Relentless (Relentless #1) (4 page)

Stephen pulled me aside at work one afternoon so we could talk. Even though we lived and worked together, we never spent any time together. I missed our one on one time, so it was nice to hang out, just the two of us. We sat and caught up on things going on in our lives, but the conversation turned serious. His stare made me squirm in my seat.

“Are you happy, Vi?”

I was surprised by his question, but I tried to answer honestly.

“I’m happier than I have been in a long time. Why?”

“I wanted to make sure because you’ve been distant lately.” He paused, but I knew there was more. I pinned him with a look and he continued. “Jax seems to open up around you, but you’re still keeping up your guard. He doesn’t share a lot about his personal life, and from what he’s told me, he’s just as scared as you are about having a relationship. The only difference I see is that he wants to work for it.”

He didn’t come right out and say it, but his silent judgment stung. “Why you are holding back? You’ve never done that before, Vi.”

“I don’t know,” I whispered. “It’s not like I mean to, but after everything with Aaron and Scott, I’m just not ready to let anyone in yet. With Jax, everything feels natural, but I don’t know if I trust my instincts anymore.”

“Things with Scott were off from the beginning, but you insisted in trying to make it work. I’m not sure why you didn’t cut your losses sooner with him, and you never should have married Aaron. I know your mom blackmailed you into that unholy union.” He stared at me before continuing. “Vi, you can’t spend the rest of your life being scared of relationships.”

“I’m not scared. I’m just…cautious.”

“That’s a lie. I’ve never met someone as relentless as you are. You don’t take missteps. It’s really damn annoying to watch. Well, except for the marriage to Aaron, that was one big ass mistake, but we can blame that on you being young and dumb.” I stuck my tongue out at him and he continued. “I’m serious. Whether you want to admit it or not, you are falling for Jaxon Garrett.”

“Stephen, I’m not some desperate girl who chases a man, or a relationship. If I was, I would have tried to save my marriage,” I snapped. “Do you think I wanted to be divorced at twenty-three?”

My fingers clenched into fists at my side. Stephen noticed and tugged me into his chest.

“Hey, calm down. I wasn’t trying to upset you. I just wanted you to know I’m here for you. We’ve always talked about this stuff.”

“I’m not ready to talk about Jax yet. I admit it, I’m scared. And with good reason, every relationship I’ve been in has gone horribly, horribly wrong. Two guys cheated on me in awful, humiliating ways. So just let me be. When I’m ready, I’ll talk. Okay?”

His brown eyes pinned me with a look that spoke volumes. He didn’t think I would actually talk about Jax, and he was probably right.

“Okay,” he slowly agreed. “Just don’t push him away, or he might not be there for you when you
are
ready.”

Stephen kissed the top of my head and I tried not to sigh in relief. This man was my rock. My partner in crime. My whole life he had been there for me no matter what I needed. I could talk to him about anything, and he always knew when I needed a push. It was one of his most annoying and endearing qualities.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

Stephen reached over and grabbed his iced coffee off the table next to us and handed it over. It was his peace offering for pissing me off. He wouldn’t push anymore today, but I was not disillusioned. If he thought I needed to talk about it again, Stephen would make me talk.

Table reads turned into filming as the days and weeks passed. Jax and I became closer each passing second, and I tried harder not to push him away and open up more. Amanda joked that the sexual tension was so thick you could taste it. My nerves ratcheted up every time she said it. Jaxon and I hadn’t had sex yet, on or off screen, but there was no doubt in my mind that both would happen soon.

I wanted Jaxon, but I wasn’t going to rush anything. I hadn’t slept with anyone since my divorce and the idea both scared and excited me. Sure I had dated guys since I had left Aaron, but I had always cut things off before it got to that point. My colossal fails at relationships had put me off men in general for a long time. It amazed me that Jax had even broken through any of that damage. He was slowly convincing me that not all men were complete jackasses.

We still kept our relationship quiet from the public, but I enjoyed spending time with him and I was opening up to him more. He was sweet, attentive, and funny. No matter how much I tried to guard my heart, I
was
falling for him hard. The distance I placed between us because of my irrational fears seemed to disappear any time we were around one another.

Between takes, the cast and crew all joked around, teasing the hell out of one another. Even Gage was laid back and not being a complete douche. Surprisingly, we were getting along well; somehow we had come to a ceasefire. I think Jaxon had a lot to do with the Gage’s change in attitude towards me, but I wanted to make an effort to be nicer if he was too.

They both loved surfing and seemed to have bonded over their love of the sport. Every morning they went out before we started filming for the day. On the days Stephen could drag his lazy butt out of bed, he would join them.

From the doorway in the kitchen I had a vantage point of most of the house. Stephen showed Amanda something on his phone and they both laughed at whatever funny video he had found. Jaxon was reading a book out by the pool, lounging in the summer heat. The sound of Gage strumming softly on his guitar came from one of the bedrooms. Looking around the house that had become our home away from home, I smiled. This place would hold great memories for us after shooting wrapped. I would be sad to finish up in a few months and have to move on from our makeshift family.

As we walked along the edge of the water, sand went between our toes and the smell of the ocean filled our nostrils. It was as intoxicating as any of the wine we drank at dinner. Jax turned to face me as we made our way back in front of my house. I saw desire flicker in his eyes, but there was another emotion behind them I couldn’t decipher. Fear maybe?

His hands went to my hips, and he pulled me in for a long breathtaking kiss. A soft gasp left my lips as he devoured me. This kiss was different; there was a promise of more. My fingers brushed through his shaggy blond hair. As the passion between us grew, his grip on my hips tightened.

His arousal pressed against my stomach and a low moan slipped from my throat. I shivered as his fingers danced up my rips and his palms rubbed over my hard nipples. My fingers dug into his back and I pulled him even closer, pinning my body up against his. Jaxon’s breath was labored as he tried to reel himself back in. He broke the kiss and gently pushed me back.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”

“Why the hell not?”

“We’ve been taking things slow and I don’t want to screw that up. After we talked about our pasts, we both agreed that it would be better to wait.” He ran his fingers through his hair, tugging the tips, “If you aren’t ready, I can go, or we can watch a movie or something. God, I want you, but I will not pressure you into something you aren’t ready for.”

Surprise. The emotion I felt was surprise. I wasn’t expecting him to offer to stop. Without a word, I pulled him back to me and sealed my lips to his again. One of his hands rested on the small of my back while the other wound its way into my long chestnut hair. I gripped his shoulders and tipped my head back to give him access to my throat. His tongue travelled the column of my neck and my body shivered in response.

“Jax, let’s go inside.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

I took his hand and led him through the house to my bedroom. As soon as the lock clicked into place, my back was against the door. His large hands picked me up and pinned me between the door and his hard body. My teeth nipped at his neck and his low growl filled the room. I wanted him inside me.

He lowered me so I stood in front of him, but pulled me to his chest as he walked us back towards the bed. I pushed him down and climbed on top of him, straddling his hips pinning him between my thighs. Jax gripped the back of my shirt as he pulled it over my head. He paused with it halfway up, not wanting to break our kiss; his grip tightened against my shirt as he tried to restrain himself.

I rocked my hips against his, sending a jolt of pleasure through my center. Jaxon tugged my shirt over my head, his lips nipping at my skin at it was exposed. Tugging his head to mine I captured his mouth, swirling my tongue inside.

“I want this to last, Violet. I don’t want to rush anything, but I have to have you.”

“Please, Jaxon.”

For some reason, those two words sobered Jaxon, making his movements slow and intentional; completely different from the complete frenzy it had been only seconds before. He lay me down on my back and proceeded to worship my body, stripping me of my clothes and spending the time to make me burn for him.

He reached down to his jeans and grabbed his wallet. I watched with hooded eyes as he quickly rolled the condom down his length and positioned himself at my entrance.

As he slid inside me I cried out in pleasure. Lips and hands explored, while my fingers gripped him, pulling him closer. The myriad of emotions taking over terrified me, but damned if I didn’t want more. I arched against him taking him deeper. His fingers tangled in my hair and his lips travelled the column of my neck. 

The feel of his stubble on my neck as he whispered in my ear that he was falling for me was what finally sent me over the edge. His mouth crashed down over mine, muffling my whimpers as my release took over my body. His body tightened over me as his orgasm overtook him only seconds after mine.

My fingers played along the lines of his back as we lay there in the quiet. I had never experienced anything like that in my life. Our connection was stronger than anything I had ever had with anyone else. Jaxon had been at arm’s length for too long; after that I couldn’t keep pushing him away.

Jaxon stood up and walked into my bathroom to get rid of the condom. I shamelessly watched his amazing ass as he went. His eyes caught mine as he came back, the mesmerizing green had me lost in their depths. He lowered his body next to mine on the bed and tucked me into his side. Cuddling into his chest, I rested my hand over his heart. His lips kissed the top of my head. Slowly, we both drifted off to sleep.