Chapter Twenty-One
Harlow
Shopping with Jaxon is fun. He’s flirty and attentive but not overbearing. It helps that he’s hot and all the sales assistants are extremely helpful…overlyhelpful if you ask me.
I’m trying on a dress in the dressing rooms with Jaxon waiting just outside when I overhear one of them approaching.
“Is your sister okay? It’s so cute that you take your sister shopping,” the girl coos, fawning all over him. Seriously... hissister. Yeah, nope! I never knew that I would be the jealous type, but I’ve definitely got some feelings right now.
I step out wearing the dress I’d grabbed off one of the racks. It’s a strapless body con that fits me like a glove and would definitely get two thumbs up from Max. It has a typical Hawaiian floral print, and it sits somewhere between my knees and thighs. “I don't know. I think this one fits pretty good. What do you think, not my brother Jaxon?” The sales girl’s face wrinkles as she tries to figure out what I just said, but I’m watching Jaxon and his reaction. His eyes bulge, and he swallows as he runs his gaze the length of my body. “Do you think this will be suitable for a dinner with you and not my brother Kai?”
He finally snorts at what I’ve just said and stands up, walking over and wrapping an arm around my waist. “Well, not my sister Harlow, I say you look good enough to eat, so maybe instead of dinnerwithme and Kai, you can be dinnerforus.” He swoops in and fuses his mouth to mine, and the fawning sales girl is immediately forgotten about. There’s no hesitation on his behalf, and as his scent surrounds me and everything else falls away, I’m dropped back into the memory of us and the nightclub and all the things he had done to my senses. By the time he pulls away, I’m breathing heavy and thanking god that I kept my underwear on under the dress.
Calling over his shoulder, he says to the sales girl, “I’ll take all of them like this in this size.”
“But there are like ten different designs, and they’re three hundred dollars apiece!” Obviously, she doesn’t recognize Jaxon.
He pulls away from me and digs around in the pocket of his shorts, pulling out his wallet and then a black credit card. Without looking at her, he hands it over his shoulder, his gaze still fixed on mine. He watches me as I run a finger over my lips, savoring the still-present tingle, and smirks, winking before he turns around.
“We’ll take everything she tried on, and she’ll need some shoes too. I’ll have a look while she’s getting changed,” he instructs, and the sales girl stands there a little speechless until she finally comes to her senses. She quickly rushes in and grabs everything I’ve already tried on, leaving the booth empty other than my clothes and the dress I’m still wearing. She bundles it all up, grabs the card, and disappears with it, leaving just me and Jaxon in the dressing area. He stalks toward me, and I back up until I'm in the booth and have nowhere left to go. Crowding in close to me, he pulls the door closed behind him. He runs his nose up one side of my neck, inhaling before he groans.
“God, I've had the smell of you in my mind since that day, and getting the taste back in my mouth makes me want to drop to my knees and see what you taste like elsewhere.”
Fuck me!I want that too, but he must see the hesitation in my eyes that my libido wants to ignore. He places a couple of kisses on my neck, each light touch having enough suction that I’m pretty sure he’s going to leave a mark. “But I know I have to make up for my mistakes before I can get my reward, so I’m going to back out of this booth and let you get dressed before I try and convince you to change your mind.” He kisses me hard once more and then turns, leaving me a panting, quivering mess. My knees buckle before I collapse onto the bench in the dressing room, my hands clenched in fists as I try to calm myself.
Jaxon is so fucking addictive. When he’s not being a douche, he is so magnetic, and just like the first time, I find myself drawn to him. It took everything in me not to just push him down to his knees, but we’re not there yet. I’m both glad and incredibly disappointed that I was able to use some of my very thin self-control to not cave to my lusty self.
When my breathing gets back to normal, I peel off the dress, my belly button ring glinting in the rooms lighting. A smile crosses my face as I remember Alex and me deciding we were going to get something pierced during the few days of Summers-fueled rage after the premiere. Probably not my smartest decision, and I have vague memories of Shane trying to stop the both of us, but Alex insisted he get something in solidarity with me. Or maybe it was the other way around. Who knows?
Though the memory of Alex and my decision is one that makes me laugh, the event that led to it doesn’t have such pleasant feelings attached to it.Better to keep moving forward for now.I grab the clothes Jacinta lent me and hurriedly get dressed, eyeing the pile of new clothes. Not only have I got the dresses, but I’ve found shorts, shirts, a sweater, and a comfy pair of jeans. I also need to grab a bra, some panties, and a pair of sneakers as well.
Picking up the dress and throwing it over my arm, I head back out the front. The sales girl is half draped over the counter, still trying to flirt with Jaxon, but his gaze is on his phone in his hand. He looks up as I approach, and a grin crosses his face.
“All good, not my sister Harlow?” I chuckle and try to place the dress on the counter, settling for placing it on top of some overstuffed bags.
“Just let me grab some more underwear,” I tell him, heading to the rack where those are. “And I need some shoes.”
“I grabbed these, but I wasn't sure what size.” He holds up a sexy pair of silver and black heels which will go with all the dresses that he liked. Wow, he has great taste. I smile back at him, but I try not to let it grow too big. The man’s already got a big enough ego.Though maybe he’s earned a little bit of it.
“Oh, I like them! Size nine, please.” He smiles, thrilled with my response, and turns to the sales girl, just barely missing the disgruntled look that took over her face while he couldn’t see her.
She scurries away to get the right size, but as she passes me, I pick up a pair of nearby sneakers. “Can I also get these in a nine too, please?” She nods, not meeting my eyes, and continues on her way.
Jaxon’s phone beeps again. “That’s Kai. He’s waiting for us at the fountain in the middle of the mall,” he tells me, so I quickly pick out the underwear I need and add it to the pile at the counter. He eyes it with interest but doesn't say anything. I may or may not have picked out a few strappy and lacy pairs. I’m not entirely sure where this trip might take me, take us, but a girl’s gotta be prepared for any circumstance.
Finally, we are all rung up and the clothes are packed into carry bags. I swear the sales girl deliberately took her time getting my shoes, but it’s not like it scored her any extra time with Jaxon. The two of us spent the time quietly talking back and forth, just sharing pleasant small talk while we waited.
As she hands Jaxon back his card, her number written on the freaking receipt, I see red. Leaning in, I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him hard, and if I accidentally throw in a little groping, well, that’s my secret. When I pull away, he looks a little dazed, so I pluck the receipt from his hand with a smug smile. I look up, making sure to meet the sales girl’s eyes, then slowly rip the receipt in half. She doesn’t deserve any more of my energy. With that, I pick up my bags and exit the store, Jaxon right behind me chuckling under his breath.
“Jesus, did you just channel Jacinta? She would’ve approved of you putting that girl in her place.” Turning, I wink at him.
“I don't know about that, but no one likes a woman hitting on the person they’re with whether they're involved or not. It’s just rude. But Jacinta is a gorgeous, confident woman, so I’m sure she wouldn't put up with that shit either.”
We hurry down an escalator that isn't too crowded, and I see Kai across the mall, sitting on a bench in front of the fountain. Perched next to him, swinging his legs back and forth, is a small boy. Possibly six or seven. The two of them look to be having an animated conversation.
When we get closer, I can see that the boy is wearing a Scooby Doo t-shirt, and it seems they’re having a conversation about their favorite episodes.
“Shaggy and Scooby are my favorite,” I hear the little boy tell Kai. “I always wanted a dog, but my parents won’t let me have one. They say I’m not responsible enough. Mom says I eat as much as Shaggy and she’s not sure she could afford to have both me and a dog who eat that much.” He’s grinning as he tells Kai this, so I’m assuming it’s a running joke between him and his mom.
