Page 85 of Undeniable Love

Tonight, he wanted to show her he loved her because tomorrow he was going to have to send her away.

How’s that for mixed messages?

He knew she’d understand, but right now he wanted to leave the rest of the world on the other side of the bedroom door. “You know what I wish?” he asked as he slowly sauntered toward her.

“What?” She was grinning, so he knew she was probably expecting him to say something sexy.

And he was.

“I wish my family were gone and you and I could go outside and be naked in the hot tub. Those were always my favorite nights with you.”

Tilting her head, she looked at him funny. “Why are you talking in the past tense?”

“Um…” Way to go genius. Fix this! “I just meant we haven’t done that in a while and it would be a great way to end the day today.”

“Oh,” she hummed. “And I have to agree. I enjoy that too.” Moving in close, she smoothed her hands up his abs and over his chest. “I guess we could get naked and sit in that giant soaker tub in the bathroom. Or maybe in the shower?” Her hands smoothed back down until she cupped his erection. “Or we can get naked right here and climb onto the bed. That would be my suggestion.”

“I’m completely on board with that,” he agreed, banding his arm around her waist, pulling her in close. “The sooner I get you naked, the sooner I can kiss and touch every delicious inch of you.”

“Mmm…I do like all the kissing and touching, so…yes please.” Then they were kissing and doing their best to get undressed as quickly as possible. By the time they clumsily made it onto the bed, they were laughing, but it didn’t take away from where they wanted to go. Lucy raked her hands through his hair. “I don’t want to go home tomorrow. It’s no fun crawling into bed alone.”

She was killing him, but he wouldn’t be swayed.

No matter how tempting the whole thought was.

For tonight, he was going to pretend that everything was perfect—his career and his relationships. He was going to make love to his girl until he was too exhausted to keep his eyes open, and then he was going to curse the fact that he couldn’t just stay up and look at her all night. Lucy was adorable when she slept—all soft hums and sighs and an occasional snore.

He was going to miss that.

“Jax?” she said softly, interrupting his thoughts.

“Yes, beautiful?” His hand caressed her from shoulder to knee and then back again before lingering on some of her softest places.

“Take me,” she urged, arching beneath him. “Please.”

“With pleasure.”

Chapter Fourteen

The next morning, Lucy was up early with Jax because he needed to be at the stadium for the meeting by nine. Her flight wasn’t until after lunch and the plan was to ride to the airport with Noah, Lily, Simon, and Juliette. She was packing up a few things in her weekender bag—she only brought a few things because she had been leaving stuff here every time she visited—when Jax brought out a suitcase and placed it beside her.

“What’s this?”

“Um…we need to talk,” he said quietly, motioning toward the bed for her to sit. There was definitely something ominous about his tone, but she figured he was just tense about the upcoming meeting.

“Is everything okay?”

Shaking his head, he didn’t sit beside her. Instead, he stood and leaned against the dresser. “We need to…hit pause on us,” he said, his voice almost void of emotion. Without looking at her, he went on. “Everything got real yesterday, Luce. I don’t want the career I’ve worked so hard for all these years to end on a weak and negative note. I owe it to myself and the entire Warriors organization to finish the season strong. So, if all the staff is asking for is my undivided attention, then…I have to give it to them.”

For a moment, she didn’t quite understand what he was saying. “So…wait. Hit pause? Jax, two days ago you said you loved me and now…what does hit pause mean? We already knew we were going to be seeing a little less of each other because of your schedule. Why does that have to change?” And maybe she was sleep-deprived, but she was feeling a little defensive.

“Because it does,” he countered, and she could tell he was trying really hard not to argue. “You’re a distraction, Lucy. The freaking best distraction and when we’re together, you’re all I see. And when we’re apart, you’re all I think about and how I can get to see you sooner. It’s just…” With a huff of frustration, he began to pace. “Everything is just…I need to compartmentalize things for a little while. I know it’s not fair to you and I get that you’re upset, but this is the way it has to be.”

Yeah, no.

Jumping off the bed, she moved in front of him. “Or…I move here for the rest of the season! I can go home and pack and be back here by next weekend! It’s perfect! I’ve got a lot of vacation time banked and a somewhat decent savings account, so I can take the time off.”

Nothing.

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