Chapter 23
KAT
Iswipe angrily at my damp cheeks before rubbing the back of my hand over my eyes.
Looking down, I see mascara smeared across my skin.
I draw in a shuddering breath and stand up. I don’t want anyone to see me like this… broken, damaged.
You don’t want Jax to see you like this. Be honest.
I glance down at the soaking wet pile of clothes Jax left behind, memories of his naked arse as he walked into the villa, then again as he stood in the shower. I close my eyes at the fluttering sensation low in my stomach. The man’s body is a work of art, it always was.
I bend down and scoop them up. As I pass, I drop them on the floor of the outside shower. I turn it on, rinsing the saltwater from the pool.
He got into the water in his clothes.
He did that for you… was worried about you.
I drop my head against the wall and sigh.
Just wait until he reads the letter.
What will he think then? What the hell do I say to him?
I switch off the water and pick up each item, squeezing out the excess water, before shaking them vigorously, as Betsy, our cook/housekeeper, showed me. I hang them over the railing to dry.
I enter the villa and stop, my eyes finding the entrance.
He left, and he hasn’t come back.
I move to the bathroom, my eyes are bloodshot, my face puffy from the tears. I wash away the evidence of my meltdown. Time to see if these thousand-pound eyedrops do what they claim. I blink rapidly, before throwing them back into my wash bag.
Back in the bedroom, I open the minibar, grabbing myself a bottle of red wine.
I remove the cork, and pour myself a glass.
I hold it up to the light, swirling it around, then place my nose to the top of the glass and inhale its bouquet.
The fruity aroma invades my senses. Taking a sip, I allow it to coat my palate before swallowing.
I close my eyes, letting its flavour linger.
I pick up the bottle, filling the glass to the rim, before emptying it in three swallows.
I refill and head outside, taking a seat under the large umbrella.
Sitting back, I close my eyes and raise my glass to my mouth.
When I open them again, something in the water catches my eye. I watch as muscular arms cut through the waves like someone possessed.
Jax.
I raise my glass again, only my throat burns with the next swallow, and my eyes water.
How did life get so complicated?
I put down my glass and close my eyes, allowing memories of the past to overwhelm me.
Sixteen years ago
My hand snakes under Jax’s t-shirt and across the smooth, taut skin of his back. I pull him closer. I can feel his rock-hard cock between my legs, rubbing against my throbbing, swollen core.
I suck in a breath. Jaxson Lockwood wants me.
He moans, and I tighten my grip, my body temperature rising, my pussy pulsing with need.
I rock against him, adding pressure where I need it most.
My body is humming.
Jax groans against my mouth. I suck on his tongue, something I heard one of the other girls say drove her man crazy with lust.
He thrusts against me, his cock hitting my clit, sending shockwaves of pleasure dancing through my body, making my stomach clench with need.
I rake my fingernails along his spine, making his hips flex, pressing me further into the bed.
I moan and lift my hips, trying to get more friction.
I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want Jaxson.
It’s why I never went very far with Danny.
He left me cold, whereas with Jaxson, my whole body is tingling, and my pussy seems to have a life of its own.
His hand moves to my breast, kneading it through the material of my top.
I yank his t-shirt up, and he pulls back.
He looks down at me, his dark eyes smouldering.
“Kat?”
“I want to touch you,” I say, unsure where my spark of confidence has come from.
It’s not like I haven’t seen Jaxson topless. He’s spent the past three summers at our house by the pool.
He opens his mouth, but I place a hand on his chest.
“I’ve seen you in a lot less,” I say, raising an eyebrow.
He grabs the back of his t-shirt and, using one hand, pulls it over his head, before throwing it to one side.
My hands go to my top, and before he can stop me, it joins his on the floor.
“Kat, you’re killing me,” he says almost painfully, a flush darkening his cheekbones as his eyes roam over my exposed breasts and hard pebbled nipples.
“Do you want to stop?” I ask, my confidence suddenly waning.
He drops his forehead to mine and closes his eyes briefly. When he opens them again, his expression is pained.
“We should,” he says honestly, before rolling off me and flopping onto his back. He uses his forearm to cover his eyes.
I drop back and stare at the ceiling, swallowing against the tears building in my throat.
Way to go, Kat! What were you thinking? Jaxson Lockwood is a superstar, a heart-throb. He’s not going to be interested in a silly little nerd like you.
I let out a whimper, surprised when Jaxson’s hand finds mine, interlocking our fingers.
“There are so many reasons I should get up and walk out of here,” he says quietly.
I turn my head and find him staring at me. I bite my lip as I drown in his gaze.
“You should be telling me to go, Kat.” His eyes are pleading.
“We should forget this ever happened,” he says.
“Is that what you want?” I ask, my hand coming up and covering my breasts, suddenly aware of how exposed I am.
I drop my gaze, breaking eye contact.
Jax’s finger lifts my chin, raising it until I’m looking deep into his dark eyes.
“Kat, do you have any idea how long I’ve fantasised about kissing you? Your brother would have drowned me a long time ago if he knew.”
My pulse thunders in my ears. This can’t be real. I must be dreaming.
Jax has fantasised about kissing me?
“You have?” I say, the disbelief in my tone making him chuckle.
He cups my jaw, his thumb sliding up and down my cheek.
He nods, a smile playing on his lips. “Since the day I saw you playing piano. You were so beautiful, the sun shining through the window. You were lost in the music. You captivated me.”
I gasp. That was three years ago.
Jax closes the distance between us, his lips once again finding mine. His finger and thumb holding my chin.
I move my hands to his chest, sliding them up and over his shoulders, pulling him towards me. His mouth leaves mine, trailing its way down my throat. He cups my breasts, his thumbs sliding over my nipples. They pebble against his hands, aching with need.
“Beautiful, so perfect.”
Jax takes one nipple deep into his mouth, my hands clasping his head. My body swells with desire, my hips rocking, as my body pulses.
He kneads my other breast with his hand, tweaking and tormenting my nipple. My thighs spread, demanding more.
Jax’s mouth returns to mine, his hand grasping my thigh. He rolls us onto our sides, until we’re facing one another, lifting one of my legs, and sliding it up and over his hip, pulling me hard against him.
When he rocks into me, I gasp as stars explode behind my eyes.
He pulls back slightly, his mouth still locked on mine. His fingers glide down my stomach, my muscles quivering beneath his touch. I moan into his mouth. He turns his hand, sliding it between us.
I suck in a ragged breath as his hand cups my core, massaging the sensitive skin through my clothes.
“Oh,” I squeak, as he rubs it back and forth.
My body swells and pulses under his touch, my muscles contracting deep inside.
Jax deepens our kiss, each kiss and touch becoming more frantic. His fingers breach my panties, and I almost fly off the bed when he touches my swollen, sensitised skin.
“Kat…You’re so responsive.”
He deepens our kiss, as if trying to devour me. I meet him stroke for stroke.
His finger finds my clit, and lights flash behind my eyes. I lift my thigh higher, wanting, no demanding more.
“Yes,” I say, my hips thrusting back and forth against his skilful fingers.
When his hand moves lower, I all but wail.
He moans as he trails a finger through my soaking wet centre, before pressing forward, and sinking it into me. My body contracts sharply, making me hiss, and I almost come on the spot.
I drop onto my back and spread my legs, giving him greater access. I pull him with me, his mouth returning to my breast as his finger slides in and out. He withdraws his finger, coating my lips and clit with my desire. He teases and torments me until I’m a moaning mess.
“Please, Jax.”
“Please, what?”
“I need—”
He reinserts his finger, while his thumb draws lazy circles around my clit, driving me higher.
He increases the pressure, his mouth returning to my nipple.
I drop my head back against the bed, holding his head in place.
My hips are rising and falling. He withdraws his finger slightly, only to add a second, holding them both just inside my entrance.
He gently opens and closes them, stretching the sensitive muscles, until I’m left panting.
“Oh,” I whisper. “Oh yes, just like that. Oh Jax.”
He moves, pressing them deep into my body. I groan, biting my lip to stop myself from screaming when he twists his hand, continuing to open and close them against my side walls, creating the most exquisite pressure.
“That’s it,” he says, his thumb still circling my clit.
When he suddenly presses both fingers against my front wall in rapid succession, my chest rises up. His mouth slams down on mine to capture my scream as my body detonates around him. A thousand fireworks go off, as my body pulses, my muscles clenching hard around his fingers.
He thrusts them in and out gently, dragging my orgasm on and on.
I grab his hand, stilling the movement, unable to take any more.
I open my eyes, forcing them to focus on the most stunning man I’ve ever seen.
He drops his mouth to mine.
“Beautiful,” he whispers against my lips.
I sink into his kiss, my muscles weak, my body still shuddering from the aftershocks. I press my chest against his, my soft curves against his hard muscle.