Page 57 of Undisputed Player
His palm pressed against me, guiding me forward. I let him, hating how much I liked being cared for.
His car was impossible to miss. It was a sleek black Bentley that gleamed in the afternoon sun like a panther at rest, parked in a spot that was definitely not meant for parking. The luxury of it was almost offensive compared to my world.
Avery was already there, bouncing on her toes as she waited for Leo to catch up, her excitement infectious enough to coax a real smile from all of us.
"Fancy," I murmured, unable to help myself.
Jax's laugh was warm, the sound washing over me like honey. "Wait till you see the house."
He opened the passenger door for me, his hand completely circling my elbow as he helped me in. The contact was hot, his grip firm and steady. What would those hands feel like on other parts of my body?
I had to stop.
But it was too late. The memory of our kitchen encounter kept crashing over me, along with how I’d melted into his touch despite every reason to pull away.
My panties felt traitorously wet, and I shifted uncomfortably in the buttery seat.
The drive to Jax's beach house was like entering a different dimension. The Bentley's interior was soft leather and polished wood, and the seats were more comfortable than my bed at home. Classical music played softly from speakers I couldn't see, and the air smelled like expensive cologne and whatever new cars smelled like.
Avery and Leo sat in two booster seats in the back, chattering about pools and toys, while I tried not to fidget in the passenger seat, hyperaware of Jax's presence beside me.
"Relax, princess," he mused, glancing over at me with a knowing smile, meaning he was fully aware of my internal struggle. "I don't bite. Unless asked nicely, remember?”
The look he gave me was so bold, so openly hungry, that I had to look away, my cheeks burning.
Through the window, the neighborhoods grew progressively more affluent. Already impressive homes gave way to sprawling estates, green lawns, and luxury replacing necessity in every carefully curated detail.
Until finally we turned onto a long private road that wound along the coastline like something from a movie.
"Almost there," he told me, his voice dropping again. "You're going to love the view."
He wasn't wrong. The house—if you could call something so massive a house—appeared around the next bend like something from my wildest dreams. Glass and stone and perched on the edge of the world, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean that stretched to infinity.
The sun was beginning its descent, just painting the water in shades of gold and amber that took my breath away.
I'd never seen anything so beautiful. I never imagined that places like this actually existed outside of magazines and movies. It was unreal, and I couldn’t look away.
"You really live here?" I asked, unable to keep the awe from my voice.
Jax's smile was satisfied, almost smug, but not unkind. "One of my places. This one's my favorite."
One of his places!!!
The wealth implied by those four words was staggering. I tried to imagine what it would be like to have so much that you could spread it across different properties, different lives, different worlds entirely.
It was impossible to comprehend for someone who counted pennies and prayed the lights wouldn't get shut off.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Estelle
We pulled into a circular driveway paved with stones, and the Bentley's engine came to a stop in front of massive glass doors that made up a fancy main entrance of sorts.
Before I could open the car door, Jax was out of the car and opening it for me, his hand extended. The gesture was so old-fashioned I couldn’t hide the smile on my lips. This was old money, I suppose.
He didn't let go until I was standing beside him, and even then, his hand lingered at the small of my back, warm and possessive.
"Welcome home," he whispered, his breath warm against my ear.
