Page 66 of Stay with Me

There was a sparkle to his deep brown eyes. “And maybe even a slice of apple pie, if you’re a good girl and you stop arguing with me.”

“I’ve never had apple pie,” I blurted out.

Standing in the middle of the kitchen, cradling me in his arms like I weighed nothing—and I most definitely weighed something—his mouth dropped open. “You’ve never had apple pie?”

“No.”

His brows rose. “Why?”

“I don’t know. Just never tried it.”

“That’s so ... so un-American,” he said, and I rolled my eyes. “Are you a terrorist?”

“Dear God,” I muttered and started to wiggle to get free.

Jax tightened his arms. “Honey, you kill me. Really, you do. Never been drunk. Never been to the beach. Never had an apple pie? We’ve already scratched one of those things off, and we’re about to mark off another one.”

I figured this was not a good moment to share the fact that I’d never been to a Waffle House, either.

His grin was back, and there was something utterly disarming about it. “Stick with me, babe, and I’ll change your life.”

Katie’s words rushed over me.Your life is going to change. I stopped thinking, at least for a little while, and I stopped fighting. I reached over, grabbing my keys and my sunglasses. I slipped the latter on.

What Jax didn’t know was that he’d changed my life already, even if it was just a little bit, but what he did knowingly do was carry me out of the house, put me in his truck, and drive my ass to Waffle House.

“So, Jax took your cherry?”

The margarita glass almost slipped out of my hand as I turned to where Roxy stood. Behind her, Nick was staring at us. It was probably the first time since we’d met that he’d actually shown any interest in Roxy or me. Then again, when you say things like ‘taking cherries,’ it tends to get people’s undivided attention.

“Oh my God, this is such a perfect conversation.”

My cheeks were warm as I glanced back to where Katie was sitting. “This is not the perfect conversation.”

Her heavily lined eyes widened. “Were you a virgin? Like in past tense?”

The guy beside her turned and looked at me. I was seconds away from screaming. “Roxy is talking about being drunk. I’d never been drunk before. Last night was my first time. Jax took my—”

“I took what?” Jax appeared out of freaking nowhere.

Oh God.

Katie leaned forward and her boobs almost popped out of her halter and blinded me. “You took Calla’s cherry?”

“I took ... what?” He blinked and then looked at me, head tilted to the side. “Is there something about last night I don’t remember? Because honey, I’m going to be seriously disappointed if that happened, and I don’t recall it. Like really fucking—”

“No!” I shrieked, causing several heads at the bar to whip my way. “She’s talking about never drinking. Not my ... you know ...”

“Cherry?” supplied Roxy as she straightened her glasses.

Oh God ...

Jax stared at me a moment, jaw working, and then he turned to Nick, saying something in a low voice that I prayed had nothing to do with me.

It had been hard to sit through breakfast with him without feeling like a dumbass for last night, but he didn’t bring anything up, and the slice of apple pie that I’d eaten was freaking delish.

“Oh.” Katie looked disappointed. So did the guy. “Well, hell, never mind. Back to the pole for me.”

I watched her jump off the stool as she winked at us and then sauntered through the crowd.

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