Page 71 of Enemies Off Camera
His brow furrows. “His family?”
I nod. “My mom died when I was six. Car accident. My dad couldn’t handle me on his own, so he remarried. She hated me. Treated me like I was a burden. And he just... let her. So yeah. We’re not close.”
Jaxon looks at me like he’s trying to rewrite the story in his head—change the ending, offer comfort with just his eyes.
For a second, I wonder if I’ve said too much. I’ve learned the hard way that not everyone wants a partner with family baggage. It makes people wonder if you’re damaged, incapable of being a good mother or wife.
Maybe he’s rethinking everything.
“Hey,” he says, gently tapping my chin. “Come back.”
I blink. I hadn’t realized I’d drifted into a spiral.
“All families have their shit,” he says softly.
I exhale, shoulders loosening. “What about yours?”
He smiles. “Three sisters. Which is why I’d never hurt a woman. Ever.”
Then his attention shifts—his eyes drift downward.
“Yes,” he murmurs with a grin.
“What?” I ask, following his gaze.
Oh.
Oh.
He’s hard again. Ridiculously so.
“I’ll take it nice and slow,” he promises, crawling over me like a man who knows exactly how to ruin a girl in the best possible way.
“Yeah,” I breathe, my legs parting automatically as he glides into me.
We’re both sex-sore, stretched thin with want—but this time is different. This isn’t about frenzy. It’s about finishing what we started—one last time.
Before the two-week drought begins.
FIFTY-ONE
2 Days Later
Iloved the convenience and luxury of Jaxon’s place—but it’s nice to be home, back in my soaking tub.
It’s been a long day, one I kept full on purpose—mostly reading through scripts from movies and shows in caseNext In Linefalls through. Fingers crossed it never does. That’s exactly what I told Jaxon.
He chuckled in solidarity. We’re on our second call of the day. This morning, he called to make sure I got home safe, driving his SUV. He insisted I take it. I was supposed to leave yesterday, but I told Kat to turn the car around and send the driver back to L.A. I ended up sleeping the entire day in Jaxon’s bed. I was wiped.
“Oh, and I’ve been thinking,” I say, something from the drive home bubbling up again. “Remember that comment you made about the ladies watching their figures?”
“Yeah,” he groans. “And you tore me a new one. But I didn’t mean it the way you thought.”
I let out a soft laugh. “I know that now. Especially now that I’ve gotten to know you better. When you said you had three sisters—it all clicked. Youmakesense.”
“I do?” He sounds amused—and kind of pleased.
“I know how we women are. We obsess over our weight, our looks…”
