Page 34 of Deadly Desires

“Everything is in here that you could possibly need, courtesy of Franklin. He may or may not have had the guys fixing your house look at what makeup and feminine products you use so he could buy you the same exact stuff. There is a drawer free for you to use on the right hand side of the double sink in my bathroom, please feel free to put your stuff on the counter and in the drawer.”

“Jax, we should talk about this…”

“No, Melody. It’s not up for discussion. Until this guy is caught you’re staying here. There is no possible way that I’m letting you out of my sight. This guy is crazy.”

“But what about what I just said. I won’t let him ruin my life.”

“Staying with me is not ruining your life, little sparrow. Look at it as a vacation. I already paid Brooke to cover your position indefinitely, and we can check on your house everyday if you want. But I would feel better if you stayed here with me. No one is getting into my suite.”

“Hmph… I’ll think about it, Jax.”

“You’ll think about it, but it doesn’t change the decision I’ve already made.”

Leaving the bathroom to let Melody get ready, I head into my closet to get dressed. Now that she will be staying here, we will either have to get her items from her house or buy her new things. Melody doesn’t seem the type to accept an entire free wardrobe, so picking up her clothes from her house makes the most sense. I have more than enough room in this walk-in closet for her things, too.

Picking out a pair of jeans and a fitted black T-shirt, along with my own Chuck Taylor’s, I quickly get dressed and freshened up. Knowing that we are going to be doing a bit of driving today, I picked comfortable clothes instead of my usual polished attire.

Once Melody is ready, we head down the hall to the elevator. As we pass the dining table, Melody freezes.

“Jax… what is that doing on the table?”

I stall for a second wishing I had just thrown it away and avoided worrying her.

“It was in my delivery box today when I went to grab your things.”

“Jax… that means he knows where you live. What if he tries to hurt you? I could never live with myself…”

I stop Melody and place both of my hands on her shoulders. I peer down at her until she looks into my eyes. “Melody, don’t spiral on me. We are OK. Look at me. Nothing is going to happen to me, little sparrow.”

Melody’s lip quivers as she tries to hold back tears. “But… Jax…”

“But nothing, Melody. Let’s go enjoy our day. Like you said, let’s not allow this fucker to ruin our lives.”

“Ok,” she says, voice trembling.

We go to the elevator and make our way to my garage. I let Melody pick between the McLaren and the Ducati.

“I don’t know if I’m ready for a motorcycle ride just yet… let’s take your McLaren.”

As I hold the door for Melody to get into the car, I send a quick text to Franklin letting him know about the rose in my delivery box. Franklin insists he never saw it when he dropped off Melody’s things, but then again, he didn’t actually look in the box before placing the bag in there.

Knowing that this fucker is toying with us now, my very being is completely on edge and on high alert. It’s why I decide to conceal carry my H&K USP Compact .45. It carries ten rounds plus one in the chamber, and I have an extra magazine in the car for emergencies, so I am definitely prepared should this fucker try anything.

With us both settled into the car, I start her up and let her purr to life. After waiting a few minutes for the idle to settle, we exit the garage and start driving to nowhere in particular.

Twenty-Three

Melody

Jaxon takes me on numerous scenic routes, some I never even knew existed. It’s all so beautiful though; the west coast of California is breathtaking this time of year.

As we cruise through the surrounding area, Jaxon takes me to his Aunt and Uncle’s house to pay them a quick visit.

Jaxon introduces me as his girlfriend and I’m blushing from the title he has bestowed upon me. I suppose what we are, most would consider a serious relationship, but we haven’t had that discussion yet. Just something else I’ll need to ask him about in the car.

We sit and chat with them for a bit, before we take off again. We stop in a few small towns with the cutest downtown areas and do a little shopping. I pick out a few new items of clothing to keep at Jaxon’s place and a new hoodie to keep me warm on those chillier spring nights. We stop at a boutique on the town’s main street and I pick out some lingerie too. Jax is all too excited for me to try them on when we get back to his place.

Around 2 P.M. we stop and have a late lunch at one of the ocean side restaurants lining the coast. Jaxon orders the surf and turf while I order a grilled red snapper with mango poppy seed sauce. We talk more about our lives growing up and I still insist we must have met at some point. I learn that we attended similar charity events in the past, but I suppose there are usually so many people there it’s possible we just never ran into each other. Like we just weren’t meant to meet yet. As Brooke would say, it was probably divine intervention.

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