CHAPTER FOUR
LILLY
THE SOUND OF A PHONE buzzing stirs me in my sleep. I really don’t want to wake up from the blissful dream I am having, but I have a feeling it’s probably the hospital. I haven’t had a day off in three weeks, and right now, I have two days.
I try to get up, then realize I’m held in place by two strong arms. I freeze, trying to figure out just who the fuck would be in bed with me. After a second, the night before rushes back, and I jerk away from Jax and stare down at him.
Shit…I need to get home before Es has to go to work.
The phone buzzes again, and I scramble to reach it.
“Hey, Es, I’m so sorry. I’ll be there in thirty minutes,” I rush out while I quickly get off the bed and start to get dressed. I grimace when I spot my ruined panties off to the side. “How late are you going to be? I need to order the Uber, too…” I trail off and head for the bedroom door. But I’m stopped short when arms wrap around me, and I’m pulled into a hard chest.
“I won’t be late if you get here in the next forty minutes…and just because you stayed out late doesn’t mean you’re going to get out of telling me about your night,” she giggles over the phone.
“Okay, see you soon.” I hang up and then turn in Jax’s arms. “I have to go, Es needs to get to work. I need to see you again; I really need to talk to you about something. Shit, I need to order my Uber.” I glance back down at my phone and start to open the app to order a ride, but before I can, my phone is snatched out of my hands.
“First, I want a kiss. Second, yes, we will meet up later today, and third…I’ll give you a ride home so I know where to pick you up at six tonight for dinner.” His lips descend, and I cover my mouth with my hand. He arches an eyebrow at me and begins to reach up for my arm. I furiously shake my head at his movement.
“I need to brush my teeth before you kiss me,” I mumble out from behind my hand.
He sighs and grabs my wrist, pulling it away; then his lips are on mine. Before I can react, he has one hand on my back, pressing me closer and the other in my hair, tilting my head while he licks my lips, demanding me to open. As the moan leaves my throat, my lips part, and his tongue dives into my mouth, making me melt against him. After what seems like an hour, but I know it has only been seconds, he pulls away.
“Come on, angel, let’s get you home to your friend.” Hearing the word friend has me tensing slightly and turning toward the door. Telling him about his son is going to be harder than I thought after what happened last night and just now.
JAXSON
After dropping off Lilly, I run back home and take a quick shower. I don’t want to wash her scent off of me, but I need to get into the shop to talk with Jason, and I’m sure he doesn’t want to smell sex on me. It’s my day off, and I don’t have any dates tonight, but I don’t want to delay the conversation I know needs to happen now that I have Lilly back in my life. So, I called and arranged a meeting with him to discuss how I want off the menu.
Now that I’ve seen her again, the memory of her vanishing two years ago can’t be ignored. It doesn’t sit well with me that she ran out of the hotel room. I need to know what exactly happened. Was she scared? Why didn’t she contact me before now? Was she hiding something? The last question has anger starting to build again inside of me, and I take a few deep breaths to try and calm down. I think back again to last night and this morning…the way she froze at certain things I said. That thought makes the realization that she is hiding something from me even clearer. I really need to get to the bottom of what it could be. If we’re going to have any type of relationship, then we need to be honest with each other.
The clock next to the bed says I’ve been home now for two hours. Jason is expecting me in about three hours. I decide on surprising Lilly with lunch because I have some time to kill. Since I forgot to get her phone number before she jumped out of my truck, I have to just stop by. I head out and grab what I hope will be the first of many lunch time surprises to come for my girl. Already looking forward to having her for dessert, I arrive at her building and realize I never got her apartment number either.
I pick up my cell just as it goes off. Just the guy I was about to call.
“I was just about to call you, Jay.”
“That’s convenient, seeing as I got an order for KC tonight. You game?” My brother isn’t one to draw out a conversation.
“Nope, like I said earlier, I need to talk to you about what happened last night.” He sighs, and I don’t know how he will react to my news.
Financially, the shop is safe now, but the orders and money coming in have been too good to quit. I’d be the first. I guess I’ll be the one to break the mold.
“Shit, you okay?” his voice snaps me out of my thoughts just as I look up and toward Lilly’s apartment.
“I’m fine, but I gotta talk to you, and I really don’t want to do this over the phone.”
“But you are okay? Right, Jax?” The concern in his voice sets my fears aside and reminds me that, first and foremost, I’m his brother, not his employee.
“I’m fine, it’s just…” my voice trails off into nothing when I spot Lilly coming out of her apartment complex with what looks like a stroller.
But that isn’t what has my words caught in my throat. What catches my eye is the child sitting in it. From what I can tell from the blue outfit, it’s a little boy, smiling brightly with excitement. The face looks so familiar to me, and I have an ache in my chest because I can also see Lilly in his expression. My stomach tightens as I try to comprehend the emotions that are running through me.
“Jaxson, you there, or did I lose you?” Jason’s voice comes through the phone.
“I’ve gotta go, Jason. I’ll call you back when I’m on my way.” Jabbing the end button, I watch her walk the other way, and I look down the road, trying to figure out where she’s going.
It takes a few minutes observing her to remember there is a park a few blocks away. I assume that’s where she’s headed, and if so…then I’m following because I need some answers.