He was crazy, wild, and dangerous. I never wanted him to change. He made me want to live life just like him. He brought out the wild side I kept buried, a part of me that a lot of people would frown upon.
Jaxon was my liberation, a freedom unlocked within myself.
As we pulled into town, I noticed how the building were nestled right in the mountains. Miles of forest surrounded us, and since we were high up in elevation, the clouds skimmed over the trees, eerie yet beautiful. No wonder Jaxon lived here. It was too beautiful to even want to live anywhere else.
We parked, and across the street, I noticed a small restaurant with outdoor seating that said, ‘The Lighthouse Grill’. I could smell the food from here, and my mouth watered.
“You’re hungry. Seriously? After that massive heart attack, you had for breakfast?”
“I’m a growing girl! Don’t judge me.”
He grabbed my hand and brought it to his mouth, kissing my knuckles gently. “Better feed you before you get all hangry and shit. I know that hasn’t changed. Come on,” he pulled me to the delicious, mouther-watering scent of pulled pork.
“Really?”
“Anything for you, Quinn. We will get food to go too. After the hike, we will be starving.”
A few hours later, belly stuffed with a two-pound cheeseburger and fries and dozens of shopping bags in hand, we made our way to Strawberry Rock, whatever that was. There was food in the backseat, hoagies, and they smelled so good. They were zipped up in a backpack we just bought. He got me everything.
Jewelry, dresses, pajamas, underwear, lingerie, skincare, makeup, shoes, and whatever else I saw and wanted— he bought.
It made me feel like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, but I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing since she was a hooker. I knew I wasn’t Pretty Woman, but still, a rich guy buying me stuff after having sex with him? I couldn’t shake the similarities.
My eyes fell closed as we drove, the curvy roads lulling me to sleep as soft rock played in the background.
I was in the weird stage of sleeping and awake, groggy, and comfortable with my ass warm, and the seat leaned back when the tires crunched over gravel, and we came to a stop. I closed my eyes briefly and reached down to press the lever to bring the seat up. I fumbled as I blindly searched for it.
“I bet you could eat and sleep for the rest of your life, and you’d be happy as a clam.”
I sat up and grinned. “Are you offering me that way of life? I’ll gladly take you up on it.”
He leaned over the middle console and placed a large hand on my cheek. “Baby, you want me to hand feed you. I’ll fucking pluck grapes off the vine and plop them in your sexy mouth.”
“Don’t tempt me, or I’ll become a baby maker that only pops out your kids and eats and sleeps.” I realized what I said and leaned back, glanced out the window, and grabbed the door handle to get the hell out of the car. I didn’t want him to think I was pushing him into having kids or anything. I opened the door, and his hand snaked out and stopped me from enjoying the great outdoors.
I slapped my leg when a bug landed on it.
Okay, maybe not so great, after all.
“Is that what you want? Do you want kids?”
“Do we have to talk about it now? Let’s start walking. Didn’t you say it was a mile and half to the rock? We should get going before it gets dark.” In eight hours. I panicked. I ripped my arm from him and bolted out the door, slamming it with too much force. I started to walk toward the forest, the worn tiny trail nestled between two fence posts. I had no idea if I was going the right way, but it was better than talking about kids with Jaxon.
We had just gotten back together after ten years, a prison sentence, betrayal, and whatever else festering between us. The last thing the man wanted to talk about was kids. We were young. We had time.
“You better fucking stop right there, Quinn. I’ll bend you over my knee right in the middle of fucking nowhere and spank you.”
When he first said he’d spank me, I was livid, then when I thought about it, I got excited, and my clit pulsed and my pussy got wet. I was ready for him. He could take me behind that tree and fuck me.
No man should have that kind of power over me, but Jaxon always held the reins, waiting to reel me in when I was pulled against him.
I spun on my heels, pebbles scratching the soles of my new hiking boots. I wanted tennis shoes, but Jaxon refused to have me walking up a mountain in shoes that couldn’t gr
ip the earth. He feared for my safety.
It was cute.
“Jaxon, I shouldn’t have brought it up. I’m sorry,” I said. “Maybe one day. I’m not trying to push. I wasn’t dropping a hint or anything.” I stopped speaking when a couple came out of the narrowed trail between the fence posts. They were smiling, laughing at something the guy whispered into the cute brunette’s ear. They looked like professional hikers in tight pants, baseball caps, and the woman wore a cute crop top showing her lean belly.