My eyes narrowed. God, he was freaking high-handed.
There was a sparkle to his deep brown eyes. “And maybe even a slice of apple pie, if you’re a good girl and you stop arguing with me.”
“I’ve never had apple pie,” I blurted out.
Standing in the middle of the kitchen, cradling me in his arms like I weighed nothing—and I most definitely weighed something—his mouth dropped open. “You’ve never had apple pie?”
“No.”
His brows rose. “Why?”
“I don’t know. Just never tried it.”
“That’s so . . . so un-American,” he said, and I rolled my eyes. “Are you a terrorist?”
“Dear God,” I muttered and started to wiggle to get free.
Jax tightened his arms. “Honey, you kill me. Really, you do. Never been drunk. Never been to the beach. Never had an apple pie? We’ve already scratched one of those things off, and we’re about to mark off another one.”
I figured this was not a good moment to share the fact that I’d never been to a Waffle House, either.
His grin was back, and there was something utterly disarming about it. “Stick with me, babe, and I’ll change your life.”
Katie’s words rushed over me. Your life is going to change. I stopped thinking, at least for a little while, and I stopped fighting. I reached over, grabbing my keys and my sunglasses. I slipped the latter on.
What Jax didn’t know was that he’d changed my life already, even if it was just a little bit, but what he did knowingly do was carry me out of the house, put me in his truck, and drive my ass to Waffle House.
“So, Jax took your cherry?”
The margarita glass almost slipped out of my hand as I turned to where Roxy stood. Behind her, Nick was staring at us. It was probably the first time since we’d met that he’d actually shown any interest in Roxy or me. Then again, when you say things like ‘taking cherries,’ it tends to get people’s undivided attention.
“Oh my God, this is such a perfect conversation.”
My cheeks were warm as I glanced back to where Katie was sitting. “This is not the perfect conversation.”
Her heavily lined eyes widened. “Were you a virgin? Like in past tense?”
The guy beside her turned and looked at me. I was seconds away from screaming. “Roxy is talking about being drunk. I’d never been drunk before. Last night was my first time. Jax took my—”
“I took what?” Jax appeared out of freaking nowhere.
Oh God.
Katie leaned forward and her boobs almost popped out of her halter and blinded me. “You took Calla’s cherry?”
“I took . . . what?” He blinked and then looked at me, head tilted to the side. “Is there something about last night I don’t remember? Because honey, I’m going to be seriously disappointed if that happened, and I don’t recall it. Like really fucking—”
“No!” I shrieked, causing several heads at the bar to whip my way. “She’s talking about never drinking. Not my . . . you know . . .”
“Cherry?” supplied Roxy as she straightened her glasses.
Oh God . . .
Jax stared at me a moment, jaw working, and then he turned to Nick, saying something in a low voice that I prayed had nothing to do with me.
It had been hard to sit through breakfast with him without feeling like a dumbass for last night, but he didn’t bring anything up, and the slice of apple pie that I’d eaten was freaking delish.
“Oh.” Katie looked disappointed. So did the guy. “Well, hell, never mind. Back to the pole for me.”
I watched her jump off the stool as she winked at us and then sauntered through the crowd.
“But it wasn’t her only cherry I took,” Jax announced.
Oh double God . . .
Roxy’s head whipped toward him, an eager look creeping onto her pretty face. “Do tell?”
Nick turned around again.
A sexy, lazy grin appeared on Jax’s lips. “No. She never had apple pie. I changed that this morning.”
“You’ve never had apple pie?” she exclaimed.
“Here we go again,” I muttered.
Jax wasn’t done. Nope. Not at all. His eyes met mine, and something in them caused a shiver to go low in my belly. “I also broke her into Waffle House.”
My mouth dropped open. “How did you know I’d never been there before?”
“Honey, I know things.” Our gazes held, and yep, that shiver increased, because he was saying something entirely different that had nothing to do with Waffle House, tequila, or apple pies.
But definitely had something to do with cherries.
“Last night was the first time you got drunk?” Nick spoke, surprising the hell out of me.
Roxy nodded as she headed for a girl who was waving her hand like she’d been standing there for ten minutes when it had only been like ten seconds.
“What did you drink?” he asked.
“Tequila,” answered Jax, winking at me. “She was liking some tequila.”
Nick’s lips pressed together. “That’s some strong shit.”
“Well, I’m never, ever drinking again,” I told him, heading for where my apron was stashed. With all the seasoned bartenders behind the bar, I needed to be out on the floor helping Pearl since Gloria was MIA.
Nick nodded. “Okay.”
“Like never.”
There was a tiny movement in his lips, like he was so close to smiling. “Gotcha.”
I stared at him a moment, actually stopped in the middle of the floor behind the bar, and stared at Nick. “Tequila is a dirty whore,” I told him.
A low, husky chuckle slipped out of him. “I’ve heard that before.”
My lips split into a smile.
Jax’s hand wrapped around mine. “You’re coming with me.”
My gaze went from Jax’s face to where his hand closed around mine. “Going where?”
He didn’t answer, but gently tugged me along, walking me past the apron and toward the exit of the bar. More curious than annoyed, I let him lead me down the hall to the office. He pulled me inside, shutting the door, and I remembered the last time he’d done this. He’d kissed me, but it hadn’t been a real kiss.