And I was so excited I tossed and turned for an hour before I could sleep and then this morning I got my hair and nails done. The house is clean. The scented candles are burning and he’s thirty minutes later than he should be. I’ve been trying to avoid calling but what if he got lost?

  I am looking forward to just being with him and shelving the drama with my mom and Josie’s last visit. I’m proud of myself for not freaking out, picturing him with his mouth smeared with her lipstick and his pants undone like when I caught David in that cheesy motel. Maybe it’s because he told me the same night and he seemed so bothered by the things she told him. Or maybe I just trust Jax. I still marvel at that. How can I trust him so much?

  We don’t live in the same state and his job includes being friendly to women.

  Because he’s not my dirty, sleazy ex-husband.

  The intercom doorbell rings and I spring to my feet. His face appears on the screen and I hit the entry button. “Come up.”

  I take one quick look at the apartment again and exhale. I rush to open the door. Less than two minutes later, he emerges from the elevator in jeans. He smiles when he sees me.

  The fluttering in my belly is too much. All my reason goes out the window and all I can do is smile and mutter a weak, “Hi.”

  He reaches my door in a few strides of his long legs. He drops his bag on the floor and wraps his big arms around me. I breathe into his neck and hug him tight to me.

  “You look so good,” he says, but what’s so good is hearing his voice while basking in the warmth of his body. I squeeze him tighter and we linger.

  We pull back slow, eyes on each other. I can’t get enough of his face. Yeah, I see it every day on my phone but it’s so not the same. We look away laughing.

  “Come in.” I take his hand, wait for him to grab his bag, and pull him inside. He sets the bag by the door and we go into the living room. “Can I get you something to drink? Water or juice?”

  He nods. “Juice, please.”

  I rush into the kitchen. The jitters spread through my body and the butterflies in my stomach are multiplying. My hands shake a little as I pour the juice. I get back in the room and he’s looking around.

  He turns to face me. “It’s so different to see it all in person.”

  I smile. “Yeah, it’s the same with your house. Except, your place is amazing with all its charm.”

  I hand him the juice and our fingers brush slightly and my face is on fire. I have to look away. God, I’m such a dork.

  “This apartment is great. It’s so finished and polished. You have such great taste in stuff. And wow, that TV screen is huge.” He takes a sip of his juice and places it on the end table on top of a coaster.

  The blush that spreads through me is instant. “Thank you.”

  “Saona?’ He says my name so soft and pretty and sexy, like the first time it came out of his lips.

  I’m almost breathless. “Yes?”

  “Are you nervous?”

  The truth slips out before I can try to play it off. “Yes.”

  “Me too.”

  We burst into laughter.

  “Why are we nervous?”

  “It’s different now. We’re in your house.” He swallows. And you’re free…”

  And now my heart is beating fast and I have to touch him. I hook my arms around his neck and bring his head down to mine. “I’m free, Jax. We’re free.”

  His lips are caressing mine with a slow rustle of his breath. The sweet scent of the juice he just drank fans over my face and the velvety taste of his tongue fills my mouth. I sigh into it, opening my mouth wider, pressing my fingertips into his back and giving him a taste of me. His hands settle at my waist and he lifts me from the floor. Our mouths are still melded when he sits on the couch with me on his lap like a doll. I want to tell him how sexy that is. I love that he can pick me up from the floor so easily. It makes me wet. But I can’t form words or pry myself off him.

  I thought I knew how much I missed him but this tightness in my chest, this thirst for him is unlike anything I can remember.

  Our heated grappling blends into soft brief kisses and nibbles and when we break away I collapse against his chest in a mixture of chuckles and pants.

  “I missed you, Saona.” His voice is soft and strained.

  I push back to stare in his eyes, fingers on his cheeks, and press another small peck to the corner of his mouth. “Me too. Are you hungry or tired? Can I get you anything?”

  “A little of both.”

  I scramble off his lap. “Good. I made dinner and then you can take a nap. I can exhaust you later.”

  I don’t get even a step away before he yanks me back into his lap, his hands settling on my ass. “I’m looking forward to the part where you exhaust me the most.”

  “Me too.” I grind my hips against his in that way he likes. “But you better be looking forward to my cooking almost as much.”

  “Oh, I am. Feed me.”

  We move to the kitchen and he leans against the high counter as I move around. I place the steaks on my countertop grill and get him a beer.

  “So…what is this surprise you mentioned yesterday?”

  I can’t help the smile that takes over my face. It gets bigger as his eyes narrow. “It’s still a surprise.”

  “You’re not going to tell me?”

  I shake my head. He doesn’t even know what he’s in for and I’m so excited. I think he’ll like it, even if he’s annoyed in the beginning.

  “Can I guess?”

  Never in a million years will he guess. “You can try.”

  He purses his lips and scrunches his eyes. “Is it under your clothes?”

  I shake my head and pour dressing on our salad.

  “Oh.”

  “You sound disappointed.”

  “Not at all. We both got surprises for each other and neither have to do with nakedness.”

  I stop tossing to shoot him a look. “Now you have a surprise too?”

  “It’s a gift.”

  “Go get it. Give it to me, now.”

  He shakes his head. “No, ma’am.”

  “You—"

  My phone rings and the ring tone belts the chorus to I Don’t Fuck with You by Big Sean. My face goes red and Jax laughs.

  “I guess I don’t have to tell you who that is.”

  He retrieves it and brings it to me and by the time he gets to me Big Sean is bellowing:

  I don’t give a fuck.

  I don’t give a fuck.

  I don’t give a fuck about you or anything that you do.

  I click the button to ignore the call.

  “Why is he still calling?” The laughter has died and there’s a trace of annoyance in his voice.

  “He’s trying to get me to let him pay off the truck. I should let him. I’m just still pissed off over my mom taking his side.”

  His gaze softens and he comes around to hug me. “Your mom will come around.”

  No, she won’t.

  But as I press my lips and body to Jax’s, I couldn’t care less. I’ll leave that worry for another day.

  Jax

  I stretch out on Saona’s bed and wait for her. The alcohol is buzzing through my veins. The drinks we had tonight, Blue Mother Fuckers, didn’t make me drunk but I’m nice. And so hard. The softness of her bed on my back is a bizarre contrast to what’s happening in front.

  I wish I could have jumped in the shower with her but she insisted I shower first and wait for her. She’s got a gift for me. She’s been there for way too long. Long enough for me to conjure like ten different scenarios of what this gift could be. It has to be something crotchless or see-through or edible body paint or maybe leather. I’m not really a leather kind of guy but I’d bet everything I own she makes it look good.

  I’m going in if she doesn’t come out.

  But I prod gently, trying not to annoy her. Angry sex with her is awesome but I don’t want her angry. We’ve had a fun night that only promises to get better.

  “This bed had to be made by God himself. I want it to have my babies.”

  Her laughter peals from the bathroom. “I’m starting to get a little jealous.”

  “You should. She’s all that. It’s so good. You’re going to have to get on top of me tonight.”

  “I can do that.” She stands at the bathroom door. Her hair tumbles down her shoulder and there’s a radiant smile on her lips.

  And a lace teddy.

  No, not just a lace teddy because it’s not cheap or neon purple and it doesn’t make her body look like a sausage stuffed in a mosquito net. She didn’t buy this from the sex store.

  The black lace is brushed over her body and dips in the front in a deep V that curves over her breasts. It’s sexy as fuck and sophisticated and something unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It’s so Saona.

  I almost choke on my tongue.

  “Hair up or down?” Her voice is husky like my staring does to her what her body in that teddy is doing to me.

  I clear my throat. “Up. I want to see everything.”

  She combs her fingers through her hair and pulls it up high over her head. And I’m so going to tug on that ponytail all night and savage that mouth.

  “Like that?” She smiles and her eyes tell me she knows that’s just what I want.

  I love this about her, the way she commits to things. She’d looked so shy our first time in the hotel. More than once, I’d wondered if she’d changed her mind. But the thing about Saona, part of what makes her so fucking sexy, is that once she makes a decision she gives it her all. She’d given me her lips, her tongue, her whole mouth, all the way to the back of her throat.

  My cock twitches, making my whole body shudder.

  I fling back the covers and step out of the bed. Her eyes slide down my body and her lips part. She’s made me impossibly hard and my cock is straining against my underwear like an unapologetic show-off. I want her to see what she’s done to me before she feels it inside her satin walls.

  “All this is for me.” I glide my fingers over her shoulders.

  Her breath catches. “Yes.”

  I trace the outline going down the valley of her breasts, with my eyes on her beautifully dilated pupils. All my fingers join, molding the underside of her breasts and then her waist over the lace. Her lashes flutter so pretty and feminine, her tongue darting to sweep across her bottom lip. It primes my favorite birthmark and I waste no time giving it my attention. I catch it between my teeth, suck it, and lave it with a few flicks of my own tongue.

  My fingers reach the edge of the lace at her hips and trace back. I freeze when I reach skin and pull back, sitting on the bench at the end of her bed.

  “Turn around, Saona.” My voice is rough and her eyes widen as if I pulled her out of a trance, but the little smile that plays on her lips makes my mouth dry.

  She takes a step back and complies. She turns in a slow, inch-by-inch reveal and my dick gets so hard it hurts.

  I stare at the cheeky fit that only covers part of her ass but leaves her mounds free for my eyes and ready to be squeezed. “Jesus.”

  “I thought you would like that part.”

  “It looks so classy and sexy in the front.”

  “What does it look like in the back?” There’s a little laughter in her voice but she looks over her shoulder and I know she’s misunderstood.

  I grasp her hips and gently tug her back. I run my hands over her cheeks and kiss the outline of the panty. “It looks like a rough fuck waiting to happen because my cock needs to be inside you. It looks so fucking hot I’m about to burst through my pants.”

  “Oh.” She says and swallows thickly. “Then it’s just as I pictured it at the store.”

  “What else did you picture in the store? My fingers doing this?” I stick a finger through the lace in the front and run up and down her pussy.

  “Yes,” she gasps and arches her back.

  I find her hole and slip a finger in. Her knees buckle. My other hand tightens around her waist. I withdraw my finger and guide her back into my body. “Sit in my lap and tell me what you pictured.”

  She sits and tucks her head into the crook of my shoulder. Her legs open wide. “I wanted your hands caressing me through the lace.”

  I kiss her temple. “Tell me how, Boss. I need to know.”

  Her delicate fingers skim up her torso and over one breast, covering a puckered nipple.

  I buck my hips up against her ass and move a hand to her other breast to mirror hers. “Like this?”

  She nods hard, grinding her hips, calling for my free hand. I sneak it under the lace again and plunge my index and middle finger. I draw circles with my thumb over her clit and she presses herself harder into me.

  “Jax.” She offers me her mouth and I kiss her. She latches on to my tongue, like she’s hungry, no, greedy for it.

  I catch our reflection on her long mirror. She’s wild, spread, and needy. I can give her the release and I can see it.

  And that makes me so hard, I think I’m going to die.

  I circle faster and her mouth opens wide and she moans and bucks as I flicker my finger fast over her nipple. Both my thumbs working on her as a team until she almost bucks off me, her back arched like a languishing kitten, and she collapses back, limp against me.

  She tilts her head back up to me, glazy eyed and sated. She brings my head down with one of her hands and kisses me. Then she scrambles off my lap and drops to her knees. She reaches for my pants and I hold her hands.

  “Let’s move in front of the mirror. I want to see your ass as you deep throat me.”

  Her mouth falls open and she takes a quick glance, and then turns to me with a slow nod. I offer my hand to help her stand but she shakes her head. “I’ll crawl. Don’t you want to see that?”

  See her crawl almost naked with her ass in the air?

  Fuck yes, I do.

  17

  Jax

  * * *

  I don’t know what the hell Saona’s planning but she’s way too happy. I think we both have been. Last night was awesome, for a lack of a better word. It was a marathon of fucking, followed by sleep and her crawling on top of me and waking me up. We fell back asleep and then I woke up early in the morning with her on her side, the teddy still on her. I tried to take it off her so she could be more comfortable and she’d said to give her an hour and she would be good to go again. So, I did. And she was.

  We spent the whole day in bed until she’d sprung up at five and told me we were going to be late.

  She won’t tell me where we’re going but she’s getting dressed up and suggested I do the same. I’m wearing the button-down shirt and slacks she wanted and I’m all ready to go. I’m nervous like a fish in low water. The reason for that is the little velvet bag I hold in my hand.

  It’s the gift from that store my mom recommended.

  It’d taken me an hour to choose and all the ladies in the store had sworn Saona would love it. It’s one of a kind, the sales woman said. She also made me swear I would give it to Saona with the little note of how and where it was made. Trust me on this. Your lady will love it even more when she learns its story. It’s going to be a lucky night for you. She winked.

  If it’s anything like last night, they’ll have to bury me.

  The item in the bag is the only thing in the store that made me think of Saona. I think it’s pretty and nice. But when she strolls in the room in her loose pants and one of those top-fitted shirts that’s cut like a heart over the boobs, I lose my sense of time and confidence in the gift. She’s already wearing a necklace. One that I’m sure is more expensive and more sophisticated than the one I have in the bag.

  “You look amazing.” I let my hand fall to the side, until it’s a little behind my leg.

  She blushes. “Thank you.”

  I move across the room to hide the bag before she sees it. I almost make it to my duffle bag.

  “What’s that?”

  “What?” I keep walking and I’m about to shove it in the bag when she appears at my side.

  “What you got there?”

  I turn around and show her the bag. “It’s just a little something. I can give it to you tomorrow.”

  Her eyes round. “Oh my Gawd. Is that my present?”

  “Yeah, but we’re going to be late and you can open it tomorrow.” I try to bend and put it in the bag.

  “Give it to me now.” She holds out her hand.

  “You’re a pain in the ass.” I place the bag on her palm.

  “You knew that and you still came to me. You must have a thing for pains in the ass.” She pulls out the note first and unfolds it. “This unique piece was created by Nairobi, a young girl in a rural Dominican town. Nairobi helps her mother support her six siblings with her wonderful talent of carving on precious stones. One Life. One Community. One Village is a non-profit organization helps young women like Nairobi by educating them and providing financial backing for their entrepreneurial endeavors.”

  “Jax, this is…I don’t know what to say…it’s great. Thank you.”

  “You haven’t looked at the present yet.” I chuckle but I have a small lump on my throat. Her reaction is so big and then Saona gasps.

  Her fingers lift the chain to eye level and she’s staring at the heart-shaped Larimar stone trapped in a gold frame. Her lips are parted and her eyes well. “It’s beautiful.”

  “I thought you might like it. It made me think of you when I saw it.”

  She nods and presses her lips and in the next second she’s yanking off the long necklace she is wearing and flicking it on the dresser. “You have to help me put it on.”

  “You don’t have to wear it now. The other one is perfect.”

  “Who cares. I want to wear this one.”

  She turns around, her back to me and I fasten the necklace around her and she admires it in the mirror and smiles at me. Then she turns around fast and grabs my face in her hands. Her kiss is soft and slow, like we have all the time in the world and there’s nothing else but my mouth. When she breaks away she smiles. “Thank you. This means the world to me.”

 

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