Jax, being as blunt as I am, lays into me. “You know she isn’t wrong, Ads. Olivia has a point, if you’re able to do things like photography, you can handle getting back into the water. You even went through your old stuff.”

He bumps his shoulder into me, beaming proudly at me. I blush.

“It’s not that big of a deal, Jax. It’s not like I went through everything. I just knew what I wanted, where it was, and got it without looking at anything else.”

“Don’t sell yourself short.”

“Just telling it like it is,” I say with a shrug.

He scratches the sexy scruff on his jaw and watches me. His eyes widen as if the lightbulb just went off inside his head. The God jumps out of bed and goes over to his closet, which is so big it should be considered another room. I mean, come on, how many suits can one man own? It’s pretty impressive, actually. Jax emerges from the closet with the plum tie I bought for his birthday last year. His sinful look makes me squirm.

“Now we’re talking.” I whisper seductively.

His eyes darken and his step falters. He shouldn’t be allowed to look at me like this, it’s dangerous to my health. I open my mouth to say something that I know will get me into trouble tomorrow, but all words evade me.

“Game?” He dangles the tie in front of me and uses his husky bedroom voice that sends tingles low in my belly.

My mouth falls open, but I quickly recover. “To wear your tie?” I ask him, skeptical.

He holds his other hand out to me, the one without the tie. I hesitate, wondering what he’s up to, but I place my hand in his strong one, trusting him.

He takes me hesitance as something it’s not because he leans in, brushes his lips against my ear and whispers, “I dare you to trust me, Adalynn.”

I suppress a moan from escaping, but it’s impossible to control the goosebumps. I just hope he thinks they’re from the cold and not because of him. Jax stares into my eyes and I get captivated into his dark green ones that seem a little darker tonight. Everything floats away. Suddenly it’s just a boy and a girl in their own little world, a place without any pain, a place where they will always have each other. But my vision goes dark and the boy and the girl are gone, the same as that perfect world.

His fingertips trace my cheek. I take a deep breath as reality crashes into me.

“It’s just another blindfold, Ads. I’m here with you, nothing is going to happen that you don’t want,” he says soothingly, relaxing me with his words.

I draw another deep breath before I nod. How did girls’ night end up with me at Jax’s place with his tie acting as a blindfold? His fingers glide over my face once more. Slowly, painfully so, his fingers trail down my neck to my shoulder blade, down my forearm, and finally to my hand. He interlocks our fingers together. My breathing is erratic. Jax drives me crazy with just the tips of his fingers, a whisper of a promise that I want to hold onto. I hate the effect he has on me.

Giving my hand a gentle squeeze, he pulls me along and I blindly follow him. He keeps a strong hold of my hand, letting me know without words that he’ll always be here. It makes being blindfolded much easier this time. I know his place as well as mine so when we reach the foyer, I panic.

“Um, Jax, I’m not going anywhere like this.” I plant my feet to the ground, unwilling to move.

He rests both hands on my shoulders and I know that he’s staring at me. “And like this, you mean without shoes I’m guessing?”

Oh man, I forgot I’m not wearing shoes. Not the first time I forgot something so vital with this Adonis near. He’s going to make me say it, that jerk. I square my shoulders.

“The tie,” I say through gritted teeth.

Jax laughs as if I’m the best comedian in New York. I wish I could see him right now because I have no doubt that he is doubled over in laughter. He lifts my hand to lead me along, but I keep my feet glued, not moving an inch.

“Nobody will see you at this time of night. Don’t worry, Ads. Now move your ass!” He slaps my bottom hard.

I jump, startled from the force of his slap. I rub my palm in circles over my now sore butt. “That hurt!”

It didn’t, it actually felt good . . . really good. Jax chuckles while he steers me out of his place. The moment my feet touch the cold floor of the elevator, I remember my lack of shoes.

“No shoes remember?” I point down at my bare feet that I can’t see.

He slips his arm around my shoulder. “You won’t need them.”

I pull away a little, tilt my face up at him and give him a stern look. Well, as stern as I can manage being blindfolded.

“I am so not walking around barefoot!”

“You’re not walking, I’m carrying you.”

That’s all the warning I get before Jax lifts me over his shoulder at the same time that the elevator doors open. I start to protest until Jax slaps my ass again, harder this time. I moan into his ear and bite his back.

Holy-hotness, what does this man do to me?

“You’re making a scene,” he taunts but his voice betrays him.

He’s affected just as much as I am. I only stop because I have to focus on not convulsing on top of him as he marches on his merry way. I could care less about a making a scene. Plus I highly doubt we’re making one at this time of night.

“I had a completely different scenario going on in my head when I saw the tie.”

He sucks in a ragged breath and ignores me. I smile, I knew he would.

I open my mouth to ask how much further, but close it when I realize how close our faces are in this position. He squeezes me tighter to him, simultaneously bringing my face dangerously close to his. Not good. The need to kiss him grows so overpowering I have to bite the inside of my cheek.

“Someone needs to learn patience.”

His voice sends tingles down my body. My heart skips a beat before stopping all together. I wish I could see his face right now. I would be able to read him a lot better.

“How long have you known me?” I ask.

“About sixteen years now, give or take.”

“And in all of those years, have you ever seen me be patient?” I ask in a serious tone.

Jax fights off his laughter, but it’s hard to hide when his chest shaking from suppressing it. “No, I guess you haven’t. Maybe you should start working on that.”

I pinch the inside of his arm. “Maybe in the—” All words escape me when I realize where we are.

No, he wouldn’t do this to me . . .

I will never forgive him for this . . .

I hate him . . .

Chapter Fifteen

My entire body tenses, my heart races into overdrive, and I start to sweat. Don’t panic, you could be wrong. He wouldn’t do this to you. I try to convince myself that I’m wrong about my whereabouts. With each word I say in my head, I know I’m not able to fool myself. Even without being able to see, my body recognizes where I am.

I hold my breath for as long as possible to protect myself from inhaling the scent I know is here. I count in my head, wondering the entire time how Jax could do this to me, especially blindfolded. He’s done questionable things in the past, but this is beyond fucked up, even for him.

I get to thirty when I feel Jax move again. My body stiffens even more, but I still don’t say anything. I refuse to breathe. Forty-one, forty-two, forty-three. Jax is out of his mind. I need to leave. Fifty-five, fifty-six, fifty-seven.

My lungs hurt from lack of oxygen. I know I don’t have much time until the inevitable happens. I breathe in deeply, hating him with each lungful of air.

When I have my breathing under control, Jax lowers me to the ground, keeping a hold of me until he’s satisfied I won’t fall. More than done with this blindfold, I start to untie it from around my head. Attempt is more like it, since my hands shake so badly I can’t loosen the knot.