When our kiss finally broke, Jax set me back down on the floor but kept his arms tight around my body. “So, you love me, huh?” A slow, sensual smile lifted the corners of his mouth and dimples appeared in both cheeks.
I smiled through my tears and hugged him tighter. I nodded against his chest and I felt his lips come down on the top of my head. His solid body against mine always brought mine to life, stirring a passion that only he inspired, but more than anything, I wanted to be held close, to feel his heart next to mine, to know he was mine. Forever. “I do.”
His hand stroked the back of my hair and tilted my face up to his. “I love you, too, Addison. I’ve never said that to anyone until you.”
My mouth dropped open in a small, joyous gasp. “I love you, so much…Professor Panty-melter,” I teased, happily.
Jax laughed out loud. “Hey, now.”
“Oh, come on! You knew everyone refers to you that way.”
“You’re the only one who has first-hand knowledge, though.”
I sobered for a moment. “Gloria said you have taken young writers under your wing before me.”
Jax’s mouth hardened as anger flashed across his mouth. “She’s lying, Addison. She’s nothing more than a manipulative bitch.”
“She wants you for herself.”
“So?” Jax dismissed. “Does this feel like it’s normal for me? I’ve never risked everything on a relationship before. Isn’t it obvious?”
I touched his cheek, the tip of my finger just tracing where his dimple lived. I nodded, my eyes meeting his and not wavering. “Yes.”
“I want this to work and not just for a semester, or a year. It will all work out and we’ll have our own happily ever after. Only your panties melting from now on, I promise.” He smiled against my lips as I let out a giggle.
“What more could a girl ask for?”
He picked me up, and I wrapped my legs around his waist as he walked to the door and locked it, then turned and dropped me on his leather couch, only to follow me down.
“I’m sure you’ll think of something,” he answered, before his mouth and body began to work their magic.
21
Jax had been gone two weeks. I hadn’t realized how much I’d come to rely on seeing him or how much I’d miss him.
We promised each other that we’d only FaceTime on Friday nights when our regular work session was usually scheduled; only now, we talked about Jax’s book, instead of mine.
The separation was misery. The calls helped, and I was trying to keep busy, but my heart was heavy. He was making decent progress on his manuscript, and that was a good thing, but I was missing him desperately.
That old saying about “absence making the heart grow fonder” might not be true when you’re already in love with someone, but damn if knowing I wouldn’t see him for weeks didn’t make me ache.
Jax texted a few times throughout each day and I looked forward to every message; anxiously grabbing my phone whenever it pinged. It was almost obnoxious how I waited for those pings.
“Hey, where’d. you go?” Luke roused me out of my reverie.
“Oh, sorry,” I answered, snapping out of my daydream. I wondered if I should tell Luke about my new contract with Bloom & Wandough Literary. Excitement that Gloria had signed me was bubbling inside, and I wanted to talk about it. I’d been surprised she still wanted to represent me, considering how disappointed she was when I’d called and told her that I’d changed my mind about being a ghostwriter. Honestly, I was torn about it. I understood Jax’s objection, but I also saw Gloria’s point about how it would help establish me with publishers.
The signed contract was nestled inside a manila envelope in my backpack, and I was going to take it over as soon as we were finished.
We’d just gotten coffee and were seated in a small coffee bar on the edge of campus. I’d asked Luke to meet me there on purpose. It was closer to the agency on this side of the university property. It was cold, but I hoped to save the cab fare. This was a chance to help him and warm up before the second leg of my walk.
“How do you think I’m doing? With taking over Michael’s class?”
“Oh, you’re doing great.”
“Well, I mean,” Luke began, shrugging sheepishly, “it’s not difficult considering everyone is just using class time to write their stories. I feel like a literary babysitter, more than anything else.”
I smiled. “Being in charge of hundreds of students is a big responsibility for a T.A. You’re still available to help with office hours, right?”
He picked up a piece of pound cake he’d purchased and took a bite. “Yes,” he said, between chews, “and, at least it gives me time to work on my own book this way. What do you think of it so far?” I could see the anxious anticipation written all over his face.
I sighed and shifted in my seat. Everyone was working on their books. The class, Luke, Jax… everyone except me. Gloria had said she’d read it and get me any suggested edits, so it was basically a waiting game. Maybe after having the contract in hand, she’d be more motivated.
I was able to look over Luke’s current chapters on my laptop. He’d emailed what he had already finished to me the week before, but today I wanted to talk to him about some holes in his plot.
“I think you need to flesh out your main character’s backstory more; it will invest the reader’s more in his arc and keep them reading to find out his outcome. It can be a gradual process throughout your story or through his thoughts when something else that might be connected to his past happens. Just give more about the history and why he chose to be a detective, or were there some losses or major events that made that choice mean more?”
Luke agreed. “I see where you’re going.” He pushed the remainder of his cake aside, took out his laptop and flipped it open. He began taking notes as I spoke. “That’s good. Do you have time to help me? Fill in the holes?”
“Um…” I began. Jax had warned me not to do the work for Luke, or it would be my voice in the writing. I really needed to deliver my contract. A pleasurable and incredulous shiver ran through me. My contract. In a million years, I never thought I’d be saying that to myself, and definitely not before completing undergrad. “I’d love to, but there is somewhere I need to be.”
“Really? Where? I can drive you.” He looked at me hopefully. “Then can you work on it with me?”
It was clear that I had to establish the boundaries, but in a gentle way. I had to make a split-second decision…. “I have to drop off a contract to Bloom and Wandough.”
His head cocked to one side as he paused typing to meet my eyes. “That’s Dr. Michael’s agency. Is it for him? I thought you weren’t working as his T.A.? I thought he was so adamant you couldn’t?”
I pressed my lips together, the words wanting to burst forth. “It’s for me.”
Luke’s mouth dropped open in awed surprise. “They’re representing you? Holy crap! That’s amazing, Addy!”
“It’s not that big of a deal,” I dismissed. “Gloria thinks my book needs a ton of work and she’s not even gonna look at it for weeks or maybe even months, I’m sure.”