Chapter Fifteen
Estelle
Jax was already waiting in the bedroom when I walked back in, and the slow, hungry look that crossed his face made me stop in my tracks.
His eyes darkened, traveling slowly, obviously, from my face down to my toes and back again, lingering on the curves, or lack thereof, the swimsuit did little to hide despite its modest cut.
“God,” He breathed, not even trying to hide the way his gaze roamed over my chest, hips, and bare legs.“You’re fucking gorgeous.”
His words, his eyes, his everything, made my face flame with heat, and the fabric between my legs suddenly felt wet . I couldn’t believe him, but I still crossed my arms over my chest, self-conscious and heated.
“Where’s the pool?” I asked clipped.
He smiled. "This way, princess. I've already checked on the kids.”
I followed him through the house, trying not to stare at how low his dark blue swim trunks hung on his hips, revealing a V-line of golden skin that was sin itself .
The snake tattoos coiling up his arms and neck were fully visible now, dark ink against sun-kissed perfection. He didn’t seem to have any body hair, his skin smooth and way too touchably soft-looking to be real.
He was so beautiful. And I was a street rat next to him.
The pool area of his house was straight out of a resort, opening to a sprawling deck. It had an infinity edge bleeding into the ocean, and the water was crystal clear with a beautiful waterfall fixture and a hot tub to the side.
Avery and Leo were already splashing around in the shallow with a bunch of floaties, while an elderly woman seemed to watch them from a lounge chair. When she spotted us, she straightened, her weathered face softening into a smile.
My protective instincts flared, and I opened my mouth to inquire. Why was there a random woman watching my nephew? Leo wouldn’t have gone in the pool without proper supervision, and given that he was currently splashing about, he thought he had that supervision.
Jax glanced at me and immediately nodded to the woman, who rose quietly. “I'll prepare some refreshments for later,” she sang, her voice warm despite my mistrust. “The children will be fine. They both swim well.”
“Thank you, Elsie,” Jax replied, his eyes never leaving my face as I slowly calmed myself down. I didn’t like surprises like that.
“Look, Estelle!” Leo called out. “I'm learning to do handstands underwater!”
I turned, and the sight made my heart squeeze. The joy in his voice washed away all my negative thoughts. “That's great, buddy! You're doing so well!”
I sat at the pool's edge, dangling my feet in the perfectly warm water. Avery made Leo watch her blow bubbles underwater, and he was somehow taken with it, even if it was the simplest thing ever.
Jax settled beside me, his thigh pressing against mine, solid and warm and completely overwhelming. I’d never truly been self- conscious about my body before, but knowing Jax’s reputation, I felt like a child compared to the women who usually surrounded him.
"You're beautiful,” he murmured, as if reading my thoughts. "You know that?"
I shook my head, unable to meet his eyes, painfully aware of all the ways I didn’t measure up to his usual type. “I look like a stick.”
His hand found my chin, forcing me to meet his intense blue gaze. “You look like a fucking dream.” His thumb brushed my lower lip, and I forgot how to breathe. “You’re perfect. Don't hide from me, princess.”
His palm slid down to my knee, squeezing gently. I could feel the heat of his skin, his thumb tracing lazy circles just above my knee. The world must have turned upside down for this to be happening.
Then, a splash of water hit us both as Avery and Leo began an impromptu water fight. Jax laughed, the sound so genuine and unguarded, it transformed his perfect face into something warmer, more human than god.
He slid into the pool with fluid grace, immediately becoming the center of their universe. “This means war,” he declared, scooping up Avery, who shrieked with delight.
He tossed her into the deeper water, and Leo watched, wide-eyed, until Jax turned to him with a gentle, charming smile.
“You too, champ? Want to fly?”
Leo looked at me, seeking permission, and I nodded, unable to deny him this moment of pure childhood joy.
Jax lifted him carefully, ensuring he was comfortable before boosting him up and into the water.
Leo's laughter joined Avery's in a symphony of happiness that tightened my throat. I couldn’t lift Leo like that anymore, and it felt bittersweet watching him experience what I couldn’t provide.
The things a paternal presence in his life could.
I slipped into the pool after, the warm water soothing, and watched Jax play with the children, his movements gentle and playful, his attention fully focused on their joy .
After an hour of games, ‘Elsie’ returned with snacks and drinks, drawing the kids to the pool's edge. I felt bad now, seeing the woman speak so kindly to the children.
Jax's eyes found mine across the water, dark with intent.
“Come here,” he commanded softly.
I don’t know why, but I listened. I was swimming toward him and the waterfall before I even thought about it. He caught my wrist, pulling me into the dark interior behind the cascading water. Suddenly, we were alone, the sound of rushing water creating a private world.
"Finally," he breathed, backing me against the smooth stone. His hands found my waist, fingers splaying possessively against bare skin. I’ve been wanting you alone all day."
I instinctively moved to step back, but his other hand came to rest at the small of my back, trapping me in place. My heart was pounding in my ears.
“The kids.”
“They'll be fine for a few minutes.” His voice was low and intimate as he closed the distance between us. “I've been wanting to get you alone all day.”
I opened my mouth to protest again, but his thumb pressed against my lips, immediately silencing me. “No more talking.”
His body caged me in, all hard muscle and heated skin. I could feel every defined plane of his chest, every ridge of his abs. The man was built like a god, and he was looking at me like I was his religion.
“Easy,” he murmured, his breath warm against my temple. “I'm not going to hurt you, princess. I just want to feel you.”
His big hands made every nerve so sensitive, goosebumps rising along my skin as he gripped my waist. “You feel it? This thing between us?”
I couldn't deny it. Not when my body was betraying me, responding to his every touch like I'd been starved for it.
His hands roamed my back, fingers tracing my spine with maddening slowness. The unfamiliar touch drew a breathy sound from my lips, one I’d never heard out of myself before.
"So delicate,” he murmured appreciatively. "I wonder what other sounds I can pull from you."
My face flushed. “I’m not delicate.”
“Being delicate doesn’t make you weak. I’ll still protect you.”
I swallowed hard, unsure how to respond to… that. “I don't need protecting.”
He definitely thought I needed protecting, given the way he kept taking care of me and Leo.
I opened my mouth to further my point, but he shut me up again.
“Quiet.”
His hand slid down my back, fingers tracing the knobs of my spine again. I shivered despite the warmth of the water.
The water continued to cascade around us, creating a curtain of privacy. Steam rose from the heated pool, making everything feel dreamlike, surreal. His other hand slid up my side, barely brushing the edge of my swimsuit.
“Cold?” he asked, though I knew the freakishly hot traitor knew better.
“No,” I whispered.
"Good. Because I'm just getting started."
He stepped closer, eliminating what little space remained between us. I could feel the heat radiating from his skin, smell his cologne mixed with chlorine. My hands found his chest without conscious thought, palms flat against the hard muscle.
My own movement made me gasp. His skin was soft yet hard, my fingers resting on his too-good-to-be-true pectorals.
"Remember that massage I gave you?" he murmured, his breath hot against my ear. "How good it felt when I worked out all that tension?"
I gaped at him like a fish. “Yes.”
"I've been thinking about it." His hands moved to my shoulders, thumbs carefully pressing into the muscles there. "About how you melted under my touch. "
He began to massage my shoulders again, just like before, but this time there was no fabric between us. Just skin on skin, his calloused fingers working magic on my tense muscles. I couldn't help the soft sigh that escaped me.
"That's a good girl,” he encouraged, his voice. "Letting me take care of you."
His hands worked lower, massaging the knots along my shoulder blades, and I leaned into his touch. The stress of the past months melting away under his skilled fingers.
“So much tension here," he observed, his thumbs working a particularly tight spot. "Always looking after everyone else, never letting anyone look after you."
I wanted to argue, but the words died on my lips as he found another knot and worked it loose. My eyes fluttered closed, and I let myself get lost in the sensation.
“Better?” He asked, his voice closer now.
I nodded without opening my eyes; it was too good, too warm.
"You're so beautiful," he whispered, his breath ghosting over my ear. Too close to my ear.
And then I felt it—the softest brush of his lips against the spot where my neck met my shoulder. The touch was so light I almost thought I'd imagined it, but then he did it again, and fire shot through my veins.
“J-Jax?” I breathed, immediately pushing back.
“Shh,” His lips moved against my skin, his hands holding me firmly in place. “Just feel.”
His lips moved along my neck, each kiss sending shockwaves through my system. This wasn't the gentle massage from before—this was something else entirely. Something addictive I’d never felt before.
His lips moved up my neck, and some kind of noise escaped me when his tongue darted out and licked along the same path. Every nerve ending came alive under his attention.
"You taste like heaven," he growled against my throat, his voice vibrating through me. “Perfect and mine. "
He found a spot just below my ear that made me gasp, and he sucked gently, his nose brushing my skin and scent invading my senses. His broad frame blocked most of my view, making everything just him .
He was all over me, and all I could feel was the liquid pooling between my thighs.
"I've been thinking about this," he confessed, his lips moving against my pulse. "About how you'd feel, how you'd taste, how you'd sound when I finally touched you like this."
He kissed my skin between each word, his hands roaming my back and waist.
“I could spend hours worshipping your skin, princess,” he murmured, licking a long path from my ear down to my collarbone.
I whimpered, hands tightening against his chest. This feeling was so new—this feeling of intense need I never knew.
"You're mine," he whispered against my skin, the words a promise and a claim. "My princess, my beautiful girl."
I tilted my neck back, allowing him more access. Everything felt so good, so overwhelming, I could hardly think.
“Jax!” Avery's voice shattered the spell. “Watch me dive!”
When Jax finally pulled back, his eyes were dark with desire, and I knew I was completely lost.
His hand lingered on my waist for definitely longer than necessary before he gave me a dark smile. “This isn’t over.”
Eventually, the sun began to dip toward the horizon, painting the sky and ocean in shades of pink and gold. The view was breathtaking, but Leo and Avery were starting to tire, their movements slowing, their laughter mixed with yawns.
“I think it's time to dry off,” I suggested, noticing the goosebumps on Leo's arms despite the heated water. “It's getting late. ”
I moved over to the children, running my fingers through Leo’s hair as Avery’s face contorted into a clear pout.
“But we haven't had dinner yet!” She protested, though her eyes were heavy with fatigue.
“Dinner’s all taken care of,” Jax mused, lifting her out of the pool. He nudged Leo toward him and lifted him out as well, grabbing towels as I watched dumbly.
He tucked towels around their shoulders and then turned to me . His arm wrapped around my waist, guiding me out of the pool like I was one of the children, and I felt dizzy at the sudden care.
I was the one helping everyone, never anyone else.
“Go change, princess. I’ll be waiting in the kitchen.”
He wrapped me in a big, fluffy towel before grabbing his own, and I just stood there watching him like an idiot.
Water sluiced down his body, highlighting every muscle, every line of that incredible physique. The fading sunlight caught in his wet hair, turning it a dark gold, and I couldn't look away from this person suddenly caring for me the way I’d cared for everyone else.
“Enjoying the view?” He asked, his voice low and smug.
I flushed, wrapping the towel tighter around myself. Before I could retort, he leaned down in front of me, his lips brushing lightly against my forehead.
“Go dress, my pretty princess. His fingers trailed along my jawline. “I’ll see you in the kitchen.”
I stepped back quickly, my heart pounding in my chest. I could still feel his lips on my skin, that impossibly gentle touch.
“Okay.”
I hurried back through the house with Leo, grabbing his clothes and retreating to the master bathroom. I changed us quickly, trying not to think about how Jax had looked at me and how his lips had felt against my skin.
It was dangerous, this attraction. This care. It was even more dangerous to fall for Jax Easton .
I tried to convince myself I was still just a curiosity, a temporary diversion from the models and actresses who usually occupied his world, but I wasn’t sure if I believed it anymore after today.
I didn’t want to believe it.