Page 82 of First in Line

Jax was always a little too heavy to be an open-wheel driver. He’s several inches above the optimal height, and his physiqueleans toward a more muscular shape. I remember how he used to be extremely careful with his food intake so he wouldn’t be at too much of a disadvantage. He’s still bulkier than most, but he found a way to make that work. And boy, am I thankful for it.

I grab his underwear off the floor and throw it at him. “See you downstairs, Hot Wheels.”

As I go down the steps, I realize just how much I can still feel him between my legs. I haven’t felt this sore in a very long time. Well, since I left him, actually. But with all these years apart, I’ve lost my touch, and something tells me I’ll still feel the aftermath of his powerful ramming in two days.

I’ve barely gotten the food out of the fridge when he joins me, wearing only the boxer briefs I threw at him. That man is so ridiculously fine… How did I ever muster the strength to leave him?

“Take a picture, princess. It’ll last longer,” he cockily says, noticing my stare.

“I was just wondering how a pro athlete can let himself go like this.”

The teasing earns me a sneaky pinch on the ribs, and when I try to get away with a squeal, he grabs my hips and keeps me close.

I melt into his powerful torso as he lays a kiss on my neck, releasing a contented sigh. It probably isn’t a good idea to allow myself to enjoy his touch so much, but I’m high on endorphins thanks to him, and I fear it’s too late to be reasonable.

“Mmm… You smell good,” he appreciatively rasps.

“I reek of sex.”

“Exactly. You smell the same as you used to.”

“Enjoy it while it lasts. I’m hopping in the shower as soon as we’re done eating.”

“Then I’ll work on making you all sweaty again.”

With a giggle, I rip myself away from him and open the food containers. Jax grabs a cold falafel and chucks it into his mouth. “Wait until it’s been in the air fryer at least, you animal.”

“I’m too hungry to care. I skipped dinner. And I don’t know what my mom was cooking, but it smelled great.”

“Oh, you were at your parents’ house?”

“Yeah. Fuck, I should probably call them. After my lawyer told me, I crashed out and left without an explanation.”

I wince, sorry that the filing of our divorce affected him that much.

As I put some things in the air fryer, Jackson goes upstairs and returns with his phone. “Shit, they’ve been trying to reach me the whole evening,” he explains before dialing someone and bringing the phone to his ear.

“Hey, Mom,” he says after a few seconds. “Yeah, I know. I’m sorry. No, I’m all good. I know, sorry.” He looks up at me while she says something, then answers, “No, I don’t think I’m coming home tonight. I’m with Evie right now. At her place.”

Oh crap. Now his mother will get her hopes up as well…

“Mom says hi,” he tells me. “What? Oh, she wants to talk to you, actually.”

I shake my head, definitely not ready for this. But Jax ignores my reluctance and shoves the phone into my hand. “I need to take a piss,” he mouths. Without another word, he heads back upstairs to use the only bathroom he knows of.

A little panicked, I bring the phone to my ear. “Hey, Jada.”

“Evie, sweetie! It’s so good to hear your voice again.”

“Uh, yours too. How—how have you and Mitchell been?”

“Oh, we’re good. Jackson bought us a nice house in Denver.”

“I know, he told me.”

“You’ll have to come visit us one of these days. You’ll see, it’s so much bigger than the old one.”

I mask my discomfort behind an awkward laugh. “We’ll see.”