Rules of Entanglement

Epilogue

SIX MONTHS LATER

Vanessa sat at the vanity in her bedroom, putting the finishing touches on her makeup and rifling through her earrings to find a pair to wear with her ever-present sea star necklace, and wondering what the hell was taking Jackson so long. He’d said he had to run an errand after training and then was stopping to pick up Reid and Lucie on his way home.

They still hadn’t figured things out logistically, with her job being in Nevada and his training being in Hawaii, but they’d been doing pretty well with switching off between states. When he wasn’t preparing for a fight, he stayed out by her. When he had to go back for a camp, or if he was just plain homesick for the sun and the waves, she visited him as often as possible when she wasn’t in court or if she could get away with catching up on paperwork and doing things remotely.

So far it seemed to be working well for them. They’d both discussed that neither were in a place to give up their current positions in their careers, but that once they were, they’d decide on the next course of action. But whatever they did, they would do it together.

Smiling, she looked down at the solitaire princess-cut diamond on her left ring finger and gave it a little wiggle. She’d had it a month already, but she still ogled it in private. She never thought she’d be a part of the fiancée club, but she was lovin’ every minute of it.

From the front of the apartment, she heard the door open and close.

“Jax, where the hell have you been?” she called out. “I’m going to be late for my own birthday drinks, and that’s entirely unacceptable.”

“You’re doing that thing where you talk like Robért again,” he yelled back.

“Am not!”

As the devil himself stepped into her room, she caught his reflection in the mirror in front of her and almost swallowed her tongue.

Half of his mouth curved up in a wicked grin. “Are, too.”

“Holy shit, who are you, and what have you done with my fiancé?”

A tux. Jackson Maris was actually in a tuxedo. Black and white with a bow tie (as yet untied), the whole penguin nine yards. The only time she’d ever seen him dress up was at Lucie’s wedding, which was to say she’d never seen him dressed up.

“What, no good?” he asked, glancing down his front. “I told Lucie I didn’t want the tie fixed until the last possible moment. How men don’t choke with these things is beyond me.” Then, almost as if he thought his attitude might ruin the moment, he quickly added, “But it’s not a rental. Reid took me to some guy who measured me in ways that made me think he should’ve bought me dinner first, so this thing better look decent. ”

She spun on her seat and stood. “Are you kidding me? You look so good I want to tear it off with my teeth and have my wicked way with you.”

“Baby, if I’d have known letting some guy feel me up and putting on a monkey suit would do that to you, I’d be wearing one of these every damn day.”

Laughing, she crossed to him and said, “Let’s not get crazy. I enjoy seeing you strut around in nothing but your shorts.”

“Listen, wahine, I don’t strut. I simply walk in a manly way.”

“Yeah, right, whatever. Now shut up and kiss me.”

She slid her hands up the fine material of his jacket as he bent his head to meet her halfway, when suddenly he jerked his left shoulder back with a hiss.

Her brows drew together. “What’s wrong? Did you get hurt at the gym today?”

“No, that’s your birthday present.”

“Wow,” she said slowly. “A hurt shoulder? I don’t want to hurt your feelings, too, honey, but you used to be better at this whole present thing.”

“Well, it’s too bad you don’t like it because I don’t believe in any of that laser removal shit. So I guess you’re stuck there.”

Laser removal? She stared at the place above his heart as though she could see through the layers of fabric. Did he…?

Carefully, she pushed his jacket off his left arm, then undid the buttons of his shirt with shaky fingers. Though her focus was on her movements, she felt the heat of those topaz eyes trained on her as surely as if she’d been staring back.

Once she reached the bottom, she took in a slow breath and lifted the left side of his shirt in the same manner she did the jacket. A white square of gauze beneath plastic wrap was taped to his golden brown skin.

“Go ahead, V,” he said softly.

She lifted three sides and peeled the covering back to reveal a coral-colored sea star with a capital V in script in the center, right next to one of the cherry blossoms riding the ocean waves of his tattoo.

“I gave you an engagement ring to show the world that I want you with me forever. But this…” He tapped a finger next to the fresh ink. “This is for you, for us. I wanted a tattoo of you on my skin, because I can’t show you the one you’ve already left on my heart.”

He was such a jerk. She hated crying. She’d cried more in the last six months of knowing him than she had in the last fifteen years. At least it was always happy crying. But he was still a jerk.

Taking slow, deep breaths to prevent an all-out sob fest, she gingerly secured the tape again and asked, “Where are Reid and Lucie?”

“Outside, waiting in the car. Why?”

Slipping her hand under his shirt, she pushed everything off in one fell swoop, then peered up through her lashes at the desire now flashing in his eyes.

“Well, we’d have to make it quick, but I thought maybe we could examine some different areas on my body where I could get a cherry blossom.”

She stepped in close and pressed her hips into the growing erection in the front of his pants. Groaning, his hands found the short hem of her mini dress and bunched it around her waist to grab onto her ass.

“And what if I love every inch of you so much that I can’t decide?” he asked, his deep voice sending shivers down her spine. Before she had the chance to answer, his mouth assaulted her neck, alternately sucking and scraping, shattering her thoughts as soon as they appeared.

“Then I’ll get it next to my starfish.”

He nipped her lower lip and smiled widely at her sharp inhale. “It’s a sea star.”

“Whatever,” she said with an answering grin and then gladly let him take the lead.



Jax’s “Lucky 7” Rules To Love By

7. Always be 100% honest

6. Always own up to your mistakes.

5. Always negotiate in terms of forever.

4. Always use fists in the cage and to protect her when necessary, but never bring violence into your life.

3. Always be willing to move out of the bachelor shack into a grown-up house.

2. Always understand the balance of control and give as often as you take.

1. Always, always, always…tell her how much you love her, now and forever, before it’s too late.