Chapter 16 #2
“Ay, easy with the yelling,” Ari whined, clutching his head.
I dropped my shorts and phone before jogging over to them, taking my place between Benji and Jesse. Smirking, I glanced at them before shifting focus to the blue water stretched out in front of us, cold and unforgiving.
“One,” I said.
“Two.”
“Three—go!”
We took off toward the water, laughter and curses tearing through the quiet morning as the waves rushed up to meet us, sharp and freezing and exactly what I needed.
Benji won.
Of course he did.
The bastard stood chest-deep in the water, arms crossed like the Pacific hadn’t just tried to kill us. Ari (predictably) was the first one to tap out, shrieking like a baby when he ran out of the water. He always hated ice baths.
Jesse lost next, uttering a string of curses as he shuffled over to the towels. I would've laughed if I wasn't freezing my ass off. Minutes after him, I dragged myself out, water dripping from my hair and down my back, lungs burning, skin numb.
And me handing the win to Benji had nothing to do with Savannah.
I promise you, it didn't.
He did have the nerve to shake his head at me when he saw me looking at Savannah and Nerissa for the sixth time. When I found myself looking over again, I cursed and started moving to the shore.
“Pitiful, Cage, just pitiful,” he said, chuckling, his fingers wading the water.
“Kiss my ass, Won.”
I marched up to where Savannah was stretched out on a towel up the beach.
Her hair was loose in the gentle breeze and her knee was bent with books fanning around her.
Nerissa lounged beside her, soaking up the sun, laughing at something Jesse said while Ari lay dramatically face-down in the sand like a fallen soldier.
I didn’t even bother grabbing a towel. My feet had a mind of their own, like a compass pointing due north, and fuck me—she may as well have been the damn North Pole.
She noticed me only when my shadow fell across her pages. I leaned over her, coming dangerously close to her forehead. The sweet scent of cherries and vanilla engulfed me, filling my lungs and making me want to bury my head in her hair.
“Jaxon!” Savannah protested, lifting her head and pushing against my chest. “You’re going to get my books wet.”
“Good morning to you, too,” I said easily.
She opened her mouth to argue again, and I brushed a quick kiss to her cheek. Just a soft press, but the sound of that little gasp brought me back to last night.
“Hi, trouble.” I dipped closer, my mouth near her ear. The heat between us was a comfort against the remnants of water running down my skin. “Now, about that in-person thank you for the coffee…”
She shoved my shoulder. “Absolutely not.”
I laughed. “Worth a shot.”
My gaze dropped to the spread of color-coded tabs and neatly-highlighted pages. “You studying already? It’s barely eight.”
“I don’t expect to get much done this week,” she said, flipping a page. “I need to get as much done this weekend as possible.”
“I can help if you want.”
Her head snapped up.
“You?” she asked, incredulous. “Help me study?”
I tilted my head. “What, you think I'm only a pretty face?”
She huffed. “If the shoe fits.”
“I'd say sorry to disappoint, but your moaning last night says—”
Her palm slapped against my smirking lips, glancing to the left at my friends. I met her glare with a wink then ran my tongue across her hand, making her pull her hand away in disgust.
“We are not talking about that.”
“Oh, we absolutely are. You taste good, trouble. Be lucky we aren't alone, otherwise I'd have you spread out across all these books you love so much and enjoy some breakfast on the beach.”
I was stirring in my boxers just thinking about it.
“Stop it.” She was fighting a blush as she wiped her palm across her pants, her eyes darting left again. “God, I can't believe I… whatever happened last night was a one-time thing. It is never happening again.”
I hummed thoughtfully, my gaze dipping to those full lips of hers. “Think so?”
“I know so. So whatever you're thinking, stop.”
“I'm thinking that I made you see the stars twice, and now I can't get the taste of you off my tongue. Believe me, it's happening again.”
Her lips pressed together.
“Whatever delusions you have, you better cherish it because it’s done. Over. And for the record—you weren’t even that good.”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard what I said.” She pulled that daring gaze away from mine and focused on her books again. “Definitely not worth a repeat perform—”
She didn't get a chance to lie to my face again. I surged to my feet and scooped her up in one clean motion, tossing her over my shoulder as she yelped.
“Jaxon!” she shrieked, smacking my back.
“Are you insane? Put me down!”
“Nope,” I said, already jogging toward the water. “You don’t get to lie like that and walk away dry.”
“You are unhinged!”
“Correct.”
Her laughter followed us down the sand, bright and breathless, her tiny fists pounding into my back. The laughter betrayed her outrage, and my arm tightened around her legs.
“Let. Me. Down.”
Benji passed us as I walked toward the water, shaking his head at her begging and shrieking. The familiarity of the water made it easier to trek in, and I got about waist deep before losing my grip on Savannah.
“Jaxon, don't you dare—”
The waves swallowed the rest of her protest, and she emerged ten seconds later, drenched from head to toe. Her eyes were shining with laughter despite the scowl she was sporting.
“You're such an ass!”
She shoved me hard, sending me flying back into the water, laughing.
Trouble is stronger than she looks. The look she gave me when I stood, sweeping a hand through my wet hair, sent a hint of fire through me.
Her gaze trailed along my chest, and I smirked when she visibly swallowed.
No matter how much she wanted to lie to herself, she wanted me.
Closing the distance between us, my hands found her hips and lifted her. She gasped, arms immediately looping around my neck and crushing her body to mine. The tempting need to crush my lips against hers coiled within me, but I fought it off.
“Want to revise your earlier statement?” I dipped my head, my lips brushing against hers as I uttered every word. “Or do you want me to bring you to the stars again right here, right now?”
Savannah shuddered in my arms. “What I want is to not freeze to death. I'm cold.”
“And I have a very efficient way of warming you up.”
One hand slipped between us and into her shorts. Her fingernails dug into my shoulders when I pushed her panties to the side.
“I doubt it,” she breathed out.
“Doubting me is how you ended up with two mind-blowing orgasms last night.”
“One thanks to me.” She swallowed when I pressed my thumb against her swollen clit. “That should hardly count.”
“So what you're saying is, I owe you another orgasm.”
“Jaxon, I'm not… oh God.” Her body jerked in tiny tremors and she blinked rapidly, trying to focus. I slipped a finger into her easily, loving the way she tightened around me. Fuck, how good that would feel if she was clenching around my dick.
“Not what, trouble?” I kissed the edge of her lips, moving at a torturous pace inside her. “Go on, use those words you love so much.”
“You're such an asshole,” she panted.
I grinned against her skin. “An asshole who can make you come at will.”
“Put me down right now.”
“Don't want to finish?” My fingers moved faster, sliding in and out of her. “I love the face you make when you finish.”
She clenched around me again and my smile widened. My trouble has a praise kink. Perfection.
“No. Put me down.”
Her defiance was admirable, especially tainted with the flushed cheeks, ragged breaths, and heavy eyes. Sexy, sinful, and seductive—the perfect definition of trouble.
“Your wish is my command,” I drawled.
My fingers curled into her, and I couldn't hear anything over the sound of her soft moan. That little sound might just have been my favorite sound in the world.
“Jaxon.”
I uncurled my fingers and slowly slid them out of her, leveling her with an intense stare. Her parted lips snapped shut, and I let her find her footing before releasing the grip on her waist. The blazing need inside me matched the heat in her eyes.
And I knew one thing—this was far from over.