Page 4 of Sweet Temptation (Men of Honor 2)
The door flies open to a shirtless, scowling Jaxson. Yup, I was right. “Do you always have to come at the worst fucking time?”
I smile brightly, “Hello to you too, dickhead. It seems every time is a bad time since you never keep your dick in your pants anymore.” He glares harder as I walk past him.
Julia peeks her head over from the kitchen as I make my way in. Her hair is all rumpled, like she was just about to be fucked good. Of course though, she’s much more polite than her husband.
“Oh hey guys, come on in. How are you?” she smiles sweetly. “Hey, Julia,” Cade replies, walking past.
Of course, my greeting is a little more hands-on. “Well hi, beautiful.” I wrap my arms around her from behind, resting my hands on her slight tummy, and give her a kiss on the cheek. “I have to tell you, Julia, you’re starting to make me have a thing for pregnant women. Who knew they could be so fucking hot?”
Which isn’t a total lie. She does look even more fucking beautiful; her body is still lean and tight, but she now has a little round belly that somehow makes her look even prettier.
“Oh, Sawyer,” she giggles and elbows me playfully in the ribs.
Suddenly I get jerked back by rough hands. “Get the fuck off my wife, asshole, and keep your goddamn hands to yourself.”
I chuckle as I walk over to take a seat at the kitchen table.
“Oh, Jax, lighten up, he’s just teasing,” Julia says, trying to calm down her possessive husband.
“Yeah, Jax, lighten up!”
Jaxson’s scowl deepens, and I’m pretty sure he’s ready to kick my ass. Really, I only used to rile him up about Julia because he was always being such a fucking idiot when it came to claiming her. Even though he finally married her, I still find myself not being able to stop; he’s just so damn fun to make mad. I’m glad the guy finally pulled his head out of his ass, but I’ll never understand how he can be so fucking possessive. I have yet to feel that way about anyone, especially since I have never actually dated a chick. I prefer to fuck and move on; I enjoy playing the field too much.
“All right you two- play nice. Are you guys hungry? Can I make you something?”
“No, we just came from the diner so we’re good. But thanks anyways… beautiful.”
I dodge Jaxson’s hand when he goes to smack me upside the head. He takes a seat next to me but I move my chair slightly back, knowing he’s trying to get close enough to strike when he can.
“Oh, you were at the diner. Was Grace working again?” she asks, concerned. She moves to sit next to Jaxson, but he grabs her hips and brings her down on his lap.
Cade answers her with a nod. She lets out a heavy breath, “Of course she was; I don’t know why I even bothered asking. That girl has been working herself into the ground lately.”
I noticed that too. “Speaking of Grace,” I pipe up, “what’s with her? Why the hell does it seem she’s always avoiding me?”
Jaxson smirks, “Because she’s smart.”
Now I’m the one scowling at him. “I’m serious. I mean, the chick doesn’t even fucking look at me half the time.” At least not when I’m addressing her, but I leave that out.
Julia starts to look uncomfortable. “Sawyer…” She trails off like she wants to share something, but not sure she should.
“What? Tell me. Have I offended her in some way, or something? I mean, I know I fuck with her a lot, but I’m only kidding, and she was acting this way with me before I even started that shit.”
She looks at me seriously, “Can I ask why you want to know? What is it you want with her?”
Being truthful, I shrug, “Honestly I don’t really know. But it would be nice to at least be fucking friends with her, talk with her.”
She studies me for a moment then lets out a sigh. “You just have to be patient with her, Sawyer. She’s guarded, she’s been hurt and I have a feeling I only know the half of it. It’s taken her a long time to open up to Kayla and me.”
I tense at hearing she’s been hurt. “What do you mean, hurt? What kind of hurt are we talking about here?”
She shifts uncomfortably, “It’s not my story to tell.”
Jaxson and Cade also look at her now with questions. “Baby, is this something we should know about? Is she in trouble?”
I hold my breath, waiting for her answer. “Um no, well, at least I don’t think so. Like I said, I only know some of it.”
We all stay quiet and stare at her, not backing down until we get some answers. She realizes it and lets out another breath. “Listen, she lost her mother tragically when she was seventeen.”
“Shit,” I curse under my breath as soon as the words leave her mouth.
“And don’t ask me for details, because I’m not sharing them with you, but it was real bad. I have a suspicion that where she was, before coming here, was not a good place. She’s been here for almost two years and just recently started opening up to Kayla and me about all of this.”
“What about her dad? Where the fuck is he?” I ask a little too harshly.
She shifts uncomfortably, “Again, that’s not my story to tell.” She narrows her eyes at all of our glares. “And don’t y’all dare try to bully me into telling you, because it isn’t happening. Grace is my friend and trusted me with this. Sawyer, if you want to get to know her then do it, just…”
“What?” I ask when she trails off.
“Just whatever it is you want with her, whether it’s friendship or more, I ask you be serious and sure about it. I don’t want either of you to get hurt. You both mean a lot to me.”
