Chapter Five
Chapter Five
BLINKING RAPIDLY, I STARED ATLynn. Lynn, who was Jaxon’s mother. The mother of the guy I thought was a spoiled rich guy living off his family’s money. When in truth, he wasn’t living like that at all. He was a bartender. Not that there was anything at all wrong with that.
When I peeked over to Jax, he had his eyes closed and was mumbling something about room service.
He finally opened his eyes, gave me a look that said he was so sorry, then turned to his mother.
“Yes, Mom. It’s a date.”
My stomach jumped at his words, and I felt heat creep up my spine. I prayed my internal emotions weren’t showing on my face.
“I thought you didn’t date guests?” she asked.
Jax opened his mouth, then shut it as he stared at her, confused. “How did you know that?”
“Why, Chuck told me. He’s a nice young man.” She turned to Lori and Parker. “Honestly if one of you two girls are looking for a…” she leaned in toward them and whispered…loudly, “a one-night stand, he would be a good pick. He’s the waiter who brought over the chairs, and he works with Jaxon at the bar. Hunky if I do say so.”
Lori and Parker both smiled as Jax gaped at his mother. With my hand up to my mouth to hide yet another laugh, I looked around the restaurant to see Chuck flirting with a woman who appeared to be about seventy.
“Mom…please, stop.”
Lynn patted Parker’s hand, then winked. “We’ll talk at the spa today. I have some suggestions for you. I was quite the flirt back in my day, and could get any man I wanted into my bed.”
Jax dropped back in his chair, rubbed his hands down his face, and practically cried out, “Oh my God, make it stop!”
Lori giggled and said, “I think we’re going to have the best spa day ever!”
Parker lifted her glass of water. “To learning how to bed guys!”
When Lynn lifted her water and clinked glasses with my two best friends, I lost the fight and started to laugh.
“Laugh all you want, but she’s coming for you next,” Jax whispered.
Jen brought out Jax and his mother’s breakfast as Lori, Parker, and Lynn fell into an easy conversation about everything from reading to their nightly skin routines. I chimed in every now and then, but mostly talked to Jax about our plans for the day.
When he finished off his second Sunday Special coffee and was about to ask Jen for another one, I put my hand over his and smiled.
“I’ve never been in a kayak before, so if you keep knocking back whiskey, we may be in trouble.”
He laughed and looked like he was about to lift my hand up to his lips when he stopped. Most likely afraid that his mother might school him in the art of seduction.
“Speaking of, we should probably get going if we want to catch the next boat off the island.”
I nodded.
Jax pulled out his wallet and put some money on the table. “I’ve already asked Jen to put your meals on my bill.”
“How nice. Thank you, Jax!” Lori stated.
“Yes, thank you, Jax. Tomorrow morning is on us!” Parker stated.
His mother patted the side of Jax’s face. “Thank you, darling.”
When he stood and held his hand out for mine, I thanked him for breakfast.
He winked and my heart tripped over itself.
“Shall we head on out for our adventure today?” Jax asked.
“Let’s!” I said as I reached for the small backpack I had brought with me. It contained a change of clothes in case we got wet. Sunscreen, sunglasses, my driver’s license, a credit card, and some cash. My father drummed it into my head to always have some cash on hand.
Lynn stood and kissed Jax on the cheek, and gave him a smile only a mother can give. “You two kids have fun!”
“Yeah, you two kids have fun!” Parker repeated with a wink in my direction.
Rolling my eyes at Parker, I turned to Lynn. “Have fun at the spa.”
“We will!” Lynn replied.
It was then I felt Jax take my elbow and guide us quickly out of the restaurant. It wasn’t long before we were climbing onto the boat to take us to another island to enjoy our kayak adventure.
“Look at the fish!” I exclaimed as I pointed through the crystal clear water. Before Jax could even reply, I gasped. “Look at that bird!”
Laughing, he leaned forward, and his warm breath against my exposed skin sent a shiver down my spine.
“Take a breath, Mel. You’re going to see all kinds of amazing things.”
The use of my nickname from his lips had me conjuring up all kinds of naughty scenes where he could whisper it again.
I pushed my dirty thoughts away and enjoyed the two-hour kayak tour. Once it was over, we strolled along the streets of Key West. I bought a few things for Lori and Parker, as well as some souvenirs for my family.
“Are you getting hungry?” Jax asked.
“I am!”
With a grin, he said, “I know an amazing restaurant where we can get lobster pizza.”
I crinkled my nose. “Lobster pizza?”
“Trust me, it’s mouth watering.”
Figuring that Jaxon would know all the best places to eat, I trusted him on the restaurant choice.
“It’s not that far if you’re up for walking a few more blocks.”
“Totally up for it!”
I leaned against the back of the booth and sighed. “I’m so full! That was the best pizza of my life.”
Jax winked. “And to think you doubted me.”
Laughing, I replied, “I’ll admit I did at first, but it was so good.”
He tossed his napkin onto his plate and looked at me with a quizzical expression. “What are the bars and restaurantslike in Austin ?”
The question caught me off guard for a moment. “Um, well, I haven’t really went out to eat a whole lot since I was finishing up nursing school and all, but I think we have some pretty good places to eat. As far as bars go, Lori and Parker are your go-to girls for that. I’m not much of a bar person.”
Lifting his one brow, he asked, “Why not?”
I chewed on my lip before I let out a nervous laugh. “Well, after we started college, I slowly began putting weight on. Bad food choices and lack of moving my body. Anyway, it got to be too hard for me to go out and watch guys hit on Lori and Parker while I sat at the table by myself. I knew I was feeling sorry for myself, but it hurt, and I already had enough going on in my life to add self loathing to the list.”
Jax frowned and reached across the table, taking my hand in his. “Amelia, you’re beautiful and would be beautiful regardless of what the number on the scale says.”
“I know that now, but I would be lying to you if I didn’t say when I look in the mirror I still see that insecure, overweight girl in the mirror.”
He slowly shook his head. “Any man who walks past you and doesn’t see what is right in front of his damn eyes is a fool.”
My cheeks heated and I looked away, not wanting to read what his intense eyes were saying at that moment.
“Well, anyway, if you want to know about the bars in Austin, Lori or Parker could tell you. Why are you wanting to know?”
A small little bubble of hope started to rise up as I waited for his answer.
Giving me a wide grin, he replied, “I’m thinking about moving to Austin and possibly opening a bar.”
“Are you serious?” I nearly shouted, then covered my mouth in a sad attempt to hide my delight at his news. Dropping my hand, I frowned. “But what about your father? I thought your mom was here to talk you into returning with her.”
He rolled his eyes. “That is my father and mother’s dream. Not mine. I want to do something I enjoy that will allow me to be around when I end up getting married and raising a family.”
The idea of Jax doing that with another woman made my chest ache.
“I don’t blame you for wanting to follow your own dreams. I’m glad my parents never pressured me one way or another.”
Smiling, he squeezed my hand. “I am too.”
We fell into silence for a few moments before Jax said, “Come with me tomorrow night to see the fireworks. I know the best place on the island to watch them.”
“Really?” I asked with a grin that I’m sure was most likely way too big. “And where would that be?”
He winked. “You’ll have to be surprised.”
“I like surprises.”
His eyes turned dark with desire once again, and this time I didn’t look away.
“Someone must have had a nice day yesterday,” Parker said as she slipped into the chair next to me on our patio.
Smiling, I took a sip of my coffee.
“Have you hooked up yet?”
My head snapped to look at her. “No.”
She shrugged and blew on her drink. “I’m just saying, he’s handsome. Rich as hell. And lives in paradise. If it was me, I’d marry him on the spot.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “I will admit there is a strong attraction between us. I don’t think I’ve ever been this drawn to a guy before. It’s kind of weird.”
“It’s called love at first sight.”
Parker and I both turned to look at Lori.
“What?” Parker asked with a laugh. “You believe in love at first sight?”
“Hell yes, I do. And the way Jax looks at you makes even my body tingle. Not to mention, he has a rule where he doesn’t date guests. Yet, he went out with you.”
I had known about his rule, and the fact that he had asked me to spend today with him again had my insides all a jumble.
“What about the way our girl looks at him,” Parker teased.
Rolling my eyes, I replied, “Don’t be ridiculous. I don’t look at him in any way.”
“Bullshit.”
They both said it at the same time and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Fine. I do like him. A lot. But…”
“Nooo! Don’t say but!” Lori pleaded.
I gave her a hard look. “But…nothing could ever happen, y’all. He lives here, I live in Texas. His family lives in Houston. I mean, this is just a…”
My voice trailed off. What was this? We hadn’t even shared a kiss except for the one he gave me last night when he brought me back to our cottage. It had been a nice kiss, but nothing that said he wanted me right there on the spot.
“It’s just a what?” Lori asked, honestly, looking as if I might break her heart if I said the wrong thing.
“I don’t know. A fling? Can you call it a fling if you haven’t even slept with the person?”
They both exchanged a look and then shrugged.
“Whatever it is, I’m having fun and I like Jax. I’m leaving it up to fate.”
Parker groaned. “Oh, God, not fate. She can be so freaking cruel. I say take him before we leave. Take him and fuck the living shit out of him.”
My mouth fell open in shock.
“I agree. If you have any sexual fantasies, now is the time to act on them. Most men are on board for a bit of play.”
All eyes were on Lori now.
“What? They are. You tell any guy you want him to tie you up, and he is on board.”
I blinked a few times, then shook away the image my best friend had just painted in my head.
“I didn’t need that visual, Lori. I mean, I haven’t even had my morning cup of Joe yet.”
Laughing, I heard my phone buzz on the table in front of me. Reaching down, I couldn’t help but smile when I saw it was Jax.
“It’s Jax,” I absentmindly stated.
“What did he say!?” Lori asked, nearly bouncing out of the chair.
“He wants to know if I’ve eaten breakfast yet.”
I quickly typed back that I hadn’t.
The three of us all stared at my phone as the little dots made their familiar wave dance. I took my phone off silent, backed out of the message, and set it back down.
“Look at us!” I said with a chuckle. “You’d think I’d never talked to a guy before.”
“When was the last time you had sex though?” Parker asked.
I shot her a glaring look. “Too long, if you must know.”
My phone notified me of another message, and we all jumped and reached for my phone at the same time. Luckily I got it first, but not before I spilled nearly all of my coffee. I quickly read the text and clutched my phone to my chest.
“He wants to take me on a breakfast picnic!”
Lori and Parker sighed and said at the same time, “How romantic.”
I quickly typed back my reply and told him I’d be ready in twenty minutes.
Standing, Lori followed me. “Girl, we need more than twenty minutes. We have to do your hair, makeup, find an outift.”
Coming to a stop, I turned to face her. “My hair is going in a pony. I only need mascara, and I’m pretty sure I can find something to wear.”
For a hot second, I swore I saw tears in her eyes. “But…don’t you want to at least wear something cute and put eye shadow on?”
“Some bronzer wouldn’t hurt either,” Parker stated.
With a quick spin on my heels, I headed toward my room, and before either of them could follow me in, I shut the door and locked it.
“Okay, let me at least do your hair!” Lori called out as she knocked on the door.
Ignoring them both, I pulled out a cute shorts outfit I had bought before I left for the trip. After getting dressed, I pulled my hair back into a ponytail, applied some mascara, and slipped out the sliding doors and down the path toward Jax’s cottage.