6. Tanner
Tanner
J ax’s words still rang in my ears weeks later as he drove us to the airport.
“Do you think it’s really going to work out?” I asked him.
“I do, but not in the way they’re hoping.”
They were Noah and his sexy silver fox, as he liked to call Lior, the guy he’d met in my bar.
I’d noticed them leaving together that night shortly after Jax had left. I hadn’t needed two guesses as to what had happened between them, but one-and-done Noah was now marrying the guy in Vegas.
Apparently, it was all for show. Jax had explained vaguely why the two were getting married when he’d invited me along for support.
“What do you mean?”
“The way they look at each other…” Jax trailed off, shaking his head. “This isn’t going to end well.”
“For whom? Lior or Noah?”
He took his eyes off the road for a moment to glance at me. “Both.”
“I don’t know. From the little you’ve told me, it sounds like they really like each other. You never know. Maybe Cupid’s arrow is striking them as we speak.”
Jax snorted. “We’ll have to make sure we’re not in the firing line then because this weekend has the potential to be all kinds of wild.”
“I hope that’s a promise.”
He didn’t reply, but I noticed the way his lips curled into a smile and wondered how much trouble we could really get into in only twenty-four hours in Vegas. Thanks to Lior hiring a private jet to fly us in, we’d only be there for a day.
The answer came after our dinner with Noah and Lior in the fanciest restaurant I’d ever been to when Jax asked if I wanted to go for a walk instead of returning to the hotel.
“You trying to keep your promise?” I teased as we walked out onto the strip. The sun had set a couple of hours before, but in Vegas, one light source was replaced by another, thanks to the bright lights of every single hotel, attraction, and billboard. Was there a dark spot anywhere in Vegas? I didn’t think so.
“What promise?”
“A wild weekend.” I wiggled my eyebrows.
He laughed. “Sorry to break your heart, but I just wanted to give the grooms some space.”
“You don’t think a four-bedroom suite is big enough?”
“I think getting some air instead of holing up in a room is better.”
I bumped my shoulder against his. “We’ve got the fresh air down. Well, as fresh as it can get in Vegas. What’s next?”
His lips teased a smile that made me weak in the knees and also very suspicious. “Why don’t we check out the Vegas bar scene? See if they can give you a run for your money.”
“Ooh, you’re in.”
Over the next couple of hours, we hopped from bar to bar. In each, we picked a single cocktail, shared it, and then rated it before moving on to the next one.
“Oh god, this one tastes like sweaty balls. What’s in it?” he asked, putting the glass down. I’d already had my taste and wholeheartedly agreed. With a name like Frat Bro’s Love Boat Revenge, I was scared to ask the bartender for an ingredient list.
“I think we should summarize our findings, write a report, and hand it to the teacher in the morning,” I said, raising the cocktail glass and placing it back down on the bar mat. No way was I taking a second taste.
“Aren’t you a star pupil?”
“I am very good at assignments.”
It was a good thing we weren’t even tipsy because otherwise, I would have dismissed Jax’s sudden proximity as a product of alcohol consumption.
My skin heated as he placed his hand on the side of my neck. His thumb ran up and down my Adam’s apple. I swallowed, waiting for more.
“I really missed you, you know?” he asked in such a low voice I struggled to hear it over the noise of the bar.
“I missed you too.”
Our eyes connected. The air around us felt electrified like we were in the eye of a storm.
“Jaxon?”
We both jumped away from each other when the voice called Jax’s name, and I didn’t miss the tension that radiated from him. “Trent.”
The guy Jax had his eyes on was about my height, with jet-black hair and bright-green eyes. Next to him was a big guy who rivaled Jax in height and build. Simply put, the guy was a tank.
“Well, well, Jaxon. It’s been a hot minute.”
“Not long enough,” Jax replied, squaring his shoulders.
The guy smiled, and if he didn’t look so arrogant, he would almost look sexy.
“Aren’t you going to introduce us?” the guy asked, looking at Jax like he was stripping him naked before his eyes settled on me with something between disgust and curiosity in them.
I turned to the guy. “I’m Tanner. Can you give us a moment?”
The guy furrowed his brows but nodded before waving at the bartender. “I’ll get this round. Can’t wait to catch up.”
The big guy remained silent.
I pulled Jax to a private corner close to the bathrooms.
“I’m calling it. Clearly, there’s something between you two. Give me the CliffsNotes, and I’ll play it however you want,” I said.
Jax gave me an inquisitive look. “We met in training and dated for five years. Different units. He left the Army three years ago, and for a while, we only saw each other when I was on leave. I thought it was serious, but he clearly didn’t because when I came back one time, like a bad cliché, I caught him in bed with another guy.”
“The big dude?”
“No, another one.”
Jax’s expression was hard to read, but I could tell he wasn’t as chill about seeing this guy as he tried to make it.
“Are you in love with him?”
“No. Not anymore. Maybe I wasn’t then either, but I didn’t know it at the time.”
“You thought it was real.”
Jax nodded. “I don’t know what he’s doing here. He mentioned once having family in Vegas, but I never thought…”
“Do you trust me?” I asked.
His usual easy smile returned to his lips. “I’m scared to answer that question.”
I placed my hands on his chest, reveling in the feel of his breath catching a little.
“Follow my lead, okay? Just watch the master at work. This weekend is about to get even better.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” he said, following me back to our new friends .
“So…”
“Trent,” the guy answered.
“Trent. Who’s your friend?”
“This is Stuart.”
I waved at Stuart, and he gave me a silent nod. The guy didn’t seem too bad. What the hell was he doing with Trent?
“I’m sorry we had to leave you momentarily,” I said, wrapping my arm around Jax’s waist. “I just can’t get enough of my man. If I don’t get a good feel of his biceps, I start getting the shakes. You know how it is, right?” I winked and nodded in Stuart’s direction.
Stuart didn’t move an inch.
“You’re together?” Trent asked.
“Oh no, we’re not just together. We’re each other’s everything. Isn’t that right, my love?”
To give Jax credit, he pulled me closer even if his growing smile and the slight shake of his head spoke of how ridiculous he thought I was.
“That is right, my sweet marshmallow,” he replied.
I pinched his sides, and he laughed. For a moment, I forgot about Trent, Silent Stu, and the little game we were playing.
Trent cleared his throat. “What are you doing in Vegas?”
“What everyone does in Vegas,” Jax replied.