Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
Lily
“Ilove it.” Lakelyn squealed with excitement as she looked over her shoulder in the mirror.
We’d barely checked into the hotel in Las Vegas and seen the guys off for their day on the golf links when she mentioned wanting to surprise Boden by getting a tattoo for him.
Jenna, Lakelyn’s friend, took charge and made all the arrangements, and within half an hour of us returning to the penthouse suite from the spa, Lakelyn was getting inked.
I was thankful Jaxon had arranged for us to meet up with Boden and Lakelyn at McQuade’s for drinks the other evening so he could introduce us girls before our trip to the desert.
Meeting her made me feel more at ease, and I understood right away why Boden was so enamored with her. She was absolutely perfect for him.
“He’s going to absolutely freak out.” Lakelyn beamed with her hands clasped in a prayer pose beneath her nose, as the artist began cleaning the area and applying a layer of ointment.
“That’s not all he’s going to do, girl. Be prepared to be bent over the nearest piece of furniture and railed within an inch of your life.”
“You always have such an eloquent way with words, Ari,” I said, laughing.
“I simply speak the truth, ladies.” Ari shrugged.
“And there’s no shame in that. I know if I had ‘yours’ tattooed on my ass-cheek, Cameron would go absolutely feral.” Jenna beamed as though she were picturing her husband’s reaction.
“Exactly, so would Jameson. I might need to get something similar when I’m not pregnant since my man loves tracing words on my inner thigh.”
“I’m pretty sure Jameson needs no further incentivizing in that department,” I deadpanned.
“No, but the memory of his reaction would be worth it alone.” She nodded with a knowing grin.
“So why ‘mine’ versus ‘yours’?” I asked.
Lakelyn adjusted her shorts, covering the bandage. “I wrestled with that a lot. In the end, I felt ‘mine’ was more of a claim, whereas ‘yours’ symbolizes giving of myself freely to him. My heart, body, and soul, to protect, touch, and love. At least, that’s my interpretation of it.”
“That’s beautiful.” Hearing her say that helped solidify the tattoo idea I’d been considering since I’d first seen Jaxon’s.
“It’s about being wanted rather than owned. Although whenever Boden says mine,” she fanned herself playfully as her cheeks turned beet red “it does things to me.” She paused, looking from me to Jenna. “So, which one of you lovely ladies is next?”
“Damn, gurrrl!” Arizona vigorously fanned herself while we all eyed Lakelyn from head to toe as she stood in the entryway of the main bedroom. “Has Boden seen this dress, because I don’t think you’ll be leaving the suite once he does.”
Her shimmery attire didn’t leave much to the imagination.
“When in Vegas.” She smirked and spun around in her silver dress, which had a low cowl neckline and an open back, just barely covering the bandage over her new tattoo.
“When in Vegas,” Arizona repeated, giving me a pointed look.
“What?” I narrowed my eyes at her, not following what she was getting at.
“Twenty-four-hour chapels—just saying,” she raised her brows.
“For me?” I put my hand on my chest. “Yeah, that’s not happening.”
“Come on, Lily, live a little. Everyone knows you and Jaxon are each other’s endgame. Why not just admit it already?”
“That might be true, but we’re just enjoying our time together for now.”
“Ladies, let’s toast before the guys get here.” Jenna grabbed a magnum of Dom Pérignon champagne and a smaller non-alcoholic bottle for Arizona off the bar.
Her eyes met mine with a soft smile, and I couldn’t help but be thankful for the redirect of attention in the room.
Earlier at the spa, Arizona pulled me aside and filled me in on the backstory between Lakelyn and Jenna.
I hadn’t known that Lakelyn was a twin, and that her sister, Annabelle, had been Jenna’s college roommate in Texas.
Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond their control, they lost touch, and sadly, Annabelle had since passed away.
It wasn’t until a story so wild and disturbing made national headlines that Lakelyn recognized Jenna, and they were able to reconnect.
It explained the quiet sense of kinship I felt the instant I met Jenna, as if she could read my inner thoughts and relate to me somehow.
Of course, no one knew the full extent of my story—not Arizona, and especially not Jaxon—and I hoped to keep it that way.
I just prayed my past wouldn’t come back to haunt me the way Jenna’s had.
Because of her past, Cameron never took any chances with his wife’s safety.
Even without any current active threats, they always traveled with a security detail, and tonight was no different.
Hence, the man outside the suite, Declan, who looked like he could pass for Jason Statham’s twin with his buzz cut, stubbled, sharp jawline, and fitted black on black suit that gave even James Bond a run for his money.
“To friendships, old and new, to life’s blessings, and making every moment count.”
We clinked our glasses and took a sip, but Lakelyn stopped mid-drink and turned bright red.
“You good, girl?” Arizona asked with concern.
“Yeah—ahhh,” Lakelyn cried out, grabbing my arm for support.
Jenna quickly grabbed her champagne glass before it dropped onto the tiled floor.
“I don’t know if I want to kill Boden or find him and make him finish what he started,” she said, her breathing coming in heavy bursts as she spoke.
“What are you talking about? What is happening right now?” Jenna asked.
Lakelyn’s face turned even redder, and she tilted her head back, lips parting in a silent gasp.
“Oh, my God, Boden gave you a remote-controlled vibrator to wear tonight, didn’t he?” Arizona blurted.
Lakelyn bit her lip, and her answer was obvious.
“I have to say I’m impressed, nothing like a good edging. It will make your orgasm later even more explosive.”
“Speaking from experience?” I asked, raising a curious eyebrow at my bestie.
“Yes. There isn’t anything Jameson isn’t game for. The man lives to get me off,” she said, pouring herself another glass of non-alcoholic champagne.
“Oh, thank God.” Lakelyn sighed. “He turned it off.” She straightened herself and ran her palms down her dress. “Forget the champagne, I need a shot after that. Or maybe ten.”
“What’s your poison?” Jenna asked, grinning. “Vodka, tequila, whiskey, J?germeister, sambuca, peppermint schnapps, Fireball, oh, there’s even Goldschlager.”
“Fireball,” Lakelyn replied without hesitation.
“Good choice,” Jenna said, grabbing the bottle and three shot glasses from the tray sitting on the bar.
“To good friends and partying like we’re single,” Lakelyn toasted, then quickly added, “But just for tonight.”
We clinked our glasses and threw back our shots.
“Holy heck, that burns.” I pursed my lips in response to the liquid-flavored cinnamon candy burning its way down my throat and warming my chest.
“Another for the road, please.” Lakelyn held out her empty glass.
Jenna didn’t waste any time refilling our shot glasses. “Let the games begin, ladies, because apparently the bad decisions have already started.”
“Hundred bucks says our bodyguards will be lurking close by, if not stuck to us like Velcro,” Arizona quipped with a telling smirk.
“Sounds like we’re arriving just in time?”
The deep timbre of Jameson’s voice cut through the air behind me, making me jump.
I turned to see the four guys entering the suite; no, correction, strutting in like they owned the place, because Oh.
My. God. They were all impeccably dressed, like they’d stepped straight out of a GQ spread with just the right touch of sin.
But my eyes? They didn’t scan the foursome, no; they homed in on the only one that made my heart race against my ribs uncontrollably, like it was trying to break free from the vault that only he had the code for.
Jaxon wasn’t just effortlessly handsome on a bad day, with his dark hair perfectly tousled in a way that said I woke up like this.
But this version of Jaxon, the one striding toward me dressed in black dress pants, dress shoes, and a black button-down dress shirt, with the sleeves folded up his tanned forearms and the trail of lilies tattooed across his chest peeking out between the top buttons of his shirt that were undone, was arresting.
I bit my bottom lip as my desire for him heated my cheeks. Both of us had been insatiable for each other since the night at the lake house, and if judging by the tic in his jaw, his restraint, much like my own, was fraying.
Every time his eyes met mine, I swear the air between us shifted. As if everyone else in the room had vanished. I could feel the pulse in my throat answering to something deep, dark, and entirely him.
All the men sidled up with their significant others, and Jaxon was no different. He moved to stand behind me and immediately placed his hands on my hips, pulling me flush against his broad chest as his head dipped and pressed purposeful kisses up my neck.
“You. This dress—you look incredible, Lils.” The assertive cadence of his voice, low and tangled with hunger, had my eyes surrendering to darkness. “You’re all I see, all I want, and right now, I want to worship every inch of you so badly.”
His words had a way of bathing me in assurance, unraveling the weight of old wounds and scattering the shadows that I thought would never leave.
I stood tall with confidence in my nude peep-toe high heels, wearing a midnight-blue, strapless corseted dress that hugged my curves like a second skin.
With boning that both accented my breasts and sculpted my waist, and a hem that flirted one step away from being obscene, I knew my desired plan of driving Jaxon positively insane with unbridled need had achieved its purpose.
I’d bought the dress just for the moment he’d take it off me.
Jaxon’s grip wandered, wrapping around my stomach fully with a reverence that made my existence feel like a gift.
I was ready to beg him to help me with the ache blossoming in my core, and knew good and well if I breathed the word, he’d throw me over his shoulder in a heartbeat before I could take my next breath.
“Lily, I want you to meet my husband, Cameron.” Jenna’s voice snapped me out of my Jaxon-induced haze. “Cameron, this is Lily. She grew up with Arizona and the guys.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lily.” Cameron extended his hand with a polite nod.
“Likewise,” I echoed in return, trying to act nonchalant, like I hadn’t just been picturing Jaxon having his wicked way with me.
“All right, fella’s, I know I don’t just speak for myself, but if we don’t leave this room in the next thirty seconds, hell, that might even be too long,” Jameson splayed his fingers over Arizona’s stomach, which only showed the barest hint of a baby bump.
“I’m not leaving at all. I’m hauling my girl into one of these fancy rooms, and I don’t care who hears us. ”
“No complaints here,” Boden said, grinning at Lakelyn before realizing what he’d implied. “I mean, I’m happy to skip the Vegas craziness and have my girl to myself—not,” he said clearly, “interested in watching or listening to you two. Voyeurism isn’t my thing.”
“Want to test that theory?” Jameson asked, garnering everyone’s wide-eyed stares.
Maybe it was the Vegas vibe, or it was the liquid courage flowing through my veins, but my body was suddenly an inferno, laden with desire only to be tamed by one sexier-than-hell man who sent my pulse soaring beyond the sky’s limits.
“Don’t make me arrest you because you can’t keep it in your pants in the city of sin,” Jaxon quipped.
“Pretty sure we’re out of your jurisdiction, but nah, this is Vegas, bro. There’s got to be an underground sex dungeon around here, and I’m not talking about run-of-the-mill strip clubs.”
Arizona shot a curious look over her shoulder, with one brow arched and a smirk tugging at her lips. “Is that a hunch, or just wishful thinking, dear husband of mine?”
He grinned. “A bit of both.”
She laughed and shook her head. “Of course it is.”
“Come on, Red, they’re in every big city. You just have to know where to look.”
“And do you? Do you know where to look?”
He flashed a grin, the kind I was learning that usually got him out of trouble—until it didn’t.
“Fuck no, but I’m sure it’s easy enough to find out. Vegas is the ultimate playground with layers that cater to every wicked need and indulgence.”
“It’s Boden and Lakelyn’s bachelor slash bachelorette night, so let’s let them decide if they want to switch up the evening’s activities,” Jenna interjected.
Meanwhile, Cameron pulled his phone out of his suit jacket pocket and began furiously typing.
Boden looked at Lakelyn, as if waiting for her to make the call.
“It’s not something I’ve ever done or even thought about, but not going to lie, I’m a bit curious. I mean, when else would we ever do something this crazy, this wild?” She took a sip of her champagne.
“So, we’re actually doing this?” Boden looked like he didn’t know what had hit him. “Are we all in agreement?”
Cameron’s cell phone started ringing in his palm. “Sorry, excuse me for a moment,” he said, while Jenna followed him to the other side of the penthouse suite.
Jaxon also used the opportunity to guide me away from the group.
“We don’t have to go. I don’t want you to feel pressured.”
“It’s their night.” Besides, the last thing I wanted was for anyone to cater to me.
“Yes, but this—this is something completely different from what was initially planned.”
“I’m aware.”
“Jameson and his freaking lack of filter,” he murmured under his breath. “I wished he’d think before he spoke sometimes. Though I don’t know why I’m surprised, his wild side fits right in with this city.”
“Afraid he’ll bring you over to the dark side?”
“No, I’m just trying to be respectful, that’s all.”
“We’re in Vegas.” I reached for his hands, which were fisted at his sides. “Let’s just go with the flow and see where the night takes us. I’m open to anything.”
“Anything?” His gaze turned to molten lava.
“Yes.”
“I like this side of you,” he whispered low for only me to hear, sounding like a man who was about to ruin me.
“Like?”
“Correction, I fucking love this side of you: playful, adventurous, trusting.”
“Only because you’re here with me.”
His fingers slid to the back of my neck, tilting my head, drawing me into a kiss that left no space between us.