Ride fast, p.13
Ride Fast, page 13
Isabella threw up her hands. "Okay, stop," she hissed, trying to keep her voice low so that Jaxon, his parents and the rest of her family wouldn't hear them arguing. "So what if Jaxon and I have a little thing going on? Maybe we do, maybe we don't. But if I look happy, bozo, maybe it's because I am happy. Did you ever think of that? And isn't that a good thing?"
"Of course, it is." Robbie stepped around her and paced to the back window, then returned to the exact spot where he'd been standing. "But what happens when you buy out Ma and Dad, and then you and Jaxon are done because you want kids and a family, and he never wants to be married again? Or a father?"
The look her brother aimed at her was like an arrow into the most sensitive part of her soul. She'd been struggling with the same question, and she didn't like the answer.
Robbie cupped her shoulders and lowered his voice. "And what happens if I'm not here to pick up the pieces and duct tape you back together again?"
Isabella shrugged off his grip and looked her big brother square in the eye. "I appreciate your concern, I really do. But I'm happy right now, and I'm going to hang onto that for as long as I have it." She narrowed her eyes. "And no one's going to tell me differently."
"Was that a polite way of telling me to fuck off?" He scratched the back of his head, watching her closely.
Isabella huffed out a laugh. "Yeah." She nodded, unable to keep a rueful smile from her face. "It is."
Robbie's mouth pulled into a wide smile, and he pulled her into a bear hug. "I love you, sis." He pressed a kiss to the top of her head." I don't want to see you get hurt."
"I know," she said, into his shirt. "I don't want that either." She gave her brother a squeeze and looked up at him. "But I'll be okay if I do. Promise."
Robbie stepped back and swiped another cannoli.
Isabella grabbed a wooden spoon and brandished it like a sword. "Put that back, you thief. I had the perfect number for everyone."
Robbie made a goon face and backed away. "Why don't you and lover boy just share, then, if there's not enough?"
"There'd be plenty if you'd keep your dirty paws out of the dessert tray like a normal human." She advanced as Robbie backed around the island, waving the cannoli. "Give me that."
"No."
"I mean it, poo-face,"
Robbie chuckled, eyes twinkling, holding the cannoli high and out of her reach. "Poo-face? Really? That's the best you got? Last time you used that you were twelve."
"About how old you're acting, now put it back." Her voice rose.
"Make me, frizzy-head," he retorted with a snicker, using another childhood insult.
"Frizzy head? You're calling me frizzy head?" She was yelling now and didn't care. "PUT IT BACK." She gave chase starting around the island in one direction, then quickly reversing to cut him off. "Dammit, Robbie-"
"CHILDREN," their father roared from the doorway into the dining room.
They both stopped. Robbie popped the whole cannoli into his mouth while Isabella shot him a death glare. He shrugged, trying to grin with his overstuffed mouth full of pastry and failing, as several crumbs escaped from his mouth.
Alessandro glared at the two of them. "I never thought I would have to discipline my adult children. In my own home," he bit out slowly.
"Rrry mwa," answered Robbie, mouth still full.
Isabella snorted and bent, unable to control her giggles. She pointed to her brother. "What he said."
"Everyone's waiting," their father said. His face was still stern, but Isabella caught his left eye twitching. He'd never admit it, but he was amused. Giving them both another steely glare, he spun on his heel and returned to the dining room.
As soon as he disappeared, Isabella socked Robbie in the shoulder. Not that she could have inflicted the tiniest bit of damage. The guy was built like a rock. Robbie flinched dramatically. "Hey, what was that for?"
"Getting us in trouble, dumb-ass."
"You were the one who yelled. If you'd just let me have the cannoli-"
"You mean the one you stole and ate anyways?"
"Don't make me come in there again," their father hollered from the other room.
"Go," Isabella ordered, pointing to the doorway with one hand and slapping Robbie's ass with the other. "I'll bring the tray."
Robbie paused in the threshold and turned back, hands braced on either side of the entrance. The mirth in his eyes faded. "You've had hearts in your eyes for Jaxon since you were six years old, sis. And while I want you to buy the ranch, if staying here for the rest of your life - without Jaxon - is going to make you miserable. Then I think you should go." He gave her a meaningful look before vanishing to the dining room.
Chapter Thirty
"Who's ready to plan Izzie's thirtieth birthday party?" Jeanine asked, dropping a grocery sack on the coffee table and pulling out magazines, ice cream, and wine. Robbie, Jaxon, Trace and the roughstock school owners were all out at the annual Dodge City Rodeo, and that meant one thing - girls night.
Isabella tucked her feet under her on the couch and dropped her face into her hands. "Guys. I don't know if this is a good idea." Just that afternoon she'd received a call from one of the schools in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, extending a generous offer - including a housing allowance, and space to stable Astra. She might not even be here.
"Of course, it's a good idea," objected CiCi. "I spent my thirtieth birthday all by myself drinking wine alone on my colleague's couch while she went out on a date." She gave a shudder. "Two weeks later I was sacked."
"And two months later, your boyfriend is Trace McFuckingBride," Isabella squealed, clapping her hands, happy to deflect for once. The fact that Trace was actually a movie star and apparently CiCi's Prince Charming, made her giddy to her toes. At least someone should know the joys of true love. "You guys really are perfect for each other."
A knock sounded at the door, and Emma Sinclaire popped her head in. "I heard there was a girls' night? I brought wine." She dangled a bottle of bubbles.
"Jeanine's trying to plan my birthday," said Isabella, waving her in, and taking a big gulp of the wine in front of her. "I'll be celebrating my pending spinsterhood and future as a cat lady by burning all my bras and buying granny panties."
Emma shut the door and joined them on the couch. "Glad I brought the bubbles, then."
"Don't knock spinsterhood," Jeanine teased. "I for one, am aiming for cougar status. I mean, we can't all be as lucky as those two." She pointed to Emma and CiCi.
"No one's put a ring on my finger," pointed out CiCi.
"Yeah, but it's only a matter of time," Isabella argued. "You at least have prospects. I always thought I'd be married with two-and-a-half kids by now. Maybe even three or four." And Jaxon seemed perfectly content to keep sneaking around, not that she'd tried to broach the subject. While they hadn't talked about it, it was clear that they were both waiting to hear if she had a job offer.
"Well, it's kind of hard to find a husband when you're pining for the local math teacher-slash-football coach-slash-bull rider-slash-roughstock contractor." Jeanine said with a hard eye-roll.
"Soooo… maybe your 30th birthday party is when we launch Operation Win Jaxon Boyd," Emma offered with a grin as she popped the cork on the bubbles.
Isabella's face flamed. "Guys, no," she said with a vehement shake of her head. "I can't do that."
"Why not?" Jeanine waggled her champagne flute. "Because you might find out he's secretly in love with you too, and you'll go on to make adorable babies with curly hair and big, gorgeous brown eyes?"
Beside her, Emma gasped, staring at her phone. "OhmygoshyouGUYS, pull out your phones, quick."
They all spoke at once, grabbing for their phones.
"What?"
"What is it?"
"What's going on?"
Emma held out her phone. "Looks like Trace McBride is retiring from the movies."
CiCi's eyes grew round. "What? Are you serious?" She snagged Emma's phone and started to watch the tiny video.
Isabella bounced in her seat. "Oh Em Gee! He's giving up his career for you Ceece! If that isn't true love, I don't know what it."
CiCi looked at them. "I know this is crazy, but I have to go see him. Right now."
Isabella met her eyes, instantly understanding why CiCi would want to rush all the way out to Dodge City. If Jaxon had big news, she'd drop everything, too. As it was, this would be the perfect opportunity to share her big news with Jaxon. Butterflies flapped in her belly. "We're coming with you."
"If we hurry, we can be there before ten," Jeanine said, rising from the couch.
They piled into CiCi's new SUV, gifted by none other than Prince Charming himself, and took off west.
Three hours later, CiCi tapped her hands on the steering wheel, clearly impatient. "Why is it the closer we get to Dodge, the slower we seem to drive?" she whined for the third time.
"Something about a watched pot?" said Isabella.
"You're the one driving, Ceece," Jeanine pointed out. "Just gun it."
"And get a ticket? No way. Then it will take even longer."
Isabella pulled out her phone and pulled up Jaxon in her message app.
Isabella: Hey - heads up, J C and I are headed ur way. C saw T's presser. Should be there by 10?
Seconds later, a thumbs up flashed across her screen. Isabella let out a heavy breath, more than a little deflated. Jaxon had never been a texter. He claimed he hated using technology designed for teenagers, but she was convinced it was because his hands were so big that texting was difficult. But then dots flashed at the bottom of her screen and another text appeared.
Jax: I've missed you.
Isabella: yeah?
Jax: you have no idea, babe.
As a contractor, Jaxon was required to deliver his animals before the rodeo began. There were strict regulations concerning the transport and activity of roughstock, and he needed to be out there in time to give the animals a proper rest. But that meant he was often the first to arrive and the last to leave, and since their status as a couple was more fling than official, this was the first time Isabella would see him while he was on the road. Of course, explaining herself to her girlfriends was another matter entirely.
"Iz? Iz." Jeanine turned around and snatched the phone from her, then gasped. "Babe?" Jaxon Boyd is calling you BABE?" Jeanine squealed, waving Isabella's phone.
"Wait, what's going on? asked CiCi. "Jaxon's calling you babe?"
"I knew it. You've been sneaking around with Jaxon Boyd all summer, haven't you?"
"Iz and Jaxon kissing in a tree," CiCi began to chant. "K-I-S-S-"
"Stop you guys, please? It's-"
Jeanine cut her off. "We know."
"It's complicated," her friends yelled in unison.
It was on the tip of her tongue to spill everything to her friends. But until she'd worked things out with Jaxon, there was no reason to. Heck, maybe now that he'd missed her, and that she had a job offer in hand, maybe he'd ask her to stay. A girl could hope, anyways.
Chapter Thirty-One
Jaxon was waiting in the lobby when they arrived. For once, Isabella didn't care who saw them together. From the way he greeted her, Jaxon didn't seem to care either. He swept her into his arms, swung her around, then kissed her fully.
"Get a room."
Isabella recognized Robbie's voice. And when she turned and caught him glaring, she did what any right-thinking little sister did - she stuck out her tongue. Beside her, Jaxon stilled. She looked between the men, then marched right up to her brother and jammed her finger in his sternum. "Don't you dare say a word, Robbie. Not a word."
For once, he listened. He jammed his hands in his pockets and glowered at Jaxon.
Isabella backed up until she felt the protective shelter of Jaxon's body behind her. "I mean it Robbie. You have no right."
"C'mon," Jaxon said stiffly, pressing a hand to her lower back.
"What crawled up his ass and died?" She asked Jaxon as they made their way to the elevator.
"Robbie?"
"Who else?"
"I expect he was a little shocked to see us together."
Isabella made a disbelieving noise and shook her head. "He's known about us ever since the family dinner where Dad came in and yelled at us."
Jaxon punched the elevator button a little too hard, before turning toward her. "Really? He hasn't mentioned anything."
"Because I warned him to stay out of it," she growled. "This is between us until we say otherwise." She pushed him into the elevator the second it opened. "Don't worry about him, he'll be fine. But I won't be unless you turn around and kiss me."
Jaxon cupped the back of her head and with his other hand hooked a finger through a beltloop, taking his time, letting the heat build between them until the elevator came to a stop on the top floor of the hotel.
Isabella's heart pounded in her ears. "I missed you."
The elevator dinged again and began to close. Jax stuck out a hand to stop it. "C'mon. My room's down this way."
As soon as they were inside, their mouths fused, only separating to lose garments, until they both collapsed on the bed, skin to skin. Isabella ran her palm over the ridges of his abdomen, reveling in the strength beneath her. Pushing him onto his back, she climbed over him, palming his pecs, letting her fingers dance over smooth skin and hard muscles. She drank him in, tracing his collarbone, then the scar where his chemo portal stayed, moving down his body, touching and kissing, until she arrived at the part of him she craved. Peering up at him, she licked from the base of his cock to the tip, swirling her tongue around the head before taking him into her mouth. Jaxon hissed out a breath, hips coming off the bed, hand tangling in her curls. His eyes were as wild as the bulls he rode, fiery and hot. "Fuck, yeah, babe," he rasped. "Let me fuck that pretty mouth of yours."
God, she loved it when he said things like that. Her veins heated and liquid pooled at her core. She sucked, sliding her tongue across the slit and underneath the rim, pumping him at his root because he was too big to take completely. She groaned, sucking and slurping, her own arousal rising alongside his. He started to tap the bed. "Next time, babe. I want inside you."
"Please tell me you have condoms?"
He stared at her for a long moment, like he was weighing a serious decision. He shook his head once. "We can be careful," he said gruffly. "Are you okay with that?"
Always. "Yeah," she answered, crawling back up his magnificent torso and positioning herself over him.
Jaxon gripped her hips and thrust into her so deep that for a second, she saw stars. "That's it, babe, ride me." He kept up a slow, steady rhythm that hit the deepest part of her, taking her from hot and bothered to floating in the stars in practically no time. "So pretty like this." He brought his hands to her tits, dragging his thumbs over her nipples until they were rigid peaks.
The sensation built, even though she was already dizzy with pleasure. "I'm so close. So close," she panted, catching his eyes as she peeked down at him and breaking into a smile.
Holding her gaze, he brought his hand to where they joined, and lightly stroked her clit. "Come on, baby. Come for me," he murmured.
It was too much. A supernova exploded behind her eyes, electrifying her body, she collapsed on him as his arms came around her and he thrust over and over as the waves kept coming. He went rigid and with a groan, pulled out as he emptied himself between them. They lay quietly, their breathing gradually slowing, spinning and floating back to earth like a dandelion seed. How could she leave this? How could she leave him? She lifted her head and smiling down at him, traced his face. "I got the job," she murmured.
She saw the exact moment he registered what she'd said. His eyes lit and he broke into a wide smile. "The Steamboat one?"
She nodded, sucking her bottom lip between her teeth.
He rose to his elbows and kissed her mouth. "I'm so proud of you, babe. They'd have been fools not to make an offer."
The instant the words left his mouth, his eyes clouded. But the change was so fleeting, Isabella wasn't quite sure it had even happened.
"Did you say yes?"
Her breath caught. A chasm loomed before her. On the opposite side of the enormous gulf, stood her wildest dreams, but was she brave enough to jump? To ask for her heart's desire? She couldn't take his rejection another time. "I asked for the weekend to consider it." Coward.
Again, the momentary cloud passed through Jax's eyes. He nodded his agreement. "Sure, that makes sense." After a pause, he spoke again. "Shower?"
"That would be nice." Why did everything suddenly feel stilted and awkward? The man had just given her a blinding orgasm.
The awkwardness continued through their shower. Neither spoke, except when necessary. But their eyes said all the things. Every time she caught Jax's eye, she pleaded with him to ask her to stay. Every time she caught him staring, the look in his eye tore her to pieces, as if he were doing battle with himself. They toweled off in silence, and as she was putting on the complimentary terry cloth robe, she couldn't take it a second longer.
"Jax, what is it? What's going on?"
In the silence that dominated the space, Jaxon's face was like a picture book, or an emoji grid. Stricken. Angry. Worried. Resigned. Hopeful. Determined. How could so many emotions be present in one person's body at the same time?
Jax closed the space between them, and took her hands, kissing the backs of each one. Then he cupped her face, gently drawing her close so he could graze his mouth across hers, in the tenderest of kisses. Pulling back, his eyes searched hers for the longest time. Her heart galloped erratically. "Jax?" she whispered. "Whatever it is. Please tell me."
Clouds again, where his eyes should be clear. He let out a heavy sigh, then focused on her. "There's so much I want to tell you. That I need to tell you. But what's most important is that you know how much I want you to stay."
It was like a cage had been lifted from around her heart. Jax wanted her to stay! "Yes, yes. Of course, I'll stay. I'll talk with Dad tomorrow, I had a great idea for our ranches-" it was like his declaration had opened a floodgate of potentials now that she knew, and she couldn't stop talking. "I think I'm going to quit my job anyways, because I have enough of a nest-egg saved up, I'd rather come work with you. What do you think?"
