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“Oh no. I am the worst at keeping secrets. It used to drive Zoe nuts. She would deny, deny, deny to the end, but all my parents would have to do was stare at me and I’d crack like ice in spring. Even thinking about lying makes my skin itch.”
“Brynn is the same. She ratted me out for every infraction.”
Milly absently ran a finger around the rim of her mug. “You grew up with the Carmichaels. What was that like?”
“Comforting, I guess. My mom’s house was a free-for-all, but Peggy ran a tight ship with a soft touch. There were rules and structure, but she was patient with me.”
“And you needed patience?”
“Hell, I needed a keeper. When I first moved in with them, I was practically feral. I didn’t trust easily and pushed back to test how long it would take before they snapped.” Or if they’d figure out he was more trouble than he was worth.
“Did you live with them?” She held up a hand. “And if that’s too personal, you don’t have to answer.”
He didn’t usually talk to women—he flirted. He also didn’t spill his guts—he charmed. But with Milly he was able to do all four.
“They never officially adopted us—my mom wouldn’t give up custody—so I split time between houses. My brother spent nearly all his time at Peggy and Kent’s.”
“That must have been hard going back and forth.”
“Not any harder than a divorced family.” That was a lie.
As if she could read his mind, she rested a comforting hand on his, but the electricity that sparked was a hell of a lot more than comforting. It was like panty-ripping foreplay. He knew she felt it too because she looked at their hands and her mouth formed a perfect O of surprise. Then something changed. That spark became a flame, and he couldn’t help himself.
“One more?” he said, bringing her hand to his mouth and nipping at her fingertips.
Her reply was to lean in and rest her palms on his thighs for balance, then she brushed her lips across his. If he thought she smelled good, she tasted even better. Then there was the little noise she made when he sucked on her lower lip.
Now, Jax wasn’t into PDA, and he certainly wasn’t open to the idea of the endless shit his buddies would give him if he didn’t pull back. He could tell that, even though she was the one to initiate with that blindfold and dare, the attention they’d received after had made her uncomfortable. So even though he wanted nothing more than to take things from PG to PG-13, he wasn’t going to open her up to his friends’ hoots and hollers. He was surprised the catcalls hadn’t already started.
He pulled back, slowly easing their lips apart. When her met her gaze, it was identical to his—lust-hazed.
She looked down the bar to where her friends sat, and he thought she was going to tell him his time was up. But then she shocked the hell out of him when she said, “Come home with me?”
It wasn’t said in the cocky way the women he was used to would say. In fact, she looked like she’d shocked herself.
He chuckled. “Are you asking me or yourself?”
“Come home with me.” This time it was a statement, her tone was nervous yet assured.
He tucked her hair behind her ear as if unable to stop touching her. “Isn’t the rule three dates?”
“Rules aren’t valid at a ghost-lorette party. Everyone knows that.”
He cracked a smile meant to disarm her. “Everyone, huh?” She nodded. “I still want to take you on that date.” What the hell he was saying? His desire to go home with her was stronger than it had been with any other women. But this wasn’t any other woman, it was Milly.
She brought the mug to her lips and took a sip, dramatically setting it back down on the bar top. “You said a hot cocoa date. You made me hot cocoa and this feels like a date.” Her confidence wavered. “Unless I’m reading this wrong.”
“Mills, I’ve had my hands on your knees for the past twenty minutes, itching to get to your thighs. I just want you to be sure because my life is complicated and I don’t have enough to offer more.”
“I’m not looking for more. I’m just looking for some fun. I’m juggling too many plates as it is and if I’m not careful, they’d all come crashing to the floor.” Her honesty exposed a part of his heart he tried to keep locked up tight.
“Is that what tonight’s about? Fun?”
“Yes. And taking life by the balls.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “Take life by the balls?”
“It’s kind of Zoe’s philosophy on life. When she got sick, she made me promise to do things that scared me, made me feel alive. We talked about things we wanted to do, places we wanted to visit, but we never got that far. She’s been gone four months already, so I have some catching up to do. So, will you come home with me?”
