“Never again, Ellie,” I tell her, and her forehead comes to rest against my chin. She and Hope have not only me, but also all of my family. They will never be alone again.
Chapter 6
Ellie
Walking down the hall to Jax’s office, I stop at the threshold, nibbling my bottom lip while leaning against the doorjamb so I don’t fall over.
Jax is sitting at his desk shirtless. His hair is messy, and he has a pair of black-framed glasses on I have never seen him wear before. As I watch him, he lifts his hand and runs his fingers through his hair, causing the muscles of his arms to flex, along with his pecs and abs.
“Hey,” I mumble, feeling my cheeks get hot when his eyes come to me and do a head-to-toe sweep.
“Hey, baby.” He smiles, motioning for me to come to him.
Shaking my head, I take a step back. I don’t trust myself. I know if I get close to him, I’m going to want to kiss him, and then I’m going to want to make out with him. I don’t have time to do that and go for a run before I have to get ready for work. And I really need to go for a run since the whole diet thing went down in a burning ball of fire.
“I’m going for a run,” I explain hastily, when he gets up from his chair and I notice he has on his nylon shorts that outline a very large erection.
“So come kiss me goodbye.”
“I can’t.” I shake my head frantically, watching him smile.
“You can,” he assures me, pressing his knuckles into the desk, making his arms and abs flex.
“I can’t. I know I can’t,” I tell him, taking another step backward into the hall. Then, without thinking, I run for the front door, hearing him run behind me as I swing the door open, and bolt down the steps to the sidewalk.
“Ellie,” Jax growls as I jog across the front yard.
“I’ll be back,” I yell over my shoulder, running faster. Getting to the end of the block, I turn right and spot the park at the end of the street, where I take Hope to play. As soon as I reach the large grassy field, I fall down on my back, panting heavy.
“I’m dying,” I wheeze, trying to catch my breath. I have no energy to run again. Really, I have no idea what I was thinking when I said I wanted to start running to begin with. Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I press dial when I reach July’s number in my call log.
“Hey, what are you doing? Are you okay? You sound out of breath,” she answers.
“I’m pretty sure I just died,” I tell her through deep breaths.
“Did you decide to finally start running?” she asks on a snort.
“Yes, and I made it two blocks before I had to rest. Now, I’m lying in the grass at the park, talking to you on the phone, killing time before I have to head back to the house and face Jax,” I say through pants while listening to her laugh.
“I don’t think Jax will care that you don’t run,” she mutters.
“I know, but have you seen your cousin? He is—”
“Stop. I don’t want to know.”
“That’s not fair. I don’t have any friends who aren’t related to Jax. Who am I supposed to talk to about him?”
“You can tell me anything about him except if it has to do with sex, his body, and specifically, his penis.”
“That’s all the good stuff,” I point out, making her laugh.
“Well then, you’re going to have to make a new friend.”
“Fine,” I mutter then say quietly, “I told Hope that me and Jax are dating.”