Their New Beginning (Oh Captain, My Captain #5) (14 page)

Jax

Avery closes the dishwasher, turns it on, and then looks at me. I grin and pull her against me.

“I love you.”

Her smile widens. “I love you, too.”

“I'm going to shower. It's been a long day, and a shower sounds pretty damn good.”

“Okay. I think I'm going to lay down in a bit.”

I kiss my wife, tempted to ask her to join me in the shower, but I don't. Honestly, I'm a little tired. The past couple of days have worn me out. The steaming, hot water works wonders on my body, relaxing my muscles, and leaves me feeling refreshed. My hand reaches out for a towel, but there's not one. Shit. I didn't set one out. Avery hates it when someone doesn't dry off before stepping out of the shower and gets the floor all wet.

Peeking out, I reach to open the cabinet, but there's none in there. At all. What the fuck happened to all our towels? I'm tempted to call for Avery, but I don't want to bother her if she's already sleeping. I'll be quick about cleaning up my mess once I find our towels. I step out and open the door quietly, stopping short once I see Avery on the bed.

“We forgot about dessert, Jax,” she smiles before eating a spoonful of ice cream. There she lies in the middle of our bed, naked with a pint of vanilla ice cream in her hands.

Within seconds, I'm crawling onto the bed, hovering over her.

“Jax!” she laughs as droplets of water fall from me and onto her. “You're still wet.”

“There weren't any towels.”

Her mouth forms a perfect O, and she laughs again. “Oops. They’re still in the dryer. I knew I was forgetting to do something today.”

I pluck the ice cream from her, resting on my knees as the memories blindside me. “I'm living a dangerous life by leaving the bathroom like this, you know. My wife hates water on the floor in there. I can't believe she would start dessert without me, either.”

“I saved the best part for you,” she grins.

Oh, yes she did. I hand her the ice cream, slip my hands underneath her knees, and pull her down, so she’s laying on her back, her legs on either side of me. Avery returns the ice cream to me and I work on getting a big scoop.

“I think we should make a bucket list, but make it a sex version,” I say offhandedly as I turn the spoon over and the ice cream drops onto Avery’s chest between her breasts. She inhales sharply at the cool touch.

“Okay,” she breathes as I drag the quickly melting ice cream around each of her breasts, leaving a trail for me to follow. “Don’t let me sticky, Jax. All the towels are downstairs.”

I glance up at her with a grin. “Don’t worry; I won’t stop until it’s all gone.”

Avery’s breathing becomes even shallower when the warmth of my tongue and mouth follow the path left behind. Mmm. Vanilla ice cream and Avery, two of my favorite things to taste. Her muscles tense and shiver beneath me before relaxing at my touch. I lick up all the ice cream until it’s gone, just like I promised. My wife sighing my name in that breathless kind of way fuels me. I drop a melty scoop onto one of her breasts and bend to lick and suck it away. The soft sounds Avery makes are ones I love, but I love her loud more. Running my mouth over her body has me aching to hear her.

“Here,” I murmur, handing the tub to her. “Leave me a trail.”

Avery smirks. “What if I don’t want you up here?”

My mind debates it for only a half a second. I’m ready to be inside her, but I want to fully satisfy my wife, too. Reaching for the spoon, I put a scoop in my mouth and quickly move down until my shoulders are between her thighs. With the taste of the vanilla ice cream in my mouth and the coolness still on my tongue, I kiss her sensitive skin. I lick once finding that she’s already wet for me.

My tongue works her body, licking, sucking, and teasing until she’s dying for more. Inserting two fingers into her, Avery moans loudly. My already hard dick seems to get even harder. She tightens around me, but I suddenly stop all movement. Avery lifts her head in a confused daze.

“I need more ice cream, Avery.”

Just like the first time we did this, she props herself up on her elbows and drizzles the last bit over her body from her navel to her hips to her belly to her ribs and on up her chest. I move my fingers once more and quickly lick up the ice cream as Avery drops the carton on the floor. I linger on her neck for a moment, slowing down the movement of my fingers, and then kiss her.

“You’re trying to kill me,” she accuses me happily when I remove my fingers before she has a chance to reach her release.

“I need a chance to catch up,” I reply, easing myself into her even though she’s more than ready for me. After three more slow thrusts, everything else but Avery falls away as I plunge into her hard and swift. I have one mission here. All I want is to hear my wife scream my name as I give her body what she’s craving, give her an orgasm, and find my own.

“Fuck, you’re so close, Avery,” I breathe heavily.

Avery’s back arches as she clutches the sheets in her hands when I grab her hips, keeping them in place. “Oh,” she starts, squeezing her eyes closed, “Jax!” she finishes in a shout. My name is a warning that she’s more than ready and a way of ordering me to push her over the edge.

Just as I hit my climax, I whisper, “Open your eyes.” She does, so I add, “Come on, Avery.” The love I have for that phrase is unbelievable. Ever since the first time I said that as a way of giving Avery a little nudge, it’s caused Avery to crumble beneath me in waves of pleasure. Every. Single. Time. And it feeds my ego, making both heads swell, but I’m positive Avery loves it as much as I do.

She screams out my name, shuddering as I slow down my movements to drag out her high. This is one of the moments when she’s most beautiful. Pure bliss is in every part of her body and her love for me flows right behind it. I pull out and fall onto the bed next to her.

“Damn, Avery.”

“Ditto,” she agrees and I laugh.

After a few minutes to re-energize, she turns her head to look at me. I’ve already turned onto my side and started running my hand over her leg.

“C’mon. There’s still water on the floor and,” she faces away to peek over the edge of the bed, “I made a mess with the ice cream. Plus, we should probably shower.” She grins at me from over her shoulder. “Just in case I’m still sticky.”

I laugh. “You’ve been thinking about that water since I walked out the bathroom, haven’t you?”

“No,” she denies. “Once you stopped distracting me, I remembered. Besides, I’m adding shower sex to the bucket list.” Without another word, she walks her naked self across the room and disappears. “Don’t forget to go get the towels,” she calls out as she turns the water on.

Oh, I’m going to be so tired tomorrow, but it’ll be so worth it.

~ ~ ~

“Avery, I’m home,” I call out.

“In the office,” she shouts back.

I came home for a quick lunch with her before I leave on a string of road games. The playoffs are coming up and the pressure is sitting on my shoulders as if I’m attempting to balance a house on them. We’re looking good to make the cut, so I’m feeling good about that. What’s bothering me is the looming end of my contract.

Part of me is itching to be at the rink right now, improving on every aspect of my play. It doesn’t help that I can feel the hunger for the Cup, so strong and clear. I honestly believe we have a good chance this year. But I am fighting off that nagging feeling that the closer we get to the playoffs, the more I should immerse myself into hockey. Not doing so is a bit more difficult than I thought it would be.

Not because of my priorities, because Avery is, without a doubt, my number one, but because of how I’m thinking about it almost all the time. Before I made captain, before I met Avery, my team won the Cup. It was amazing. Last year, when I was feeling the pressure, it clicked in the back of my mind that during our best seasons before I met Avery, all I did was hockey. It consumed every aspect of my life.

I can’t lose myself in my job again. I don’t want that for me and definitely not for Avery or for our marriage. My thoughts bounce back and forth between Avery and my raging desire to succeed my own expectations as well as the team and our fans.

Avery doesn’t glance up when I walk in. This is supposedly my office, but I never use it. Avery does though.

“Jax, did you buy plane tickets? What for? Or should I call the bank?” She finally looks over at me as I sit in the chair next to the desk. “There’s a charge for an airline up here, but I didn’t make it, so I didn’t know if you did or if someone else used your card.”

“I bought them,” I answer, leaning my head back against the chair and closing my eyes.

“Okay,” she drags out, waiting for me to fill her in. This wasn’t how I was going to tell her.

For now, I ignore her. “Do you think I’m successful?”

Her silence causes me to open my eyes and look at her. She doesn’t seem sure of herself.

“You don’t, do you?” My chest tightens at the thought.

“No, I do,” she quickly answers, “but I don’t know why you would ask. I mean, you’re the captain of an NHL team, you’re on the way to the playoffs, and you’re worth thirty million dollars.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” I shrug.

“You don’t think so?” Before I can answer, the worry enters her voice. “What’s going on, Jax?”

“Nothing,” automatically leaves my mouth.

Avery stands and sits sideways in my lap. “Hey, talk to me. What are you thinking about?”

The words mull over in my mind before I speak. “I don’t need the game, Avery. All I need is you and you come first.” I want to make sure she knows that. She nods that she does. “I play because I’m good and I love it. It’s fun, even with all the work that goes into it, and I’m too damn competitive not to love it.”

“But,” she says, trying to help me along.

“I don’t feel like I’ve accomplished anything sometimes, or not enough to be really successful. I’ve won the Cup, but not as a captain. And…” I stop, unsure of how I want to say this.

“You’re starting to feel the pressure again,” she fills in. Avery pauses before slowly stabbing me in the heart as she adds, “Like last year.”

I lean my head back again, closing my eyes. “Yeah.” That one word is painful to say because look at what happened when I stopped focusing on everything but my job. Look at how much I hurt Avery and our marriage. “The need to win and not let anyone down has been bothering me. And I don’t want to give into it. It made me think about what I’ve accomplished and what I haven’t.”

“Jax.” Avery waits until I open my eyes and look at her. “I think you put too much pressure on yourself. You want to please me, the team, your fans, the family, but you forget about yourself. You’ve accomplished so much on every level. Some players will never reach those achievements in their entire career, but you’ve done it and still have a lot of time left in the league. Don’t worry about last year. Think about you and what you want.” She wraps her arms around my neck, but I don’t really feel better about things yet.

“I want to win, but I don’t want to ignore everything else in my life to do it.”

“Listen to me, Jax. Last year was rough on you and on me, but we’ve both learned from that.” Her voice turns very determined. “If you want to win that Cup again as a captain and be the first to lift it up, then I’m going to be in the stands yelling the loudest. So, your sexy ass needs to get back to the rink. I’ll be right here, waiting for you.”

I smile because she’s erased those nagging thoughts in my head. She’s not getting rid of me that easily today. “We haven’t had lunch yet, though, and I’m starving. We need to do that first, and then I’ll go.” I told her we would have lunch, and we will.

She grins and kisses me. “I think that sounds perfect.”

Avery

Jax’s leg is bouncing up and down, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this nervous. Ever. I think he might burst at any moment.

“You do realize that you know Mr. O’Connell right? I mean it’s not like you’re being drafted all over again.”

“I feel like it.”

“It’s not customary for the wives to be at a contract negotiation, right?”

Jax looks over at me. “You’re here as my accountant.”

I scrunch my face. “You don’t need your accountant for renewing a hockey contract, Jax.” I roll my eyes at him. We’ve been sitting outside the general manager’s office for over twenty minutes, but it’s felt like an eternity. I’m not nervous because I know they will offer him something. He’s number one in the league, and the Gamblers are finally on track to win the Cup.

“I know that, but it makes me feel better.”

“You need your agent here.”

He shakes his head. “I’m doing this with you.”

“What?” I squeak.

“Yep, I need my wife by my side. Besides you understand contracts and what not.”

“Okay,” I turn fully to him. “Have you recently suffered a concussion? The only contracts I understand are the small ones. This is a
huge
deal, Jax.”

“That’s why you’re here.” He grabs my hand.

Before I can open my mouth and try to talk some sense into him, Mr. O’Connell’s secretary comes out and calls for us. We go into the large office that has a beautiful view of the Las Vegas skyline.

“Jax,” he shakes his hand, “and Mrs. Godwin.” Mr. Connell kisses both my cheeks. “It’s always lovely to see you.”

I blush slightly. “Thank you.”

“Sit and let’s talk.” He points to the small round table in the corner. Jax pulls the chair out for me, and I can see a large stack of papers in from of Mr. O’Connell’s chair.

There it is. Jax’s contract. It’s either going to keep him here, or send him somewhere else. I don’t know what’s going to happen.

“Now Jax, I will say that I’m surprised that you’re here without your agent. No offense, Mrs. Godwin.”

I smile because I have to agree with him. Jax’s taking a large leap of faith right now, and I’m not sure how this is going to go.

“I think we can discuss this as adults. I have Avery here; she’s all I need.”

As much as my heart leaps with the joy at my husband’s comment, I still have the urge to slap him upside the head because this is his career.

“Then let’s get down to it. Jax I don’t need to explain how proud of you we are here. We had a tough season last year, but this year, with your leadership and hard work, has taken us back to number one. That’s not gone unnoticed at all. We want you to stay here in Vegas, as a Gambler, and we want to ensure that you have the time to build a team you can continue to lead.. So we are willing to offer you an eight year contract, and we’ll pay you ten million dollars a year.”

All the air left my body. They’re offering Jax eighty million dollars, and that doesn’t even count his endorsements. This is exactly what Jax needs to show that he’s worth it, and there shouldn’t be any self-doubt.

“And if I turn it down?”

My mouth drops as does Mr. O'Connell's.

“Jax, are you thinking of leaving us?”

“Not per se. I’m thinking of retiring,” he says boldly.

“Retiring? Jax, no offense, but you’re at the prime of your career right now. Is this something you’re serious about?”

“Yes.”

I can’t believe what I’m sitting here listening to. I know that deep down Jax doesn’t want to retire. Hockey is his life. It’s his love. It’s his home.

“Mr. O’Connell, please excuse me for being so rude, but could I have a moment alone with Jax?” I rush out.

He looks between Jax and me, and I know he’s confused. He nods curtly and leaves his office.

“What the hell are you doing?” I grit my teeth at him.

“I told you that I’ve been thinking about this.”

“Jax,” I shake my head. “That’s when you thought you weren’t getting a contract. Here it is,” I point to the stack of papers.

“You’re my number one,” he firmly states.

I search his face as he stares at me. Oh my God. This can’t be what this is about. I cup his face in my hands. “Are you doing this for me?”

“I’m doing it for us.”

I drop my hands. “That’s the sweetest and dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“What?”

“Jax Godwin, you want to give up your career to show me that you love me, right? You’re a damn fool because I will totally kick your ass if you do that.”

“Avery-”

“Stop. Last year was rough on us. I know it. I’ve made a mistake, and I almost lost you, but you can’t do this. You live and breathe hockey. This is where you shine. You’ve helped and inspired so many people, including me. You need to sign this contract.”

Jax doesn’t say anything. He only stares at the table.

“You could finish your career here. Everything is falling into place the way you’ve always wanted it. And if you don’t sign it, I’m taking you to the hospital to have your brain checked.”

“Avery-”

“I don’t want to hear it.” I raise my voice a little bit. “When Mr. O’Connell comes back into this room, you’re going to ask for a pen, and you are going to sign that paper. End of discussion. If you leave hockey for me, you will be miserable, and I can’t stand by and watch that.”

“When did you become so bossy?” he smiles.

“When I became your full-time assistant. This job is a bitch,” I tease him back.

He laughs, a real laugh, and pulls me in for a kiss. It’s then that Mr. O’Connell walks back into the office.

“Everything okay now?” he asks.

“I needed some clarification, and Avery helped me with that. Sorry for the interruption.”

Mr. O’Connell chuckles. “That’s why we keep our wives around, especially the good ones. They keep us in line.”

Jax smiles at me. “That they do.”

~ ~ ~

“Wake up, Mr. Godwin.” I gently drag my nails down his naked back.

“It’s my day off. Why are you waking me up?”

“Because we have a lot to do today, so that means get up.” I slap his ass playfully.

He groans and opens his eyes. “You’re dressed?”

“Yep. Hurry up.” I roll off the bed and head downstairs.

I practically skip into the kitchen to finish the quick breakfast that I’ve made for us. The memories of this date overtake me. Technically, it’s not a date, but I’ve always counted it as one. It’s the most important one.

I make Jax’s favorite, breakfast burritos. I give him two and a large glass of orange juice. It’s all waiting for him when he comes downstairs. He’s wearing a tight white T-shirt and light colored jeans. I try to stifle a laugh because that’s exactly what he wore for that date.

“Eat up. It’s going to be a long day.”

He shakes his head, but he does as I ask. I can barely finish mine because I want this day to go perfectly. I have it all planned out.

When Jax finishes, I feverishly clean the plates, shoving everything into the dishwater. I turn to him, taking his hand, and leading him out the door, grabbing my jacket and purse along the way.

“Okay, are you ready for our date today?” I ask getting into the driver seat of my car.

“Absolutely. What are we doing?”

I smile at him, but don’t say anything as I head toward the strip. We listen to the music playing in the car for a little bit. I’m relishing in his touch as he holds my hand.

“Jax, this is date number seven.” I figured that he would remember. However, he doesn’t look like he has a clue. “Please tell me you haven’t forgotten what happened?”

“Date seven? Do I know what happened?” he truly looks confused.

“Jax, do you really not know?”

“Believe it or not, it’s hard to keep up with all the fantastic dates we’ve had. Refresh my memory for me.”

I shake my head. I shouldn’t be upset because he can’t remember every single detail of something that happened over five years ago. But, he should remember once I get closer to our destination.

I drive until I see the top of the white steeple and pull into the parking lot.

“Remember now?”

Jax smiles at me. He looks at the wedding chapel that we were married in.

“Clear as day. You want to see what Elvis has been up to since we left the building?” he chuckles at me.

I throw my head back and laugh at his joke. He could always make me laugh.

“Well, I actually thought we could renew our vows. You know, like starting with a clean slate. What do you think?”

“It sounds perfect.” We jump out of the car and go into chapel.

It looks and smells the same as when we were here so many years ago. The walls are white as snow, but the carpet is red. The first time I had saw it reminded me roses. There is a large arbor covered in cheap, faux flowers at the end of the aisle. I’m still surprised that that there are only four pews. I guess a lot of people don’t
show
up at these types of wedding.

“May I help you?” There’s a nice looking older lady behind the welcome desk.

Before I can say anything, Jax’s guides me over to the counter with him. “I want to marry this beautiful girl again.”

~ ~ ~

Elvis has married us once again. Jax’s face is beaming as it did the first time we were married. To think that I almost lost him because of my stupid mistake, and now, we’re starting over again.

When we get back to the house, Jax throws me over his shoulder, just like he did before. I’m giggling loudly as he carries me into the house and sits me on my feet.

“I’ve missed that.”

“What?” I ask. My cheeks are hurting from my smile that seems to keep growing with happiness.

“That laugh. Your happiness. Us,” he lists. He cups my face and kisses me.

It starts out soft and gentle as first, but our hormones take over and Jax tugs my shirt over my head and then picks me up.

“Are we going to make it upstairs? The last time we ended up have sex on my living room carpet,” I remind him. We barely made it through the front door of my apartment.

“Why break tradition?” Jax carries me into the living room and lays me right in front of the fireplace.

Jax kisses my lips, down my neck, and unhooks my bra. I moan feeling his lips on my hot skin. I fist my hands in his hair. Jax sit up, unbuttons my jeans, and tosses them over his shoulder.

“If I remember correctly, I made sure you got off this way first.” He smirks softly trailing his fingers up my thighs.

“You did.” I giggle again.

“It’s been awhile. Let’s see if I can do it again.”

Jax softly bites my left inner thigh and then my right. He continues until I feel him lick me. I moan and arch my back. Jax pushes my legs open further and begins his assault on me.

I begin to pant as he sucks on me harder. He slides in two fingers and I lift my hips pushing myself closer to him. I dig my fingers into his hair and I say his name over and over.

“Jax, I need you.”

“You have me.”

“No,” I moan loudly. “Jax, please.”

I hear him chuckle but he doesn’t let up. I feel my body tightening up, and when he sucks me again, I yell his name with my release. My body relaxes as Jax kisses my stomach and up to my lips.

Before I have time to register what is happening, Jax pushes into me. I break from his lips and latch my arms around his back. Jax pulls out and pushes back in harder each time. I can feel the carpet burns on my back, but I don’t care.

I wrap my legs around his hips. Jax lays his head in the crook of my neck and he’s panting my name. The sound of his husky, sex-filled voice is driving me more insane than I already am.

“Avery, come on, baby.”

His command is my undoing and I dig my nails into his skin, arching my back, and yelling his name. After one hard, quick thrust, Jax reaches his climax with me.

“I love you, Jax Godwin.”

“I love you, Avery Godwin.”

~ ~ ~

After we shower, I order Jax’s favorite pizza, just like our first night of our marriage.

“What do you think of the pizza?”

“It’s amazing.”

“I figure that you would enjoy it as much as the first time.” I stop and look at him. “Do you feel different after the renewal? I mean, I feel like we have a new beginning.”

“Yeah, it feels better than the first time, if that’s possible. I’m glad we did this, Avery.”

“I’m very thankful for the second chance, Jax. I don’t think that you know how much it means to me.”

“You’re my wife and I love you. I wanted a second chance to do better, too.”