Page 10 of Kiss Me

“When I asked him to leave, he pushed me, but I held my ground. I hadn’t been in a fight since grade school, but I knew I could hold my own and stayed calm. When he realized that he wasn’t affecting me, he became irate.”

He ran a hand through his hair, messing it up and making him sexier than he should be while telling me his horrible story.

It was obvious that opening up to me was difficult for him, and I didn't want to dredge up old memories that would make things more awkward between us, and I really didn’t want to hear about his girlfriend. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I shouldn’t have asked.”

He waved a dismissive hand with a slight upturn to his lips. “I’m fine.” He took a deep breath in and continued his story. “I told my girlfriend to grab her purse and to take my wallet out of my back pocket to pay our tab. She grabbed my wallet but then dropped it. I wasn’t thinking, and instinct kicked in, I leaned down to pick it up for her. The second I stood up, he smashed his beer bottle to my face and wrenched it down, causing this.” His fingertip traced along the scar in such a way that I knew he had done that motion many times before.

I laughed at the absurdness. “You call that not exciting? If so, I’d like to hear what you think is.”

His only response was to shrug and look back to the fire.

“So where is this girlfriend of yours? What’s her name? Won’t she mind that you have a woman staying at your house?” I asked, although I wasn’t sure I wanted to know. Was she going to stop by? Maybe I should have him take me over to Alex and Luke’s before she showed up. There had to be a way to get passed their gate during the day.

“MacKenzie. Her name’s MacKenzie, and I don’t know where she is now. She broke up with me a couple of months after the incident, then moved away shortly after.” Jax’s body tensed with every word he spoke until his back was rigid with tension; his back curved away from the chair.

“Are you shitting me?” I whisper-yelled in outrage.

“I shit you not,” he answered back with humor; some of the tension in his body eased away.

I knew I shouldn’t have asked, but I couldn’t help myself. “Why would she break up with you?” Once again, I couldn’t help from raking my gaze over his body. From what I saw, Jax was the whole package.

Staring down at his boots, Jax answered, crestfallen. “She said that every time she looked at me and my scar, which was pretty gnarly at the time, she had flashbacks to that night, blood dripping into my eye and running down my face. I was a bloody mess.”

“She’s a bitch then,” I cried. “Plain and simple. That was a shit move on her part, and even if it was gnarly, she should have stood by her man. In the long run, in my opinion, it only made you hotter.” My body vibrated with anger. What the fuck was wrong with that girl?

With a sad smile, Jax looked at me. “Gabi, you don’t have to say that. I know what I look like.”

I moved to stand directly in front of him. Wanting to grab his face with my hands, I put them behind my back. I wasn’t sure he’d appreciate me manhandling him. “Have you looked in the mirror lately? Because if you had, you’d know that you’re smoking hot, and that scar only adds to it. Jax, don’t let what that bitch did to you mess with your head. I promise you that I’m not lying. You’re the hottest guy I’ve ever come across.”

Jax looked up at me, eyes wide, opening and closing his mouth a couple of times before a smile slowly spread across his face. “Thanks, Gabi.”

We stared at each other for a few moments. Each second that passed, I could feel my body flush and the sexual tension build between us.

Breaking eye contact, I looked around the room when my eyes caught on the mistletoe that hung above the front door. Earlier, when I had come out of the bedroom, I could have sworn that I’d seen mistletoe hanging from the doors to the backyard and the side of the house where we’d come in last night.

“What’s the deal with all the mistletoe?”

7

Jax

“What’sthe deal with all the mistletoe?” she asked with the need to break the tension that had started to build between us.

Shrugging my shoulders, I looked away and into the fire.

“You have a lot of decorations for a man,” she proceeded, not noticing that I was uncomfortable as she sat back down on the couch. “I didn’t even put up a Christmas tree this year, and yours is decorated beautifully. Don’t even get me started on the garland on your mantle. Is Christmas your favorite holiday?”

Her eyes were wide, and somehow innocent as she looked back and forth between the front door, the tree in front of the window, and the fireplace.

“Why didn’t you put up a tree?” I asked, changing the subject off me.

Gabi let out a frustrated sigh, her lips flattened into a tight line. “I hadn’t been home in months and hadn’t planned to be home but two or three days, so it seemed like a waste. I’ve only ever had a real tree, and I knew it would die while I was gone.” Her tone had turned defensive as she tried to explain.

“So, you’re not anti-Christmas?” I joked to lighten the mood.

Throwing her head back, Gabi laughed for a long minute. “Far from it. I love Christmas. I love the decorations, seeing the lights twinkle, the smells, and all the happy faces.” She frowned as she gazed at my dark tree. “I guess I feel guilty that I didn’t get a tree and enjoy Christmas this year.”

“Does your work take you away from home often?” I asked, trying not to stare at her perky breasts that had been pushed up when she crossed her arms over her chest.

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