“Does it hurt?” He swiped the cold cotton swab across thelength of the scar.
Shaking her head, Alessia didn’t trust her voice as thegoosebumps ran across her skin, pebbling her nipples within her bra. Picking upa square Band-Aid package, Jax ripped it open with his teeth before taping itin place.
What had begun as a benign, even downpour suddenly turnedinto something overwhelming and tumultuous above their heads. The dissonantchord against the metal roof was the equivalent as covering the room with alarge smothering blanket of noise. Lowering her wide-eyed gaze from therafters, she looked to Jax, who was looking directly at her. Somehow the wallsof the one-room cabin felt as if they were closing in around them, taking theonce muted energy between them and setting it on fire.
Pushing herself up, Alessia never took her eyes from Jax ashe handed her pants back. Taking his place next to her on the sofa, Jax grabbedand pulled the quilt lying on the back of the sofa over on top of her legs.
“Do you want to watch a movie?” The depths of his roughhewnvoice captured her attention, drawing her eyes down the strong this column ofhis throat.
She could see his Adam's apple bob slightly with every word.Entranced, she watched with no uncertain amount of ardent pleasure at the fainttwitch of the muscle in his jaw working underneath his overgrown beard.Realizing he was waiting for an answer, she looked away and managed a strainedyes.
The kitten dozed off peacefully in his makeshift bed oftowels and the crate. The little island of light around the couch was warm and cozy.Above them, the heavens opened up their gates and poured against the tenderroof. Regret clawed at her soul because once this night ended and the light ofday broke over the trees, tomorrow would be her final goodbye.
Chapter 12
It rained for four days straight.
Each morning started the same way. Opening her eyes in herbedroom loft, Alessia would hold her breath for a moment as her ears picked upthe audible pitter-patter of rain against the metal roof. By the third day,Alessia no longer felt any guilt when she gave a sigh of relief to the rain.The truth was, she didn't want to leave. She liked it here, and she liked Jax.
It was startling a and a wholly unexpected realization, butshe couldn’t lie to herself about it anymore. Her feelings were shallow andmisguided, she knew that. Despite living with the man for almost two months,she knew next to nothing about him except for the tiny fragments of info shefound while snooping. There was no deep, profound reason why she liked him,simply that Jax was a strong, attractive man. She felt safe under his darkwatchful eyes. Falling asleep, knowing he was only a few feet underneath her,gave her an indescribable feeling of peace. Falling for Jax didn't fill herwith elation or joy, it honestly just felt like another screwup on her part.Because adding feelings of attraction and a secret desire was probably not whatshe needed right now. But what would it feel like? What would it feel like forthat hard, dark stare of his to turn towards her with a spark of desireglittering back? Alessia knew she would be inexplicably out of her league withJax sexually. Just imagining his tall, toned body on top of hers, demanding hersubmission with every stroke and every kiss was enough to make her feelfeverish.
"I'm just going to assume you didn't hear a word Isaid," Jax's voice cut through her thoughts, forcing her attention back tothe present.
She was sitting on the rug in front of the wood furnace withher back against the base of the couch. Using a stick and a piece of shreddedfabric, she had pieced together a makeshift cat’s toy for Whiskers. Bobbing thetails of fabric just out of reach, the kitten enjoyed hopping on its hind legsand swiping at the fabric with its tiny paws.
Shaking her head, she gave an apologetic smile to Jax, whowas standing next to an open storage bed on the kitchen table. "No, I'msorry I zoned out for a moment."
Just like it had been for the past few days while they havebeen sequestered inside due to the rain, Jax’s thick brown hair hung looselyaround his shoulders. Occasionally a shorter section of it near the front wouldfall in front of his face, and Alessia had the overwhelming urge to push itback. She wondered what he would do if she did something so bold?
"I was saying that, when I first moved out here, Iexpected there to be weeks like this where you're stuck inside," he said,reaching both hands into the black plastic container. "So, I bought avideogame system and a shit ton of games." Pulling out the console andcontroller, he gave her an expectant look.
Smiling, Alessia got up on her knees to see them better overthe couch. "Oh, wow, are you saying we are going to play…together?"She motioned back and forth between them.
Furrowing his brow, he gave her a questioning grin. “Ofcourse together, unless Whiskers here is hiding tiny thumbs from us. So, do youwant to play?”
“Yes,” she answered with a laugh, scooping the kitten out ofthe way as Jax walked over to set it up. “I haven’t played video games sincefreshman year with one of my neighbors and her brother.”
Sitting on the couch next to her, Jax handed her acontroller.
“But that didn’t last long,” she said as Jax looked over ather with interest. “Because Corey, my friend’s brother, ended up selling it andnearly everything else of value at her house when he got hooked on meth.”
Shaking his head, Jax gave her a low whistle under hisbreath. "You know one day, we're going to make hot chocolate and sit infront of the heater with blankets and I want you to tell me all the horriblethings that went on in that damn trailer park."
Laughter erupted from her mouth before she could stop it.She was not expecting him to say that.
“The awful gossip from my trailer park is not some sort ofcamp side ghost story for you to enjoy,” she laughed.
The music for the game began as Jax gave her a wink. “No,they sound much better.”
Nestled in her lap, the kitten tugged them played with thescrap of fabric she gave him as she and Jax both focused on the game.Eventually, however, she thought of what he said earlier.“One day…”
One day meant in the future, right? Meaning he saw her stillhere, still with him. Or was that just a figure of speech? What if it stoppedraining tomorrow, would that mean this would be her last day with him? Hermovements in the game became sluggish as she thought of Jax dropping her off inEugene and driving away. She didn’t want to leave this hidden world in theforest. She liked being surrounded by nature, she liked the peaceful serenitythe quiet forest provided, but above all else, she liked Jax.
Hitting the pause button on the game, Alessia stared at thewall ahead of her. She could feel Jax turn and look at her but said nothing.She didn’t have the courage to face him, so she focused on the symmetricalgroups of the wooden wall in front of her.
“I don’t want to leave,” she whispered.
She heard the springs in the old couch shift before she felthis hand. Warmth spread through her shoulder as he stretched one arm across theback of the sofa and gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
