Falling Away (Fall Away #3)(17)
Author: Penelope Douglas

A flush of anger spread down my body like a coat of paint.

“I didn’t do it for you,” he said matter-of-factly as he wiped down his body with the white towel. “Liam’s had that coming for a long time now. He needed to be humbled.”

Oh, what the …

“You’ve got some ego!” I yelled. “I mean, yeah, all of a sudden you have money. Where you get it from is too scary to even think about,” I spouted off when I really should have just shut up. “And you seem to have the town’s police in the palm of your hand. You’re clearly running the Loop now. Congratulations, Jax.” I smiled a big-ass, fake grin. “You’re the most powerful man in Shelburne Falls, Illinois!”

I planted my hands on my hips, pretty damn pleased at how good I’d gotten at putting men in their place.

But then my smile dropped and my eyes rounded. Jax’s eyes—full of challenge and amusement—narrowed on me, and he tossed his towel down, heading right for me.

Shit. I knew I should’ve listened to my mother. I talked too much.

He nodded, a grin playing at the corner of his mouth. “There she is.”

I inched back to the wall as he advanced into my space. “What are you talking about?”

“The snarky girl I met at Madoc’s house years ago.”

Yeah, the one that was slightly drunk and hella confident? My head bobbed off the wall, signaling I was at a damn dead end, and a trickle of sweat skidded down my neck. I saw Jax’s eyes flash to it, and all of a sudden I was too dumb to even remember my own name.

God, he was big. My chest vibrated with the heat of him only an inch away. He hovered over me, engulfing and consuming the space around me, making me feel as if I stood in the shadow of a tree.

Staring straight ahead, I made a conscious effort to keep my face straight. But it was almost impossible, and it was pointless. Out of all the reasons I could come up with for hating Jax—he always challenged and pushed me, and he always did whatever the hell he wanted—I could never claim that he wasn’t smart. He knew I was affected. He knew my body liked him close.

“I love it when you get mouthy,” he whispered down on me. “It makes me want to shut you up.”

Son of a bitch. I clenched my thighs together, feeling about ready to scream at the moisture I felt there.

I needed to get out of here. “I have to go.” I pushed off the wall but hit his chest, closing me in again.

“How do you like your community service?” he said low, trapping me by planting his hands on the wall on each side of my head.

Huh?

His smell was raw heat. Summer. Sticky cotton candy on a Ferris wheel and cool water on hot skin.

“What?” He’d asked me a question. What the fuck did he just ask?

He leaned on his hands, dipping his head close to mine. “Community service, K.C. How do you like it?”

I could hear the laughter in his voice. Little shit.

“I don’t,” I mumbled. “Teaching a bunch of kids who slacked off during the school year, because they didn’t get the attitude adjustment they needed, isn’t my idea of a good time.”

His arms lowered a bit, and I could hear him inhaling through his nose, as if he was smelling me.

“Your idea of a good time got you here in the first place.” His voice was calm but firm. “And those kids don’t need an attitude adjustment. You do.”

I smirked. “Well, I’m getting one, thanks to the great state of Arizona.” Then I pinned him with hard eyes. “You don’t know me, Jax.” And I pushed him away and turned for the door.

But he hooked my arm, pulling me back.

“You’re right,” he said quickly. “I don’t know you. So why don’t you enlighten me? What does K.C. stand for? What did you do at college that got you arrested?”

When I just stood there, not answering his stupid questions, he backed me into the wall again. “Let’s try something easier, shall we? Your favorite color. What is it?”

“Are you serious?”

“Are you stalling?”

I scowled. “Pink. It’s pink.”

“Is it?” he pressed. “How about music? Who’s your favorite band? What about books? Your favorite genre? When was the last time you ate chocolate or stayed in your pajamas past eleven in the morning?”

I didn’t know if the walls were closing in or if it was just Jax crowding me. “What are you getting at, you little shit?” I accused.

And he got in my face, smiling at the challenge of my condescending name-calling. “How about a shower, K.C.?” The sound of his deep, husky voice swirled in my stomach and shot downward.

I gulped, licking my sandpaper lips. “Huh?”

He stared at my mouth, looking hungry. “The little shit—who’s not so little anymore—needs a shower,” he whispered, still staring at my mouth. “Take a shower with me. Right now.”

I flattened my hands against the wall, the cool white-painted concrete blocks relieving the heat in my chest. Where the hell was he going with this? He didn’t want a shower with me.

I arched an eyebrow, trying to appear calmer than I was. “You called me gutless and helpless, Jax. Now you want to shower with me?”

“Show me, then.” There was a sincere look in his eyes, serious, as if he was searching my face for something. “Show me you’re not gutless. Take a chance.” He narrowed his eyes, imploring me, and I think I swallowed my heart, because my whole damn body was throbbing.

“I’m being serious,” he said quietly. “The team’s gone. We’d be alone. Walk into the locker room with me. Get in the shower with me. Show me how bold you are.”

I tried to say no, but the word was stuck in my throat. I wanted to say it, but I wouldn’t have meant it.

He reached down and took my pinky, rolling it between his fingers.

Looking down, he continued in the softest whisper. “I won’t touch you if you don’t want me to.” And then he raised his gaze, killing me with the hint of sadness in his blue eyes. “You only have to walk, K.C. That’s it. I’ll get you out of your clothes. All you have to do is follow me. I know you want to.”

I dropped my eyes, and my face felt as if it would splinter in pain into a thousand cracks like paint on a China doll. Tears burned my eyes.

I did want to. I wanted someone to hold me and touch me, wanting to be with me.

He leaned in, the breath from his mouth fanning my lips. “Take a chance,” he whispered.