Page 46 of Reputation
In her silence, her mom continued, “If your life as it is makes you happy, then that’s all that matters.If you think this guy will make you happy, then taking a risk by getting to know him and seeing where it goes—well, there’s nothing wrong with that.”She gave Eavie one last “mom” look before turning and moving to the oven, leaving her to finish her tarts.
She had thought it would be good to date again, not that she’d ever really stopped.She’d just focused on other things for a while.Now she wondered—would any man help fill this hole in her life, or was it only Jax that would satisfy this new feeling?
Not to mention, even if she wanted to,howcould she even contemplate forging a relationship with him when she was technically not even allowed to?
Chapter Eighteen
Jax
The woman was driving him crazy.The worst part was, her pointed aloofness toward him only seemed to feed the growing fire of need for her.It was beginning to verge on obsession.
For the last two weeks, every time he’d seen her, his fingers flexed involuntarily with the need to touch her, feel her, wrap his arms around her, and ensure she could never run away from him again.
He finally understood the princes from all those fairy tales his baby sister used to watch.After she’d stormed into his life, he was decidedly team Prince Charming now, knowing what it was like to watch his own Cinderella constantly disappear.
Unfortunately, her presence meant he couldn’t stop thinking about her.Not that he thought her absence would be any better.The woman seemed to torment him whether or not she was around.He couldn’t even escape her at night.His mind continued to replay that night in the darkened hallway, teasing and torturing him until his body was taught with hunger for her, his heart pounding as he fantasized about what would have happened had he managed to get her alone.
His mind conjured up images of her before she’d bolted.His body burned with the memories, his blood pumping hard, remembering the deep, breathless moans that had emanated from her throat.
God, the sound she’d made when he’d saidgood girl.His she-devil had liked it when he’d praised her.He would love nothing more than to continue that praise as he traced her body with his lips, whispering the words against her soft, quivering skin.He wanted to discover all the things that would elicit those sounds again and again, and again.He’d been compiling a whole list in his head of the incredibly dirty things he wanted to whisper into her ear.
By Friday evening, confused, horny and annoyed with himself, he left the training facilities, taking the elevator down to the garage.Letting his head fall back, he scrubbed a hand down his face, drawing in a deep breath.Oddly, he thought he’d caught the scent of her perfume, the tantalizing smell flooding his veins.
What was the likelihood she had been in the same elevator minutes before him?It was probably his mind conjuring up the scent he remembered so clearly, but underneath the floral notes lingering in the small space, he thought he could smellher.It bewitched him, sending a fresh rush of blood south and making his already semi spring into a throbbing, painful erection.
Shit, that was not going to go away on it’s own.
Getting behind the wheel of his Land Rover Defender truck, he drove to his condo in a lust-filled daze, the scent of her seeming to follow him.
He lived close to the downtown core, in a new building on the south side of Yorkville and east of the university.He liked living in the city, and since he was single, he hadn’t seen the need to buy a house.The condo was the perfect spot for him, with its proximity to nightlife and close enough to the arena to make the commute easy.
He pulled into the private garage and, reaching the bank of high-tech elevators, tapped his FOB to call one of the lifts that served the top three floors of the building.
When it opened into a short hallway leading to the only unit on the floor, he unlocked the door and walked into his condo.
Sometimes, like now, he wondered why he’d bought such a big place.The floorplan was five thousand square feet, occupying the entire forty-sixth floor.It had three bedrooms, five bathrooms, a living room and what the realtor had called a family room.It also had an office, a dining room, a built-in glass wine cellar, a massive kitchen that shared an open floorplan with the living room, and so many closets that he forgot where things were half the time.
It had an appealing modern design, with dark wood floors, white walls and lots of tall windows.There was a view from nearly every side of the place.The kitchen was sleek and contemporary, stocked with Viking appliances he used once or twice a week.Again, it was probably a waste on someone like him who had his food catered.
He liked the space and its modern design, but sometimes, he felt like it was just so…empty.And like other times, he would typically fill the emptiness with a woman—either one he had in his contact list or one he went out to a bar or restaurant to find.There were more than enough swanky, expensive places in this neighborhood to find someone to fill the emptiness, even for the night.
Unfortunately, he knew only one woman could relieve the raging hunger burning through him now.The same one who ignited the fierce heat and caused a ball to form in his gut like he’d been punched.
“Fuck,” he growled to himself.
Tossing his key unceremoniously onto the foyer table, he walked into the dining room and out the opposite side.He followed the long hallway to the main bedroom, which took up the southeast corner.
Jax didn’t bother flipping on the lights, continuing in the dark through his double wall walk-in closet to the luxurious bathroom beyond.
Stripping off his clothes, he left them on the cold tile floor in the dark room and stepped into the glass shower stall.He flipped multiple switches until the massive rain head came on, dousing him in icy water.He let the sting of it cascade over him, willing his throbbing erection to go away.
When that proved to offer no relief, he did the only thing he could think of—a consolation to the satisfaction he knew the real thing would bring.
Wrapping his fist around his hard cock, he raised the temperature of the water slightly and gave himself a tight, slow pump.His mind swiftly conjured up an image of Eavie, her golden hair hanging in thick waves down her back and with considerably less clothing.
A harsh, rough groan slipped through his lips, and he clenched his jaw against the onslaught of need that scorched down his spine.
He moved his hand faster, harder, imagining her desire-stamped face from the bar, her scent, the way her lips pressed to his as their tongues fought for dominance.
