Behind the Lens Page 13

  “Are you and Sarah splitting up?” He kisses my cheek and smiles at me.

  “Not yet, but I’m not going to lie. It’s been rough. We are hoping this time away helps everything.” I squeeze him again. Here my brother is doing everything to hold onto his marriage, and I push away the only guy that I’ve been interested in, in a long time.

  As he heads for the house, I feel the first raindrop. Brinley and Max say goodbye, and I’m sure they will be spending the night together. Blake throws his chick of the night over his shoulder and goes into the house. Brody gives me a tight hug goodbye and leaves. Jax, his lapdog, and I are the last ones by the fire. It’s awkward to say the least. It’s not like I can just leave, I don’t have my car, and well, I’m drunk. “Kallie, I’m going to go. Happy birthday.” I raise my eyebrows and stare at her.

  “Leaving so soon? Such a shame. Night, lapdog.” I burst out laughing at myself. If I could high five myself, I would.

  “Kallie. What the hell?” I look over at Jax and smirk.

  “I’m the one who got you horny, don’t forget that.” I stand up and walk into the house, even though he is yelling my name. Well, fuck you. I sit on the couch and drop my head back, closing my eyes. I hear the sliding door close, and I lift my head toward the kitchen.

  “This is a different side of you.” He sits down next to me and rests his hand on my thigh. I hit it off and move further away from him.

  “Your lapdog is gone, so I’m good enough now? Good thing nothing ever happened with us because you obviously will take whatever is in front of you.” I’m picking at the hem of my shirt, avoiding looking at him.

  “I’m going to let that go since I know you’ve been drinking. Monica is my friend, just my friend. She is like a sister to me.” The anger starts boiling, and I can’t seem to stop it.

  “Really? That’s fucking weird because I sure as shit wasn’t sitting on my brother’s lap.” He reaches for my hands, and I pull them away. He lets out a sigh, and I look over at him and I want to punch him in the face. He’s smirking at me. “What the hell are you smirking at?”

  “Kallie Gregory, you’re jealous.” What an idiot. Jealous of what, a lapdog? I don’t think so.

  “Jax Burke, you’re stupid.” He laughs. He actually has the balls to laugh at me. “I’m not jealous. I don’t give a shit who you fuck. All I know is it won’t ever be me.” I get up and walk out the front door. I don’t need this shit. I don’t need to feel things toward him that I shouldn’t have in the first place. It is pouring rain, and I don’t even care. I stand in the middle of his yard and turn my head up to the sky, hoping the rain will wash away this pain.

  “Kallie, what the hell are you doing?” I turn my head and he’s holding the door open. “Get back in here.” I let out a sarcastic laugh.

  “Fuck off, Jax.” I turn my head back up to the sky and let my tears blend in with the rain pouring down on me.

  He grabs my hand and pulls me toward him. I snap my head at him and try to pull away. “Not this time, Kallie, this game we’ve been playing is over. No more running.” I pull away again, and he pulls me right to him. “Damn it, stop fighting this.” My tears are unstoppable at this point. I’m so confused.

  “I can’t—” He doesn’t even let me continue. He slams his mouth to mine. He pulls me flush against him, keeping one hand on my ass and the other wrapped in my hair. He nips my bottom lip and licks away the sting. He licks the seam of my lips seeking entrance, and with my heart pounding and tears still running down my face, I open my mouth. The second our tongues touch, it is all-consuming. His taste, his hands on me, and his hard body pressed against mine; I can’t get enough. I run my hands up into his hair, and he grabs onto my ass, pulling me even closer. I moan, unable to control myself. It is the most unbelievable kiss I’ve ever had, bringing my entire body to life. He breaks the kiss, moves my hair, and kisses and sucks on my neck. I drop my head back, letting the rain wash my face clean of my dried tears. “Mmmm.” I wrap my arms around his head, trying to keep him there. He kisses up to my ear, kissing me below it like he has many times, before resting his forehead on mine.

  “It’s you I want, Kallie. No one else, I promise you that. Give me a chance to prove that to you.” How the hell can I deny him? I’ve just experienced the most intense kiss of my life, with the hottest guy I’ve ever seen, in the pouring rain. I can’t say I’m not nervous, and I don’t have my reservations, but maybe Brinley is right. It may be time to break some rules. With my stomach swimming with butterflies and heart in my throat, I nod my head. He looks at me with wide eyes. “Yes? Holy shit, yes?” His reaction causes me to giggle, and I nod my head again.

  “Yes.” He picks me up and spins me in a circle. He doesn’t put me back down when he stops spinning. He looks into my eyes and searches them. I do the same to him, although I’m not even sure what I’m looking for. He slowly leans forward and gently kisses my lips.

  “Stay the night with me.” I giggle and kiss his rain-soaked lips.

  “Not much of a choice, you’re my ride.” He laughs and holds me up higher.

  “Damn right. You ready to get out of this rain and dry off?” I grab tighter around his neck when he lifts my legs, wrapping them around his waist.

  “I’m ready.” And I don’t just mean to go inside. I mean to let go, to give this a chance, to find my happiness.

  He doesn’t put me down, and he carries me into the house. When he walks in the front door, Blake is sitting on the couch smoking a cigarette. “It’s about damn time.” I look at Jax and smile. He kisses the tip of my nose and kicks off his shoes by the door.

  “Better late than never, right, brother?” He gives us a thumbs up as Jax carries me down the hallway to the bathroom. He finally puts me down and moves my soaking wet hair out of my face. “I’ve never seen someone look more beautiful than you do right now.” Holy shit. My heart feels like it might just beat out of my chest. “Take a shower. I’ll go get you a dry shirt to wear.” He pulls a towel out of the closet and puts it on the sink for me. “Take your time.” He kisses my cheek and walks out of the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

  I take off all my clothes and hang them on the towel rack. I set the shower to temperature and climb in. The warm water feels amazing after being out in the cold rain, but hell, I wouldn’t have changed a thing. It was spontaneous, romantic, and completely out of character for me. I know I’m taking a risk here, a huge risk, we both are, but it’s impossible to fight it anymore. I’ve been doing it for months now, and he’s been so patient with me. I’ve never had a guy want me badly enough to wait for me to be ready. It’s a surreal feeling. “Kallie, I’m going to leave this shirt on the sink for you. I, obviously, don’t have any underwear for you, but I gave you a pair of new boxers to wear. It’s the best I can do.” I smile at his thoughtfulness.

  “That’s perfect, thank you.” I hear the door close and poke my head out. To my surprise, he’s gone. I quickly wash myself in the soap that smells just like Jax. I rinse off and grab the towel to dry off. Once I’m all dressed in his shirt and boxers, I look at myself through the foggy mirror. I look happy, and being wrapped in his clothes and his scent just may be part of the reason. I dry my hair the best I can with the towel and look for a brush. I actually find one and use it, pulling my hair up into a high bun.

  I open the bathroom door and glance down the hallway to see Jax standing in the living room. I head toward him, and he must hear me because he turns around. He gives me a grin, and when I reach him, he wraps me in his strong arms. “I like seeing you in my shirt.” I wrap my arms around him and lay my head on his chest.

  “I like being in it.” I lift my head and look at his shirt. “Hey, you changed.” He laughs and leads me over to the couch. We sit down and he pulls me onto his lap.

  “I’ve waited too long. I need to feel you.” He kisses my lips and pulls back smiling. “And yes, I changed. Those clothes were drenched.” We laugh and he kisses me again. The guy sure as hell know
s how to kiss. He slowly lowers me to the couch and lies on top of me. Holy shit, having him on me like this is unreal. We are only kissing, but I can feel my body reacting every time our tongues touch. “Damn, Kallie.” I giggle and run my hand down his face.

  “No kidding.” He kisses my lips again and rolls so he is now behind me with his arms wrapped around me.

  “Want to watch some TV before bed?” I agree and he puts on some tattoo show. It makes me itch to get a new one. I look down at his colorful arms and trace some of his.

  “What do all these tattoos mean?” He tightens his hold on me.

  “Some are art I loved, some have meanings. Pick one.” I look at everything and point to the bleeding heart. “I got that one after Brody’s fiancée cheated on him.” His heart was bleeding for his brother, damn. I lean down and place a kiss on it. I point to the skull. “I just liked that one.” I search for another one and find a name, Lily. I point to it and he laughs. “That was my dog. She passed away a few years ago. Don’t worry. I’ve never gotten a woman’s name tattooed on me. That’s the ultimate expression of love, I’ve never been there.” That’s a relief.

  “It’s going to take a long time to find out what every one of your tattoos mean.” He kisses my neck and rests his chin on my shoulder.

  “I’ve got nothing but time.” I smile and focus back on the TV.

  I wake up startled and look around. Jax rests his head on his hand and stares at me. “Relax, you fell asleep on the couch, and I carried you to bed.” I can’t help but smile up at him.

  “What time is it?” He looks at the clock and back to me.

  “It’s four o’clock.”

  “Are you still awake?” He grins at me and kisses my lips.

  “Yep. I still don’t know if this is a dream, and if I close my eyes, I’m afraid you won’t be here when I open them again.” My heart shatters in pieces at his confession. I feel horrible for making him feel that way.

  “Jax, it may have taken me a while to get here, but I’m here as long as you’ll have me. I’m not going anywhere. I promise you.” He lies down and pulls me close to him. I rest my head on his chest, and he rubs my arm.

  “Looks like we are stuck with each other.” He kisses my head and continues rubbing my arm. I feel myself starting to drift back to sleep with the sound of his heart beating steadily in my ear and a smile on my face. I belong here.

  I WAKE UP TO THE most amazing thing I’ve ever experienced. My arms wrapped around Kallie, while she sleeps on my chest. During the shoot yesterday, I wished this would be real, and I can’t believe that it is. She is sound asleep, her breath is blowing lightly on my chest, and even with her hair falling out of her bun, she is stunning.

  I think back to the party and the advice Braden gave me. He said if I wanted Kallie to finally admit her feelings for me, I’d have to make her jealous. I didn’t want to do it. I felt like an asshole, but the more he talked, the more convincing he was. Monica always sits on my lap when there is no room, so when she did it, I figured why not roll with it. I could tell as soon as Kallie saw it, she was going to lose her shit. Braden nodded his head, smiling, and I knew right then that she would be in my bed last night. It may not have gone exactly as I planned, but it worked.

  When I kissed her in the front yard, I’m man enough to admit it was romantic as hell. Not only that, but once I tasted her, it blew my expectations of it out of the water. I don’t know how long I’ll be able to keep my dick under control, because even right now looking at her sleeping peacefully has it hard. I need to touch, lick, and kiss every part of her body. I need to suck her hard nipples and taste her pussy. I need to hear her scream my name while I take her over the edge. I want to fuck every part of her, claiming her. I’ve never felt that way, never felt the need to claim someone, but with Kallie, I want everyone to know she’s mine, especially her.

  She starts to stir and I rub her back. She turns her head up and looks at me with sleepy eyes. “Morning.”

  “Good Morning. What time is it?” I look at the clock surprised I slept so late.

  “It’s nine o’clock.” She sits up quickly and looks at me with wide eyes.

  “Shit, I am supposed to meet Braden at his house in an hour. I wanted to take some pictures of the girls before they leave tomorrow.” I sit up and push the hair out of her eyes.

  “Relax, you have plenty of time. I’ll drive you back to your place shortly.” She blows out a breath and holds her head in her hands.

  “Thanks. This isn’t exactly how I pictured waking up today.” I climb on top of her and lower her to the bed. She smiles up at me, and I feel my dick taking notice.

  “How exactly did you picture waking up?” She blushes, and I lean down and press my lips to hers. I nip at them until she opens up, and I taste her again. She wraps her arms around my neck, and I deepen the kiss. When her legs fall open, it’s like heaven having my dick pressed against her. I wrap my hands in her hair and take complete control of the kiss. I lightly push my hard cock against her, letting her know exactly what she does to me. She lets out a moan and grabs my hair. I pull back and look at her. She is flushed and breathing as heavily as I am. “Is this how you pictured waking up?” She opens her eyes and bites her lip.

  “It’s about right.” I lift one eyebrow and grin.

  “Are you challenging me to find out exactly how you pictured it?” She giggles, but when I thrust my hips forward, she moans and tosses her head back. I grab her hands and hold them above her head, similar to yesterday. I kiss down her neck, and she arches her back, throwing her tits in my face. I continue down until I’m right above them. My shirt is huge on her, but I have no problem finding her hard nipples. I release her hands and use mine to cup her tits.

  “Shit.” She bucks her hips, up allowing my cock to hit her good and hard. I bend and nip both of her nipples through the shirt, and she grabs onto my forearms, digging her nails in. Fuck, yes, mark me. I let my hand wander down to the hem of the shirt and very slowly lift it up and over her head, tossing it onto the floor. I know I saw her perfect tits yesterday, but not like this. Not when I could touch them and mean it.

  “Kallie, you are stunning.” She opens her eyes and looks up at me. I keep eye contact with her while I dip my head and suck her nipple into my mouth.

  “Holy shit.” I tweak the other one while I nip at this one. She grabs onto my head, holding me in place, like she needs to do that. I have no intention of moving, unless it is to her other nipple. I suck, lick, and kiss every inch of her one tit before moving to the next, showing it the same attention. She pulls my hair hard, and I bite down on her nipple, causing her to moan very loudly.

  “Fuck, Kallie, if I don’t stop, I won’t. Not that I want to stop, believe me, but we need to leave soon.” I’m massaging her tits while I talk to her, and she is rubbing her pussy on my cock. If she doesn’t stop, I’ll come in my boxers like a damn teenager.

  “Maybe I can be late.” I fall on top of her and kiss her neck.

  “Sounds like a plan.” She giggles so I tickle her sides. She tries her hardest to wiggle out of my hold, but I’m too strong.

  “I’m joking, shit, stop.” She is laughing so hard, she is having trouble talking. It makes me laugh, and I finally stop so she can catch her breath. I look down at her, and once she stops giggling, she smiles at me.

  “I could get used to this, you know.” She pushes up on her elbows and kisses my lips.

  “I could too, and I wish we had more time now.” She gives me a pouty lip and I laugh. Although, I’m in total agreement that I wish we had more time.

  “We will just need to make up for lost time tonight.” I wink at her and climb off of her so she can sit up. When she does, she pulls the sheet up to cover herself, and I grin at her. “I just had them in my mouth. Don’t get shy on me now.” She blushes and looks down at the bed.

  “It’s going to take some getting used to, Jax.” I sit on the bed and hand her my shirt.

  “You’ve seen me
naked, and I’m not shy. I’ll take these boxers off right now.” She laughs and shakes her head.

  “You’re such an ass. That is something you are used to. You’re a damn model, I’m just a photographer.” She has to be kidding.

  “You obviously don’t see yourself the way I do. Never have I been more attracted to someone, found someone so beautiful. You do things to me that, honestly, I’ve never experienced. Don’t ever be shy around me, because no one else compares to you in my eyes.” Huh, I didn’t even know I had this guy in me.

  “Wow. I don’t even know what to say.” I kiss her and stand up.

  “Say you’ll have dinner with me tonight.” She puts the shirt on and stands up.

  “Yes, I’ll definitely have dinner with you tonight. Now let’s go so I can hug on my nieces for a few hours.” I throw on pants and a T-shirt, and we head to her place.

  After dropping Kallie off at her place and leaving her with a kiss that is sure to have her rushing back to me soon, I went home and decided to go for a run. When I was running, I noticed things that I’ve never noticed before, couples holding hands, laughing, hugging, and simply talking. It made me realize just how much I’ve been missing and didn’t even realize. I never thought I’d be the guy chasing someone, the guy saying romantic things, and the guy wanting to be with just one woman, but because of Kallie, that’s exactly who I am.

  I get home from my run and take a long shower. When I get out, I sit out back for a while before figuring out dinner plans. I light a cigarette and lean back in my chair. I can’t stop thinking of Kallie. I thought I couldn’t get her off my mind before, but now, even after one night, all I can do is think about her. Her taste, her body. The way she felt in my arms, the way she looked turned on.