Chapter 13 #2
“Fuck,” he moaned into my mouth, the only warning I got before he stood and switched our positions in one move. I went from towering over him to sitting on the edge of the chair, him towering over me, my legs squeezed in between his.
This kiss was hungrier, more demanding. One hand rested on the back of the chair while the other was wrapped tightly around my waist. His touch lit a fire inside me, one that I wasn't sure I wanted to put out or burn.
The latter sounded like a dangerous trap, but I had a feeling he was used to danger.
My lungs begged for air, and I pulled away from him. Ragged breaths escaped my lips, though my eyes remained shut. I needed a second to compose myself—shake off the stunning feeling of what just happened.
I felt him lean in again, gentler this time.
A slow, almost reverent peck that lingered just long enough to make my stomach flip and my breath stutter.
His forehead rested against mine, his exhale warm and uneven against my lips.
When my eyes fluttered open, he was staring at me like he didn’t quite trust what had just happened, disbelief and desire colliding openly in his gaze.
“Trouble,” he breathed out. “What—”
Panic surged, sharp and immediate, because I was the one who’d crossed that line. I was the one who’d acted. So I just blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
“That was for Chase.”
Jaxon pulled back just enough for the space between us to feel colder.
“Chase?” he repeated, brows knitting together.
I nodded quickly. Too quickly. “He thought we were faking it. He said some things, and I just—” I shrugged, lifting my chin defensively. “I wanted to prove him wrong. So don’t get any ideas—that was all for show.”
Something dark flickered behind Jaxon’s eyes at the mention of Chase. His jaw tightened, and his eyes searched mine. We stared each other down, and I tried to seal the cracks in my walls. This was for show; nothing more.
Nodding slowly, he let out a breath before bending his head to brush his lips against my cheek.
“Then I suppose this is okay?” His lips continued a trail of heat along my skin, finding every curve until his head was buried in the crook of my neck.
“Sure,” I murmured.
It really wasn't.
A soft hum left his throat as his lips traced my skin, unhurried and deliberate. My pulse went traitorous instantly, jumping rapidly just from this light teasing.
You hate him, Savannah.
“First the photo,” he murmured against me, voice low and teasing, “and now that kiss? If I didn’t know better, trouble, I’d think you want me.”
I scoffed weakly, my resolve unravelling by the second. “Want you? You're forgetting the fact that I hate you.”
“And I suppose your loathing of me has you gripping my hair so tight?”
I released him immediately.
He chuckled. “You want me, trouble.”
“Keep dreaming, Cage.”
His teeth grazed my shoulder—barely there, just enough to make me inhale sharply. “Oh, I will.”
My knees felt unsteady. I hated that I liked this. Hated that my body responded to his touch before my brain could marshal an argument.
“You must live a sad life if you have to dream of being with a woman.”
“Dreams are where the fantasies come to life, trouble,” he drawled, smiling against my shoulder.
“Though I don't think I'd need a dream to know that if I spread these long legs of yours”—his hand slowly slid down my thighs for emphasis—“got down on my knees and ripped your panties off, I'd find you dripping wet for me.”
My core ached at the mere thought, and I pressed my thighs together in an effort to stop it. I wanted to argue the point, but no words came to me, not when my mind was occupied with the idea of him on his knees for me.
This was not going well.
“Can you not be so… inappropriate?” I hissed, cheeks warm.
His chuckle was low. “Hard not to be with a kiss like that.”
“Try harder.”
“Is he watching?” Jaxon asked casually, his head still tucked into the crook of my neck.
I swallowed and glanced over his shoulder. Chase hadn’t even tried to hide it.
“Yes,” I muttered.
A wicked smile curved against my skin.
“Then let’s give him something to watch.” He lifted his head, eyes gleaming. “We leave now. Make it look like we got a little too heated and decided to finish this somewhere private.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but he stole the words with another quick kiss—nothing deep, nothing slow, yet it left my thoughts scattered all the same.
“Jaxon—”
“Trust me,” he said softly.
Before I could answer, a voice cut through the moment.
“Alright everyone, we’re ready to start opening the rest of the gifts!” Lori called from behind him. “Please take your seats.”
Jaxon didn’t move. He just looked down at me, eyes alight with mischief.
“So,” he asked quietly, “would you rather sit through another hour of this… or leave with me where we have lots and lots of pretend sex?”
I rolled my eyes at his tone, at the implication threaded through it, even as my heart raced. “We wouldn't have… ugh, you're so annoying.”
“And yet,” he said, smiling, “you know you're coming.”
I sighed. “Lead the way then.”
That was all the permission he needed.
“Good,” he murmured, straightening and pulling me gently to my feet. His arm slid around my waist like it belonged there, steering me toward the exit. I felt every stare as we crossed the room, felt Chase’s gaze burning into my back.
As we passed the bar, Jaxon glanced over and smirked.
“Follow my lead,” he whispered to me.
Before I could react, he scooped me up effortlessly in his arms and tossed me over his shoulder. I squealed at the unexpected action, half-protesting as my hands flew to his back.
“Jaxon!” I hissed.
He just laughed, carrying me through the lounge doors and straight across the lobby like he didn’t care who saw. Mortified didn't even begin to cover what I was feeling. I avoided the curious glances of the men and women in the lobby, pounding on Jaxon's back.
“Jaxon!”
It wasn’t raining anymore when we stepped outside, but the sky still hung heavy and overcast. Jaxon didn’t give me a chance to adjust to the cooler air before he carried me straight toward his car, my stomach lurching with each step.
“Put me down,” I protested, pounding my fists lightly against his back. “Jaxon—seriously.”
He chuckled, low and pleased, and only relented once we reached the passenger side. He set me on my feet, but instead of stepping away, he crowded in, one hand braced against the door, the other still firm at my waist. The space between us evaporated.
I scowled and smacked his chest in reprimand. “I can't believe you just did that!”
He laughed, bright and unrepentant, the sound settling somewhere warm and dangerous in my chest.
“I thought you didn't have a car.”
He shook his head, eyes darting to the jeep behind me. “I don't. This is Ari’s.”
I nodded, then for a minute, neither of us spoke. The moment stretched, thick with everything unsaid. I bit my lip, suddenly unsure what to do with my hands, my words, my thoughts.
“Well…” I started, then faltered. “Thanks for—”
“For allowing you to kiss me senseless?” he supplied smoothly, a smirk tugging at his mouth.
I rolled my eyes, shaking my head even as I fought a smile. “There you go being insufferable again. Don't you have an off switch?”
“I would say you should inspect me to find out, but somehow I don't think that's the answer you're looking for.”
“Don’t you have somewhere to be? Some birthday trip you’re supposed to be leaving for?”
“Yeah,” he said, glancing down at his watch. “I should get going.” He paused, studying my face, then added more quietly, “You can still come.”
My heart stumbled. “I don't know… I didn't pack anything, and I don't want you to have to wait on me.”
“I don't mind.”
I hesitated, my instinctive pros-and-cons list already forming in my head.
It was impractical. Risky. A distraction I didn’t need, especially after what just happened with us.
An entire weekend with him, with his friends, out of my carefully-controlled routine.
No outlines. No rules. No distance. Just… him. Them. Whatever this was.
“It’d be fun,” he said, softer now, as if he sensed the battle playing out behind my eyes.
“The others went down yesterday. We’d only be there till tomorrow night. Booze and board games, thanks to Nerissa. Kind of like a de-stressing trip, if you want to call it that.”
My initial plans involved studying this weekend, given I wasn't going to get much done next week. It did not involve beaches and board games and… him. Then there was the fact that we'd have to keep up the charade around his friends. All of it sounded like more headaches than it was worth.
I opened my mouth, fully intent on turning him down, but I thought about the trouble he went through in getting those fake gifts for Lori. I'd have to find a way to pay him back for those. It really wasn't necessary, but the look on her face was so worth it.
I exhaled slowly and saw the faint flicker of hope in his eyes.
“Fine,” I dragged. “I’ll come.”
His face lit up instantly, like he’d just won something he hadn’t quite believed was possible. “Yeah?”
“Yes,” I repeated, surprising even myself. “I'll come.”
He grinned, wide and unmistakably pleased, and
I shook my head, already regretting it.