Rules of Entanglement

Day 4: Wednesday


Jax woke up to a red-haired angel draped over him, her soft breaths fanning his chest. Late last night, after she’d fallen into a deep sleep, he’d carried her into the room and settled them into bed. As soon as he’d tucked her back firmly against his chest, he let his eyes drift closed and didn’t remember a thing after that until the sun crept over his face just minutes ago.

He reveled in letting his fingers play with her curls until the sun eventually woke her, too. She looked up at him, her lids still heavy with sleep and questions in her eyes. He suspected she might feel vulnerable after sharing so much of her past with him the night before, so he didn’t hesitate to reassure her with a tender kiss.

When he pulled back, she rewarded him with her bright smile. From the very first, it had penetrated his armor as nothing else. But this one in particular did more than that. It managed to wrap itself around his heart, and the strangest part of all… He didn’t even mind. It actually felt pretty damn good.

She gave him one more quick kiss and then leveled him with a stern look. “I expect coffee to be ready and waiting for me by the time I get out of the shower. And if you also happen to have bacon and eggs with it, I wouldn’t turn them down.”

It was so damn cute how she thought she was in charge. He saluted her with a, “Yes, ma’am,” and watched her saunter naked into the bathroom, causing his cock to give a salute of its own. As soon as he heard the shower spray, he called room service, ordered a breakfast fit for a queen to be set outside their door, and then strode into the bathroom.

The shower was a large open stall, big enough for four people, with no door. The three shower heads—one angling down from either side and one straight above—were set in the back third of the tiled walls to prevent the water from splashing out. They had individual handles to allow the user to choose their preferences. Currently she only had the side ones on. Her hair was still dry and she was busy washing her body with a soapy loofah.

Facing away from him as she was, she hadn’t heard or seen him enter. Which was perfect.

As she stepped into the shower sprays, soapy bubbles trailed down her pale, lithe body. His eyes watched in rapture as they flowed over the curves of her hips and the round globes of her ass. The room became thick with steam and the scent of oranges and something else invaded his senses to the point of distraction.

She turned on the overhead spray and ran her fingers through her long hair. The bright red curls straightened with the weight of the water and fell down her back like flames licking at her skin. She looked otherworldly, like something out of a James Cameron film.

Unable to stand by any longer, he sheathed himself in the condom he’d grabbed on the way in and stepped into the stall. Without warning, Jax wrapped his arms around her. Anticipating her startled reaction, he held her tight. As soon as she heard his voice, the tension leaked from her muscles, and she tried turning around.

“No. Stay.”

“Jackson Maris, I’m going to kill you for scaring me like that.”

He pressed his rock hard cock into the crevice of her ass, causing her breath to catch. He chuckled. “I don’t think so.”

“Well, I’m definitely going to make you pay for it,” she said without much conviction. “Now, get out of here so I can finish.”

He moved his hands to encompass her slick breasts and gave them a little squeeze. “Unfortunately, I don’t take punishments very well. But if you remember correctly, I do enjoy giving them out.” At the mention of the previous night’s escapades, a tiny moan escaped her lips. “And I have every intention of making you finish.”

Before she thought of another weak argument, he pinned her against the back wall and snaked his right hand in front to reach her *. This wasn’t going to be a slow seduction in the least. His goal was to get her off and bury himself as deep inside her as possible.

“God yes right there.”

He knew exactly where. Though they’d only had sex twice, Jackson had catalogued every moan, every gasp, and every arch of her body, learning what she liked and how she wanted it. Every woman was different. Only a fool would assume he didn’t have to pay attention to know how to please one from the next.

However, he’d also thought moans were moans and gasps were gasps. That the responses were the same, and it was only when and where he got them that changed.

But Vanessa’s reactions were like a different language. One he’d never heard before and yet mysteriously understood as easily as if it were his own. The sounds she made fired his blood, quickened his pulse, and made his cock harder than steel.

Circling the sensitive nub with a fingertip, he teased her mercilessly, holding her captive when she bucked into his palm to try and create more friction. She reached behind him, digging her nails into his ass. The sharp bites in his flesh were like spurs on a horse, urging him to go faster. With any other woman he wouldn’t have thought twice about the action, but he knew with Vanessa it was her way of taking back some control. If she got the desired response from him, it was a point in her corner.

But this wasn’t her rodeo.

“I don’t think so, Red.” Jackson grabbed her wrists and held them with one hand above her head. “I call the shots. The sooner you learn that, the better.”

“I—”

His free hand closed over the front of her neck and braced her jaw on either side. His mouth crushing hers smothered anything else she planned on saying. His lips pried hers apart and his tongue pushed in, taking command with an urgent force.

She rubbed her ass against his cock. He groaned, a sound she swallowed greedily before he wrenched his mouth from hers and moved to her neck. Biting his way down the taut column, he reached around again and without preamble plunged his long middle finger into her slick, hot p-ssy. She cried out, her pleasure bouncing off the tile walls and reverberating in his ears, drawing his balls impossibly tighter into his body. In and out, over and over. His actions relentless, her moans his encouragement.

“Oh, God, I’m so close. Jax, please!”

He held his finger still inside her. “Please what?” he growled in her ear.

“Jackson!”

His little wildcat was getting feisty. He was glad she couldn’t see his smirk at her frustration. She’d likely haul off and hit him just for that, if not for stopping when teetered at the edge of climax. But for as easygoing as he was in every other aspect of his life, there were two areas he insisted on dominating. Fighting and sex.

“Please what, Vanessa? I don’t make another move until you say it.”

She groaned, the walls of her sex clenching around his finger in a silent plea of their own, begging for what she struggled to ask. Submitting was still a foreign concept for her, but that didn’t mean she didn’t want to. It just meant she needed someone who could give her what she wanted. Someone like him.

“Please, Jax…” Finally she said the magic words, softly and banked with a need that rivaled his own. “F*ck me. Let me come.”

“Good girl.” His lips blazed a slow path from her shoulder, up her throat, and over the shell of her ear before whispering, “I love it when you beg, V. I have half a mind to hold out on you longer just to hear more.” She whimpered. “Shhh, don’t worry. I want my cock buried inside you too much right now. Open your legs for me, baby.”

He dragged his finger out and let it glide up and over her swollen *, making her spasm between him and the wall. Grabbing his shaft, he gave the order, “Wider,” as he lightly kicked her legs out more. Bending his knees to get himself under her, he rubbed the sensitive head of his dick back and forth over her opening. He felt her trying to bear down on it, aching to be filled. When neither of them could take the teasing any longer, he stood tall and impaled her body, sending them both into a vortex of overwhelming sensations.

Jax brought her hands down from the wall and placed them behind his head. “Don’t move them.” He dug his fingers into her hips for purchase, his chest pressing into her back. Her breasts smashed against the wall, the tops plumped and round. Remembering sucking and licking and biting them made his mouth water and tempted him to flip her around so he could relive the night before. But instead, he doubled his efforts to drive them both off the proverbial cliff.

He hooked his hand under her left leg and hiked it up, opening her that much more and allowing him to slide deeper. Her nails dug into his scalp, shooting fingers of pleasure and pain down his spine that wrapped around his balls.

The spray of the shower still hit parts of them, making their bodies slip and slide without friction. The bathroom echoed with a cacophony of grunts, groans, moans, and cries, indistinguishable as to where they originated.

“So damn tight,” he rasped, burying his head in her neck. “Feels so f*cking good.”

Releasing her hip, his right hand found her * once more and began a feverish dance over it as he continued to pound into a heaven he’d never known.

“Oh! I’m going to— I’m—”

Screaming his name, she scratched furrows into the backs of his shoulders as she spasmed around him. The pain from her nails mixed with the pleasure of his cock being swallowed again and again by hot, clenching woman ripped the last thread he had on his control. With a powerful thrust, he buried himself balls deep and spent himself within her heat.

He wasn’t sure how long they stood there, panting as the water continued to rain on them, but eventually he found the strength to slip from her body and dispose of the condom. He turned her around at last and drew her back into his arms. Her slight body was lax, but he had no trouble holding her up with one arm as his free hand delved into the hair at her nape, and he kissed her slowly, sensually.

When the kiss ended, she gazed up at him with crystalline eyes full of trust and utter contentment…and he lost a part of himself to her in that very moment. Which part of him exactly, he couldn’t say.

The lie. It was eating him alive, especially in times like this. He knew he had to tell her, and the longer he waited, the worse he made things. But every time he thought he could do it, the fear of losing even one hour with her clawed at his gut until he chickened out. Damn those stupid rules of hers. Why? Because she wants to make sure anyone she’s with is a moral and decent guy? No, damn him for being too big of a p-ssy to tell her the truth from the very beginning.

He would man up and tell her.

Later.

After they enjoyed their breakfast together, she went off to do wedding stuff with Robért for the next four hours, and he took advantage of the free time to hit training. Afterward, he talked with Coach for a while about getting him in the lineup for his next fight. Jackson was the last one to enter the showers at the gym, so all the guys were already getting changed or gone.

He winced as he reached across to turn the water on. Needing the mental distraction the pain provided, he’d told Corey not to hold back in their sparring session. The dude delivered and then some. Jax was thoroughly sore and aware of several areas on his body that would be sporting purple marks in the next ten minutes thanks to Corey’s well-placed Muay Thai kicks.

He quickly finished up and was toweling his head dry with brisk movements on the way to his locker. He had to meet Vanessa soon and if he were late, she’d never let him hear the end of it.

“I think that knee to the chest you took in my last clinch was pretty f*cking impressive.”

Jackson whipped his head around to see Corey straddling a bench with a shit-eating grin on his face. “F*ck me,” he muttered as he opened his locker and piled his clothes on the bench next to him. “Very funny, a*shole. What are you still doing here?”

“Wanted to make sure you were able to walk out of here on your own after the beating I gave you.”

Jax grunted in response. Normally he was right there with the guy, verbal jab for verbal jab, but he just wasn’t in a joking mood.

“Seriously, brah, what gives? You’re not yourself today. In the cage it was almost like you wanted me to break a few ribs for you.”

After pulling his blue camo board shorts on, he straddled his own bench, facing the man who’d been the closest thing he’d had to a best friend since he moved to Hawaii. He dragged a hand down his face, vaguely noting the stubble he hadn’t had the energy to shave that morning after the shower escapade with Vanessa.

“Have you ever had a belief or thought process that you’ve lived by for years, and then something happens to make you think maybe you were wrong? Or maybe you weren’t wrong, but that it was time to look at things differently?”

“Yeah, sure. I think everyone does that at one point or another.” Corey’s eyes narrowed. “Are you giving up fighting? Were you trying to get injured out there? Because that’s just f*cking stupid, man.”

“F*ck no. It’s not anything like that.” He sighed, stood up, and started taking his gym bag and things out of his locker. How did he tell his friend he needed his outside to match what his guilt was doing to him on the inside? He’d sound like a f*cking lunatic. Hell, maybe he was. “Just forget it. It’s nothing.”

Corey crossed to his side and stood with his back to the lockers, arms crossed over his chest. “This have anything to do with that girl you brought in on Monday? Vanessa, right?”

Jax grabbed the top of the locker door and looked at the man, searching for any signs of interest on Corey’s part. When he realized he’d been gripping the metal so tightly that he cut the underside of his forefinger, he snapped out of the crazy—and uncharacteristic—bout of jealousy. He did a mental shake of his head, sucked the blood from his finger, and pulled on his T-shirt. “Yeah, Vanessa. I also call her Red, Viper, Princess, and behind her back, Woman-who’s-driving-me-f*cking-insane.”

Corey busted out laughing, but Jackson knew it wasn’t due to his stand-up skills. “What’s so funny?”

The man sobered up enough to answer, but that wide grin stayed intact. “Now it all makes sense. You’ve finally met someone who ties you up in knots, just like the rest of us mortals.”

“The woman is a total enigma, so if she’s tying anything up in knots, it’s my brain, because nothing about her makes any damn sense.”

Liar!

Jax told his subconscious to take a flying leap off a high cliff. It wasn’t a total lie. Vanessa was enigmatic. He’d never met anyone like her before. And although he hadn’t been able to figure her out right away like he could with most women, he was confident he understood her. Maybe even more than she understood herself.

“Come on, Maris, you can’t bullshit me. I might not know you as well as Andrews does, but I’ve known you a long time. I’ve seen you with plenty of women, and none of them—even ones you had so-called relationships with—affected you any differently than a great steak would. Admit it. You’re really into this girl.”

Jax shut his locker and leaned back on it next to his friend. He couldn’t deny it, nor was he the type to. He’d always been straight with people. Which was why any type of relationship he had with women always resulted in them leaving. He never hid the fact that for him it was more of a companionship with the bonus of sex. They always expected his feelings to grow over time, and when they didn’t, they’d give him a Dear Jax letter.

“She’s so different, man. She’s stubborn and high maintenance and set in her ways…” He exhaled and let his head drop back, the banging metal sound echoing in the empty room. “And despite us living with each other the last few days, when I’m not with her all I do is think about her.”

“She’s living with you?”

“No, we’re at the Mau Loa. It’s a long story and not the point. The point is, I only have the rest of today and tomorrow to be with her and the thought of just being friends after that makes me feel violent.”

“She’s going back to the mainland Friday, huh?”

“No, she’s here through next week, but she made me agree that our fling will only last three days.” Corey opened his mouth, but Jax held out a hand. “Don’t ask. Suffice it to say she’s made it very clear she’s not looking for anything more than that. The thing is, I think she might want more, but certain shit from her past has her scared.”

“Listen, I’m no expert, but if you think there’s something more there than a few sheet dances—and it sounds to me as if there is—then you owe it to yourselves to give it a shot.”

“She won’t see it that way.”

“So change her mind.”

“You don’t get it.” Jax turned toward his friend, crossed his arms, and braced his shoulder against the locker. “She has these rules she lives by. Not just sayings. Rules.”

“So get her to break them.” Corey clapped him on the shoulder and walked over to snag his bag from his locker before heading for the door. Turning back, he said, “For what it’s worth, man, I’d rather fight and lose than never step inside the cage.”

As the door closed behind his friend, Jax dragged his hands down his face, Corey’s last sentiment still ringing in his ears. Not only could the guy dish out a decent pounding, it turned out he wasn’t half bad at advice, either, because he was right…

Win or lose, Jax was stepping into the cage.

…

The atmosphere at Duke’s was a lot like Vanessa’s beloved Fritz’s back home. Hard-working locals who had probably lived in the area most, if not all, of their lives, kicking back with good friends and great beer.

The only real differences were the addition of tourists mixing it up with the locals and the aesthetics. Fritz’s was dark with wood-paneled walls, black vinyl benches and stools, and little lighting to speak of, whereas Duke’s Waikiki had walnut-colored wood furniture and surroundings, Tiki-style overhangs and table umbrellas, and open walls that looked out onto Waikiki beach and the vast Pacific beyond.

Jax had gone up to get them some beers from the bar while she grabbed a small table, ironically next to the only dartboard in the place. A piece of paper with scrawled marker was taped next to it informing patrons that the electronic aspect of the game no longer worked. But the darts were still in it, so it was usable. It’d just be a play-at-your-own-mathematical-peril kind of game.

Vanessa looked out through the open walls of the bar. Waikiki beach was absolutely stunning. She’d spent the afternoon on the back of a Jet Ski, her arms around Jackson, touring the different coves and having a blast as the wind whipped through her hair and stole the laughter right out of her mouth.

At one point a family of dolphins swam alongside them, jumping out of the water every few seconds. She’d been to SeaWorld before, but seeing them like that in the wild had been beyond magnificent. With their speed and grace, they were truly awe-inspiring, and she was disappointed when they eventually went their separate way.

However, her mood had brightened considerably when Jax claimed he needed a few minutes to rest his throttle hand and she realized they were floating in a very secluded bay, surrounded on three sides by high cliffs with a narrow mouth for an entrance. Somehow she managed to swing herself around so she sat in front, facing him.

“Mmm,” he’d said as he wrapped his strong arms around her and gave her a kiss. “As much as I like this seating arrangement, babe, I’m not sure it’s the safest idea to drive with you on my lap.”

“Oh, I’m not planning on staying like this. I just thought maybe I could help you relax more than just your hand.” When she palmed his cock over his shorts she felt him already halfway hard.

He sucked in a sharp breath. “If you’re thinking what I think you’re thinking, relaxing will be the last thing on my to-do list.”

“Ah,” she said before capturing his lower lip with her teeth and pulling until released. “It might be last on the list, but if we take care of everything else, it’s guaranteed to get checked off, too. Yes?”

His hands dropped to cup and squeeze her ass. “Very yes,” he said, his voice gruff and low.

The memory making Vanessa smile, she waited for Jax to return with their drinks. She probably looked like an idiot, but she couldn’t help it. They’d done some pretty inventive things on that Jet Ski. She’d only planned on fooling around with him, giving him a little taste of things to come and a little release. But after only a minute of having her mouth on him, he’d dragged her body up and her bikini top down.

He’d devoured first one nipple and then the other, then asked if she was on the pill. Since she wasn’t a moron, she was able to answer him in the affirmative, to which he croaked out, “V, I want you right-f*cking-now, but I’m obviously not prepared. So you can say no and I swear I’ll respect it, but I want you to know that it’s mandatory I get full-scale physicals on a regular basis and I’m totally clean. I would never do anything to put you at risk.” His hands slid into her hair, his thumbs framing her cheeks. With his forehead touching hers and their short breaths mingling between them, he whispered, “Please say yes.”

She replied equally as soft, unwilling to shatter the perfection of the moment. “Very yes.”

In an instant he descended like a starved tiger let loose on its prey, consuming her completely—and carefully—on a Jet Ski in a small Hawaiian cove.

“What are you thinking about?”

Vanessa startled at Jackson’s deep voice next to her ear. She gave him a dirty look as he laughed and sat down across the table from her. “Thank you for taking a year off my life.”

“Sorry, Red. Couldn’t resist. It’s not often—or ever, for that matter—that I catch you daydreaming.” He slid her Heineken across the table to her and leaned in close, his eyes darkening several shades. “Were you thinking about me bending you over the handlebars of a certain watercraft and taking you from behind?”

The tone in his voice had changed to one he always used with her during sex. So unlike his normal, playful tone, this was sexually charged and authoritative. They’d only been together a handful of times and yet she already responded to that voice like one of Pavlov’s dogs. As soon as she heard it, she melted into a woman whose every goal was to follow his lead. She’d tried fighting it, tried taking back her usual control, but never succeeded. There was something about Jackson Maris that unraveled her control. No, she realized, that wasn’t it. He unraveled her need for control.

Oh my God. That’s it, isn’t it? She half expected to look up and see a floating lightbulb over her head. Her need for control—for her rules—was because she didn’t trust anyone to do right by her. If she controlled everything and everyone around her, she never needed to worry about that.

But almost from the first, she’d felt differently with Jackson. Outside the bedroom he was easygoing, laid-back. More than happy to let her indulge her need to hold the reins. But when it came to intimacy, he snatched the reins right out of her hands and refused to give them back until he was good and ready. And even though she’d fought it out of habit for a while, subconsciously she’d known she was safe with him. So she’d been able to let go. Finally.

She hadn’t realized until now just how freeing that was for her. To let someone else take control, to give her what she needed without her having to take it or order it like she was choosing from a f*cking menu. Yes, I’ll have the Bites On My Neck as an appetizer and the Take Me From Behind, medium raw, as my entree, with Pull My Hair and Make Me Beg For It for my sides. Oh! And I’d love some Not-At-All-Awkward Snuggling for dessert. Thanks ever so much.

She met Jackson’s dark gaze and answered him honestly. “Yes. I was.”

“Good. Because I can’t get it out of my head, either.”

“Oh, yeah?” They were in a public place. Surely she could challenge him a teensy bit, right? “Which part exactly?”

The black of his eyes swallowed what little color was left and their intensity left her feeling as naked and on display as she’d been earlier in that cove. “Careful, babe. I’ve never been one for huge public displays, but when it comes to you, it won’t take much to incite me into throwing you up against the nearest wall and taking what I want.” He dragged the rough pad of his thumb over her lower lip. “Especially now that I know what it’s like to have you bare. Goddamn, you felt so good.”

A shiver of unadulterated desire swept over her body. All the moisture sucked out of her mouth and apparently ended up between her legs. He kissed her lightly and then leaned back in his chair, casual as could be, as if he hadn’t just shaken her to her very core with nothing more than words.

She swiped her bottle up and quickly downed half its contents before setting it back on the table. Jackson chuckled as he lifted his own beer to his lips and did the same. Thankfully the waitress brought their food then, because she’d been in danger of leaning over and licking that sexy Adam’s apple as he drank. What? Can those even be sexy? Mentally, she slammed her head against the table. She was soooo into this fling a lot deeper than she’d planned. The next thing she knew she’d be sighing over the guy’s cuticles. Come on, Nessie, where’d you put your balls?

For the next hour they enjoyed their food, talked, laughed, and even debated politics. Turned out, Jackson was extremely intelligent and up on current events. He had a large database of useless facts stored in that gorgeous head of his. By the time they finished their Kimo’s Original Hula Pie—which was absolutely sinful and totally worth the extra sit-ups she’d have to do—she was ashamed of herself for assuming he was simple-minded simply because he had a career in fighting and a hobby in surfing.

He set his fork down after taking his last bite and noticed her staring. “Do I have whipped cream on my face or something?”

She smiled, thinking of what she’d like to do if he had whipped cream anywhere on him. “No, you’re fine. Want to play a game of darts?”

He shot a skeptical glance at the dartboard. “On that thing? It’s broken.”

She shrugged. “So we’ll keep score in our heads, or else ask for a pen and notepad.”

“I’m surprised you’d want to play without your own darts. You and Lucie take this game pretty seriously, don’t you? You’ll have to use bar darts. Could throw off your game.”

“Then you’ll actually have a chance of beating me. If I had my darts, I’d kick your ass down Waikiki beach and back. Then again, I’ll probably still do that without my own darts.”

The competitive glint sparked in his eyes. “Oh, you’re on, babe. Let’s go.”

They played game after game as the sun turned the sky into shades of pink, orange, and purple. The waitress was kind enough to make sure they always had plenty of beer and replacement order cards to keep score on. Trash talking between them ran rampant, and they even collected a small audience who chose sides and cheered appropriately.

When they finally decided their throwing arms were sore enough for one night, the sun had long ago vanished and made way for a brilliant cast of stars surrounding a full moon. The patrons had grown and spilled onto the beach in front of Duke’s and a band started playing music, signaling the start of the beach nightlife. Colored lanterns strung between trees and posts served as the only source of light other than the moon. People whooped and laughed as they gathered in the sand to dance, their drinks in one hand and a willing partner in the other. It looked straight out of a travel commercial. It was awesome.

Jax grabbed her hand and tugged. “Come on.”

She happily followed him into the center of the dancers. Vanessa had always loved to be in the thick of a party, and she could scarcely recall a time when she hadn’t closed down the dance floor. The music infused her body and compelled her to move and sway in time with its beat. She loved being mixed into the crowd, bodies brushing up on each other, sweaty and visceral.

As soon as they found a spot, she began to move, and so did Jackson. Not a lot of guys had rhythm, but he was not one of them. Placing one thick leg between hers, he pulled her close and rolled his pelvis with hers, their hips swaying to the beat.

She laced her fingers behind his neck and tilted her head back to meet his eyes. “Look at you, all Patrick Swayze and stuff.”

“Dancing is no different than sex. It’s all about moving with your partner. Finding a rhythm together. It’s just like having sex while standing up.” He dipped his head to speak into her ear. “Pretty sure I’ve proved my skill in that department once today already, but if you need a refresher, I’d be more than happy to oblige.”

He nipped her earlobe before pulling away again. She was so tempted to yank him back to his Jeep and give him permission to break every speed limit from Duke’s to the Mau Loa. But it had been so long since she’d had a chance to dance, especially with a guy as good at it as Jackson obviously was, and they had the rest of the night to bang each other’s brains out.

“Right now I want you to show me your skills on the dance floor. But later you can refresh my memory as much as you want.”

A wicked smile split his face. “You can count on it, princess.”

For the next several songs they danced, sometimes facing each other and sometimes she’d turn and press her back against his chest. Every time she did the latter he’d grab her hips and pull her ass against his cock, allowing her to feel his hard length behind the thick denim. She’d rest her head back on his chest, and he’d tell her how he planned on hiking her sundress up as soon as they got to their room.

Between the dancing and the sexual tension, they worked up one hell of a sweat and a really big thirst. At the end of the fifth song, Jax kissed her neck and said he was going to get them something to drink. She waved him off and started moving with the next song, hands raised overhead, eyes closed, feeling the beat roll through her body.

It seemed like no time at all before he returned, pressing against her back, one hand spread over her stomach to pull her in close. He bent closer and spoke next to her ear.

“I knew you’d come around once you got rid of that a*shole, baby.”

Vanessa’s heart skipped a beat, and not in the good way. Whipping around, she stared at the one person guaranteed to ruin what had been the perfect day so far. “What the hell do you think you’re doing, Danny? Didn’t your mother teach you to ask a girl if she wants to dance before mauling her?”

The dance floor was still crowded, so backing very far from him wasn’t an option. Behind her people were ebbing and flowing with the music like the ocean waves, gently nudging her toward him. His breath reeked of alcohol and from the looks of the stains, so did his shirt. His would-be-handsome face was ruined by the arrogant sneer it held and the treacherous look in his eyes.

“Don’t play coy with me. I know you’re f*cking Maris. I mean, the guy’s generally happy-go-lucky as a rule, but that’s not the face of a man who isn’t getting some action.” He reached out to touch her face. “You know what I mean?”

She slapped his hand away before it could touch her. The fact that his body had been pressed to hers without her permission made Vanessa’s blood run cold. Even a hint of nonconsensual touching was enough to simultaneously make her want to throw up until she passed out and commit aggravated assault until he passed out. “Of course I know what you mean. A toddler would know what you mean, you monosyllabic imbecile. And if you don’t want a repeat of the other day at the gym, I suggest you take your bullshit elsewhere.”

The sneer on Danny’s face morphed into rage, pure and simple. “I’d watch your tone with me, bitch.”

“I disagree, Akana.” Jax placed his massive frame between her and her pest. Her heart rate slowed somewhat. She was glad he showed up as a buffer, but she wasn’t one to hide behind anyone’s apron, so she stepped around to stand in front of him. Caveman that he was, he compromised by placing a hand on her hip and pulling her into his side. She decided it was a compromise she could live with. “I don’t think she has to watch her tone with anyone. But if you don’t leave her alone, you’re going to have to watch your six. Feel me?”

Oh, shit. “Jackson, don’t you dare,” she said quietly to him. “I don’t want you fighting because of me, or for me, or anything else.”

Without taking his eyes off the other man, he replied, “Wasn’t planning on it. I’m simply informing him that his company isn’t welcome, and he should run along before he says something he’ll regret.” His eyes narrowed and his jaw muscles pulsed in aggravation. “Again.”

It seemed Danny’s face had only two settings because the sneer was back again. “Yeah, that got to you, didn’t it, Maris? Maybe because you know it’s true?”

Vanessa felt Jackson’s muscles bunch around her, and the hand on her hip tightened reflexively as though trying to make a fist but unable to part with her to do so. Not good. One more word from his teammate and Jackson was going to throw down in the middle of this crowd.

“Whatever gets you through the night, Akana. You know what? You stay and have fun. I think we’ve danced enough for one night. See you at the gym.” And with that he took her hand and started to lead her away.

“Remember, Maris, lemme know when you’re done with her. I’ll f*ck that little cunt so long and hard she’ll have to beg me to stop.”

Vanessa froze in her tracks. Memories of crying herself to sleep at night because she hadn’t been able to protect her baby sister from a predator, a monster who gave no thought to ruining a girl’s life, came rushing to the surface. Her carefully constructed walls that prevented them from seeing the light of day had been breached by a mere sentence.

Releasing Jax’s hand, she closed her fist, spun around, and decked the man square in his nose with every ounce of hatred she had for him, Carl, and every other man like them.

…

Bright red blood exploded from Akana’s face. His eyes flew wide, stunned as his hands flew up to his broken nose while it continued to gush between his fingers. But a second later, the initial shock was replaced with a venomous snarl and the deafening roar of retaliation.

Jax saw the move coming before Akana even thought about cocking his fist. He’d managed to somehow keep his cool earlier when he really wanted to pound this punk into the ground, but hell would freeze over before he ever let anyone lay a hand on Vanessa.

Grabbing the guy’s swinging arm with one hand and clinching him behind the neck with the other, he used Akana’s forward momentum against him, pulling him in hard. Jax’s knee met his sternum, knocking the wind clear out of him and possibly causing some very uncomfortable fractures.

As Akana fell over gasping, trying to catch his breath, Jax turned back to Vanessa, who hadn’t moved. She just stood there, stone still, oblivious to the blood spattered on her dress and coating her hand. Oblivious to the crowd that gathered around them. Her shoulders heaved with shallow breaths and if looks could kill, Akana would be nothing more than a pile of smoking ash.

He was still a little stunned—and frankly a lot proud—that she’d cold cocked the bastard in the first place.

Thankfully security stepped in and, after a brief summary of what happened from a few patrons, they hauled the cocksucker away.

Gently grasping her shoulders, Jax turned her away from her victim to bring her attention to him. “Honey, look at me.” Her body had turned, but her head stayed where it was, her eyes not even focused on the man she bloodied, but probably things from her past only she could see.

With a finger to her chin, he guided her eyes to his. Once they connected, she took in a big rush of air, held it for a few seconds, and released it on a shaky exhale. It was like watching a fighter come to after getting knocked out—for a few brief moments, he’s dazed and confused. Then reality sets in and he realizes what happened in those last seconds.

“Oh my God,” she whispered. “What have I done?”

“You punched a bastard who deserved it.”

She glanced down at her hand, knuckles red and starting to swell, and trembled. “But I d-don’t— I—”

He grabbed her face in his hands and forced her to look into his eyes. “Baby, listen to me. You did nothing wrong. That guy’s a f*cking a*shole with no respect for women, who said something I wouldn’t say to my worst enemy.” He brushed her hair away from her face and kissed her forehead. “He’s a fighter; he’s used to getting hit. What’s really going to hurt in the morning is his ego when the guys find out a female civilian is the one who busted his face.”

He gave her a wicked grin. “It might be worth showing up for training in the morning just to watch him shrink like a violet when you walk through the door.”

A laugh escaped her lips. It was weak, but he’d take it. Anything other than that look of fear and shame in her beautiful eyes. Tucking her into his side, he led her away from the crowd to where he’d parked his Jeep.

She was quiet on the drive, staring up at the night sky as though contemplating the stars in the universe. But he knew her better than that by now. She was trying to wrap her mind around what happened. Trying to rationalize her actions and probably holding them up against her rules or even creating new ones as a result. Either way, he left her to it. She hadn’t completely closed off from him as she allowed him to hold her uninjured hand, so he was content with that much for now.

As soon as he got her into their bungalow, he directed her to sit on the couch while going to the kitchen for the first-aid kit under the sink. He grabbed the ice pack, broke the seal, and shook the contents on his way over to his gym bag, where he grabbed one of his blue hand wraps. “Apparently they should call you Red Viper in and out of the courtroom. That jab was lightning fast, woman. Remind me to never piss you off.”

Sitting next to her, he picked up her injured hand and slowly helped her to straighten her fingers. She hissed in a quick breath then stole a glance at him through her lashes as a slight flush tinged her pale cheeks. He hated that she felt she couldn’t show any weakness around him. It made it damn hard for a man to take care of a woman who kept trying to prove she didn’t need him.

He carefully checked her range of motion and strength while she gritted her teeth against the pain. When his inspection was done, he gingerly set the ice pack on her bruised knuckles and began securing it with the wrap.

“You’re lucky,” he said, giving her a reassuring smile. “I don’t think anything is broken, but it’ll be sore as hell for a while. The good news is it’ll turn a different shade every day for about a week, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to color coordinate your accessories or handbags or whatever you girls do.”

She started to laugh, but it got off with a wince that she then tried pawning off as a blink.

“You know, it’s okay to show me that it hurts,” he said. “You don’t always have to be so strong.”

Exhaling and letting her shoulders relax, she trained her eyes on her hand, focusing on his movements as he wrapped it. “It’s just… I’ve never…” She shook her head. Either she was unable to put her thoughts into words or couldn’t bring herself to say them aloud.

“I know.” After securing the Velcro, he rested his elbow on the back of the couch and tucked her hair behind her ear. “I get it. You never wanted the violence that touched you as a kid to be a part of your life as an adult. But, V, just because you punched some a*shole doesn’t mean you are a violent person.”

She made a sound that said she clearly didn’t agree. “Just a person with violent tendencies, right?”

He stood up and held out his hand. “Let’s go for a walk.”

“I don’t feel like going for a walk.”

“Sand between your toes and the ocean breeze on your skin will do you some good. You’ll feel better afterward, I promise.” Her eyes moved to the bedroom, clearly wanting to bury herself and her worries with the promise of sleep. But she needed to stop burying her past behind her rules. She needed to deal with it. At least a little. “Come on, Red, don’t leave me hangin’.”

Vanessa let out a resigned sigh and gave him her left hand to help pull her up. He offered a smile, which she weakly returned, then he led her out of the bungalow to the edge of the water.

He intertwined their fingers as they walked in silence, the warm saltwater rushing over their feet to stretch over the sand before it was forced to retreat and try again. The waning moon hung high in the dark void above them, lighting their way along the beach.

“Ironic, isn’t it?” she asked.

“What’s that?”

“You managed to restrain yourself tonight, and I ended up losing control.”

“I’d say you were in complete control. Not many people could pull off such a solid punch.”

“That’s not what I meant and you know it,” she mumbled.

Spotting a group of large, craggy rocks, he led her away from the surf. Once there, he faced them toward the ocean, settled his hips back against the formation, and positioned her between his legs. She took a deep breath and exhaled, letting her body sink into his. For several minutes they didn’t speak. Just listened to the inky waves rolling over themselves as they raced toward the shore before being pulled back for yet another run.

Jackson slid his hands around her waist, reveling in the easy way she laid her arms over his and let her head fall back on his shoulder. Bending his head, he used his chin to push her hair to the side and nuzzled the smooth skin of her neck. Though he still felt the sadness that held her in its grasp, she at least accepted his affection and even returned it to some degree. The idea of her punishing herself for things in her past that she had no control over churned like acid deep in his gut.

He wanted to say something—anything—to take her thoughts away from the one dark spot of their day together. But the only two distractions he was good at when it came to women—joking around and hot sex—weren’t even close to appropriate. So, for now, he figured it was best to just hold her and let her take the lead on any conversation.

Another few minutes passed, but eventually she broke the silence. “My sister would love it out here. I’d always been perfectly content with city life, but Kat hated it. She liked to read books like Anne of Green Gables or The Chronicles of Narnia. It didn’t matter if the fiction was based in reality or fantasy. As long as she could imagine herself on a farm or in faraway lands, she was happy.”

“Where is she now?”

“I don’t know exactly. Last time I talked to her she was somewhere near Memphis, Tennessee. She might still be there, but chances are Lenny probably burned all of his bridges by now so they would’ve had to move to a different city. Again.”

“Lenny her boyfriend?” She nodded. “You don’t sound too thrilled about him.”

“He’s not anyone I’d want dating someone I care for, much less my sister, but he did get her out of my mom’s house a year earlier than she could have. Regardless of the fact she was only seventeen and it was illegal for her to leave home, she was still better off with Lenny the Loser.”

Jackson thought about how he’d have felt if some guy had swept Lucie off at the tender age of seventeen. The very idea made him violent. No way would he ever be down with that. Hell, it’d been hard enough to swallow the news of her dating Reid, and they’d been like brothers their whole lives.

“Okay, so Kat leaves home with Lenny at seventeen. Then what? Where’d they go?”

“All over the place. He’s made a career out of taking advantage of his friends or his friends’ friends. Kat usually picks up any odd job to get them by and Lenny starts to run whatever his latest racket is to get rich quick. But he always ends up screwing over the wrong people, and they have to pick up and move to a new city to start all over again.”

“Is she happy with him?”

Vanessa’s cynical laugh dropped in front of them like a dead weight. “No. At least not for several years now. But she’d never tell me that. She’s too proud to tell me anything that isn’t positive or necessary. I’ve tried to convince her to come live with me, but she won’t. She thinks I’ll see her as a huge screwup. I’ve tried assuring her I could never judge her when it isn’t even her fault, but it never makes a difference. She’s as stubborn as our mother.”

He placed a kiss on her cheek. “Sounds like someone else I know.”

She turned in his arms, placed her hands on his hips, and gave him a sly smile. “If you think you have me so figured out,” she said in a sultry voice, “why don’t you tell me what I’m thinking right now.”

She was switching the topic to sex for reasons that had nothing to do with being horny. He saw it for what it was: a defense mechanism. He’d seen other women do the same thing before, and he’d only been too willing to follow their lead. Who was he to force them to discuss something they didn’t want to?

But Vanessa was different. She wasn’t just some girl. With every hour he spent with her, he realized more and more just how much she meant to him. And he’d rather deal with permanent blue balls than ignore her pain for a quick f*ck.

As she stretched up on her tiptoes to kiss him, he laid his hands on her shoulders to stop her. She furrowed her brow.

“What happened to your sister…,” he began in a gentle tone. “No matter what you think, it’s not your fault.”

“Ummm, o-kay,” she answered sarcastically. “I don’t know if you missed it or what, but I was trying to come on to you just now.”

Not a smile, not a wink. He wouldn’t react to her playful attempts. He wouldn’t help her bury her feelings. “Honey, listen to me. It’s not. Your. Fault.”

“I don’t want to talk about this.”

“I know.”

“Then why are you pushing something you know nothing about?”

She took a step back, trying to extricate herself from his grasp, but he wasn’t making it that easy. He circled one arm around her back and shoved his free hand through the mass of curls to cradle the back of her head.

“There’s a lot of shit I don’t know in this world, but this,” he said with emphasis, “this I do know.”

Tears filled her eyes and a single drop slipped over the edge. In the moonlight it shone like a fluid crystal trailing over her cheek. She shook her head slightly, still trying to deny his claim. “Jackson, please…don’t…”

“Do you have any idea how amazing I think you are? You practically raised her when you were a child yourself. You protected her, sheltered her, from as much as you could while growing up in conditions no child should ever experience.”

“I know,” she said, her voice trembling, “but I…”

“Made her into a strong, proud, self-sufficient woman. She might not have the life you want for her right now, but that doesn’t mean she won’t eventually.”

Releasing a shaky exhale, Vanessa curled into him, resting her forehead on his chest. He rubbed her back slowly, up and down, letting her work through her emotions as they inevitably flooded to the surface. When she spoke again it was soft, almost muffled against his shirt, but not enough that he couldn’t hear what she said or the anguish behind her words.

“I’m just so worried about her all the time, and…” She sniffed back her tears, sighed, and raised her eyes to his once again. “I miss her so damn much.”

“I know you do, baby.” Framing her face, he gently kissed away the new tears streaming from her moonlit eyes then wrapped her in his embrace again. “I know you do.”

For several minutes he just held her as she cried. He rested his cheek on the top of her silky hair and ran a hand over her back, soothing her as best he could. When she at last seemed like she’d worked through the worst of it, he pulled away and said, “Let’s go back to the room and get you taken care of.”

She didn’t object to his coddling like he expected. Exhaustion lined her face, and she was only too willing to let him lead her around the room as he finished taking care of her hand and instructed her to go through her nightly before-bed routine. When she finished, he humored her by letting her face away from him as he helped her into her pajamas, since her hand was too sore to do certain parts.

Once she was all set for bed, he sat on the couch and let her lay down with her head in his lap while they watched the old eighties movie Say Anything on the local cable channel. He idly played with her hair while Lloyd Dobler tried desperately to impress the girl of his dreams, Diane Court. By the time Lloyd thoughtfully pointed out broken glass for Diane to step around, Vanessa was sound asleep with one hand tucked under her cheek and the other resting on his thigh.

After covering her with the lightweight blanket he’d set off to the side, Jackson settled in to watch the rest of the movie while making plans for his last official day with her. If all went according to plan, tomorrow would be just the beginning.