Stay with Me (Wait for You, #3)(141)

I pried one eye open. And then my other one opened when I realized he was dressed and sitting on the bed. “Why are you already in clothes?”

“Because if I didn’t get something on me, I’d end up saying f*ck being responsible and get inside you with nothing between us.”

Well.

He just put that out there like that.

“I need to get on the pill,” I told him, closing my eyes again.

Jax laughed loudly. “I think I can totally get behind that, but you need to get your sweet ass up.”

“Boo.”

“We got plans, hon, and we got to check out, get home, shower, and if you get up now, we’ll have enough time to f*ck each other’s brains out.”

My eyes opened again. I liked the sound of that. “What plans do we have?”

“Cool plans. I’m taking off from the bar and you and I are going to do something fun. So get up.” He smacked my behind when I didn’t move. “Your friends are waiting, too.”

“They are?” Like an idiot, I glanced around the room and was grateful to find them not sitting in the hotel room.

“We’re going to take care of another one of your firsts.”

I rose onto my elbow, gripping the sheet. “My firsts?”

He grinned and his eyes were a warm, beautiful whiskey color. “Yeah, that whole shit ton of stuff you’ve never experienced? We got to start them today if I have even the slightest hope of scratching some of them off before you head back to Shepherd.”

Oh wow, my heart did something like a cartwheel in my chest. He eased my fingers away from the sheet and it slipped to my waist. I was too busy gazing at him to stop it or care that half of my body was hanging out. He swept his thumb over my pebbled nipple, distracted now.

“Which first?” I asked.

He dipped his head, kissing where his thumb had been. “We’re going to Hershey Park.”

“Hershey Park?”

Lifting his head, he curled that wandering hand behind my neck. “Yeah, honey, it’s an amusement park. You’ve never been. And when I ran into Jase outside, in the lobby, I told him I wanted to take you. They are all on board.”

I took a breath and it sounded funny. “You’re taking me to an amusement park?”

Grinning, he nodded. “Look at you. You’re ready to burst into tears.”

“Shut up,” I whispered, blinking back those tears. “It’s just that—you’re amazing, Jax. You really are.”

“Nah,” he murmured.

“You remembered my list of stupid things.” I sat up fully and he followed. I leaned in, pressing my forehead against him. “That makes you amazing.”

His other arm came around my waist and he drew me into his lap. I hung on to him, squeezing my eyes shut. A thought occurred to me, something Jax had said once. He’d been right then, too. The circumstances sucked and were crazy, but I did have my mom to thank for this—for Jax. Our relationship turned out to be a very bright silver lining in a sad, dark cloud.

“You still with me?” he asked against my mouth.

My lips curved up in a smile as I worked my fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck. As my heart swelled, tears built in my eyes again, but they didn’t fall, and even if they did, they would’ve been happy tears, because no matter where I was, if I was here or back at Shepherd, I’d be with him. I knew that like I knew I’d taken another breath after the last one faded away. “I’m with you.”

Jax grinned as the strong arm around my back tightened. “That’s my girl.”





Acknowledgments


Writing acknowledgments has never been an easy thing, because I’m pretty sure I’m always forgetting someone, and I think this is like my twenty-seventh or so time writing them. You’d think I’d have it down by now. I don’t, but I’m gonna try something a little different this time around and really just start naming people, sort of like roll call.

A big, huge thank to those on the business side of things: Kevan Lyon, Taryn Fagerness, Brandy Rivers, Tessa Woodward, Molly Birckhead, Jessie Edwards, KP Simmon, Caroline Perny, Shawn Nicholls, Pam Spengler-Jaffee, and to the entire team of wonderful people at HarperCollins, William Morrow, and Avon.

Special thanks to Katie (katiebabs!) for letting me name an exotic dancer who slipped off a greased-up pole, hit her head, and developed super stripper powers after her. You’re . . . you’re welcome?

Another huge thanks to whoever created a tumblr for Theo James eyebrows and coined “he gives good eyebrow,” because seriously . . . yeah. Might as well thank him too since I clearly used his physical attributes for inspiration when it came to Jax. That’s not creepy, right?

I’d be rocking in the corner somewhere if it wasn’t for Laura Kaye, Sophie Jordan, Tiffany King, Jen Fisher, Vi (VEE!), Damaris Cardinali, Trini Contreras (I lost my shoe, ba-dub-ba-duh!), Hannah McBride, Lesa Rodrigues, Stacey Morgan, Dawn Ranson, my husband and family, Tiffany Snow, Valerie Fink, and this is where I know I’m forgetting people.

Last but never least, I want to thank the bloggers/reviewers and readers who will pick up this book. None of this would be possible without you guys. I’d give you all a hug if I could.





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