Jax sat back on the couch. "I forgot about that. Shit, Tin. You'll have to reschedule." He took hold of one of Cade's hands and pulled her to him.
"You don't just reschedule Rolling Stone, Jax. Who knows when they'll be able to do it again!"
"Just do it." Everyone turned to Harley, who half-shrugged at them.
"Not when he looks like that!" Tina said.
Harley smiled at Tina, and then she made eye contact with Cade. Their bond was stronger than ever, and even without saying a word, Cade understood.
"Yeah, just do it, Jax," Cade repeated Harley's statement. "Think about it. You're a rock star."
"Rock stars are supposed to have this bad boy persona," Harley added.
"What's more bad boy than getting into a fight? I'm sure they can use a bit of makeup to cover most of the bruising, and you still look pretty hot." Cade tenderly rubbed her thumb over his lips.
Jax caught her hand and kissed it. "You think I'm hot?" Playfulness swam in his eyes.
"A-hem, other people in the room," Tina interrupted while Harley giggled.
Jax rolled his eyes at Tina. "Can we do it? I think it could work."
Tina contemplated for a second, tapping a finger on her chin. "Yeah, I think so. I'd have to get them to sign a non-disclosure. We don't want them spilling the truth about the fight."
"Thanks, Tin."
Without another word, Tina turned on her heel and left the three of them. Harley jumped out of her seat and flung herself over to the couch to join Cade and Jax. She was overjoyed that it felt like she had a real family for once. Despite the constant distance between her father and Cade, they were clearly in love.
There had been a few times when she'd seen Cade looking into the far-off distance, and Harley would wonder if Cade was thinking of her own future with Jax. Was marriage on the horizon? God, she hoped so. Then she can start pestering them for a little sister.
***
It was nearly four in the morning when they returned from the stadium. Cade carried Harley into her room and laid her on the bed. For a moment, she stood back and watched how peaceful Harley slept. Jax stepped behind her, with one of his hands going over her belly, forcing her body to press against his.
"You're so good to her," he said in the dark. He brushed her long hair off one shoulder and kissed the angle where her neck and shoulder met. He heard her sigh of contentment.
"She's an awesome girl." Cade led him out of Harley's bedroom and into their own. She faced him, cupped his chin in her hand. Under the light, she assessed the state of his wounds. "The swelling has gone down. They did a good job covering up most of the bruises. You could hardly tell it from the screen."
"What did you think? Are you a fan now? Are you Jax Clark's fan?" He tilted a corner of his lips, looking at her through his lashes. Jax ran his hands over her arms, past her fingers and all the way down to her hips, before splaying his fingers on her buttocks. He pressed his groin to her, let her feel how affected he was just by being in her presence.
Cade played with the tips of his hair and gently massaged his crown. "I think you can count me in your club. I might have to overthrow the president though, whoever she is, because I don't think anyone else loves you more now than I do."
Jax sighed and touched his nose with hers before kissing her. He grew harder under his jeans. He ground his hips into Cade's and she responded with a mewl. He groaned when she paused.
"You have to get some sleep, Jax. You have that shoot tomorrow morning … um, in a few hours."
Jax replied with another kiss, and a little whine, "I don't need sleep. I need you."
"You need a bath and a change of clothes."
Jax took that as his cue, and in a matter of seconds, he stood before her, naked and proudly displaying a hard-on. Cade licked her lips at the sight before her. It wasn't just that Jax was extremely sexy … Throughout the night, during the concert, she had experienced the power of his voice, enough to bring a whole stadium full of fans screaming his name. It was an aphrodisiac.
Cade had sat in a private balcony with the best views of the stage. Every time Jax jutted his hips forward, she had to cross her legs, and she'd been afraid the heat between them would melt her panties right off. There had been a moment, during one of the ballads, when Jax had closed his eyes at the bridge, and when he'd opened them, there was a surge of electricity that bolted from her extremities right into her lower abdomen. Cade gripped the edge of her seat and dug her fingernails right into the cushion. If it wouldn't have made their lives harder, Cade would have loved to meet him on the stage and kiss him senseless right in front of thousands of people by the end of that song.