THE CLOCK FLIPPED from 1:59 to 2:00 a.m. I’d gotten home hours ago, but every time I closed my eyes, I swore I could feel Jax’s lips pressed against mine. It was like he was seared permanently in my brain. He hadn’t tried to kiss me tonight, instead slowly flaming the fire growing within me. He did it with the smallest of touches, making me come undone. I felt every nerve ending come alive. I’d wanted to get as close as possible until his body melded into mine, but I had to settle for adjusting myself on his lap. The scruff of his two-day-old beard against my neck sent shivers down my spine when he pressed his nose into my hair, inhaling deeply. If we weren’t in public, I would’ve straddled him, pulling his mouth to mine. I squirmed, unable to get comfortable, the buzz of excitement keeping me awake. I groaned and flipped over, covering my head with a pillow.
Just go to sleep.
My phone vibrated on the nightstand. It was late, and fear lanced through my chest at the late hour, but I knew Mia and Anthony were already home.
Jax: Caleb is an asshole.
Oh my god, oh my god. Oh my fucking god. My neck warmed, realizing Jax was reading my favorite book. I thought he was kidding when he’d asked me about it. My cheeks flamed as I tried to breathe through my embarrassment. It was okay—there was nothing to be ashamed of. Smut was perfectly normal, empowering even. No guy was going to tell me differently. But he was not saying anything bad. He was actually freaking reading it. A thrill bubbled in my chest as I pictured him in his room, flipping through the pages.
Jax: Sid?
Shit. I’d waited too long. He was probably worried that it freaked me out or something. Well, I was freaked-out, but not because he was reading it.
Me: That’s kind of the point. Bad boys and all that.
Jax: If anyone treats you like this, I’ll fucking kill him.
I ignored the tingle that traveled down my spine. It was at this moment that every feminist molecule in my body died because I freaking loved that. Overprotective, possessive, jealous popular hockey player? Yep, sounded like my type of guy.
Me: I promise to only like book assholes.
Jax: He handcuffed her to the bed, Sid. And not in the kinky way.
My grip tightened on the phone, and I kicked the sheets off my hot skin. I honestly didn’t think he’d read it, and if he’d gotten that far, he’d passed… Jesus. I stared frozen at the screen, having no idea what to write back, and startled when another message popped up.
Jax: I was sitting next to Alex when it got to the shower scene. Could’ve fucking warned me.
Images of Jax hard on the couch, reading next to his friends, had an ache burning low in my stomach. The shower scene had her on her knees, swallowing the main male character’s cock down until tears pooled in her eyes. I wanted to feel controlled like that when I read it. Owned like that.
Me: Where’s the fun in that?
Jax: You don’t have to reply to this, but… I’ve never been so hard in my fucking life. You and your favorite book did that to me.
Heat flooded between my thighs as I reread his text. I did it? Was he thinking about me when he read it? I wanted him to tell me. Tell me exactly what he thought of the scene.
Me: Do you like it?
Jax: Yeah, I fucking do.
My lungs burned with the force of my sucked-in breath. This was new and dangerous territory. After everything that had happened between us… this needed to end, but I didn’t want it to stop. My body begged me to block out my mind. Just this once.
Me: Tell me.
Jax: Fuck.
I swore I could feel how turned on he was through his messages.
Jax: I like the way she spreads her legs apart and her panties are dark where she’s soaked through them.
I could hardly breathe reading his messages. Thank god he didn’t need a response to keep going.
Jax: How the smooth skin of her thighs feel under his palms as he brings his hand to her cunt. Would you be wet for me, Sid?
Lust lanced through me and sent my heart beating out of my chest. A needy ache built between my thighs, and I slid my hand under my panties to cup myself. My fingers were instantly coated wet, and my eyes rolled back as I slid one finger over my sensitive skin. I bit my lip, waiting for his next message, but nothing came through. Shit. Before I could chicken out, I hit Dial, and he answered immediately, his harsh breath coming out in pants.
“What did he do next?” My words were practically a plea for him to keep going. To not question this.
He groaned, and his voice was rough. “You’re killing me.” The line was silent except for the sound of his breath for several seconds. “He pulled her panties to the side and buried two fingers into her until she fucked herself on them.”
I bit back my moan so hard I could taste the metal tang of blood, but that didn’t stop me from sliding my fingers inside, wishing they were his. “What does his other hand do?”
Jax’s low reply, mixed with the distinct sound of rhythmic skin on skin, had my toes curling. “He wraps it around her neck and pins her to the bed. Do you like that part, Sid?”
“Yes,” I breathed. My fingertips swirled around my clit before thrusting deep.
“You are such a good girl, Sidney. I bet you like when he licks her cunt and bites down on her clit. Was that your favorite part? Because it’s fucking mine.”
Images of Jax between my thighs, hand gripping my throat as he devoured my cunt, flooded my senses. A cry broke from my mouth as my orgasm shattered through me, followed by Jax’s groan.
Jax’s rough breathing filled my ear as the world came back into focus, bringing the reality of what just happened with it. Jax’s low voice rumbled, “Good night, Sid.”
Shit. I hung up before I could say anything stupid. What the hell did I just do, and why did I want to do it again?
“Come on, where is it?” I yanked the cushions off the sofa and searched for my laptop. For the hundredth time, I checked my watch and let out a frustrated groan. I only had five minutes until I would definitely be late for class. I knew for a fact I’d had it last night. Going to my room as a last-ditch effort, I reached my hand behind my bed and felt something smooth and metallic pinned there. “Gotcha!”
“Thank the lord,” Mia sighed. She was standing in pineapple-patterned sleep shorts, a thin white shirt, and a sleep mask pushed up on her forehead. She looked exhausted, with dark circles under her eyes, and her usually glowing skin was ashy.
“I’m so sorry. I’m running super late and couldn’t find my laptop.”
“You stay up all night talking to a sports god, and now you’re running around in a tizzy. I’m onto you, Sidney King.” Her grin washed away some of the tiredness there.
“Keep dreaming. I’ll see you later,” I said as I finished packing my bag.
She looked around our destroyed home and shot back, “You owe me, girl.”
I sent her my most apologetic smile and rushed out of the house, practically jumping down the stairs, which I was definitely not coordinated enough to pull off.
I flew out the front door and crashed right into a solid chest. My weight tipped and braced for impact, sure to hit the ground.
“Easy now. I’ve got you.” Strong arms wrapped around me, and I drew in a fresh, woodsy scent.
“What are you doing here?” my voice snapped out before I could stop it.
Jax tilted his head, and the corner of his mouth twitched. “So, not a morning person?”
That was an understatement.
“Sorry, I was just surprised to see you. Good morning,” I said, trying to give him my most innocent look.
A half grin curved his lips. “That’s okay, I can take it.”
Jax looked good with his cap pulled low, gray sweats, and a dark blue hoodie. He looked soft, welcoming, sexy, and I wanted to curl my entire body against him. He cleared his throat, drawing my eyes back to his. His gaze was dark as he leaned forward, and his lips barely skimmed the shell of my ear. “I’m here to drive you to class.”
A shiver ran all the way through to my core. “It’s a few blocks. I could’ve made it.”
“Wouldn’t be able to make it now, though. Come on, get in.” He pointed over to a black truck parked at the curb. “Let’s get moving. Don’t want you to be late.”
I wasn’t sure if he was saying that to himself or me as he ever so slowly broke contact, taking in a deep breath before stepping back. I fixed my eyes on his, precious seconds ticking by as we were caught in this trance.
“Hey, Jax,” some guy shouted from down the road, but Jax didn’t turn from me. Instead, he held out his hand and guided me to his truck. He opened the door like a gentleman, crowded in closer when I sat, and reached over, buckling me in.
He tapped a finger under my jaw and said, “You look good in the morning, Trouble,” before shutting my door with a click.
My stomach flipped, and I checked out his truck as a distraction. It smelled fresh, with a soft undertone of pine. There were notebooks in the center console and a gym bag in the back seat, but it was also clean. Not a speck of dirt, pristine condition. Jax was someone who liked to take care of his things.
With that thought, my eyes caught on his smiling face as he got into the driver’s seat. He had that crooked, cocky smile you’d expect every star athlete to have, but on him, it was almost impossible to escape. His smile grew at my blatant appraisal, and he raised a coffee. I gasped in excitement as I took it from him. “Oh my god, thank you.”
“You should see your face right now. Fucking perfect.” He burst out laughing, but I was too busy taking my first sips to care.
“You got it the way I like it.” I hummed in my throat as I took another sip. I could hear the reverence in my voice. This man had moved up into saint territory.
He turned onto the road, making the quick trip to the school, and last night’s NHL highlights came on the radio. I switched the station, and his brows furrowed in question. One that I wouldn’t explain.
His gaze turned back to the road, but he looked at me from the corner of his eye. “I remembered from the library.” His voice was low, and his cheeks were pink. Maybe this wasn’t the type of thing he usually did? If it was, he had all kinds of game. Women didn’t stand a chance, and that might end up including me.
Get yourself together, girl. Guy gets you one coffee, and you fall out of your clothes? It was three. And the answer is, yeah, pretty much.
I twisted my hands in my lap, trying and failing to not be awkward. “So, do you make it a habit of rescuing people late for class?”
He raised his eyebrow, silently asking, Seriously? “No, I couldn’t give a shit most of the time.”
That sent a shiver down my spine. “But you give a shit now?”
I needed to learn when to shut up.
He cleared his throat, skipping my question. “How are your classes?”
“I have this one class that’s ridiculously hard, and the guy that sits next to me is a practical storm cloud ninety-five percent of the time. So, there’s that.”
His grin was back, making him look boyish. “And the other five percent?”
The other five percent. He looked at me like he was going to eat me. And I sat there like I might let him.
“Barely tolerable.”
My little rant won me a startled laugh from Jax, the smile softening some of his hard lines. He narrowed his eyes on me. “I should make you pay for that ‘barely tolerable’ comment.” His voice deepened, and after last night, I had no doubt he’d make good on his promise.
Jax pulled up to the front entrance and put the truck in park. Not quite ready to get out, I fiddled with my bag. I still had to run, but now I had coffee! I leaned over and slid my hand up his arm. It was thick, hard, and deeply tan. My mouth watered as my hand traveled over him. He tracked my movements, eyes filled with heat, and I snapped my hand back.
“Thanks, Jax. It was… it was—”
“Thanks, who?” He lifted a brow expectantly.
I huffed out a breath. “King.”
His dimple was on full display, and he bit the corner of his lip. “My pleasure. Wait, I have something else.”
He grabbed a white bag with Ellie’s Bakery written across it. The smell of fresh pastry and chocolate filled my nose. I desperately tried to contain my moan, but from his bit-back groan, I didn’t succeed. Jax might just be the sexiest man alive.
Opening my door before I did something especially stupid like ask him to marry me, I jumped out, being careful not to spill my coffee.
He leaned toward me and kept his voice low. “Sid.”
A shiver ran down my spine as he watched me with dark eyes. “Yeah.”
“I finished your book last night. I think there’s a few things we should talk about.”
I swallowed hard and slammed the door shut. The last sex scene in that book had her bent over a table, her wrists and ankles tied as he fucked her in the ass while a group of people watched.
His laugh followed me as I ran toward class.
