Take Me (7 page)

“Hello?” Cuban roared into the phone again now. Cuban had a big voice, but he was actually a tiny man who favored pinstriped suits. Jaxon didn’t like bullies. But he had to admit his curiosity was peeked.

“Yes?” Jaxon asked, making sure to keep his voice even, like he had no idea why Cuban would be repeating his greeting, or who Donovan Cuban even was.

“Donovan Cuban,” the man on the other end yelled. “Jaxon Hale, how the hell are you?”

“I’m great,” Jaxon said. “What can I do for you?”

And then, suddenly, before Cuban even said anything, Jaxon knew exactly what this was about.

There was a new piece of land that had just gone on sale, in an up-and-coming neighborhood. It wasn’t a commercial property – the land was zoned for residential, and the right developer would be able to make a bundle and help the neighborhood property vales at the same time if they played their cards right. It was almost an identical situation to the one Gordon had been in all those years ago.

Except now the stakes were higher. When Gordon had given up that land, it had been a costly mistake -- but there were more properties coming on the market every day.

Business was booming.

Now, you had to be more careful. The market had crashed. There were still opportunities for growth if you were savvy enough, but they were fewer and farther between. This new land was as close to a sure thing as you could get.

Jaxon wanted it.

And, he realized now, so did Cuban.

“Just thought it might be time for the two of us to sit down and have a meeting,”

Cuban said jovially. “We’ve both been in the same line of work for what, three years now?” It was a thinly disguised jibe. Jaxon had been working in real estate development for ten years now, had been a player for the last eight. But Cuban was making it seem as if Jaxon hadn’t been on anyone’s radar.

“Sure,” Jaxon said. “I’m in the middle of something right now, but how’s next week?”

“Next week’s not good,” Cuban said. “I was hoping we could get together on Tuesday.”

It was a clear indication he wanted to talk about the property Jaxon was thinking of. The auction was going to be on Friday morning. Which meant Cuban wanted to try and intimidate Jaxon before then.

Jaxon thought about telling Cuban to go screw, and just showing up at the auction on Friday and taking his chances. But he wanted to feel Cuban out, get a sense of how much money he was willing to spend, how much this property really meant to him. Of course, taking the meeting would mean he’d have to fly out tomorrow. But he could always come back afterwards, stay for another week or so and help Katie and Adam with the baby.

“Sure,” Jaxon said nonchalantly. “How’s eleven?”

“That sounds great, Jaxon,” Cuban roared. “See you then.”

Jaxon clicked off, then turned back toward the bedroom and opened the door slowly. Anna was still sleeping, her breathing soft and even, her face peaceful-looking against the crisp white pillowcase.

Jaxon set to work getting the things together that Katie had requested. He shot off a quick note to Anna, letting her know that he was returning to the hospital, that he hadn’t wanted to wake her, but that he would be back soon.

Then he kissed her on the forehead and left.

Anna woke to find the room dark, with just a sliver of sunlight streaming through the window. She startled, forgetting where she was for a moment. Then it all came rushing back to her. Katie. The hospital. Jaxon.

Jaxon.
She squeezed her eyes tight, regret flowing through her. How could she have let that happen? She had vowed to herself that no matter what, she wouldn’t fall for him again.

Where was Jaxon, anyway? She rolled over and grabbed for her cell phone.

There was a note on the nightstand, and she picked it up.

Anna,

Went to the hospital to drop off the things Katie wanted. Didn’t want to wake
you.

Be back soon,

J

Yeah, right. She didn’t believe for a second that he would be back soon. She sighed and laid back in bed, trying to shake the groggy feeling that had settled behind her eyelids. She would rest for a few more moments, and then she would get up and go home. First, though, she should call Katie.

She reached again for her phone, but before she could get to it, the door to the bedroom opened.

Jaxon stood there, his hands in his pockets, a sheepish look on his face.

“You’re awake,” he said.

“You came back,” she blurted before she could stop herself. Relief flowed through her, astonishing her with its intensity. She hadn’t realized how much she’d wanted him to come back, how much she’d wanted to make sure she saw him again.

“I told you I would be right back,” he said. “Didn’t you get my note?”

“No,” she lied.

“Are you still tired?” He was moving back to the bed, kicking his shoes off. “I’m exhausted.”

“Yes,” she admitted. “I’m still tired.”

“Good.”

His shirt came off next, and Anna couldn’t help but stare. Yes, she’d just made love to him, and that had been delicious, but she hadn’t had the chance to really look at him, to take in his body the way she was now. Broad shoulders gave way to a strong chest gave way to a flat stomach gave way to a line of hair that slid down his muscular torso and disappeared into his pants. She shivered.

Jaxon moved closer, unbuckling his pants and giving her his trademark grin.

Suddenly, she was very aware that she was still completely naked, with only a thin sheet and a flimsy blanket covering her.

His boxers came next, and then he slid into bed next to her, his naked body instantly warming hers.

“Come here,” he whispered. Anna was powerless to resist, and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close against his chest.

And as Anna drifted off to sleep, she’d never felt so protected in her whole life.

***

He kissed her awake, his mouth tracing soft kisses on her cheeks, her forehead, her neck. She stretched lazily.

“What time is it?” she asked.

“Ten o’clock.”

“At night?’

“Yup.”

“We slept all day.” She thought briefly about how her sleep schedule was going to be all messed up Usually, she hated that. Anna had always been an early to sleep, early to rise kind of girl, ever since college. If she didn’t get a head start on the day, how was she supposed to get things done? But she was having a hard time getting worked up about anything right now. In fact, she felt more relaxed than she’d felt in a long time.

Jaxon was tugging the blanket down her body. She could feel his hardness against her back, and the fact that he was so turned on got her turned on.

She rolled over, and this time, he slid right into her.

She moaned as he began to move inside of her, biting her lip to keep from getting too loud. He kissed her, his tongue probing against hers, his hands in her hair. He was more insistent this time, like he knew what he was missing and couldn’t take another minute of going without it.

He continued his steady, intense rhythm, sliding his finger down over her breasts and over the curve of her stomach until he found her clit. He stroked her as he continued to fuck her, moving faster and harder.

“Oh my God,” she gasped.

It was the wrong thing to say, and as soon as the words were out of her mouth, she knew it. He immediately slowed down, his finger moving in smaller and smaller circles, his cock stopping almost completely.

“You didn’t think I was going to let you come that fast, did you, Princess?” he asked huskily.

“Please,” she gasped. “Please, don’t stop.”

He began to move again, so slowly she thought she might go insane. She tried to move faster on him, but he held her hips firmly, controlling the pace.

Every time her orgasm built to the point she thought she wouldn’t be able to hold back, he would stop, like he had some kind of direct connection to her body that was telling him to slow down.

Then, finally, he began to quicken the pace, his fingers and cock working to create a storm of pleasure that started between her legs but radiated through her whole body.

They came at the same time, her orgasm ripping through her as he filled her with his come, their bodies completely in sync.

“Oh my God, Anna,” he said as he kissed her. “You are amazing.”

They laid back against the sheets, sweaty and satisfied, not saying anything, just holding each other, lost in the moment of contentment. The moon shown through the skylights over the bed, giving the room an ethereal glow.

“Are you hungry?” Jaxon asked. His fingers moved up and down her back, stroking her skin. She closed her eyes and imagined him writing something on her back, the way she used to do with her friends when they were kids. “I LOVE YOU” she imagined him writing.

“I’m starving,” she admitted.

They ordered Thai food from a hole in the wall delivery place. When the food came, Jaxon pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, then handed Anna one of his Bruins shirts. She pulled it on, trying not to be obvious about the fact that she was inhaling the scent of his laundry soap, wanting to feel that connection to him.

They padded downstairs and opened the containers of food, spreading them out on Katie’s big maple table.

“That’s a lot of food,” Anna said, surveying the spread.

“I’m an amazing orderer,” Jaxon said. He pulled down two plates and instructed her to sit down.

She did as she was told, taking a long sip from the glass of cold iced tea he’d set down in front of her.

He fixed her a plate, piling rice and pad thai and curry and dumplings into a spectacular, scrumptious mound.

Anna dug into the food, suddenly ravenous. The long day of sleeping and sex, combined with the stress of last night’s unexpected trip to the hospital had left her hungry. The food was piping hot and filling, and Anna savored each mouthful, enjoying the rich food.

“This is delicious,” she said.

“It’s all in how you put it on the plate,” Jaxon reported.

“Oh, really?”

“Really.” He took a bite of rice. “It wouldn’t taste the same if it’s not arranged just so.”

“Well, thanks,” she said.

“You’re welcome.”

They lapsed into an awkward silence, both of them eating, the only sound the clink of their silverware against their plates.

“Anna,” Jaxon said finally, “I need… I mean, I know it might not make any difference, but I owe you an apology.”

Her heart sped up and her pulse quickened. “You don’t owe me anything,” she said. It was a canned response. Of course she wanted him to apologize, wanted him to say he was sorry, wanted him to tell her that leaving her had been the biggest mistake of his life, that he couldn’t believe he’d ever let her go, that his life hadn’t turned out the way he’d wanted it to because she wasn’t in it.

“No, I do,” he said. “That night, I just left you waiting there. It was inexcusable.”

“We were just kids,” Anna told him. She reached for her iced tea and took another long sip. The cool, sweet liquid slid down her throat, and she hoped it would bring down her body temperature. She felt like her face was flaming.

“I know,” he said. “I know we were just kids.” He was looking at her, waiting for her to say something.

There was a moment, an opportunity, a second chance right there, waiting for her to grab it. She felt something pass between them, and she had the feeling that if she could just admit to Jaxon how hard it had been for her when he left, how much she had wanted to go with him, how much she had missed him, how she’d spent her last year of high school crying herself to sleep on the weekends, missing his kisses, his touch, his arms around her, that they might have another chance.

It was right there, on her lips, the confession she’d held from everyone all these years. The unspoken words that she’d never told Jaxon, or Katie, or anyone, ever. That she’d loved him all these years, that she’d never forgotten about him.

She looked across the table at the man she’d loved, the man who had just made love to her upstairs, the man who had moved inside her and whispered her name and told her she was beautiful.

She opened her mouth to tell him exactly how she felt. And that’s when she saw it. In his eyes. The little flick of indecision, the little spark of fear that let her know that wasn’t what he was looking for. He wanted forgiveness, yes. But it wasn’t the kind of forgiveness that allowed you to ride off into the sunset, making up for lost time.

He wanted to be let off the hook. He wanted to be told that it hadn’t mattered to her, that even if it had been upsetting at the time, she’d moved on. Maybe it would make him feel better for sleeping with her, maybe he just didn’t want to have any more guilt hanging over his head when it came to the two of them.

Either way, she couldn’t tell him how she really felt.

And so all she said was, “Jaxon, we were kids. You were an eighteen-year-old boy. I forgive you.”

He kept his eyes on hers, and she held her breath, hoping he was going to tell her that’s not what he meant, that he’d thought about her all these years, that he wanted to make it up to her.

But the moment brushed by them, and after a second, Jaxon smiled. “Good,” he said. “I’m glad.” He pushed the carton of pad thai toward her and put more on her plate.

The rest of the meal was spent making small talk about their jobs and people they’d gone to high school with. Anna swallowed her disappointment, and was even able to manage a laugh when Jaxon told her about Laney Battle’s plastic surgery addiction.

“She looks like the cat woman,” he said as they cleaned up the dishes.

“I’m sure it’s not that bad,” Anna said, smiling.

“It is that bad,” Jaxon said. “Trust me.”

They worked and talked, moving through the kitchen in a well- choreographed dance.

“So,” he said when the last of the dishes were put in the dishwasher. “Should we watch a movie or something?”

Anna glanced at the clock on the microwave. The green numbers flashed twelve forty-seven. “It’s after midnight,” she said.