“And you’re mine,” she whispers, against my skin, placing a feather-light kiss over my heart. The pain there blossoms and explodes until it’s just heat where her lips were. As I feel her breaths even out, there’s only one thing I know for sure.
Bree owns me—body and soul.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Bree
“Is it ruined?” I whisper from behind him. Whisper, because after what we just shared, I’m unsure of myself and well, I did scream, so my voice is hoarse. I screamed. It’s a wonder the neighbors didn’t call the cops. Does Jax think I’m weird now?
“Where did you find food to fix?” he asks, looking at the pot roast.
“I went to the store.”
“So, you’ve been gone all day, even knowing I asked you to stay put. I should spank your ass Bree.”
“I’m not a child you can order, Jax. I went to the store, and then later, I was going to go rent a movie, because surprisingly enough I’m not interested in the misadventures of Muffy Diamond.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Your porn collection. It’s not my thing. So, I wanted a movie.”
His eyes lock on me, heated…dangerous. “You went to the store.”
“You didn’t have any food here, and your place was dirty. I don’t mind staying here, but I wanted food. So, I went shopping. And I wanted to make your place seem more like a home, and not a dorm room. It’s not a big thing, and I wish you would quit bitching about it, because honestly, you’re worse than an old mother hen.”
“Old mother hen?”
I roll my eyes. “That’s what I said.”
“Do you know how many women I’ve let speak to me the way you do?”
“I shudder to think,” I gripe, not wanting to think of all of the women that have been in Jax’s life, and annoyed he would bring it up.
“Not one.”
“Whatever,” I sigh, turning around, I’m wearing his t-shirt and suddenly, I feel like I don’t have enough clothes on. I’ve made it across the living room almost home free when I feel that familiar arm snake around my waist. My head goes down in defeat. I don’t want to fight. Not now. Not after what we just shared. “Let me go, Jax,” I tell him, and I’m talking about more than just letting me go so I can go change.
“I’ve never let another woman talk to me the way you do, Bree,” he stresses.
“Great,” I mumble in his ear.
“Did you hear me, Bree? Not one.”
“I heard you. What do you want? A cookie?” I sass.
“Will you listen to me woman? I’m trying to tell you that I care about you!” he yells, and I jerk my head up to look at him.
“You what?”
“I care about you, Bree. I’m yelling, because the thought of something happening to you when I’m not around to take care of you scares the hell out of me.”
“I only went to the store, Jax,” I tell him. His words squeeze my heart and they add fuel to the hope I feel inside, but at the same time, I don’t understand why he is upset with me.
“Without me, Bree. Anything could have happened to you.”
“Women and men go to the store every day Jax. I’ve done it hundreds of times. I love cooking, and I know it might not sound cool, but…I like taking care of people. I want to take care of you.”
“Baby, I have a brother in a hospital room fighting for his life right now and another brother we can’t find. Tensions are high between my president and Pops. I don’t want to take the chance that you might get caught in the crossfire,” Jax says, pulling me into him. His hand cups the side of my neck, and he pulls me into him so that our foreheads rest against each other. “I can’t risk something happening to you, Bree.”
“Hardly anyone knows who I am, Jax. It’s not like I’m going to be caught up in some war.”
“The men in my world, Bree, are not nice. It might not make sense, but that’s the way it is. If you’re with me, you need to be aware of that and help me take care of you. Please?” his voice has softened.
“Did you just say please?”
He nuzzles my cheek. “I’m being serious here, woman.”
“If I say yes, will you feed me?”
“If you say yes, I’ll feed you.” He kisses my throat.
“Then yes,” I tell him with a smile.
“When you say yes like that,” he whispers against my neck. His hands gather his t-shirt up and whisks it off of me quickly.
“I thought we were going to eat.”
“We are. After…”
“After?”