Lucy

When Jaxon showed up to take Lucy to her physical therapy appointment she was still stewing over what Brooke said to her earlier. Lucy may not have liked how Brooke went about it, but she wasn’t wrong. Maybe it was time to let go of her fears and go after what she wanted.

The last few weeks with Jaxon had been her happiest in a long time. He’d done just what he said he would. He stuck by her. He helped her when she struggled and celebrated her when she triumphed. Jaxon had held her hand every step of the way since he pulled her out of her burning car nearly eight weeks ago.

The lines between friendship and more had been blurring increasingly with the more time they spent together. But through it all, Jaxon had been incredibly patient with her. She knew it wasn’t fair to keep her feelings from Jaxon for the sake of stroking Alex’s fragile ego. She also knew that Jaxon was too much a gentleman to act on anything he might be feeling toward her.

He’d made it clear that he was interested in her weeks ago when they’d talked about her drunken kiss attempt. She knew the ball was now in her court.

“You ready?” Jaxon asked slinging Lucy’s duffle bag over his broad shoulders.

She grinned when he wrapped her in a hug, letting his steadfast warmth seep into her and erase some of her nerves. She wasn’t sure if she would ever be ready for all this boy had to offer, but she was tired of being afraid to try.

She looked up at him confidently. “Ready.”

Jaxon

“Where are we going?” Lucy asked when Jaxon drove their golf cart past the campus gym where she normally met with her physical therapist.

“We’re switching it up tonight,” Jaxon said trying to keep his face neutral. He’d spent all week working on this surprise for Lucy and he was desperately hoping it went well.

She looked at him from under her thick, dark lashes. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I know that you’re not a fan of your normal PT routine, so I did some research to see what else you could try.”

“Jaxon, that’s so sweet!”

“Don’t get too excited yet.”

“About what?”

“This,” he said pulling up in front of the campus pool house.

Lucy’s eyes flooded with emotion. “You got my PT moved to the pool?”

“Sort of.”

Jaxon quickly explained how he talked to her doctor about letting Lucy try a plastic ankle splint that would allow her to get back in the pool. He’d even looked up exercises she could do in the water that would actually promote faster healing compared to the stress some of her physical therapy training put on her body.

“You’ll still have to do a lot of PT stuff in the pool to keep your strength up. And your doctor says he doesn’t want you trying to swim yet, but I figured we could take baby steps to get you back into it. What do ya think?”

Lucy threw her arms around his neck and squealed with delight.

“I take it that’s a solid yes to PT in the pool?”

“Yes! Jaxon, thank you, thank you, thank you! This is so incredible. Seriously, this is the best day ever.”

He was glowing with pride that she was so thrilled with his idea, but he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to tease her a little. Her enthusiasm was just too damn cute. “Damn Smalls, you gotta get out more.”

“I get out!”

“I don’t know . . . If your idea of the best day ever is a trip to the school pool, you’ve got some pretty low expectations.”

She stuck her tongue out. “What can I say, I’m easy to please.”

“I’ll say. You’re really selling yourself short letting me get used to your low expectations.”

She grinned infectiously. He could also get used to making her smile like that.

“Oh wait! I don’t have a swimsuit. We have to go back to my dorm.”

Jaxon huffed a laugh and padded her duffle bag. “I’ve got ya covered.”

“You packed my swimsuit?”

“No, but Brooke did.”

He’d asked Brooke to pack a swimsuit, towel and any other girlie stuff Lucy might need for a surprise swimming date. He didn’t look in the bag, but he trusted Brooke. The more time he spent with the quirky blonde, the more he realized her prickly exterior was just a front to keep people at bay. But Brooke was a good egg. She was always there for Lucy, and that was all Jaxon could ask for.

* * *

A few minutes later Jaxon was waiting anxiously by the side of the pool. He’d changed into his board shorts and was waiting for Lucy to come out of the girls’ locker room. He looked around the empty pool house taking in the pungent smell of chlorine. He didn’t like how wet the floors were. Lucy was liable to slip on her crutches.

When he heard the door to the girls’ locker room open he was on his feet, moving to join Lucy. He planned to scoop her into his arms to eliminate the threat of her crutches on the slippery floor, but when he saw her standing there in her red string bikini something inside him caved in.

Suddenly, Jaxon was the one at risk of falling. His chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath. What the hell had he been thinking planning this? There was no way he could concentrate on anything but the way Lucy’s perfect little body looked in her skintight swimsuit. Jaxon stared at the bright red fabric in awe. There was so little of it, yet somehow it managed to hug every perfect dip and curve of Lucy’s swimmer’s body. He didn’t know whether to thank Brooke, or kill her for choosing that particularly sexy swimsuit.

Lucy seemed to catch his quiet panic. “Are you okay?”

Jaxon forced his mouth closed and tried to gather his wits. “Yep.”

“Is that the new brace?” Lucy asked nodding to the white plastic contraption Jaxon held in his hand. He’d almost forgotten about it in his momentary daze.

“Yeah. Here, sit down and I’ll help you put it on.”

Lucy followed Jaxon over to a bench near the shallow end of the practice pool. They both sat down and Lucy offered Jaxon her booted leg. He gently undid the Velcro straps and slid the boot off, placing Lucy’s fragile leg on his lap. He put the walking boot on the floor and picked up the new white splint. His fingers shook as he fitted it as gently as he could against Lucy’s smooth, soft skin.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked again.

“Yeah, why?”

“Your hands are shaking.”

Jaxon blew out a nervous breath. “Damn, Smalls. Are you trying to tell me my future as a surgeon is out?”

Lucy laughed. “I think you’re doing just fine.”

Jaxon felt a little better. He just needed to keep talking and look anywhere but at Lucy’s body. He finished securing her splint. “Is that too tight?”

“No, it feels okay.”

“Okay. So you can’t put any weight on it. It’s just meant to immobilize your injury while you’re in the water.”

“Oh. Okay. How am I getting in the pool then?”

Shit! He really hadn’t thought this through. Jaxon swallowed. “I’ll carry you.”

No big deal. He’d carried Lucy probably a hundred times in the last eight weeks.

Yeah, but she’d been wearing clothes every one of those times, his subconscious screamed. Not a skimpy wet dream bikini!

The moment Jaxon had Lucy in his arms he knew he was done for. He’d given up trying not to fall for her. Now he was just trying to remember how to breathe. When she looped her hands around his neck and looked at him with complete and utter trust in her gorgeous hazel eyes he felt like he could drown in them. He’d do anything for this girl, including let her tear his heart out. Which was exactly what was happening right now as he tried to keep his desire for her under control.

Lucy

Lucy couldn’t stop smiling. She was back in the pool. And it felt incredible! The warm water wrapped around her with the comfort and familiarity of a security blanket. Swimming had always been her happy place. It was the one thing that brought peace and balance to her life. And just because she couldn’t use her injured leg didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy it.

Her arms were skilled enough to propel her through the water with ease. She dove down to the bottom, letting herself float weightlessly back to the top. She did this until she was nearly breathless. When she finally resurfaced, she swam over to Jaxon, a grin splitting her face so wide it hurt.

Swimming with a shirtless Jaxon was an added bonus. The boy was fine! Lucy had a hard time keeping her eyes off of him. His sun-kissed skin clung to his taut muscles like even it couldn’t get enough of him.

When Lucy reached him, she slid her arms around his neck and he pulled her closer. His hands settled on her waist and her legs naturally floated around his hips. It was an intimate gesture, and suddenly Lucy was very aware of just how close they were. And just how boldly Jaxon was looking at her.

She saw everything she’d ever wanted in the smoldering blue flame flickering in his gaze. She wound her hands tighter around him and he smiled. Good Lord, that smile! It was like a punch to the heart. How had she ever survived without his smile in her life before now?

The thought elicited a strange sense of panic and bravery in Lucy all at once. She realized not seeing Jaxon smile at her like that was not an option she was willing to settle for. She needed to let go of all her fears—of Alex, his family, her father, the accident. It was time to let it all go.

Somehow, being in Jaxon’s arms made that idea a lot less scary. Lucy realized letting go was easy when she had something fantastic to hold on to. And Jaxon was more than fantastic. Jaxon was everything.

Lucy gazed into his eyes. They glittered like molten sapphires and her heart leapt in her chest. Man was she in deep. A rush of desire caught her off guard and she slid her hands up his neck to caress his hair. His eyes shuddered closed and she felt him swallow a low groan deep in his chest.

This was it. She couldn’t wait anymore. She had to tell him how she felt.

Lucy whispered his name. “Jaxon?”

His eyes slid open.

Lucy wasn’t quite sure what she’d been planning to say, but when she saw the way Jaxon was looking at her, everything in her mind went blank. All she could do was press her lips to his in a slow, burning kiss that didn’t end.

That kiss said everything that needed to be said. It was a thank you, a promise, an apology, a vow; and Lucy never wanted it to stop. Apparently, neither did Jaxon. His hands moved to grab her wrists as her fingertips caressed either side of his neck while she kissed him. At first, she thought he’d been trying to stop her, but she quickly realized he only wanted to hold her in place—to make sure she didn’t let go.

Lucy gasped for air, but even having no breath left in her body wouldn’t have stopped her from kissing Jaxon. His breath became hers as they shared the same wisps of warm air between breathless gasps. He pulled her closer, melding their lips together over and over, like he was searching for a way they could fit together that would allow them to never part.

The furious passion that poured out of Lucy as she kissed Jaxon nearly overwhelmed her. She hadn’t realized just how much she was holding back until she unleashed herself. Her heart knocked against Jaxon’s chest and his answered back; his heart thudding against her just as powerfully. Need surged through Lucy like a ravenous beast as her hands explored every inch of Jaxon’s perfect body. The warm water made him slippery and she couldn’t seem to stop sliding her fingers over his defined muscles.

He did the same, pulling his hands down her arms, her back, her hips. His touch left a scorched trail of need causing Lucy to arch against him. When Jaxon finally pulled his lips away from hers, Lucy’s whole body was throbbing with desire.

Jaxon pulled back just enough to look into her eyes. His were blown wide, his dilated pupils turning his irises into thin glowing sapphire rings. “Lucy . . .” His voice was gruff and his chest pressed into hers with each quick breath he took. “What is this?”

She knew what he was asking. And she wasn’t afraid anymore. “It’s the beginning,” she whispered.

“Of what?”

“Of us.”

The smile Jaxon gave Lucy obliterated all others he’d given her before. She wanted to stay in that moment, wrapped in the golden light she felt when he looked at her like that. Lucy could’ve stared at Jaxon’s perfect smile forever, but then he kissed her. And she remembered all the other things she loved about his gorgeous lips—and all the other places she was desperate to feel them.

Jaxon

Jaxon couldn’t stop smiling as he walked back to Lucy’s dorm with her in his arms. They hadn’t even bothered to change out of their swimsuits. It had been hard enough to tear himself away from her long enough to get out of the pool.

Jaxon had managed to switch out Lucy’s splint for her boot and wrap her in a towel before he pulled her back into his arms. She was still wearing the towel and as he carried her toward her building she was still kissing him. He didn’t want her to stop. But he also didn’t want to miss a step with her in his arms.

“Damn, Smalls. I should’ve taken you in the pool a long time ago.”

Lucy giggled against his neck. “I told you I was easy to please,” she said, pressing her lips to the sensitive skin just below his earlobe.

Jaxon shivered anticipating the delicious promise of more kisses to come. He swallowed a low groan and gave Lucy a smoldering stare. “I’ll show you easy to please. Just wait until I get you back to your room.”

Lucy flushed bright pink. Goddamn was she irresistible when she did that. Jaxon smirked. He couldn’t help wondering what else he could do to make her flush that enticing color. He also couldn’t wait to show her all the ways he wanted to please her.

Jaxon picked up his pace. Nothing could dampen his mood.

Except maybe the shadow looming in front of Lucy’s dorm room.

Jaxon knew the instant Lucy saw him. Her body stiffened and her eyes went wide. “Alex?”

The sound of his name on Lucy’s lips was like being doused with a bucket of ice water. Suddenly, Jaxon’s blissful illusion of a perfect night with Lucy vanished into thin air. He reluctantly put her down on her feet, handing her back her crutches.

“What are you doing here, Alex?” Lucy asked, her voice hardened.

“I just want to talk to you.”

“Alex . . .”

“Please,” he begged. “It’s important, Lucy. I don’t want to leave things like this between us.”

Jaxon could see the confliction in Lucy’s eyes. He wanted to put his fist through Alex’s skull. The guy had impeccable timing. Jaxon couldn’t believe this was happening, now of all times.

Come on, Smalls. Just tell him to take a hike. You’re with me now.

But Alex wasn’t giving up without a fight. He pinned her with his dark eyes. “Please, Luz. I’ve known you all my life and I feel sick with the way things are between us. Just give me five minutes of your time. I promise, after that I’m gone.”

Bullshit. That’s just how he was gonna get his foot in the door.

Jaxon blew out a barely contained breath as he tried to keep a lid on his temper. Then Alex started begging in Portuguese. Jaxon hated when he pulled that shit. He knew Alex did it on purpose just to piss Jaxon off.

He took a deep breath and tried to remain confident. It’s not gonna work, dildo. But then Lucy turned around and gave Jaxon an apologetic look. He nearly lost it. She was picking Alex!

“Do you mind if I just talk to him really quick?” Lucy asked.

Jaxon’s mouth somehow said, “No,” when every other molecule of his being was screaming Yes!

Yes he fucking minded. But Jaxon couldn’t get the words out. And then he watched Lucy mouth ‘five minutes’ at him before she walked into her apartment with Alex and shut the door.