I Want You Back (Want You #1)(94)

“She never wore them because they were lopsided. Crocheting wasn’t my best crafting skill.”

“What was?”

“Soldering jewelry. I rocked at bending metal too.” Then just to see how he’d react, I tacked on, “But I especially loved handling hard rods.”

Jax’s head whipped my direction.

He didn’t buy my innocent expression . . . but he didn’t respond with a veiled lewd comment either.

My naughty smirk stayed in place as I walked away, leaving them to spend time alone together.

I’d unloaded my research—aka other companies’ ad campaigns and marketing blitzes—for the new spa products campaign geared toward late teen/early twentysomething women, and dove in.

Since I’d freelanced from home during Mimi’s toddler years, I could block out everything and concentrate on the project at hand.

Mimi’s tap on the shoulder startled me. “Hey. You done already?”

Jax chuckled. “It’s been an hour and a half since we’ve heard anything from you.”

“Sorry. I was in the zone.”

“Go back to it. After Meems is ready for bed, I’ll listen to her read and tuck her in.”

Mimi hugged me. “Night, Mommy. Thanks for the best day.”

“You’re welcome, sweetie. Love you.”

And I returned to the zone without problem, not breaking free from it until Jax flopped next to me on the couch.

“Man. She was wound up today.”

“She used to be like that every day. It was exhausting.”

“I can’t imagine.”

I gathered the materials I’d spread out everywhere and stacked them on the coffee table. Then I faced Jax, who wore a sheepish look. “What?”

“Remember when we first started dating and you made me tell you a few things that I was bad at?”

I nodded.

“After tonight we can add crafting to that list.” He held out a tangled object that I assumed was a bracelet. “Go ahead and laugh.”

“Well, it’s not . . . totally hideous. It’s completely unwearable, but you earned a solid C for effort.”

He laughed. “Mimi insisted I make it specifically for you and give it to you, now that you and I are friends.”

My gaze zoomed to his. “Is that all she said? That we’re friends? Nothing about—”

“Seeing us macking on each other rink side?” He shook his head. “Maybe at her age that’s all she’s capable of seeing, since she thinks most boys are smelly and stupid.”

“You have a point. She’s never seen me in a romantic relationship, so she would call this a friendship.”

Jax reached out and twined a hank of my hair around his finger. “What would you call it, Luce?”

“Confusing.”

He said nothing for several long moments; he just continued that motion of wrapping and unwrapping my hair. Finally he said, “About Saturday night . . .”

I shocked him by shifting to sit on his lap with my knees tucked beside his thighs and pressing my fingers over his lips. “I’ve had just as much time to think about it as you have. Yesterday I came to the realization that I owe you an apology.”

He tried to protest, but I shook my head and pressed harder against his mouth.

“I talk, you listen. I told you I wanted everything between us to unfold organically. And my offer of a massage didn’t have ulterior motives . . . at first. But as soon as you let me touch you, I remembered how much I loved touching you, and rather than being content with that one small step, I pushed it. I pushed you into a place you didn’t want to be, and I’m sorry. So sorry, Jax. I made you uncomfortable, it made you leave and that made me mad. When I simmered down, I realized I was in the wrong, not you for removing yourself from a situation you weren’t ready to be in. So I am sorry, okay?”

His fingers circled my wrist, pulling my hand from his mouth. But those vivid blue eyes that I loved roamed over my face, as if he was searching for something.

“What?”

“Thank you.”

“For?”

“For understanding. For being better at this stuff than I am. For proving you’ve changed as well.” He returned to twisting that section of my hair. “We agreed to not bring up the past, but I have to say that the old Lucy wouldn’t have been able to let that go. You would’ve given me the silent treatment until I cracked and had to pick a fight so we could talk about it.”

“True.” I groaned. “And I always considered myself the more mature one in our relationship.”

“Yeah, well, I reverted today when I accused you of keeping Mimi out of practice because of what’d happened between us Saturday night. Sorry for that, by the way.”

“Apology accepted.”

Jax tugged me closer by the hair, until my mouth was mere inches from his, until those soulful eyes were right where I could see every emotion I felt mirrored in his. “Can we kiss and make up now?”

“God yes. Please.”

The kiss destroyed me from the first touch of his lips to mine.

Achingly sweet.

Unhurried.

Tender.

Passionate.

Fresh and hungry and possessive and perfect.

So freaking perfect that I almost burst into tears—but then I would’ve had to relinquish his lips, and that wasn’t happening anytime soon.