Page 72 of Reputation
She turned back to Austin with a forced smile before taking a large sip of her wine.
“He seems nice,” he commented, setting his napkin back down on his lap.
“Yeah, most of the guys are,” she answered, trying to draw the focus off Jax.“So you said your sister’s family was close by.Does she have kids?”
He smiled fondly.“Yes, a boy and twin girls.I’ve always been close with my family and like spending as much time with my nieces and nephew as possible.What about you?Are you close with your family?”
“Very,” she said, happy to be back on casual date conversation.“I have a twin brother and my parents live a few hours north.”
Their waiter came to clear their plates and took their dessert order.When he left, she excused herself to go to the bathroom.
Standing, she gracefully walked away, aware of the possibility Austin was watching.She hoped he was, or at least, she thought she did.Jax showing up had confused the hell out of her again, so now instead of thinking about her date watching her walk away, she was thinking abouthim.
She turned left into the hallway that led to the bathrooms.Up ahead, it branched out into a T, with the women’s washroom to the right, and men’s to the left.Just as she was about to step into the bathroom, a large, strong hand wrapped around her arm, pulling her through a door that saidStaff Only.Inside was a small storage room filled with crates and shelves.
“Jax, what the hell,” she whispered sharply as the door closed behind her.“What are you doing here?”She was pissed he was here at all, let alone interrupting her date—twice.
Instead of answering her, he backed her against the door, caging her in with his arms on either side of her head.He was breathing heavily, eyes dark as a winter storm.Her body responded to the power, to the intense waves of dangerous desire rolling off him.Her heart reacted in her chest, even as her head managed to remain clear.
“Jax,” she repeated, more calmly this time.Her mouth pinched into a firm line as she exhaled through her nose.“What are you doing?”
She could see the torment on his face.The set of his jaw, the way he looked at her.Despite her annoyance at him, she hated to see him like this.
“I needed to talk to you,” he said gruffly, his breath fanning over her face.
She fought the instinct to close her eyes as she shook her head.“No, what I mean is, what are you doing here, at this restaurant?Did you know I was going to be here?”His gaze dropped guiltily as he drew in a deep breath.She sighed.“Mandy,” she muttered.
“I stopped by your office to see you.I needed to talk to you, but you weren’t there.When Mandy told me you had a date…”
“You decided to find the most WASPy looking woman you could and bring her here to what?Make me jealous?”she accused.
Silence was her only answer, and a bitter laugh escaped her.Ducking, she moved out from where he’d had her trapped by the door.This was completely unfair.From the beginning, she’d be clear about where she stood with him.Yes, she’d slipped up a few times, and that was on her, but she’d never given him any indication that there could be more.He had no right to be here, making her feel like she was betraying him.
“You can’t do this,” she said, turning pleading eyes on him.“You haven’t spoken to me since Vegas.In the times I’ve seen you, you’ve given me barely a passing glance.”She rubbed a hand across her forehead, trying to soothe the dull ache of confused emotions building there.He’d turned to face her as she spoke, but he made no move toward her.Dropping her hand, she continued.“I can’t keep up with you.One minute you want me, then you’re acting like someone completely different, then you’re not talking to me at all.I can’tdothis anymore, Jax.I can’t handle the constant ups and downs with you.”
He let out a heavy breath, shoulders drooping with the exhale.“I’m sorry,” he said, taking a step closer.“I didn’t think, okay.There’s something about you…” He shook his head.“I just acted and I realize it was stupid.But I can’t stand seeing you with him.”
“How do you think I feel?”she asked accusingly, her anger heating in her veins again.“Do you think I enjoy seeing you here withher?I didn’t put us in this situation—you did.I had agreed to this date weeks ago, and only because my friend set it up.You intentionally brought,” she paused, her hand gesturing wildly toward the door, “whatever her name is, here to make me jealous?Torment me?”She laughed bitterly again, her finger wiping at her bottom lip.“The guy I know wouldn’t have done that.This isn’t you, Jax.This is who you want people to believe you are.”She looked into his eyes.“But you can’t hide from me anymore.I see you.And this…this isn’t you.”
He closed the distance between them, threading his fingers through her loose hair.He tugged her head back, making her look up at him.She bit her cheek as heat curled in her belly.
“I don’t know what to do about you,” he whispered against her lips.“All I know is that I can’t stop thinking about you.The more of you I get, the more I seem to crave you.”
A moan crept its way up her throat, but she swallowed the sound.She gave her head a slow shake in an attempt to fight her need, her desire, her own cravings of him.“Jax,” she whispered, whether it was a prayer that he pull her closer, or a warning to let her go, she didn’t know.She didn’t have a chance to analyze which she preferred.
His name on her lips seemed to send him over the edge.His mouth fused to hers as his hand tightened in her hair.His arm bound around her waist, locking her against him as he took.His lips devoured her in a bruising kiss.Forcing her lips open, his tongue took possession of her mouth—claiming, owning.And she let him.
The passion of that kiss was an inferno.It consumed every part of her.Her hands fisted his shirt as the moan she had held back earlier rose, echoing through her and into him.He absorbed the sound, his arm tightening around her in response.
God, she wanted to fall into his arms, let him carry her away.She wanted to justgive in.For once in her life, she wanted to stop fighting what felt so incredibly right.
Determinedly though, she let her logic slowly pull her out of the need to drown in him.Slowly, finger by finger, nail by nail, she clawed herself back to reality.Giving his tongue one last swipe, savoring him with her own, she pulled back.She could feel his lips brush hers and it took all her willpower not to take one more taste.
Wrenching herself away from the lingering desire, she squeezed her eyes shut as he groaned his displeasure.“Jax,” she sighed, reaching back to untangle his fingers.She took another step back, smoothing her hair down.“I’m sorry, but we can’t keep doing this.”Her mouth, no doubt bruised from his hungry assault, pulled into a frown as the words left a sour taste in her mouth.“I can’t deny that I want you, but you know this has to stop.”
He stared at her silently, his jaw ticking as he watched her through eyes that saw too much.She begged him with her own, begged him to stop tormenting her, stop tormenting himself.
Finally, she turned her head away, breaking their silent conversation.“I have to get back,” she whispered.
