chapter 23
Jaxon
I’M NOT A MAN who has a big ego or anything like that, but I’m a man who is aware.
And I know when a woman is hitting on me.
Normally I’d be the first to smile and charm said woman, but this situation is a little different. One, she’s not Scarlett, and two, she’s my new client. It’s obviously not a line I haven’t crossed, but I don’t consider myself single anymore, and it’s making for a very awkward meeting. There’s also the issue that I’m defending her from a sexual assault charge while she’s hitting on me. Oh, the irony. If I’ve ever questioned a client’s innocence, it’s definitely hers.
How do I get into shit like this?
“Are you free for a drink, Mr. Bentley?” Sharon Beetle asks, cocking her hip to the side. She’s an attractive woman, like Hunter pointed out, but I’m not interested.
“I actually have to get home, Ms. Beetle,” I tell her, closing up my briefcase. “Let me walk you to your car.”
The sun has just gone down, and I’ll walk her to her car like I would any woman who leaves my office at this time. Sharon is a well-known television presenter, so she’s famous in town. I think she’s used to getting her way, but she needs to realize I’m here to help her win her case, and that’s it. Scarlett is the only woman I crossed the line for with the whole client thing, and she’s the only woman I will ever cross that line for. She’s an exception.
“I just thought we could discuss my case further,” she pouts, which is ridiculous because we just spent the last two hours debriefing everything. “Besides, I’m getting a ride home, and he isn’t here yet.”
I grit my teeth. “I will wait with you then. And anything else you have to discuss we can do it at our next meeting, Ms. Beetle.”
I keep my tone even and pleasant, but the truth is, I just want to get home to Scarlett. I walk to the door, and wait for her to follow. She does, rubbing her body against mine as she passes. I grit my teeth, not liking the fact that she thinks anything she wants is hers. Life doesn’t work that way, and there’s no way I’m dumb enough to go for a woman like her. Harsh, but true. I like them sweet, gentle, and real. Sharon sways her hips exaggeratedly on her way to her car, but I pay her no mind. There’s nothing she can do to tempt me. I’m not that man, and I’ve never been that man. Olivia used to tell me that if she ever found out I’d cheated on a woman, she’d kill me. I’d never betray any woman like that, especially Scarlett. She turns around to face me. “Are you sure there’s nothing I can do to persuade you to change your mind?”
“Sorry, no,” I say, jaw tight.
It’s not long until her ride pulls up, and I raise my brow when I see it’s a cop I recognize.
“Good-bye,” she says to me, winking, and then opens the passenger door.
“I’ll see you next week,” I call behind her.
She climbs into the car, slamming the door harder than necessary, and the older gentleman drives off.
I’m about do the same.
Finally.
When I get to Scarlett’s, dinner is on the table and she’s dressed in red lingerie.
Holy fuck.
“Wow,” I mouth, walking over to her and giving her a kiss. “You look fucking sexy.”
“How hungry are you?” she asks me, pushing my jacket off my shoulders, and letting it fall to the floor.
“Hungrier for you than for food,” I reply, lifting her into my arms and pushing her back against the closet wall. “These look amazing in this,” I tell her, cupping her breasts and pulling the bodice down so I can see a peak of her pink, pebbled nipples. “Fuck, look at them. They’re just begging for my mouth, aren’t they?”
“I’ve been waiting for you,” she says, biting her bottom lip. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too,” I tell her before slamming my lips onto hers. I carry her to her bedroom, throw her on the bed, and undress myself.
Then I show her just how much I missed her.
“HOW MANY WOMEN HAVE you told that you love them?” she asks me. She’s lying on her stomach, the sheet covering only half of her deliciously curved ass.
“Well there’s my mom,” I start, chuckling when she rolls her eyes and mutters, “That’s not what I meant.”
“The only woman I ever said I love you to was my high school girlfriend. The one I almost set on fire. And to be honest, I don’t think I did. I cared about her, wanted her, and definitely lusted after her, but I don’t think I even knew what love was back then. I was too young,” I tell her, running my fingers down her back. I always like touching her in some way or another, even if it’s just a light caress. “Why do you ask?”
“Just curious,” she murmurs, resting her head on the pillow, tilting it toward me slightly. “I want to know everything about you. I’m learning things, slowly, bit by bit.”
“And what does my answer tell you?” I ask, knowing that women generally don’t ask questions for no reason.
“That you’re careful with your heart.”
It’s a true statement; I can be guarded. When I love, I love with my whole heart, and I’m not just going to give someone the power to hurt me, especially if they turn out to be something else. “That’s a valid observation. Isn’t everyone these days though?”
“Some people love like they’ve never been hurt before,” she says, closing her eyes. “They’re either really brave, or really stupid.”
“Maybe they’re both,” I say, pulling the sheet from her body, taking a slow peruse.
“What are you doing?” she asks, and I can hear the smile in her tone.
“Having a look,” I say, rolling her over and moving closer so our bodies are pressed together. “Are you hungry?”
“A little,” she says, opening her eyes and stretching her arms above her head. She has no tattoos or piercings, just smooth skin, yet her body is still a piece of art.
“We should eat something; it’s getting late.”
“We should,” she agrees, but neither of us moves. “I’ve been thinking. I need to find something to do, maybe a job, or some volunteer work. I’m getting bored. My garden is almost done, and when it is, I’m all out of projects. I just need to buy the outdoor furniture and plant a few more roses.”
“You should figure out what will make you happy, and then do it,” I tell her, liking that she can never sit idle. I’m the same. I also like that she has the choice of doing nothing because of her financial security but doesn’t want to. She likes to be useful, needed. Sitting around and being pretty isn’t an aspiration for her like it is for some other women I’ve met. They just wanted a man to look after them so they didn’t have to work. They wanted to use their looks to get by, as some kind of currency. A thought like that would never even cross Scarlett’s mind.
“I will,” she says, lifting her chin, as if I’d ever doubt her.
Her comment about furniture does give me an idea though.
“HOW HAVE YOU BEEN, Jax?” Demon asks me from my spot on the couch. Bastard always steals it.
“Fine,” I tell him. I’m pissed with him and how he handled the whole MC debacle. It felt like he chose them over me, and not just because of his undercover work, but I felt like that’s where his loyalty now lies. This man I consider my best friend, so when I need something he should be able to be there for me. Instead, he chose the club and didn’t share the information he knew with me. I don’t really know what to say to him about it. Something has shifted between us, and I don’t think anything can fix it. Will we always be cool? Of course. But do we have that same level of undeniable trust and loyalty? I don’t know.
He’s an undercover cop, but right now he just feels like a biker, not the guy I grew up with, the one I met in fucking kindergarten. Demon and I have been through everything together. I remember the first time Olivia cried over a boy. She was in the ninth grade, and I was furious. I’d gone to find the boy, only to see that Demon had gotten to him first. He’s family.
“I’m sorry about what happened, Jax,” he says, running his hand through his hair. “Irish is a good man, and that dirty cop deserved to go, all right? I couldn’t give you the information you needed, and I’m sorry. But tapping the MC lines? That wasn’t cool either.”
“I did what I had to do, D,” I say, sitting down on the end of the couch. “You were doing your job, and I was doing mine. I had to save Scarlett. Irish might be a good man, but he’s a guilty one. Your liking him and Darren’s being a dick doesn’t absolve him from the crime. An innocent woman shouldn’t have to pay for that. You’re a police officer, D, not a biker. Maybe you’re forgetting that if you’re siding with them over justice.”
Whenever I’m feeling lost, or unsure, Demon is the person I want to be around.
He knows me.
But I feel like this undercover stint with the MC is changing him, and I’m not sure how to handle that. I don’t think he’s sure either. I don’t know if he even knows how much this has affected him.
He’s silent for a few moments, but I know him, and that’s when he’s at his most dangerous. “I know who I am, Jax,” he says, standing up and walking over to the window. “We’re not going to see eye to eye on this, and I know we’re living completely different lives right now, but you’re still my family. So be angry at me, that’s fine, we’ll fight it out like we always do. I need to go now, I shouldn’t be here in the first place, but I just wanted to see you.”
Fuck, he’s right. At the end of the day he is my family, no matter what.
I stand up, and hug him as he passes. And just like every time he leaves my house, he stops to look at the picture of Olivia.
Then he leaves without another word.