Irons (Norfolk #1) (14 page)

When the eggs were finished, I saw her phone lying on the counter and decided to check and see if she had missed a call. Ok, more specifically to check out her recent calls and try to see if the bastard who had called was dumb enough to not block it. Wishful thinking on my part.

She had a missed call from her mom and four from Joel. I was scrolling through her messages when I heard her.

“Jax, is that my phone?”

I looked up and saw her standing in my t-shirt, which was incredibly sexy, rubbing her eyes.

“Morning.”,” I set the phone on the counter and turned around to grab a cup of coffee for her. When I turned back around, she was looking at me strangely. “Coffee?”

“Is that my phone?” she asked again.

I handed her the cup of coffee and kissed the top of her head. “Apparently you need some more sleep.”

“Why’s that?” she asked before taking a sip.

“Well, I would think you would know if it was your phone if you weren’t still exhausted.” I took her cup out of her hand, and set it on the counter, then turned around and looked into her eyes. “I think you should go back to bed.”

“Why are you going through my phone?” She tried to reach around me to get it and I grabbed her and picked her up.

“Because I can,” I said before biting her neck. “Do you know how hot you look in the morning?”

She grabbed hold of my shoulders and leaned back trying to look annoyed. “My phone is mine.”

“Irrelevant.”

“Irrelevant? Pfftt.”

“Seeing you in my shirt makes me a little uncomfortable.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I just—,” she looked so confused.

“You should take it off,” I smiled, “Now.”

She looked at me and smiled back. “Yeah?”

“Fuck yeah.”

She reached down between us and pulled me free of my pants. “Thought you were upset with me.”

“I am,” she said as she rubbed my cock against her wet hot pussy.

“Christ, Frankie, remind me to piss you off more often.”

“I don’t want to be pissed at you, Jax, I want to love you.”

To that, I couldn’t hold back.

*     *     *

I spent my
morning inside of her and she did drift back to sleep. I stood on the back deck overlooking the Atlantic, trying to figure out what I was going to do about Joel. That little punk had whatever I was going to give to him coming. He took a tape of the two of them fucking and was trying to scare the shit out of her. The thing I didn’t understand was how the hell he knew about me.

My pocket vibrated and I pulled out my phone. It was my mother.

“Hello, mother.”

“Jaxson, we are in a bit of a predicament and need you and Mimi to attend an event in Roanoke. She has agreed and we have a suite already booked.”

“When?” I asked as I sat on the steps.

“Tonight, you would have to be there by eight which means—”

“I’m sorry. I won’t be able to make it.”

“Jaxson, this is very important.”

“Again, I apologize but—”

“We have a plan, Jaxson. We are a team.”

“I understand.”

“Your father spoke to Colonel Smith, you are not on duty this weekend.”

“Mother—”

“Pick Mimi up at three. You have three hours.”

She hung up the phone and I tried to call back. She didn’t answer. “FUCK!”

“Jax?” She walked up and sat next to me on the steps. “Is everything all right?”

“Did I wake you?” I asked as she leaned over and rested her head on my shoulder.

“It’s noon. I should have been up hours ago.”

“If I remember correctly, you were.”

I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her in tighter.

“Yeah,” she smirked.

“Yeah.” I kissed her head.

“Your mom?”

“Yes, apparently, there’s a function.”

“Tonight?” her voice squeaked.

“I won’t go.”

“You have to go.”

“I won’t stay the night.”

Her body tensed and she looked down and very slowly the distance between us became apparent.

“Frankie, I—”

“I understand, Jax. It’s who you are, your family is important. The whole political thing, I get it. But why would you have to spend the night?”

“It’s in Roanoke. I don’t have to stay. You can come—”

“Will you be with her?”

“Mimi?”

“Yeah.”

“Understand that this is not a date. Anytime you’re ready to come with me, just say the word.”

“Then whoever called the other night will—”

“I’m pretty damn sure it’s that punk that likes to beat you—”

“Jax, please don’t. Besides, why would he care?”

“If he has been inside your pussy, Frankie, he certainly doesn’t want anyone else to be.”

“Is that how you feel about the other girls you’ve been with?”

“It’s how I feel about you and no one else.”

“I can’t go until—”

“Hold up, you just said until?”

“Yes. Until we see what we’re up against.”

“Joel is what we’re up against. Does he know about me?”

“I don’t know.” Her face started to change colors and she looked away as she played nervously with her hands.

“Frankie, does he know about me?”

“I guess, maybe,” she said quietly.

“So you’ve seen him since we—”

“No.”

“Then why do you think—”

“I have a scrapbook, okay. It’s stupid and childish and, arrrggg, yes, he knows, drop it, okay?” She started to stand and I pulled her down on my lap. “Let go, Jax.”

“Spill it.”

“Leave it alone,” she groaned.

“What’s this scrap book, Frankie?”

“If I tell you, you drop it. Never mention it again?”

“Scout’s honor.” I flashed the sign.

“Fine. Growing up I planned my dream life and made a book about it. My wedding, my kids, my home, my family—” She stopped talking when I chuckled, she tried to wiggle away., “Just forget it.”

“No.”

“You laughed at me—”

“I laughed at the difference between males and females.”

“Meaning what?”

“I planned how to take over the world.”

“Not marriage and kids, you’re such a man, Jax,” she said, settling back against my chest.

“I never thought much of having a family.”

“I’m sorry.”

It wasn’t untrue. I had never even considered what it would be like until I met Will and his family. And then I didn’t want that either because I knew I wasn’t built that way.

“Don’t be sorry, but please finish. I want to know why you think Joel has suspicions.”

She took a deep breath and tried sitting forward again, but I held her still.

“Fine, your head was attached to the groom pictures, the husband, the father, okay?”

I couldn’t help but laugh out loud and she elbowed me in the stomach, which made me laugh harder.

“I told you three years ago how I felt and five minutes ago you promised not to laugh at me. Apparently, I was wrong about you back then, thinking you would be a good husband. Now I know you suck.”

I laughed against her neck as she huffed and squirmed in my arms.

“Did he adore you?”

“What?” she gasped.

“The husband, the father, my head in a scrapbook. Did that guy adore you?”

“Hell yes, he did and he was nice, too. He was caring and would never have laughed at me.”

“Never?” I tickled her ribs and she laughed.

“No, not ever.”

“And Joel knows this how?”

“He found it when he was helping me unpack at my apartment.”

“You brought it with you to college? Your little girl scrap book?” I joked.

“It was my dream book and yes, I did, you big jerk.”

“Was he pissed when he opened it?”

“What do you think?”

“I think I would have shredded it.”

“Well he asked me to toss it and I told him no.”

Again I laughed and this time she did, too.

“Flat Jax.”

“Come again?”

She turned and smiled a bright beautiful smile. “I do love you, Jax.”

“I do love hearing you say that.”

She gave me a little kiss on the cheek and stood up. “Let’s go get you ready for your date.”

“Frankie, it’s not a damn date,” I groaned as I stood up.

“Do you know how lucky you are to have a girlfriend like me?”

“Girlfriend,” I repeated her word out loud just to see how it sounded.

“Oh I’m sorry, that’s not—”

“Don’t be sorry.” I interrupted her. “Damn, I have a girlfriend.”

“No—”

“Frankie, cut it out. It sounds good, feels good. Just new to me, you know. But I like it, a lot.” I took her hand and we walked into the house. “You hungry?”

“Are you going to cook me lunch too?”

I smiled, “In that book of yours, did—flat Jax?”

She bit her lip and laughed, “Yes, flat Jax.”

“Did he do all the cooking?”

“He did,” she grinned. “And cleaning.”

“Yeah, I bet. What did flat Frankie do?” I grabbed some veggies and chicken out of the fridge.

“Watched him,” she pushed herself up on the island counter.

“Wow, that’s just, wow.” I grabbed the skillet out of the cupboard and put it on the range. “What else did she do?”

“She worked in her shop off the back of the house.”

“Really, what did she do in this shop?”

“Made stuff. Soap, candles and fragrances.”

“Interesting,” And it was. Listening to her talk about her dreams was so far from any conversation I had ever had.

“She sold them online and was able to take care of the ten kids.”

I dropped the knife I was using to chop the water chestnuts and she laughed.

“Ten?”

“Well, to start. Flat Frankie wanted more. Flat Jax was one hundred percent on board.”

“You do realize flat Jax had no sense at all, right?”

“He couldn’t resist the temptation.” She smiled and lifted her shirt, flashing me.

I tried not to react because, well I have no idea why, because this shit wasn’t real, but her tits were.

“Flat Frankie isn’t so flat.” She laughed. “You are kidding, right? I mean ten kids is sort of… insane.”

“Four.”

“Still a lot, Frankie. I mean, how on earth would flat Frankie take care of flat Jax’s sexual desires with even four kids running around raising hell?”

She grabbed a carrot and took a bite. “Flat Jax got it whenever he wanted. Ergo the ten flat kids.”

“I see. Apparently flat Frankie didn’t know the joy of swallowing.”

Frankie

T
his side of
Jax made him even sexier than I had ever imagined. I loved the strength and the control he possessed, but the fun loving Jax was equally as amazing.

He set the knife down and just looked at me with a half-smile until he finally said, “I don’t want to go tonight. Fuck, Frankie, I just want to stay here. Just cook, eat, sleep and fuck all weekend.”

I tried not to smile, I really did, but I couldn’t help it.

He walked over and kissed my head. “This sucks and I won’t do it again. I will make damn sure when I am through tonight I take care of that tape, that punk ass—”

“You can’t get into trouble Jax. Your career…”

“I will take care of it without incident, trust me. I want you to stay here while I’m gone. I will be back early in the morning and—”

“I’m going home.”

“Why?”

“Well, first of all, you won’t be here.”

“You’re welcome here; actually I’m going to have to insist on you being here until—”

“I would feel more comfortable having my roommates around as opposed to being here alone.”

He looked at me, examining me for a moment. “I will allow it tonight.”

“Allow it?” I half laughed.

The way he tilted his head to the side and his eyebrows knit slightly was a reaction I hadn’t expected. It was as if he didn’t understand my dislike of being ‘allowed’ to do something.

“Why does that make you upset?”

“You’re being serious.” I tried not sound amused but I was. “Oh, Jax, we’re going to have to work on this a bit, aren’t we?”

“On?”

“I can make decisions for myself.”

He looked down at the pan and smirked, “I know what you’re doing, Frankie, but it won’t work.”

“Care to enlighten me?”

“Picking a fight. But I didn’t enjoy cold eggs this morning so before I take you back in the bedroom, we’ll eat.”

I laughed out loud. “That is so not what I was doing.”

“Uh huh, tell yourself whatever you want to. I know better.”

“Just for that we are at the
I’m not putting out
stage in our relationship.”

“Good to know. And just so you know, after lunch I’ll be at the
I’ll take it because it’s mine
stage in our relationship.”

I hopped down from the counter and walked up beside him. I took the spatula out of his hand, and then took that hand and turned him towards me. His sexy devilish grin nearly made me squirm. “What I say goes, Lieutenant Irons.”

“I out rank you, Cruz.” I started walking backwards toward the bedroom and he stopped. “I’m not going to burn lunch.”

“I wouldn’t expect you too.”

“Where are you trying to drag me to, then?”

“I am going to shower and need you to show me where the washcloths are.”

He shook his head no. “In the closet.”

I turned and lost my shirt before even walking into the bathroom.

I stood under the rush of hot water and tilted my head back, allowing the water to fall over my face as I thought about what I would do tonight while Jax was on his date. I know he said it wasn’t, but all I can wonder is if she really knows this isn’t a date or if she has an ulterior motive. Any woman with a pulse would be attracted to him. And any woman who had been in bed with him would crawl through a snake pit to get back there. He was amazing. Just like I knew he would be. I only hoped that his desire for me was at least half of what mine was for him.

I scrubbed my head with his shampoo, hoping that tonight as I tried to sleep, I would smell him. I washed with his body wash, unsure if I would rinse or simply deal with the dry skin caused by soap residue being left on my body. I had always known I loved Jax, but never could I have imagined the need I felt for him physically as well.