Chapter 5

Chapter Five

“Yes! Yes! Do it! Faster! Come on!”

“Jeez, Luce, take it down a notch,” Ty murmured from beside her in the stadium suite Jax had reserved.

There were eighteen other people in there with them, but it was far from crowded and everyone was cheering loudly. Lucy was standing and watching as the Warriors won in overtime and couldn’t believe how exciting it was to be there in person. Turning, she jumped into her brother’s arms and hugged him. “That was amazing! Holy crap!”

Placing her back on her feet, Tyler high-fived pretty much everyone in the room before Lucy did the same. “See? I told you it would be fun to see a game in person.”

“I had no idea!” she gushed. “So what happens now? Does Jax come up here? Do we go down to the locker room?”

Laughing, her brother shook his head. “No, and no. The team has a meeting after they do their interviews and all that. We probably won’t see Jax until he gets home later tonight.”

“Oh.” It was crazy how disappointed she was. It had been a fantastic weekend and she kind of hated that they were leaving tomorrow. “I’m sure the team’s going to be celebrating this. I mean, this was a great win! Do you think they all go out to dinner or something? Didn’t Jax say something about a restaurant they usually go to and if they won, we were supposed to meet him there?”

Tyler was gathering their things. “Um…”

“Ty, I’m sure he told us about it last night, remember? We were playing pool down in his game room and said if they won, we should go and get a table and tell the hostess we were Warrior guests and show them our tickets or passes or something. It was right before I sank my last shot and he said to go to…oh, what was the name of that place…?”

“Bruno’s,” he said. “It’s Bruno’s, but I think the two of us should just grab something to eat and wait to see Jax when he gets home.”

She eyed him suspiciously. “Why? What’s going on? You’ve gone out with the team before. You’ve told us all the stories whenever you come home. Why can’t we go?”

“Come on, Luce. Let’s just go.” When he reached for her hand, she pulled back.

“No. I want to know why we’re not going.” Then, crossing her arms, she waited him out.

“I just don’t think you need to be hanging out with the damn football team, okay?”

Wildly offended, her eyes went wide. “Are you freaking kidding me right now? Seriously?”

“Look, it’s just…” He huffed with annoyance. “It’s been a little over a month since the whole…you know…Blake thing. And I’m sure by now you’re starting to feel like it’s time to…um…get back on the horse,” he said, dragging out those last few words.

It took all of three seconds for Lucy to get what he was trying so hard not to say.

“Oh my God! Do you think I’m going to go to the restaurant and try to hook up with one of the players?” she asked before snorting with laughter. “Are you insane, Ty?” Her laughter turned slightly maniacal as she shook her head. “First of all, thank you for thinking that any football player would want to hit on me.”

“What’s wrong with you?” Now he sounded defensive. “Why wouldn’t they want to hit on you?”

“ Pfft …please. Do you ever see the kind of women pro-athletes date? They’re normally tall, skinny, gorgeous, and look like supermodels.” Pausing, she motioned to herself. “I’m not any of those things, and I’m more than okay with it.”

Rubbing the back of his neck, Tyler looked around as if someone was supposed to help him. “Lucy, all I’m saying is being surrounded by a bunch of guys like Jax’s teammates isn’t the smartest thing right now. Besides, didn’t we have a great time yesterday when we went sightseeing? Just the two of us? Why don’t we go catch a movie or something?”

This was utterly ridiculous and she was ending it right now.

“I’m going to Bruno’s with or without you. And just to put your simple mind at ease, I promise not to run to the nearest hotel with the first guy who smiles at me, okay? I’ll keep it in my pants until we’re back home and you’re not around, Saint Tyler.”

His gaze was dark and she had a feeling there was maybe a little more to this, and just when she was about to push, he blurted out, “There’s a woman I usually…you know…see when I’m here.”

Her eyes went wide, but she couldn’t seem to think of a word to say.

“And—no offense—hanging out with my little sister is going to make things a little awkward when I want to leave with her. There. Happy now?”

Lucy knew her smile was far too bright for this conversation, but she kind of loved knowing that this wasn’t all about her trying to sleep with any football player. “As a matter of fact, I am,” she said sweetly. “And I promise not to do anything to get in your way and I’m fine taking an Uber back to Jax’s, okay?”

With a roll of his eyes, she knew she had him. “Fine, brat. Let’s go. It will probably take some time to get out of here and we’ll still get to the restaurant before the team.”

So rather than rush to join the throngs of people, they relaxed in the suite for thirty minutes and chatted with some of the other people who were still there too. It turned out that they were the only guests of Jax’s; everyone else was a guest of Travis Reid and Declan James. Lucy knew they were Jax’s best friends, so it only made sense that they went in on a suite like this together. But out of all of them, she and Ty were the only ones going to Bruno’s.

When they finally left the suite and made their way toward the exit and parking lot, there weren’t any crowds and it was kind of nice. Lucy kept looking around expecting to see Jax, and was constantly disappointed when she didn’t.

Hanging out with him the way they had this weekend had really been eye-opening. She’d only been a kid when Jax left for college and she didn’t really know him. But now that they were spending so much time together, she had to admit that she genuinely liked him. He was charming and funny and, more than anything, he seemed like a good guy and a solid friend to her brother.

And he was hot.

So very, very hot.

When he came out and joined her in the hot tub Friday night, she thought she was going to embarrass herself because she couldn’t stop staring at him. Luckily it was dark and he didn’t seem to notice. Then, last night, she waited until Ty had gone to bed before pulling her bathing suit on and stepping outside—while making a little noise to let Jax know she was out there.

Just in case he was curious.

And when he stepped outside to join her, she’d practically gotten tongue tied at the sight of him.

Just like on Friday night, they didn’t talk about anything deep, but the conversation never had a lull. She’d told him all about the places her brother had taken her to while he was at practice, and he told her the things he loved most about Wichita and what he missed most about South Creek and why he was looking forward to opening the camp and moving back there.

It boggled her mind why he would be excited by that. Every day she wished she could move away to a place that had more to offer, and yet here was a guy who could have everything he wanted and yet he wanted to move to a town that offered nothing.

Weird.

When they’d said goodnight and Lucy had gone to her room, she lied in bed, stared at the ceiling, and wished she weren’t alone.

So maybe Ty wasn’t that far off in his thinking…

There was no way she was going to do anything with one of Jax’s teammates. That would just be awkward.

But if it was Jax…

Yeah, she wasn’t going to think about it.

She couldn’t.

They were just barely becoming friends, and even though he wasn’t as responsible for the accident that nearly killed Ty, his father was.

Ugh…stop looking for trouble! Everyone else has moved on, why can’t you?

Good question.

When they pulled up to Bruno’s, the parking lot was already pretty packed and she had to wonder if they were late or if this many people were the norm after a game. Honestly, she hated that she had to go home tomorrow. It would have been nice to have a full day for the three of them to hang out. The players seemed to always have the day after a game off, and now that she wasn’t so full of rage toward Jax, it could have been fun to have an extra day.

Glancing over at her brother, she decided to test the waters. “Too bad we can’t stay another day, huh?”

He shrugged. “It is what it is. I’ve got to get back for a meeting.”

Hmm…

“So you’re saying in this day and age that you can’t do a video call? That just seems lame.”

Ty parked the car and twisted to look at her. “Are you trying to tell me you want to stay another day?”

“I don’t know. Maybe?” Letting out a long breath, she faced him. “I never get to go anywhere, Ty. This is the first trip I’ve taken in years! Sure, I’ve gone to the coast or taken day trips around North Carolina, but this is the first time I’ve gotten on a plane in almost ten years! And that last time was when we to visit Aunt Dolly and Uncle Ed.” Shaking her head, she laughed softly. “Most boring trip ever. The flight was the best part.”

“Yeah, I know. I know you were excited about your honeymoon trip because…”

She held up a hand to stop him. “Don’t, okay? But I know what you’re saying. And believe me, I know that Wichita isn’t Aruba, but…it’s just nice not to be home. And one day isn’t really going to kill you, right?”

“Lucy…” he whined.

“Tyler…” she whined right back. “Please? Just think about it. But not too long because we’ve already checked in for our flights.”

He didn’t respond right away, but he also wasn’t shutting her down, so she took that as a good sign.

“And you did mention this girl you see whenever you’re in town. All the more reason for us to maybe extend our stay. You can have an entire night away if you’d like without worrying about catching a flight tomorrow.” Pausing, she nudged him playfully. “Just…something to think about.”

With a huff, he climbed from the car. When Lucy joined him and they started walking toward the restaurant, he didn’t look at her as he said, “If Jax doesn’t mind us staying another night, then I’ll do my best to change our flights.”

“Yay!”

“But,” he quickly interrupted, “If there’s a huge fee for changing flights or if anything else pops up or makes things too difficult, we stick to the plan. Got it?”

She nodded, but was way too excited to believe anything could go wrong. Although, Lucy was also desperately trying not to look too closely at exactly why she was so excited to stay another night.

Could I really justify another late night in the hot tub?

Silly question. She already knew the answer.

Inside the restaurant, it was crowded and a bit loud, but ultimately after a brief conversation with the hostess, they were led toward the back where there was a private room reserved for the team. Lucy knew she was looking around like she’d never been out in public before, but this all just felt so…wild!

“Holy crap, Ty! We’re at a private party for the Warriors! This is insane!” she said giddily.

With a stern look, he murmured, “If you’re going to act like it’s your first day out around people, we’re leaving.”

Groaning, all Lucy could do was shake her head. “Dramatic much?”

“I’m just saying…”

Fortunately, he never got to finish because the team started arriving. Within minutes, the room was filling up, drinks were being served, and food was being passed around butler style. Lucy helped herself to a seafood stuffed mushroom and hummed with delight.

“Hey! You guys made it!” Jax said when he joined them. “You never really said if you were going to be here or not when we talked about it yesterday.”

“Well, I was going to take Lucy to dinner and do a little more sightseeing, but she talked me into it,” Ty told him.

Jax smiled at her and she felt a little flutter in her belly. “Good choice. You can have dinner with this guy anytime. How often can you hang out with a winning football team?”

The giggle was out before she could stop it, and she wanted to kick herself for sounding so lame. “That was my thought exactly,” she told him and prayed she wasn’t going to start batting her eyelashes or rubbing up against him.

“Smart girl,” Jax said with a wink. “Come on, let’s go grab one of the tables and order some food. I’m starving!”

“I’ll bet!” she said as she followed. “That game was insane! Other than the high school ones you guys played, I’ve never been to a live game. It’s so much better in person than just watching it on the TV!”

“She was the loudest one in the suite,” Ty added with a laugh.

“Nothing wrong with cheering loudly,” Jax said, grinning, and Lucy felt that smile like a caress.

Why? Why did I have to start noticing these things now?

As soon as they sat, they were joined by Travis and Declan. After all the introductions, the two of them sank into a deep conversation with her brother, leaving Lucy and Jax to talk amongst themselves.

Their waiter poured everyone glasses of water while another put warm bread out for them. Jax immediately took a piece before offering Lucy the basket. “So, you had a good time?”

Nodding, she reached for the butter. “I really did. Actually, this entire weekend has been a lot of fun.” Pausing, she wondered if she should ask about the extra day or if she should wait for Ty to do it. But when she glanced over, he seemed deeply entrenched in conversation with Jax’s teammates. Facing him, she smiled. “We were thinking about staying an extra day. You know, if that’s okay with you.”

Maybe it was her imagination, but he looked pleased. “Yeah, of course! I felt bad about not having a lot of time to hang out, so with no practice tomorrow…”

“I know! Ty has to see about changing our flights and he wants to make sure there are no crazy fees for changing at the last minute…”

Waving her off, he said, “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure everything works out.” After taking a bite of bread and finishing it, he added, “Just tell me what you’re interested in doing and I’ll make it happen.”

You. I’m interested in doing you…

Of course she didn’t say that, but her mind was saying it on an almost continuous loop.

“I’m not sure at the moment. I’ll need some suggestions.” And then, because she was feeling a little bold, she added, “Maybe if we have another late-night chat in the hot tub, you can tell me your favorite places to go.”

And it could have been wishful thinking, but this time she swore she saw a flash of heat in his gaze. It made him even more attractive, and she wished they were back at his place in the hot tub right now.

“Hey! What are we ordering?” Travis called out, effectively ruining the moment.

Another one of Jax’s teammates joined them with his wife and after that, they all ordered their meals and talked about the game. Lucy was happy to sit back and observe while enjoying some amazing food. When they were done eating and finished their dessert, it felt like they had been there forever. She almost sagged to the floor with relief when people started leaving.

Finally!

When Travis and Declan stood, as if on cue, a woman walked over to the table. She was petite and utterly stunning, and she only had eyes for Tyler. Her brother turned and looked at her, and then Jax, and Lucy swore they were having a conversation without uttering a single word.

“C’mon. I’ll take you home,” Jax murmured close to Lucy’s ear, causing her to practically shiver with delight.

“Really?” she whispered breathlessly.

Jax laughed softly, his breath warm on her skin. “You’re staying at my house, so it only seems right.”

All her girly parts tingled at his words and his closeness. She knew he was just being a good guy, but everything about him attracted her.

“Dude, we’re heading out. We’ll see you back at my place,” Jax said casually to Ty. Then he looked at his friends. “None of you should be driving tonight. Be sure to get rides unless you’re ready to leave now.”

They all waved him off, barely acknowledging that he’d spoken. With his hand resting low on her back, he led her away from the table.

Ty absently waved and said he’d see them later, but with the way he was smiling down at his lady friend, she doubted they’d see him before breakfast. And with that, Lucy tried to hide her excitement over how she was potentially going to be alone with Jax all night.

It was crazy how nervous he was. The entire ride home was filled with casual conversation, and there was nothing awkward or stilted about it. And yet all he could think about was getting her back to his place, into her bikini, and into the hot tub.

And praying that Tyler stayed out all night with his…his…casual fling? That sounded awful, but honestly, he had no idea what to call her. All he cared about was being able to relax with Lucy back at home.

When they walked into the house, Jax tossed his keys and phone on the counter and wondered if it would sound weird if he immediately suggested they change into their bathing suits. He was about to when Lucy sat down on his sofa with a soft smile.

The kind of smile that silently asked him to join her.

So he did.

Twisting slightly, she looked at him curiously. “There was a time during dinner when the guys were talking about real estate and the camp project and how it was all for a good cause. I was curious why you weren’t more involved in the conversation. I mean…this is your baby, right?”

Resting his arm along the back of the sofa, he nodded. “Your brother and I have been talking about it for weeks now. Dec and Trav definitely want in, but they have questions that only Ty can answer. I figured it would be easier if I just let them talk and stayed out of it.”

“Oh.” She sighed softly, but didn’t seem to have anything else to say. While they had been completely at ease since he got home Friday, suddenly things felt a little strained. Maybe it was his imagination, but he refused to let their night end like this.

After quietly clearing his throat, he said, “Ty mentioned that you had to talk him into going to Bruno’s tonight. What was that about?”

Shaking her head, he heard her laugh quietly. “He was in overprotective brother mode. But I convinced him not to be.”

“Why was he being overprotective? It was just dinner.”

“With an entire football team,” she told him. “And…considering that I called off my wedding and broke things off with my fiancé less than two months ago, he thought I might…you know…”

“Wait…you called off your wedding?” he asked, completely shocked. “Why?”

But Lucy waved him off. “It’s a really long story and not something I’d like to talk about.”

Unfortunately, that was all he could think about.

“Anyway, he claimed he thought I’d decide tonight was the night to get back on the horse or whatever, but the reality was that he didn’t want me hanging around this girl he hooks up with whenever he’s here.” She laughed again. “What’s that about?”

“Her name’s Sandy. They met a couple of years ago—at Bruno’s—and it’s just…casual? I guess? From everything he’s told me, they only reach out when he’s going to be in town and don’t keep in touch when he’s not.”

“That is so weird and not like my brother at all! Go figure. You think you know a guy…”

“To be fair, neither seems to be looking for anything serious.”

She frowned at him. “Still, it just seems…I don’t know…icky.”

His bark of laughter was out before he could stop it. “Icky?”

Nodding, she repeated herself. “Yup. Icky. I know Ty dates a lot back home. Not seriously, but he does date. And then he comes here a couple of times a year and just…bangs Sandy and leaves? That’s icky, Jax!”

They were both laughing at his point, but his laugh was more like a snort. “Hardly. They are two consenting adults. And if this is all they want from each other, who are they hurting?”

“No one, I guess,” she said, shaking her head and looking away. “How about we head out to the hot tub? I’m sure that would be beneficial after a game, right?”

“Actually, an ice bath is better for muscle recovery, but I did that when I got back to the locker room. The hot tub is just more about relaxing.”

Although when you’re in there with me, the last thing I feel is relaxed.

“Oh.” When she looked at him and smiled, he could see some uncertainty there, but didn’t know why. “So…what do you say? I feel like that’s sort of become our nightly ritual.”

“Sure. I’ll meet you out there in ten.” But Jax stayed where he was while Lucy got up and went to the guest room and shut the door. Picking his phone back up, he decided that maybe he should check on Ty.

Jax: Hey! Are you spending the night at Sandy’s?

Ty: Yeah. Why?

Shaking his head, he considered his answer because saying, “Because I wanted to be alone with your sister” probably wouldn’t go over well.

Jax: Lucy mentioned that she didn’t know if you were coming back tonight

Jax: And unsure if you changed your flights

Ty: Crap! Doing that now!

Ty: And thanks, bro. I appreciate you looking out for her and getting her out of there

Ty: I didn’t want her around the team

At least he’s admitting it.

Jax: So you thought bringing her to a team party was the way to go? Lol

Ty: That’s why I didn’t want to go, but she wore me down

Ty: But now that I’m at Sandy’s, I’m glad she did

Ty: Thanks for getting her out of here. I’ll see you in the morning

Okay, that was done. Getting to his feet, he walked to his bedroom to change, all the while wondering why his friend was okay with letting Lucy be alone with him, but wasn’t okay with her hanging out with the team. It made sense that Ty was protective of her, and he supposed it made sense that he trusted Jax with her considering their history.

Raking a hand through his hair, he let out a long breath. “If only he knew that I’m not so trustworthy…”

Pushing the thought aside, he quickly changed, grabbed a towel, and stepped outside. Lucy was standing next to the hot tub looking absolutely perfect. As he strolled toward her, he caught her impish smile and told himself she was just being herself. It didn’t mean that she was being flirty with him or anything.

“Just in case you were still worrying, I texted Ty and he had totally forgotten about changing your flights, but he’s doing it now.”

“Okay, whew! Thanks, Jax.”

Nodding, he added, “He is, however, spending the night at Sandy’s.”

“That part I could have lived without,” she replied, but then laughed softly. Having already turned on the jets, she climbed into the tub and got comfortable, and Jax immediately followed.

“Damn,” he said gruffly, sinking lower in the water. “I do this almost every night and every night it still amazes me at how good it feels.”

“I told you, if I had one of these at home, I’d be in it every day too.” Humming, she sank lower under the water too. “Aquatic therapy is wonderful for kids. If you weren’t planning on putting a pool in for the kids, you should. It should be indoors and about the size of one you’d find at the local YMCA.” Another hum. “Hydrotherapy. Children can also benefit from hot tubs. Again, the size of one you find at the Y would be sufficient. You know…if you were wondering.”

Her eyes were closed so she couldn’t see him smiling. “I’ll keep that in mind. Any other suggestions?”

“That’s the biggie from a therapy point of view. I’d have to know more about the specifics of the camp before I could really give an informed opinion.”

“We’ve been talking about it all weekend,” he reminded her.

“About the property, logistics, timing…you’ve mentioned making it accessible for kids with disabilities who can’t play on traditional teams or maybe who want more than what the Special Olympics offers. You haven’t talked to me about the specific activities that you’re planning.”

Right now, the camp was the last thing he wanted to talk about.

“I’ll show you the plans tomorrow.” They sat in companionable silence, and while Jax didn’t know why Lucy had gone quiet, he knew he was trying to turn the conversation toward a more…personal one.

He just had no idea how.

If Lucy were any other woman, he wouldn’t feel this tongue-tied. But considering how just a handful of days ago she pretty much despised him, he was afraid of doing or saying anything to make them go backwards.

They’d already talked about family, the camp, football, Wichita, movies, food…pretty much all the usual small talk conversations people had when they were getting to know each other. So what was he supposed to talk about now?

“I can hear you thinking from here,” she said, interrupting his thoughts. “If you’re tired, don’t feel like you need to stay up and entertain me.”

He seriously almost groaned.

“I’m not tired,” he assured her, opening his eyes. “Just didn’t want to talk about the camp or family or football.”

“Then what do you want to talk about?” And yeah, this time there was a sultriness to her voice that wasn’t there a minute ago.

Then she slid across to his side of the tub.

In the moonlight, he could see her green eyes shining, the smile that was the perfect combination of sweet and sexy, and the swell of her breasts that were pure temptation.

I should be stronger than this. I shouldn’t be thinking about her breasts or how I want to taste those lips…

But he wasn’t strong; he was only a man.

A man who wanted this woman more than he wanted his next breath.

“Do you want to know what I want to talk about?” she asked softly, moving closer.

Nodding, Jax held his breath.

“I want to talk about the fact that Ty isn’t coming back tonight. We’ve got the entire house to ourselves, and if I’m reading things correctly, there’s an…attraction here. Am I wrong?”

This would be the time to back out. No harm, no foul.

“You’re not wrong.”

Or I can say that and go directly to hell for betraying my best friend.

But Lucy was that much of a temptation and he was willing to take the risk for her.

Her smile turned a little shy as she floated in front of him and planted herself on his lap, straddling him.

Yeah, I’d gladly take any punishment for this.

When her hands smoothed up over his chest, he got hard. When she leaned in and pressed her breasts against him, his hands anchored on her waist. And when her lips were a mere breath away from his, Jax knew he’d hit his breaking point.

“Be sure, Lucy,” he murmured gruffly.

Licking her lips, she whispered, “I am.”

His arms banded around her as they both seemed to dive into the kiss. It was wild and untamed, and he was glad to know he wasn’t the only one feeling this way. She felt so damn good and tasted even better. Water sloshed all around them and he didn’t care. Her tongue dueled with his, and she let out a throaty moan as his hands slid down and cupped her bottom.

Tearing her mouth from his, Lucy’s head fell back as she gasped for air. Jax wasn’t about to let that stop him from tasting her. His lips went to the slender column of her throat as he trailed kisses from there down to the swell of her breasts.

“This bikini has been making me crazy,” he said between kisses. “Every night.”

Her laugh was low and sensual. “You mean all two of them?”

“Three, including tonight. It’s all I can think about. I see it in my dreams.”

The slow grind against him and a soft moan were her only response.

Jax wanted to touch her everywhere—kiss her everywhere—and during it all, he wanted to tell her just how much he wanted her. Every curve was a mystery, every breath a discovery, and he couldn’t believe that Lucy Dawson was the woman turning him inside out.

“I love that you’re here,” he whispered against her skin before his tongue teased the shell of her ear. “You feel so damn good…”

“Mmm…” Her head lolled back as he trailed kisses along her jaw. When her hands raked through his hair and then gripped hard, Jax swore he was about to totally lose control.

His hands roamed up and down her back, toying with the tie of her bikini top. “I can’t believe you’re really here.” Even feeling a little breathless, he couldn’t stop himself from kissing her in between his words. “I’m so glad you realized you were wrong about me…that I wasn’t the bad guy all this time…” Slowly, he began to tug at the tie. “What would your family think if they saw you here like this, in this tiny bikini and with me?”

As soon as the words were out, he regretted them.

Hell, he didn’t even know why he said them. But as Lucy stiffened in his arms, he knew he’d killed the mood.

Clearing her throat, she put a little space between them and met his gaze head on. “For the record, I typically don’t require my family’s—or anyone’s—approval on my wardrobe.”

“Lucy, I…”

Now she climbed off his lap and Jax mentally cursed. “Why would you even say something like that?” she demanded. Before he could answer, she was climbing from the tub. “And why would you bring up that whole awful situation? What is wrong with you?”

Shit! Shit! Shit!

“Because I’m stupid, okay?” he yelled in frustration. “I have no idea why I would say something like that! I’m so freaking twisted up in knots over here, Lucy, and I made a mistake!”

She was wrapping her towel around her. “You have no idea how much I was trying to forget the whole family connection,” she was saying, her back to him. “Then I thought…hey, we have this one night with no one else here, and then you go and…”

Leaping from the tub, Jax stormed over to stand in front of her. “You think I’m not trying to forget our connection too? You think I’m not kicking my own ass for thinking about you the way I have all weekend?” Raking a hand through his wet hair, he let out a long breath. “Ty not being here is both a blessing and a curse, but I want you, Lucy. I probably shouldn’t, but I do.”

Her eyes were wide as she looked up at him. “This is going to make things weird for the two of you, isn’t it?” she asked sadly. “Maybe…maybe we shouldn’t. We got caught up in a moment and maybe it’s a good thing that you said what you said. You know, before we did something we might regret.”

This so wasn’t the way he imagined the night going, but if they were going to be brutally honest with each other, then he was going to lay it all out there.

“I would never regret making love with you,” he told her, and it took all his self-control to keep from reaching out and touching her. “Never. I don’t care what anyone else thinks or says; I could never regret anything that was going to happen here tonight.”

Her response was a shaky, “Oh.”

“Lucy, I…”

She took a step back and then another. “It’s for the best,” she said so softly he almost didn’t hear it. “Good night.”

Jax let her make it almost to the door before he said, “Don’t go.” His heart was hammering so hard in his chest, but he knew if he didn’t make things right between them, he’d never forgive himself. “Please.”

That was the word that did it. Lucy paused and hung her head for a moment before facing him.

“I was both nervous and completely psyched about being alone with you tonight,” he told her, his voice low and gruff. “I hate that I screwed this up, and if you give me another chance, I swear I won’t say another word. Just…I don’t want you to go to bed alone.” Boldly, he took a step toward her. “And I don’t want you to sleep in your own bed.” Another step and then another until they were practically toe to toe. “Please.”

The silence was almost deafening and he was about to lose hope when she said, “Damn you, Jax,” before reaching out and dragging his lips to hers and kissing him as if her life depended on it.