Before You (Before You #1)(10)

When he looked up, he caught Bre staring at him for the second time in their short acquaintance. He waved and then walked into the coffee shop, right to Bre’s table.

“What are you doing here?” Bre asked, sharper than she intended.

“I live around the corner. What are you doing here?” Jax said, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“Oh. Cam recommended it,” she responded, blowing on her cappuccino.

“Mind if I join you?” he asked as he held onto the back of the white metal chair across from her.

Bre looked at his disheveled dark hair and the strikingly chiseled angles of his face and was struck again with how compellingly attractive he was. Her eyes drifted to the sun kissed column of his throat and then down his toned shoulders to his forearms, remembering how it felt to be held in those arms when they danced last week. With Cam, she felt protected, but with Jax she felt anxious and excited. Not in the mood to explore any of those confusing emotions, she slammed her sketchbook closed and pushed her chair back to stand. “Are you sure closet girl won’t mind?”

He put a hand on her shoulder, lightly pressing her back into the chair. “Huh?” he questioned, his eyebrows raised. “Who are you talking about?”

“Katie, the girl you were talking to outside.”

“Right.” Jax’s lips twitched. “I forgot you heard her say that. She probably wouldn’t be too fond of that description.”

“Well, then she shouldn’t announce her partiality for closets in a crowded bar.”

“Too true.” He burst out laughing. “She should be more discreet, but I don’t think that thought was high on her list that night.”

“No, probably not. I think she was too busy trying to stake her claim just in case I decided to sink my teeth into you.”

“Now there’s a compelling idea,” Jax teased, a smile sweeping across his face.

“You would think so.”

“So where’s Cam?” Jax questioned, changing the subject as he sat in the chair across from her.

“I don’t know—work or something. I haven’t seen much of him lately.” Bre sighed and looked away.

“I take it things aren’t going well,” Jax replied, his face softening noticeably.

Her initial inclination was to deny the truth, but for some reason when she opened her mouth, she changed her mind. “Truthfully, when I envisioned this trip, I was worried Cam and I would be sick of each other by the end of the month. Now I know my concern was unwarranted.”

“What do you mean?” he said, reaching over to break off a part of her muffin.

Bre pushed her muffin toward the middle of the table. “I don’t want to sound like a whiny girlfriend. Cam is such a great boyfriend. I’m really lucky to have him and his family in my life, but I hardly see him more than a couple minutes in the morning and maybe an hour at night. He’s really busy with the band and his job, and other than going out to lunch a couple days ago, he doesn’t seem to have much time for me.” Bre paused, absently stroking the cover of her sketchbook. She didn’t want Jax to think she was unreasonable or that Cam was neglectful. “Now that I think about it, it was silly of me to think that we could explore LA like a bunch of high school kids without any responsibilities. He has a full-time job and the band takes all of his spare time.”

Jax jaw tightened, but his silvery eyes were enigmatic. “So what’s on the top of your to-do list for LA?”

“The beach. I haven’t been to the beach in a long time. I love the salty smell of the air and the feel of sand between my toes.” Bre pointed to the straw tote bag leaning against her chair. “I was going to spend the day there sketching. I have everything packed.”

“I’ve got a better idea. I planned to spend the day on my sailboat. Why don’t you join me? You can sketch or do whatever you want. I won’t bother you.”

“You have a sailboat?” she asked incredulously.

“It’s nothing too impressive. I’ve always loved sailing. It’s my way to escape everything and think. So do you want to join me?”

“Are you sure?”

“I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want you to come. Besides, there’s no better way to see Southern California than from a boat.”

“I don’t know…” Bre said, pouring sugar into her cappuccino and stirring it with a flat wooden stick.

“Oh, come on, I can tell you want to say yes.”

She leaned over and dug through her tote bag to avoid looking at his smoky gray eyes and knowing smile. She briefly questioned why she wanted to say yes to a sailing trip alone with Jax when Cam would be furious if he found out about it. Before she completed the question in her head she knew the answer: she was tired of being alone, she had never been sailing before, and spending time with Jax was tempting. He was witty, entertaining, and more than passably attractive.

All of those thoughts collided, compelling her to say yes. She may regret the decision later, but right now, she decided to live in the moment, and she really wanted to go sailing. She pulled out her phone to check for any text messages from Cam. There was nothing as usual. They communicated more when she was still in Colorado than now. “Okay, I’ll go.”

His grin was so open and inviting that Bre couldn’t help but smile back.