Seven
After I had moodily delivered Jaxon’s sandwich to the study, I ate my own in the kitchen and then decided to watch a movie. I needed a distraction from Jaxon and what had happened between us. For my sanity, I decided to mark this as a moment of madness. One that should not be repeated. Whatever the hell I was feeling for him had to be squashed. I would not throw myself at him like a schoolgirl in the throes of her first crush. I had more self-respect than that.
I found my stash of Blu-rays in the rear living room where the TV was and so decided to put on Disney’s Bambi. The picture looked amazing on the massive wall-mounted flatscreen.
Throwing myself onto one of the sofas I found the remote control and got down to business. As usual, the film had me in tears after around forty minutes, just as Bambi’s mother gets shot. Good job I had tissues at the ready.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood to attention as I realised, I wasn’t alone. “Thanks for the sandwich,” Jaxon’s low, gravelly voice suddenly bled into the room. “I must admit, the jar of mustard you added gave it some kick. I now have no feeling in my tastebuds.”
I didn’t apologise, I just sniffed and quickly paused the TV as he came around the side of the sofa I was sitting on. He was now wearing a hoodie and some faded jeans and still looked smoking hot. I purposefully kept my teary gaze above the waist, burying the fact that I had touched this boy's penis somewhere in the back of my mind. Jaxon’s lips were pressed together in annoyance.
As his eyes roamed over me, his brow scrunched as it registered that I was upset. He then exhaled sharply and motioned toward my wilted frame with one hand. “What the hell is the matter now?” he barked down at me.
I ignored him and turned back to the TV screen, blowing my nose loudly. It wasn’t at all ladylike but I didn’t care. Despair crashed through my chest. I’d seen the movie I was watching several times over during the last few years, but that scene always got to me.
Lazily throwing himself onto the sofa opposite, my stepbrother looked back and forth between me and the paused screen. His brow furrowed; his expression pissed off as usual. He rested his hands on his knees and leaned toward me. I tried to avoid eye contact but he drew me back.
“Well?” he questioned, clearly exasperated.
“Bambi’s mother just died,” I informed him, my eyes full of mist as I peered across at him, my face oozing with misery. It was so very sad.
He gave me a mirthless smile. “You’re bawling your eyes out over a fucking cartoon, are you kidding me?” Jaxon huffed, slouching back against the cushions. He watched me over the rim of the beer bottle he held. Totally unconvinced.
“I don’t expect you to understand Jaxon, you have the emotional range of a celery.”
“That’s a bit harsh,” he barked, hiding his grin.
Wiping my nose again, I stuffed the tissue up the sleeve of my hoodie and swung my legs to the floor.
“Well, it’s true. It’s sad Jaxon. Have you even seen it?” I scathed, fiddling with the remote control which sat beside me. I didn’t restart the movie; I couldn’t allow it to play out through such tragedy with the current level of disdain coming off my stepbrother. I didn’t want him to taint it in some way.
My stare was accusatory and he met it dead on. “Yes, I have actually—a few times,” he admitted in a ‘know it all’ voice. I wanted to punch him in the place I had recently held so dearly.
“So, you are dead inside then,” I pointed out with a flick of my head. He released an unimpressed sound, before raising his drink to his lips and taking a swig .
He flicked a glance at the watch on his strong wrist. “I’m not dead inside, it just isn’t that sad a movie.”
I snorted. “It’s extremely sad. Have you seen it all the way through?”
There was a lengthy pause and something in his expression switched.
“Yes. I watched it with my mother before she died,” he stated, his gaze taking on a glazed appearance. I realised that was the first time he’d ever mentioned his mother to me and I felt a twinge of guilt mixed with sympathy.
A silence stretched between us. “Do you miss her?” The words were out before I could stop them.
Jaxon placed the now empty bottle on the glass table in front of him and then shot me a dark look. “Not really. I don’t have that many memories of her, to be honest.”
Another beat of silence passed between us.
“What was she like, from what you remember I mean?” My question wasn’t unreasonable, but Jaxon instantly switched to defensive mode. I watched as he moved one of the sofa cushions onto his lap, like a shield.
There was a beat of silence as he played with the edging of the cushion before throwing it aside.
“I know what you’re doing and it isn’t happening,” he huffed, pushing to his feet, and staring down at me through narrowed eyes. He spoke to me as if he thought I had a hidden agenda.
I too stood up and stared at him across the short space that separated us. “And what am I doing, Jaxon? Making conversation. Showing an interest in your life? Apologies if that’s not allowed. You didn’t seem that bothered about it in the car earlier. You were all smiles then. So, what the heck happened between then and now?”
“You mean apart from you groping me in the kitchen?” Jaxon rudely reflected with raised eyebrows. Shit! Well, I had to ask .
“I don’t mean that. That was a moment of insanity. Blame it on the mustard fumes. You were a cock to me when you came in the door. Can’t we just talk like normal people do?”
He moved around the coffee table and took a step toward me. He was so tall and powerful, his shoulders casting a shadow over my slight form. I didn’t back down though. Not this time.
I raised my eyebrows and strummed the back of my hand across my nose. “Well?”
“No, we can’t talk like normal people. Not when you’re being a nosy bitch and clearly want something.”
“And what the hell is that? If you say to try and get into your pants, you can forget it. That ship has sailed,” I informed him with a biting look.
“That wasn’t what I was going to say, although you can’t say there isn’t truth in that.” I ignored him, sighing in frustration as he carried on, “You’re trying to draw an emotional response from me by raising a subject you think I’ll find painful.”
What the actual heck? The boy was clueless. There was no doubt, he was borderline paranoid. “I’m not doing that at all. I just thought it would be nice to know a bit more about each other. Talk about something normal like our pasts.”
“What happened to my mother isn’t normal,” he snarled. A vein in his neck throbbed.
“You make everything so antagonistic all the time. I didn’t mean that, you’re twisting my words. I was just interested and there’s nothing wrong with opening up to people.”
“If I feel the need to open up little sister, it certainly wouldn’t be to you.”
Wow. That told me. I exhaled as we were now back where we started. The car journey to the hospital and the moment in the kitchen were lost and unsalvageable .
“Fine. I doubt there is a person on the planet that could make you do that. You’re as hard as a rock. Have you ever even cried at any movie?”
He puffed out his chest, ignoring my question.
“You’re just pissed off because I won’t allow you to get under my skin or wrap me around your little finger like you have my father. Fuck me, he’s fonder of you than Molly and that’s saying something.”
I exhaled, looking at the ceiling in silent prayer before allowing my ratty in. “You know, there are times when I could just thump you,” I informed him crossly, lowering my head.
He smirked as he placed his thumbs into the belt loop of his jeans. “At seven stone and built like a little doll, I don’t fancy your chances,” he said arrogantly. How I’d love to knock him off his sanctimonious perch.
“I’m not trying to wrap anyone around my finger, Jax. I’m just being me.”
My stepbrother’s expression softened slightly and his eyes dipped to my lips and back.
His voice came out as a throaty purr as he pointed out, “Jax. That’s the first time you’ve ever shortened my name,” he put out with a quirk of his head. “The way you say it like it means something to you. And so, it should. But you will never mean anything to me, Wynter. So, lose the fucking girlish crush and in future, keep your hands to yourself.”
Pig! Jaxon was toying with me. Using my attraction to him against me but I would not allow him to do that again. “I can safely say that I will most certainly be keeping my hands to myself and could I suggest you do the same; since you were the one who started all that shit. You see, you and your name mean nothing to me either.” I then turned so quickly I almost fell over, storming away and feeling the urge to burst into tears again, but Jaxon’s voice stopped me in my tracks.
“ET,” he shouted. I stopped; my shoulders stiff as I slowly turned back to face him with a mixture of annoyance, upset and bewilderment .
“What?” I shot out, my eyebrows threaded.
Jaxon was looking at me with a tortured expression. “The first movie that made me cry—ET,” he said softly. And I realised, even though it was twisted, that was Jaxon’s version of an olive branch. And no matter how temporary that may be, I took it.
My eyes roamed over his face, my earlier annoyance evaporating, my expression serine.
He retained eye contact and then shrugged his shoulders, pushing his hands into the pockets of his jeans. I could see that he regretted how he’d spoken to me.
“Me too,” I replied softly. “So that’s at least one thing we have in common.”
He nodded before running a hand down his face as if he was trying to wake himself up suddenly.
Our gazes remained tied together for a moment longer. A look of understanding passed between us.
Revelling in the moment and not wanting anything to spoil it, I turned and left the room in silence. He didn’t come after me or say anything else, but I could feel his eyes on my back as I left the room.
So many conflicting emotions were pulsating through me. I was indeed falling for the enemy. And the realisation of that terrified me.
Later that night I called Dominic, determined to keep Jaxon out of my thoughts. Our chat was brief and I couldn’t hear him half of the time. It sounded like he was at an event or a party. He said his stay in Paris may be extended by another week.
Once he told me I realised two key things. I didn’t care that he wasn’t coming back as originally expected and I hadn’t missed him. Not even slightly.
**** *
The next couple of days whooshed by and I still hadn’t heard from Jaxon about my article. I had completed what I hoped was the final version and had slipped it under his door the night before. I had also emailed a copy to Dominic who had read it whilst he was still in Paris. He’d replied with a thumbs up. The following week I would submit it to Jessica, proud of what I had created irrespective of it being published.
I did hope Jaxon appreciated what I had written and could see that I had been extremely thorough in my research of life in the army and how mental health was affected in this type of environment.
Pushing thoughts of Jaxon away, I moved away from the rain-splattered window in my bedroom. Considering it was summer, the weather was horrendous and I’d fallen into a pit of boredom. Dominic was taking ages to reply to my texts. My realisation that I hadn’t missed him made me want to try harder. I knew he was working, but Amy’s comment about one of the photographers harassing one of the models kept circling my head like a shark’s fin. I refused to allow myself to believe Dominic would be any part of that type of drama but his silence was worrying.
Daisy and Marcus had gone to visit Jenna and Nixon’s baby later than intended. Daisy had explained that they were having tests to see if there was an issue with them conceiving. My mother’s brother, Adrian had invited them to stay at the farm for a few days.
My friend Melody had come over purposefully so that we could use the pool but no such luck. It was still pissing it down and I wasn’t one to go swimming in the rain.
Being out of options, we both chilled out in my room and went through possible outfits for me to wear to my cousin's forthcoming wedding. One I would probably have to attend alone like a proper loser. Not knowing if Dominic would make it now .
After pulling out most of my wardrobe. Melody and I eventually gave up and I started to look online via my iPhone. It appeared I needed something new.
“Fuck me—your brother had his music loud,” Melody suddenly declared as she finished painting her thumb with bright red nail polish. The exact colour she had suggested my dress for the wedding should be. After what I had done to Jaxon in the kitchen, I had to agree with her. Red: The colour of the harlot! I hadn’t plucked up the guts to tell her what had happened yet.
Dropping my phone and rubbing my hands together, I glanced toward my door in disgust. “Stepbrother,” I corrected her. “He’ll probably be deaf by the time he’s thirty.”
“Who cares with that smoking hot body? I wonder what it would be like to be held in those giant arms?” Melody whined in a yearning voice. It didn’t bother me as I knew she secretly liked Chris.
“I bet he’s a shit cuddler,” I replied sourly. Still hating that this thing between us hadn’t yet been defined or acknowledged. Now I just felt foolish, Jaxon’s crush comment grating on my nerves.
As we sat in my bedroom, attempting to drown out the sound of Jaxon’s angry music spewing across the landing, Melody drew a clear bag from her rucksack. I wasn’t stupid, I knew that the green straw-like content was weed.
She surprised me as I didn’t know she was into that type of stuff. I’d only tried it once before and had pulled a whitey. I’d been at my Cousin Amy’s house at the time and she’d bought some from a guy at the stables where she used to work. I remember feeling paranoid, my heart attempting to claw its way out of my chest. It hadn’t been the best experience. Let’s just say I’d made a huge fool of myself and so never bothered with it since. I’d smelled it in the house before and so imagined Chris indulged himself sometimes. Clever, geeky types needed some way to wind down. It wouldn’t have been Jaxon, as he was a soldier and I knew how strict the army was about drugs .
“You fancy it?” Melody said with a wiggle of her perfectly shaped eyebrows. I shoved off my bed and joined her on the floor, eyeing the substance like it was poison.
“I only tried it once and it didn’t go that well for me,” I replied truthfully. Her brow furrowed.
“That’s probably because of the quality of the shit you smoked. This is good stuff; you won’t have a problem with this.”
A silence fell between us as I assessed the situation. Yes, my mother and Marcus were still away but Jaxon and Chris were in. Too risky maybe? I’d be mortified if either one of them witnessed me stoned . Talk about being caught with your pants down.
Melody rolled her eyes. “Look, it’s up to you, no pressure. You said your mum and stepdad are away until tomorrow night. It would be a shame not to use the time to party. Maybe we could hit your stepdad’s bar and have a few drinkies? Dance around the room in our underwear? Pillow fight?” She’d perked up, now a blender of reckless ideas. Pillow fight indeed. That thing that all girls supposedly indulged themselves in during girly sleepovers; in the perverse minds of boys anyway.
Melody was so vivacious and full of life. She knew how to have fun and did it safely. She wasn’t one of those girls to go out and get shitfaced and sleep with the first munter who hit on her. She partied hard, but she was classy with it. I felt like a huge dull dud in comparison.
Fuck it, I decided to give that ‘letting one’s hair down’ thing a go. Wasn’t it Jaxon who constantly said I needed to unwind and stop taking life so seriously?
“OK, let’s do it. But not here in my room. Somewhere neutral. Let’s go downstairs,” I suggested, pushing to my feet, and helping her stand.
“What about your stepbrothers?”
I rolled her words around my head. I knew Jaxon was in his room and probably for the night. He hadn’t been alone when he’d got in. I had heard voices and one of them was doubtlessly female. I’d held the green-eyed monster in me at bay. God, I hoped it wasn’t Lexi again.
“It’s fine. Jaxon has company and Chris won’t give a shit anyway. He’ll probably be studying in his room.” I didn’t miss the flicker of disappointment which crossed Melody’s face.
“Maybe we could ask him to join us?” she put in hopefully and I grinned.
“Maybe later. Let’s see, shall we?”
I pulled a hoodie on over my tank top. I was wearing skinny jeans and my feet were bare. As was Melody. She was tall and curvy and rocked every outfit she wore.
We made our way downstairs and into the second living room which was joined to the first one (the one where I had watched Bambi) by interlinking doors. Although we spent most of our family time in the kitchen or the dining room, I liked this area of the house the best. It had my mother’s stamp all over it.
It was a spacious room, with large windows. Rain was currently pounding the glass and it was bleak outside, so I turned on the lamps. There was a bar area at one end with three stools under the counter there. Some spirits were mounted on the wall behind it, but I knew the good stuff was locked away in one of Marcus’s cabinets that sat under the counter.
The flooring was solid wood but there was a fluffy patterned cream rug which took up a large section of the space. Several pale leather chairs and sofas were placed around a large glass-surfaced coffee table. All the seats were positioned before the huge stone fireplace that was filled with flowers. It would have been an open fire at one point, but my mother had made it a feature rather than something which would warm the room. There was no TV. It was called the Cream Room and was purposefully set out for entertaining people.
Melody threw herself into one of the sofas and started to roll a massive joint and I went to the bar area and grabbed a few bottles of beer. I also took a bottle of vodka and some coke, as Melody drank the serious stuff. There was no way I’d be getting pissed on shots again; not after that Christmas!
I also opened a bag of crisps and set them in the middle of the table. Marijuana gave you the munchies and this time I’d be prepared.
Around an hour later, with the music on softly in the background, my best friend and I were slowly on our way. I had only had a few drags so far, but I could feel the drug in my body. I felt relaxed and slightly floaty.
We spoke about work and boys, our families and then boys again. Melody used to crave a bad boy type but after a string of shitty boyfriends, she was now searching for a good guy.
I was having fun, having never been overly girly and more of a bookworm, it felt nice to act like a normal teenager. One that was misbehaving whilst her parents were away. We also had the run of the house to ourselves, well the bottom floor anyway. It felt good being just the two of us and not being interrupted. That was, however, all about to change.
My nostrils flared; I felt his presence before I saw him. And of course, that’s what usually happened before he physically manifested. Jaxon Savage owned every space he was part of. When he entered a room, he sucked the air right out.
Fuck! I stood up quickly and motioned for Melody to do the same. I then pushed the bag of weed off the coffee table onto the floor. Dancing from one foot to the other, I struggled to think of what to do with what I was holding. I probably looked like I needed the toilet.
Shit, I felt so relaxed and happy and I wasn’t in the mood for him to kill my buzz.
“What are you doing in here?” my stepbrother began in one of those voices that immediately made you feel guilty. I put my hand behind my back and attempted to waft the fumes away from my face with the other. Melody’s body also tensed up. We were so busted, although I was thankful that it was Jaxon who had caught us smoking and not my mother or Marcus .
“Were you talking about me?” he questioned with a suspicious expression.
“Believe it or not, I can manage a full conversation without even mentioning your name,” I huffed sarcastically.
His eyes widened slightly as if surprised by my outburst before he repeated his question with a scowl, “So what are you doing then?” He was such a moody sod.
“Nothing. Standing?” I smirked, the drug making me more courageous. I usually lost all sense of reason in Jaxon’s presence but the weed had given me an edge.
I whirled towards his approaching form, hating the fact that he looked as gorgeous as usual in a navy button-down tee and faded jeans. His top clung to his muscular frame. I hated that he could make me blush without even speaking. Again, I purposefully kept my eyes north of his crotch.
“And, minding our own business,” I added with a definite ‘go away’ tone. No doubt he was about to give me a mouthful. “Where’s your date? Died from boredom?” I laughed. It came out like a pig snort. Melody tittered too. I was on fire! Jaxon however, was unimpressed.
“Blow me, you judgemental little bitch. She wasn’t my date. We screw, that’s it,” he informed me dryly.
“Whatever, I have no interest in hearing about your sexual marathons thank you very much,” I huffed, hating that twinge of jealousy that raised its head.
Jaxon stopped before us, larger than life with a tight-lipped smile, looking between us. “Stop showing off in front of your friend, Wynter. I know what weed smells like,” he informed us, his deep voice giving me goosebumps. Whoopty-fucking-do.
Stepping back, I craned my neck to keep eye contact. He was such an in-your-face type of guy and I needed distance. I couldn’t concentrate when he was so close. I’d only had a couple of hits and so wasn’t stoned but my God, he smelled so good. A variety of actions were open to me and I longed to giggle, touch him lick him or try all three at the same time. “Well, why ask then?” I snickered, telling my self-control to stay exactly where it was. At the end of the day, a fit of the giggles was better than molesting him in front of Melody.
Jaxon quirked his head to one side, those deep eyes flashing. “I wanted to see if you’d try and hide it.”
He delivered one of those smiles of his that made me want to yank a clump of my hair out. I attempted to calm my nerves. ‘Stand up to him’ my backbone screamed.
“Why would I do that?” I used a voice that suggested he had no authority over me so why would I need to hide anything? “You’re not my dad.”
“No, and I’m not mine either but I can tell you he wouldn’t be happy you’re smoking in the house,” he drawled with a superior look. Like he held all the cards. Which of course he did, as usual.
Ratting us out would surely be considered a dick move, even by my stepbrother’s standards so I snorted. “So, you’re going to tell on me, is that it?” I sniped. I so didn’t see Jaxon as the type to snitch but who knew? If the sexy tosser could get me in trouble he would.
He uncrossed his arms and held his hand out. “Give,” he instructed in a firm voice.
I took another step back, the sofa behind me bumping the backs of my legs and I almost fell. “No. It’s mine,” I replied like he was asking me to hand over my favourite pet, shaking my head. I needed to stop letting him get under my skin.
Melody cleared her throat nervously from just behind me as Jaxon menaced toward us, clicking his fingers under my nose. “Give it to me or I’ll take it off you. And I won’t be gentle about it,” Jaxon threatened softly. His voice was now a husky whisper. The type that could melt your insides. I warily eyed those perfect lips of his, recalling how they’d felt against my own that day by the pool. Drat! Now was not the time for naughty flashbacks. The whole penis-touching incident could also do one !
Melody drew in a sharp breath, clearly enjoying the show.
My mouth suddenly started working by itself. “I see. What if I don’t? Will you strip-search me for it?” I provoked, yanking the tail of the tiger.
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Maybe I should. You need roughing up a bit. I’m already visualising duct tape across your mouth.”
“Kinky,” I huffed with a sarcastic smile.
“And your arms tied behind your back.”
Huffing, I pulled my hand from around my back and handed him the half-smoked cigarette. “You’re such a fricking bully it’s untrue. Here. And congratulations on destroying my buzz,” I complained moodily.
He arched an unsympathetic eyebrow as he drew the joint to his lips. “If I wanted to destroy you, sunshine, I’d do more than take a joint off you,” Jaxon pointed out as he took a long drag. Confidence dripped from his tone and the sexual undertone was so blatant, even Melody released a pant of air.
Heat pooled between my legs. Why the heck did I find his threats such a turn-on? He did it on purpose too, and said those types of things to fire me up. Then he withdrew when he’d done the damage.
My eyes were suddenly drawn to the tip of the joint as it glowed when he inhaled. “I hope you choke,” I muttered, folding my arms across my chest. The gesture was partly due to my annoyance and the fact that my nipples had tightened at how sexy he looked. I eyed the way he held the butt in between his lips so self-righteously between his finger and thumb. You could almost taste the intensity as he took the drug into his lungs.
He blew a plume of heady sweet smoke in my face, stating. “That’s not very nice,” he began before pulling back the joint and assessing the butt. “It’s good stuff. Where’d you get it?” He choked slightly and motioned towards the joint with a flick of his head.
Unfolding my arms, I pushed my hands into the pockets of my jeans. “Melody knows a guy. ”
“Cool. I may ask the sweet Melody to get me a stash,” Jaxon joked, directing this at my friend, his voice now laced with charm. He was such a man-whore. The corners of Melody’s lips perked up at his words.
I rolled my eyes so hard I was surprised they didn’t fall out of the back of my head. I felt extra annoyed at the attention he was suddenly giving Melody. “Won’t you get into trouble?” I added with a devious smile.
“Who the fuck with? Marcus? I don’t think so.” His cheeks reddened slightly and it gave me a thrill. He liked to think he ruled the roost when he didn’t.
My brow knitted, I knew Jaxon didn’t give a shit about what his father thought and that he wasn’t afraid of him, not even slightly. I embellished my point. “Aren’t you regularly checked for drugs in the army? You know, the peeing in a cup thing.” I attempted to belittle him with my words. The thought of someone like Jaxon being forced to pee was laughable, but surely, he’d have to. In the army, everyone would have to play by the rules, even someone as mule-headed as my stepbrother.
Jaxon was unaffected and just shook his head. As usual, he had an answer for everything. “Not this week,” he replied with a smug expression. I watched as he closed his eyes and took another drag, his face calm and relaxed. When he opened them, he wore that tell-tale glaze. He was far from stoned at that point. We all were but oh how that would change.
Melody shuffled beside me. “Hey, share the wealth,” she instructed, holding out her hand. Jaxon opened his eyes and turned his head to her. That sharp gaze of his roaming over her pretty features and I felt another twinge of annoyance as he handed her the cigarette. The one he’d just had his perfect lips wrapped around. She took a long drag before passing it back towards me.
“Can anyone join the party?” Chris suddenly said as he sauntered into the room with a boyish grin. His face lit up as he saw Melody. I knew he fancied her; it was so blatant that it was almost embarrassing. My lips curled as she fluffed her hair as he approached .
Taking a deep swallow, I replied. “Why not? It’s already been hijacked by your brother,” I grunted, taking another deep drag. Unfortunately, I took in too much which forced me to cough. In terms of embarrassing moments, that had to rank somewhere at the top. My weakness encouraged a bark of laughter from Jaxon who then turned to grab a beer off the table behind him.
Shaking his head he scoffed under his breath, “Fucking amateurs.”
I watched with narrowed eyes as I attempted to recover. Melody even had to slap my back as I was doubled over, how mortifying.
Disregarding us, Jaxon threw himself into one of the leather sofas which sat around the coffee table. It was covered with our quota of booze for the night. I watched as he lazily swung one leg over the armrest, totally chilled out. Great, it appeared he was staying. He looked so satisfied with himself that I itched to slap that smug smile off his face.
Managing to keep myself in check, I lowered myself into one of the other sofas and smiled as Chris took the joint from me and sat down next to Melody. My friend was in the process of making herself a vodka and coke.
And then the real party started. We passed around the marijuana like a peace pipe. Any antagonism that usually existed between Jaxon and me vanished. It was refreshing and I found myself relaxing, the drug also being responsible for that of course. Jaxon occasionally needled me, but most of the conversation around the table was that of normal teenagers / twenty-something people having a chat and I started to unwind.
We cranked the music up, Melody and I dancing at one point. My body felt alive. I even danced for Jaxon, moving my body in front of his seated frame as he watched me, openly enjoying the performance. He even clapped when I’d finished and there was nothing sarcastic about it. Well, not that I could tell through my drug-induced haze .
After a few more joints and however many beers later, we all got the munchies and Chris and Melody (who were now quite touchy-feely) left for the kitchen. Their mission; garlic bread!
I threw myself into the sofa which Jaxon was sitting on and swung my legs over his lap. His hands immediately came to rest over my thighs. It felt so natural, nothing was forced or uncomfortable.
“I must say it’s a relief you didn’t offer to cook,” he began, flicking some ash into a red solo cup which was tucked down the side of the sofa.
I rolled my eyes, pointing out, “I burned popcorn once and now I’m tarred as a shit cook for life?”
He grinned and started running the fingers of his free hand up and down my jean-clad leg. At each touch, I felt a hiss of fire in my veins. My body was craving his as feelings of inappropriate lust filtered into my loins.
“It’s not like you’re any good in the kitchen either,” I informed him tartly. Ha, put that in your pipe and smoke it.
He sniffed and closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the sofa. “I cook a mean steak actually,” he purred in that gravelly voice of his.
It felt so natural, being sat there together, the banter between us that of two regular people. “Whatever. So, what, I don’t cook. It isn’t necessarily a skill you’re born with.”
Jaxon’s eyes shot open and he gave me a condescending look, but I didn’t take offence. “But you’re a woman?”
I released a pig snort and snatched the spliff from his fingers. “OMG, how sexist are you?” I took a drag and then handed it back, shuffling closer toward him, leaning sideways against the backrest. Jaxon’s fingers skimming across my thigh felt amazing.
His eyes searched my face and his next words were equally annoying. “I’m just saying. If you did cook, you’d be more appealing to the male of the species. ”
Grunting and handing him the remains of the joint, I replied, “Only the chauvinistic ones.”
Jaxon stabbed out the rest of the butt in the cup and then twisted his body toward me. This moved his thighs closer to my bottom. “That’s bull. All men want a girl that’s good in the kitchen and a whore in the bedroom. That’s a fact, it’s how the male mind works. And since you’re experienced in neither. What do you have to offer?”
I pursed my lips before stating, “My brain?” I then laughed. Our conversation was so weird and my limbs suddenly felt heavy. God, I hoped I remembered everything in the morning.
Jaxon held up his hands in mock surrender. “I stand corrected. How sexy. You must drive Dominic wild with pleasure,” he replied in a sarcastic tone.
“You’re such a sod. Can we talk about something else?” His comment about Dominic reminded me of the Paris thing. As the weed had loosened me up, I had messaged Dominic again four times and still had nothing back. It niggled me.
“Like what sunshine?” Jaxon asked, his gaze boring into mine. When he was nice to me, it seriously messed with my head. He just wasn’t good for my blood pressure.
Narrowing my eyes, I leaned back and arched my back which was aching from the unnatural position I was sitting in. “How about Molly? How’s she doing? Did you make it up to her as you promised?” I added the last bit but he didn’t even flinch.
“As far as I know, she’s fine. But—so what, who cares right?”
I wrinkled my nose. That was odd. Had they fought? He spoke like he didn’t give a shit about her. “That’s not very brotherly,” I informed him with a hiccup.
He smiled. “That’s because I don’t feel like her brother.”
The cogs started to whir. Was he about to confess something to me in his stoned state? “But you lived together for years? ”
He pushed my legs off his and leaned forward to pick up a beer. “Yes, and she was always a pain in my arse. A bit like you,” Jaxon stated before taking a swig of beer.
Swinging my feet the rest of the way to the floor, I pouted. “Gee, thanks.”
Jaxon turned in his seat and his knees touched mine. We were sitting quite closely.
“Although you’re easier to wind up. Molly takes my shit in her stride more,” he confessed, placing the beer back on the table.
The smell of garlic and baked bread slowly wafted into the room.
Twisting in my seat, I leaned over and placed my hands on his legs, just above his bent knees. “Maybe she fancies you?”
He eyed where I’d placed my hands before raising his gaze back to my face. “Maybe she does?”
“And doesn’t that bother you?”
He gave me a smug smile and then wrapped his hands around my wrists, lifting them away from his legs. He held me in a firm grip, his eyes never leaving mine. “I don’t give a flying fuck. I can’t help it if I’m so appealing to the opposite sex,” he drawled in a smoky voice, his eyes now hooded. Oh my God, I fancied him.
His arrogant comment so encouraged a swift kick in the dick, but I refrained and pulled at my wrists but he didn’t release me.
“You’re such a big head.”
And then my heart skipped a beat as he lifted one of my hands to his face and kissed my wrist. The air between us was now charged, like an explosive device that would go off at any minute. “Yep, and as you already know, I’m big everywhere.” The suggestive smile almost tore me in two but I held it together.
Jaxon’s eyes creased at the corners as he full-on smiled at me. He was of course telling the truth and probably winding me up at the same time but it felt great .
At his comment, I had to laugh, and proper belly ones that hurt my stomach. Jaxon had reminded me of what had happened in the kitchen in such a cocky way and it broke through my barriers. Tears entered my eyes as I sat there giggling. He’d released my wrists and I dabbed at the moisture on my face. “I hope you’re laughing in agreement?” he said. As if there was any doubt that he was hung like a donkey. I hadn’t touched Dominic’s but I’d felt the outline of it against my body a few times. There was no comparison.
I just sat there grinning in silence. No way was I blowing smoke up his arse about the size of his willy.
Jaxon crossed one leg over the other, his face watching me with a content expression. “You should do that more often,” he suddenly announced, his eyes roaming warmly over my features.
I recovered, tilting my head to the side as I regarded him with a new fondness. “Do what?”
His playful expression dropped. “Laugh,” he stated.
Smoothing down my hair and trying to pull back my composure I explained, “I laugh. Just not necessarily with you.”
“Well, maybe we should change that. I like to see you laugh.” The way he said those words made me believe him. It was like we had moved a step forward in our strange relationship.
Checking myself, I didn’t drop my safety net, not entirely. “Yes, at the minute. You like seeing me laugh because you’re stoned Jaxon. On a normal day, you get off on my misery. We both know that.”
He pushed to his feet, looking down at me. “Maybe whatever this thing is between us has changed things?”
Relief pooled into me but would it be short-lived? I wasn’t functioning that well, the booze and the drugs creating a churning feeling in my stomach. “Well, I for one hope so. There’s no reason we can’t be friends. ”
Jaxon pulled me to my feet, my head coming level with his chest. He then placed a hand under my chin and lifted my head, speaking down into my flushed face. “But that’s the thing you see Wynter. I have plenty of those. I don’t need any more.”
Pursing my lips I stated, “Not like me.”
At my words, he leaned down and placed a kiss on my lips. It was the lightest of touches and it made my entire body sing. As he raised his head he muttered, “At last something we can both agree on.”
“You can be such a wanker,” I replied with a smile.
He returned it. “I do try my best.”
Melody and Chris then bustled into the room and completely crapped upon that moment.
We all took our seats and ate garlic bread which was rather well done and the banter continued to flow.
Whilst I lay in bed that night with Melody’s feet in my face, I fell asleep with a huge smile. I knew that the feelings rushing through my body, had nothing to do with the weed and everything to do with Jaxon Savage.