Cheap Shot (17 page)

She seemed to consider his question. “What
about what happened since we reconnected? I’m still angry that you think you
had the right to ask Joe to let me go. I liked working there. Those people were
my friends, and I—”

“I’m sorry. If I’d known how much it would
hurt you, I would have found another way to spend time with you. That just
seemed like my best option at the time.”

“You didn’t even care that I had a
boyfriend, did you?”

He looked at her a long time. “If I’d just
met you and found out you had someone else, I probably would have backed off,
but you were mine long before you were his.”

“I’m not a possession,” she reminded him,
her eyes darkening with annoyance. “You keep forgetting that.”

“No, you’re not.” He looked at her left
ring finger, thinking he’d give anything to see it adorned with his engagement
ring. “You’re a strong-willed, intelligent woman who knows exactly what and who
she wants. The question is, do you want me?”

She looked at their joined hands in quiet
contemplation.

“That’s really the only question that
matters, isn’t it? Do you or do you not want me in your life?”

“I do.”

Jaxon felt the burden of worry lift as he
heard the two little words he’d been hoping to hear. “Then where do we go from
here?”

She lifted her finger, beckoning him
closer. When he slid over, invading her personal space, she said, “I want to
start over. We’ve both made mistakes, and I know we’ll make more in the future,
but as long as you can promise me something—”

“Anything,” he said quickly, not waiting to
hear her response. “Anything. Just tell me.”

“Promise me that you’ll respect me enough
to let me make my own decisions about my life.”

“You have my word.”

“Promise me that you won’t try to shut me
out again. If you have a problem, you’ll let me try to help you.”

“I swear.” Jaxon had already suspected
those would be her conditions, and he was confident he could meet them.

“There’s one more thing,” she said, looking
uneasy. “I want to go to one or two of your therapy sessions with you.”

Okay, he hadn’t seen that one coming.
“Why?”

“Because I want us to have a healthy
relationship, and we can’t do that unless we learn to communicate openly and
honestly. That means no more lies. No more secrets.”

“Okay, I’ll tell Dr. Masters to expect you
for our next session.”

She squeezed his hand, a smile brightening
her face. “Thank you. Oh, and one more thing—”

“You said the therapy was the last thing.”
He tried to tamp down his frustration. He just wanted her to tell him they were
officially a couple again so they could celebrate… and bring a few of his
fantasies to life.

“It’s about your mother.”

“What about her?”

“I’d like to come with you the next time
you go visit her.”

He tried, unsuccessfully, to repress his
sigh. “She doesn’t even know me anymore, baby. She won’t remember you.”

“That’s okay. I just want to make her a
promise.”

“What kind of promise?” He was uneasy. He
couldn’t imagine why Sela felt she owed his mother anything.

“I want to promise her I’ll take good care
of you, that I love you, and I’ll never leave you.” She smiled through her
tears. “No matter how much you piss me off, I’m here to stay this time, Jax.”

He crushed her to his chest as he buried
his face in her hair. “God, I love you. Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For giving me another chance to love you.”

Sela insisted Jaxon sit on a chair in
the corner of his bedroom while she peeled off her clothes. She knew it killed
him to keep his hands to himself, but that carnal look in his eye as he watched
her strip to the sexy music she’d selected only aroused her more.

He wrapped his hands around the wood chair.
“I don’t know how much more of this I can take.”

“Sssh,” she said, bringing her finger to
her lips. “I promise I’ll make the wait worth it.” She turned her back to him
while she reached behind her to unfasten her turquoise silk bra. Tossing it on
the ground, she slowly turned around as she slid her hands over her ribcage.

He looked torn between awe and
exasperation. “Why are you doing this? I’ve been waiting a whole year to make
love to you again. Don’t make me wait another second.”

She loved the power that came with pushing
a powerhouse like Jaxon to the limit of his control. She’d pay for it later in
the ferocity of his love making, but that was the kind of retribution she
looked forward to. “Patience, my love.” She hooked her thumbs into the string
of her thong to glide it over her hips.

Jaxon sucked in a breath, hissing as he
released it. “Enough.”

“Not nearly.” She skimmed her curves,
letting her eyes drift closed as she caressed her body. There was nothing
sexier than watching a hot guy salivate, and that’s what she would find when
she opened her eyes.
Score.

“You’re making me crazy,” he said, sounding
furious.

“I know.” She let her hand drift between
her legs as his eyes widened. “That’s the idea.”

“You’re going to be so sorry.”

“Maybe,” she acknowledged, lifting a
shoulder. She let out a low moan as her fingers came away with the proof of her
arousal. “But I’m so willing to take that chance.”

“Get. Over. Here. Now.”

She loved that Jaxon was aggressive when he
had to be, strong-willed, and determined. It turned her on, and he knew it.
“Why?”

“Come here, and I’ll show you.”

“Should I be scared?” she asked, sinking
her teeth into her lower lip as she moved closer.

“Very.”

She knew he would never hurt her, which was
why she closed the distance between them. He grabbed her waist, bringing
himself to eye level with her breasts. She expected him to devour her. Instead
he savored, taking his time teasing her, until she was the one begging for
mercy.

“Jax, please.”

He looked at her with a mischievous grin.
“Please what?”

“You’re going to make me say it, aren’t
you?” She threaded her hands through his hair and tugged just hard enough to
make his eyes widen. “You’re going to make me beg you to make love to me?”

All hint of his amusement disappeared as he
whispered, “I’m the one who should be on my knees, thanking God you’re here
with me.”

She was touched by his show of emotion. It
had been fun and games, each of them taunting the other for a desired effect,
but this was different. Jaxon was reminding her that this wasn’t about the sex.
It was about the connection they’d made when their eyes first locked at a
crowded bar. It was about the months they’d spent building that connection and
the months they wasted trying to pretend it didn’t exist. It was about the
years before them and the dreams they would realize together.

“I love you,” she said, pulling him to his
feet.

“And I love you, beautiful.” He kissed her,
again and again. “More than anything.”

Sela didn’t expect to get so emotional, but
she’d been waiting for so long to hear the man of her dreams tell her he loved
her. “I didn’t think I’d ever hear you say those words.” She dipped her head to
hide her tears. “I’d given up hope.”

He wrapped his hands around her neck,
lifting her face to his. “Long after you were gone, you were still the reason I
got out of bed most mornings.” He kissed her cheek. “I kept telling myself I
couldn’t let it end that way. I had to make things right. I had to get you
back.”

She ran her hands over his bare chest. “I’m
so glad you didn’t give up. There was a time when we were together that I
thought I had enough faith for both of us, but when it came down to it, I
thought all hope was lost and you were the one who kept believing. You were the
one who wouldn’t let go.” It was still difficult for Sela to believe the man
who’d sworn off love and commitment was the same one who’d kept their love
alive. “You’ve made me believe in happy endings, Jax.” She brushed her lips
across his.

“We haven’t even begun to write the last
chapter of our story, baby.” He smiled. “I see a big house on a big piece of
property in the county with that swing and treehouse you wanted.”

“I can’t believe you remembered that.”

He tapped his temple. “I catalogued every
dream you every told me. I think subconsciously I knew, even then, I couldn’t
rest until I’d made them all come true.”

“I don’t deserve this,” she said, fighting
back tears. “No one deserves to be this happy.”

He chuckled. “Honey, I’ve spent years being
miserable. Steal happiness where you can. Don’t waste time questioning it. You
do deserve it.
We
deserve it.”

Just like that, an interlude that had
started out frenzied and passionate, with a race to the finish line, turned
into a leisurely stroll. They knew they had all the time in the world.

Jaxon led her to the bed and pulled back
the plush white duvet before he laid her down on top of him. He kissed her neck
at a leisurely pace, gliding his mouth over her shoulders and the swell of her
breasts before returning his attention to her mouth. Sela was ready to crawl
out of her skin, and Jaxon knew it.

“Protection?” she asked, reaching for the
drawer he’d always kept it.

“Are you still on the pill?” he murmured as
he kissed her neck.

“Yeah, why?”

Jaxon was the one who’d asked her to go on
the pill, but he had still insisted on using condoms. According to him, it was
better to be safe than sorry. An unplanned pregnancy was the last thing he
wanted or needed to complicate his life. It hurt Sela to hear him say their
baby would be unwanted, but she’d tried not to take it personally. He wasn’t
ready for kids. That was his prerogative.

“Let’s skip the condom then.” He grabbed
her shoulders, urging her to look at him. “That is, if you’re okay with that?
I’ve used protection ever since… And every time before we were together. I’ve
never had sex without a condom, but if you’re not—”

She kissed him into submission, responding
without words. Without waiting for Jaxon to ask, she opened for him. She guided
him inside her slowly and gently as she savored every moment.

“God, I needed this,” he mumbled, closing
his eyes as she sank down on him. “I needed you.”

She had forced herself to forget how good
it had been, convincing herself it wasn’t fair to compare other lovers with
Jaxon. He was in a class by himself, which he proved by he grabbing her hips
and guiding her to an explosive orgasm in record time.

“Wow,” she said breathlessly as she
collapsed on his chest. “I can’t believe you just did that.”

Without a word, he flipped her on her back
and prepared to wow her all over again. “It’s never been like this for me.” He
made love to her slowly, captivating her as he moved. “I knew I loved you
before, and it scared the hell out of me.”

Sela gripped his biceps, torn between
wanting to hear every sweet word and getting lost in the ecstasy. “Why?”

“I knew admitting that I loved you meant
forever.”

She didn’t know how he could think
straight, much less talk. She felt as if the top of her head was about to blast
off.

“And I didn’t think I could do forever.”

“Hmmm…” Sela should say something. This had
the potential to be a life-altering moment, but with her entire body tingling, every
muscle tensing, she was surprised she hadn’t stroked out.

Jaxon gripped her waist, stroking her until
she screamed his name.

Covering her body with his as her heart
pounded frantically against his hard chest, he whispered, “Are you with me
now?”

Sela should be embarrassed that her
excitement had taken precedence over everything else, but it had been a long
time since she’d had a lover like him. A year to be precise. “Yes.” She kissed
his neck as she wrapped her arms and legs around him. She couldn’t get enough
of him.

“I was talking about forever.” He moaned,
obviously trying not to let her lips distract him.

Clenching him hard, she said, “Right.
Forever. What about it?”

“I’m not scared anymore. I want you.
Forever.”

Sela couldn’t think about that now. The
riot of sensations moving through her body demanded her undivided attention.
“Can we talk about this later?” She gave him a taste of the way he’d made her
feel earlier as she put all of her focus on what she knew would please him.

“Oh God…” He groaned. “That feels amazing,
baby.”

Amazing. That was exactly the word Sela
would have used to describe it. Simply amazing.

*   *   *

Jaxon was carrying a breakfast tray into
his bedroom the next morning when he heard Sela arguing with her mother.

“I don’t care how you feel about it,
Mother. Jaxon and I are back together. I’m in love with him, so if you want to
have a relationship with me, you’ll have to figure out how to accept him.”

Jaxon hated causing a rift between Sela and
her parents, but she was right. Her parents had to come to terms with it
because he wasn’t going anywhere.

She cast him a guilty glance when she
spotted him. “I’d love to be there to welcome my sister and her new husband
back from their honeymoon, but I’m not coming unless Jaxon is welcome as well.”
She sighed at her mother’s response. “Those are my terms. Take it or leave it.
Fine, we’ll see you at four.”

Jaxon set the tray of pancakes, fruit, and
coffee on his night table before he poured her a cup.

“I’m sorry you had to hear that, honey.”

“It’s okay.” He handed her the coffee with
a smile. “It’s no secret your parents hate me. Thank you for standing your
ground with her though. It meant a lot.” He watched her take a tentative sip of
the coffee he’d cooled with a drop of milk. “But I can’t come with you today.
This is a family occasion. It’s Kiki and Chad’s day. My being there would only
ruin it for them.”

“Kiki and Chad already had their day.
Besides, nothing would make my sister happier than to see us there together.”

“You’ve talked to her about us?” He was
surprised. He didn’t think Sela would want to burden her sister with her
problems while she was on her honeymoon. “When?”

“The night you proposed to me.”

He thought of the ring that had been
burning a hole in his wallet ever since Sela refused to accept it. He was dying
for her to wear it, but he couldn’t rush it. “Did you tell her I asked you to
marry me?”

“I did.” She took another sip. “She thought
I was crazy to turn you down.”

He’d been subtle last night when they were
making love, but he’d mentioned forever because he wanted to remind her that’s
where he saw them going. But she hadn’t taken the bait, which led him to
believe she still wasn’t ready. “But it’s not Kiki’s decision, it’s yours.”

“Yes, it is.” She bit her lip before her
eyes drifted to the platter of fresh fruit. “I’m famished. Would you mind
passing that over here?”

“Sure.” He could tell she was using hunger
as an excuse to avoid talking about the future. It hurt, but he supposed he
deserved it. He passed her the plate. “I have to catch up with the guys. I
bailed on that board meeting the other day, and Zach said there was a pressing
matter he wanted to discuss. I should try to reschedule that meeting for
tomorrow.”

She reached for his hand when he stood.
“You will come to my parents’ house with me, won’t you?”

He knew her parents were a part of the
deal. He didn’t have to love them, but eventually he would call them family,
assuming Sela agreed to marry him someday. “Whatever you want, sweetheart.” He
kissed her hand. “If you want me there, I’ll be there.”

*   *   *

Jaxon decided to stop at High Rollers
before meeting Sela at her parents’ house. He was nervous, and he was hoping to
talk to one of his buddies. He wouldn’t let Sela’s parents scare him away. He
intended to be a part of her life for as long as she would have him, but he
didn’t want her to feel compelled to choose between him and her family.

“Hey, Jax,” Dylan said as Jaxon stepped off
the elevator. “I’m glad you’re here. Zach’s been talking to me about
rebranding. He thinks we should give the bars a new look. You know, something
hotter, more contemporary, maybe move away from the sports theme. What do you
think?”