Page 41 of Capitally Engaged

I choked on my water. “Obviously,” I said.

“And communication is key. If you don’t like something, if someone isn’t in the mood or isn’t feeling up to it, speak up and no guilting anyone into anything.”

A look of horror had to be on my face, I was sure of it. “I would hope that’s a given. I can’t decide if I never want to know why you had to say that, or if I should go punch some guy’s face in.”

Jax shrugged. “Girls too. But when you have an invisible illness, sometimes people don’t always believe you when you speak up.”

I put my hand on her arm. “I told you before, you never have to do anything with me you don’t want to do. You’re safe with me.”

Jax looked me in the eye for a moment before answering. “I know I am.” She cleared her throat. “So, anything you want to add?”

“It might slot under that communication, but don’t lie to me. If you aren’t, um,getting there, help me help you. Don’t fake it. Okay?” I felt torn open, a part of my relationship with Diana my brothers didn’t even know about.

Jax studied me. “Now I feel the need to go punch some faces in.”

I laughed without humor. “It’s not worth it. But yeah. That’s my ground rule.”

“Shake on it?” Jax held her hand out toward mine. I took it, shaking once, before twisting our arms so her hand was on top. I brought it to my mouth, dropping a featherlight kiss on each of her knuckles, before turning her hand over, laying a kiss on her open palm and setting her hand on my leg. I rested mine on top, keeping hers there.

“You know.” Jax let out a shaky breath. “I think we’re going to be just fine. You seem to have a direct line to my groin with your mouth.”

I closed my eyes at her words, feeling my own groin tightening. This type of flight was not one to pass out pillows and blankets, so I needed to keep myself under control. Jax opening and closing her fingers where they rested on my leg did not help matters.

“The senator’s going to want to go right into a strategy session when we land,” I said, keeping my eyes closed.

Jax let out a sigh. “I figured. Well, anticipation makes the payoff all that much sweeter.” She removed her hand from mine, tucking herself into a ball against the window. “Wake me when we land.”

I knew I should try to catch a few minutes of shut eye too, considering it could be a late night with Senator Marsden and then hopefully alatenight with Jax. I was too keyed up though. Instead, my mind raced between what we were flying here to do and what I wanted to do to the woman sitting next to me.

The strategy session Senator Marsden dragged us to after we landed lasted until 2:00 a.m. He finally set us free with a parting shout to meet him for breakfast at the hotel restaurant at 8:00 a.m. sharp.

Jax and I walked side by side from the elevator to our hotel room. Waves of exhaustion radiated off her and I certainly fared no better. Each of my feet seemed to weigh fifty pounds on their own and the hallway looked never ending.

“Here we are.” Jax pointed to room 829. Hotel staff had brought our luggage up when we arrived, so we hadn’t seen the room yet. I held the key card against the sensor and pushed the door open when the light turned green. A standard mid-tier hotel room lay before us, with a bathroom to the right, a coffee bar and mini fridge to the left, and yes, only one king-sized bed in the center of the room.

“No couch for you to escape to,” Jax joked as she plopped onto the bed, spread out like a starfish. “On an unrelated note, I’m not sure I’ve ever been this tired in my life.”

I nudged her foot with mine. “Get up and wash your face. You’ll be happy you did in the morning.”

Jax leaned up on her elbows, studying me. “I will feel better in the morning with a clean face. But don’t you want to, you know...”

I leaned over the top of her, my hand on the mattress next to her head with my arm fully extended, very careful to be sure no part of my body brushed hers. “Adhering to rule number four, I want to crawl into this bed with you, pull you against my body”—I heard her intake a breath—“and sleep.”

Jax smacked my forearm as I laughed, straightening so I stood upright again.

“You’re probably right.” She rubbed her hands over her face. “Do you want the bathroom first?”

“No, you go right ahead.”

She heaved herself off the bed, making her way to her bag on a luggage stand. After she gathered what she needed, she walked to the bathroom, shooting me a smile over her shoulder before closing the door behind her.

I walked over to the sliding glass door and looked out into the dark night, overlooking the parking lot of the hotel. As amped up as I had been before, I didn’t want the first time Jax and I were together to be like this. Exhausted, dirty, and maybe a little hungover from brunch over twelve hours ago. At the risk of getting my emotions involved, I knew Jax was special and deserved more than that.

Seeing movement reflected in the glass from the room behind me, I turned around to see Jax sliding into bed.

“Bathroom’s all yours,” she said, plugging her phone in on the side table and propping herself up slightly on the pillows. I stopped by my bag and got myself ready for bed, returning from the bathroom to see Jax in the same position, with a concerned look on her face.

“Everything okay?” I asked.

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