Page 73 of Fighting Temptation (Men of Honor 1)
“Where are we going?” I had figured we were heading to a beach somewhere but clearly that’s not the case. I have no idea where we even are right now.
“You’ll see,” is the only response I get.
Smiling, I push the question from my mind and take in the scenery around me. The thing I love most about riding, besides being so close to Jaxson, is the whole world feels different. The fresh air feels cleaner, the sun feels warmer and everything just seems more… peaceful. You get a whole new appreciation for the everyday things around you.
Suddenly a lighthouse comes into our view and I get another rush of excitement, “Oh my god, shut up, Jaxson are you serious?”
He chuckles at my squeal and pulls into an opening off the road that’s completely deserted except for the single lighthouse. Before Jaxson has a chance to kill the engine I jump off and remove my helmet. Walking closer to the edge of the cliff I take in the most breath-taking view I’ve ever seen. I look back at Jaxson to see him still sitting on the bike, holding his helmet on his lap, watching me with a sexy smile.
“How did you find this place?” Ever since I’ve moved here I’ve wanted to visit a lighthouse. You would think with us being so close to the beach there would be lots around us, but there isn’t.
“Coop told me about it. He discovered it coming back from a party he had to break up, just a few miles up the road from here.”
“I can’t believe this has been here the whole time and we never knew about it.” I look up taking in the tall white lighthouse with black trim. The sun has started to set, making the light at the top more prominent.
Jaxson comes up beside me and takes my hand, “Come on,” he pulls me towards the entrance and we start making our way up a very long flight of stairs. I slow down every time I near a window, trying to get a peek of the view. Jaxson chuckles tugging my hand, “Be patient, we’re almost there.”
Sure enough a minute later we reach the top. My legs and lungs burn from our lengthy climb, proving I haven’t worked out in a while. But I don’t let it slow me down. I run through the small opening at the top and gasp at the view before me. The Atlantic Ocean stretches out before us, the crystal blue water seeming to go on forever. The clear sky glows orange from the sun that slowly has started to descend. Wanting to soak up everything about this moment I take off my leather jacket and lean forward against the railing. Raising my arms up and out at the side, I close my eyes and take a deep breath. Even from this high up I can hear the crash of the waves as the warm ocean breeze blows gently across my face. I have never felt anything so warm and peaceful in my entire life and for one fleeting moment I think about my mother… this is what heaven must feel like.
Right when I thought this moment couldn’t get any better I feel Jaxson’s arms come around me, proving me wrong. His body heat seeps into my back and his scent mingles with the salty ocean air. He pulls my pony tail out, freeing my loose waves from its hold, then pushes the gentle blowing strands to the side so he can rain soft kisses down my neck. Reaching up I curl my arm around his neck. His big warm hands slip underneath the bottom of my tank and slowly glide up on either side of my stomach. Goose bumps break out across my skin even though I only feel warmth from his touch.
“You’re so goddamn beautiful.”
A soft smile takes over my lips from his whispered words. Turning around I wrap my arms around his neck while his stay around my waist. He’s staring at me with an intensity that makes me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world.
At this moment I desperately want to tell him how much I love him. Tell him that I never stopped and I never will because it’s the gods honest truth. I will love this man until the day that I die, but I know he is not ready to hear that… not yet. So I swallow past the lump in my throat and try to put into words what I’m feeling, “I love that I am living out another beautiful moment of my life with you. Thank you for bringing me here.”
He rests his forehead on mine intimately, “You deserve a lifetime of these moments.” Before my emotions can take over he places his lips on mine and gives me the most beautiful kiss I’ve ever had. Soon we are shredding each other’s clothes and making love under the warmth of the sunset. He made love to me with a tenderness I had never known and I knew in this moment, with every fiber of my being, that Jaxson Reid loved me as much as I loved him.
Three weeks later I’m in the kitchen starting the preparations for Kayla’s and Coop’s engagement supper. I pushed the supper back a week since Grace had a hard time taking off the Saturday before, I didn’t want her coming here being drained after a long day at the diner.
As I’m peeling potatoes my phone starts ringing. The screen flashes an unknown number. I answer it politely even though I’m not expecting an answer. The last week I’ve been getting a hang up call at least once a day, sure enough the same thing happens again. Annoyed, I hang up and move back to my spot at the counter. At first I thought it was a wrong number or kids, but now I realize that’s probably unlikely. I know it’s something I should mention to Jaxson but things have been amazing for us the last 3 weeks and I really don’t want anything to strain it. I bend down to grab baking sheets from underneath my oven when something big and hard pushes against me from behind, startling a yelp from me. I reach out and grab on to the oven door to balance myself.
