Chapter Twenty-Seven Madison

L ips brushing against my throat. Hands roaming my body. The feeling of his body pressing against mine… and his cock. God, his fucking delicious fucking cock. The way my lips wrapped around it when he was done fucking me. The salty taste of his cum against my tongue as I slid his thick shaft down my throat over and over again is everything. And just as it twitches, letting me know he’s about to come… Everything goes black.

The soft rays of light cause my eyes to slowly open. The memories of my dream floating through my mind as I shift slightly, stretching my arms over my head only to freeze in my place. My gaze darts towards the right of me to find a peacefully sleeping Jaxson beside me.

Holy shit. It wasn’t a dream?

I’ve slept with Jaxson Rivers. As if the night before was a movie, it comes flashing forward through my mind. The kitchen, the frosting… I’m gonna have to make more frosting .

Glancing at him once more, I take in the soft features of his face. How relaxed he is laying next to me. From the curves of his cheeks to the strong narrow line of his jaw. He’s gorgeous, in a manly kind of way. As if he senses me watching him, a small smile forms across his lips as his hand comes around my bare waist, pulling me closer to him.

“Good morning, beautiful,” he whispers groggily. “Find something you like?”

At his question, the thick hard length of his cock presses against my thigh, causing my core to ache with desire regardless of the soreness that still lays there from the night before. He’s like a drug, addicting and controlling at the same time. A combination that makes him completely irresistible the moment he gets his hands on me.

“You can say that,” I finally admit. His body quickly comes to hover over mine as his face finds the crook of my neck, inhaling deeply.

“You smell divine.”

I smell like I need a shower. I can’t help but laugh as I shake my head, his face lifting so that his eyes are staring down into mine. “I need a shower… I smell like sex.”

“Exactly,” he replies. “You smell like me… and every bit of cum I left on you.”

Regardless of how derogative what he said sounds, it excites me. My legs wrap around his waist as I roll my hips against his own before leaning up to brush my lips against his. The hunger within him ignites once more as he deepens the kiss, his tongue sliding within the depths of my mouth causing a moan to escape me.

It’s clear that he wants another round, and honestly, so do I. Because if this is what I have to look forward to, I don’t want him to ever leave.

***

"By the time we finally get out of bed, and I’m able to get food in my stomach, it’s close to noon. My body is sore, and my mind is slightly clearer than it has been in a while. I never considered that I’d have had Jaxson in my bed, or doing the devilish things he’s done to me.

But I did .

And every part of me feels lighter than air about it. That is until I remind myself once more that it’s not going to last long. Sitting upon the bar stool at my kitchen island, I try to savor the flavor of my French press coffee while going through my phone. Usually, the familiar task helps to dull my constantly turning mind. But not today.

The small doubts of darkness rising within my mind as I try to remind myself not to become attached are frustrating. Jaxson and I are just friends who happen to… have fun together. Not to mention we have the show. And when it’s all said and done, he will be going back to New York just as he has always planned. So why does everything seem so difficult to accept?

“Thanks for the shower…" Jaxson murmurs against my ear as he comes up behind me. His voice startles me for a moment, but the instant the smell of my vanilla body wash wraps around me, I can’t hold back the low chuckle that escapes my lips as he kisses the side of my face.

“Well, I have to make sure you’re somewhat presentable today.”

His brows raise slightly at my comment as I glance at him from over my shoulder. “Is that right? And why do I have to be presentable?”

Shrugging slightly, I step from his grasp, reaching to grab a glass of iced tea I’d poured for him only a few moments before he walked out from the bedroom. “Well,” I reply, turning to hand it to him. “You never know when there could be a camera lurking around.”

Soft laughter escapes him as he takes the glass, bringing it to his lips while staring at me. No matter the doubt that continues to fill me, I can’t help but wonder how all of this has been possible. How after so many years of wanting him, then forgetting the idea of wanting him—that I now have the chance to have him. That after so long, Jaxson Rivers finally sees me.

“As much as I would usually love the idea of being in front of a camera with you… today isn’t the day for that.” Placing down the glass, he reaches out, grasping my waist as he pulls me closer to him. “Today, I just want to spend time with you.”

The heat of a blush spreads across my cheeks at his words. “You’re just saying that.”

“Not at all,” he replies, his brows knitting together in confusion. “I don’t want to miss a second of time with you. ”

“Would that be in bed or…”

“Well,” he rumbles as he takes my lips with his own, while running a hand down over my ass before giving it a playful swat that causes me to jump. “As much as just staying in bed with you sounds enticing… I thought you might do something else with me. Today, that is…”

“Oh really?” I ask, my lip falling between my teeth as I gaze up at him from under my lashes. “What do you want to do today?”

His smile widens as he lets go of me, taking a step back to grab his glass of ice tea. Something in the nature of how he’s acting is more mischievous than I expect. The man is up to something, but the question is… what?

“I’m actually planning to meet with a realtor in about…” he pulls out his phone and checks the time. “Thirty minutes… I need to get a place here temporarily so that I’m not staying at the hotel anymore, and I’d really like to have your input.”

My input ?

I’m honestly not sure why he would want my input on where he wants to live over the next few months while we are filming, but I don’t object. “If that’s what you want.”

“Perfect!” He exclaims, clapping his hands together as he finishes off the tea in his glass. “Well, why don’t we get going then. We don’t want to be late.”

“Oh… already?”

His smile widens as he nods. “Yep…let’s go.”

Slipping on my shoes, I follow him out of my apartment and down the stairs to the back door of the bakery. My mind is buzzing with what places he could possibly be looking to rent. There aren’t tons of places in Willowcreek, but there is a decent amount. Though, I don’t take him for someone wanting to rent a house, and apartments aren’t as widely found. At least not many that would probably be to his standards.

The moment we step outside, I stop in my place as I see Tracy, the local realtor standing by her black BMW with a smile on her face and her platinum blonde hair styled perfectly without a strand out of place. The moment she spots Jaxson, she comes marching over. A woman on a mission and from what I remember back in high school, one with a thing for Jaxson Rivers .

“Jaxson!” She all but fawns the moment she reaches him, pulling him in for a hug that rubs me the wrong way. Yeah, I slept with him last night… but it doesn’t mean we’re together. Does it? I mean… I don’t get jealous.

“Hey Tracy," he replies quickly, taking a step back from her to stand by my side. “I’m glad you were able to fit me into your schedule.”

“Oh, honestly," she protests with laughter and a wave of her hand, “I have no problem making time for you. It’s been so long…I’ve missed you.”

I bet you have.

“I’m sure you know Madi,” he replies, gesturing to me.

Her eyes cut quickly to me as she forces a smile onto her face. “Yes, I do.”

Before I have the chance to open my mouth, Jaxson drops a bombshell on the woman that makes my mouth snap shut and a smirk falls upon my face. “We’re actually doing the TV show together. Madi is an amazing baker.”

Bet that hurts, doesn’t it ?

The moment he says “we,” her eyes shift to me. The sudden irritation isn’t missed in her gaze as her brow twitches, and she re-adjusts her smile so that it’s incredibly more forced than before. Tracy and I never got along. In fact, she’d gone after Asher and Jaxson a few times in high school. And when they moved away, she tried her luck with Knox. Only to have that turn into one big embarrassment when she realized he didn’t bat for our team.

I’ll never forget the day she showed up to his house while he and I were working on a table for my mom in his garage, practically flaunting her cleavage. Only to be let down in the end.

“That’s… cool,” she musters out slowly. “So, are you two… together?”

We glance at each other before looking back at her. Laughter escapes me as I open my mouth, only for Jaxson to beat me to it. “Not exactly. No.”

Huh? Not exactly… What the hell does that mean? Does he want to be ?

My mind whirls with questions from his statement as I stand quietly, listening to them change the subject as they discuss properties in the area. What did he honestly mean by saying that? We weren’t together. I mean, we did fuck last night… quite a few times. And then again this morning.

But we aren’t together. At one point I’d considered what it would be like for us to be together like Asher and Sam, but that was years ago. And this with him now, well, it’s all rather sudden. We’d not actually had a conversation yet about what happened between us.

“Madi…” his voice pulls me from my thoughts as I glance at him with a smile.

“Yes?”

He raises his brow slightly, “are you coming?”

“Coming?” I repeat his words, trying to understand what I missed. Tracy’s face furrows with what looks like irritation and confusion at the interaction between us. “Oh… yeah sure. Where to?”

He smiles, shaking his head before taking my wrist in his hand, leading me to the white, unrented building next door to mom’s bakery. The same building I’d considered opening for my cake shop multiple times. “What do you think?”

Staring at the building, my brows furrow as I glance up to him. “About what?”

“About the apartment,” he laughs, gesturing to the building in front of us. “I’m thinking about renting this one.”

“This one?” Both Tracy and I say at the same time. Her shock overwhelms my own as her voice squeaks at the end.

“But this is so… not your style,” she comments, Jaxson glancing at her before turning back to me.

“What do you think, Madi? Think you can handle me living next door?”

I take a moment to consider if he’s serious before my brows raise and my eyes widen. He really wants to live right next door to me? The thought of having him so close stirs something inside me. Is it excitement? Nervousness, maybe?

“Well… I mean at least you're close,” I finally reply, taking another glance at the building.

His fingers find my chin as he turns my face to face him. His eyes staring down at me with the same hunger and intensity he’d shown last night when he fucked me into submission and made me scream for him in pleasure. The same gaze that still makes my thighs press together in anticipation for what he has in store for me.

“Oh cupcake… that was my intention all along.”