Page 53 of Undisputed Player
"You're absolutely incorrigible," she muttered, but there was a smile tugging at her lips. "Be careful, okay? Avery really likes this kid and his... Aunt."
The pause before 'aunt' told me everything I needed to know about what Jovie thought of my intentions.
I nodded, understanding the unspoken warning. Don't fuck this up. Don't hurt them. Don't be the selfish asshole you usually are.
"I've got it under control," I assured her, though the truth was infinitely more complicated. I'd never felt less in control in my life, not since the first time I'd stepped into a ring and realized I was born to dominate.
The difference was that this time, I needed to have self-control. For her.
The drive to Seaside Academy was filled with Avery's chatter about Leo, dinosaurs, and everything she wanted to show him when he came over.
I listened with half an ear, my mind already racing ahead to the moment I'd see Estelle again.
Would she be wearing that sweater that made her eyes look warmer? Would she have eaten breakfast, or would she be running onnothing but coffee and stubbornness again? Would she finally let her guard down enough to accept what I was offering?
Would she look at me like I was more than just another rich asshole trying to buy his way into her life?
We arrived at the academy with time to spare, the Bentley gliding to a stop in the circular drive like the automotive perfection it was.
Avery was out of her booster seat before I'd fully parked, bouncing with excitement. I followed at a more measured pace, nodding to Rick, whose son's baseball equipment I'd upgraded after our first conversation, and made my way toward the entrance.
The academy's halls were familiar territory, all tasteful luxury that screamed, “Your tuition pays for the good stuff."
I guided Avery toward Estelle’s classroom, my eyes already scanning for that familiar figure, guarded and beautiful.
And there she was.
Standing outside her classroom, her back to us as she spoke to another student. My pulse immediately kicked into overdrive like a racecar hitting the straightaway.
She wore a simple gray dress today, the fabric clinging to her slender frame in ways that made my pants tight.
Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, a few rebellious strands escaping to brush against her neck.
I was in a fuckingschool. This was awful.
I shifted slightly, willing my dick to fucking relax, but the longer I stared at her, the further my thoughts strayed.
"Ms. Estelle!" Avery called, breaking free from my grip to race toward her target like a guided missile of childhood enthusiasm. "Ms. Estelle, guess what?"
Estelle turned, and the smile she gave Avery was genuine, warm in a way her smiles to me never were.Yet.
"Good morning, Avery," she greeted, her voice carrying that same gentle authority that made me want to misbehave just to hear her correct me. "What's got you so excited today?"
"Can Leo come over to play at my house? Well, Jax's house?" Averybounced on her toes while deploying those big blue eyes to devastating effect. The kid was a natural.
"Please, please, please? I want to show him my toys, and we could have food and go in the pool and?—"
"Slow down there," Estelle laughed, the sound hitting me like a shot of the finest scotch. "That's a lot of activities for one afternoon."
I approached, hands in my pockets, the picture of casual interest rather than the desperate, consuming hunger I actually felt.It was showtime.
“Morning, princess," I purred, the endearment slipping out like silk.
She glanced up, and there it was—that immediate shift to something more guarded, though the flush I'd been hoping for crept to her cheeks like a sunrise. "Mr. Easton," she acknowledged, all formal politeness that made me want to mess up her composure.
"Jax," I corrected, offering my most charming smile as usual. "I think we're past formalities after you played nurse with my injuries, don't you?"
Her eyes narrowed slightly, but she didn't argue. Good girl.
