Sleeping around doesn’t make you a modern woman, it makes you a slut.”
He sounded shocked. “Really? That’s a bit old-fashioned. Guys do it all the time and it’s OK, but if a woman does it, she’s a slut?”
I saw an opportunity and took it. “Yes, like Lexi Grafton. Goodness knows how many men she’s been with before you. In one word, riddled .”
Jaxon shot me an amused look of confusion. “Who the fuck is Lexi Grafton?”
My mouth dropped open. “OMG, I can’t believe you don’t even remember her name
Wow. She must have left a huge impression, not !”
He shrugged his massive shoulders and then fiddled with some buttons on the dashboard. I secretly hoped he’d put the radio on to drown out our discussion.
Another silence stretched between us and I wondered whether to leave it or not. It turned out ‘not’ won in the end. “The blonde girl from the pool party,” I reminded him moodily.
Realisation swamped his features. “Oh her, I didn’t sleep with her.” Whatever, liar liar, bums on fire!
I didn’t buy that for a second and told him, “I find that hard to believe.”
The car jolted forward as Jaxon steered the vehicle down a dirt track. “How so?”
My God he was making this hard. “You left with her in your car the other week.” I realised I probably sounded like I cared too much. Shit, if only I could grab the words back.
Jaxon jammed the car into a lower gear as he overtook a car in front, the space was tight and I gripped the seat, praying we didn’t verge into the hedges which surrounded us.
Grunting moodily, I added, “I heard she gives really unenthusiastic hand jobs. ”
Jaxon chuckled. “I can’t comment on her hand job skills, but she sucked me off like a pro.” Fucking gross, how I wished I’d not said anything. I suddenly felt uncomfortable, realising Lexi had done just that in this car, the one I was sitting in now. Nasty. I wanted to spring out of the car and squirt myself with sanitiser.
My nose was wrinkled in distaste. I sure hoped he’d cleaned the car since then.
Jaxon shot me a side glance, looking all innocent suddenly. “What?”
“I can’t believe you just said that to me.”
He dared to smirk. “I say it how it is, what’s wrong with that? Fuck me, you’re such a little prude. I hope you don’t have that expression when you’re going down on your boyfriend. Your school pal looked like all her Christmases had come at once when I allowed her near my dick.”
“She’s not my pal and I don’t want to know what you’ve been doing with any of the women you hang out with, thank you very much.”
“Whatever. You want to be a journalist. That means you like sticking your nose into other people’s business. I bet you’d love to hear all about my love life. I must say, it would make a colourful story.”
Feeling even more suffocated, I pushed the button to lower the window. “Love life, I can’t imagine love factors in there anywhere,” I retorted snidely.
Jaxon flexed his arms against the steering wheel before shooting me a pointed look. “Oh, believe me, sunshine, the ladies love what I give them.”
“Again, I’ll take your word for it.”
“You talk like a virgin.”
And those words blew me even further out of my comfort zone. “That’s none of your business.” I cursed myself for how prudish I sounded.
Jaxon steered the car through some trees which caught against the side of the vehicle. Had he lost his concentration on driving now ?
Shaking his head, he almost shouted, “You are, aren’t you? How the fuck did that happen? Still a virgin at eighteen. Fuck me, I said goodbye to mine early on in my teens.”
“I’m surprised you weren’t born without it, to be honest,” I blurted under my breath.
He was suddenly in his own world, totally not paying any attention to me as he said, partly to himself, “Poor Dominic, no wonder he always looks so constipated. Have you guys done anything else?”
I lifted my bag from the floor onto my knee and cradled it against my chest. Almost using it as some type of useless body armour. “This isn’t a conversation I want to have with you Jaxon.” My tone was so school Marm but he didn’t care. Nothing phased this boy.
As we approached what I recognised was the Marham base, Jaxon started to lower his window and twisted toward me, the car slowing. “You don’t know what you’re missing. Foreplay just adds to the anticipation. Do you even know where your G-spot is?”
And that was the final straw as I snapped, “I am most certainly not discussing foreplay or any other type of spot with you Jaxon, so you can stop it right now.”
Swallowing the huge lump in my throat, I decided I needed to ignore him but he crept through my barrier with, “I take it Dominic hasn’t gone down on you either then?”
And boom, I slapped a hand onto the console in front of me. “Oh my God, that’s it. Stop the car!” I yelled.
My actions took him by surprise as he raised the hand, he’d had rested on the gear stick in mock surrender. “OK, keep your hair on. I won’t bring up your non-existent sex life again. And please, don’t smack the dash. Do you want an airbag in the face? ”
I settled back into my seat, feeling thoroughly ruffled as he slowly drove the car toward a security barrier. “Why did you agree to this?” I questioned through gritted teeth.
“To what?” Jaxon questioned, staring out of the front windscreen; unphased that he’d got so personal. His perfect profile taunted me. Why did he have to be so perfect and from all angles but talk like such a pig?
I pulled my belt off and it created a beeping sound to start up from the speakers. “Taking me to the base, helping me with my story?” I added.
He glanced toward me, now serious, eying the fact that I removed my belt. “Marcus of course. You don’t think I wanted to help you out?” All amusement from earlier had fled and Mr Moody was now back in place.
“Of course not. Although you may like it you know.”
“Like what,” he sighed.
“Using your power for good instead of evil for a change.”
He smirked at that one. “We’ll see. I’m not doing it for my health if that’s what you’re thinking. I’ll be wanting something in return.” Great. The mind boggled at that one.
Sighing I questioned, “Like what?”
The tension in the car stepped up a gear. “I’m not sure yet. Maybe more of what I sampled at the pool that day.”
He pulled the car up in front of the barrier and a man dressed in military clothing appeared from inside a hut.
My annoying step-sibling whipped toward me, our eyes tangling as I answered in a breathy voice that was in no way believable. “That’s not going to happen Jaxon.” The memory of that kiss still hammered in my head.
He looked at me like he could suddenly see my thoughts; steal my secrets. “We’ll see,” he replied with a wolfish smile. He then pushed the button on his door so that my window fully opened and he could speak with the security soldier. To be perfectly honest, I was thankful for the distraction. Was I imagining it or was it suddenly scorching hot in the car? That cool whoosh of air that got sucked in through the open window was proof that it was. I welcomed the breeze.
The soldier’s eyes widened as he peered down at me. “Fuck me, Jax, you’re brave, bringing a girl, here?” I noticed my stepbrother’s lips twitch as he ran his gaze over me.
I pinned my focus on the other soldier by my window. His smile created dimples at either side of his mouth. He was young, possibly not that much older than me and he was good-looking in a neat, cropped kind of way.
Jaxon leaned half across my body to stare up into his colleague’s face. “It’s not like that dipshit. This is my sister,” he said, leaving out the ‘step’ part which annoyed me.
“Well in that case, please do introduce us,” he replied with a suggestive leer.
“Back off Letch. She’s too pure for the likes of you.” At those words, I almost choked. Was that a compliment at last? I pushed my head against the headrest, pretending I hadn’t heard him.
If Jaxon’s soldier buddy was upset by being called a dipshit, he didn’t show it. His grin widened and I noticed he missed a tooth. It took away from that first pretty boy impression.
Once they had exchanged their manly bullshit, Jaxon put the car in gear and drove in as the barrier lifted.
We continued along the winding road, surrounded by flat ground on either side of us and the base ahead. I could see clusters of soldiers who appeared to be working out in different groups. A sick feeling slammed into me at the thought of Jaxon’s looming training exercise. I imagined there was a good reason they named it an ‘assault’ course. My thoughts drifted to that Ant Middleton series I’d watched on TV. OMG, if it was anything like that, I was screwed .
Jaxon parked his ridiculously expensive car next to a row of beat-up vehicles that had all seen better days. The shining paintwork of the Ranger Rover made it look like royalty had pulled up next to the peasants.
I warily climbed out of the car into the warmer-than-expected air, not knowing what to expect. I hadn’t done anything rigorous yet and I was already sweating like a pig. My ponytail was stuck against the back of my neck and I cursed myself for not asking Jaxon to put the air conditioning on in the car.
As I slammed the door, this won me a ‘watch the paintwork’ comment from Jaxon. He then stormed around the vehicle to check I hadn’t dented the door of his baby. Like I had the strength to. I wasn’t fucking He-man!
I watched him with a smirk. “You know they say men who buy high-powered sports cars do so to compensate for their own inadequacies.”
Jaxon rolled his eyes and sauntered away. “I can assure you, little sister, that I have none of those. If you need proof, you only have to ask.” He stated, turning, and grabbing his crotch.
Losing my nerve, I purposefully looked away as a jet of heart pulsed through me. “Thanks, but I’ll pass.”
Glancing around the space I wrinkled my nose. I could hear what sounded like a generator, the fan whirring loudly. There was also banging, like someone was hammering close by. I could also hear a faint music beat and the occasion shout and hoot of laughter. Great, I was moments away from meeting Jaxon’s pumped-up squad. One he would soon be drilling to death with me in the mix, like a duck out of water. I could see from the grim determination on his face that he was looking forward to showing me the ropes. I also knew he wouldn’t go easy on me and my decision to agree to this insane proposal started to repeat in my throat. I reminded myself about the importance of my article. And if I had to run my stepbrother's gauntlet to get it, I bloody well would.
“Follow me,” Jaxon ordered with a flick of his head towards a built-up area of the base .
As I followed him, I could see what appeared to be the training yard through some trees. There was already a small gathering of soldiers, all wearing army gear and looking like they belonged. I would literally lift right out.
We turned a corner and headed towards a large building. I almost had to run to keep up with Jaxon’s long-legged strides, my breath was broken as it left my chest.
Suddenly he slowed and turned toward me. I felt his firm hand on my shoulder. He then went on to remind me of those ground rules about how he was in charge. I just stood there with my arms folded whilst he reeled off his army spiel. He said how important it is that soldiers follow instructions and then banged on about how it can mean the difference between life and death. I got that, of course, I did and I respected it, but I certainly wasn’t there for that purpose, was I? A simple assault course he’d said. Anxiety started to bubble in the pit of my stomach at the thought of being faced with anything overly unpleasant and overtaxing. I wasn’t unfit but I was delicately put together. I also wasn’t a fan of mud or getting wet. Two main ingredients of any type of assault course, I was sure.
As I was led down the outside of the building, the course revealed itself, in all its ugly glory. Most of the obstacles looked like torture devices, especially the large climbing wall and the nets on the ground. My stomach sank at the thought of dragging my body through all that mud.
There were creases of humour at the corners of Jaxon’s eyes which proved he’d picked up on my horror. “I would say don’t worry, you can do it, you’re a big girl but we both know I’d be lying?” His deep timbered voice jolted me from my thoughts. I dropped my face away, not wanting him to see my vulnerability, grinding my teeth at his sarcasm. And what the heck did that mean? Did he doubt my ability to do the course or was he making fun of my size? Both probably.
“You ready for a real workout, princess? ”
Princess indeed. I refused to rise to the bait, my mouth opening and closing in a fishlike motion. Luckily, I was saved from having to answer his ludicrous question as a large burly man appeared by our side.
My eyes roamed over his face. He was deliciously handsome and was watching me with keen interest. My chest lurched again. I wasn’t looking forward to dancing to Jaxon’s tune, especially in front of his pack of mutts.
Jaxon noticed the soldier’s expression and his eyes narrowed as he made a sound of impatience. “Lieutenant Jacobs. This is Wynter Hart, Miss Hart to you. She’s joining in on the morning session. She’s a journalist and is here to spend a day in the life of a soldier for an article she’s working on. I expect you to look after her.”
“With pleasure,” he grinned.
I just stood there like a dummy whilst they talked about me. Jaxon was so sure that he could make me dance to his tune but I decided I wouldn’t take any shit from him. I was pleased he’d said I was a journalist though as maybe his team would respect me more.
At the end of the day, if there was anything I couldn’t do, I’d run around it and leave it out. He couldn’t force me to scale that huge wall with only a piece of rope to pull myself up on. As far as biceps went, mine were non-existent.
“So, Miss Hart, I hope you’re ready to chuck your guts up,” the Lieutenant chuckled with a smirk, casting a glance between Jaxon and me. Great.
“I’ll give it a go. Anything to please my big brother here,” I replied with a syrupy smile at Jaxon. I had the satisfaction of seeing him redden.
“I thought your sister was called Molly?” Jacobs questioned with a frown, running his hand across his stubbled jaw.
“She is. Wynter is a temporary addition to our family.” His words were cruel and unnecessary and the one-up-man-ship I’d felt backfired. My shoulders slumped and I felt Jacobs pat my arm. He must have seen how Jaxon’s words had affected me .
“Have you ever done anything like this before?” Jacobs said, shifting his gaze from Jaxon.
I shook my head. “Not really, but I’ll give it a go.” My eyes flickered toward my stepbrother who stood there staring down at me from his lofty position. I could tell by the look on his face and the way his jaw was clenched that he was banking on me failing. It made me more desperate to prove him wrong.
Jacobs watched the silent exchange between us before he slid an arm around my shoulders. “Come on. Let’s show him how it’s done.” He was big and stocky and I welcomed his strength. Jaxon muttered something under his breath before walking away.
Jacobs’ first name was Christian and he quickly introduced me around. Everyone’s expression varied from puzzled by my presence to keen interest.
There was a group of around twelve soldiers, and only three of them were female; one of them looked like a bodybuilder she was so ripped. She had short-cropped black hair and I noticed the kink in her nose, suggesting it had been broken in the past. She looked like a proper hard-ass. I felt like I’d seen her before but couldn’t quite place it.
I eyed the area. People were stretching and warming their bodies up.
As I stood in the huddle of people and soaked up their banter, I spied the area, wondering where Jaxon was.
I listened to Christian and his suggestions on the body parts I should warm up. This was mainly my legs and arms.
As I was stretching my body out, another soldier walked up to us. He and Christian bumped fists.
“Kes, meet Wynter, or should I say Miss Hart.”
Kes as he was called took my hand and kissed the back of it. It made me smile. I hadn’t experienced that type of chivalry ever. Not even from Dominic.
“Pleasure. We’re in the same team,” Kes explained. He had bright ginger hair like Dominic’s and his face was covered in freckles. His smile was probably the cheekiest I had ever seen on a guy. He too was well built, both men easily towering over me; like a kitten between two large dogs.
“This here is Evans,” Kes barked releasing my hand and motioning toward someone behind me. I turned to see the butch girl from earlier. Her smile was warm as we shook hands.
“Hi, I’m Wynter,” I introduced with a smile, feeling a trickle of sweat run between my shoulder blades.
“Yeah, I know. Savage has told us all about you,” she said, motioning around the arena with a flick of her hand. “We’re all in Team A. Think you can take it?” I wondered fleeting what Jaxon had said about me.
I pursed my lips, glancing back and forth between Christian and Kes and then the area she’d highlighted. The climbing wall loomed and I felt something I hadn’t experienced for ages. Strength and determination.
Sniffing, I wiped my hand across my nose and then locked eyes on Evans.
“There’s only one way to find out,” I said with a confidence I didn’t really feel.
The other three members of Team A exchanged an impressed look. I just hoped I could do them proud.
“OK, everyone fall in,” a loud voice which belonged to ‘you know who’ boomed across the yard. Everyone immediately lined up and I mirrored their movement. We stood in front of Jaxon and a big beefy guy. I’d seen him before but couldn’t place him either.
I shuffled into the space between Evans (or G I Jane) and Christian. I wondered fleetingly what her first name would be. Not something wussy I imagined.
Jaxon was barking instructions. There were three teams of four and the winner would be the team that completed the course in the shortest time. Any obstacle missed by any team member would result in one point being removed from their score .
I flexed my shoulders as Jaxon’s gaze fell upon me. He didn’t linger, he was in work mode, I could tell. His face wore that I’m in charge expression.
The moment of truth approached as all teams lined up. I inhaled a few deep breaths, my eyes searching the course to establish I knew where I was going.
“Follow me. And don’t stop, no matter what. If you need help, shout. Got it?” I nodded and Christian smiled warmly. “Let’s show the prick whose boss,” he whispered.
The whistle sounded and I lurched forward, my feet slipping in the mud slightly but I rightened myself quickly; racing behind Christian with Evans beside me, urging me on. The first obstacle was a net on the ground, I watched Christian throw himself to the floor and pull the net over his head; his body sinking forward into the mud as he shuffled through on his elbows. God, he was fast.
Dropping to my knees I did the same, struggling to get the net over my ponytail. I felt a brief yank as Evans helped me to pull myself under and I pushed onto my elbows taking in the foul-smelling surface. I could hear yells and shouts all around me and someone to the side, overtaking me.
I got to the end and then fight from my fight or flight truly kicked in. I pulled my body from beneath the netting, pushing to my knees and grabbing Christian’s hand as he yanked me to my feet. “Come on guys,” he shouted over my shoulder as he dragged me to the long beam of wood. We had to walk over it without falling into a huge trough of water beneath it. It wasn’t that high but I knew if you fell, you’d lose a point.
I used to go to gymnastics when I was little and my training kicked in as I pretty much ran across the wood next to Christian who was on the one beside it. Members of another team went past us. The wood vibrated as someone else joined the beam behind me where a bulky man with blonde hair and a mean-looking face was gaining.
Relief jetted through my system as I jumped off, having cleared the beam .
“Next it’s the wall, keep running Wynter,” Kes shouted from behind me. My feet covered the space between the two obstacles quickly, but all I could see was that huge wooden barrier before me. Christian had stopped and held out a piece of rope for me to pull myself up. My heart sank, there was no way I had the strength to climb the surface.
Evans suddenly ran past me and leapt onto one of the other ropes, pulling her body up, those toned arms of her flexing with her weight.
As I got to Christian, I took the rope and started trying to pull myself up. I got halfway and my muscles gave out. As I was just about to let go, I looked up and saw Evans was sitting straddled on top of the wall, her hand lowered. She was shouting at me to grab it and I did, lunging upwards and jerking slightly as I felt Christian’s hand on my backside pushing me upwards.
One more stretch and BOOM, our hands met. I clutched her and held on for dear life as she pulled me up. Swinging my legs over the wood, I dropped to the bottom, bending my knees but still jarring my hip. I’d done it. I was so pleased I almost fist-pumped the air.
I didn’t let anything stop me as I sprinted forward, this time following Evans with Kes and Christian close behind us, shouting encouragement.
We shot past two other team members, Evans calling them pussies as we passed.
After a couple more tricky obstacles and one that was basically hopscotch through old car tyres, the finish line beckoned.
I ran as fast as my feet would allow, the breath coming from my body like it was being squeezed out. It truly felt like there was a fist wrapped around one of my lungs.
Jaxon’s face loomed before me; his expression unreadable as he glanced down at the stopwatch he held. I started to panic, my feet slipping and before I could do anything to stop myself, I fell. My body dropped to the ground with the speed of a bullet. What little air was left in my body, whooshed from my mouth and tears hit my eyes. My teammates were in front, Christian turning to look for me. I shook my head as I watched another team member approaching whilst attempting to push to my feet.
Chrisitan was then there by my side and he dragged me to my feet so hard I thought my arms would come out of their sockets. He then threw me over his shoulder in a fireman’s lift and raced across the finish line.
Screams and whoops of glory swamped me as he dropped me to my feet and several bodies smothered me in bear-like hugs.
I’d done it. My thoughts of letting the team down bled away as everyone said how well I’d done. Pats on the backs and everything. I felt elated.
The other teams then crossed the finish line and the race stopped. I doubled over, trying to regulate my breathing as Jaxon barked out.
“Team A win. Well done. Go take a seat on the benches.” He then walked toward me with a masked expression.
“Well done Miss Hart. Maybe there is a bit of badass in you after all,” he drawled in a smoky voice.
I pushed back and stretched, my eyes searching his face. “Is that a compliment?” I puffed, my breath rasping through my teeth.
He shot me a lopsided smile. “That’s an observation. Don’t get too excited.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” I replied with a shake of my head. Jaxon then walked away over to where the other team members were catching their breath.
As he went, I felt a surge of disappointment mixed with annoyance at myself. I had wanted to impress him, had tried so hard and that was all I got? Would I ever do anything that pleased him? Part of me was annoyed by the fact that I wanted to.
Following the others, I moved over to the benches that ran along the wall of what looked like a single-story office block.
“You did awesomely. Are you sure you’re not part of a different regiment?” Christian said as he lowered himself beside me. I knew he was just being nice .
His dry humour drew a grin from me. “I could tell you but then I’d have to kill you.”
Evans then joined us and we all sat on the benches, watching Jaxon giving notes to the losers. It appeared the punishment was press-ups as they all dropped to the floor. Jaxon’s voice boomed as he counted them out.
My eyes were drawn to his tall, imposing body. His backside looked amazing in his army fatigues.
As I sat there, chatting with those surrounding me, my guard had well and truly dropped and I felt so at ease considering I was in the enemy's lair.
Now I had paid Jaxon’s price, it was time to get what I came there for. My story and oh what a story it would be.