part0008

J ax arrived an hour later. Our relationship had progressed to that level of comfort where he didn’t bother knocking anymore. I was still in the bathroom prepping when he strode into my bedroom.

“So, it looks like you had a busy afternoon.” He leaned his shoulder against the doorframe, a questioning look in his eyes.

“Yeah, my family didn’t leave until after six.” I refrained from giving any details about what had transpired, acting as if having my kitchen table covered in wedding paraphernalia wasn’t a big deal. I finished rubbing lotion on my hands as I walked toward him. “So, what do you want to do?”

His brow creased, and he frowned. “What do I want to do about what?”

Maybe it was my imagination, which it wasn’t, but he seemed easily spooked. Despite my goal to stay positive, my doubts resurfaced, but I refused to let him see them. Instead, I wound my arms around his neck. “What do you want to do about getting me naked?”

A couple of seconds passed as his golden-brown eyes locked with mine. Ever so slightly, I felt the tension ease from him, and a smile formed. “I think the first logical step is to strip you out of these clothes.” His finger hooked the bottom of my T-shirt and dragged it upward.

I raised my arms and let him peel me like a banana. This had been my plan all along, and as such, I’d made sure to wear my five-minute bra and underwear for the occasion. I called them that because though adorable, they were super uncomfortable. The sooner he got them off of me the better .

Much to my satisfaction, his eyes zeroed in on the confection of black lace and satin straps. With bent fingers, he stroked the fabric, causing my nipples to tighten against his touch. “My favorite.”

I wasn’t sure if he was talking about the lingerie or my right boob. At that point, I didn’t care as long as he didn’t stop. “I’ve got panties to match,” I whispered, goading him to be bolder.

He caressed a trail down my torso and abdomen, stopping at the top of my waistband. Hooking his finger around the button, he flicked it open and drew down the zipper. With a gentle push, my shorts dropped to the floor. He stepped back. His gaze devoured me from the top of my head to my toes, lingering on a few choice spots. Oh, I really liked it when Jax looked at me like that.

Moving forward, I guided him toward the bed. When his knees hit the mattress, I gave a little push. He plopped onto the bed, bringing me with him, and we tumbled in a pile onto my fluffy blue comforter. With a slick move, Jax flipped me, and before I could utter a protest, I was under him. Not that I would have protested too much. That was exactly where I liked to be. Still, he was fully clothed, and I was on minute three of my five-minute lingerie.

“Too many clothes.” I tugged at his T-shirt. “Must have skin-to-skin.”

A low growl rumbled from him as he glided his hand down my torso. Obviously, he decided skin contact would be better as well. While straddling me, he sat up and shrugged out of his shirt. My fingers worked the buttons of his jeans, and when I’d successfully opened all of them, I pushed him to the side, hopped off the bed, and tugged off his pants. Tit-for-tat, I studied him with an appreciative eye for about four seconds. That’s when he launched himself at me, pulling me back onto the bed.

Once again, I found myself under Jax, this time happily skin-to-skin. Maybe I had a touch of wanton in me because I did not heed the advice the women in my family had given me while growing up. Keep my legs together. Nope, like Moses dividing the Red Sea, my legs parted. Jax nestled against my nether regions, and a sigh of sweet satisfaction slipped from me.

Nuzzling my neck, he murmured against my sensitive skin. “I’ve been waiting for this all day.”

A shiver of pleasure tingled across my shoulders. “Me too.” Turning my head, I captured his mouth.

He slanted his head, claiming my lips. Our tongues danced and caressed each other, sending spirals of heated passion through me. When he cupped my breast, I arched against his hand. The spell he cast with his kiss and magic fingers had me panting and writhing under him. I grasped his ass, pulling his erection against me, but it wasn’t enough. Lifting my leg, I hooked my toe on the waistband of his boxers and dragged them off in a single downward motion. I would have stopped to brag at my slick move, but his hot mouth latched onto my nipple, almost propelling me off the bed.

Five minutes was up. All clothing needed to be off. As if reading my mind, Jax complied, stripping me down to my birthday suit. Thank you, Jesus!

Now, fully nude and completely willing, he focused his full attention on my needs. I lost count of exactly how many times he met my needs, but let me just say, more than a lot of women see in their lifetime. Okay, that might be an exaggeration, but that’s what it felt like.

When I was with Jax like this, everything seemed right. The feud between our families, the fact that I wasn’t a Shifter, and the idea that our wedding was something he didn’t want to talk about all vanished. Everything seemed right in the world, all unicorn farts and rainbows.

After expending enough energy to power a city, I lay exhausted but sated in his arms. He traced a winding path up and down my arm with his finger, his eyes fixed on my ceiling. I would have given anything to know what he was thinking about, but I didn’t want to be that kind of girlfriend. Instead, I said, “You’re forgiven.”

Though he didn’t look at me, a wide smile curled his lips. “After that, I should be forgiven for my next three relationship mistakes.”

Actually, from the way my body tingled, I probably would have agreed to a lifetime of boyfriend slipups. Of course, I didn’t tell him that. “You’re babbling again. Maybe a free pass on the next one, but three? No way.”

With that, he rolled on top of me, wedging between my legs and pressing his growing erection against me. “I guess I’d better try harder.”

“It feels like you already are,” I gasped. Oh, the things this man could do to me—what I would allow him to do to me.

Our love making had bordered on animalistic and rough the first few times. It’s a mountain lion thing. One I really liked. But this time, he slowed the seduction. Each caress I gave him was met with equal attention from Jax. Each pleasure he gave me, I returned two-fold. We took our time, appreciated each other, and languished in how good everything felt.

And as he lay on top of me, his heartbeat racing, his heavy breaths brushing the side of my face, he whispered, “I love you, Poppy.”

My hold on him tightened, “I love you too, Jax.”

A veil of contentment consumed me. Nothing could screw up things between us. We were in love, and love conquered all.

We must have fallen into a deep sleep, because loud pounding on my front door jolted us both awake.

I squinted at the clock. “It’s only seven.” I’d had big plans to sleep in and maybe ravish Jax again, but whoever was at my front door thought otherwise. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood, scrambling for my robe. So much for the afterglow of sweaty rabbit sex.

“Somebody had better be dead,” I grumbled, yanking on the belt of my robe and stomping to the door.

More knocking ensued, and I jerked the door open, a couple of verbal barbs at the ready. But when I saw Jax’s grandmother standing on the other side, the words died in my throat.

“Good morning, Poppy.” She stood with her hands folded in front of her, a Gucci bag hanging from her wrist. As always, she was dressed impeccably in a lightweight linen suit, and her golden-brown hair had been teased to impressive height and width, reminding me of a lion’s mane. “Were you still in bed?”

Feeling that admitting I’d still been asleep would cast me in a bad light, I shook my head. “No. I was just getting ready to make breakfast.” Breakfast usually consisted of whatever sweets I had in my house and a big glass of milk or leftover take-out. Neither were probably up to her standards. “Please, come in.” I stepped back to allow her entrance into my apartment. “I hope nothing’s wrong.”

“There is a matter I wish to discuss with you.” Her eyes drifted down my body, and her mouth pinched into a disapproving frown. “But perhaps you’d like to get dressed first.”

“I’ll put on a pot of coffee. It should be finished by the time I’m dressed.” Not waiting for her approval or consent, I headed into the kitchen. The table was still covered with wedding invitation sample books and catalogs, but I ignored them. After prepping the coffee, I walked toward the bedroom. Mrs. Jackson still stood just inside the door. “Please, have a seat. I’ll only be a minute.”

I didn’t wait to see if she sat down. Instead, I closed the bedroom door behind me and took a flying leap, landing on Jax.

He grunted and grabbed my shoulders. “What the hell, Poppy? ”

When he attempted to push me off, I used my impressive weight and strength to pin his shoulders to the bed. I gave him a humorless smile. “Your grandmother is in my living room.”

That woke him up. His eyes snapped open. “What? Why?”

“That’s what I’d like to know. So, get your cute ass out of bed and get dressed, because I’m not facing her alone.”

He groaned and covered his face with a pillow. “It’s too early for this.”

“Agreed, but unless you want me to forcibly eject her from my apartment, which I don’t think is possible, you need to get up.”

Taking his pillow with me, I rolled to the side and landed on my feet next to the bed. Jax’s eyes were still closed, and his breathing had settled into a deep rhythm. The bastard had fallen asleep again.

“Jax.” I whipped the covers off of him, then smacked him in the face with his pillow. “Get up.” He jerked awake again and glowered at me, so I walloped him again.

My heart raced as he leveled a dangerous stare at me. “You are so dead.”

Self-preservation kicked in. A squeak of alarm burst from me as I threw the pillow at him and raced toward the bathroom. He bound off the bed, and despite his cat-like reflexes, I managed to slam the door before he caught me. “Get dressed and go talk to your grandmother.”

Though I couldn’t make out what he said exactly, his footsteps retreated. I knelt and stuck my ear against the skeleton keyhole, listening for any indication that the coast was clear. At the click of the bedroom door, I stuck my head out of the bathroom.

His grandmother’s surprised voice wafted under the door. Clearly, she hadn’t expected Jax to be here so early in the morning. Busted. Everybody and their dog knew we were practically living together, but the moral high ground his grandmother stood firmly upon required her to ignore that fact .

I shrugged into a pair of jean shorts and T-shirt and joined them in the living room. Mrs. Jackson perched on the edge of my comfy reading chair like a queen, her purse propped on her lap. Jax entered from the kitchen carrying two cups of coffee. He handed one to his grandmother and one to me.

“Thank you.” I gave him a sweet smile and then took a fortifying sip.

He glared back at me, but a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “You’re welcome.” After grabbing a cup of coffee for himself, he parked it on the couch next to me. “So, Grandma, what’s up?”

“What is up, Jaxson, is that it’s come to my attention that preparations for the wedding have begun.” She pursed her lips and straightened. “But we have not been consulted...about anything.”

“The Jacksons. Usually the groom’s family has some say in the wedding planning.”

The urge to defend myself pushed at me, but I bit it back and took another sip of coffee. I’d spent yesterday dealing with my family. Now it was his turn.

He glanced from his grandmother to me, his eyebrows lifted. I met his stare with a narrowed gaze. If he threw me under the bus, he would never touch me again. Well...at least not until after the wedding.

Finally, he said, “I don’t think we’ve made any plans for the wedding, have we, Poppy?”

That was the truth. The only thing I’d settled on was wearing grandma Bonnie’s dress. “No, we haven’t even set a date.”

He smiled at her. “See, you haven’t missed out on a thing.”

“Well, that’s good then. I guess I was misinformed.” Her posture relaxed slightly. “So,” she said, reaching into her purse and pulling out a small calendar. “When were you thinking of?”

Oh, this was getting good. I tucked my legs under me and took another sip, waiting to see what he’d say.

“No, but we really haven’t had a chance to sit down and decide.”

“I understand that, Jaxon.” Her spine stiffened again, and I could see she was digging her heels in on this. “So, let’s do that now.” With the click of a pen, she focused her attention on me. “Let’s start with you, Poppy. In the next six months, are there any weeks that you have obligations?”

I shook my head. “Nope, I’m completely free.”

“Excellent.” She turned to Jax. “And how about you? Any obligations you already have scheduled?”

“Nothing scheduled.” He shrugged. “But that’s not to say a big case couldn’t come up. I might even have to leave town.”

“But right now, you’re free?” I asked. “For the next six months?”

“Like I said, right now yes, but that could change.” He lifted the cup to his lips, not meeting my eyes. I couldn’t tell if he was unknowingly being evasive or he had major cold feet.

His grandmother gave a heavy sigh. “Really, Jaxon, you’re making this way too difficult.”

My thoughts exactly. A few seconds later, his phone vibrated against the coffee table. From the way he snatched it up, I knew he was looking for a way out of this conversation.

“Tell you what,” he said, setting his cup on the table. “You guys decide when, where, and everything else that goes in to planning a wedding, and I’ll be there. ”

He stood. A bolt of panic shot through me. No way was he even considering leaving me alone with his grandmother. Hadn’t he just made amends for his boyfriend faux pas? “Where are you going?”

“Work.” He bent and kissed his grandmother on the cheek, ignoring me. Probably because he knew I was pissed.

“But it’s Saturday. We had plans,” I said, reminding him that we vowed to stay in bed until at least noon.

“Duty calls.” He shoved his feet into his boots and turned to me. “You know how it is.”

“Anything I can help with?” I asked, hoping Marvin and Merle were up to their shenanigans again.

To my disappointment, he shook his head. “No.”

“Fine, then I’ll walk you out.” I smiled at Mrs. Jackson. “Be back in a minute.”

She gave me a semi-warm smile. “That’s fine.”

I ignored the fact that she’d given me permission to leave my own house and followed Jax out the door, closing it behind me. “I can’t believe you’re leaving me here with your grandmother.”

“I have to go to work.” He trotted down a couple of steps.

“So, not even a goodbye kiss?”

He pivoted and jogged back up the steps. I didn’t really want to kiss him. I was too angry. Maybe he sensed this because he slanted his mouth over mine, pulling me tightly against him. Our bodies pressed together, and I was seriously cursing him for having to work. When his tongue glided along mine, I lost myself to the kiss. Any anger I’d been feeling melted away, and I leaned into him, needing more, demanding more.

By the time he broke the kiss, we were both a panting mess. He pressed his forehead to mine. “I gotta go but I’ll be back.”

I stepped back and grasped the door handle for support. My heart raced, my knees weak from our kiss, but I was still irritated with him for abandoning me. “This is your one free pass. ”

Though I continued to scowl at him, he smiled back at me. “That’s a bit harsh, don’t you think?”

“Harsh? You’re leaving me with your grandmother. Who, I might remind you, neither likes nor approves of me.” I returned his smile but made sure it had some bite to it. “You’re lucky if I let you back through my door at all.” It was petty, but I stressed the word my, reminding him he didn’t officially live here yet.

“You need to toughen up, Poppy.”

I jammed my fists on my hips. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Marrying me means you marry my family. There will be times when you’ll be alone with my grandmother, or my grandfather, or any number of my pride. I won’t always be there to bail you out.”

Was he serious? Toughen up? He was the one who couldn’t stand to talk about getting married for more than thirty seconds. I held up my hand. “Hold on, I need to run inside and grab a heavy book.”

His brow pinched in confusion. “Why?”

“So I can throw it at your head.”

With a big smile, he lunged at me and planted a sloppy kiss on my mouth. “Have fun.”

Before I had time to react, namely slap him, he darted down the steps and out the door. “Jackass.”

Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm the jumble of emotions toppling through me. I hated that he so cavalierly avoided dealing with his grandmother, but he was also right about marrying into his family. No matter how much I didn’t like the idea, there would be times when I’d be alone with the Jacksons.