Before You(12)

“I take it things aren’t going well,” Jax replied, his face softening noticeably.

Her initial inclination was to deny the truth, but for some reason when she opened her mouth, she changed her mind. “Truthfully, when I envisioned this trip, I was worried Cam and I would be sick of each other by the end of the month. Now I know my concern was unwarranted.”

“What do you mean?” he said, reaching over to break off a part of her muffin.

Bre pushed her muffin toward the middle of the table. “I don’t want to sound like a whiny girlfriend. Cam is such a great boyfriend. I’m really lucky to have him and his family in my life, but I hardly see him more than a couple minutes in the morning and maybe an hour at night. He’s really busy with the band and his job, and other than going out to lunch a couple days ago, he doesn’t seem to have much time for me.” Bre paused, absently stroking the cover of her sketchbook. She didn’t want Jax to think she was unreasonable or that Cam was neglectful. “Now that I think about it, it was silly of me to think that we could explore LA like a bunch of high school kids without any responsibilities. He has a full-time job and the band takes all of his spare time.”

Jax jaw tightened, but his silvery eyes were enigmatic. “So what’s on the top of your to-do list for LA?”

“The beach. I haven’t been to the beach in a long time. I love the salty smell of the air and the feel of sand between my toes.” Bre pointed to the straw tote bag leaning against her chair. “I was going to spend the day there sketching. I have everything packed.”

“I’ve got a better idea. I planned to spend the day on my sailboat. Why don’t you join me? You can sketch or do whatever you want. I won’t bother you.”

“You have a sailboat?” she asked incredulously.

“It’s nothing too impressive. I’ve always loved sailing. It’s my way to escape everything and think. So do you want to join me?”

“Are you sure?”

“I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want you to come. Besides, there’s no better way to see Southern California than from a boat.”

“I don’t know…” Bre said, pouring sugar into her cappuccino and stirring it with a flat wooden stick.

“Oh, come on, I can tell you want to say yes.”

She leaned over and dug through her tote bag to avoid looking at his smoky gray eyes and knowing smile. She briefly questioned why she wanted to say yes to a sailing trip alone with Jax when Cam would be furious if he found out about it. Before she completed the question in her head she knew the answer: she was tired of being alone, she had never been sailing before, and spending time with Jax was tempting. He was witty, entertaining, and more than passably attractive.

All of those thoughts collided, compelling her to say yes. She may regret the decision later, but right now, she decided to live in the moment, and she really wanted to go sailing. She pulled out her phone to check for any text messages from Cam. There was nothing as usual. They communicated more when she was still in Colorado than now. “Okay, I’ll go.”

His grin was so open and inviting that Bre couldn’t help but smile back.

“Great. Grab your stuff. We should go.”

“I’m ready.”





Chapter Five





Bre couldn’t remember a day that she had more fun or felt more relaxed in her entire life. Three hours ago, they sailed out of Marina del Rey. At first, she had been nervous and unsure what to say to him, but Jax’s open, unassuming personality made her feel comfortable. Before she knew it, she had abandoned her sketchbook for an impromptu sailing lesson, which resulted in a lot of spontaneous laughter and an unexpected friendship. His boyish laughter at her ridiculous questions and his knowledge of the area made the day almost perfect.

As his hands guided hers over the wooden wheel at the helm of the boat, she realized he commanded the sailboat just as easily as he did the stage—with effortless skill and complete proficiency. Hesitantly, she leaned the back of her head against his chest and her treacherous body became instantly warm and needy, and she struggled against the staggering temptation to press her entire body into his.

No, she refused to be weak and succumb to the moment, so instead of pressing herself into him further, she ducked underneath his arms and laughed helplessly. “That’s enough sailing for me for the day.”

“Do you want to drop anchor and sketch for a while?”

“Sure. What are you going to do?” She sat down on the deck on her blue and white-striped towel.

“Write,” he said, shrugging as though it were an obvious answer.