31. Jaxon
Oh, shit.
I’ve really done it this time.
I watch as Ava darts out of the kitchen, and I mentally scold myself for being so crude. The way her shameless gaze lay on me, like I had no idea, but I did—I felt everything. It sent my wolf wild, and I let a stupid thought slip through the mindlink. I’d be an awful liar if I said I didn’t mean a single word because I did. Goddess, the things I would do to her with her full consent. My wolf claws at me desperately.
I excuse myself from the group and follow Ava. Oh, Goddess. I’ve got a lot of making up to do. I told her I’d go at her pace, and now, I’m jumping the gun because of everything she makes me feel when she looks at me.
I follow her scent and find myself walking straight into her room. I notice the bathroom door is ajar. My knuckles raise to brush the wooden frame as I look at her through the tiny crack. Her hands wrapped around the edge of the sink. “I’m sorry, Ava,” I blurt. “I should not have said that to you. It was wrong and completely out of line.”
Ava jumps at my voice. She must be drowning in her own head. She presses a hand flat to her chest. “Crap, you scared me.”
After a few moments, she emerges from the bathroom and stands in front of me. I glimpse her face and acknowledge how small she is compared to me now her heels are off. I expect to see concern or sadness on her face, but I don’t see any.
“It was extremely inappropriate, and I–”
“Jax, I don’t care about what you said,” she cuts me off.
My brows clench. “You don’t care? Because you literally ran away.”
She breathes out a string of air. “Okay, I did care,” she agrees. “But not in the way you think. I wasn’t offended by what you said.”
“Then why did you run off?”
Her hands fumble as she looks up at me. “I-I just got a bit…hot.”
“Hot?”
“Yeah.” She rubs the back of her neck. “Apparently, I’m in heat.”
I take a step towards her, and I’m immediately hit with the scent of her arousal. It almost blinds me and knocks me sidewards. Holy shit. She’s turned on. I pause for a moment and think through my next words carefully.
“You know what heat is?” I ask.
“Lucy explained it to me.”
“What I said made you feel hot?”
Ava nods with wide eyes and rosy cheeks. I shove my hands into my pockets before I reach out to touch her. “Yeah,” she whispers. “My entire body.”
“When did you start feeling like this?”
“Mainly the first day I joined pack training.”
The night I heard her quiet whimpers of pleasure.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
I lower my gaze and tighten my jaw.
“Ava, I heard you. I felt you.”
“What?”
“That night. You were thinking of me, and–”
She gasps to herself, eyes widening in shock. “I-I blocked you out.”
“Not well enough.”
A hand claps over her mouth. “I completely objectified you. I’m sorry.”
My lips release a soft laugh. “Baby, I am honoured.”
I step forward to clasp her cheeks. I expect her eyes to dart around the room with hesitation, but she doesn’t. In fact, she stares right back at me with every ounce of confidence. Instead of any negative emotions, I’m flooded with her heightened arousal instead.
Fuck.
My eyes flick between her frantically. I glance down at her lips and groan quietly at the soft gloss on them. I lower my head to kiss her because it’s all I can think about.
Her small hand bunches into my shirt as I cradle the back of her head, caressing her lips with mine. I push her backwards until she hits the wall. I sigh into her mouth when she twists her head and attempts to widen the kiss.
Easy. I coax my voice through her mind, earning a whimper of pure bliss. We don’t have to rush. I’m right here.
Ava slows down for all of three seconds before she devours my lips again. Her tongue slips into my mouth with eagerness. I smile into the kiss and hold her delicately between my hands.
After a moment, I pull away, and she leans forward, chasing the kiss. Her brown eyes are as dark as midnight, lips swollen and chest heaving—a sight that will put me into an early grave.
“What do you want, Ava?”
My fingers stretch through the back of her hair, tilting her head to continue meeting my gaze. “You. I want you.”
I fight the urge to claim her now. But this isn’t a race.
“You want me to do what?”
Ava’s throat contracts as she swallows, releasing a shuddering breath. “I want you to touch me.”
My eyes flare at her declaration, but I quickly mask it. “Where?”
“Jax,” she whimpers in protest.
“Tell. Me. Where.” I run the tip of my nose along her jaw in a gentle caress.
Her hand begins to trail down her body. “Here,” she says as she rests her fingers between the satin material of her dress, over her crotch.
I hum in understanding, my eyes soaking up the beautiful sight of her.
“I’m not going to touch you,” I rasp, and she frowns. “I want you to show me what you did the other day. I want to see what you like, what makes you comfortable, what turns you on. Will you show me, baby?”
“I–” she pauses.
My lips meet hers once more. “Only if you want to.”
She blinks up at me with those big eyes and fanned lashes. “I want to. I want to show you.”
“Then, get on the bed and show me.”
Ava bites her lip before slipping by me and climbing onto her perfectly made bed. I tell myself to keep composed. This moment isn’t about my desires; it’s about Ava claiming hers.
I watch as she pushes her back into the headboard and spreads her legs. I grab the corner chair and perch it at the foot of the bed. When I take a seat, I lean back and enjoy whatever she’s willing to share with me.
She hikes up the material of her dress and dips her hand between her thighs. I eagerly admire her fingers as they brush her nude underwear. At first, she rolls her index and middle finger over the hood of her clit through the fabric.
A soft noise escapes her parted lips. I flick my gaze to her face to find her eyes focused on mine. My wolf howls so deeply it almost tears me off this chair and into a frenzy of heated lust. But I keep my ass firmly planted and watch.
“How does that feel?” I ask, barely recognising my voice.
She hums with a nod. “Good.”
Then she slips those fingers under her panties, rolling the tips in a circular motion over her clit. Her hips buckle at the new sensation, and she moans towards the ceiling, fighting to keep her eyes open, but the pleasure is taking over.
I lean forward, unable to sit back calmly. My eyes move from her reddening face to her rapidly moving chest and her nimble fingers making quick work on her wet pussy.
My hand runs over my jaw and mouth in pure agony at the devastating sight, especially when she cries out in the most beautiful harmony of comfort and pleasure. I grit my teeth at the way she moves faster until she releases a strangled cry.
“Jaxon, please,” she begs. “I want you to touch me. I can’t–” she cuts herself off with a long exhale. “This isn’t enough. I need more. I need you.”
My hardened eyes watch her as she slumps back, her hand now still. “I don’t want this to be your heat talking. I want to know you want this and not because the heat is encouraging you to. I will never take advantage of you, Ava.”
Those pretty lips tremble, and she shakes her head aggressively. “It’s not the heat,” she pleads. “Okay, maybe a part of it is. But I know this is what I want with you. I know how I felt about you before. You make me feel safe, wanted, and desired. Lucy said heat only intensifies what’s already there. Oh, my God. Please, just touch me. Finish me off.”
My fists ball together. “I don’t want you to regret this.”
“I won’t. I’m ready. Let me be in charge of my pleasure. Please.”
“Ava–”
“I trust you. I want to try. Please.”
“Fuck.” I stand from the chair and crowd over the bed. I have self-control around Ava, but when she says things like that, I only want to please her. “Put your arms above your head.”
She does as I ask within a split second. I grab the hem of her dress and whip it from her body in one swift movement. A flash of apprehension covers her eyes when I focus on her naked torso and strapless bra. I leave a kiss on her lips to remind her she’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
“If you want me to stop, you tell me right away,” I murmur against her lips. “Do you understand me?”
Ava’s heated eyes find mine, and she nods in agreement. “Yes.”
I glance down at her half-naked body and internally groan. The scars on her body are beginning to fade. My wolf cries out at the reminder of others putting her through pain, but I know no one will ever hurt her again.
“Are you sure you want this?” I ask quietly.
She releases a jagged breath. “Just touch me, Jax.”
I smile at her order and lower my face to her neck, leaving a trail of kisses across her collarbones and down her chest. I can hear her heart pound outside her body, but the glow of the bond tells me she’s excited.
Good. Let’s keep it that way.
My mouth drags down to her stomach when I realise she’s stopped breathing. I glance up at her. “Breathe, Ava,” I whisper, and she instantly inhales.
I slide my hands down the curve of her ribs and over her hips until I’m pinning them down gently. I let my mouth tease her for a few more moments, basking in the soft whimpers that erupt into the room.
I nudge apart her thighs with my hand and drape my fingers around the outside of her underwear. She jolts at the sudden sensation. I pause and wait before carrying on. When she pushes her core into my hand, I know what to do.
My fingers gently press against her slit, feeling her wetness against her panties. Another moan. “Is this what you want?” I ask before pressing my lips to her stomach.
“Mhmm.”
“Words, Ava. I need words.”
“Yes.”
I begin to rub her clit through her underwear. I take my time and do exactly what she showed me—not crossing any other boundaries. Her legs spread wider. “Shit,” she murmurs.
My cock stirs in my pants. Turning her on is turning me on and absolutely killing me from the inside out. I build her up until she’s quivering against the sheets and clawing at them for leverage.
I push her panties to the side and massage her clit without the added layer in the way. “Oh, my God!” she cries out at the top of her lungs. I smile at her reaction.
My lips press to the inside of her thigh. “Take it, Ava. It’s all yours.”
She chews on her lip so hard I think she’s about to rip it off. “More,” she begs. “More. More.”
I quirk a brow at her request. “More?”
“Please. Please.”
“You want me to put my fingers inside you, Ava?”
Her head peeks up from the bed. “Yes,” she whispers. “Please.”
I nod at her request and slip a finger inside her slowly. Her entire body arches as I ease it in, pulling out and going deeper each time. I kiss up her sternum. She throws her head back to the bed, and those lips part to release endless moans that will haunt my dreams—both awake and asleep.
My pace begins to pick up gradually, using my thumb to rub over her throbbing clit. She cries out, “Oh, Jax!”
Her entire body quivers beneath mine. I add another finger and curl them at the right angle. “Oh, my God,” she heaves when I find her G-spot with the tips of my fingers. I keep moving at the same pace, making sure I don’t overwhelm her. “Jax. I’m gonna come.”
I place a delicate kiss on her collarbone, leaving my lips by her ear. “Then come for me, baby. Come for yourself. Give me all of your pleasure.”
She shakes violently, riding out her orgasm on my hand. I focus on her face and the way she splutters all sorts of words mixed with whimpers and groans. My head spins from the sensuality of this experience.
When her chest starts to calm and she raises her limp arms to push her hair from her face, I gently remove my fingers from her. She shuts her legs with a tremble and peeks up at me with huge eyes.
I place my fingers inside my mouth and suck around the skin to taste her. My eyes never leave hers as I swirl my tongue around her wetness—Goddess, she tastes beautiful. A woman. A pure woman with a heart of gold. My woman.
Ava’s cheeks bleed at my actions.
“You okay?” I ask.
“Yes,” she says weakly. “I had no idea pleasure could feel like that.”
“Best birthday ever,” I exhale with a wink.
Sometime in the early hours,I’m called from my bed with Ava snuggled between my arms. I struggled to leave until my guards told me they had urgent news on Lucien.
I burst through my office to be met with Kayden and my head guard, Jon.
“What’s going on?”
Kayden folds his arms over his chest and shakes his head. “Lucien and his wolves are getting closer to our territory. They were spotted going into town earlier, asking around.”
“Asking about what?” My pulse thrashes in my throat.
Jon releases a harsh breath. “They’ve been asking about a girl. We don’t know if it’s Ava they’re specifically referring to, but they’re looking for someone.”
“Fuck,” I curse and shake my head. “Where are they now?”
“I suppose they didn’t get the information they were after. They headed back to their pack house. Our guards are still keeping an eye on them there,” he clarifies.
My blood begins to hum in my veins. I grit my teeth. “Goddess,” I mumble. “We’re not waiting any longer. I’m not chancing them moving any closer. If they step foot on our territory, I will fucking lose it. I’m not risking it now. We move at sunrise.”
Kayden nods in agreement. “With the original plan?”
“Got it set in stone.”