“Where are we going?”
“Away. And if you ask me one more time, I’m going to consider it another check against you.” Jax squeezes my hand. We left the garage about an hour ago and he’s taking me deeper into a woodsy area.
“Jax. I’m a city girl. It looks like you’re taking me somewhere I’m going to get butchered or sawed into pieces.”
Giving her a funny look, “I’m not letting you pick any more movies for a while. From now on, we’re going for make out to chick flicks or comedies.”
“Why? Even the horror movies we watch, we end up making out anyways. What’s the difference?”
He pulls off the main drive and turns onto a narrow dirt road. “The difference is, your imagination is going to kill you. Trust me, there are no monsters in the woods. No one with chainsaws or machetes will be jumping out to get you. It’s just you, me and the wildlife.”
“Predator and prey. You do know that we are prey to some, right?”
“Oh for the love of God, woman! You’re perfectly safe.” I begin to laugh. When I can’t stop laughing, he finally asks with amusement. “What’s so funny?”
“You are. You come across so scary, but deep down inside, you’re nothing but a big teddy bear.” I lean my head on his shoulder.
“I have my moments.” He presses his lips to the top of my head. “For your sake, let’s hope you never have to see the other side of me. I may be soft and gentle, but when someone fucks with my family, money or the people I love, I’m a fucking wrecking ball. I will wipe the floor with every mother fucker that crosses my path and not think twice about it afterwards.”
His voice is true. That’s the part of him that scares the shit out of me. At the same time, it’s the part he may need to use to help me battle my demons. I know he won’t hurt me, but with the past I have, I’m not taking my chances. We continue to ride in silence. His hand resting on the inside of my thigh while I watch the colors of the lush trees as we pass them by.
When we reach the opening of the tree lined road, he comes to a stop in front of a log cabin. It’s well kept up and absolutely stunning.
“Jax.”
“Remember when I said I had some property? It’s not much, but it’s my private get away from reality.”
“This is yours?” I gawk as he pulls me out of his car.
“It is one of my properties. Although, this one is my favorite. Well, it was.” He mentions as he unlocks the front door.
“What changed that?” I stop him just before he opens the door. His face is focused on our feet, but when I give his arm a tug, he looks me in the eyes.
“You.” Wow, I’m speechless. Am I dreaming? How can I go from being scared for my life every single minute to having someone show me how a woman should be treated and cherished? “C’mon. This is just a pit stop.”
“What? We aren’t staying?”
“Not tonight.” I follow him inside and look around. It’s clean and modern.
“But it’s beautiful. Do you come here often?” I can’t help but fall in love with the interior. The outside is absolutely stunning. Everything inside is modern and warm.
“So are you, but no.” I watch him as he moves around the cabin. He truly is in his comfort zone. “And to answer your other question, I come here a few times a month on the weekends. Sometimes more, sometimes less.”
“Jax, it’s absolutely stunning.” I wander silently around the place. I’m literally left in awe with how he has it kept. I know he’s a clean man by the way he keeps his apartment, but this, this is something that you can pull out of a magazine. The hallway is short with a bedroom on either side. Both seem to be masters and each has their own bathroom. The end of the hallway is a community bathroom.
“The one on the left is mine or our bedroom. It has the best view in the morning. The other is just an extra in case Ben or my sister come to visit. The couches open up to beds as well. Plus there’s tons of space outside for tent camping with the luxury of a bathroom.” His chin is resting on my shoulder and his arms are wrapped around my waist. I lean into him because it’s the best feeling in the world. “Do you like it?”
“I love it! I could definitely live here away from all the mess that my life brings.”
“Even though we’re far from work?”
“The drive wasn’t that bad.” My hands rest on his and our fingers begin dancing to their own tune.
“Well, Mrs. Montgomery. If you think you can live away from the city life for a while, we can certainly try to live here for a bit while I finish my other property.”
“You have another place?” I turn in his arms and wrap mine around his neck. He nods. “Is it another cabin?”
“No. It’s another house. About fifteen, twenty minutes out of town. It’s a slow work in progress, but eventually it will be complete. When it is, I’m giving Ben the loft.”
“You sure do take care of him, don’t you?”
“I feel it’s important for him to have a father figure in his life. I helped raise him like he’s one of my own.”
“Who are you and where have you been all my life?”
“I’m Jaxon Montgomery and I’ve been right here, waiting for you, baby. But now, we need to get moving so we can set up before dark.” He lifts me up by my ass and I quickly wrap my legs around his waist. I love the fact that he’s strong enough to lift me like I’m light as a feather. I’m fairly tall for a woman. and most of the time, men are intimidated by a taller woman.
“You do know I can walk, right?” I help him with the lock on the door. Once it’s closed, he carries me to the car.
“Fully aware of that. I like holding you in my arms.”
“I like being held by you.” He sets me on my feet, we get in his car and we’re back on the road again. “Now are you going to tell me where we’re going?”
“You’ll see.” He drives about twenty minutes into nowhere before he comes to a stop. “Get out.”
“Not alone, I won’t.” He barks a laugh If he thinks that was a joke, he’s greatly mistaken. He gets out and I follow.
“We’re camping. I need your help with the tent.” He opens the trunk and drops a black bag on the ground, causing the dust to rise in the air like a small explosion.
“Camping?” I raise my brow, wondering if I heard him right. He grins his super sexy grin and nods. “Like, no bathroom, electricity or technology?”
“That’s a good definition of camping.” He drops a few more items before picking up the bag and grabbing my hand. “At least I spared you from the hunting food part.” He drags me a few feet from the car before he opens the bag and starts ordering me around. I actually find this part of him quite sexy. I follow his instructions carefully, making him smile when I’ve done something right. He’s very patient with me, knowing that I’ve never done anything like this in my life. Once it’s up and I’m standing proud looking at my creation, he nudges my arm with his. “I know you’re worried about the bathroom part. I’ve kept you so busy that you didn’t even notice that this is a public campsite.” He takes my hand and guides me through a small trail that leads to a concrete building. “Restrooms for the princess.” He chuckles and continues walking. When we stop, he pulls me in front of him. We’ve halted right in front of a dock.
“This is a lake for fishing, and canoeing. The river that runs behind my cabin feeds into this. Around that bend there,” his tattooed arm stretches past me and instead of focusing on where he’s pointing, I’m lost focusing on his gorgeous arm. “That’s where the river picks back up.”
“Mhmm.”
“Are you even listening to me?” The heat from his breath sends a tingle throughout my entire body. I lean closer into him and nod. “Do you think you can handle it?”
“What?”
“See, I knew you weren’t listening.” He backs away from me and I immediately begin pouting. “Fucking adorable.” He shakes his head and laughs. “Canoeing? Think you can handle some canoeing with me?”
“Jax, as long as I’m with you. I can handle anything.”
“Well, alright then. C’mon. Let’s go rent some.” He takes my hand in his once again before we begin on yet another trail.
“If you live so close, why don’t you own your own?”
“I do. But this was a spur of the moment decision and usually, I camp closer to the cabin. I knew you wouldn’t like being without a bathroom and I didn’t want you to use the cabin as an excuse to stay inside. So I thought this time, we would rent them.” The man thinks of absolutely everything.
When we make it back to the campsite, he shows me how to start a fire. Of course it took about an hour for me to get it, so he gave up on me and started it himself. He made me fetch sticks and pieces of wood that was supposed to look dry enough to burn. How was I supposed to know that when wood is wet, it won’t burn right. Wood is wood.
As if I’m testing his patience, which I’m not, he guides me through general functions of camping and ends up making us a wonderful dinner on the fire. He walked me the few short feet to use the restroom, because I refused to wander in the woods alone, but put his foot down when I wanted to change into sweats before bed. He insisted on doing it himself, which turn, led to one of the hottest make out sessions I’ve ever had. Actually, most of my best moments have been with Jax. This build up between the two of us is killing me. I can only imagine how bad he’s aching.
Jax reassures me that he’s fine and he’s taking care of things on his part. He’s making sure that when we do get together, that I’m fully ready for the commitment. I love him for that alone. Every day we get closer and closer. Last night was the closest we’ve ever been. Our touching session landed us both in a cold shower only for us to end up in the same position minutes later. It’s going to happen eventually, I just don’t know when.
“I have to admit, this is the best part of camping.” I lean back against his incredibly hard chest and watch the flames of the fire flicker into nothing.
“Mmmm.” He responds with his lips presses under my earlobe. The scruff from his beard giving just enough attention to light my much needed skin on fire, making his lips hotter than the fire in front of us. “I think this is the best part too.” His lips trail down my shoulder, leaving goosebumps in their absence. “Watching you start a fire was quite enjoyable.”
“There’s many ways to start a fire. This way isn’t a specialty of mine.”
“You started a fire inside of me the first day we met. It’s only grown larger since then.”
“I wasn’t trying to start a fire.” I turn my head towards him. “But, you’ve done the same for me. You’ve given me more than I could ever imagine.”
“Because I love you.” I close my eyes and let those words sink in. “I know it’s hard for you to feel the same way, and its ok. I just want you to know that I’ve never in my life said those words to another woman besides my mother and my sister, ever.” When I open my eyes, the only thing I see is his face staring down at me. Breathtaking.
“Jax.” I whisper, bringing a hand to meet his face. His eyes close as he leans his face into it tenderly. “Make love to me.”
Jax’s eyes pop open in lightning speed, causing me to giggle. “What?”