Taming Jax (First Wave Book 5) (29 page)

“I need you to explain that a little better.” Reven admitted, not the least embarrassed that he had no idea what the hell the guy was saying.

Shade just chuckled before he stood and gestured to the door. “Let me show you. The class I would like her to join is currently in class, and we can observe them. It will give you a better idea of what I have in mind.”

Reven looked over at Jax and shrugged his shoulders, letting her know that if she was game, so was he, but he would defer to her wishes. Melina also shrugged; her curiosity piqued and Jax sighed and nodded her head, feeling a little outnumbered.

They stood and followed Shade out of the door, and down several hallways before they stopped in front of a closed door. Shade could feel the child’s nervousness and turned to ease her concern.

“We’ll be observing from the deck above the learning field. No one will even know we are there or watching.” Shade said before he opened the door and allowed them inside.

Chapter Seventeen

Reven pulled into the parking lot of the Mom and Pop owned grocery store in town. He and Jax had listened patiently all the way there as Melina excitedly spoke of everything they had seen at the Academy.  

He had to admit; he had been really impressed with the class, and the learning plan that they followed. Melina would be only the fifth child in the class, but the lack of size was more than made up for in the rigorous mental and physical challenges; they were put through.

Shade had explained to them that gifted children, like Melina, who had never been confined to a classroom, had a very difficult time adjusting to traditional human schools. For those hybrids that had lived on the run or never been in school, it was imperative to bridge the gap between what they were familiar with, and the education that they needed.

Even Jax had been impressed with the program Shade had designed for the children, which had surprised everyone. Including her. By the time they had left, Melina had been introduced to the other four children in the class, and they had all huddled together like old friends.

Reven walked to the front of the store and headed inside. Grabbing a cart, he pushed it towards Jax, who immediately swung Bayla into the child seat in the front of the buggy like they did it all the time.

Reven hid his smile as he walked beside the cart down the first aisles, letting Jax lead the way. After the first five minutes, he finally had to say something.

“What exactly is on our list to get?” Reven asked curiously, after they’d gone down the same aisle three times, picking up different items each time.

Jax just shrugged. “I didn’t make a list. I figured we could get what appealed to us.”

Reven stopped and looked at her like she’d lost her mind. “You don’t have a list of things you’re out of or need?” He asked incredulously as Jax visibly bristled at his tone of voice.

Jax stopped the cart in the middle of the aisle and gave Reven a withering stare. “For your information, I spend most of my time following very rigid schedules and rules. When I’m not at work, I prefer to relax and not worry about minor little things. Lists are not my strong suit.”

Reven knew she was waiting for him to say something that would set off her anger, and he wasn’t going to fall for it. Instead, he gave Bayla a gentle chuck under the chin and grinned at Jax before saying, “That’s ok; I'm pretty good at lists.”

Jax watched with exasperation as the annoying man walked down the aisle ahead of her and began grabbing things off of the shelf before dumping them in the cart. She wanted to yell at him or rant and rave, but he was actually throwing things in there that she didn’t realize they needed until he had.

On the next aisle, he stopped in front of the hair-care products and grabbed more baby shampoo for Bayla before turning to Jax. “You might want to grab some conditioner; I noticed you were almost out when I showered this morning.”   

Jax was about ready to ask him if he was mocking her, when he casually went further down the aisle and started looking at the men’s personal-care products. No smug grins, no arrogant attitude, not even a bit of sarcasm in his words. What the hell, was he up to this time, Jax thought with a frown as she stared blankly at the conditioners on the shelf in front of her.

So intent on figuring out Reven, she didn’t see who had approached until she heard the cheerful voice behind her and cringed inwardly.

“Jax! It’s so good to see you!” Frankie exclaimed with glee. She’d been waiting to catch Jax away from that delicious jerk who seemed to be attached to her hip lately.

Jax sighed and looked down the aisle to make sure Reven was still occupied before she turned to her friend Frankie. She loved the girl to death, but she had no filter on her mouth at all. What she thought, came out of her mouth without a single passing concern of how it would sound or be received.

“Frankie, how’s it going?” Jax asked nonchalantly, trying not to instigate the girl into starting an actual conversation. She should have known better.

“Me? How are you doing with Mr. Stick-up-his-ass? You obviously haven’t killed him yet. Or are you giving him
la petit morte
, the little death instead?” Frankie asked before bursting out laughing at her own joke.

Jax wasn’t the least bit amused. In fact, she was furious. She turned to Melina. “Go help Reven for a minute honey, his arms are getting full.”

When Melina looked angrily at Frankie, Jax put a hand on the girl’s shoulder and nodded her head gently. With one last narrowed gaze at Frankie, Melina walked down the aisle to Reven, and Jax turned on her friend.

“Listen to me good Frankie, for I will never give you this warning again.” Jax said with a low growl as she stood toe to toe with her friend.

When Jax knew she had Frankie’s undivided attention she continued. “That man may have his faults, and he may be an ass, but he has been amazing with these kids. They chose him as their adopted father and not you, or anyone else will stand in front of these kids and talk bad about him.”

Jax glanced back to make sure Reven was still down the aisle and met Melina’s smiling gaze. The little girl smiled and nodded at her before turning back to Reven and keeping his attention.

Jax smiled and turned back to Frankie. “Don’t ever talk bad about him in front of our kids again.”

Frankie looked stunned and stepped back from Jax, looking at her strangely before finding her voice. “Jax, what the fuck?”

Jax interrupted her again. “Watch your mouth in front of the baby! I don’t want her first words to be bad! Dang woman!”

Frankie just looked at Jax like she was a complete stranger before busting out laughing, causing Reven to look curiously down the aisle at them.

Jax tried to shut her up before Reven came to see what was so funny. “Frankie, it’s not funny. Stop being a drama queen.”

Frankie stopped laughing and looked at Jax with a dopey grin on her face. “Funny? It’s hilarious! You just don’t see the humor yet. But you will.” Frankie said with another laugh before she walked away. Jax really hoped she was leaving the small store.

She leaned down and whispered to Bayla, “Let’s keep that our secret little one.” Bayla just giggled and smacked her hands on the handle of the cart as Reven and Melina approached.

Reven helped Melina put the various items in the cart and looked up at Jax. “Everything ok? Did you not find the brand you like?”

Jax forced a small smile and looked away from his penetrating blue gaze. “Yeah… no… I mean, Frankie distracted me for a minute.”

Reven knew exactly what Frankie had said that had distracted Jax, and he did his level best not to let it show that he knew. Bayla had relayed the interaction to Melina, and the wonderful girl had told him everything that had been said between Frankie and Jax.

Reven quickly scanned the shelf in front of Jax and grabbed a bottle before turning back to his mate. “I think this is the one you have now, isn’t it?”

Jax looked at the bottle in his hands blankly and just nodded her head. “Yeah, that looks good.”

She followed a chatting Reven and Melina with the cart, her mind on Frankie and what the woman had meant. Whatever the woman was thinking; it was most likely wrong and Jax didn’t like the thought of rumors going around. At least not when they involved she and Reven. Together.

Besides, what had she been thinking? Why the hell had she made it sound like she was defending the oaf?

Her beast, Ritan, screamed in her mind.  “Because you were, as you should have!”

Jax sighed heavily and tried to concentrate on the grocery shopping, hoping they would be done soon. She really didn’t feel like running into any more of her friends or her team.

Luckily, it had only taken another fifteen minutes for them to end up in the check-out lane, with a cart full of stuff she had no idea they had even needed. The majority of which, Reven had somehow figured they had needed and put in the cart.

She was a little shocked at the total, which was ten times more than she usually spent at the store. Trying to stifle her gasp at the insane amount, Jax grabbed her purse to find her wallet.

Just as she found it, she looked up to see Reven had already whipped out his and paid in cash. Quickly figuring out her half of the bill, she tried to count out the money while pushing the cart out of the door, when Reven put his hand over hers to still her movements. Jax looked up into his beautiful blue eyes as he spoke quietly.

“You get it next time.”

She just nodded her head as he pulled the basket part of the cart towards the SUV, giving her a chance to put her money back in her purse. Reaching the vehicle, Jax got Bayla into her car seat as Melina and Reven loaded everything into the back.

They got back to the house in good time, and Jax got Bayla into the playpen inside while Reven and Melina carried in the groceries. She was going to go out and help, now that the baby was contained, until she saw Reven carrying in all the bags in his two huge hands while Melina held the door open for him.

Damn if the man didn’t come in handy, Jax thought at she hid her grin at his bulging biceps straining against his sleeves as he carried everything into the kitchen. It would have taken her at least four trips to bring all of that in.

He dropped everything into the middle of the floor and he, and Jax started pulling everything out and figuring where to put it all in the cabinets.

If the bathroom situation hadn’t made it clear enough earlier, then the lack of space in the kitchen, really sealed it for Jax. They needed a bigger place. She wanted to rant and rave and scream at the thought.

Frankie, the friend she’d just chastised in the store, was in charge of housing and Jax would have to go through her in order to get them a bigger place. The thought of facing her again after she made an ass of herself in the store was not pleasant.

Maybe it could wait a while, she thought as she watched Reven stacking the boxes of cereal, crackers and other items on the counters because the cabinets, and the top of the refrigerator were full.

Reven still had at least a dozen boxes with no place to put them, and she turned around in the kitchen, looking for anywhere that they could fit. She and Reven finally agreed that the excess items could go on the middle shelf in the hall closet for now.

Jax had expected him to start pressuring her about getting a bigger place and was a little surprised when he didn’t say anything about it. She really shouldn’t have been surprised though, this whole day had been jacked up from the beginning.

The conniving man had figured out a way to worm his way under her skin; Jax thought as Reven and the kids took Wolfen outside. She was a little startled by her beast Ritan’s angry sarcasm.

“No you fool! You finally got a chance to see that he’s really not the bad man you think he is! Why are you so stubborn? Why? Do you really seek to be lonely and miserable?”

“Even your thoughts are crazy! Have you ever actually listened to yourself? Never mind, of course you do, or we wouldn’t be here right now!”