Chapter 15
Fifteen
Ipeel off my shirt, add weight to the barbell, and resume my position on the bench. Wrapping my fingers around the bar, I press out twelve grueling reps. This shit’s getting heavy and I’m sweating like I’ve played nine innings in ninety-degree weather.
I’m hiding out in the basement gym at Remy’s parents’ house instead of joining the pool party in progress with my buds.
I’m the opposite of good company right now and unsure why I came.
A black cloud has hung over my head since Monday as I’ve stewed over missing Jax…
and the words spewed by her asshole father.
I’ve had enough of asshole fathers to last me a lifetime and I sure as shit don’t need another.
Granted, it spurred me into action like a cannon shot.
And as bitterly as that pill goes down, I needed the wake-up call.
In less than a week of researching and applying for jobs, I’ve got an agreement with a recreational charter company in Florida, starting when summer wraps up.
Of course, summer stretches longer there, one of the big draws of working in the Sunshine State.
Plus, the Gulf is warm, unlike the fucking Pacific.
Terrible surfing, unfortunately, but great for boating, learning the ropes, and getting my captain’s license.
Not to mention job security. Florida is a tourist haven—there’ll be no shortage of customers.
I’ll miss my friends and my mom, but it’s time to get the hell out of dodge and do what I want.
Jacqui remains a conundrum, but I keep telling myself it’s what’s best for her. Not sure how I’ll manage working next door to her or if we can return to a platonic friendship. Sounds like torture and temptation wrapped in one.
Sliding off the bench, I add ten-pound plates to either side of the bar and start my next set. Maybe I’ll work my body to exhaustion and bail.
As if my thoughts conjure her, Jax appears.
I startle, sitting up in a hurry. And motherfucking hell.
She’s wearing a revealing red bikini, and my eyes take in every mouthwatering detail.
It’s agony and ecstasy…because I’m aware of exactly what’s under those scraps of material.
My blood races while my head tries to catch up.
I’m completely taken off guard, assuming she wouldn’t—couldn’t—be here today after Remy told me her dick father put her on restriction. And now…this.
“Fuck,” I mutter, squeezing my eyelids shut.
“Hi to you too.” There’s an edge to her voice and when my eyes snap open, she’s pivoting to leave.
I grab her hand instinctively, and an electric current shoots through me as my pulse ratchets up to a throbbing pace. “I don’t mean anything by it, Jax. Stay.”
Our gazes collide, unspoken words heavy between us.
“How’ve you been?” I ask, letting her go.
“You want the truth or a lie?”
“Truth.”
“Terrible. But things are looking up,” she says with a small smile.
My lips curve into a grin, the first one in days, and just like that, I’m surfing in the eye of the hurricane thinking I can hack it. “Guess you’re out of jail?”
She nods, eyes skirting around the gym. “What are you doing down here?”
Well, this is irresistible. I tilt my head. “Working out?”
Her eyes roll. “I mean, why aren’t you at the party?”
I shrug. “Not feeling very sociable. I haven’t had the best week either.” I immediately regret admitting that, watching her expression shift to hopeful then…longing. Fuck me. And fuck my dick, standing in the on-deck circle ready to bat.
“You still like me?” she asks.
My frustration resounds in a low, slow growl as I drag a hand through my hair. How can she even question this? “I more than fucking like you.”
In seconds, she’s pushed me back against the bench. She straddles me, and we both groan as our bodies come in contact, our mind-blowing chemistry sparking. For a minute, all sensibility leaves. How the hell can I think straight with her heat blasting me in open invitation?
“Goddamn,” I utter. “You’re making this impossible.”
“Stop fighting,” she whispers. “Whatever your reasons.”
Focus, jackass. “Jax, wait.”
She slowly shifts upright, still straddling my raging hard-on. I follow but loop my arms around her, keeping her on my lap.
Her eyes search my face, and it’s then I make the decision. Or at least offer her the opportunity to make it for herself. “I want to be fair to you. Honest with you.”
“Okay.”
“You’re probably going to think I’m an asshole, but the reason I don’t want a commitment, or anything complicated”—I grimace at those stupid words—“is because I’m leaving at the end of summer.” My free hand strokes her back as I wait several seconds for her to respond.
“Where?”
Tell it to her straight. “Florida. I got a job that’ll get me on the water. They’ll teach me to operate their fleet, enable me to get my captain’s license, and lead excursions—scuba, fishing, recreational stuff.”
“That’s…great, Mick,” she says in a way that sounds forced. “How long have you known?”
My eyes dart to the floor before meeting hers. “I’ve been trying to put it together since the beginning of summer. After the call with your father, it motivated me to increase my efforts.”
I can almost see her rage ignite.
“Hey. It has nothing to do with your dad. I want, need, to get out of here, Jax. I’ve dicked around for months, years really. I want to be on the water, captaining boats. Florida is logical—it’s warm year-round, surrounded by the ocean and Gulf, and there are lots of jobs.”
She nods, blinking rapidly as if staving off tears, and the sorrowful look on her face devastates me. “Thank you for telling me.”
I’m such a prick. And what I’m about to say makes me a selfish fucking prick. “I’ll spend every last minute of my summer with you, but only if you want to, and only knowing the truth about where this is going.”
“And my father’s…impression of you? That you believed enough to break up with me?”
I pause, wanting to word this correctly. “I’m not saying he’s totally wrong—but your dad can go fuck himself. He doesn’t know me or dictate what I do or believe.”
Jax studies me, perhaps debating. I don’t blame her. She should run. “Now what?”
“The ball’s in your court, baby. I’m in, even if it’s going to hurt like a sonofabitch when I split.” Because I can’t run or hide from you. I fucking want you.
She shifts the hair blocking my eye and just that tender touch has my heart turning somersaults. Then she whispers the magic words. “I’m in.”
My gaze traces her beautiful face. Cupping her jaw, I guide her mouth to mine and allow myself to drown in Jacqui Hall.
My lips turn demanding, claiming what I covet.
She whimpers—fast becoming one of my favorite sounds—and I swallow it hungrily.
My tongue twines with hers, communicating everything unspoken.
And damn if I don’t want to devour her. My fingers rove across her skin, and when she trembles, I fucking lose it.
Lifting us both to standing, I whip her around and lay her flat against the bench, my mind on one thing only: burying my face in her heat.
I tug the strings on her bottoms and the material falls away.
Thank you, inventor of string bikinis. Kneeling, I spread her legs wider and lick straight through her fiery center.
She’s soaked, and my dick weeps to thrust inside her.
But first, this juicy, silky pussy is mine, and I let her know it in no uncertain terms.
Jax arches off the padded seat, panting my name like a mantra.
I smile against her entrance, my face slathered with her essence, and glance up, lost for a moment at the vision she presents.
The plane of her hollowed abdomen leads to those magnificent tits, her taut nipples begging for my mouth.
She’s clutching the barbell for support, golden hair spilling around her, mouth parted. Goddamn, she’s beautiful.
My focus shifts, homing in on her demure little clit vying for my attention.
I’m rewarded when it stiffens, becoming more pronounced with each tease of my tongue.
I push in two fingers, my cock straining from how tight and satiny she feels, how responsive she is, her hips thrusting toward me in offering and urging.
She’s like an untamed mustang the way she bucks and arches, and I want every second of this wild ride.
She swells as I coax her to orgasm, combusting with a long moan. Her thighs attempt to close, but I stay in the saddle with one palm holding her wide, lapping up her juices, extending her pleasure, my fingers gripped by her contractions.
My throbbing hard-on propels me to my feet.
Shoving down my shorts, I palm my dick and give it a rough tug while witnessing my near comatose girl.
I did that. I lift her long legs and splay them around my pelvis, suspending her in the air and firmly grasping her hips and ass.
This is not going to be slow or gentle, but I need to be inside her so badly my head pounds.
I thrust into her without pretense, absorbing the enormity of the pleasure rocking me to the core. Holy ever-loving fuck. Blowing out a breath, I continue at a frantic pace, her inner walls spasming and tightening through her orgasmic shockwaves, making me want to blow my load.
Our gazes collide—her amber eyes shining—and I’m so fucking gone, staking my caveman claim of this woman with every stroke, needing to possess every inch of her, every heartbeat, every thought.
Jax moans in a steady stream, and I memorize the rapturous expression on her face.
My grunts increase as I drive into her, taking and giving, the pleasure almost too much to bear.
“I’m not going to last,” I grit out, my pace quickening as my spine tingles and balls tighten.
My name leaves her lips like a plea, smashing through my remaining barrier. Ramming deeply into her, my orgasm blows with force. My hips grind, spilling every ounce into her depths, rutting into her like some animal. She turns me into something wild and fucking feral, I swear.
I lower us to the bench, staying lodged within her warm center, speechless. I’m not sure what’s happening here, but I can’t get enough of her. Can’t fathom ever being satisfied. Can’t imagine leaving her.
Pressing a lingering kiss to that delectable mouth, I remember we’re in Remy’s house in a compromising position. I stretch to pick up my workout towel and ease out of her, placing the cloth between her thighs as I use a spare to clean up my mess.
We’re both silent as we dress, sharing knowing smiles. She moves closer, gazing up at me, and my arms wrap firmly around her.
“You are irresistible,” I murmur.
“Not compared to you.”
I huff. “What am I going to do with you?”
“I’ve got a few ideas.”
Cupping her cheek, I kiss her gently. “Heroin,” I mutter, shaking my head.