38. Keeping Him Jax

I t wasn’t enough to have him in my arms at his mother’s house; that was far too awkward, and we held back what we could. The three of us—four, with Dad on video—caught up on all the years we’d missed over a small dessert, since it would’ve been rude to skedaddle so fast.

Hwa squeezed my left thigh under the kitchen table, making my temperature spike. When Dad clicked off the phone and Lisa took the plates away, Tabby whispered, “Take me home.”

“Yes, sir,” I said, rising and pulling out his seat.

“Are you leaving?” Lisa asked, returning with a grin.

“Yeah, Mom. Jax is a great driver. We’ll be careful.” Tabby kissed her on the cheek before we left with our hands together. I don’t remember saying goodnight to her, though I’m sure I said it. My brain was focused on one thing alone.

Tabby blared music from his phone while we drove back to the city, claiming it was to make sure I stayed awake. I knew better. He was equally as anxious as me to rediscover our dynamic and answer a different kind of appetite.

Over the Golden Gate, past the park, up the now-familiar street where I parked last night and thought that was the end. Now it was real.

I pulled the car against the sidewalk and admired him, much the same way I did that first time we sat and talked together.

Tabby turned off the music and turned to face me. “I, um, called in sick tomorrow. You know, because I flew today and wasn’t sure if I’d be back in time.”

I nodded, then pulled out my phone to do the same. My text had a typo, but I figured it made my claim of being ill look more legitimate since it would be midnight soon.

“Can I come in?” I asked.

He snorted. “Didn’t you just call off work so you could?”

“I don’t know...I’m nervous.” I laughed and let the tension bleed away. “You could change your mind at any moment and send me packin’.”

“Nah...not when I know exactly what you’re packin’,” he said with a bounce of his brows. “Come on.”

We left the car, and I chased him up the steps, impatiently standing back a few feet while he unlocked the door. The second it opened, Tabby grabbed my hand. He made no stops along the way. Straight to the bedroom.

Finally.

“Kiss me,” I said, keeping him still before he could push me back onto his mattress.

Tabby looked up at me through his thick, sweeping lashes and let out a breath. I expected him to say something poetic, but he did as I asked instead, using both hands to pull my face toward him. He moved against me again and again, unable to satisfy the hunger within, and I did the same.

Releasing my face, Tabby worked down my buttons, pecking the bare skin he exposed each time until he pulled my shirt out from my waist to make me topless. His strong hands claimed me as his territory, touching every bit of me that was no longer covered. I opened my arms so he could take me in.

When he stepped away and placed my hands on his shirt, I asked, “May I see you?” before touching the first button.

“As much as you want to see.” His eyes, staring deep with the key to my heart within, were as I remembered them in youth. Like I always said, he couldn’t hide from me, and now he didn’t want to.

Down I went. One, then two, popping each one to reveal his hirsute chest until I reached the stretched, black material hiding beneath.

“Don’t mind the binder,” he whispered. “Keep going.”

We finished undressing, bare before one another, save for the binder he kept on his top. I didn’t remove it, nor did I ask, because it meant more than just clothing to him.

“You swear you forgive me?” he asked before we began. “This is it?”

“Of course I forgive you.” I trailed my fingers over his shoulders and tipped his chin toward me again. “I’m so in love with you, Hwa. Handsome Hwa. It was always meant to be this way.”

He blinked quickly and nodded, then brought his lips to mine.

That night, we made love all the ways we knew how, making up for lost time. Tabby fit in my arms as I fit into his. He started just as soft as he ever was, then flipped the script and dominated me. I loved every minute. He made me feel secure, protected, loved, chosen, and downright starved for.

Now my reserves were built up forever. We’d never have a drought again.