“You taste like you smell,” I tell her, not wanting her to forget I’m here with her, that I’m still in the car, that just because my mouth isn’t on hers doesn’t mean I can’t still taste or feel her lips against mine, her hands wrapped around my shirt. Putting the car in reverse, she begins to back out without acknowledging my comment, which only eggs me on. I know she wants me as badly as I want her, and I refuse to let her ignore this thing brewing between us just because she’s afraid.
“I wonder if the rest of you tastes like that.” I smirk as she slams on the brakes, jolting the car. “You okay to drive, baby? I don’t mind taking over if you need time.”
“Jax,” she warns, turning to glare at me.
“Baby, unless you’re gonna give me something to eat at home,” I drop my eyes to her lap, “then take me to get food.” Lifting my gaze to hers, I watch her cheeks turn an even darker shade of pink that starts to spread down her neck.
“You really like embarrassing me, don’t you?” She frowns, breathing heavily, something that says she’s not embarrassed, but turned on.
“If you’re asking if I want to lick over the pink your skin turns to see if it has a flavor, then the answer is yes.”
“Oh, my God,” she whispers, covering her face with her hands.
Laughing, I pull her hands away from her face. “Okay, baby, I’ll stop.” Bringing one of her hands to my mouth and kissing it, I mutter, “Scout’s honor,” while holding up two fingers.
“I doubt you were ever a boy scout.” She rolls her eyes before looking over her shoulder and backing onto the street.
When we arrive at the restaurant, the place is packed, like it normally is on Saturday morning. You can tell by the crowd that most of the patrons were up late partying. Almost everyone has on sweats, and half are wearing sunglasses and holding coffee cups in their grasp, praying it cures the hangover they are suffering from. Placing my hand against Ellie’s lower back, I move us through the small restaurant to the back, where there is a free table for two, sitting close to the counter where you can watch the three cooks on the grill.
“Jax,” Jones, the owner and my friend, calls from behind the counter, where he’s stationed flipping eggs. Jones and I went to school together. He played football with me; his short, stocky build ruled the field every time he stepped onto the turf. He was our secret weapon. Hell, he still is.
“How’s it going, man?” I ask, pulling out Ellie’s chair for her to sit before taking my seat across from her, which gives me a view of the whole place.
“Can’t complain too much.” He smiles.
“You know you owe me ten on the Giants game, right?” I remind him, watching as he shakes his head, grinning.
“You’re really gonna make me pay up?” he asks, pointing at himself.
“Fuck yeah, you would’ve had my ass behind that grill if I lost.”
“You’re right.” He smiles. “You want coffee?”
“Yeah, two,” I tell him, watching as he signals for one of the busboys to bring us two coffees.
“How’s Sylvia?” I inquire, talking about his wife.
“Good, she’ll be in soon. Who’s your friend?” he asks, dipping his head towards Ellie, who is looking over the menu while simultaneously trying to hide behind it.
“This is my girlfriend Ellie,” I announce, watching a few heads in the room swivel my way as she hisses, “Jax,” while kicking me under the table.
“Baby, this is Jones, the owner,” I say, ignoring the look in her eyes that promises retribution.
“Nice to meet you,” she says, plastering a smile on her face.
“You too, beautiful.” He smiles then laughs as Ellie tries to kick me again, narrowly missing my junk.
“I told you you’d be the first to know if I had a girlfriend,” I remind her.
“I’m too hung over and haven’t had enough coffee to even contemplate how the hell I ended up in this situation,” she murmurs, taking another sip from her mug.
“Fate, baby…this is fate,” I tell her seriously, wondering how crazy she would think I am if I told her about the Boom.
“Jax?” Pulling my eyes from Ellie, I groan, seeing Felicia walking toward our table. Felicia has been one of my regular hookups for the last year. Unlike what my family thinks, I don’t sleep around with just anyone. Most of the women I’m with are people who don’t have time for relationships or just don’t want one. Which was perfect for me—that was, until Ellie. “You haven’t been returning my calls,” she says with a fake pout while crossing her arms under her chest.
“I’m off the market,” I tell her with a shrug, hoping she gets the point and moves along. She’s a nice woman, who is very intelligent when it comes to books, but common sense, not so much.
“I saw Mellissa at the nail salon and she told me you two were back together, but I honestly didn’t believe her,” she mutters as my teeth grit and Ellie’s body grows stiff in front of me, her fingers wrapped around her coffee cup turning white.
“I’m not with Mellissa,” I growl, annoyed that I fucking have to call her and make clear the status of our relationship. That being we don’t fucking have one.
“Oh.” She tilts her head. “Who are you with?”
“I’m going to the restroom,” Ellie says, standing suddenly, causing Felicia to jump back from the table and me to stand with her, trying to grab her arm, which she pulls from my grasp.
“Fuck,” I clip, watching Ellie rush across the room and out of sight.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know,” Felicia says as I scrub my hands down my face. “It’s okay, but I’m serious. I won’t be calling you again,” I tell her, hating that I feel like an asshole, but knowing I need to make it clear to everyone, not only her, that I’m off the market.
“Sure, I understand. Take care, Jax,” she says, turning to leave, but not before I catch something in her eyes that sets my nerves on edge and has me instantly on guard.
“You’re gonna have your hands full, my friend,” Jones says, pulling my eyes from where they were glued on the bathroom door and turn to look at him. “You know I love you, man, but some of the girls you’ve been with are,” he rolls his finger around his ear, “muy loco, and that girl…your girl looks scared of her own shadow.”
“She’s been through a lot,” I tell him, and he points the spatula in his hand at me.
“I know, and that’s why I’m telling you to close down shop on these bitches, so they don’t think they have the right to fuck with her. ’Cause, homie, whether you want to face it or not, they will fuck with her, and until your relationship is solid, you can’t have that shit.”
“I know, man.” I let out a deep breath then stand when Ellie comes back to the table.
“You okay?” I ask, pulling out her chair again.
“Yeah, fine, sorry,” she mumbles, picking her menu back up.
“You know what you want, beautiful?” Jones asks, and I try not to let it annoy me that he’s calling her beautiful, but it still does.