Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Jaxon
Ihadn’t seen my girl in two days and felt squirrelly with unease, checking the time on my phone incessantly. I wasn’t a nervous guy by nature, so to say I was entirely out of my wheelhouse wasn’t a stretch.
The anticipation of the night I had planned was a heavy, mixed cocktail of pure excitement tangled with the type of anxiety that scared a person into feeling like their life was on borrowed time, somehow like the universe might take her back if I didn’t hold on tight enough.
Lily was all I’d ever wanted, and having her back felt like a dream. It was a tangible feeling I never wanted to wake up from. I knew there was something in her past she wasn’t ready to share, and I respected her privacy, but that didn’t stop my mind from wandering when I was alone.
“Hey, man.”
I swung around in my chair to find Boden taking a seat on the other side of my desk.
“You looked pretty lost in thought there. What’s going on?”
“Just working through some stuff is all.” I gave a half-shrug.
“I’d ask if it were work-related, but I suspect it’s more centered around Lily?”
“That obvious, huh?”
“That and I might know a thing or two about seeking answers to questions I had about my girls’ past, given the tools at our disposal.”
“The urge is strong, my friend, but I know the best thing is for her to open up when she’s ready. The last thing I want to do is jeopardize the progress we’ve made.”
My mind drifted to the other night, watching her surrender under my touch—she was perfection personified, flawless, and I was the lucky man with whom she trusted and gave herself to so freely, like time and distance hadn’t chartered us off course and broken our bond.
“If that smile you’re rocking is any indication, I’d say things are going pretty fucking well.”
I chuckled and tipped my chin to the ceiling. “God, I feel so out of my depth here.” My chest tightened as the air around me thinned out. “I feel like I should turn in my man-badge for admitting this out loud, but being this deep in my damn feelings right now isn’t something I’m used to.”
“Fuck that! Life is short, and we both know it. Our main goal should always be making the most of the time we’ve got, sharing it with those who fill our cups, and if it means showing our emotions, then so be it.
Bro, you’ve seen me at my weakest, and I never once felt an ounce of judgment from you.
Best friends never judge or make assumptions.
We listen and support each other without conditions, and we have each other’s backs no matter the situation. ”
“Tell me more, old wise one,” I said in jest.
“I’m just saying, you don’t always need to present a tough-guy bravado. There’s power and strength in getting shit off our chests. It allows us to be the best versions of ourselves for those we love.”
I nodded my head in agreement. “I did talk with my mom,” I said, my voice low but steady.
“Being patient, as you know all too well, isn’t my strong suit; it’s a major shift in gears when I want to race ahead at full speed.
But I also know it’s just noise, a moment that will pass.
I refuse to let anything derail my second chance with Lily, not now, not ever. ”
“Your mom’s the best. She and your pops were over the other day.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, your mom wants to organize a girls’ trip to take Lakelyn wedding dress shopping.
They even discussed maybe flying down to LA.
” Boden’s entire expression lit up with pride.
“The way Brock and Camilla have embraced Lakelyn with open arms, giving my girl a true sense of family, has been life-changing for her.”
“That’s awesome, man. She deserves this.”
“Tell me about it. I’ll never understand why some parents treat their kids the way they do. Lakelyn and Lily both deserve so much better than the shitty-hands they were dealt in that department.”
“I swear if I ever catch wind of Lily’s dad trying to contact her—” My words drifted into silence.
“I more than hear you on that front.” He sighed. “Anyway, I want to ask, I know it’s last minute and all, but are you and Lily free next weekend? I checked your schedule, but obviously, you could have non-work-related stuff going on.
“I’ll have to ask her. What were you thinking?”
“Vegas.”
One word, and yet it was as if he’d dropped a bomb on me; my eyes widened with the weight of realization. “Shit, man, I’m so sorry. I should be organizing your bachelor party.”
Clearly, I was slacking on my best man duties.
“Don’t even sweat it. There’s still plenty of time before the wedding in July, so I didn’t expect it to be on your radar yet.
Lakelyn was spitballing ideas with her friend Jenna last night and thought that with everything that’s gone on in the past few months, we could all use a mini-getaway for a few days. ”
“I’m so fucking down.” I stood up and rounded my desk.
Boden joined me on his feet and clasped my hand, pulling me in for a bro hug before duty called, and he had to leave the station in a rush.
After he left, I buckled down and wrapped up my paperwork so I could clock out. Lily had texted earlier in the day, just after lunch, to say she’d made it to my place and planned on taking a nap in my bed.
The text and the mental imagery that followed had me discreetly readjusting myself before stepping into the chief’s office to brief him on where I was at on a cold case he’d tasked me with looking into with a fresh set of eyes.
But with work in the rearview mirror and the next few days off with Lily all to myself, there was no denying the giddiness pulsing through my veins had reached a feverish pitch. I just needed to make a slight detour on my way home first.
Everything about tonight had to be perfect; my girl deserved nothing less.
The rhythmic pulses of Lily running on the treadmill in the spare bedroom greeted me when I first entered my house.
I quickly kicked off my boots at the front door, then shrugged out of my leather jacket and let it fall across the kitchen counter, adding my holster and keys to the pile before setting off on autopilot like a magnet drawn to its other half.
With her back to me, the mirrored wall revealed her eyes were fixed on the attached television screen in front of her, as she ran a trail along a picturesque waterfront dotted with coconut palms.
I leaned against the doorframe and admired the view.
Beads of sweat painted her bare shoulders, and the exposed skin around the criss-cross strapping of her black sports bra and down her spine to where two sexy little dimples sat above her tight apple bottom covered by tiny black biker shorts.
“See something . . . you like . . . Fisher?” Her voice was raspy and broken between jagged breaths.
“Fuck, yes.”
My eyes snapped to hers in the mirror before I took five strides and climbed on the outside frame of the treadmill behind her, causing her eyes to widen in surprise as she reached out for the railings.
“Jaxon, what are you—”
“Joining you.” I reached around her waist and lowered the speed from her fast-paced jog to a manageable walking pace and then proceeded to lick up the column of her neck.
“Jaxon, no. Ew, I’m all sweaty.” She giggled and tried swatting my hands away that had gripped her hourglass hips.
“What’s funny is you actually think that’s gonna stop me?” I groaned as my cock swelled behind the zipper of my jeans.
“It should.”
“Nah, babe, there’s no better flavor than salty and sweet,” I murmured, my words grazing the warmth of her glowing skin.
“I can’t with you.” She shook her head.
“And I can’t stay away from you. I’ve been hard all day since you texted that you’d be in my bed.” I slid my hands across her toned stomach and dipped the tips of my fingers below the waistband of her shorts. “It’s where I hoped you’d still be when I got home.”
She gasped as her eyes dropped to watch my hand disappear beneath the fabric of her shorts and panties. “I’m going to fall.”
“In more ways than one, yes,” I chuckled, “but trust me, I’ll always catch you.
” I scissored my teeth over her earlobe and slipped two fingers into her tight, wet heat.
“Coming home and finding you here—fuck.” I shifted my hips forward, letting her feel just what she did to me. “It’s everything, Lily.”
“Oh, God.” Her head lolled backward on my chest.
“Not God, Jaxon. It’s my name I want on your lips as I make you come.”
The sounds of her breathless moans filled my ears as I looked at her reflection in the mirror. The way she surrendered herself to me was an exquisite vision of sublime perfection.
“Every piece of your soul, every inch of your body.” I pumped my fingers with reckless abandon while my thumb swirled feverishly over her hardened clit. “And every beat of your heart belongs to me.” I groaned, marking her neck with my lips until her legs officially gave out.
“Jaxon,” she yelped.
But I tightened my hold around her waist, keeping her upright. “You’re mine, Lils. Mine to protect, mine to treasure, and mine to fucking worship.”
I hadn’t thought of it, but I was impressed when she surprised me and lifted her legs, one at a time, and draped them over the treadmill’s handlebars like they were stirrups.
Opening herself up to me like a perfect gift.
Trusting me to give her what she needed, but to also hold her steady when the ground gave way.
“Ah . . . don’t stop, please,” she cried out.
“Never. I’ll always take care of you. Your pleasure will always come first.”
Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she drank in every gasp of air; each breath was shaky until her inner muscles gripped my fingers forcefully, and wild currents of her orgasm broke free.
Every pulse catapulted her further over the edge into oblivion, drenching my hand in her essence before her body went lax against me.