Stare Me Down (Stare Down) (21 page)

“I didn’t know you were adopted.” But now that he did a lot of things made perfect sense.

She snatched up her glass and took a large gulp of wine. When she returned it to the table she stared into it, saying, “Yep. My birth mother had me when she was young, but I wasn’t put up for adoption until she died.”

“I see.” He let go of her hand and sat back. “How did you meet Maggie?”

“It wasn’t a matter of a chance meeting. She knew my birth mother and when…‌well, when she was able to, she found me. Things weren’t very good with my adopted family by then, so Maggie stuck around and when she found out that my parents were basically cutting all financial ties to me, she stepped in. She didn’t like any of the colleges I applied to so before I knew it, a few months later we were both living in Colorado. I attended the college of her choosing and spent the next two years immersed in studies while she started her practice. It was a foregone conclusion that once I graduated I would join her group.”

“Interesting.” The dragon wasn’t so much as burning Jaxx, as she was suffocating her like a guilt-ridden parent. “Are you aware that she’s got her heart set on some Germany guy coming stateside to knock you up?”

Her eyes widened in such a comical way he almost laughed until she whispered, “She told you about that?”

Now his eyes widened. “Is it true?”

“No.”

“Good. I’m not going to lie. The concept kind of freaked me out.”

She blinked up at him. “Why? There’s nothing wrong with a woman being a single parent.”

“I wasn’t referring to that I was talking about Carmichael’s idea of skimming the crème de la crème sperm off the conception pool. Apparently the Kraut is a dried-up old egghead who would have helped you conceive the next Einstein.”

She scowled. “Dried up? Maggie never said that. You’re exaggerating.” She hit her shoulder into his and laughed, “I think she’s trying so hard with Gunther because of Walter.”

Recalling Maggie’s words just before she arranged his and Jaxx’s first date he asked, “Was Walter your one long term relationship?”

“Wow, you do have all the news, don’t you? Yeah, I guess you could say, he was my first boyfriend. I met him sophomore year in college. I think I was too young for him.”

“That’s why he broke up with you?”

“I wish.”

The way she muttered that sentiment had him curious. “What happened?”

She was back to fiddling with her wine glass until he moved it away from her. Then she looked up and said, “I think he needed me to shoulder him through his courses and when those courses were done? So was our relationship. On graduation I learned he’d gotten back to his ex. Who probably never was and ex, if you know what I mean?”

“The guy must have had shit for brains.”

That made her smile. “Maybe he just angry that I graduated with same degree he did only in half the time.”

Aries had another idea. “Or maybe Maggie ran him off.”

Jaxx shook her head. “No, she loved Walter. She was the one who set us up.”

“She seems to make a lot of arrangements for you, doesn’t she?”

“Yes, but—”

“I hear an excuse at the ready. Are you actually going to defend the dragon?”

She squirmed, took another sip of wine and looked at him. “There’s something about Maggie you don’t know. She was supposed to adopt me when my mother died, but that didn’t happen. And when she finally found me and saw…‌well, learned how my life had been with my adopted family she felt guilty.”

“Maggie told you that? And how bad was your life with them? Were you—?”

She held up a hand. “Not, abused. More neglected and to this day I’m not sure which is worse. And as far as Maggie telling me? That’s a negative. We don’t talk about that part of the past. She thinks I’m not ready, but I know it’s her that needs to come to terms with it, because I don’t blame her. She was young. Too young at the time to take on my care.”

Aries considered for a moment. “So this is why she wants to run your life?”

Jaxx shook her head. “No. when I was eighteen she called it ‘keeping the reins on me’ and she hasn’t let up since. You’re the one who calls it ‘running my life’.”

“Really? You don’t need reins. Christ, it’s just the opposite, if you ask me.”

“Well‌—‌now this is according to Maggie after she found me‌—‌I needed to stop behaving like the people who raised me and start being more sensible like my real mom. Not an easy thing to do living up to a ghost.” She scooped up her wine glass and shot back the rest of the contents. “But enough about all that. I just wanted you to understand she’s not so bad.”

Aries took the glass from her hand and grinned as he returned it to the table. “If you say so.” Taking her cue he changed the subject. “Now I’ve been wondering…”

“Yes?”

“Why don’t you ever pull the doctor card?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean—” he tucked a stray chunk of hair behind her ear, “—if you told people you were a doctor you’d get good seats. A better table. Maybe some free shit once in a while.”

Even though she laughed there was an aura of sadness buried in the sound. “I don’t know. I don’t really feel like a full-fledged one, you know? I’m more like an intern.”

He pulled back. “An intern? No you’re not. You graduated. I saw the diplomas on the wall. Besides, as fucked up as our justice system is, it’s not that screwy that they’d put you in charge of the criminals unless you were qualified.”

“I don’t deal with criminals. People in need remember?” She shrugged. “I guess I’m waiting for Maggie.”

“To what? Baptize, anoint or promote you? Come on, sweetheart. Maggie is not the boss of you.”

“You don’t think? Why?” Her dejected kick-the-can expression had him grinning until she said, “You want to be?”

This made him scowl. “No. I’d like you to be the boss of you.”

“Oh.”

He tipped up her chin and lowered his voice so she’d focus. “Tell me, did you like the berries we had for dessert?”

“Yes.”

“Good, but I want another kind of sweet.” The server came in and Aries waited for him to collect the check. After the guy left, he pulled her into his arms. “Finally. I’ve got you all to myself.”

“Aries!”

He ignored her laughed-out protest and pressed her down into the cushioned upholstery. “I seem to remember a ballsy woman who texted something about wanting to suck my cock.”

“You can’t be serious? Here? The waiter might come back in.”

“He won’t. I tipped him fifty percent. In the land of waiterdom that’s code for ‘I own this room for as long as I want it’.”

She gasped. “What are you doing?”

“I’m putting my‌—‌God you have the softest thighs‌—‌hand up your skirt. Now I’m taking these down. They’re silky. Are they the black ones?”

“Aries.”

He stuffed her thongs in his pocket and nuzzled her neck. “Spread your legs for me. Come on. Get them up. Wrap them around me.” He was glad when she did and he flexed into her. “Fuck I can feel your heat right through my pants. It reminds me of the night in the maze. Of your hot ass burning me.”

Some of the tension left her so he pressed his advantage. He bit the side of her neck, her earlobe and nipped along the line of her jawbone as she angled to give him better access. “I want you to talk to me. Tell me what you want.”

“Oh yeah…”

This time her voice was a hoarse whisper as her grip on his shoulders tightened. He could tell she was trying to focus in on the moment and go with it, but she needed help.

“Is this what you want?” He sank his hand in her hair and pulled. The soft strands felt so fucking good in his palm that he groaned. “Open your eyes. Very good. Now tell me what you want.” He tugged until she shivered.

“I want you to put your mouth on my nipples.”

He’d been expecting her say she wanted to suck his cock, so when he heard that breathy plea his pulse kicked up speed. “You just want me to put my mouth on you? Are you sure? Think and be specific.”

“I-I want you to suck on them.”

“How?”

“Wh-what?”

“Hard. Soft. How?”

“I want…‌I want—”

“Tell me,” he breathed in her ear. “What do you want?”

“I want you to bite them.”

Now this was… “Very good. What else?” he whispered as he slowly undid the buttons of her blouse with his teeth. Pausing mid-pop on the second to last one to repeat, “Tell me.”

“Oh, God, I want—”

“I’m sorry sir. I didn’t know‌—‌sorry.”

Aries leaned over Jaxx to cover her until the maître d turned and left. Then he sat up and raked a hand through his hair. “Fuck.”

“Not here. I told you someone would come in.”

He did a double take. There she was calmly buttoning up her blouse and yanking on her skirt. It was hard to tell whether that color on her cheeks was from a blush or the heat of passion. Either way it didn’t matter. She was gorgeous and looked so fuckable right now that he stood and held out his hand.

“Come on. I know somewhere that’s totally private and close to here.”

She let him pull her up. “Your place?”

He took one look at cock straining the fabric of his pants and shook his head. “Too far. I have another place in mind.”

Chapter Thirteen

A few minutes later Jaxx stared through the open hatch of Aries Escalade and frowned. “What do you mean get in? You want me to crawl through the back way?”

He stepped behind and wrapped his arms around her. Resting his chin on the top of her head he said, “What I want is for you to climb into the back. You can see I put the seats down so there’s plenty of room.” He bent and continued to whisper in ear. “You’ll take off all your clothes for me and fold them before handing them over. Then when you’re naked I want you to lie on your stomach with your right cheek pressed into the carpet so you’re facing the passenger door on the driver’s side.”

“Why?”

“I told you to.”

“But—”

“Trust me.”

“I…”

“Do it. For me. Please.”

She was just about to say okay when he sucked in a breath and said, “I love your little shiver. It tells me you like what I’m doing with you. I’ll help you up. Come on.”

She nodded not sure if she could speak. This was so weird, but in a good way she didn’t want to spoil it by saying something normal.

“All you clothes off.”

She was on her hands and knees waiting for the hatch to close and when it didn’t she shot a look over her shoulder at him. “Aren’t you going to close the door?”

“No.”

She scooted around so fast she nearly got rug burn on her knees. “But someone might see.”

“I definitely know of one person who intends on seeing.” His smile almost blinded her through the darkness.

“This is crazy.” Even as she said it she was undoing her blouse and peering out the window to scan the parking lot.”

“Hey, Eagle Eyes, pay attention. You missed one.”

She looked down and realized he was talking about one of her buttons. “Oh.”

“I’m thinking if you concentrated on the task at hand it will get done quickly and maybe the couple I see currently waving goodbye to the maître d won’t wander past.”

She had her blouse and bra off so fast her breasts bobbed. Unfortunately her skirt presented a challenge. She tugged and pushed, nearly ripping the material at the zipper seam as she shimmied out of it. “There.”

“Wait. No tossing. I asked you to fold them.”

She felt like growling. His congenial tone had a tendency to grate on her in situations like this. How could he be so calm?
Well, for starters he wasn’t the one getting naked.
And when that came to her she wanted so badly to look out the window to gauge where that couple was, but fought the urge opting to attack the job of more-like wadding up her clothes than—

“
Tsk, tsk.
Neatly.”

“Ugh!” She finished and then patted the small stack. “There. Hurry up.”

He leaned against the side frame of the door and crossed his arms over his chest. “Hurry up, what?”

Oh, for the love of God. This was no time for him to be waiting for her to be polite. “Please.”

“No. I didn’t mean that. I literally meant hurry up and do what?”

Were those footsteps approaching? Was that a woman’s laugh? Coming closer. And closer. “Hurry up and shut the door!” She put a palm over each breast and tried to duck behind the driver seat.

“Jaxx?”

“I don’t—” she squashed up against the back of the seat and squinted to look between the seat top and the bottom of the headrest, “—see anyone. You?”

“Jaxx.”

“What?” She shot a look at him and then turned back to keep an eye out on the lot. “Why haven’t you shut the door?”

“I’m waiting.”

“For?” She stretched up and strained to get a better look of the parked cars around them. Was someone there?

“For you to position yourself the way I asked you to.”

When that pronouncement sank in, she frowned. He couldn’t really think that she was just going to carry on with his smutastick plans when they both knew there were people milling about, could he?

“You’re wasting time.”

Well, that answered that. Slowly she turned to look at him. Taking in all of his six-foot-four, totally gorgeous and completely serene inch of him, she whispered, “What if someone walks by?”

“I’d shut the door.”

Of course he would.
Deep breath.
She needed to get a grip here, but then just as she moved to do as he asked she heard him softly murmur.

“Maybe.”

“What?” she grabbed for her blouse and straightened so much, her head bumped the glass sunroof. “I know this is normal for you but I’m a doctor.”

His lopsided grin had her heart rate speeding until his voice sounded and her pulse shattered that record and made one of its own as it sped. “Now you pull the doctor card?”

“I‌—‌yes.”

His expression went all serious when he leaned forward and braced his arms, shoulder width apart with palms flat on the carpeting and looked at her. “And I’m a Dom, but more specifically I’m your guy who has asked nicely for you to do something for him because he has a plan in mind. So unless you have a better one I would like you to do as I asked. Please.”