Before You(83)

“I love the way you look on top of me,” he whispered reverently.

“Yes,” was all she could say in response, too caught up in the pleasure curling through her body, begging to be released.

His fingers dug into her hips, guiding her until her rhythm became erratic. Knowing she was close, she leaned down to kiss him, their tongues tangling wildly in unison with their hips. When he slid his hand between them, caressing her, she exploded, her orgasm overtaking her. Almost immediately he cried out, arching his hips into her, rocking repeatedly up into her and then he shuddered as he jerked his body.

Sated and completely content, Bre collapsed, her body spread out on top of Jax, clinging to him as she listened to the quick rhythm of his heart. His hand lazily drifted up and down her spine. How strange that last night she thought she had lost everyone and she was utterly desolate. This morning, she felt full and complete, and totally in love. Looking back, she realized that she had probably been in love with Jax for a long time, and she stubbornly refused to acknowledge her feelings because of her silly plan to marry Cam, hoping to avoid all the drama of her mother’s life.

She leaned up to kiss him and he smiled appreciatively at her as he pushed her hair away from her face.

“I like being with you like this,” she said.

“Good, because I have plans for you today,” he answered, pulling her close to him, running his nose along her neck, inhaling her. “I love the way you smell.”

His front door opened, and he lifted his head.

She froze. “Who is it?” she mouthed.

She didn’t have to wait for an answer. She immediately recognized the person’s voice.

“Jax, is your lazy ass still in bed? You need to get up. I need your help with Bre,” Cam yelled from the entry.

Bre looked at Jax, frozen with terror at the confrontation that was about to happen in the next few seconds. She didn’t want to face Cam yet.

Jax kissed her softly on her shoulder and rolled out from under her as he whispered in her ear. “Go into the bathroom and lock the door. I’ll get rid of him.”

At a loss for words, she grabbed the t-shirt she was wearing earlier, pulled it on, and watched while Jax pulled on a pair of jeans.

“Relax, Cam. Let me get dressed. I’ll be out in a minute.”

Before Jax opened the door, he grabbed her hands, holding them gently between his. Noticing for the first time that her hands were visibly shaking, she took a deep breath and smiled uncertainly at him.

“Bre, it’s going to be okay,” he whispered into her ear, and gave her a quick, hard kiss on her lips.



***



“Hey, Cam,” Jax said, running his hands through his messy hair. “What are you doing here?”

“I need your help. I can’t find Bre. She left last night, and I’ve been trying to call her all morning, but my calls go directly to voicemail,” Cam replied, dropping his keys on the entry table.

“Do you want some coffee?” Jax asked as he walked into his kitchen, trying to lead Cam away from his bedroom.

“No. I’m good. Have you talked to her?” Cam sat on a stool behind the concrete slab counter in the kitchen.

“What happened?”

“Oh man. It was ugly.” Cam leaned his forearms on the counter, bracing his head in his hands. “She found out about some of the other women, and she walked.”

“How did she find out?”

“I don’t know. I think she just put the pieces together, but that’s not the worst part. She confessed that she cheated on me, too. Can you believe it?”

Jax just shrugged, hoping Cam didn’t realize he failed to answer his question. Sometimes when Cam started talking, he didn’t listen for a response. “So why are you here?”

“I need you to call her. Maybe she’ll tell you who the other guy is. It’s killing me. I couldn’t sleep last night. I kept trying to figure it out. I’m pretty sure I know him, otherwise she wouldn’t refuse to give me a name—don’t you think?”

“Maybe,” Jax replied, filling a clear glass with water.

“At first, I thought it was her partner in the gallery, Mitchell or whatever, but I’m pretty sure he’s gay.”

“Michael.”

“What? She’s with some guy named Michael? Who the fuck is he?” Cam yelled.

“I didn’t say she was with him. I said his name is Michael, not Mitchell, and I think Michael is an equal opportunity type.”

“How do you know this shit?” Cam replied, clearly befuddled.

“I don’t know, Cam. I listen to Bre when she talks,” Jax replied in a patronizing tone.

“Remind me. Why, exactly, did you offer to go to that boring grand opening again?”