Page 59 of Coming In Hot
“You know,” he laughs, “You look all suave and shit, but you’re terrible at flirting.”
I blink, surprised by the sudden shift in his tone. It’s teasing, but there’s a playfulness behind it. Maybe even a little challenge.
“Flirting?” I raise an eyebrow, trying to keep my cool exterior, but his laugh is messing with my composure. “What are you talking about?”
“Come on,” Jax says, leaning back a little, eyes scanning me with a smirk. “You think I don’t know when someone’s trying too hard? You’ve been giving off this ‘I’m too cool for this’ vibe, but trust me, you’re not fooling anyone. Before you left, didn’t you ask me when you could fuck me?”
I chuckle, trying to mask the nervous tightness in my chest. “Have you come up with an answer?” What if he says tonight? Right now?
He shrugs casually, taking another sip. “This is fucking weird, man. Look at us. We’re both sitting here like we’re not about to tear each other’s clothes off.”
I feel my breath hitch, my heart pounding in my chest. He wants to rip my clothes off? Cause I’m totally on board with that plan.
I shift uncomfortably. His proximity, the heat from his body, it’s like a magnet pulling me in, but I hesitate.
“Is that what you want?” I ask, my voice quieter than I intended, almost challenging him to respond.
Jax tilts his head, his eyes darkening just a little as he meets my gaze. “You tell me,” he says softly, his tone turning serious in a way that makes the world around us feel smaller.
“I think you know exactly what I want,” I murmur, leaning in just a little, my breath catching in my throat.
His lips curl, but it’s more intense now, less playful. “Yeah,” he says, voice low, “I think I do.”
Jax’s gaze lingers on my lips, and I witness the moment something inside him shifts and he decides he’s not backing down.
I search his face for something—what, I’m not sure. Something that will tell me if this is just a momentary lapse in judgment or if he’s sure. But Jax’s expression is unreadable for a split second before he gives a little smirk, and my stomach does that weird flip again.
“What's going on in that head of yours?” he asks, his voice quiet and teasing, like he's enjoying watching me squirm.
I shake my head, trying to make sense of it all. “I don’t know,” I admit, feeling strangely vulnerable. “I just… didn’t expect this, that’s all.”
He leans in a bit, his face inches from mine, and his breath is warm against my cheek. “Yeah? Well, sometimes the unexpected is exactly what you need.”
This would make so much more sense if he were drunk, but the bottle’s still half full, so why the one-eighty?
He reaches up, brushing a strand of hair from my face, his touch surprisingly gentle considering his usual animosity toward me.
“Jax...” I say softly, my voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t want this to be a mistake.”
“Everything with us is a mistake. What’s one more?” His lips brush against my ear as he speaks, sending a shiver down my spine.
I lean into him, my hand instinctively resting on his chest. I can feel his heartbeat under my palm—fast, erratic, just like mine. The closeness, the intensity, it’s all too much, and yet I crave more.
Without thinking, I close the space between us, my lips finding his even with my eyes closed. My tongue is like a heat-seeking missile, zeroing in on his warm mouth, slipping between his lips. Quickly, the kiss turns deep and desperate, like we can’t get enough. The connection feels like it’s opening something inside of me that I’ve kept locked away for too long. His hand moves to my back, pulling me closer, and I let him, not caring anymore about boundaries or what this means.
When we finally pull back, both of us are panting, and I can see the desire flickering in his dark eyes. His thumb traces my bottom lip, a quiet twist tugging at his mouth.
“You’re not running away, are you?” he asks, his voice laced with amusement.
I shake my head. “And you’re not playing hard to get.”
Jax grins, a satisfied, knowing look in his eyes. “Good. Because we’ve only just started.”
The air crackles with static heat. I’m fully invested in this moment. There is no job, no past, no life outside of this apartment that exists for me right now. Just this kiss, this man, this feeling—everything else fades into nothing.
His lips press against mine again, slower this time, deeper, like he’s savoring every second. I let myself fall into it, the world outside slipping away as my hands find their place on his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart beneath my fingertips. His presence is grounding, yet electrifying, like the storm that’s brewing inside me.
I pull back just enough to catch my breath, eyes meeting his. There’s an unspoken understanding there, something raw and vulnerable, but so incredibly real.
