Chapter Sixteen #2
The apartment was dark and stuffy, the air conditioner having been off all day to save on electricity. I flipped on the white lights, wincing at how harsh they seemed after the soft, ambient lighting of Jax's beach house.
“His room is this way,” I guided Jax down the short hallway to Leo's bedroom. The space was small but neat, and the bed was made with his dinosaur sheets. Jax laid him down, taking his time to remove Leo’s little shoes and pulling the covers over him .
I couldn’t believe this was the same man splashed across magazine covers and celebrity gossip sites, known for breaking hearts. No one had ever cared for Leo or me like this.
“He's a great kid,” Jax whispered, his hand lingering on Leo's head. “You're doing an amazing job raising him.”
The sincere and unexpected compliment made me blink, unused to praise. “Thank you,” I managed, my voice barely audible.
We backed out of the room, and I closed the door softly behind us. In the narrow hallway, Jax seemed even larger, his presence filling the small space.
“I should get going,” he murmured, though he made no move toward the door, just watching me intently. “It's late.”
“It is,” I agreed, though it was partly a lie. I was surprised by my strange disappointment at his leaving, as if I wanted him to stay. “Thank you again for today. For everything.”
He stepped closer, backing me against the wall without even trying. His large hand came up to cup my cheek, giving me every opportunity to pull away if I wanted to.
I didn't. I couldn't. I was frozen in place, my heart pounding in my chest. His blue eyes seemed to glow as they looked down into mine, holding me captive.
“I want to see you again, Estelle,” he confessed, his voice rougher than usual. “Not just at school pickup. Not with the kids. I want to take you to dinner. Just the two of us.”
I should have reminded myself of all the reasons why this was a bad idea, of our different worlds, my responsibilities, and the inevitable heartbreak he’d cause.
But standing there, with his hand warm against my skin and his eyes so sincere, all I could think about was how long it had been since anyone had looked at me like I mattered. Like, I was someone worth pursuing.
“I don’t know,” I whispered, even as my body leaned into his touch.
“Why not?” His thumb traced my cheekbone, and I shivered.
“Because you’re you, and I’m me. ”
He smiled then, thumb pressing against my bottom lip, parting it just slightly.
“You’re right. You’re perfect, and I’m completely fucked because of it.”
Heat flooded my cheeks, but as I opened my mouth to argue, his thumb slipped inside.
I froze, eyes going wide with shock. What was he doing? This was—I should?—
“Relax, princess," he murmured, his voice low and soothing as his thumb rested against my tongue. "Just feel. Don't think."
Butterflies exploded in my stomach, uncertainty flooding through me. I'd never done anything like this before, never even imagined it.
"That's it," he encouraged softly, his other hand cupping my cheek. "Close your mouth around it. Trust me."
I hesitated, my lips hovering around his thumb. This was insane, completely insane. But the way he looked at me, like I was entirely precious, made my resolve crumble.
Slowly, I closed my lips around his digit.
"Fuck," he breathed quietly, his voice rough with want. "Perfect. You're perfect, Estelle."
His thumb pushed in slightly, and I couldn't help the soft whimper that escaped me. The sound seemed to drive him wild, his grip on me tightening possessively.
"Suck it," he commanded, his blue eyes dark with hunger. "Show me how good you can be."
My cheeks burned with embarrassment, but something deep inside me responded to his words. I found myself obeying, sucking gently on his thumb.
“Fucking god,” he groaned, his forehead dropping to rest against mine. "You have no idea how perfect you look with my thumb in your pretty mouth. How much I fucking want you.”
The praise sent heat flooding through my veins. I'd never felt powerful like this before, never seen a man tremble because of something I was doing .
His thumb pressed deeper, and I sucked harder, my tongue exploring every ridge and callus. The moment I swirled my tongue around the tip, Jax's entire body shuddered against me.
“Shit—wait—” he breathed, his hips jerking forward involuntarily, pressing the hard length of him against my stomach. The contact made us both gasp.
When I took more of him in, his knees actually buckled slightly, and he had to brace his free hand against the wall behind me to keep from falling.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck, ” he panted, his voice completely wrecked. "You have no idea what you're doing to me."
I did it again, hollowing my cheeks slightly, and watched in fascination as this powerful, confident man seemed to fall apart. His breathing became ragged, his hips grinding against me unconsciously as soft moans escaped his throat.
"That's my good girl," he whispered, his voice breaking on the words. "You're driving me fucking insane. I can’t—God, I can't think straight."
Something dark and thrilling unfurled in my chest. I'd never had this kind of power over anyone, especially not someone like Jax Easton. The great playboy, reduced to… this just from my mouth on his thumb.
I nipped the tip of his thumb experimentally, and his reaction was immediate. He actually whimpered—a sound I never thought I'd hear from him—his forehead dropping to rest against mine as his whole body shook.
“Estelle,” My name was barely audible. “I’m gonna come in my fucking pants," he groaned, his hips rutting against my stomach. "You're gonna to make me come just from this."
The thought that I could reduce this gorgeous, untouchable man to such a state made me feel drunk with power. I pulled back slightly, letting his thumb slip from my lips with a wet pop, and watched as his eyes snapped open, wild and desperate .
"Don't stop," he pleaded, his voice raw. "Please, princess, don't stop."
I leaned back in to continue, watching, tasting the salt of his skin on my tongue, in awe at how he looked at me like I held his entire world in my hands.
Slowly, reluctantly, he withdrew his thumb, his eyes squeezed shut as he fought for control. His chest heaved like he'd just run a marathon, and I could see the huge bulge straining against his pants, a small wet spot…? already forming.
“Princess," he groaned, holding my chin with shaking fingers.
I looked down at his thumb, which was wet from my mouth, glistening in the dim hallway light. Saliva had escaped my lips, trickling down my chin, and I felt a flush of embarrassment.
But when I looked back up at Jax, he was staring at me like I was a goddess.
"Don't you dare be embarrassed," he growled, his voice raw with need. "You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. The most beautiful fucking girl sucking my fingers.”
He practically lunged forward, one hand fisting in my hair while the other gripped my waist, pulling me flush against his trembling body. His tongue darted out to lick the saliva from my chin in one slow, deliberate swipe that made me whimper.
“You taste so fucking good," he groaned against my skin, his hips grinding against me unconsciously. "I need more. I need all of you."
Then his mouth crashed onto mine with desperate hunger. This wasn't the kind of first kiss anyone expected—this was consuming. His tongue invaded my mouth like he was claiming territory, tasting where his thumb had been, mapping every spot that somehow made me moan.
I could feel the desperation in the way he kissed me, like he was starving and I was his salvation.
His hands roamed my body possessively, one tangled in my hair, the other pressing me against him so tightly I could feel every hard plane of his chest, every ridge of muscle, every throb of his arousal .
"Mine," he growled against my lips between kisses, his voice broken and needy. "You're fucking mine, Estelle.”
His voice was possessive, and his body trembled with barely restrained need, which made me realize just how much this powerful, confident man trembled for me just by sucking his thumb.
And I loved every second of it.
When we finally broke apart, both breathing hard, his eyes were wild and desperate, lips swollen from our kiss. He looked surprisingly wrecked, and I couldn’t help the pride at being the cause.
"Tomorrow night," he rasped, his voice demanding despite his obvious desperation. “Let me spoil you. Say yes, Estelle. Please."
The please at the end, so unlike the confident man I'd met, made my heart race. I’d made Jax Easton feel the need to beg for something.
My lips were swollen, sensitive, and I could still taste him on my tongue. "Okay," I whispered.
I was in so much trouble. And the worst part was, I didn't want to be saved.