Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
LIVIANNA/LILY
Then
Messy Bedding & The Slip I Don’t Expect
His scent is the first thing I lose myself in…and the last thing I cling to.
Jaxon’s bedroom is a palace of seduction, and my voice trembles with equal parts desire and caution. “We need…we need to use a condom.”
He pauses, and for a moment I worry I’ve broken the spell. But then he nods, his expression softening just enough to reassure me.
“Of course. Your safety and comfort…they’re non-negotiable.”
He reaches for the nightstand, his movements deliberate as he retrieves a condom. “Between never having had a woman here before and getting caught up in the moment, I almost forgot I stocked these in here. But I prepared this room knowing you’d be here tonight.”
He tears the wrapper open, his eyes hooked to mine. “You’re in control, Livianna. If you want me to stop, say the word. But if you’re ready, I’m going to make you feel things you’ve never felt before.”
My heartbeat accelerates. “I’m ready.”
“Good.” He sheathes himself with practiced ease, then returns to me. “Now, look at me.”
I obey instantly, my gaze locking with his.
“You’re mine, Livianna, and I want you to say it.”
The demand sends a thrill through me, and I nod.
“I’m yours,” I whisper, the words spilling out like a wish I’ve been holding onto for years.
“Louder,” he growls, his hands tightening on my hips. “I want to hear you mean it.”
“I’m yours, Jax.” My voice rises, threaded with passion.
“That’s right.” His lips brush my collarbone. “Now, let me show you what it means to be mine.”
His.
I let the idea settle between my ribs and seep into my heart. The thought of being his covers me in a warmth I’m not expecting.
He’s always calmed me, always had a way of making me believe I’m safe, and tonight is no different.
“Tell me you want me, or this doesn’t happen.” His breath is hot against my skin.
I moan, my chest arching toward him. “I want you.”
He doesn’t hesitate. In one swift motion, his body covers mine. His weight is comforting, grounding me as he kisses me deeply, his tongue twining with mine. It fuels the fire burning inside me.
“Livianna,” he murmurs against my mouth, his voice rough with need. “You’re mine.”
His words send adrenaline through me, and I nod. My hands roam over his chest, over hard planes of muscle beneath my palms.
He’s so strong, so powerful, and yet he’s gentle with me. His touch is careful as he positions himself between my legs.
“Are you ready?” His eyes search mine.
My stomach twists. “Yes.”
He pushes into me and gives me time to adjust to him. The sensation is overwhelming, a mix of pleasure and pain that leaves me tensing.
He’s by far the most endowed man I’ve ever been with. The pressure sits right on the edge of pain.
He must read that from me because he’s gentle with his movements. He’s controlled as he fills me. When he’s finally buried inside me, he pauses and nestles his face into the crook of my neck.
“You’re so beautiful.” He kisses below my ear.
Warmth blankets me, filling every cell, every fiber of my being. I’m starting to believe I might not make it out of this in one piece because I’m slipping…falling into him when I promised myself I wouldn’t.
I ignore the thought and wrap my legs around him, pulling him closer. “Don’t stop.”
He keeps going, his thrusts slow and deliberate, each one sending waves of pleasure through me.
“Fuck, Livianna. You’re so fucking tight.” His voice turns rough, insistent. “Tell me how it feels for you.”
“It’s…amazing.” I gasp, my nails digging into his back.
“Amazing isn’t enough.” His hips press against mine. “Tell me how it’s different for you.”
“I’ve never felt this good before.” The words tumble out as the pleasure builds.
“That’s right.” His lips brush against my ear. “Because you’re mine, Livianna. Only mine.”
I cling to him as he takes me higher and higher. The intensity of it is almost too much, but I don’t want it to end.
“Oh… Jax.” I groan. The pressure builds inside me again.
“You feel so good…so wet. You’ve got me in such an unbelievable grip I’m barely hanging on.” His mouth crashes into mine.
He drives into me harder, faster. When he finally pulls away, I’m left breathless, my chest rising and falling. He gazes down at me, and his eyes darken with desire. There’s a hunger in them. It’s the same craving as my own.
The way he grinds and moves his hips in rhythm with me creates a friction that feels devastatingly perfect. We somehow fit together. But it’s the way we stare into each other’s eyes that pulls the pin on the grenade.
I’m about to be blown into shards of something I’m not prepared to survive. It’s emotional and scares me to my core, but the truth is, I want to be his.
The pleasure is overwhelming. I’m teetering on the edge once more. And with a final, powerful thrust, he pushes me over. I cry out, my body convulsing as my orgasm crashes over me.
He follows, his own release ripping through him as he buries himself deep inside me. We hold each other, our bodies shaking as we ride out the waves of ecstasy together.
When it’s over, he collapses beside me and pulls me into his arms. I rest my head on his chest. The steady beat of his heart grounds me as I try to catch my breath.
He strokes my hair with a gentle, soothing touch. There’s a sense of peace I haven’t felt in years.
“Jax…” I whisper, my voice almost timid.
“Yes, Livianna?” He peers down at me, his gaze full of warmth.
“Thank you. I know this isn’t your normal way of doing things, but it was exactly what I needed.”
“You don’t have to thank me, Livianna.” He smiles, a rare, genuine grin that makes my heart skip a beat. “This is just the beginning of something powerful.”
“It is?”
“Yes. If you think I could walk away from you after that, then you didn’t experience what I just did.”
“Oh, trust me, I did.”
We snuggle closer, and a sense of contentment covers me. For the first time in a long time, I’m safe in the arms of a man.
It’s like I know deep down, Jaxon Crowne truly only has eyes for me. And that’s nothing I’ve felt for ages.
It’s not a scene I scripted or someone hanging on out of habit. It’s because of the intensity of his stare and the weight of his words…they mean something.
And I know, without a doubt, that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be even if it shatters me into a million pieces at the end of it all.
My purse vibrates and falls to the floor, jolting me out of sleep.
I’m still in Jaxon’s arms, tangled in sheets with the sheer curtains fluttering from the breeze of the morning air. Birds chirp outside. I shift, trying to adjust my eyes to the sunbeams streaming in.
He tickles my stomach with his soft touch. “It’s gone off a few times. Someone really wants to talk to you.”
“Shit. I know who it is.” I grab a blanket off the bottom of the bed and wrap myself in it. “I’m sorry, but I’ve got to answer that call.”
“You don’t need to explain yourself.” He rolls onto his back and props his head up by clasping his hands underneath his neck.
His gaze follows me as I grab my purse, pull out my phone, and sit on the edge of the bed. I pull up Bren’s number after I count three missed calls.
Fuck if he isn’t going to lecture me. And it’s worse knowing it’s going to happen in front of Jax. He’ll just see me as a girl who still has to answer to her nosy family.
I start to leave the room, but Jax’s commanding tone stops me in my tracks. “Make your call in here. You don’t need to hide anything from me.”
“I wasn’t trying to,” I lie. I sit down where I was and press the connect button.
Bren answers on the first ring. “You said you’d let me know you were alive.”
“That’s what I’m doing right now.”
Bren growls. “I’m due to be at soundcheck in ten minutes, Livianna. You knew we were playing a festival this weekend, so our show is during the day.”
“What’s that got to do with anything?”
“You think I could play when I’m worried sick about you?”
“Okay, now you’re overreacting.” I glance at Jax and build a fake smile. “Bren, I’m fine, but I can’t talk right now.”
There’s a conversation happening in the background. Male voices carry through the line, and one distinct one stands out.
Callum.
I can’t break free from him even when I’m trying with all my might. He’s always in the shadows, lingering like a song playing on repeat that I can’t get out of my head.
Bren brings me back to our discussion. “Fuck, Livianna. Are you still with that dude from last night?”
“Yes. Can I call you later?”
“You’re gonna have to. I wanna make sure he treated you well.”
“Bren, everything went great. Now focus on your concert, and we’ll catch up later.”
“Damn… I can hear it in your voice.”
“What?”
“Not only do you like this guy, but you’re falling for him. And that makes it my business.”
I laugh at his gall. “And just why is that?”
He sighs heavily. “You’re my baby sister, and I know what you’ve been through. I know nothing about this guy, and I don’t want you to get hurt again.”
I lower my head and suck in a breath. “Thanks, but I’ll be okay. I promise.”
“Yeah. Famous last words.” He starts to say something, but he’s interrupted.
There’s a scuffle of some sort.
“Lily?” Callum’s voice cuts in without warning, like a knife across my throat. “I’ve tried to reach you, but your phone’s never on. Please take my call. I have a lot I need to say.”
Adrenaline shoots through me, and my hands shake. He’s never done anything like this. It’s so unexpected, I’m at a loss for words. I forget where I am.
“You don’t have the right to demand things from me. When are you going to—”
Jaxon sits up with his concerned stare dialed in on me.
My stomach tightens. “I need to let you go. Have a great performance.”
I hang up and try to steady my trembling. I turn off my phone so Callum can’t get ahold of me.
It’s my Paris number, so I pray he doesn’t get it somehow and try to reach me again. I knew I shouldn’t have caved in to Bren’s constant hounding about having my new contact information.