Chapter 29 #2
“That’s right.” I lean forward to examine the drawings. “You were particularly excited about the magnetic closures and the sensory-friendly fabrics.”
Her eyes widen. “I chose fabrics based on sensory needs?”
“You researched for months.” Pride swells in my heart despite the ache. “You interviewed occupational therapists, consulted with disability advocates, and tested every material yourself.”
She stares at the sketches with something close to wonder. “I did all that?”
“You did.” I take in all her beauty as she processes this. The way her brows furrow in concentration and the slight parting of her lips when she’s thinking.
I need her to remember. “You wanted the line to be beautiful and functional. You said fashion shouldn’t require people to choose between style and accessibility.”
“That sounds like something I’d say.” She traces the edge of one design with her fingertip. “I’ve always wanted to create something like this.”
The casual reference to her wanting to create this is a reminder of how fractured her timeline is. She has no idea she said those exact words to me two years ago over dinner in Paris.
“The Marcus Chen partnership will take your brand global.” I force myself to focus on business, not on memories. “Manufacturing in multiple countries, distribution networks across Asia and Europe.”
Her excitement dims. “That’s a lot of responsibility for someone who can’t remember shit.”
“Don’t worry about any of that, Livianna. Anything you need, I can help.”
“Thank you.” She motions to a round table in the room. “Will you sit with me over there and fill me in on what I’m missing?”
“I want nothing more.”
We settle in to review marketing plans, the Marcus Chen details, and anything else that comes up. All the while, I can’t take my eyes off her. I know I can’t push, but being near her is like being home.
As she flips through sketches and organizes them, my mind wanders back to the day I told her I was going to move into the Malibu home with her.
Then
We’re in bed, wrapped around each other. The past few days, while she’s been avoiding me, have been enough for me to realize I don’t want to be apart anymore than we have to be.
She stares at me with those big blue eyes. “Just how do you expect this to work, Jax?”
“Easy. I’ll bring some items from my home in the Palisades and put them into drawers.”
She playfully slaps my chest. “Okay, smartass. You know that’s not what I mean.”
“What are you worried about?”
“What if my parents stop by unannounced?”
I shrug. “Then we address it then.”
“Says Mr. I Control Everything.”
“Would you prefer if I stay away?”
“No. I want you here.”
“Then it’s settled.” I pull her closer to me. “I won’t be careless with you.”
“Never?”
“Never.”
She shifts beneath me, her legs parting in invitation. The scent of her perfume mingles with the heat from our bodies—warm spice, sex, and something uniquely Livianna that I’d recognize anywhere.
“I want more of you, king.” Her fingers trail down my chest, her touch leaving fire in its wake.
I capture her mouth in a kiss that tastes like the promise of everything I want with her. She moans, and the sound goes straight to my cock.
“Mon trésor, I can’t get enough of you.” I kiss down her throat, feeling her pulse racing beneath my lips. “I thought about this. About being inside you.”
“Then stop thinking and do something about it.” She rocks her hips against me.
I groan at the friction. “You’re insatiable.”
“And you love it.”
“That I do.”
I take my time exploring her body, mapping every curve and hollow with my hands and mouth. Her skin is warm silk beneath my palms, and when I cup her breast, her nipple peaks against my thumb.
“Jax, please.” Her breathless plea unravels my control.
I settle between her thighs. She’s already wet and ready for me. When I push inside, we both go still. The sensation of being joined with her, of feeling her body accept mine, never gets old.
“Fuck, firecracker.” I bury my face in her neck, breathing her in. “You feel insanely wonderful.”
She wraps her legs around my waist, pulling me deeper. “Harder, Jax. I need it harder.”
I set a rhythm that’s both tender and intense, each thrust deliberate and claiming. The sound of our bodies grinding together fills the room—skin on skin, her gasps mixing with my groans, the headboard tapping against the wall.
I frame her face with my hands. “Let me see you unravel.”
Her gaze locks with mine, and the intimacy of it steals my breath. This isn’t just sex. This is connection, trust, and love spoken in touches and sighs.
Her breath hitches as I drive into her, fused like we’re the only two souls in the universe. Her expression is raw and overwhelming, mirroring the storm raging in my chest.
I thrust deeper, harder, chasing the edge where pleasure blurs into something primal. Her walls clench around me, slick and hot, pulling me in like the tide she embodies.
“Jax,” she gasps, her nails digging into my back, leaving marks I’ll wear like badges tomorrow. “God, yes. Right there.”
I angle my hips, hitting that spot inside her that makes her arch off the bed, her breasts pressing against me. Sweat slicks our skin, the salty tang mixing with her arousal and that intoxicating perfume.
I capture her nipple between my lips, sucking hard enough to draw a cry from her throat, then soothe it with my tongue. Every roll of my hips grinds my pelvis against her clit, building her higher, her body trembling beneath me.
“You’re mine, Livianna.” I groan, unable to keep the ecstasy I’m feeling inside. “All fucking mine.”
“Yes, I’m yours.” Her hands fist in my hair, yanking me in for a messy, devouring kiss.
Our tongues tangle, tasting salt and desperation as I thrust into her faster now, the bed creaking in protest. The room echoes with the obscene symphony of us—wet slaps of flesh, her keening moans, and my ragged breaths.
She shatters first, her pussy spasming around my cock like a vice, milking me as she screams my name. “Jax! Oh, fuck, I’m coming!”
The sight of her coming apart, her head thrown back, lips parted, snaps my restraint. I bury myself to the hilt, grinding deep as my own release barrels through me.
Hot spurts fill her, pulsing endlessly, my vision whitening out with the force of it. “Livianna...fuck.”
I groan, collapsing onto her, our hearts hammering in sync. We stay locked together, my weight pinning her in the best way, as aftershocks ripple through us.
Her fingers trace lazy patterns on my back, and I press soft kisses to her cheek and neck while breathing her in like she’s my oxygen.
She smiles, that wicked, satisfied curve of her lips, and pulls me down for another kiss. This one is slow and sweet, sealing in the deep emotions we have for each other in the quiet aftermath.
The ocean whispers approval through the window, and for the first time in days, everything feels right.
Now
“Jaxon?” Livianna catches my gaze. “Is everything okay?”
Heat fills my cheeks. I cross my legs, hiding my semi-hard on. “Of course.”
“Then why are you looking at me like that?”