JAX (Breaking the Declan Brothers #1) (12 page)

“Em,” I hear the deep intake of his breath. “You start shit like that and we’re never going to get out of this bed.” He reaches for me and pulls my body up closer to him. He nuzzles my nose with his before his full lips make contact. He nibbles my bottom lip first, moves his attention to the top, then his tongue brushes across both. I curl closer, taking his mouth with such need. His arms wrap around me and he deepens the kiss.

“Princess,” he breaks from me for a second, “I,” he kisses me again, “make a mean breakfast.”

I push up on my knees, straddling him. I grab his cheeks. “Tempting me with food?” I glare down at him. His cloaked eyes drift to my peaked nipples, and the girls love his attention. “If I didn’t know any better I’d think you’re trying to get me out of this bed,” I say.

“Can’t blame me for wanting to feed your body,” he looks up, “in every way that I can.”

I tilt my head. “I am hungry.”

“Good,” his hand taps my ass, “let’s get some food in ya, and then we’ll see what else your body might be hungry for.”

“Oh-ho, it’s gonna be a pretty big order.” I run a finger down his chest to the ripples of his abs, and his skin undulates beneath my touch.

“Don’t you worry. I’ll have no problem filling your order, baby.” He grabs my waist, swings his legs around and stands up from the bed with me still clinging to him. I feel his cock press into my ass. “Fuck,” he says, no doubt fully aware of its position. “We gotta get you dressed.” He lifts me away from his body, gently sets me down on my feet, and heads over to his dresser.

I stand there, mouth open, drooling over his long, lean, muscular body. Fuck his ass is. It’s biteable. I want to sink my teeth into it. To think, that’s where all his power had come from. He used those muscles to fuck me last night. God. I’d loved to be a fly on the wall to see that going on. Jax’s ass flexing and releasing—now that’s gotta be a magnificent sight.

“Here,” he turns around, and for the first time I get a full view of his cock. Holy shit. He’s outstanding. “Come on,” he grimaces, shaking the shirt in his hand. “Stop looking at me like that and get dressed.”

“Like what?” I grin.

“Like you wantta skip breakfast and get right to the dessert.”

“I like dessert.” I lick my lips.

“So do I, but I’m gonna get some real food in you before you get any treats, baby.” He walks over. “Put your arms up,” he says, in a tone that I only know how to obey. He pulls the shirt over my body. “There,” he sighs with what sounds like relief. He struts back over, grabs a pair of sweats from his drawer, and puts them on. “There,” he says again snapping the waistband.

“What?” I saunter over to him and put my hands on my hips. “You think now that we’re covered, you’re safe?”

“No. In no way am I safe when I’m around you.” He bends down. “You’re a troublemaker. You make me wanna do bad things to you.”

I gaze at him and remember the way I responded to his roughness last night. “Jax,” I take his hand into mine. “Nothing you could do to me could ever be bad.”

He rubs his thumb over my hand and stares at me. I see that he wants to say something, but he just smiles.

“I’m glad that I’m here,” I say.

“So am I.” His eyes linger on mine a second longer. Then, holding my hand to his, he starts for the door. “I gotta warn ya, I’m not too good with sunny side up.”

“That’s okay, I like mine over easy,” I say as he guides me into the kitchen.

“Sit down.” He stops and waits for me to settle into the chair. He leans in for a chaste kiss. “Now, you stay right here while I whip something up for us.” He stands.

“You like ordering me around, don’t you,” I tease.

“No.” He sets his hands on the table, bends down, eyes dark and intent. “Let’s get something clear here. When we fuck, if I tell you to do something, it’s so that I can regain control over not you, but myself. Understand?”

Holy shit! Now that’s gotta be the hottest thing any guy’s ever said to me. To know that I make Jax lose control like that, it feels so powerful. I’m not even sure how to answer him. I resort to a slow nod of the head.

“Good.” He again stands, the intensity tumbling from him. “Eggs, toast, and how about some bacon?”

“Sure.” I smile.

I watch Jax as he works in the kitchen, cracking eggs and flipping bacon. We make small talk as we tease each other with our eyes.

Zeke comes strolling into the kitchen in nothing but a pair of boxers, rubbing his belly with the words ‘Ride The Lightning’ tattooed on it. “Breakfast, awesome—” His eyes connect with mine. His left brow lifts. I don’t take advantage of the perfectly sculptured nearly naked male body before me. I keep my eyes level with his. Zeke Declan is one hot boy, but I’ve never felt the attraction that most girls in Galveston County do. My eyes were only ever for Jax.

“Well, hello, Emmie Rue,” Zeke says with a crafty grin. He sits down across from me.

Jax glares over at him. Zeke flashes him that same shrewd grin. “Mornin’, buttercup.” He winks at Jax, and he has that wink down to a science. He's comfortable giving it and has the timing to a T. It’s perfect, with just the right amount of closure to seal the deal.

“Mornin’, fucker,” Jax grunts.

 Zeke sets his hand on his thigh and rubs his chin, still looking at Jax. “So,” his smile grows, “I see you finally got the girl, huh?” Zeke turns to me. “My big bro here, he’s wanted you like for-fucking-ever. Did ya know that?”

“No.” My heart jumps to my throat. He’s kidding, right? I shift to Jax, who’s walking over with a plate of food in his hand. Without making eye contact, he sets it down in front of me. “I didn’t know that,” I say.

“Hey,” Zeke looks up at Jax, looking wounded, “where’s mine?”

Jax’s eyes, that haven’t left Zeke, darken. “Go put some fucking clothes on.”

“What,” he innocently throws his hands in the air. “I didn’t know ya had company.” His amber eyes, a shade lighter than Jax’s, sway on over to me. “Sorry, Em. I’m usually the only one who brings the ladies home, but they’re usually gone by morning.”

“Yeah,” I laugh, “I remember the rules.”

“Zeke,” Jax snaps.

“What the fuck, dude,” Zeke scowls up at him, but Jax doesn’t back down. “Fuck it. I’m going. I’m not hungry anyway.” He rises, watching Jax wander back over to the stove, and then he turns to me with a little grin. “Besides,” his voice lowers, “I think the old man wants you all to himself.” He gives me one of those practiced winks before leaving the room.

I’m not sure what just happened, the whole thing about Zeke saying that Jax finally got the girl. Yeah, that shit’s stuck in my head. Rayna’s always known that I’ve had a thing for Jax, maybe Zeke knew, too. Maybe he’s messing with Jax or me. But Zeke’s never been the mean type. He’s a say it like it is kind of guy. I’m sure he’s broken many hearts because of it. But I don’t think he would fuck with us like that and bring up the past. Laugh at Jax ‘cause I finally landed him.

My eyes follow Jax as he comes over to the table with his own plate and sits down.

“Eat,” he says, lifting his fork. He’s telling me what to do again. Does that mean he’s trying to regain some kind of control over himself? Oh hell, now that I know that little tidbit about him, it’s going to drive me insane. Did it bother him what Zeke said?

“What did Zeke mean?” I’m putting it out there. Hell, everything else, including my heart, is pretty much already out there in the midst of all this shit.

With an unhurried, relaxed movement, he places his fork on the table and looks up at me. “What,” he says as the beginning of a smile tips the corners of his mouth, “about me finally getting you?”

“Yeah.” I hold my breath. Ya know that moment of truth—well, this is mine.

“When I was twenty-one, there was one day I patiently waited for,” he says, his smile thinning.

“Yeah, and what day was that,” I ask not sure where he’s going with this.

“December 13
^th
.”

“That’s my birthday?”

“I know.”

He really remembers my birthday. The shock of this discovery hits me full force. I tingle all over. Could it be true? Has Jax always wanted me? Mentally running through everything, every look he ever gave me, every encounter we had, he never revealed any interest. Never. “Jax, what are you saying?”

“I wanted you. Always did. You were too young, though. So I told myself when you turned eighteen, I’d come for you. And I had every intention of making you mine. But do you remember what happened the week before your birthday?”

I scramble for an answer. What happened the week before my birthday? “Grams died,” I breathe out prior to my brain having a chance to acknowledge it.

“Yes, that’s right. And I had to drop out of college to take care of the store to support my pain-in-the-ass brothers. I was working endless hours. I barely slept. I had no life. It wouldn’t have been fair of me to ask you to deal with that when your life was just starting. So I waited. But,” he shrugs with a small smile, “Princess, I waited too long.”

“No.” I shake my head, this can’t be true. “You didn’t even look at me or talk to me. You ignored my existence.”

“Oh, I looked, and the way I looked at you changed when you were sixteen.
Sixteen
,” he stresses. “I was nineteen. Way too old.”

“Sixteen,” I say, my face crippling with confusion, skin still tingling.

“I was at the high school, waiting to meet the principal to try to talk him out of suspending Zeke for getting into a fight on school grounds. You didn’t see me. I watched all-star Clay Young walk up to you in the hall and give you his number, and I watched you throw it out when he walked away. Then when Rayna came up and asked what he wanted, you told her that he was looking for what homework was due in some teacher’s class. I thought it odd, you rejecting a guy that every girl in high school would’ve killed to gone out with, and then not telling your best friend about it.”

“I remember that day. Clay Young was a cocky jerk,” I say, still trying to wrap my head around it all. All this time, Jax wanted me, too.

“Yeah, I know, and I suspected that’s why you tossed out his number. It just surprised me that the beauty queen wouldn’t want the high school king. And it made me take another look at you. I thought about how you could’ve embarrassed him, told everyone that you turned him down, but you didn’t.”

“I didn’t need to make an ass out of him. He did that whenever he opened his mouth.”

Jax laughs. “I assumed as much. Still, it was mature, kind, and unselfish. It led me to believe that there was more to little Emmie Rue than tiaras and pretty dresses.”

“So, are you saying you fell for my kind heart, Jax Declan?”

“No, Em. I fell for the whole damn package. Besides that pretty face and awesome body, I know there’s a beautiful person inside of you. I watched, always catching the good parts of you.”

“When, obviously, I wasn’t looking.”

“Like I said, you were too young.”

“And now,” I say with a sly grin, “I’m not.”

He picks up his fork, giving me a smile that sends my pulses racing.  “Eat,” he points the fork at me, “and if you eat it all then we can discuss whether or not you can have some dessert.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

For the next couple of weeks, I take things slow with Em. We go out on a few dates, jog, play, and eat together. The days that I open JZS’s, she’s there with me, working on her laptop while I set up. Every night we sleep together but even then, I take it slow. I don’t want to fuck it up. Don’t want to frighten her again with my potent needs. She said that we’d talk about our first night together, when she needed to use the safe words, when I made her cry, but she hasn’t brought it up. Although I’ve never had a meaningful one, I do understand communication is important in any relationship. 

I’m patient. I got no problem waiting.

I get to Rayna’s place, park my truck, and get out. Em comes out of the house, runs over, and throws her body at me. I lift her, laughing, knowing we must look like two lustful teenagers to the neighbors, but I don’t care. She’s very affectionate. I’m getting used to it. I like it.

“Hey, princess,” I say against the attack of her lips.

“Hey, sexy beast of my dreams,” she says, always coming up with some crazy new pet name for me; yummy treat, master woody, royal buffness. I like that too, but for me she’s just my beautiful Em or my princess. All that really matters is that she’s indeed mine.

She drops her legs from around my waist and lands on her feet. Her hand comes out. “Give me your keys. I’m driving.”

No one but me drives my truck, but I don’t hesitate. I’d hand anything I got over to this woman. I fish them out of my pocket and give them up. “Where are we going?” She’s taking me out tonight. She insists that it’s her treat. She wants to do something nice for me. What she doesn’t know is I’m all set. I’m good. I got what I want.

“You’ll see.” She snatches the keys from my hand and gives me a quick peck on the cheek before heading to my truck.

I climb into the passenger seat, watching her clip on the seatbelt. “Be careful, it’s not like the golf cart you’ve been driving around in the Bayou. It’s got some power.”