“There’s nothing going on. We hooked up; she’s whacked; I told her to stay away; end of story.”
“She told Ellie she has a twin, and she’s the one who did what she did.”
“Heard that. Don’t buy it.” He shrugs, but I see something in his eyes that says he’s lying, or at the least that he doesn’t know what to believe.
“Have you ran a check on her?” I ask him softly, crossing my arms over my chest, watching his eyes go hard.
“Have I ever gotten involved in any of your relationships?” he asks, pointing a finger at me then growling “Fuck no, I haven’t. So drop it.”
“This isn’t about that and you know it. I’ve met Kim. She seemed nice, and definitely didn’t look like the kind of girl who would drug someone she was interested in.”
“I love you like a brother, but I’m telling you to stay the fuck out of it.”
“Run a check,” I say, watching his eyes flash.
“I ran a check; she’s an only child. So like I said, leave it the fuck alone,” he growls, storming off toward his car.
Watching him go, I shake my head, opening the door for my truck then pausing before getting in and looking in his direction. “Whenever you get your head outta your ass, I’m here,” I yell at his back, watching his shoulders sag before I hop into the cab, start up my truck, and take off toward home, where I know Ellie and Hope are waiting for me.
Chapter 10
Ellie
Sitting cross-legged on Jax’s bed, I stare down at the picture in my hands, feeling something ugly creep over me. Even though I remember the night July and I escaped from the house we were taken to, and even though I can still recall every single scary moment, I could never fully remember the faces of the men who had taken me. But now, looking at the picture in my hand, memories begin to flood back, more detailed than they ever were before.
“Hey, you’re safe here, remember?” Jax says gently, and I feel his fingers under my chin, bringing my eyes to his. “I promise nothing is going to happen to you.”
“I could never really picture his face until now, but it’s him,” I say, licking my bottom lip, feeling my pulse speed up and my hands shake.
“That happens sometimes. The rush of the moment clouds everything, making it hard to remember anything clearly, but then something will happen and the fog will clear, making it easier to remember,” he says, and that’s exactly what this feels like. When they asked me and July if we could help them make a sketch of the assailant, neither of us we’re able to paint a clear enough picture for the sketch artist and they had to give up.
“So what does this mean?” I ask, holding up the piece of paper then dropping it down onto my lap.
“Wes is showing this to July tonight. If she says the same thing you have, that this is the guy, then we will start tracking him,” he says as dread fills my chest.
“I don’t want anything to happen to you,” I say, watching him smile, which pisses me off. “I’m serious,” I growl in annoyance.
“I know you are, and that’s what makes it so cute,” he says, taking the paper out of my lap and tossing it to the floor. Then he crawls over me, pushing me to my back in the bed. “Do you think she’s asleep?” he asks against my ear as he settles himself between my spread legs, allowing me to feel his erection through the material of his jeans and the thin cotton of my sleep shorts.
“She was half asleep when we finished reading her book,” I murmur as he licks up the side of my neck, pulling a moan from the back of my throat.
“I think you need to be punished for all your back-talking today. What do you think?” he asks, causing my core to convulse, my knees to tighten around his hips, and my hands to wrap tightly around his shoulders.
“Okay,” I agree without thinking then close my eyes when I feel his chest vibrate with laughter against mine. “I mean no,” I retract, letting my legs fall open and my hands slip from his shoulders.
“Sure you do,” he says, raising his head above mine, smiling down at me and, not for the first time, I’m struck by how absolutely gorgeous he is. Lifting my hand, I run my fingers over the scruff along his jaw then over his bottom lip, remembering how it feels against mine every time he kisses me.
“The first time I saw you, my world stopped,” he says, catching me off guard, and my gaze goes to his. “Nothing else existed but you, and then it stopped again when I held Hope for the first time. And since that moment, there have been a million pauses, each one giving me something beautiful to remember,” he explains, and I feel my vision go blurry with tears. So I do the only thing I can: I lift up and press my face into his neck, where I whisper, “I love you,” while wrapping my legs and arms around him, soaking in the feeling of being in his arms.
“Let me check on Hope, baby,” he says, pressing a kiss to my temple after a few minutes. Letting him go, I roll to my side and watch as he leaves the room and walks down the hall, coming back a few seconds later and pulling off his shirt when he enters the room. “She and the puppies are asleep,” he whispers, leaving the door cracked behind him, then he turns on the monitor next to the bed that will let us know if she wakes as he toes off his boots and unhooks the buttons of his jeans.
Captivated by his torso, I blink up at him when he commands, “Loose the shirt,” so softly the words are barely audible. Looking at the door, my eyes fly back to him when he growls, “Now,” in a tone that has wetness gathering between my legs. Reaching for the hem of my shirt, I slowly slide it up my thighs then belly, pausing below my breasts when his eyes grow darker. Swallowing hard, I pull it over my head and drop it to my side, feeling my hair slide over my breasts.
“So perfect,” he rumbles, stepping toward the bed, running a single finger over one nipple then the other. “Now the shorts.”
Pulling my lower lip into my mouth, I sit up on my knees and pull my small sleep shorts down over my ass then sit to the side, pulling them off and dropping them onto my shirt.
“Are you wet?” he asks, pulling me to sit back up, with my knees in the bed in front of him. Nodding, because the words are locked in my throat, I feel his fingers slide down the middle of my chest, over my belly then my pubic bone, through my folds, collecting wetness before circling my clit. Causing my hips to jerk forward and my hands to land hard against his bare chest. “Easy, baby,” he says, gathering the hair at the back of my head into his free hand, forcing my head back and my eyes to meet his.
“I love this pussy. I love how wet you are.” He nips my bottom lip hard as two fingers plunge into me. “I love how tight it is,” he growls against my mouth, pulling those same two fingers out, only to thrust them back in. “I love how I can feel it begging for me to fuck it,” he says harshly before swiping those fingers over my clit in a tight circle as his hand in my hair tightens and his mouth covers mine in a brutal kiss. That has my hips rotating, fucking myself on his fingers so hard I feel the walls of my core clench.
“Not yet,” he groans, pulling his fingers away and bringing them up between us, swiping one over my bottom lip, which feels swollen then licking over it. “Lay back and spread your legs for me.”
Oh, God.
Doing what he orders, I lay back and timidly spread my legs then bring my hands up, covering my breasts.
“Unless you’re going to pull on your nipples for me, don’t cover them,” he demands, and my hands fall away to my sides as his slide down over my knees and inner thighs, where I feel his thumbs pull me open. Feeling my body shake with nervousness and excitement, I watch his face lower and his tongue come out, licking between my folds then curling around my clit, tugging it between his lips.
“Jax,” I whisper as my back arches, and my hands move back to my breasts, cupping them and pulling my nipples between my fingers.
“Show it to me, Ellie. Let me watch you as you come in my mouth,” he commands as his fingers move and two slide deep inside me, curling up and hitting that spot that pulls a mewl from deep within my chest. Pressing my tiptoes into the bed, I raise myself higher and grind myself against his mouth, coming so hard the world shatters around me, causing stars to cloud my vision and heat to race through my system like wildfire.