Chapter 13
Jaxon laughed at the excitement on Sofie’s face. It was refreshing to be with someone who enjoyed life. Their plane ride from Cleveland to Los Angeles was smooth. They had enjoyed delicious snacks and wine during the trip. He had made reservations at an exclusive restaurant that he couldn’t wait to take her to.
They were currently on their way to his home located in Brentwood, California. It was close enough to LA but far enough away where he could have a nice home. The neighborhood was quiet and located on a hillside that gave him premier property and privacy. The neighborhood was ideal for those with families with a great school system and bordering areas with upscale shopping and dining. He’d purchased the home a few years ago and had fallen in love with it.
It also didn’t hurt that some of his neighbors were sports and Hollywood celebrities. That meant he got invited to exclusive parties.
“Well, since you have whisked me away for a few days, what do you have in mind?” Sofie asked.
Jaxon had made plans for them, but just he wanted to check on his home and show it off to Sofie. He grew nervous wondering what she would think of it. He wasn’t sure why, but he wanted her to love it as much as he did. He had always envisioned starting a family, having kids run through the halls, and sitting out on the balcony enjoying a nice bottle of wine with his beautiful wife.
He glanced over at Sofie and smiled. The car he had arranged to pick them up from the airport was almost to his house.
“Don’t worry. You are going to love where we are going out for dinner.”
“Food. Good, I’m starving,” Sofie said, patting her stomach. She sat up straighter and stared out the window.
The winding hills came into view along with the luxury homes and mansions. The view was the first thing that had attracted him to the area. It was worth every penny.
“Wow! This place is gorgeous. You live in this neighborhood?”
“I do. You see that house over there? That’s Kate Landers’ home.” He gestured to a beautiful multimillion-dollar home that belonged to a well-known actress. Her movies brought in billions of dollars, and she had plenty of awards to her name.
“Are you serious? I love Kate.” Sofie pressed her face to the glass. She danced around in her seat. “Her movie, One Lucky Shot , is one of my favorites.”
“Maybe I can take you over there one day. Her husband and I golf once in a while.”
“What?” Sofie practically screamed. Her eyes grew wide as saucers. Their chauffeur let out a chuckle at her bouncing up and down. “Oh my goodness. Please, I’d love to meet her, but I wouldn’t want to seem stalkerish.”
“Sure. They’re good people.” He pointed out other celebrities’ homes they passed while Sofie still pressed her nose against the window. He had to laugh. It was good to see someone with a natural reaction. Most women he hung around with were only with him for the money and lifestyle he could provide. With Sofie, he didn’t have to worry about why she was with him.
“Jaxon, this is amazing. No wonder your mom brags about you all the time.” She chuckled.
“When do you talk with my mother?” He playfully pulled her to his side. They would be arriving at his home any moment, but he still needed to touch her. It pleased him to feel her lean into him.
“Almost every time she comes to visit, me and Alana include her in our lunch or shopping outings.”
“That I didn’t know,” he murmured. How had he not known Sofie had been hanging with his mother? He guessed he needed to pay more attention to what was going on.
The driver turned into his driveway. Jaxon’s gaze landed on Sofie as they drove up to the house. His breath caught in his throat while watching her reaction to the sight of his home. He couldn’t explain why this was so important to him, but it was. “Welcome to my home.”
His lips brushed her temple. Her quick intake of breath had his heart fluttering. She gripped his hand in hers.
“This is beautiful, Jaxon,” she gasped.
The driver parked the vehicle in front of the three-car garage.
She turned to him with a wide grin. “You better give me a tour.”
“Anything you want.”
The driver exited the vehicle and opened the door for them. Jaxon stepped from the car first before assisting Sofie out who had focused her attention back on the house. Jaxon took care of tipping their chauffeur while Sofie made her way to the front door. He grabbed his small duffle bag and made his way to her. He took out his keys and opened the door.
“Jaxon,” she whispered, taking her first step inside.
He followed behind her, closing the door. They entered his grand foyer with its vaulted ceiling, stone flooring, tasteful artwork on the wall, and a winding staircase that led to the second floor. He tossed his keys in the bowl on the table by the door and tried to see his home through her eyes.
“Come. I’ll give you a grand tour, then I need to make a few calls before we leave.” He set his bag on the bottom stair then took her by the hand and led her though the home. He took great pride in his house, and it warmed his heart that she loved it.
From the kitchen to the family room and game room, they made their way upstairs where the master bedroom and three other bedrooms were located.
He didn’t own the largest house in the neighborhood, but it was a good-sized place to start a family.
“These rooms are so spacious,” Sofie noted. They stepped out of one of the guest rooms. She sidled up to him with a playful glint in her eye. “Which one is yours?”
“That one.” Jaxon pointed to the last room down the hall.
Sofie spun around and took off toward it. She opened the double doors that gave the allure of a grand entrance to his private domain, and he followed behind her, chuckling at her excitement. Jaxon paused in the doorway, watching her explore his bedroom. Beyond the double doors was a sitting room with a couch and a large flatscreen mounted on the wall. This allowed him to have private living quarters where he could remain secluded when he had company.
Farther into the area was where his sleeping area was with his king-sized bed, oversized wooden dressers, and dual nightstands positioned on each side of the bed. There were two walk-in closets and an en suite bathroom that was fit for royalty. Off the sleeping area was a set of French doors that led out to the balcony that overlooked his yard and pool, along with the neighborhood.
“This house is way bigger than mine, and you stay here all by yourself?” Sofie turned to him.
He had followed her though the quarters, watching her in his space. He found that he really loved seeing her in his private domain.
“I do,” he said.
“I don’t know if I could go back home after staying here,” she muttered.
She spun away, eying the room. She went back out on his balcony, leaning against the rail. He moved to stand beside her.
She elbowed him playfully. “Not that I don’t like my house because I do, but yours is a dream home with all the things I would love to have.”
Jaxon couldn’t take his eyes off of her. Immediately, he knew what he wanted.
“Move in with me.”
“What?” Sofie’s voice ended on a shriek, and she turned her wide brown eyes toward him. She stared at him without saying a word. What he was asking may have sounded far-fetched, but he wasn’t crazy. They were good together, had similar interests, and even though they used to argue all the time, they now knew why.
It was the attraction between them, and they hadn’t known how to address it.
“You heard me,” he said. He stepped closer to her and reached for her. His hand came to trace her cheekbones while his other one held her by her waist. “Move in with me.”
“Wait.” She pushed away from him and took a few steps back. She brushed her hair from her face and turned from him. She rested her forearms on the railing and stared off at the scenery around them. “Jaxon, we are supposed to be getting to know each other. Date—”
“We know each other.” He moved and stood behind her.
He rested his hands on either side of her and leaned down, nuzzling the side of her neck. Immediately, her body softened, and she leaned back into him. He bit back a smile. Her mind may be resisting, but her body knew who it wanted.
“You know what I mean,” she whispered. Sofie spun around in his arms and stared up at him.
“No, I don’t. We’ve spent a lot of time together since London and Alana got married. You probably know me better than any other woman besides my mother.”
“And what I know was that you fucked different women weekly.” She straightened to her full height and met his gaze. Her jawline tightened, and she folded her arms in front of her chest, putting room between them. “You like to party hard, drink, smoke. But I—”
“That’s not me anymore,” he interjected. Jaxon ran a hand over his face. He bit back a curse because he couldn’t deny what she’d said. He knew his track record, but he couldn’t alter the past.
“So you just changed overnight? You expect me to believe that?”
“Yes, I do, because I haven’t slept with a woman, or better yet, looked at a woman since we left Bora Bora.” He pressed close to her, trapping her against the railing. He needed to make her see that he wasn’t the same man he was before. He saw the bigger picture. He knew that he had been wasting his life away when he should have been looking for his future.
A future that included a woman who was meant for him.
That woman was Sofie.
He would do what he must to make her see that he was genuine. Even if that meant giving her time to see that he had changed.
“This is just too much, too soon, Jaxon,” she whispered.
“Don’t shut me out,” he murmured. He would use the time he had with her to prove that he meant every word. He wanted her and would do what was necessary to win her over. He was a pro at negotiating and sealing the deal with high-paid athletes.
He could win his woman over.
His woman. Those two words sent a flutter of excitement through him. It sounded damn good.
“Don’t make a decision yet.” He blew out a deep breath and grinned at her. She wasn’t going to know what hit her. He’d wine and dine her and show her that she was all that he needed. His past wasn’t going to direct his future. “Come. I promised you dinner and fun, and that’s what we are going to do.”
“ J axon, this is way too much,” Sofie scoffed. The amount of bags in the back of his car was ridiculous. As promised, he had taken her shopping since she had arrived with only the clothes on her back.
“What are you talking about?” He slammed the trunk of his truck shut and turned to her. He offered her a sexy grin and pulled her close to him. “Isn’t it everything you need?”
“I would have been fine with a few pairs of leggings and t-shirts. You didn’t have to go overboard. That is basically an entire new wardrobe, and why do I need suits if I’m only here for two more days?” She laughed. She stepped back away from him to put a little space between them. He’d dragged her from store to store, and before she knew it, there was no room in the back of the truck. She paused and glared at him, resting her hands on her hips. “Don’t go trying to win me over with all of this.”
“Do you really think I would try to bribe you?” He chuckled. He took her hand and led her around to the passenger door. He opened it, waiting for her to get in.
Sofie eyed him, standing tall, refusing to fall for his charm.
“Yes, I do.” She poked him in the middle of his chest with her finger.
Jaxon had been trying to win her over since he’d popped the question yesterday. She still couldn’t believe he had asked her to move in with him. He’d taken her out to a five-star restaurant last night; they’d gone for a drive around LA at night which was beautiful. Afterwards, they had returned to his home where they had soaked in his oversized jacuzzi tub where they ended up making love before retiring to his bed.
Sofie had to admit it was the best first date she’d ever had. He hadn’t brought up moving in again since he’d asked.
“Is it working?” He arched an eyebrow at her, tugging her into his arms. He laid one hell of a kiss on her, then assisted her into his vehicle.
She sat back in the plush leather seat while he jogged around to the driver’s side.
“Where are we off to now?” she asked.
“We are going to run to my office for a moment.” He guided the car into traffic.
The shopping district he had taken her to was full of luxury shops that she normally wouldn’t have frequented. The price tag and totals had blown her away. Sofie felt guilty on the amount he had spent on her.
“I can pay you back,” she said.
Jaxon’s head flew around in her direction. A scowl was present on his face as she glanced at her.
“No, you won’t.”
“But you spent a lot of money.”
“And it is my money to spend how I choose and on who I choose,” he said. He focused back on the road, expertly navigating through the crazy traffic that lay ahead of them. “Mention paying me back for anything and I’m going to turn you over my knee.”
“Is that a threat or a promise?”
His lips curled up into his sexy grin. His hand tightened on the steering wheel. Sofie shifted in her seat as the image of what he’d threatened popped up in her mind. She bit her lip and figured she would risk it all.
“I’ll make payments to you.” She reached over and patted him on his knee.
He caught her hand in his and brought it up to his lips. He pressed a kiss to the back of it.
“Oh, you’ll pay for this,” he growled.
She giggled and snatched her hand back from him.
“I hope so, Mr. Keith,” she murmured playfully.
“Keep testing me.” His gray-eyed gaze landed on her for a moment, and in that short time, the heat in his gaze just about set her panties on fire.
They drove in a comfortable silence while Sofie tried to will her body to calm down. Jaxon’s promises had her overheating. She fought to kept from fidgeting. Her core clenched with the image of her bent over his knee with her bare bottom facing the air came to mind.
“What do you need to do at the office?” she asked, breaking the silence. She faced her window and watched the city scenery pass by. The glitz and glam of the city was something else. There were so many women who didn’t appear to be natural anymore. They all had some form of work done to their faces and bodies. She was glad she was a woman who was born with good looks and the voluptuous body God had given her.
“I was supposed to be meeting with a client, but it looks like he needs to reschedule since his wife went into labor this morning. We shouldn’t be long.”
Sofie rested and took in the sights while he navigated the busy roads. The music in the car was light, and she glanced back over at Jaxon. The past twenty-four hours had been amazing. She bit her lip and knew she couldn’t base moving across the country on them.
But honestly, it didn’t matter where they were, she knew it was Jaxon.
Had she caught feelings for him?
Yes, without a doubt, she had.
“Is there something on my face?” he asked.
She blinked, not having realized she had been caught staring at him. They were stopped at a red light. He focused his gray eyes on her, waiting for her to answer.
“There’s nothing wrong with your face,” she whispered. She reached out and took his hand in hers, threading their fingers together. Her heart stuttered. Was she seriously going to consider his offer? “Why did you ask me to move in with you?”
Jaxon slowly lifted their joined hands and brought them to his lips. He pressed a kiss to the back of her hand. That crooked grin of his was back.
“Because I want you. You are the only woman who fills my thoughts, and I need you with me.”
Her mouth dropped opened in shock. She hadn’t thought words like that would ever spill from his lips. A horn beeped behind them. He turned his focus back on the road, but he hadn’t released her hand. “It doesn’t matter where we stay. I’ll build a house in Cleveland for you if that’s what I have to do.”
“Jaxon, you are crazy,” she exclaimed.
“Am I?”