Page 15 of Echoes of Desire
My heart skips a beat at his words, and I look away, suddenly fascinated by the tubs of ice cream in front of me. I open the door, grab the cookie dough flavor, and toss it into the basket. “Well, if you’re here to keep an eye on me, you can carry the basket.”
Without hesitation, Jaxon takes the basket from my hand, his fingers brushing against mine in the process. “Happy to help, sweetheart. Where to next?”
“Orange juice,” I mutter.
As we walk through the store, I can’t help but glance at him every few seconds. He’s too at ease, too confident like he owns the space around him.
“I was going to meet you guys back at the bar. Did you really decide to come over here to test me?” I ask, breaking the silence.
Jaxon glances at me, his grin never faltering. “This just seemed like a good opportunity.”
“Opportunity for what?”
“To get to you faster,” he says simply. “And to see if you’d recognize me without Jasper standing next to me.”
I roll my eyes, though I can’t help the small smile tugging at my lips. “Well, now you know. I’m terrible at it.”
“Not terrible,” he says, his tone softer. “Just unique.”
The way he says it makes my stomach flip, but I brush it off, focusing instead on grabbing a carton of orange juice from the cooler.
“Anything else you need?” he asks, holding up the basket.
I shake my head. “No, this should be enough.”
As we wait in line, my phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out to see a message in the group chat.
Jasper:How’s the ice cream hunt going?
I glance up at Jaxon, narrowing my eyes. “You told him?”
He shrugs, looking far too pleased with himself. “Of course. He’s sometimes more impatient than I am.”
Rolling my eyes, I type out a quick response.
Me:Mission accomplished. Ice cream and orange juice secured.
Almost immediately, another message comes through.
Jasper:Good girl. Don’t let Jaxon steal your ice cream. Cookie dough is his weakness.
I can’t help the laugh that escapes me, earning a curious glance from the cashier. As Jaxon pays for the groceries,ignoring my protests, I wonder what I’ve gotten myself into with these two men.
And why, despite everything, I can’t seem to stay away.
Chapter Six
Steel
“Oh, I don’t feel comfortable going in there,” Raven says as we guide her to the entrance of Oasis.
“Are you a kink shamer, sweetheart?” Blaze teases.
“Of course not,” Raven says, her eyes wide. “I would never. But I’m as vanilla as it gets. I would literally spontaneously burst from embarrassment after seeing even one kinky thing happen. Besides, I don’t think your boss would appreciate you bringing a random person into their nightclub.”
“The club is closed,” I tell her. “We wish to talk to you.”
“Nothing kinky happening in there except in the Little’s room,” Blaze says, holding open the door. “You’re safe from spontaneous combustion.”