Page 12 of Jaxon

"They're at the protest on Croft Beach."

"Shit, those poor idiots think they can somehow fight money and power. That fucker Walsh is going to bulldoze that strip of land, and there ain't nothing they can do about it."

"I told them that, but you know how hardheaded my brother is. I'll get a burger with you. Might need fortification for tonight."

CHAPTER 4

BRIDGET

We reached the beach house, and I walked straight into my room, refusing to answer any of my dad's questions about the day. I was stretched out on my bed, scrolling through my phone, looking at meaningless crap and trying to ignore the ache in my chest. For a moment in time, I'd stepped outside my sheltered, ludicrous life to have some fun, and it had been mind-blowing. Jaxon was incredible. I could still feel the heat of him. I could still feel his steel-hard arms around me. I could still feel him buried deep inside of me. It made every inch of me ache to be naked in his bed again. My pussy pulsed with the memory of him touching me.

A knock on the door jarred me out of my erotic daydream. "Not hungry." I assumed Dad had sent his annoying assistant, Barb, to fetch me for dinner but another even more annoying voice came through the door.

"Bridget, baby, it's me. I'm not mad about the watch. Let's talk."

"Don't feel like talking. I've got a headache." I grabbed my stuffed lion and turned to my side, hugging Leo close to me.

"C'mon, baby. Don't be like that."

He was using his smooth, sweet talking tone, a tone he relied on a lot more lately, in between bouts of snarly anger. Alexander Hurst and I grew up together. Our dads were best friends. Financially, they were like a power couple, even if they weren't romantic. And admittedly, teenage Bridget had a big crush on Alex. He was handsome and charming and funny. I followed him around like a lost groupie, and he never seemed to mind. When it came out that our dads had basically created an arranged marriage between their two children, I was secretly thrilled. Until I wasn't. The older we got, some of that shiny, charming veneer wore off. Alex became more like our fathers, interested only in status and wealth and greed. He also started treating me more like a possession than a partner.

At twenty-one, I announced to my dad that I had no intention of marrying Alex. He threw a tornado-sized fit and told me I had no choice in the matter. That was when it really hit me—I was his possession, too. I was there just to help build alliances and to help expand his power and wealth. I didn't eat for three days, and when I finally emerged from my bedroom, I told my dad I was leaving and never coming back. He didn't even look up from his computer. He did, however, stop me from taking my car, and I had to turn in my credit cards. I was allowed to leave with only the clothes on my back and shoes on my feet. I walked out with my head held high, but my posture crumpled quickly as reality struck me like a bag of bricks. I'd been so swathed in my privileged lifestyle, I didn't have the faintest clue how to deal with the real world outside the gates of our estate. The shoes on my feet, the ones I'd walked out in, were five-hundred dollar sneakers. Just halfway through my first day out in the world, I was mugged and left barefoot and bruised. I went crawling back in tears and with my confidence in shreds. Dad made it clear that I lived by his rules or I returned to the street to fend for myself. And so, I became a prisoner in a luxurious house. And I hated every damn minute of it. And my afternoon with Jaxon made me despise it even more. I could no longer imagine Alex touching me. He repelled me. He also didn't know when to back off and give me space.

I thought Alex had gone, but the door opened.

"Shit, you don't take 'no' for an answer, do you?" I didn't turn to look at him, but I could hear his footsteps nearing the bed.

"You're being ridiculous, like a pouting teenager."

I squeezed the lion tighter. "I told you I've got a headache."

"Look, I'm not going to press charges against the asshole. Piece of trash like that probably already has it shitty enough. Besides that, he'll probably end up behind bars someday anyhow."

I spun around. "You don't know a thing about him, and you're wrong on all accounts."

Alex scoffed. There was nothing more irritating than his derision. "Oh, and you're suddenly and expert on low-lifes like that?" He paused and looked at me with a scrutinizing gaze. "Did he try something with you? Creeps like that, jerks who don't have a fucking penny to their name, think they can just take what they want." He moved closer to the bed, and his earlier smooth tone had been replaced by the sharp barking tone he used when his hackles were raised. "Did he touch you?"

Oh, how badly I wanted to relay every detail of my afternoon with Jaxon, but I didn't want to get him in trouble. And frankly, it was none of Alex's business.

"Just get out of my room, Alex. I've got a headache."

"Yeah, you said." He scowled down at me. "Don't forget, we're going out tonight. It's Evan's birthday. And don't bother trying to get out of it. Just be ready to go at eight."

He walked out before I could say anything else. "Fucker," I muttered and turned my face into the pillow. I closed my eyes and went back to my daydreams about the incredibly hot man I'd spent the afternoon with.

CHAPTER 5

JAXON

Iwoke from a deep sleep and turned over on the bed. Disappointment had sapped my energy, and I fell asleep. Daylight had vanished, and the dark shadows in my room signaled that it was well past seven. Bridget's scent wafted up from the pillow. I'd had her for one day, and now I ached to have her in my arms again, but the odds of that happening were worse than buying a winning lotto ticket.

A sharp knock on the door pulled me farther from my groggy state.

"Leaving in twenty and the shower's free," Griffin called. I was regretting my decision to go with him, but sitting at home the rest of the evening, listening to Crusoe argue with his buddies over video games wasn't a great alternative.

The shower felt good, and it gave me a slap of energy I needed for the night out. Griffin had been looking forward to it, which was the only reason I hadn't backed out of my promise. I was sure he was going to get bored or annoyed or both very early in the evening and want to leave. At least that was what I was counting on.

Music and feminine giggles drifted up from the basement. We'd turned the entire basement into a party room with gaming equipment, a pool table and a wet bar. It wasn't anything luxurious or stylish, but it had all the right components for a big fucking man cave.

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