Jealous God 3

Jax

“Just a few more minutes and we can get started.” 

As always with Erik, there was no greeting as he pushed the takeout coffee cups towards Dion. The delicious smell hit me like a punch to the gut, and I reached for one before I could help myself. It was Dion who slapped my hand away. His fingers greedily curled around one, and I had to admit that he needed it more than me. He looked a mess: his eyes bloodshot and drooping. 

I hoped he was hurting after the stunt he’d pulled the night before, but I wasn’t man enough to say it. That would all change quickly, though, if I didn’t get some caffeine inside of me soon. Erik dragging us all together at eight in the morning after a show was a low blow, and I knew the others were feeling it much more than I was. The perks of going to bed early for once in my life. 

Well, relatively early anyway. I might have had a half decent night's sleep if that groupie hadn’t shown up and ruined my alone time. But it was hard to feel too cross about the feisty little thing with one of the most perfect tits I had ever seen. 

“Why the fuck are we here so early?” Louis growled, massaging his temples with his fingers. There was a hickey on his neck — one that hadn’t been there yesterday. He and Tate had obviously partied some more after we had parted ways. Hell, for all I knew, the curly haired firecracker had found him and got what she couldn’t get from me. 

Or Dion. It was Dion she had asked for, after all. 

I had kind of kicked myself after I had shown her the door. Disappointing the ladies wasn’t something I usually did. But I had wanted to be alone. And then when I was alone, I couldn’t help thinking of that perfect fucking mouthful of a tit.

“We are waiting for Elodie. She’s here to help Dion with some things.” Erik eyed us all like a schoolteacher surveying a class of naughty boys and, in essence, that’s what we were. “I saw her outside, so she won’t be too long and…” His blue eyes narrowed. 

I rolled my eyes. Here it came. The talk. The warning that we had to behave. Like we were children or, worse, animals who couldn’t control ourselves. There were certain boundaries that not even we crossed. 

You don’t fuck around with a band member’s significant other unless invited.

Leave the staff alone. 

Never touch anyone related to the band.

Ok, so the last one Dion had broken only a few weeks ago. But, if anything, he was now the poster child for why it was such a bad idea.

A small sharp rap on the bus door sounded just before I heard the tip tap of heels on the steps. 

“What kind of name is Elodie…?” I trailed off. With my back to the door, I couldn’t see who had just walked into our midst, but if the reaction of Tate and Louis was anything to go by, I really wanted to.

“I’d say it’s a pretty name.” Tate leant across the small table, lifting his weight half out of his seat to thrust his hand out towards the woman who had stopped just in front of me. Her scent assaulted me. Honey and something spicier. Could you get spiced honey the same way you could get spiced rum?

“Nice to meet you, Elodie, I’m Tate.”

There was no girlish giggle that would normally follow his words. She shook his hand like a true professional. The gold bracelet on her wrist caught my attention, but only for a few seconds. I was too mesmerised by her ass that was perfectly encased in a form fitting skirt. Slowly leaning back, I allowed myself to enjoy the view: tanned legs, tight skirt that was professional but left none of her mouth-watering curves to the imagination, a pale green satiny kind of shift blouse artfully tucked in and dark hair pulled back severely into a neat bun. 

She was professionally perfect. Like something out of a porno featuring a fake CEO or secretary. At least from the back anyway. What she looked like from the front remained to be seen. So, I would have to reserve judgement. 

Quickly, Erik introduced her to everyone around the table. There were handshakes and pleasantries all around.

“Great to meet you all finally. I’m Elodie, but I know that’s a bit of a mouthful.” Finally, she half turned towards me, and just like I had done from the back, I took her in from feet to face. And it was just as tempting as it had been before. My eyes skimmed up over her breasts and the light dusting of freckles over the swell of them. 

My tongue suddenly felt like it was glued to the top of my mouth.

Again, I let my eyes linger on the satin. I had thought it looked familiar, and now I knew why.

Fuck.

“Call me Eli if it's easier.” She stared down at me for a second, and the golden flecked eyes seemed to demand I look at her face and not her tits, which was exactly where I was staring. Slowly, I lifted my eyes to hers, but I didn’t move. I stayed exactly where I was with my legs kicked out under the table.

She looked different. Much, much different with all those curls pulled back from her face. Harsher.

Fuck.

Before I could help myself, my eyes darted back towards her breasts. Those damn freckles were going to be the death of me. I could already tell.

“Well damn, Jax.” Erik glowered at me as I continued to stare. “Talk about being a jerk. At least say hello and make the girl feel welcome.”

“’Lo.”

She didn’t smile, just nodded her head sharply. The air crackled between us, charged with something I couldn’t understand. Not desire, not exactly, although primal lust was there for sure. It was more like a mutual dislike. A line had been drawn in the sand the previous night. And that was partly my fault. I probably should have let her explain before I kicked her out. But at the same time, she had tried to slap me.

“You will have to excuse Jax, he’s not much of a morning person,” Erik carried on, totally ignoring my angry look. He knew damn well I liked mornings well enough, but just alone with my coffee. And I had neither of those things.

“Oh, it's ok, I’m the same this morning.” She smiled down at me sweetly. 

“The trip over bad?” Louis asked.

I stared around at them all. How was it possible that she had walked in here and charmed them into something that resembled normal human beings in just a few short minutes?

“Oh no, the trip was fine. I like flying and driving.”

Erik’s head shot up. “Someone here made you feel uncomfortable? We have strict rules on that. Is that the reason you slept in your car?”

Slept in her car? My head snapped up. Had she really slept in her car, out there in the lot? Somewhere it wasn’t safe, even with Erik’s stringent rules in place. Anything could have happened to her, and none of us would have been any the wiser because no one but Erik knew who she was, and he hadn’t known she had arrived. 

Fuck, I felt like an asshole.

“Oh, it was no one important.” 

There it was — that butter wouldn’t melt smile. But I wasn’t fooled. She had looked straight at me when she had said it. I smiled straight back at her. Last night we may have drawn a line in the sand, but with those few words she had started a war she couldn’t win. 

“Elodie, I almost didn’t recognise you with your clothes on.” My voice was smooth, neutral, but I watched the golden flecks in her eyes blaze to life. They were daring me to carry on and warning me not to say another word all in one pointed look. 

I ignored it. 

“I think you left your case on my bus last night. You know, after I found you half naked in my bunk.”

She choked, although I was pretty sure there was nothing actually in her mouth for her to choke on. Coughing and retching, her eyes scanned my assembled band mates, wide like those of a cornered animal. Erik moved first, rubbing his hand up and down her back, all the while glaring at me. A small part of me felt bad, but it was only a small part. She had started this. It wasn’t my problem if she couldn’t handle the backlash.

“It really wasn’t at all like he just said.” Finally, she got herself under control. 

Was I being childish? Most definitely, but again, she had started it. 

I was just finishing it.

One look at her and I already knew it wasn’t over. 

One look at her pissed off face, and I knew that it wasn’t over by a long shot. 

I grinned, mouthing the words so only she could see them. “Game on, Goldilocks.”

***

“You want to explain to me what you meant by your earlier comment?” Erik’s eyes met mine across the table. Everyone else was looking at me as well, but it was Erik’s gaze that I met. I knew he was going to ask. They had all been dying to ask since the words had left my mouth. Erik might have taken his time asking, but I knew it had been coming. 

At least he had the good grace to wait until Dion and Elodie had left to have a private chat.

Sipping my coffee, I studied him, fumbling for the right words to use. I knew how I had made it sound. Of course I did. I had said it exactly that way on purpose. 

“Jax.”

The bark of my name had me shrugging again. Usually, Erik was one of us. Sure, he did his job, and he did it well, but when it came to it, he was as much a part of Dionysus Rising as the rest of us. He partied hard, had women all over the world, and yet I had never heard him reprimand us as much as he had been in the last few weeks. If I didn’t know any better, I would have said that he was finally fed up with our shit.

Maybe if I was honest, I was as well.

“It was innocent. She was asleep. Pretty sure she thought we were expecting her.” 

“So, nothing happened?” Tate leant forward; his longish hair pushed back from his face. There was a hopeful glint in his eyes. “I mean, I’m not interested, but she’s a pretty thing and…”

Erik shot him a look, and he fell silent, hands raised in surrender.

“Nothing happened. I mean, I saw her tit, but I’m pretty sure that was just an accident on her part.” The way I grinned around the table made it clear I didn’t think it was an accident at all. Tate whistled. I ignored him, focusing all my attention on our manager. “Look, I’m not interested in her at all. She’s not my type.”

Tate’s booming laughter filled the bus. “Female isn’t your type?”

Chuckling, I shook my head. Ok, he had a point there. I hadn’t exactly been discriminating in the past with who shared my bed. 

“She’s my type,” Tate said wistfully, “I can just see me fisting all that dark hair.”

Erik sent a warning glance at him again. But I didn’t catch the heated exchange between them. Truth was, I could imagine that as well. Vividly. And unlike our bassist, I had seen all those dark curls free and wild. I shifted uncomfortably.

“Shut up.” Erik was talking again, and I forced myself to concentrate on what he was saying. “None of you are to fuck around with her. Is that understood? She’s here for Dion.” His eyes levelled on me.

“Not gonna touch her, brother. The stuck-up rich girl types aren’t my thing.”

The corner of Erik’s mouth twitched. “Rich girl?” he shook his head. “Is that what you think she is?”

“Isn’t she?” I countered, not even particularly interested in his answer. I had recognised the feeling I had got from her even in our first meeting. Spoilt little rich girl, entitled, judgmental. I would treat her with as much respect as she treated me, because Erik was right. Dion needed her. She might star in some shower fantasies, but I wouldn’t touch her. “I can pretty much smell the private education from her.”

Erik remained silent, and then he nodded. “Sure you can, but I’m glad you agree that she’s off limits. Because she’s going to be sharing yours and Dion’s bus.”