Chapter 6

6

JAX

T he bar at the Rosewood Ridge Retreat Center was packed. I stopped in the doorway, second guessing everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours. I'd met the woman of my dreams and made love to her, even taking her virginity.

The whole thing had me texting one of the volunteer coordinators to ask about helping with recovery again. I was told I might want to hold off. A bunch of women had been asking about me, which was exactly why I'd stayed away since the video went viral.

Tess wasn't letting me off that easily, though. She'd invited me to the bar to meet her friends, and I wanted to see her so badly, I would have walked over hot stones barefoot just to be near her. But right now, as a woman in the crowd discovered me standing in the doorway and elbowed her friend, walking over hot stones barefoot didn't sound so bad.

"It's him," I heard somebody whisper.

"Jax!" someone else called out.

It was not a familiar voice, but that didn't mean much. I didn't know anyone who'd be here.

Panic began to set in at the thought of all these people rushing at me. My time as a SEAL had exposed me to a lot of things, but it had also broken my tolerance for normal life. That was why I'd isolated myself.

I was ready to push through all that, though. It was worth it to be with Tess.

Finally, I spotted her near the bar with a group of women. They stood in a small circle, laughing. At the sight of Tess, everything else in the room melted away. She was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen, and she was also the woman who'd already become my life.

Her eyes seemed to sparkle, her smile brightening her entire face. She wore a pink shirt, and her hair was smooth and shiny. It was straight today while it had been wavy last night.

An image flashed through my mind, as it had done almost constantly all day. It was an image of her riding me, naked breasts begging to be touched. It was an image that had driven me to relieve myself no fewer than four times today.

It was hard to believe we'd only met twenty-four hours ago. After our first time on the boat, we headed to my bed, where we'd made love last night and this morning. Then I drove her back to the retreat center in time for her to change and go to the work site with her friends. I'd rushed back to the safety of my cabin, where I'd hidden out all day.

As if sensing she was being watched, Tess's gaze suddenly jerked over to me. As our eyes met, my heart rate sped up, beating so fast it was like I ran down that trail rather than walked.

Slowly, her smile widened even farther. She turned and said something to the woman standing next to her, then began pushing her way through the crowd, moving toward me. I began moving too, planning to meet her halfway, but I'd forgotten all about the women between us. Women who recognized me from the video. Women who'd apparently come here specifically to meet me.

People who'd once had their backs to me in conversation were now fully facing me. It was like an audience was gathered to stare me down.

"Excuse me," I said.

The crowd didn't part. Not a single woman budged from her spot. Tess was having better luck pushing through, but I didn't feel right forcing it, so I ended up stuck waiting for her to make her way to me.

"You're the guy from the video, right?" one of the women close to me asked. "Jax?"

"Where have you been?" another woman asked. "We've all been looking for you. We thought you'd be helping with the tornado recovery."

Was that an accusation? I would have been there every day, covered in dirt and working until I practically fell over, if all these women hadn't shown up. But if all these women hadn't shown up, the town would have had fewer volunteers, so I couldn't complain. In fact, I was grateful they were here.

"Yep," was all I said.

Did that answer the question? What was the question? Tess was even closer now and her nearness scrambled my brainwaves.

"Excuse me."

Even over all the noise, I heard Tess saying that. That was because she was pretty much yelling it, having said it several times. The women in the front row were not budging.

I nodded toward Tess. "That's my girlfriend."

I glanced at the women in front of me, noting their changing expressions. Smiles fell, mouths dropped open, and heads turned.

Tess looked just as surprised as the rest of them. Her eyes widened as she stared at me. Yes, I'd just called her my girlfriend, and I'd only done it in part to get these women off my trail. She was my girlfriend, and she'd be my wife soon enough. And she knew it.

The announcement had the desired effect. Two of the women who'd turned to look at Tess angled their bodies so they left a little space. Tess took advantage of it, pushing her way through.

I didn't waste a second, pulling her into my arms for the same kind of passionate kiss we shared last night. The noise around us seemed to have faded away, but I couldn't tell if that was because everyone was watching us or because my entire world was centered on this kiss.

The stress I'd felt when I'd seen the crowd was gone now. It wasn't the cure, though. I knew I'd have to work on it. It would take time. But it was progress.

"Come on," she said.

Taking me by the hand, she pulled me through the crowd. It was much easier this time since everyone had gone back to their previous conversations. As we got closer to the group she'd been standing with, I saw a group of men. They were toward the back of the room, gathered with their beers and drink glasses. They didn't seem to even notice that attention had shifted to me a few minutes ago.

I shook hands and nodded to Tess's friends—Sloane, Cassie, and Ashton. They didn't seem surprised that I had finally shown up, and I wondered if that was because Tess had been talking about me. I liked to think that was exactly what it was.

"Do you know Mac?" Ashton asked, gesturing toward the men.

I looked at the group of guys. A couple of them looked familiar, but I couldn't name a single one.

"They're dating now," Tess explained. "And Cassie is dating Denver."

"And I'm dating Bryce," Sloane said.

The guys' names didn't sound familiar, but I had a feeling I'd be getting to know them. The chances that all four of our relationships would work out were slim to none, but I knew ours would, and at least one of these women would move to Rosewood Ridge to be with her man. That gave me hope Tess wouldn't find it boring here.

"Let's go," Sloane said, grabbing Cassie's hand, and soon we were all heading over toward the group of guys.

"Great to see you again," Mac said. "Want a beer?"

Someone went off to fetch one, and I settled in next to Tess. As the conversation rolled around me, I felt an odd sense of belonging and community. Why had I avoided this for so long?

"You know, we could go back to my room," Tess said once the topic of conversation turned to how fast Mac's new motorcycle could go.

We were still part of the circle, but everyone seemed caught up in the conversation. They weren't paying attention to what was going on with us.

"Sounds good to me," I said. "But what about dinner?"

She looked up at me, pure adoration in her eyes. "We'll order room service."

"They have room service here?"

Tess nodded. "I just have to tell my roommate to stay away a little while."

She handled that while I squeezed through the crowd. Women still stared at me as though I were some kind of celebrity, but they'd all be gone soon enough and life could get back to normal.

There was one problem with that, though. I had a feeling the guys around here would never let me live down the nickname Cyclone Stud. The better I got to know them, the more they'd probably rib me about it.

But I didn't mind that. In fact, I kind of missed it from my military days.

Tess met me just outside the restaurant, and we walked hand-in-hand toward the elevator, barely controlling ourselves until we were inside the room. As I brought her to orgasm with my tongue, then entered her, I thanked my lucky stars for everything in my life that had led up to finding her.

Now that I had her, my life could begin.