Page 6 of Savage

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Later that day, after I’d drafted my article, I cleared my research off the table and walked out of the dining room and through the large hallway. The house was huge yet still managed to nestle in the countryside between two sleepy villages in Norfolk.

There were eight bedrooms, four of which had ensuites and a main bathroom with a Jacuzzi tub. There was a large living room which was split into two sections by connecting doors, Marcus’s study, a large kitchen, and a basement gym which housed a small sauna. Triple garages and a unity room had been added via an extension that was done last year. And that was where the boys kept their fancy cars. My mother and I didn’t drive, it was something I needed to do when I had the chance. I’d need a car for my job as a journalist. You had to go where the news was and fast if you were to get the scoop on stuff.

The house was a beautiful stone-built mansion, the classic appearance at war with the contemporary interior design. There was a large sweeping driveway to the front, rolling gardens to the sides and rear of the house, and a big swimming pool and patioed area with a pool house. It was luxurious and I really appreciated it. I didn’t take things for granted. Irrespective of what Jaxon thought about me and my mother.

After placing my stuff in my room, I went back downstairs to the kitchen. I decided to cook some microwave popcorn, my stomach still not full after Mum’s bacon sandwich which I’d left most of in fear of chipping a tooth. After setting it running, I nipped to the bathroom.

As I was re-buttoning my jeans, I could hear beeping and I started to panic. I was a daydreamer and must have been in there longer than I realised. I washed my hands and rushed out and over toward the kitchen. The sound of the smoke alarm was shrill in my ears, causing me to squint.

I spied the microwave and punched the button to remove the popcorn bag. The smell of burning hit me in the face.

The small amount of smoke had made the room cloudy and I snapped the microwave closed. My throat started to clam up and flustered, I grabbed a tea towel and attempted to waft away the fog.

“What the hell have you done now?” Jaxon boomed over the sound of the alarm, storming into the kitchen, coughing, and waving his hands in the air. Those mouth-watering arm muscles of his bunched with the movement.

“Nothing,” I shouted guiltily, holding the part-melted packaging behind my back.

He scanned the room before walking over to the microwave, aka ground zero. “Nothing? Why’s the kitchen full of smoke then? Open the window,” he barked.

My breath hissed through my teeth and I turned and shoved the half-blackened snack into the bin. “You don’t have to take my head off. I left my popcorn in too long, it’s no big deal.”

His eyes widened as he went to open the back door and then the patio doors. “No big deal, you almost set the kitchen on fire!” he stormed, shooting a tempered glance around the space.

“Will you stop repeating everything I say, it’s annoying and I caught it in time,” I muttered, I wasn’t sure who I was trying to convince, Jaxon or myself. I moved toward the kitchen window which sat above the sink, leaning over the surface, struggling to reach the latch. The counter bit into my stomach. Luckily, the alarm then stopped.

Jaxon watched me with an are you for real expression. He then shook his head and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose between two fingers before shooting me a scornful look. “You’re such a fucking Scatterbrain,” he snapped menacingly like he wanted to murder me.

Luckily, I managed to flick the catch on the window but my arms weren’t long enough to push it wide. I grabbed a spatula which I used as a poking device; hoping I could shove the glass wider. It was useless, the window was way too heavy.

My stepbrother strode towards me with a menacing grace. “What the fuck are you doing now?” Jaxon belted, looking back and forth between me and the window which was only open a slit. Disbelief radiated from him as he looked down at me.

“I can’t reach,” I confessed in a croaky voice, discarding the spatula before planting my hands on my hips.

Jaxon put a hand to his head in a ‘God give me strength’ motion. “You really are useless. Move out of the way, before I collapse from smoke inhalation.” His long, strong arm reached past me and pushed the window open, skimming over my breasts.

He made me feel like a terrible person when all I’d done was burn popcorn. “Don’t you think you’re overreacting,” I suggested with as much dignity as I could muster in such a short space of time.

Jaxon turned on me then with a stream of swear words, all fire and brimstone.

“Overreacting? How the fuck can anyone burn microwave popcorn? Where are your glasses, I imagine you didn’t read the instructions. How long did you leave it for?” he growled, demonstrating how rattled he was.

“I only put it on for ten minutes,” I replied in a small voice, dropping my hands, hating the way he was looking at me. I so hoped Chris would appear. He was the master of defusing tension and was highly experienced at doing that; his father and brother being so volatile.

Jaxon moved then and came to stand right in front of me, in my personal space. “Ten fucking minutes. You’re only meant to put it on for two. You’re also supposed to stand with it and turn it off once the popping stops. For fucks sake Wynter. You should come with a fucking hazard warning.”

I dropped my arms, far too aware of his nearness and strength and it clouded my thoughts. I didn’t feel like I deserved such utter contempt for something so minor and I looked up into his face, he was furious. “It was an accident,” I fretted, stepping back to put some distance between our bodies. He was so close, his chest almost against mine. I had to snap my neck to keep eye contact. Jaxon also moved forward, backing me into the kitchen island.

My heart leapt in my chest as he placed his hands on either side of my body against the counter, caging me in.

“Another accident. You pulled this shit within the first month of my knowing you. Almost setting the kitchen on fire by burning shit in the microwave. You’re a walking disaster. You leave the fridge door open, knock wine over and stain the dining room carpet. You leave the front door unlocked. You shrunk my bloody jeans when you decided to take my advice and help for once. Not to mention the drama when you set the security alarm off the other month, forcing me to intervene. Now you try to burn the house down. You’re a fucking liability. You’re about as useful as a bucket without a bottom.”

I stared up at him through my lashes, his scent was so amazing. It drew me in, coating my insides with warmth. My mouth opened and his eyes followed the action. Even though he was chewing me out, my body was reacting to that nearness. My nipples were pebbled against my top.

“And whilst we’re dissecting all that is Wynter,” Jaxon said, whispering against the shell of my ear, “You can cut out the lingering looks you keep giving me when you think I’m not looking.”

A ball of embarrassment appeared in my throat. “I don’t know what you mean?” I croaked.

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