His smell was raw heat. Summer. Sticky cotton candy on a Ferris wheel and cool water on hot skin.
“What?” He’d asked me a question. What the fuck did he just ask?
He leaned on his hands, dipping his head close to mine. “Community service, K.C. How do you like it?”
I could hear the laughter in his voice. Little shit.
“I don’t,” I mumbled. “Teaching a bunch of kids who slacked off during the school year, because they didn’t get the attitude adjustment they needed, isn’t my idea of a good time.”
His arms lowered a bit, and I could hear him inhaling through his nose, as if he was smelling me.
“Your idea of a good time got you here in the first place.” His voice was calm but firm. “And those kids don’t need an attitude adjustment. You do.”
I smirked. “Well, I’m getting one, thanks to the great state of Arizona.” Then I pinned him with hard eyes. “You don’t know me, Jax.” And I pushed him away and turned for the door.
But he hooked my arm, pulling me back.
“You’re right,” he said quickly. “I don’t know you. So why don’t you enlighten me? What does K.C. stand for? What did you do at college that got you arrested?”
When I just stood there, not answering his stupid questions, he backed me into the wall again. “Let’s try something easier, shall we? Your favorite color. What is it?”
“Are you serious?”
“Are you stalling?”
I scowled. “Pink. It’s pink.”
“Is it?” he pressed. “How about music? Who’s your favorite band? What about books? Your favorite genre? When was the last time you ate chocolate or stayed in your pajamas past eleven in the morning?”
I didn’t know if the walls were closing in or if it was just Jax crowding me. “What are you getting at, you little shit?” I accused.
And he got in my face, smiling at the challenge of my condescending name-calling. “How about a shower, K.C.?” The sound of his deep, husky voice swirled in my stomach and shot downward.
I gulped, licking my sandpaper lips. “Huh?”
He stared at my mouth, looking hungry. “The little shit—who’s not so little anymore—needs a shower,” he whispered, still staring at my mouth. “Take a shower with me. Right now.”
I flattened my hands against the wall, the cool white-painted concrete blocks relieving the heat in my chest. Where the hell was he going with this? He didn’t want a shower with me.
I arched an eyebrow, trying to appear calmer than I was. “You called me gutless and helpless, Jax. Now you want to shower with me?”
“Show me, then.” There was a sincere look in his eyes, serious, as if he was searching my face for something. “Show me you’re not gutless. Take a chance.” He narrowed his eyes, imploring me, and I think I swallowed my heart, because my whole damn body was throbbing.
“I’m being serious,” he said quietly. “The team’s gone. We’d be alone. Walk into the locker room with me. Get in the shower with me. Show me how bold you are.”
I tried to say no, but the word was stuck in my throat. I wanted to say it, but I wouldn’t have meant it.
He reached down and took my pinky, rolling it between his fingers.
Looking down, he continued in the softest whisper. “I won’t touch you if you don’t want me to.” And then he raised his gaze, killing me with the hint of sadness in his blue eyes. “You only have to walk, K.C. That’s it. I’ll get you out of your clothes. All you have to do is follow me. I know you want to.”
I dropped my eyes, and my face felt as if it would splinter in pain into a thousand cracks like paint on a China doll. Tears burned my eyes.
I did want to. I wanted someone to hold me and touch me, wanting to be with me.
He leaned in, the breath from his mouth fanning my lips. “Take a chance,” he whispered.
I fisted my hands, then stretched my fingers and fisted them again. The urge was there. To reach out and touch him. Wrap my arm around his neck. Take his hand and let him lead me.
But I didn’t even have the will to make my legs move. He’d laugh at me. He’d use me. He’d see nothing worth keeping around. Soon he’d hate me.
Blinking away the tears, I looked up, not caring that he saw my watery eyes. And I shook my head.
He studied me, searching my expression, and I couldn’t tell if he was angry, disappointed, or disgusted.
He dropped his arms and stood up straight, the warm bubble his body created around me gone cold. “You’re afraid of yourself,” he said flatly. “Not me.”
And then he backed up, looking down at me and down on me. “And that’s why you’re gutless, K.C.”
Gutless. I bared my teeth, so fucking sick of him saying that.
“I have to shower.” All the softness from his voice was now gone. “You need to leave.”
And he turned around and strode for the men’s locker room.
I shook my head. I’m not gutless. I don’t want to be gutless.
I sniffled and cleared my throat, standing tall. “Maybe I just don’t want you,” I blurted out, and steeled my body when he spun around, looking surprised. “Maybe I just don’t want you, Jax.”
And I breathed out a small laugh as I spun around and headed for the door.
But before I even reached the handle, an arm circled my waist, yanking me back into his warm body, and I gasped just as my hair was swiped to the side and a hot mouth was on my neck.
Everything fell apart.
My knees buckled, my eyes closed, and my neck fell to the side, inviting him in.
Oh, my God.
I couldn’t think. I couldn’t pull away. I couldn’t stop him. His scorching mouth spread over my neck, breathing hot air on my skin that was already on fire, and he barely moved, as if he’d lost control just like me. As if he had just craved the contact. His teeth grazed my skin, rough but not hard, and he slid his lips and teeth over the sensitive area under my ear, and I wasn’t sure if he was kissing me or getting ready to eat me.
My chest shook, and I held on to his arm across my waist, but I didn’t need to. He held me so tight I couldn’t take in the deep breaths I hungered for.
But I could feel him, and that was all I cared about. His cock pressed into my back, and I writhed into him as his lips started moving on my skin. He scattered short kisses across my neck, at the base, and under my ear. His tongue flicked my earlobe right before his other hand reached around and turned my chin to him.
And then his mouth was on mine. I moaned, probably sounding as though I was in pain, but I couldn’t help it. The tornado between my legs was powerful and sweet, and it made me feel like an animal. Wild and … just simply wild.
Jax’s tongue found mine, and I groaned into his mouth, inhaling his scent while his powerful body held me. The heat, the wetness, the taste, everything was hard and fast as his lips worked mine.
As he kept an arm around my waist, his other hand left my face and went straight under my skirt into my underwear.
“Oh,” I whimpered a muffled groan into his mouth that still held me hostage. What was he doing? I needed to stop this!
But my eyes fluttered as his smooth fingers dipped into my center, swirling the wetness already there around my clit.
And then his mouth left mine, and he yanked me up off my feet and growled in my ear.
“You’re so wet for me, K.C.” His voice was hard and threatening. “Gutless, helpless, and a fucking liar, too.”
And then he dropped me, and I fell on my ass to the mats, shaking with confusion.
All I heard behind me was a door open and close, and I knew I was alone.
Bringing a shaky hand to my mouth, I sucked in air as if it were going out of style. Holy shit.