I Want You Back (Want You #1)(29)

“Absolutely. I’d offer to nose around to see if there are openings, but I’m aware you abhor personal favors, so check into it on your time frame, if you’re interested. I can clear a path for you if you meet any resistance.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Sir. Bah. We’re beyond that.” He waved me off, took his plate and rejoined his brother Ward down in the front seats.

Edie caught me before I could escape. “I’m not wrong in believing that you and Jax are getting along better these days?”

“We are. It’s easier now that he lives here. Now that he’s retired the Jaxson ‘Stonewall’ Lund persona.”

“I agree. And unlike Archer, I have no problem talking out of turn.”

My belly did a little flip.

Her eyes, identical to Jax’s, searched mine. “Something to keep in mind, sweetheart. You’re the only woman Jaxson ever brought home to meet the family. You’re the only woman he ever lived with. You’re the only woman he’s ever let see the real him beneath that hockey mask. I’ll never condone his actions with you—any of them—but people do change. It’d be sad if they didn’t. It’s sadder yet to go through life believing no one can ever change. There are no absolutes . . . except change is inevitable.” She leaned in and kissed my cheek, then walked away, leaving me with a whiff of her jasmine perfume and a boatload of questions.

Since everyone was watching the game, I settled in the back of the suite, picking at my food, letting my mind return to the time I did believe in absolutes, and how Jax had reacted when I shared mine with him . . .



* * *



? ? ?

Jax greeted me with a kiss on the cheek for our fourth date.

A lingering kiss where the soft brush of his longish hair tickled my face and I got a lungful of his enticing scent.

“Thanks for meeting me here, but I would’ve rather picked you up.”

I pointed at the restaurant sign boasting fresh baked goods. “You chose Perkins, a pancake and bakery restaurant, for our date. There’s no way I want you to see me shoveling in breakfast food and then witness me ordering half a dozen muffins to go after the meal. Driving separately means I can sneak back and load up on baked goods after you’ve driven off.”

“Sneaky.” He kissed me softly. “But what if I have plans after we finish eating?”

I shrugged. “You’ll still have to drop me off here when we’re done.” Because I’m not going home with you tonight went unstated, but his expression said he’d heard my message loud and clear.

Placing his hand in the small of my back, he directed me toward the entrance. “What’s your favorite kind of muffin?” His lips touched the top of my ear. “And saying, ‘A stud muffin like you, baby,’ won’t offend me.”

“Dream on.”

Since it was only late afternoon, we scored a window booth seat. A few members of the senior set were the only other patrons. I’d been surprised when Jax had suggested this place since it catered to families during the day and the bar rush crowd late at night . . . until I remembered he’d mentioned his love of breakfast for dinner during one of our epic text conversations the past week.

The waitress appeared. “What can I get you to drink?”

Jax and I said, “Coffee,” simultaneously.

He ordered the Perkins famous “magnificent seven” breakfast—two eggs, two pieces of bacon and three pancakes—and I opted for a waffle, bacon and hash browns.

I stirred two packets of sweetener and one creamer into my coffee. “What’s on the agenda tonight, stud muffin?”

Laughing, he picked up my hand and threaded our fingers together. “Just your average date. Food. Conversation. Groping under the table.”

That’s when I felt his other hand on my knee.

His faked innocent look cracked me up. But I managed to keep a straight face. “In your delusional dating timeline, the first date we talked, the second date we held hands and hugged, the third date we kissed, so the fourth date jumps to us touching each other’s naughty bits?”

“Only if the mood strikes you to—”

“Stroke you?”

Jax squeezed my knee. “You’re sassier than usual tonight.”

“You bring out the best in me.”

“I think you meant to say I bring out the beast in you, baby.”

I laughed.

“God. You are even more beautiful when you laugh.”

“Slathering on the flattery? You really want to get to third base tonight, don’t you?”

“I’m just happy to be here with you. It’s been a long week.”

The ghost tour was the last time we’d been together, although we’d been texting like crazy. “Your out-of-town trip was successful?” He hadn’t told me where he was going, and I hadn’t asked.

“I guess. It seemed like a waste of time and something that could’ve been handled over the phone.”

That’s when I pounced. “Level with me, Jax. You’re some kind of investment banker.” I still had no clue what he did to earn a living. It’d become more of a joke between us, but in some ways, I liked that I didn’t know, because I’d gotten to know Jaxson in a different way than I had other men. We talked about everything but how we spent our workdays.