Page 38 of Fighting Temptation (Men of Honor 1)
His gaze intensifies and his grip tightens on my hip, “Oh Julia, you know me better than that. I always finish what I start.” I gasp when he leans in and presses a gentle kiss to my quivering stomach. His soft lips on my bare skin causes my nipples to harden while goosebumps break out over my body. He runs his rough hands up the back of my legs and cups my ass, making me to moan. Suddenly his phone rings breaking me out of my aroused state. His forehead drops to my stomach in frustration. I quickly push away from him and try to regain control of my body.
“What!” he snaps answering the phone in frustration. His hungry gaze travels over my body as he listens to whoever is on the phone. I break eye contact and walk quickly to my walk-in closet and close the door behind me. I take a deep shaky breath as I lean against it. Lord Julia, why the hell did you have to challenge him like that? It’s like dangling a piece of meat in front of a bear. I’m disgusted with myself for how easily I caved to him; the man still has so much control over me. I hear Jaxson talking to whom I’m assuming is Cooper.
“She’s visiting Margaret this morning, we will call you when we get back, then you guys can come.” Since when are “we” going to Grams, I think annoyed. “I don’t give a fuck what he wants, I’ll kill him if he comes near her again.”
Not wanting to hear the rest of that conversation I move away from the door and get dressed. I was going to wear shorts but change my mind not wanting anything snug against my sore hip, so I pull out a short black cotton baby doll sundress. I put my ear to the door and don’t hear Jaxson on the phone anymore. Taking a deep breath I open it and head straight to the bathroom, not looking in his direction. I start applying my make-up, making sure to be careful of my stitches.
“Running scared Julia?” Jaxson asks, coming up behind me to stand at the bathroom door.
I glare at him in the mirror then turn on my hair dryer drowning out anything else he might say. He watches me the entire time with his gaze narrowed. I pull my part over the stitches, I’m not able to cover it entirely but I get most of it.
“Are you going to ignore me all day?” he asks annoyed when I turn off the hair dryer.
“Nope! Because you’re not going to be here all day.” I turn around to leave but Jaxson is still blocking the door. “Do you mind?”
“We’re gonna have to talk about this sometime Julia.”
I sigh, feeling tired, and it’s only 9:30 in the morning. “I know Jaxson, but not right now.”
He lets out a frustrated breath and nods his head. “Fine. We need to call Cooper when we get back from brunch.”
“Why are you saying ‘we’?”
“Because I’m coming with you.”
“No you’re not!”
“I’m not leaving you Julia so forget about it!”
“You already did!” Damn! Why the hell did I have to say that? I look away, angry at myself for letting him know just how hurt I still am. He takes my face in both of his hands and forces my gaze to his. For the first time since I’ve seen him I see some remorse in his eyes.
“I promise Julia, I will make this right.”
“What if it’s too late?”
“It’s never too late because I will never give up on you.” I look away from his determined gaze. “Let me come with you to see Grams, I’d really like to see her.”
The thing is, I know Grams would be over the moon to see him. I let out a deep breath, “Fine,” I say giving in. When I see relief in his eyes I add, “But let’s get one thing straight Jaxson, I’m saying yes because I know she will be happy to see you. I’m doing this for her not for you. This does not mean that I forgive you.”
He says nothing but has that annoying smirk again.
“Lose the smirk and lets go,” I push him to the side and walk out. When he chuckles behind me I want to turn around and slap him.
We stop by Jaxson’s motel first so he can quickly shower and change. I decide after what happened in my room it’s best to wait in the car.
A few minutes later Jaxson emerges from the hotel looking his typical sexy and confident self. His usual white t-shirt stretches across his defined chest perfectly, but he’s added an unbuttoned long sleeve navy shirt over top. His dark washed jeans hang just low enough on his hips to visually tease me. I swear the man is a walking orgasm.
“Like what you see Julia?” he asks with a cocky smirk when he enters the car.
I quickly snap my gaze away realizing I’m gawking at him like an idiot. My face heats with embarrassment. God I’m pathetic. I ignore his comment and change the subject, “I’m surprised you aren’t staying with Cooper.”
He grunts, “He offered, but I didn’t want to intrude or hear him and Kayla fucking each other’s brains out. I remember what it was like living with that shit before. Plus, with the way Kayla has been acting towards me it’s probably better. She may just kill me in my sleep if she gets the chance.”
I giggle, knowing that’s probably true.
A few minutes later we pull up to the senior home, Sunny Acres. The courtyard is filled with lush gardens where residents will sit and have tea while looking out at the ocean.
“When did Margaret move here?” Jaxson asks, taking in the scenery.
“About two years ago. It was difficult for her to leave her home but she knew she couldn’t keep up to all the yard work. She seems to really love it here. There’s always an event going on: bingo, dances, even margarita nights.
