Worth Forgiving

Begrudgingly, I agree. Although something tells me there’s no avoiding a confrontation with the ass**le somewhere down the road.

Chapter 15

Lily

Last night, not five minutes after Jax and I talked about my need to have another chat with Caden, my phone started jumping and buzzing all over again. I turned it off. A satisfied grin on his face, Jax joined me, taking it one step further and unplugging my house phone after powering his cell off. Not that anyone ever calls my house phone…I’m not even sure why I still have the thing, but Caden would undoubtedly move on to try a different means after a few hours of going to voicemail on my cell.

We’ve been together for almost two days, half of the time we spent exploring each other’s bodies. Every time we started, the same passion consumed us, stopping only when exhaustion hit, both of us fully sated as we fell into blissful sleep. Although last night after we ordered in Chinese food, we laid entwined with each other for hours watching old movies and eating each other’s meals. Oddly, it felt so normal. So comfortable. So inexplicably right.

Finally turning the TV off some time after 2AM, we talked until the sun came up. The more I get to know Jackson Knight, the more I discover I like. He’s smart, thoughtful and well mannered. Well, well mannered on the outside, as in opening a door for me or pulling out my chair. It’s certainly a whole different ballgame when the door shuts to the bedroom with this man. Please turns into Keep your hand where I put it and Thank you turns into On your knees now, Angel. I’ve always heard the saying men like a lady in the living room and a whore in the bedroom, guess it’s not that far off for women either. There’s nothing sexier than a man with manners when he’s dressed, but a bit caveman-ish when he’s in the bedroom. Unfortunately, all I’ve ever had to compare it to were pure cavemen. The kind that don’t treat a woman like a lady. Ever.

Two days of short naps and long stretches of time in the bedroom when it’s not even nighttime have my internal clock off kilter. I have no idea what time it is when I wake. I try to untangle myself from Jax’s stealth grip as he sleeps, but he’s got one arm wrapped tightly around my waist and starts to wake as I gently peel back his fingers. Deciding it’s next to impossible to disengage without waking him, I attempt to stretch while in his arms, aiming to reach my phone on the nearby end table. It takes a couple of attempts, and the use of the tips of my fingers, but I’m able to spin the phone toward me a little at a time, until it’s finally fully within my reach.

Powering my iPhone back on, I’m not surprised the clock shows it’s almost twelve, but I am surprised at the quantity of messages and texts. Knowing Caden would be upset he was unable to reach me, I’d expected a half dozen angry messages. But it’s beyond that…my voicemail is completely full and there are sixty-two new texts. More than fifty from Caden, a half dozen from Reed.

I start with Reed’s…scrolling to the bottom to read the oldest of the bunch first.

Nice bath in the fountain. NY Post - page 6. Glad ape boy is away or he’d go apeshit for sure.

2 hrs later

Message from Ape on my vm. Not sure how he even got my #. Sounds angry. Did he catch the pic?

10 minutes later.

Ape flying home today. Apeshit for sure.

5 hours later.

Ape called me five times today. He’s lost it. He saw the pic.

10 minutes later

Where are you? Why aren’t you answering? Call me.

1 hour ago

Just saw your bath on TV. Uh oh.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

I hit Reed’s number and try to whisper, but I’m panicked.

“Seriously? I’ve been trying to reach you for almost two days. I’m on my way to you now. You wait till I get three blocks away and call me? You better be calling to tell me you’re dead.” Reed rattles off before I’ve even had the chance to say hello.

“I’m sorry. I turned my phone off. I was with Jax.”

“So you haven’t spoken to Caden?”

“No.”

“Have you seen the picture?”

“I’m not even certain what you’re talking about, what picture?”

“You. And Jax. In a fountain. Is that Bethesda, by the way? That thing is filthy. You probably have Legionnaires’ disease.”

“A picture of us in the fountain?” I turn to Jax, his eyes are open now, my conversation has definitely caught his attention. He squints, silently asking me what I’m talking about.

“You look like Natalie Portman in that bad swan movie.”

“Black Swan. And it’s a Natalie Portman in a Dior perfume commercial where they’re in the fountain, not from the movie.” I have no idea why I feel the need to correct him.

“Whatever. Mr. Dior will be knocking on your door any minute. You two look hot together. It’s a still, but I mentally got the visual of you slip sliding all the way down his muscular body. Lucky girl.”

“Reed.” I sit up. “Who took the photo?”

“How would I know? A paparazzi I guess.”

“What are we doing in the fountain?”

“Jax has you lifted up into the air and water is pouring over your head from the top of the fountain. You’re looking down and he’s looking up. Your faces are maybe a few inches from each other’s…but you’re both smiling and laughing.”

“Shit.”

“It could be worse.”

“How exactly could that be?”

“You could look bad. You look beautiful. It’s a great shot.”

“Wonderful.”

“Someone is grumpy. Your knight in shining armor keeping you up all night? Did you see what I did there? The pun was intended.”

“Reed!” I scold. He’s gotten so far off track of where I need this conversation to be.

“Oh my god, he so did! I’m two blocks away. Tell me details until I get there.”

“Reed!”

“What? Jesus you’re cranky.”

“What did Caden say?”

“Oh. That.” He sounds deflated. “He’s sort of freaking out. He saw the picture on the news.”

“Do you know when he’s coming back?”

“Tonight.”

I close my eyes. Caden is going to be a disaster. He gets jealous when a guy I don’t know looks at me the wrong way. I don’t even want to think about what he will be like seeing my picture in the paper in another man’s arms.

“Okay. I have to go. Have to be at work at two.”

“I’m going to be there in five minutes.”

“You can’t.”

“Why not?” Reed sounds blatantly insulted.

“Because.” I pause. “I need to talk to Jax.”

“We can go see him together. You can fill me in on the way.”

“Jax is here. I’ll call you later, okay?”

Reed screeches so loudly, I pull the phone away from my ear. Jax smirks and shakes his head…right before he takes my phone out of my hand. I listen to one side of the conversation.

“Reed?” Jax pauses and listens before responding, “Do you know when he lands?”

“Yeah. I don’t trust him either. I’m not letting her out of my sight.”

“Okay. Later.”

He pushes a button and hands me back my phone. “Looks like we get to have that conversation with Caden sooner, rather than later.”

“Jax. You don’t know him. He’s not always logical.”

Jax shrugs. “That’s why I’m not letting you out of my sight till we have a chat with him.”

“Maybe he doesn’t know it was you in the picture.” I’m grasping at straws.

“So? I’ll tell him.”

My eyes bulge. “Why would you do that?”

Jax stands, slipping on his sweat pants calmly as he speaks. “Because I’m not going to run away from it. This isn’t a one night thing for me, Lily.”

“He’s going to freak, Jax.”

Jax leans down, his face in mine, “Don’t worry about it.” It’s more of a stern warning than a suggestion. Then he kisses me chastely on the lips. “I’ll put the coffee on. Freak out for five minutes if you want. Then meet me in the shower.”

Jax heads for the kitchen and I do exactly what he said. Sit, freaking out for five minutes until he returns with a steaming mug of coffee for each of us. “You done now?”

I sip my coffee. It’s exactly how I take it. Briefly, it makes me feel better. “Done what?”

“Freaking out.”

“Not really?” I respond with a question, not a statement.

He takes another big gulp of his coffee and sets the mug down on the end table. “Take another sip,” he instructs, before swiping my mug from my hands and setting it besides his. Then he scoops me up into his arms, the sheet covering me falls to reveal my naked body.

“What are you doing?” I ask, not really caring what he’s about to do now that I’m in the warmth of his arms.

“Taking a shower.”

***

The press outside the gym quadrupled overnight, Jax wraps his arm around me and does his best to shelter me from the clicking cameras. I have no idea what time Caden will show up at the gym, but I’m glad he’s not there when we enter.

I go behind the front desk and get myself settled in. Jax stands watching me fidget nervously. “You going to be okay?”

“Yes,” I lie, trying my best to avert my eyes by grabbing a pile of waiting mail. But Jax just waits. Calmly. Patiently. Standing there looking completely undaunted by the fact that all hell is soon going to break loose, he waits till my eyes reach his and I still as he speaks.

“It’s going to be fine. He won’t get the chance to raise his voice, no less lay a finger on you. I promise. Trust me.” He pauses, his eyes probing mine. “Let me take care of it. Okay?”

Incredibly, I believe him. Somehow, I just know everything will turn out okay, so long as he’s near me. I smile. It’s weak, but genuine, and it earns me a dimpled grin back from Jax. Jesus, even worried and exhausted from two days of life altering sexcapades with this man doesn’t quell my desire when he turns on the charm.

“Go!” I point in the direction of the gym, giving him an order. “You’re incredibly distracting. Don’t you have someone to beat up or some tycooning to do?”

Jax’s eyebrows raise in surprise, but he chuckles and walks off shaking his head in amusement.

The afternoon flies by, without both Joe and I here for a day and a half, it takes me hours to get caught up with mail, telephone calls and getting next week’s schedules put together. Every once in a while I’d look up, my eyes scanning the room to find Jax. Each and every time, he was already looking back at me by the time my eyes found his. I think Jax may have been on a higher level of alert than I even was. I’d noticed he’d positioned himself for his afternoon workout and sparring so that he can keep an eye on me. It was sweet, so very different from the way Caden kept his eye on me. Caden’s never felt protective or warm, instead it was possessive, territorial. And not the sexy kind of possessive I see a sliver of in Jax. His possessiveness is about me. Caden’s is about him.

By 8PM, an hour before closing, my nerves have gotten the best of me and I almost jump out of my skin every time the door opens. The rattle of the bells somehow training me like Pavlov to hold my breath as I wait for the person to walk through. I try to sketch, but creativity doesn’t mix well with restlessness and anxiety.

Jax comes to the front desk. He’s set up a makeshift office in the corner of the small kitchen and I’ve caught him on more than one occasion raking his fingers through his hair looking stressed himself.

“You okay? You look stressed.” It’s my turn to check on him.