The XOXO New Adult Collection: 16 Full Length New Adult Stories (320 page)

“Give blood? I don’t want to give blood,” Karma said, her face turning pale. “That must be a mistake. I hate needles. I would never put that on the list.”

“Maybe you wanted to overcome your fear.” Jax set the list between them in the truck. He pulled open his phone and searched for Red Cross locations and backed out of the driveway. “There’s one not too far from here.”

Karma threw her head against the seat. “Jax, let’s pick something else. I don’t think that’s first-date material.”

“You made the list.” Jax flicked on the blinker, leaving the neighborhood.

“I’m going to pass out.”

“Lots of people pass out when they give blood. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Your blood could save someone’s life.”

Thirty minutes later Karma was sitting in a chair and staring at him like she wanted to throttle him. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. The nurse came around and tied the rubber band on her bicep and gave her a ball to squeeze.

“There’s nothing to be afraid of, people give blood all the time,” Jax tried to reassure her. He thought it was cute she was scared and also brave of her for wanting to overcome the fear, even if she went kicking and screaming.

Karma glared at him as the nurse swabbed her arm and removed the needle from the package. Karma’s face took on a greenish hue. Well, she shouldn’t have put it on her list if she didn’t want to do it, Jax thought with a smirk.

As soon as the needle entered her arm, Karma looked down. “I feel light-headed,” she said; then she slumped to the side, passing out.

Holy shit, she really does pass out.
Jax rushed to her side and held her up. The nurse just rolled her eyes. “Honey, she’s fine. It happens all the time, she will be back to herself soon.” She pulled the needle out, set the blood on the counter, and placed a Band-Aid on her arm.

Jax shook Karma by the shoulder, and her eyes fluttered open. “Is it over?”

“Yeah, it’s over,” he said, smiling. She looked so innocent and fragile it brought out a protective streak in him. “You did very good.”

The nurse came back over and handed her a container of juice and crackers. “This will help. Do you need to lie down?”

“Nah, I’m fine. Thanks,” Karma said and gave her half a smile.

“At least I didn’t slide to the floor this time.” Karma took a sip of the drink.

“I would have caught you.” Shit, what was it about this girl that made him want to put a protective barrier around her to keep her safe?

“Thanks for making me go through with it. It’s not so bad once it’s over.”

“I think it’s pretty cool that it was on your list.”

“I might need to reconsider my list,” Karma said with a sigh.

“No way. I hope this is a copy, because I’m keeping it. I need to figure out what we’ll do tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow? Don’t you work? Or go to college?”

“I do work. Unfortunately, I’m going to have to miss out on some of our days. I work two twenty-four-hour shifts a week.”

Karma set down her drink and peeled open the crackers. “What kind of job has all-day shifts?”

“I’m a fireman.”

She looked up, her gray eyes full of surprise. “Get out of here. You are not.”

Jax laughed. “Why is that so hard to believe?”

“I don’t know. I guess I just thought of you as some tattooed bouncer. Now you tell me you have this life-saving job. It makes you even sexier—if that’s possible.” Karma shoved one of the crackers in her mouth.

“You think I’m sexy?” Jax gave her a crooked grin. He still couldn’t believe this girl wanted to spend time with him.

“Everyone thinks you’re sexy.”

“Watch it, Karma, you might cause my head to swell.”

Karma looked at him out of the corner of her eye and smiled wickedly. “That’s the plan.”

Jax’s pulse raced; this girl was going to drive him crazy. He wanted to take her right then and there, he didn’t even care if everyone watched. How in the hell was he going to make it through three weeks?

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K
arma watched as Jax took his turn giving blood and tried not to drool all over herself. His large athletic frame barely fit into the small metal chair. She could stare at his hulking arms forever. Well, maybe not that long, but a very long time without a doubt. There was much more to admire about Jax than just his tattooed arms. Such as the way his T-shirt stretched across his broad chest as if it was hanging on for dear life. Her eyes drifted downward, taking in his flat stomach and muscular thighs; she felt heat rise to her face when she recalled running her hand up the length of him the other night. He was so hard, long, and thick she couldn’t help but grin at the memory. Shit, just looking at this guy made her body tingle and her panties damp.

He looked up and gave her one of his crooked grins that caused her heart to go into overdrive. His face was transformed when he smiled, making him look relaxed and happy. It was refreshing to see that instead of the cold hardened look he had at the club.

What an unusual man he was turning out to be. A fireman? Does it get any sexier than that?
Karma thought to herself as she took a sip of the juice the nurse had given her. She felt physically unable to take her eyes off him.

She focused on his sensual lips, and all she wanted to do was trace her thumb around them. His lips had felt incredible on her last night. Hopefully, she didn’t have to wait the full three weeks to get them back on her body.

She was so lost in her fantasy she didn’t even realize he had stood up and was coming her way.

Her eyes were glued to him as he walked toward her with athletic grace and the confidence of a man who’s completely at ease with himself. And why wouldn’t he be? He was perfection personified.

“Now what?” Karma asked as Jax approached her. Her breath caught when he was in touching distance, sending a thrill through her body. The warmth from his body invaded her personal space, but she didn’t mind, not one little bit.

Jax pulled out her list from his back pocket and scanned it. His blue eyes flicked up to hers, causing her knees to weaken. “Now we go to lunch, and pray for rain,” he said as an impish grin crossed his face.

“You don’t need rain to kiss me, you know,” Karma shot back playfully.

Mother Nature, if you’re listening, now would be a good time to turn on the water works!

Jax put his hand on her back and gently nudged her forward. “Let’s get out of here.”

Karma laced her arm through his, and they strolled out the door. Being so close to him made her heart pound like a jackhammer against her chest. However, she wasn’t going to let her nerves get in the way; she was going to take advantage of any time they had together. There was no way she was going to screw up another chance of—well, getting screwed.

“What’s your favorite food?” Jax squinted down at her as they walked into the bright sunlight.

Karma pulled out her sunglasses and settled them on her nose. “Pizza, steak, ribs, pasta. You name it, and I probably like it.”

“A girl who likes to eat—that’s refreshing. All right, where is the best pizza joint in town?”

“That’s easy, Michael’s Pizza. It’s not too far from here either.”

“After you, Karma,” Jax said as he gestured for her to take the lead.

Twenty minutes later they were sitting in a booth across from each other. Karma had an overwhelming need to learn as much as she could about Jax. She wanted to know what made him tick. Their time was limited. She knew she wanted to remember every last detail about him for the rest of her life, so she had to be a sponge and soak in as much as possible.

Karma ran her hand over the sticky red-and-white-checkered plastic placemat. So many questions ran through her head, and she had no idea where to begin. She figured she would start with the most intriguing thing about him.

“What made you decide to become a fireman?” Karma asked as Jax looked over the menu. What compelled someone to willingly walk into a burning building? Karma always admired the courage they had to possess to risk their lives for a living.
Definitely a rare breed of men and women.

Jax glanced up, and their eyes met. His clear blue eyes clouded over for a second as a play of emotions crossed his face.

Finally, he looked away and said, “My father was a fireman. I guess you can say I followed in his footsteps.”

“Oh, that’s cool. Do you guys get to work together at all?”

Jax looked down again. “No, he was killed in a fire when I was younger.”

“Oh, wow. I’m sorry. I can’t even imagine,” she said, trying not to squirm in her seat. Why did she always have to stick her foot in her mouth? She struggled to come up with something to say to break the tension.

His jaw clenched and relaxed just as quickly. “It’s okay. It was a long time ago.”

Karma absently moved her fork around on the table. She tended to move her hands a lot when she was nervous or unsure of what to do or say. “Still, that has to be hard.”

“You could say that,” Jax said as he pushed the menu to the middle of the table. He looked relieved when the waiter came over and placed two glasses of water on the table.

“Hey, Karma, the usual?” Stephen, the owner’s son, asked.

Karma nodded and then figured she’d better make sure it was okay with Jax. “Meat lover’s?” She raised an eyebrow.

“Perfect.” Jax smiled his approval and added two Cokes to the order.

They sat in awkward silence for a couple of minutes. She needed a subject change and fast. “So, five sisters, huh?”

“Oh yeah. The house was always full of drama growing up.” Jax laughed, clearly grateful for the subject change. “What about you, any brothers or sisters?”

“Nope. Just me. I always wondered what it would be like to have a brother or sister, but to be honest seeing my friends fighting with their siblings all the time didn’t look like much fun to me.”

“It’s not so bad. I honestly can’t imagine being an only child.”

“Are you the youngest?” Karma asked.

Jax grinned. “People always assume I’m the youngest. Thinking that my parents kept trying for a boy, but that’s not the case. I’m actually the third in line. If my father hadn’t passed away there would probably be ten of us. My mom loved being pregnant.”

“I can’t imagine raising six kids on my own. Your mom must be one tough lady.”

“That she is. Salt of the earth as they say.”

“Does your mom still live in the area?” Karma took a sip of her water and began to relax.

“Yeah, about twenty-five minutes from my place. I still go over for dinner every Sunday if I’m not working.”

“That’s cool, she must love you coming by still.”

“Probably. So, are you adopted?” Jax asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Actually, I’m not. Garrett is my biological dad. Long story short...he was in the closet and tried living a straight life. As you can see, that didn’t work out very well for him. I was four when they divorced, and I’ve been living with my dad ever since.”

“What about your mother? Is she still in the picture?”

Karma shifted in her seat. She hated talking about her mother. “I guess you could say that. She comes and goes. She’ll never be nominated for mom of the year, that’s for sure.”

Jax eyed her for a moment. “Sorry to hear that.”

Karma shrugged, brushing it off. “That’s all right, my dad makes up for it.”

Just then the waiter set the pizza down in front of them. Jax reached over and put a slice on her plate before placing one on his own. Obviously, his mother had done a good job of raising him. He really seemed too good to be true.

“Man, this looks delicious,” Jax said. He took a bite and pulled away, eyes wide.

“Hot?” Karma laughed.

“Just a little.” He took a sip from his water.

After they finished off the pizza, Jax pulled Karma’s list out of his back pocket. He walked over to the cashier and asked for a pen and came back with a check mark on the accomplished task.

“How many have you marked off so far?” he asked.

Karma couldn’t meet his eyes. “Umm, none. I always meant to get around to the list, but never had the time. I probably never would have if it wasn’t for you. I can’t even believe I mentioned the list to you.”

“Really? Well, that’s a shame.” His eyes ran down the list. “Are you free tomorrow?”

Was she free? Of course she was free. The clock was ticking. “I have classes, but I can ditch them.”

Jax looked up. “You shouldn’t ditch class.”

Karma rolled her eyes. “It’s not like I have a test or anything, and I can get notes from Eva.”

He looked skeptical. “You’re sure?”

“Positive.”

“Well, if you’re sure, are you up for a day trip?”

“Of course. What do you have in mind?”

Jax’s eyes twinkled. “Great, we’re going to go bungee jumping!”

“What?” Karma said loudly. This could not be happening; she was terrified of heights. The idea of jumping off a ledge with just a rubber band tied around her was beyond absurd.

“It’s on your list.” He pointed at the paper. Karma looked at him like he’d lost his freaking mind.

Damn that stupid list.

She should probably just tell him she never had a list, and she was beyond drunk when she said she did. She opened her mouth to say just that, and immediately closed it. The words were stuck in her throat. She didn’t want to come across as a liar on their first date. What if he never wanted to see her again?

“Karma?”

She couldn’t believe what she was about to say. Clearly, she’d completely lost her mind. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. So why not?” Jumping off a bridge with nothing but a stretchy rope around her ankles? If nothing else, this crazy bucket list was really making her face her fears. Maybe it was a good thing in the end. Or maybe it was going to be the death of her.

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J
ax really didn’t want the day to end, but he also didn’t want to monopolize all of her time either. “I guess I should get you home.”

Her full lips pouted, and it tugged at his chest.

“Really? It’s not that late.” Karma glanced at the clock on the dashboard.