“It’s okay. I can help,” I murmur against his mouth as his arms band around me tighter, allowing me to feel his arousal against my stomach.
“I’m almost done. Why don’t you go make some coffee and call July back. She’s called a few times, but I told her you were sleeping.”
“Was she okay?”
“She was wondering why we didn’t show last night,” he explains.
“Oh,” I whisper, feeling my face heat, which makes him smile.
“Call her back. When I’m done, I’ll make us breakfast, and then we can go pick up Hope.”
“Sure.” I nod, pressing up on my toes and placing a kiss on his mouth then pulling myself away from him to head into the kitchen.
Finding my bag on the counter, I pull out my cell, seeing July sent three texts, all of them from when she was probably drunk. Most of them don’t make much sense, but all of them make me smile. Pressing call on her number, I put my phone to my ear and pull down a coffee cup, filling it before going to the fridge to get the cream.
“I called you,” July answers almost right away.
“I know, sorry. I just woke up.”
“It’s fine. I was worried about you last night. I heard your dinner plans got shot, because of Mellissa.”
“How did you hear about that?” I ask, dumping some cream and sugar into my coffee and stirring.
“It’s a small town, and word travels fast.”
“I’m so embarrassed. I shouldn’t have let her get to me, but she made me so mad,” I tell her honestly, while going back to the fridge and pulling out the carton of eggs and some left over steak from a few nights ago, along with cheese and a diced onion and pepper.
“She had it coming besides, She’s just jealous that Jax is in love with you and not her,” She says and I feel my heart flutter.
“How did last night go? Your texts were a little hard to understand.” I say changing the subject.
“That’s what happens when you try to outdrink a giant,” she mutters, and I hear Wes say something in the background, and then July tells him to be quiet because he was supposed to take care of her. “So what are your plans for the day? Do you want to go shopping with me and Ashlyn? I guess her new boss is a jerk and told her she can’t wear skirts or dresses to work anymore.”
“Are you kidding me?” I ask. Ashlyn told me a little about her new boss, but I didn’t know he was such an ass.
“Yeah, but I think he has a thing for her.”
“Isn’t he engaged?”
“His fiancée’s in New York. Ashlyn overheard him on the phone with her, and she was complaining about the size of the house he had chosen for them.”
“What?” I whisper while breaking the eggs into a bowl and beating them.
“Yeah, my guess is things are not so good for him, and he sees sweet Ashlyn so close yet so far away, so he’s taking his women problems out on her.”
“How old is he?”
“I think around thirty. Have you seen him? He’s gorgeous,” she whispers, and I hear a loud smack then her say, “Honey, I just mean he’s a good-looking guy.”
“July, don’t piss me off,” I hear Wes growl, and I smile when July starts laughing.
“I’m gonna have to call you back,” she squeals in laughter right before the phone goes dead.
Giggling and shaking my head, I set the phone down on the counter next to me and start chopping up the steak. Then I turn on the stove and put the meat in a pan, along with the onions and peppers, then put another pan on the stove. I go back to the fridge and grab the butter, cutting off a slice and placing it in the pan before dumping some of the eggs on top of it.
“What are you making?” Jax asks, coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist, kissing the skin below my ear.
“Omelets.” I smile then laugh when his teeth nibble on my earlobe.
“Smells good,” he mumbles absently.
“I do know how to cook,” I tell him, leaning into his embrace and tilting my head farther to the side, while his mouth travels down toward my shoulder and his hand moves under my shirt to cup my bare breast.
“If we didn’t have to pick up Hope, I’d have you for breakfast,” he whispers against the shell of my ear before nipping it then licking over the sting as a flood of memories from last night come back to me in a rush, causing my knees to get weak. Looking over my shoulder at him, I wonder if I can talk him out of breakfast and into a shower.
“Don’t look at me like that, baby. I know you’re still sore, and I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You won’t,” I assure him, dropping my eyes to his mouth, watching as a smile forms on his lips.
“You like my mouth?” he asks with a smirk.
Shrugging, I look back at the stove, lifting some of the steak, onions, and peppers from the pan on the opposite burner and tossing them over the eggs. I then grab a handful of cheese, muttering, “It’s okay.”
“Just okay?” he asks, licking along the pulse of my neck, and I can tell he’s smiling.
“I don’t really have a reference point, but if I had to give you a rating, it would be around a seven,” I say, hoping he will try to turn that seven, which is actually like a hundred, into a ten.
“A seven?” he asks in disbelief.
“Yeah, but like I said, I don’t have a reference point. If you want, I can go find someone else to do it and see if your rating goes up.” I shrug again then squeak when he spins me around, picks me up, and tosses me over his shoulder before turning off the stove and carrying me up the stairs to his room where he drops me onto the bed then proceeds to prove he’s definitely not a seven.
*
“Ax, can I hab a sister?” Hope asks as soon as we walk into Jax’s parents’ house.
Feeling my mouth fall open, I look at Jax’s mom, who is covering her mouth trying not to laugh, and then to Jax’s dad, who has his lips pressed tightly together while watching my daughter.
“Maybe one day, sweetheart, but really, I don’t think you get to choose. You may get a brother,” Jax tells her, picking her up.
“Do I hab to ask God or Santa for a sister, Mama?” she asks, scrunching up her face, looking at me.
“Oh, lord,” I breathe, glaring at Jax when he laughs.
“Do you want to show your mom and Jax what you made them?” Lilly chimes in, helpfully changing the subject of babies.
“We made cockporn balls,” she cries happily, wiggling out of Jax’s hold while I watch horrified as she runs past us toward the kitchen.
“Cockporn Balls?” Jax asks, raising a brow at his mom, who rolls her eyes and smacks him on the chest playfully.
“Popcorn balls,” she says then comes to me, sliding her arm through mine and dipping her face toward my ear, where she whispers, “We heard about last night. Are you okay?”
“Sheesh, did everyone hear about it?” I whisper, feeling my face heat in embarrassment. I know this is a small town, but seriously, this is getting ridiculous. Kim and Frankie both sent me texts making sure that I was okay because they had also heard about what happed last night.
“No, Mani was worried about you, and he called to ask Cash if he heard from Jax. He wanted to make sure you guys were okay and to let us know he told Mellissa and her family they were no longer allowed at the restaurant.”
“Now I feel even worse than I did before,” I mutter, feeling my stomach twist.
“Don’t feel bad. We heard what she said to you. In fact, a whole lot of people heard it, and I know that quite a few of them are disgusted by the way she acted and have pulled the houses they had listed with her father.”
“I don’t think that makes me feel any better,” I say as my anxiety begins to increase. I hate what happened last night, but I don’t think there is any other way for this to go. I just don’t think Mellissa’s dad should be punished, just because Mellissa is evil.
“If you’re talking about Mellissa, we’re not talking about her today,” Jax says, coming up and wrapping his arm around my waist. “We’re taking Hope to the park and out for pizza. We’re not going to discuss Mellissa, or even think about her,” he states firmly, giving my waist a squeeze while looking pointedly at his mom.