Page 94 of Burning Bridges Duet

“I slept the whole day, and now I can’t anymore. My head is spinning, so I wanted to go and dance it out,” she says quietly.

“Okay, let’s go,” I tell her, fastening in my seatbelt.

“No, I didn’t mean to interrupt your sleep, Jaxon,” she replies, blinking at me. “You don’t need to come. You can go back in.”

“Sunshine,” I start, my voice firm, “I’m coming. Let’s go.”

The side of her lip tilts upwards as she starts the car.

The studio is quiet when we arrive. I can understand why Liv and Chase like to be here at night, but normally, I would prefer to be in bed. If Liv were there beside me, I doubt I would even make it to work on time in the morning, but we’re here now because she needs this, and I need to know she’s safe. I sit in one of the chairs in front of the stage and make myself comfortable. This is going to take a while, I guess.

Liv stands before me and peels off the oversized sweatpants she borrowed from Chase, leaving her in just his boxers and a T-shirt that is far too big on her, hanging mid-thigh.

“Can I play the music over your phone? Mine is still at your place,” she asks me, and I hand her my phone with the music app open. “Can you please start this song on repeat when I finish stretching?”

I nod my head, trying to keep my eyes on her face rather than her toned legs, while she heads over to the stage. Once up there, she bends down and touches her toes, gradually lowering her upper body until she’s hugging her legs. She then moves into a split, and I’m impressed. So is my cock. She gets back up and pulls her leg up, resting her foot behind her head, causing me to swallow hard as I try to keep my thoughts in check. Oh, the possibilities…

After something like fifteen minutes, she nods to me, and I push the play button. I take a few deep breaths to calm my cock down, not recognizing the song that starts playing. I look down at the screen to see that it’s “I Lost Myself” by Munn with Anna Clendening. The song is about someone who’s left their past behind and is running from the demons that still haunt them.

I watch her intently as she moves to the music, telling her own story with her body, and I can see the weight of her own struggles reflected in her movements. She carries so much on her shoulders, and I can’t help but feel the urge to help her lighten the load. I know she knows that she’s not alone anymore, but I need to find a way to make her believe it. I focus on her, watching her every move, listening to every beat of the music.

I wring the water out of my hair and wrap a small towel around it. My knee is throbbing with pain, but I did dance for nearly two hours. After spending three days in the car, it seems to have been too much. I put the sweatpants that Chase gave me back on, but I leave the boxers, since they’re damp from my sweat. I don’t want to put the sweaty shirt back on either, so I call for Jaxon and cover my chest with my arms. He was great, sitting there calmly and watching me patiently, even as I did the same routine over and over again.

He opens the door and enters the women’s locker room. His eyes widen when he sees me topless, but then they fill with heat as he steps closer to me, his gaze fixed on my arms covering my chest, pushing my breasts up.

“What do you need, sunshine?” His voice is raspy, and I can feel my thighs press together involuntarily. He notices the movement and smirks, looking back into my eyes.

“Chase’s shirt is sweaty. Can I borrow your hoodie?” I ask. I noticed that he had one with him but wasn’t wearing it.

“I brought it for you actually,” he says, holding it out to me. He smirks again, aware that I’ll have to let go of my chest to take it. Two can play this game.

“Help me, please?” I ask innocently, releasing my chest and raising my arms above my head.

Jaxon’s eyes immediately zero in on my hardened nipples, and he curses under his breath. I bite my lip to stifle a laugh as he steps closer, pulling the hoodie over my head and down my torso, his knuckles brushing against the bare skin on the side of my boobs, which makes me shiver. Once the hoodie is in place, he tugs on the fabric to pull me to him and kisses me on the lips.

“We have to catch the sunrise. Let’s go,” he says, his voice rough.

“We do?” I ask, surprised, before he takes my hand and pulls me out of the studio and to my car. He slides into the driver’s seat, and I laugh at his self-assurance.

Jaxon drives us to a seemingly secluded part of the beach. Although it’s still dark, the dawn is already breaking through the night. I get to the trunk of the Mini to get out the blanket I store there.

“You hobbled out of the studio, your knee is hurting. Hop on,” he says, bending down for me to ride piggyback, and I laugh. I never thought I’d ever ride piggyback on Jaxon Tanner.

I get on his back, hugging his shoulders, and he holds my thighs securely as he walks down the beach. He sets me down, takes the blanket from me and lays it out for us before sitting down on it. I move to sit beside him, but he pulls me to sit in front of him between his legs, wrapping his arms around my shoulders and pulling my back into his chest. He leans the side of his head against my temple and squeezes me while we just sit there, watching the sun rise in the distance and listening to the waves crashing on the shore.

“I used to watch the sunrise a lot, but for some reason, I stopped doing it. Other things got more important,” Jaxon says, breaking the silence.

I let myself lean into him a bit more. “We could start doing it again, maybe every other week. Just us,” I offer, and he kisses my temple.

“I’d love that, sunshine,” he says after a few moments.

“Thank you for bringing me here,” I say before cupping his cheek and kissing him gently.

He turns me in his embrace so that I’m kneeling between his legs and deepens the kiss. He pulls me in with a hand on my lower back and threads his fingers through my hair at the back of my head. I bite his bottom lip, and he groans, gripping the hair on my scalp and tugging lightly. The sensation of pain quickly turns into pleasure as he lies back on the blanket, pulling me with him. I’m lying on his chest, my legs straddling his waist, and I start to rub myself against the bulge in his sweatpants. I know I told the twins I’m not ready for sex yet, but the night with Chase had awakened something in me and my fears of getting intimate with them evaporated. I just want to be with them, on every level possible.

Jaxon pulls away from the kiss.

“Nobody ever comes here this early. Do you trust me?” he asks.