More Layers: Book Two Layers Series Read online

  “Jaxson, what happened?”

  “She was born with a congenital heart disorder. She went through four surgeries...her little weak heart just couldn’t take it.”

  Tears cloud my eyes. “Jaxson, I’m so sorry.”

  He looks away for a few seconds, takes a deep breath, and then looks back up at me. The look in his eyes—fuck me. I’m going to hell for keeping his sons from him. What was I thinking?

  “A couple of months later I told Mia I was going to file for divorce and sign Ryan over to her father. She begged me to give our marriage another chance. She wanted another baby and asked me to take some time to think about it. I told her I would think about it, even though I had no intentions of going through with it. But one thing I wanted, and intended to go through with, was finding out more about the congenital heart disorder. I wanted to find out if I was the carrier, and if I was, what or if anything could be done about it. Losing a baby...well let’s just say, it’s not something I’d ever want to go through again.”

  “That’s when you found out about your sterility?”

  “Yes. The genetics doctor took blood and sperm samples, and that’s when I found out that not only was I not a carrier of the heart condition, but I was also sterile. When I got home that afternoon Mia wasn’t home, she’d gone out of town for a few days so I went to see Stephens. I told him what I’d found out, that the baby wasn’t mine, and that I wanted out of the deal. To my surprise, he readily agreed to our divorce and even agreed to clear all my debt. All he asked for in return was that I let her retain her shares, promise to never deny that the baby was mine and to keep the details of our agreement private and to let him deal with Mia.”

  “Jaxson, I’m...really sorry for what you went through, and I don’t want to sound insensitive, but again, what does this have to do with why she was in your hotel room, in a sheet?”

  “I’m sure you remember that she had gotten most of the partners to sell her their shares of Ryan.”

  I nod.

  “She managed to do this by finding dirt on all of them.”

  “She blackmailed them?”

  “Oh, yeah. I had my suspicions that something wasn’t right, but none of the partners confided in me even when I asked them. But after you left and went back to London, they contacted me. Mia was no longer satisfied with just Ryan shares, especially since their value was sure to fall with the Harris situation. So she began to press them for money. That’s when they came to me for help.”

  “Why didn’t they go to the authorities or the DA?”

  “For the same reason they sold her their shares in the first place. They wanted whatever she knew, or had of them to remain private. And unfortunately she had connections to the former DA.”

  “That is unfortunate.”

  “They wanted dirt on her and the only dirt I had was her pregnancy. Her father had paid millions to keep it a secret, so I thought it might be something that she’d want and even pay to keep hidden as well. And I was right; she agreed to stop her blackmailing, and to sell me back the Ryan shares. The night that you came to the Eventi, we were supposed to meet at the hotel restaurant and sign the contract. She’d shown up early and came to my room just as I was about to get into the shower, so I invited her in and told her that I would only be a few minutes. So when you had the front desk call up, she must have answered it and...well, you know the rest. I had no idea, Lex. When I got out of the shower she had her clothes on, and nothing seemed amiss. I don’t recall looking at the bed but I’m pretty sure it was made up. Her lawyer came up to the room a few minutes later and we when down to the restaurant and signed the contract. They stayed for dinner and I went back to my room and celebrated with Dom Perignon.”

  “Why were you staying in a hotel and why did you lie to Lane about being in LA?”

  “I was staying at the Eventi because my studio was being painted. Lane must have talked to my PA’s temp. My PA, Joan, had a family emergency and called a temp service. She must not have told the temp about my office and that being the reason I was staying in a hotel.”

  “For hell.”

  “And I told Lane I was in LA because if he knew I had meeting with Mia he’d never let it go. I didn’t want him ticking her off again and messing things up.”

  “Ticking her off?”

  “The week prior to us signing our agreement, I had Lane pick her up and drop her off at my office so we could go over the fine details. I didn’t want her making any last- minute changes, which is typical Mia. When he picked her up, they exchanged a few words and it took me over an hour to calm her down. You know how much he dislikes Mia. Even when we were married and he was just a kid, they avoided each other. That night when he picked me up he was all over me about her. I told him to bud out, that he didn’t understand what was going on. The next thing I knew he was moving from the estate. He wouldn’t even tell Mary what was going on. He said he’d made a promise and unlike others he was loyal. He hasn’t spoken three words to me in over a year. I don’t blame him or any of your friends for that matter. But it hurts to think that they all believe that I’m...”

  “A lying, cheating, bastard.”

  “Yeah.”

  “God, this is so fucked. I don’t know what to say, other than, I’m sorry...for everything. I should have known Mia was lying.”

  “I thought that you’d gone on with your life. I didn’t want to believe that you’d given up on us, but that was the only thing that made any sense. No one said anything to me about you coming back to New York. It never even crossed my mind that Mia had played us.”

  “Two and a half years. We could have been together all this time.”

  I think about all the lonely days and nights. Then the tears come, and they come hard.

  “Lex, please don’t cry, baby. We both lost faith, we both messed up.”

  He wipes my tears but they keep on coming.

  “I should have trusted you; I should have told you I loved you. But I’ve been at that door before, Jax. Zane fucked my best friend just days after we returned from our honeymoon. I knew he was a manwhore but he convinced me that he’d changed. But he used me, like everyone used me. No one wanted me; they only wanted my money, or my connections. I never believed in Cinderella. No glass slipper for this girl.”

  He wipes more tears away. “I’m so sorry, baby.”

  “I should have listened to Marco.”

  “Marco?”

  “He’s been telling me for months that something was off, that we didn’t have all the facts. I have so much to tell you. So much has happened in the time that we’ve been apart. Now is not the time to get into things, but after we get settled in New York, will you meet with me?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  He looks at his watch. “I guess I’d better get going. Your party is in four hours.”

  We walk to the door. “Jax?”

  He turns.

  “Can, I ask you something?”

  “Ask me anything.”

  “Why are you with Mia?”

  He frowns. “It’s...complicated. One of the things we’ll need to talk about later. Like you said, now is not the time.”

  “After everything she did to you, to us, I...I just don’t want her around you or our friends.”

  “I get that, but like I said, it’s complicated.”

  “Okay, we’ll talk in a couple of weeks.”

  He opens the door. “I guess this is good-bye, for now. I’ll see you at the party.”

  “Jaxson, there is one thing I want you to know, and one more thing I want to ask you.”

  “All right.”

  “My marriage to Zane ended long before I divorced him. I know this will sound crazy to you, but I supported him financially to keep him away from me. He knew about Alexia Keith and Gram thought it best to remain married and support his lifestyle until I took over as CEO.”

  “He’s a wanker, he never deserved you.”

  I tear up again despite my best effort, and Jaxso
n wipes them off my cheek. “Sorry, I cry a lot.”

  “It’s okay.”

  I clear my throat. “The other thing...I wanted to ask you...well, I need you to hear me out and think about it before you give me your answer.”

  “Okay.”

  “I want to help you fix Ryan. I want to give you financial support so you don’t have to file for bankruptcy. You can pay me back or not, I don’t care, I just want to help.”

  “No, I won’t take your money.”

  “Please take some time and think about it.”

  “My answer won’t change.”

  “Jaxson, I know what Ryan means to you. I know how hard you’ve worked to keep it up and running. I don’t want to see you lose it, especially after all that’s happened.”

  “Lex, I don’t want to lose the company my grandfather started. But if I do, it will be on my terms. I’m the CEO, and it’s my fault that it’s in the state that it’s in, and it will be me that either turns it around or loses it. You, of all people should understand this.”

  “I do, I get it.”

  “I know you, Lex, and I know how you think. Promise me that you won’t interfere or intervene.”

  “It pains me to do so, but I promise.”

  “Thank you, Lex.” He steps out the door. “Can...I kiss you goodbye?”

  “Jaxson...I don’t think...”

  He places a finger over my lips, to silence me. “Please, just one kiss? You don’t have to kiss me back.”

  Yeah, right. Like that’s going to happen. I nod because I can’t form the word “no.” Okay, that’s a lie...I can, I just don’t want to. I want him to kiss me even though I know it’s a very bad idea. I’ve never wanted it more.

  He pulls me into him.

  “Lex, relax, it’s just a kiss.”

  “I am relaxed,” I croak out.

  He laughs. “Yeah, right.”

  We stand and look into each other’s eyes for a minute, afraid to move, afraid to touch. Then he cups my chin in his hands and brings my lips toward his. Our lips hover less than an inch apart—then they touch—then crash into each other. Dear mother of all that is holy. It’s the most needed, wanted, and feared kiss of my life. Everything melts away. All that I know is this kiss; all I feel is his lips pressing into mine. I become dizzy from want, need, and lack of oxygen. Our lips, our bodies, our souls, have always fit perfectly together—like two pieces of a puzzle. Two pieces with too many sides and weird angles—two pieces that are lost and lonely, until they join and become one. I know you’ll agree with me when I say that you would consider yourself lucky to find a piece that isn’t perfect, but fills in most of the big gaps. So, girlfriend, when you find someone that fits perfectly, you don’t know if it’s a gift from God or Satan. Because when you’re together, you feel like you’re touching heaven; but when you’re apart, it feels like you’re burning in hell. I’ve been burning in hell for over two years, and now I feel Jaxson begin to pull me toward heaven and it scares me, so I push him away. My heart is still too fragile to leave hell. I’d rather stay in hell, because if I touch heaven, and it’s taken from me again, I won’t survive.

  “Jaxson I’m not...I don’t.”

  He silences me once again with his finger. “It’s okay, babe. I said one kiss.” He steps out and away from the door. “I’ll see you tonight.”

  I nod, and then shut the door. I lean my back against it and close my eyes. What the hell just happened? Everything I thought I knew, I didn’t. Everything I thought he’d done, he hadn’t. What now? And that kiss...fuck me! I feel like I’ve just opened Pandora’s box and now things will never be the same. Now all kinds of weird and bad things might happen.

  Shit! I bang the back of my head again the door. Why did I let him kiss me? “You stupid.” Bang. “Stupid.” Bang. “Silly.” Bang. “Girl.” Bang.

  I hear a knock at the door. It’s Lee. I love the guy, but can’t a girl have a moment alone to bang her head. I take a deep breath and open the door. “Fuck, Lee, give me a minute...Jaxson!”

  Reunited And It Feels So Good

  Jaxson

  She opens the door, and I pull her into me and devour her lips. I’m starving and she is the only one who can feed me. I took one bite, one taste, and I’ll do anything to have more. With our lips locked, I push her inside and shut the door with my foot. I walk her into a wall and crash into her.

  “I’m sorry”, I say in between kisses, “I couldn’t leave. Not after that kiss.”

  She moans into my mouth. “Jax...this is a bad idea.”

  “I don’t care, I need you, babe.” I press my rock hard cock into her. I rub it up and down her where it wants to be the most.

  “Jax,” she moans, “that feels so fucking good. God, I’ve missed you.”

  “You have no idea,” I pant out.

  She spreads her legs, giving me better access. Then she lifts a knee and I know what she wants, what she needs.

  I lift her by the ass and she wraps her long legs around me.

  I lean into her. “It that what you need, babe?”

  “Yes,” she pants. “Need more, Jax, need skin.”

  God, I’ve missed those two words, “need skin.”

  She tugs my polo out from the waistband of my Levis and runs her hands up my stomach and chest.

  She lifts it up. “More, Jax.”

  I balance her on my knee and help her pull it up and off.

  She smiles, while letting her hands trek over every inch of my exposed flesh. “You’ve put on some muscle. I didn’t think you could get any hotter, but I was wrong.” She takes a finger and makes small circles around a nipple, pinches it and my cock jumps.

  She laughs. “‘The Big Guy’ likes that.”

  “‘The Big Guy’ missed you.”

  “Is that so?” she says and runs her hand down my abs, stopping just below my waistband.

  “The Big Guy” jumps again.

  “I think you’re right, but let’s see how much,” she teases.

  She pulls on my fly with one hand. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop.

  My cock’s swollen head peeks out from the top of my boxers.

  “Oh my,” she says, “what do we have here?”

  She takes a finger and gently strokes it. I feel and watch as pre-cum seeps out.

  She smiles. “That’s a first for me. I’ve never seen pre-cum—come.”

  God, this woman makes me feel alive—turns me inside out like no one can.

  She spreads the pre-cum over the head. I close my eyes and hear a deep moan rise from the back of my throat. I need more. I open my eyes and tug on her tee and lift her away from the wall so she can pull it up and off.

  She tossed her shirt over my shoulder and I take her in. She’s wearing a sexy red and black bra. It looks great on her but I want lace-less tits.

  I reach behind her with one hand. Snap. She lowers her arms, and it falls to the floor.

  My eyes graze over the most perfect tits I’ve ever seen, or will ever see. God, I’ve missed them. I’ve seen these tits, this body, in my mind so many times, but my imagination never did them justice, could never do them justice. I lean forward and take a nipple into my mouth.

  She leans back, giving me better access. I suck, lick, and bite. She moans, groans, and trembles.

  I bite a nipple one last time before my lips grant it liberation. I wish I could suck and bite her tits all day. But I’m too close...riding the edge close and I want, no need, to be inside her. I snap open her holey, worn, Levis. You’d never guess that this woman is worth billions. Worn vintage Aerosmith tee, holey Levis, and Chucks. I tug down her zipper and it gets caught on the lace of her panties.

  She giggles. “Let me down. I’ll get them off.”

  I release her legs and she slides down the wall and stands. She kicks off her Chucks then goes to work on her zipper.

  She tugs. “Crap. It’s really stuck.” She keeps on trying with no luck.

  “Let me try again.” I take over and the damn thin
g won’t budge.

  “Jax, I think we need scissors.”

  Fuck that. Tug. Pull. Rip. “Nope, no need for scissors.”

  Her cheeks redden. “What the hell! Those are...were my favorite pair of jeans.”

  “Sorry.”

  “Jax,” she huffs out.

  “It’ll be worth it,” I tease.

  “It better be Mr. Ryan. I’ve had those jeans for ten years. They were in the perfect state of worn-ness.”

  I look down at her torn lace panties.

  “Go ahead and rip them, I could careless about them.

  I know the brand, and I know she has them custom made, and they cost her a small fortune. Most women would strangle me if I ripped them, but Lex has never been most women—ever. That’s why I love her, wanted her, from the first moment she walked into my office. She’s a one of kind, and I pray that soon she’ll be my one and only.

  I laugh as I rip them down the front. They fall to the floor and she kicks them away.

  I kick of my loafers.

  She lifts a perfect brow. “Now it’s your turn.” She gifts me with a perfect smile and helps me slid down my jeans and boxer briefs. I kick them off. Free at last.

  I lift her ass and push her back into and up the wall. She wraps her legs around me.

  “I can’t wait any longer. I need you, babe.”

  “Yes,” she breathes out.

  I position my cock just outside of her dripping entrance.

  I push in.

  She pushes me back. “Protection.”

  “Fuck!” I huff and release her. I pick up my jeans and grab my wallet and go through it.

  “Fuck! I can’t believe this.”

  She smiles. “No worries. I have an entire basket full.” She points to a basket sitting on the entry table.