Chapter 31
Stealing Cinderella
? Crazier - ysabelle
Callie
I sway on my feet, head tilted and eyes heavily lidded, my voice as unsteady as I am. “I love weddings.”
Jaxon lets out a throaty chuckle. “Come on, Cinderella. Time to go before you turn into a pumpkin.”
I dissolve into a fit of giggles. “That’s not how the story goes, silly. I’m supposed to lose my shoe, and then the handsome prince comes to find me.”
He takes two measured steps toward me. “Am I the handsome prince in this scenario?”
I kick off both of my heels and throw my arms around his neck in the middle of the empty dance floor. “One more dance. I want to feel like a princess for just a little while longer.”
Jaxon dips to hook my shoes onto his fingers and wraps his arms around me. There isn’t any music left to dance to, just the low chirping of crickets and the occasional rustling of the wind through the trees. He dips me backward and presses his lips to mine, kissing me soundly.
“Have I told you how unbelievably beautiful you are tonight?” he murmurs.
The sincerity in his voice makes my heart spasm. I’ve spent the majority of my life making myself invisible. Blending in was the best way to keep myself safe. I don’t feel like I have to do that anymore—not here. Not with Jax by my side.
“You’re not so bad yourself, Cowboy.”
His grip tightens on my waist. “Mm. Say it again.”
I bring my lips to the shell of his ear. “Cowboy.”
“That’s my girl. Hold on tight.” He sweeps his arm behind my knees and lifts me into his arms with practiced ease. I squeal at the sudden change of position.
“Let’s go home, Bluebird.”
Home.
There’s a tightness in my chest as my mind latches onto that one singular word.
Home was always a dream—so far in the future, I never gave it much consideration.
My focus was always survival. I never considered what would come after that.
The living part—the contentment—it’s all new to me, and it is profoundly humbling.
Jaxon drives us home with his hand on my thigh, making lazy patterns with his thumb. I rest my head on his shoulder and melt into the easy affection. Suddenly, I’m grateful for old trucks with bench seats; it makes it easy to press up against him.
I settle into a contented haze, and my eyes drift shut, only opening again when the truck stops moving.
I glance out the front window, blinking several times to get my bearings.
It’s dark, but I can still make out the rocky shore and the rolling creek beyond.
Jaxon stares straight ahead at the waterfall shimmering in the truck’s headlights.
All is quiet, save for the faint sound of rushing water.
“Jax? What are we doing here?”
“We used to hang out here a lot as kids. I stopped coming after Ryan…”
I twine my fingers through his. I don’t speak, waiting for Jaxon to continue. Whatever feelings brought us here, I want him to feel safe to express them. Despite all of his jagged edges, Jaxon has become my soft place to land. I want to be that for him, too.
“That night changed everything. This place stopped feeling like home. The waterfall, the ranch, all of it. So many of my happiest memories were tied to our friendship, but I couldn’t get past the one that took him from me.
” He shifts, those green eyes boring into me like he’s seeing straight through to my soul. “Then you came along.”
He reaches for me and pulls me onto his lap, one hand cradling my jaw. The touch is so reverent, so delicate, I forget how to breathe.
“I started to see beauty here again. New memories found a home beside the old ones, and I realized that pain and happiness can co-exist—that one can’t truly exist at all without the possibility of the other.
I thought I had to live my life under the shadow of what happened that day, but you…
you taught me that my life doesn’t have to be defined by one moment. ”
He sweeps a lock of hair away from my face. “My beautiful Callie. I’m going to kiss you now. I’m going to kiss you and let this moment take its place beside all of the others, and when I think about this place, I’ll think of you and this moment, and every one that comes after.”
He presses his lips to mine, and I receive him without reservation, soft and deliberate, neither of us rushing to deepen it. The world around us fades until nothing exists but us—no past, no future, just this moment with this man.
Jaxon
I set Callie down at the foot of the bed with her back to my front and press a kiss to the spot between her shoulder and neck as I fumble with the zipper at the back of her dress.
Her scent envelopes me as she relaxes back into me just a fraction.
There’s a chance she doesn’t even realize she’s doing it.
“Been dreaming about stripping you out of this dress all goddamn night,” I whisper against the shell of her ear.
My hot breath ruffles her hair as I slide the straps down her shoulders until the dress is pooling at my feet.
She’s left standing there in nothing but a nearly transparent strapless bra and a matching thong.
I can just make out the neatly trimmed tuft of curls between her thick thighs, hidden behind that flimsy scrap of fabric.
She’s a goddamn vision, that’s for damn sure. “Want you naked in my bed tonight.”
“Ok,” she says airily.
I scoop her into my arms and lay her down on the right side of the bed nearest the window before heading into the bathroom to gather a few things.
When I return, Callie is lying on her side with her hands balled under her chin. She looks good in my bed, like she belongs there.
“Close your eyes,” I murmur. “Let me take care of you.”
She remains still with her eyes closed while I gently wipe off her makeup, exposing the faint freckles across the slope of her cheeks. When I’m finished, I press my lips to the tip of her nose.
“I know you’re tired, but you shouldn’t sleep with your contacts in.”
She sits up just enough to take them out and set them in the case I’m holding, and she eyes the glass of water on the nightstand and two little white pills. “What are those for?”
“You had a lot to drink. Don’t want you to have a headache in the morning. Open.”
I place the pills in her mouth and help her wash them down.
“Are you real?” she asks.
I slide my hand around the nape of her neck and peck a playful kiss on her lips. “Does this feel real to you?”
“I don’t know. Better try again just to be sure.”
I repeat the motion, only this time there’s nothing playful about it. My tongue delves into her mouth, and she responds in kind.
Suddenly, she doesn’t seem tired in the least. All of my nerve endings are firing on overdrive as my arousal surges through me. She tugs at the collar of my shirt and pulls me over her body. “Jax. I need you.”
My teeth nip at her bottom lip before I pull away, leaving her breathless. Her expression turns to one of disappointment.
I chuckle darkly. “Don’t worry. I’m gonna give you exactly what you need.”
She nibbles on her bottom lip, watching on bated breath as I strip out of my shirt and jeans in quick succession, tossing them into the hamper. I’m certain she can see the outline of my erection tenting my boxer-briefs, and my piercings pressing against the taut fabric.
Her breathing picks up as my eyes rake over her from head to toe. It only takes me a second to decide what I want to do next. Her eyes follow me as I stride around to the other side of the bed and lie on my back. “Sit on my face and ride.”
“What?”
“You heard me. Get over here and put that pretty pussy where it belongs.”
“Jaxon. That’s ridiculous. I’m too heavy.”
“Baby, if you don’t get over here right now, I’m gonna spank that ass raw.”
She jolts from the force of my threat, but it’s not fear I’m seeing—it’s raw, unadulterated hunger. She crawls to his side of the bed and drapes her leg over.
I pull her thong to the side and swipe my fingers through her arousal. “Is this all for me?”
“Mhm.”
“Then sit. I’m fucking starving.”
“Jax…”
“Suffocate me, Callie baby. Let me die a happy man.”
“That’s not funny.”
I let out a feral groan, gripping her thighs and tugging her down. She grabs onto the headboard to steady herself as my tongue slides across her pussy in one slow, teasing stroke. She shudders against me as I repeat the motion.
My fingers dig into her thighs as she rocks her hips. She throws her head back and moans.
“That’s it, dirty girl,” I whisper against her skin. “Ride my face.”
I nip and suck and lap at her soaked cunt, devouring her with everything I have.
She leans back, gripping my thighs as she writhes against me. Goose bumps erupt beneath my palms as my beard scratches between her thighs.
“Jax. Fuck. I’m so close.”
I remove one hand from her thigh and slip two fingers inside of her. We’ve done this enough that I know exactly which buttons to push, but I’m dying to stuff her full of my cock.
I add a third finger. The stretch is a lot at first, but she’s so wet it becomes easier fairly quickly. My tongue and hands work together to unravel her completely. She comes on a cry, body jerking and toes curling.
We’re both sweat-soaked and breathless as she climbs off of me and collapses against the bed. I crawl over her with my hard cock in hand, pre cum glistening and leaking from the tip. It’s a miracle I didn’t come before I could finish her off.
“I’m not done with you yet.” I straddle her waist. “Press your tits together and watch what you do to me.”
She complies with the gruff command, her eyes locked on the hand stroking up and down my hard length.
“You have no idea how many times I’ve imagined you just like this.” My mouth drops open, and I draw in a ragged breath. “Gonna paint you with my cum. Mark you as mine.”
“Yes. Yes. I want that.”
She pushes her breasts together with one arm while the other hand travels between her legs. A moan slips past her perfect pink lips.
“Are you playing with my pretty pussy?”
“Yes.” The word comes out breathy, and my cock jolts at the sound.
I reach into the nightstand. Her breath catches when she sees the small wand in my hand. I smirk, pressing the button to turn it on. A low buzzing sound fills the room, and I hold it against her sensitive clit. She gasps, her fingers curling in the sheets.
I work myself faster, breathing heavily through clenched teeth. She has me on edge, and I’m quickly losing control. I throw my head back, setting free a string of curses. “Fuck shit fuck fuck fuck.”
Hot cum spills across her chest, triggering her orgasm soon after.
She screams out my name, writhing against the sheets, her muscles convulsing from the sheer force of her release.
The vibrator stops, and I slowly move down her body, peppering kisses along her fully healed tattoo, before my tongue glides over her breasts, cleaning up most of the mess I made.
She watches in awe as I smear the rest into her skin.
“Mine,” I say gruffly.
I roll her away from me, then I slip my still semi-hard cock inside of her where it belongs.
She gasps at the intrusion. “Jax.”
My fingertips trail from her shoulder all the way down her arm, and I lace our fingers and wrap her in my arms. I sweep some of the hair away from her forehead, reveling in the ability to touch her without reservation. She sighs, and her eyes drift shut.
“Shh. Go to sleep, my love.”
I watch the slow rise and fall of her chest as she sleeps, marveling at how far we’ve come.
This might not be love yet, but it’s damn close.
I want to give her everything she’s dreamed of, and I want to do it here, in my home, on the ranch that’s coming back to life before my very eyes because she made it so.