Aftershock (10 page)

God, he was crazy sexy. And the way his hands gripped my hips as he pulled me over him made me insane with the need to ride him. To take what I needed. To own him.

I caught him in my hand and positioned him, holding his erection upright so I could slide over him. He was so damn hard, my mouth watered. I looked at the long, thick penis in my grip and licked my lips, wanting to taste him.

“Later,” he growled, lifting his hips to notch the wide head in place. Goose bumps swept over my skin at how hot he was. He was burning up, and taking me into the fire with him.

He yanked me down and I moaned, so wet and ready from the miracle of his mouth that I took him to the root in one easy glide. His neck arched, his back bowing upward from the bed with a pleasured hiss released from between clenched teeth.

“Gia
.”

My throat burned. Knowing I gave him what he needed...seeing it level him...nothing else affected me the same way.

Jax jackknifed up in a ripple of honed muscle and buried his face in my throat. “I love you.”

“Jax...” I pushed my fingers into his hair, cupping the back of his head to hold him close.

“I want to take off with you,” he muttered. “Go away and tell everyone else to go to hell.”

I tightened around him. “For how long?”

His teeth sank gently into the skin of my throat. “Forever.”

“Okay.” I rose onto my knees, letting him slide from me. “Let’s go.”

The next moment I was on my back and Jax loomed, his mouth curving in a dangerously sexy smile. “Let’s finish what we’ve started first.”

“I don’t ever want to be finished,” I told him softly.

He cupped the sides of my face and held my gaze. He swallowed, and it seemed like he was going to speak. Then, he lowered his head and kissed me, telling me without words instead.

* * *

Sitting cross-legged on the bed, I watched Jax get dressed. He was quiet, his thoughts clearly taking him far from me.

“Jax.”

“Hmm?” He glanced at me and the blankness in his eyes slowly sharpened into full awareness. His fingers paused in the act of buttoning his shirt. “You okay?”

As rushed as he’d been to get inside me, once he had, he’d slowed way down. He’d made love to me. Slowly. Sweetly. As if he, too, wanted to remember how things used to be between us.

I turned the question back on him. “Are you?”

His chest lifted, then fell. “Yeah. I’ve got to take care of some things, but I know what needs to be done. You, however, are out of it. Okay? No more, Gia. I’m not going to let you—”

A shout from the living room interrupted him. The tone was angry and caught his attention and mine, until it became recognizable.

I stiffened. Anxiety set my heart racing. I slid from the bed to get dressed. “It’s my brother.”

A quick glance at the clock told me it was the busiest shift of the night for Rossi’s. My nerves frayed. There was no good reason why Vincent would abandon the restaurant to make the trip to Jax’s.

Jax shoved the tail of his shirt into his pants. “I’ll take care of it.”

“No. This is my problem.”

“The hell it is.” He slipped into his oxfords and strode toward the door. “You’ve dealt with enough today.”

“Jackson—” The latch clicked shut behind him, leaving me scrambling to make myself presentable.

Vincent shouted again, sounding angrier than before. To be quick, I pulled on a pair of yoga pants and a sports top. I made it out to the living room in time to see everyone clearing out. Jax stood by the couch rubbing his jaw, while Vincent stood on the last step leading down into the sunken living room, his hands clenched at his sides. He was dressed for work in a Rossi’s T-shirt, his handsome face set in harsh lines.

“Vincent.”

He rounded on me. “You wanna tell me why I’m getting crazy calls from Deanna at work?”

I crossed my arms, shielding my heart from the coldness in his gaze. In all of my life, none of my brothers had ever looked at me that way. “Did she tell you what she’s been up to?”

“She’s a reporter, Gianna. Writing news pieces is what she does.”

“Is that the bull she fed you? What she’s doing is wrong.”

“And
you’re
right?” he shot back, taking a step toward me, which had Jax stepping forward, too. Vincent’s head whipped toward him. “Back off, Rutledge. You put her up to this!”

Jax nodded grimly. “I did.”

My mouth fell open. “That’s a lie! He had nothing to do with it.”

“The fuck he didn’t!” my brother said curtly. “You would never have done something like this if it weren’t for him. How did you know about the pictures?”

There was no way I was bringing Nico into this. “I have the password for your cloud account.”

He stared at me as if he’d never seen me before. “And you used it? How long have you been invading my privacy?”

“Just tonight.”

“I don’t believe you.”

That cut me deep and hurt. Badly. “It’s true.”

“You could’ve called me. I could’ve tried talking to her. You didn’t have to—”

“It wouldn’t have worked,” I told him flatly. “I would never have threatened her if there’d been another choice.”

“So you went with abusing my trust and putting me in the middle without giving me a heads-up? You cut me out, Gianna, instead of coming to me for help. That’s not the way our family works and you know it.” He jerked his chin at Jax. “That’s the way
he
handles dirt, not you.”

“There wasn’t enough time, Vincent!” I argued, hating myself for the pain I saw on his face. Something precious had been destroyed and seeing the loss was breaking me into little pieces. “I was going to tell you.”

“Too late.” He faced Jax. “Congratulations, douchebag. You ruined the perfect girl.”

He stalked toward the door.

“Vincent. Wait!” I rushed after him, frantic to mend the first real rift I’d ever had with one of my brothers. I’d never been so scared. My heart was beating so fast I felt lightheaded.

Jax darted in front of me, grabbing me by the shoulders and holding me in place. “Let me deal with this.”

I opened my mouth to argue, then noted the spreading bruise on his jaw. Shock froze my feet in place. “He
hit
you?”

“Don’t leave,” he said, as if I hadn’t spoken, his attention going to the door when it slammed shut behind my brother. “Understand? Wait for me to come back.”

He went after Vincent.

And almost two weeks later, I found myself still waiting for him to come home.

10

“HE’S JUST BEING
stubborn.” Angelo shook his head and took a long drink of his soda. “You know how Vincent gets.”

“He misses you,” Denise agreed, shoving a cluster of French fries into a pool of ketchup. “Try calling him again.”

“He hangs up as soon as he hears my voice.” I slid my chair closer to the table so that a woman could squeeze by behind me. The diner near my work was packed and we’d been lucky to snag seats.

“But thanks to caller ID,” Denise said, “he knows it’s you before he answers. He could just let it go to voice mail if he really didn’t want to talk.”

I picked at the bun of my hot dog, struggling with a lack of appetite. I’d been on the outs with Vincent for nearly two weeks, and the Rossis had finally decided enough was enough. My mother had called the day before, and Nico had followed up that night. Angelo and Denise hit me up at work to meet them for lunch. I half expected my dad to show up for dinner.

“Gianna.” Denise set her hand over mine. “Come by the loft and see him. Work this out. You’re both miserable.”

“Better yet,” Angelo caught my eye, “move back in. You shouldn’t be living alone in Jackson’s apartment.”

That was the only upside to fighting with Vincent: it’d given me a reason to stay in the penthouse even though Jax had been staying away.

“Is Jackson still calling you?” Denise asked, dunking more fries.

I nodded. “Every night.”

He’d tell me he missed me. He was working hard and didn’t want to bring it home. But he didn’t say more than that, leaving me in an odd place. Had we broken up and he just couldn’t say it? Was he calling just to see if I’d moved out so he could move back in?

That wouldn’t explain why he spoke to me like a lover who was away on business.

Angelo’s lips tightened. “I know you don’t want to hear it, but this is for the best, Gianna. He was changing you into something you’re not. It was never going to work out.”

At night, when I was lying in bed alone, my thoughts followed the same path to the same conclusion. Deanna’s story had never materialized, but whatever she’d said or done to get the story pulled at the last minute got her fired. I had a hard time living with that.

“I love him,” I said. “As much as you love Denise. You might be surprised what you’d do if someone was threatening to spread her personal business all over the place.”

“No, I wouldn’t be. I get that part of what you did. But Jackson’s world is different and you know it. It’s not the life for you,” Angelo insisted, looking for a moment like our father did when he was breaking hard news to us.

* * *

I spent the rest of the afternoon at work thinking about what I needed to do to get my personal life back on track. Professionally, things were rolling along smoothly. Chad was comfortable with me again and working well with Inez and David. The design of the launch restaurant had been decided and construction was well under way. Lei stayed on top of things, but didn’t smother me. I still went in to work grateful every day and I shared that gratitude with Jax. The wariness I’d once felt about discussing my work with him was gone. I trusted him to want good things for me.

It was weird in a way. The mess with Deanna had made some parts of our relationship feel stronger than ever and yet we were apart again. I couldn’t figure that out.

I headed to Rossi’s after work. My family was right; it was time to fix things with Vincent.

He was working happy hour at the bar when I came in, but he spotted me straight away, scowling for a moment before returning his attention to the drink he was mixing. His serving style wasn’t the same as Nico’s. He didn’t flirt shamelessly, but he got the same number of girls following him with their eyes everywhere he went. The dark and broody thing worked for him.

I snagged an empty barstool and watched him work. There were a few contenders trying their hand at capturing his attention, but he was eyeing me, I knew, even though he didn’t spare me another glance. The same couldn’t be said about our parents, who couldn’t stop looking our way every few minutes.

When Vincent neared to serve a beer to the guy sitting on my right, I broke the ice and said, “I’m sorry.”

He sucked in a deep breath and straightened his spine. Then he grabbed the five spot tip off the bar, rapped his knuckles on the polished wood in thanks, and dropped the cash in the tip jar. “I’m taking ten,” he told Jen, the gal working the bar with him.

“Got it,” she said, giving me a smile.

Vincent met me on the other side. “Office,” he said, gesturing me ahead of him with an impatient wave of his hand.

It was impossible not to be reminded of Jax when I entered the back office, but I pushed the memory from my mind and faced my brother.

I got to the point. “I need you to forgive me.”

He crossed his arms. “I did that a while ago.”

“You did?” I blinked through the rush of relief that had me leaning heavily against our dad’s desk. “Then why won’t you talk to me?”

“To punish you. Plus, I don’t want to hear any excuses about what you did. If being with Jax means losing who you are, you need to get out.”

“He didn’t have anything to do with how I handled Deanna. I don’t know why he told you that.”

“Because he knows he did.” Vincent held up a hand to cut me off. “I’m walking out of here if you don’t understand this real quick: you dealt with the situation like a Rutledge, not a Rossi, and you learned how to be like that from him.”

I let that sink in. Then I took a second to glance at the family portrait on the wall, before finally nodding my agreement. “You’re right.”

“Of course I’m right.” He ran a hand over the top of his head, then made a sudden grab for me, enfolding me in a hug.

I started bawling. I hadn’t expected it, hadn’t even known it was bottled up in me until I was wrapped in love and safety again.

Vincent cursed and gripped me tighter. I knew he hated tears and had a hard time dealing with crying women, but I couldn’t stop and it felt so good to let go.

“Cut it out,” he muttered, with his lips at the crown of my head.

“I missed you,” I sobbed.

“For fuck’s sake. I was right here.”

“I miss Jax, too. He’s been gone for
days.
”

His chest heaved with a sigh beneath my cheek. “I know.”

I pulled back, my breathing reduced to stuttered inhalations. “I d-don’t know what to do.”

Vincent’s jaw tightened. “Stop crying for one thing. Then stop worrying about Jax. He’s getting his shit together.”

“What? What does that mean? How do you know that?”

He stepped back. “He told me.”

I frowned and wiped at my cheeks. “Why would he tell you that and not me?”

“Because I’m probably one of the few people who won’t try and talk him out of it.”

“Can you speak English, please?”

He snorted. “I’m not smoothing the way for him, Gianna. It’s his deal, and however it goes, it’ll be up to him to lay it out for you.”

“You’re irritating me, Vincent.”

“Good. You deserve it.” He tossed an arm around my shoulder. “I’ve got to get back to the bar. I’ll make you a drink.”

“I wish you’d make sense instead,” I complained, bumping into him so he stumbled a step.

“Watch it.”

We returned to the restaurant and my steps slowed. I recognized the head of pure white hair from across the crowded room. As if he felt me staring, Parker Rutledge turned and found me. When he visibly relaxed, I knew he’d come to seek me out.

I couldn’t help but be worried. Was something wrong with Jax?

“Holler if you need me,” Vincent said, squeezing my shoulder before returning to the bar.

I watched Parker approach and hoped my eyeliner and mascara hadn’t smeared. I ran my hands over my skirt, wishing I’d taken a minute to freshen up in the ladies’ room. Jax’s dad was dressed in a sharp black suit and pale blue tie, and he looked ready to conquer the world. I was afraid I looked defeated.

“Gianna.” He pulled me into a brief hug. “I’ve been hoping to speak with you.”

“Is everything all right?”

“I’m afraid not. Can we talk?”

“Sure.” Because he looked and sounded so serious, I asked, “Would it be better to go to the penthouse?”

His lips twisted ruefully. “Jackson gave me strict orders not to bother you at work or home, although I confess I was about to anyway if you hadn’t come to Rossi’s tonight.”

I glanced over at the bodyguard who went everywhere with me. Had he tipped off Parker? Not that I cared either way.

I caught my mother’s eye and gestured at an empty table, letting her know I was taking it. She nodded and crossed it off the seating chart.

“I have to talk to you about Jackson,” Parker began the minute he settled into the chair. “He’s making a terrible mistake.”

My hands flattened on the table. “How?”

“He can’t just walk away. The game is in his blood. But more than that, he has a responsibility to this country. He has what it takes to shape the world in profound and necessary ways.”

Clearly, Parker thought I was up to speed on what Jax was doing, and I figured it might be better not to tell him I was clueless. So I puzzled it out as best I could and tried not to get too excited about the possibility that Jax was thinking about stepping away from the family business. So to speak. “I’m sure he’s doing everything he can.”

“He can’t say that until he runs for office.”

“Oh.” I’d never even considered
that
possibility. A game changer. The little spark of hope I felt quickly died. “I didn’t realize he wanted a career in politics.”

He leaned forward. “Jackson told me how you handled that reporter. You’re an asset, Gianna. You’re what he needs to reach the next level. With you at his side, he could make it all the way to the White House.”

The very idea scrambled my brain. “The White... Are you kidding?”

He sat back. “Don’t you believe he could do it?”

I stared at him, blown away by the grandeur of his dreams for his son. “Jackson can do anything he wants. He’s amazing.”

“Agreed.”

“As long as I’m part of his life, I’ll support him in whatever he chooses to do.” I took a deep breath. “But...”

He studied me. “But what?”

There was no easy way to say it. “Do you know that he blames the stress of a public, political life for his mother’s alcoholism?”

Parker straightened abruptly, his shoulders rolling back. “He’s stronger than she was.”

I couldn’t disagree with that. “I think he’s more worried about me.”

“I know,” he agreed, with an emphatic nod. “That’s why you have to speak to him. Tell him you can handle it. Make him believe it.”

My gaze moved to the bar and met Vincent’s. His earlier words about being one of only a few people who wouldn’t talk Jax out of “it” abruptly made sense. “Do you know where he is?”

“D.C. I can get you there.”

I looked at him. “I’m ready whenever you are.”

* * *

I’d expected to end up at the Rutledge mansion, but found myself knocking on the door to a high-rise apartment instead. Not too long ago, I would never have thought I’d be used to flying by private jet, but my life was different now. I was adjusting as quickly as I could. Still, one thing I had never learned to deal with was living without—

“Jax,” I said, when the door opened and he stood in front of me. My heart gave a little leap. He looked edible. The bespoke three-piece suit he wore didn’t soften the edge created by the shadow of stubble on his jaw and the slightly too-long hair. His gorgeous face was leaner, his gaze intensely focused.

He didn’t say a word, just grabbed me and kissed me as if he’d been dying of thirst and I was a cool glass of water. I wrapped my arms around his neck and opened my mouth, letting him lick and thrust, whimpering as he ate at my mouth with erotic ferocity.

The nervousness I’d felt on the flight dissipated into oblivion. Whatever he was doing by staying away from me wasn’t because he didn’t want me anymore.

He pulled me into the house and kicked the door shut, pinning me against it. “I’ve got to take a call in a minute,” he muttered against my lips. “Then I’m going to fuck you for a really long time.”

I hit him on the shoulder. “What the hell are you doing in D.C.?”

“You know. That’s why you’re here.” He released me and backed away. “Did Parker send you?”

“He provided the means. I came because I wanted to.”

“He’ll get the hint eventually.” He turned away from me and pointed at a set of double doors to the left. “Bedroom’s in there. Get naked and wait for me.”

I bit back a smile at his arrogance, knowing he was baiting me on purpose. “Dream on.”

He glanced my way when he reached a desk set up in the living room. The apartment was considerably smaller than the penthouse in New York and barely furnished. There was a sofa and coffee table, but no television or artwork. Only the desk had anything on it, and it was littered with pens and loose papers.

“I’ve done nothing but dream of you the past two weeks.” He picked up his smartphone and leaned back against the front of the desk. “I’ve always seen white picket fences in your eyes when you look at me. I was positive I wasn’t that guy. I was wrong. One of these days, when you’re ready, I’ll give that dream to you. And you’re going to give me a gorgeous little girl or two with your dark curly hair and smiles that slay me.”

My chest tightened. “Jax...”

His phone rang and he answered it. “Dennis...No, you heard right, which is why I wanted to touch base with you about reaching out to Parker going forward...No, he won’t be bringing me up to speed. I’m out.” He looked at me. “I’m getting married. Yes, that’s a good thing...Thank you. Good luck in the next election, Senator.”

I watched him kill the call and set his phone on the desk.

He crossed his arms. “You’re still dressed.”

“I don’t sleep with engaged guys.” I fought to stand still while excitement pounded through me. There was something different about him. Something that reminded me of the Jax I’d met in Vegas. I liked it. A lot.

“I didn’t say I was engaged—” his mouth quirked up on one side “—yet. Didn’t say I wanted to sleep, either.”