Chapter 10
Jaxon released a curse, unsure of what he had done to upset Sofie. He stalked into the house, finding his mother standing in the kitchen with Chance who was sitting in his high chair.
“Hey, Jaxon.” Her smile disappeared the moment she took one look at him. She spooned some food into Chance’s mouth before setting the bowl and spoon on the island. “What’s wrong, baby?”
He hadn’t seen his mother when he’d first arrived at the house. At least he hadn’t thought he had. Jaxon would admit, he’d drunk and partied way too hard last night. He barely remembered walking onto the jet that morning.
The moment he’d arrived at his brother’s place, London had laid into him.
“What the fuck? This is how you show up for my wife’s birthday?” London hollered.
Jaxon winced, London’s voice adding to the throb of his brain.
“What are you talking about?” Jaxon mumbled. The world appeared to turn on its axis, and he stumbled.
“And you smell like a fucking brewery.” London snagged him by his arm and led him into the house.
“I had a little fun last night. We missed you. You should have come.” Jaxon grinned at London who scowled at him. They went up to the second level of the massive home, with London practically carrying Jaxon up the stairs. “Top-notch drinks, women—”
London slammed Jaxon against the wall, holding him by the collar of his shirt. Jaxon’s smile disappeared when he took in the seriousness of London’s face.
“That’s not who I am anymore,” London growled.
“What are you talking about?” Jaxon leaned his head back against the wall. It had always been him and his brother. They did everything together. He quickly sobered up at the look in London’s eyes.
“I’ve grown up, Jaxon. I would suggest you do the same.” London released him and took a step back from him.
Jaxon made an attempt to straighten his shirt, but it was a skewed and half-buttoned.
“I am grown,” Jaxon mumbled.
“We are thirty-seven years old, and you act like you’re twenty-one,” London said. He motioned to Jaxon. “You need to do better. We are getting older.”
“What? You want me to be like you?” Jaxon snorted. He pushed off the wall and moved to stand in front of him. They were identical in every way except a few scars that each had received due to sports in their youth and random tattoos they had both gotten over the years. “I’m not perfect like you. I don’t have the big house, the beautiful wife and son.”
“Perfect? My life is far from perfect.” London reached out and grabbed him by the arm. He led him down the hallway into one of the guest bedrooms and shoved him in.
Jaxon stumbled and spun around to face him.
“Strip, shower, and get some sleep,” London said. “You need to sober up for the party.”
“You don’t get to tell me what to do,” Jaxon grumbled. He began unbuttoning the shirt the rest of the way and shucked it off onto the floor. He turned and headed toward the attached bathroom. It was the room he usually slept in when he stayed in town. London had sold the apartment he had kept downtown. For a while, Jaxon had used it when he was in Cleveland.
“I’ve always told you what to do.” London smirked.
“Fuck you.” Jaxon waved a hand at him. In his drunken stupor, he pushed his pants down, tripping over them. He crashed to the floor.
“You are so fucking drunk. If I wasn’t pissed at you, I’d be laughing and recording this,” London murmured. He came over to Jaxon and helped him from the floor. “Let’s get you in the shower. Mom and Dad should be arriving any minute.”
A piece of paper was on the floor in front of Jaxon. He picked it up and squinted at it. He snorted and handed it to London.
“I am being responsible at my age,” he bragged. He waved the paper around in the air. “If I wasn’t, I would have gone home with Aimee here.”
“And why didn’t you?” London asked, snatching the paper from him. He bent down and helped free Jaxon’s feet from his shoes and pants. He stood and guided Jaxon into the bathroom and over to the shower stall.
“Because that’s not who I want,” Jaxon admitted. He clamped his mouth shut, having already said too much.
London’s eyebrows rose high, his curiosity piqued. “And who might that be?”
“None of your damn business.” Jaxon flipped the shower on, adjusting the temperature until it was perfect. If he let on that it was Sofie who had been on his mind, London would never let him live it down. He turned to his brother and smirked. “You can go now, unless you want to be reminded that I have the bigger dick.”
“In your dreams.” London rolled his eyes and turned, walking out of the room. “If you vomit and mess up this room, I will kick your ass, then make you clean it up.”
Jaxon blinked, having missed part of what his mother said.
“I’m sorry, what did you say, Ma?” he asked.
“I said, what’s got you looking all gloomy?” She stepped over to him and wrapped an arm around his waist.
He pulled her in for a tight hug and breathed in her scent. His mother had worn the same perfume since he was a little kid. It immediately comforted him, and his muscles relaxed slightly.
“Nothing I can’t handle,” he murmured.
She stepped back from him and eyed him wearily. “Sure. I’ve seen this face before when you were younger. It’s about a woman, isn’t it?” She raised an eyebrow at him.
Chance used that moment to cry out, slamming his fist on the tray in front of him. Jaxon chuckled at his nephew. Apparently, he was impatient and hungry. Jaxon could relate to the little man. He was the same way when he was starving.
“Looks like you are taking too long.” Jaxon laughed.
Chance looked at him and offered him a grin, showcasing the two tiny teeth that were present on the bottom row.
“Oh, hold your horses,” Donna said. She turned back to Chance and scooped up a bit of his food on his spoon and offered it to him. “Now go ahead and tell your mother what the problem is.”
Jaxon wasn’t going to get off on this one. His mother was still riding high on the fact that one of her boys was married and had given her a grandbaby. If Donna Keith had her way, he and London would have about five kids each. She had been on him ever since she’d met Alana. If London could find someone to put up with him, then he could, too.
“Okay, fine. There is a woman,” he began.
“Aha! I knew it.” Donna exclaimed. She grinned, her eyes twinkling as she danced in place. “Your brother said you mentioned something about a woman. Now tell me all the details.”
Jaxon sighed, running a hand over his jawline. He didn’t know when his twin had become a gossip. It violated the twin code. As much shit as they’d got in to as kids, they had never ratted each other out.
“It’s not much to tell. We haven’t even been on a date yet or anything,” he murmured. He paused and realized the issue. Sofie’s comments set off a light bulb in his head. She thought he only wanted her for her body and the sex. Not that the sex was a bad thing, it was amazing between the two of them. He’d never experienced anything like that with any other woman in the past.
“Well, what have you done—” Donna paused and raised a hand. “Don’t answer that. I already know the answer. Well, no wonder you’re having issues. If it’s a woman you are interested in, you probably put the cart before the horse.”
“I’m seeing that now.” He moved over to her and took her by the shoulders. He laid a kiss on her forehead. “Love you, Mom. I got to go.”
“Love you, too, babe.”
He ruffled the hair on Chance’s head before dashing out of the kitchen. He had to find Sofie. He was sure she was somewhere on the property. She wouldn’t have had much time to get in her car and leave.
Now, he just had to find her.
I t didn’t take Jaxon long to find Sofie. She was sitting on the swings of the playground that London had built for Chance. It was on the opposite side of the house to where the party was being held. It was positioned near a patch of woods that ran along the side of his brother’s home.
He approached quietly, slowing down as he got near. Sofie sat in the swing, slowly rocking back and forth, looking down at her hand. From the light emanating from her hand, he assumed she was scrolling on her cellphone.
He paused and inhaled softly, trying to gather his thoughts. He wasn’t sure how she knew about last night or what female she was speaking of. There was no way she would know about the chick from the bar. He vaguely remembered someone taking pictures. He cursed himself for getting so sloppy drunk. There was no excuse for it.
“Sofie,” he said quietly.
She cried out, startled. Her phone went flying through the air. She stood and spun around to face him. They stared at each other for a moment. A gentle breeze blew by, sending her hair into her face. The only sound aside from the distant music floating through the air was the screech of metal from the swing moving back and forth on its own.
“Um, Jaxon,” Sofie said.
He walked over to her and reached down, picking up her cellphone. He glanced down at the screen and frowned.
“What is this?” he asked.
She stiffened slightly. She snagged her bottom lip with her teeth and shrugged.
“What do you think it is?” She stood to her full height and squared her shoulders.
He glanced back down at the phone and saw a profile of a man. He moved the screen down, taking in the guy’s stated interests, hobbies, and career.
“Is this a dating app?” he asked. His heart pounded at the thought of her searching through one of these online companies to find a man.
Someone who wasn’t him.
Had she already found someone? Did she like what she saw in this guy’s description? Something he was unfamiliar with reared its ugly green head in his chest.
Was this jealousy?
Fuck, yeah, it was.
Sofie was his.
He blinked. This was the first time he’d actually claimed her. He thought about it for a moment and knew that he meant it. She had filled his thoughts for so long, and he loved getting her riled up. The culmination of their arguments since they’d met had been a form of foreplay. When they had come together, it had been explosive.
“Yeah, and?” Her chin rose defiantly.
Something in him snapped.
He strode toward her and grabbed her by the back of her neck. His head lowered, and he swooped down and took her lips in a brutal kiss. His tongue swept inside the moment she parted them. Sofie’s muscles tightened under his hold for a brief moment before melting against him. Her hands slid up his chest and locked together at the base of his neck.
Jaxon eased back slightly. The sound of Sofie’s whimper excited him. She wanted this as much as he did. He lifted a finger and tilted her chin up to force her to meet his gaze.
“Is this what you want?” he asked, bringing her phone up so they both could see the screen.
She rolled her eyes and tried to pull back from him, but he held on to her.
“Jaxon, it’s none of your business,” she murmured.
He ignored her, reading the potential candidate’s profile out loud. “Chad Martin. Thirty-five years old from Akron, Ohio, who loves dining at fine restaurants, jogging along Lake Erie, and traveling around the world.”
“Jaxon, stop reading,” she pleaded and tried to take the phone from him.
He held it out of her reach, swiping to another potential candidate.
“That one not good enough for you? How about this one? This guy, Dr. Terrance Clayton, is an internal medicine doctor who loves hiking, skydiving, and traveling. Looking for a good woman who shares the same interests.”
Sofie’s fist landed on his stomach. He swung his gaze to her, stunned. Did she really just hit him? She broke loose and stepped back from him.
“What are you doing, Jaxon?” Her eyes narrowed on him. It was a familiar look she always had when she was pissed at him or was about to argue with him. She shoved him with her small hands before coming to stand in front of him.
“Are you done making fun of me?” she asked.
“Making fun of you? I’m helping you.” He snorted and motioned to the phone. His annoyance flared thinking how she hadn’t even considered him. The chemistry between them was off the charts, and the sex had been mind-blowing. Everything about her had him only thinking of her. “Obviously you have something better in mind.”
“Better in mind? Better than who?” she snapped.
“Me,” he growled. He reached out to her automatically, bringing her to him. He crushed his mouth to hers, unable to resist touching and kissing her.
She belonged to him.
She softened, returning the kiss with the same fever. Her fingers latched on the hair at the base of his neck. He growled, needing more of her. She broke the kiss, her breaths coming out in pants.
“Jaxon,” she murmured.
He didn’t want to give her a chance to think of anything else but him. He tilted her chin up, forcing her to look him in the eye.
“Me. Give me a chance,” he said.
She licked her lips, drawing his attention to her swollen mouth.
He wanted to take them again, but he resisted. “Let’s start over. Me and you.”
“But what about the woman from the pictures?” She frowned, her body stiffening against him.
“What pictures are you talking about?”
She snatched her phone from his hand, muttering to herself. He kept his arms around her, not wanting to let her go. She felt perfect in his embrace. As much as he wanted her naked, writhing underneath him, he was going to have to be patient.
“These photos.” She held her phone up for him to see the popular social media site.
He blew out a deep breath. It was from the previous night. He shook his head and lifted a finger to her face. He gently stroked her chin and ran a finger along her cheeks.
“Nothing happened with that woman. She was hanging out with us. I’ll admit I was drunker than I should have been, but I didn’t go home with her even though she asked.”
“Why?”
“Because I was thinking of you, Sofie. I can’t stop thinking of you,” he admitted truthfully. He had to be honest that he hadn’t even missed having sex with other women. It was getting old, and his brother was right. He needed to grow up, and if he wanted to settle with someone, he wanted it to be with a good woman. Someone strong, smart, funny, and adventurous.
That woman was currently in his arms.
“Are you serious?” she whispered.
He lowered his head toward hers. She reached up and cupped his jawline. He leaned into her palm, closing his eyes briefly.
“I’ve been thinking of you, too,” she said.
“Then why the dating site?”
“Because I thought you had gone back to your usual self.” She exhaled and leaned forward, resting her forehead on his chest.
He ran a hand along her back, savoring the feeling of her relaxing in his arms.
“I figured if he could move on, so could I.”
“Is that why you wouldn’t even let me mention us continuing to see each other? You thought I would be seeing other women along with you?” He snorted, then raised her chin again so he could meet her eyes. “Listen, the women I’ve messed around with weren’t my girlfriend or anything. They knew what they were getting into. It was for fun. Nothing serious.”
“I’m not looking for just fun, casual sex, Jaxon. I want more.”
Her admission took his breath away. Was he seeking more? He knew without a doubt he was. Something in him had changed. One-night stands were no longer appealing to him. He wanted to wake up next to the same woman every day. He wanted to experience life alongside someone who made him smile, challenged him, kept him aroused.
“So do I.” He lifted her hand from his face and brought it to his lips. He pressed a kiss to it and offered her a wide grin. “Let me take you out. A good ol’-fashioned date.”
She blinked, staring at him before a smile lit up her beautiful face.
“You better be on time. I want to be wined and dined. And I don’t want to be taken somewhere you’ve taken one of those—”
He swooped down and captured her lips again to quiet her. Sofie didn’t know what was in store for her. When he wanted something, he put his mind to it. She’d better hold on tight.
Jaxon Keith was officially pursuing her.