SaraI pulled on my jean shorts before leaving my room and heading downstairs. I wasn't sure who else was here, but certainly, not everyone in this house needed to see my underwear. But it was too hot outside to consider wearing anything else. I took the steps a bit too quickly and was surprised I didn't fall down. I laughed quietly to myself as I made my way into the kitchen. For the first time in a long time, I just felt happy. I knew things were still a mess. My dad was still a terrible person… but Jaxon was handling that. I knew I still needed to figure things out with Jaxon but I had hope, I felt happy and positive, and I wanted to do it now. I was surprised to see the house was mostly empty. I could hear a vacuum going somewhere upstairs and two of the cooks were still in the kitchen, but most of the men who were usually standing around keeping watch–or rather, keeping watch over me–were nowhere to be found. I felt a little of my normal nervous energy come back as I wonde
SaraThe man was a good foot taller than I was, but I was pretty certain I could still do some damage. He glanced back at one of his men with a sickly laugh, and at that moment, I lifted my right knee up as hard as I could. I hit him between the legs hard enough to hurt my leg and I heard something sort of pop. His eye bulged out of his face at the same time I heard the popping sound, and I thought for a minute they might fall right out. The man caved in on himself while his face turned a deep red and then almost purple. He fell to his knees. While the other men were trying to figure out what had happened, I darted between them and headed back downstairs. I ran toward Jaxon's office. I wasn't sure how long I could hide in there, but at least I knew that door had a very secure lock. I could feel my heart thumping hard in my chest, and I forced myself to stay focused and keep going. What the f*ck was even happening? I tried to think about what Jaxon could be doing with my dad tha
JaxonI could hear my men in their car racing behind me, behind them was the sound of sirens that I had been expecting. F*cking fantastic. It sounded like at least four. If I hadn't been so focused on keeping the car straight I would have called Walt Price, the police chief, right then. I needed to keep focused. The last thing I needed was to let myself be distracted and lose time that Sara might not have. I zoomed down the road and it seemed to be stretching out forever. I felt like the faster I drove the longer the road seemed to become. The sirens were getting closer now. I glanced in the rearview mirror; there were at least four cop cars barking into their microphones, trying to get us to pull over. That wasn't likely. They'd have to completely incapacitate me if they wanted to keep me from reaching Sara. They were trying to get around my men's car, but my guys were constantly swerving in the way–keeping me in the clear. I felt a bit of gratitude, but my mind was still c
JaxonI could see Sara was still breathing, and I let some of my panic dissipate. I would make her safe again. The two men still standing were coming toward me now. At least they had the decency to look afraid, rather than their friends below, who only looked amused at my anger. I moved quicker than them and shoved my right foot into the first man's chest. I heard several significant snaps as he fell to the ground. The other one was charging me now, so I punched him hard in the jaw. He stumbled backward. I kicked him in the kneecap and snapped it back in the wrong direction. He screamed wildly and fell backward onto the ground. I moved over him and pressed my foot against his neck while he struggled to breathe. I could see the first man starting to get up again, and I pushed my foot down harder. "Who are you working for?" I demanded. I kept glancing to each of my sides, preparing for an attack. The man fought hard to breathe and tried to push my foot away, but he didn't seem
JaxonI felt uncomfortable in my own skin. I felt like my nerves were slowly boiling, and I couldn't stand still. Rationally, I knew Sara would be alright, but I couldn't help pacing while the doctor finished his physical examination. My mind was swirling with all the events of the last twenty-four hours. Daren was supposed to be out of my life.... How did he still impact so much of it? I kept pacing to keep myself from shaking. I knew she was getting the best care, but I couldn't stand waiting to hear whether she was going to be okay. She'd gone through so much. Until I knew for sure, I was barely holding it together. I could tell my incessant pacing was irritating the doctor, but I didn't care. My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I moved quickly to the door. I stepped out but left it a little open so I could keep Sara in my sight. "What is it, Walt?" "I'm sorry, Jaxon. I know you wanted my men to back off, but the news crews outside your place heard gunshots. They are
JaxonAs soon as I was certain that Sara was asleep, I moved carefully out of the bed and shut the door quietly behind me. I pressed in my key code and locked the door. It was bad enough I wasn't keeping her next to me; I wouldn't risk anything happening to her again. I moved quickly downstairs where my men were still waiting, guarding the door and gathering up the dead bodies. I glanced at my watch. It was almost 6:00 A.M. and I hadn't slept at all. I didn't feel tired though. My body was still racing with worry, fear, and adrenaline. All my men turned to face me when they saw me coming to join them. They stood up straighter, clearly waiting for instructions. "I'm going to call Marcus and get a cleaning crew in here. I want one of you to stand outside my door at all times; no one gets in or out but me and the doctor. I bring meals up to her, but she never comes out. You are to protect her at all costs. Understood?" They all nodded quickly, and I was not surprised when El
SaraI felt uncomfortable. I could hardly move from lying on my back. Everything hurt my hip too much. I groaned. This f*cking sucked. As much as I loved having Jaxon by my side almost constantly, it was a bit annoying to have him and the doctor fussing over me like I was some kind of porcelain doll all the time. I wanted to scream. But at the same time, I could hardly stand Jaxon leaving me. I felt better–safer–when he was next to me. If it weren't for Jaxon's forceful insistence, I wouldn't have even wanted the doctor in or around me. I liked knowing Jaxon's men were still out and around, guarding the place, as long as they stayed out of the room. "Can you try to take a deep breath for me, Sara?" the doctor asked, already putting a bit of pressure on my broken ribs. I winced from the pain as I tried to breathe. "How are you feeling? Has the pain improved at all?" "It's not as bad as that first night, but it still f*cking hurts," I growled. He stopped touching me instant
JaxonIt irked me to see Sara looking so broken and helpless. I felt constantly torn between never wanting to leave her side and wanting to avenge her. It became especially difficult to satisfy my duties when she begged so desperately for me not to leave her. I delegated my responsibilities as much as I could, but there were some things that required me in person. "I won't be gone long. I'll be back as soon as I can. The new alarm system is set. I'm leaving all my men here. Eli will be right outside," I offered, leaning in to kiss her forehead. She was still frowning. I sighed. "Didn't you already talk to the media? Can't they just review that statement?" Sara objected. I smiled weakly at her and ran my knuckles down her cheek. "That was different. I gave a statement to the immediate situation. This is with the board and the police verifying my story. It's the best way to ease the tension at the company and add some validity to my previous account of what happened. This i
SaraI sighed heavily as I put my glass down on the desk in Jaxon's home office. I'd come here because I knew that this was where he kept the good whisky. I'd retreated to the shower while Jaxon was being treated by the doctor.The thought of watching him pull a bullet out of my husband made me feel sick. It was the very last thing I needed to see after another nightmarish day. Even after receiving the threat on my desk, I hadn't expected the day to go this way at all. It was all so much to wrap my head around. It all still felt completely surreal, as if it were all some bad dream and not my very real reality. This had been the last thing that I had expected, and I felt fairly sure that Jaxon was just as taken by surprise. I felt sick with fear every time I replayed the events from earlier. I couldn't stop thinking what would have happened if Jaxon hadn't noticed the sniper on the roof when he did–if his arm hadn't been there in time.I'd be dead. Cynthia had actually tried
JaxonI could tell that Sara was still feeling uncomfortable about the threat she'd found on her desk. She'd spent the rest of the day working from my office, but she'd been silent and subdued the entire time. Now she was clutching onto my arm as we made our way to the parking garage.It made my blood boil that she was back to being in a state of fear and anxiety when we'd just resolved everything with Cynthia. We were finally getting our marriage back on track, and now we would inevitably take a few steps back.I held Sara's hand tighter as we entered the garage, feeling slightly paranoid myself. I couldn't deny that the note had also left me on edge a little. I'd called Eli and arranged to have more security around the building. I would have to be careful until I identified the source of this latest threat."We'll be home soon," I told Sara in a comforting tone as I slid into the car beside her.She shot me a small smile and turned her attention to the window, clearly still
SaraI wasn’t ready for my stay-cation with Jaxon to end. I rolled over in the bed on Monday morning and wrapped my arm around Jaxon. It had been so nice with him each day, just enjoying each other and getting closer again. "Good morning," he offered in a gruff tone. I smiled and traced the lines of his muscles. "Good morning." "Are you ready for work and the real world?" he teased. I scoffed and made no effort to move. "If we have to," I replied, unable to hide the giggle in my words. He pulled me up and on top of him and before kissing me deeply. "That’s not going to make me more ready for work," I said jokingly. He chuckled and kissed me again. He then flawlessly picked me up and carried me toward the shower. I continued to giggle as he placed me down and turned the cold water onto me. "Hey!" "Oh sorry! It’s that too cold?" he said sarcastically, turning the heat on. It started to warm quickly and he jumped in with me. We playfully spent more time cleaning eac
Jaxon "Did you have a good time with Lauren?" I asked as she got into the car. She smiled bigger than I’d seen her do in a while. "Yes I really did, and it got me thinking," she started as I waited anxiously, “that maybe you and I should have some quality alone time. Things have been really crazy and it’s been a hard first year of marriage. I wanted to say I’m sorry about how I reacted when you offered a trip to Las Vegas. Maybe we can make up for it now and have a little stay-cation this weekend?" The thought of time alone with Sara made my whole body react with excitement. I reached over and took her hand, then kissed the back of it. "I think that sounds wonderful. I think we should start tonight. I’ll call us both off of work for the next two days," I replied. Sara giggled. "Sounds good to me." I decided to surprise her by driving to her diner instead of straight home. When she realized what I was doing her eyes lit up. "Really? Thank you!" She squealed with
SaraWe had gotten rid of Cynthia, at least where our working life was concerned. Her vague threats were a little unsettling, but I was glad I didn't have to see her in the publishing offices ever again. Now, it was time to say goodbye to another woman who had overstayed her welcome in my life. I found this one much harder to deal with. "This doesn’t have to be the end," Jaxon offered sweetly. He brushed his fingers softly down on my face. I wanted to keep them there forever. After all we had been through, nothing felt better than him here, touching me, comforting me, and holding me. "I know, and I know what she said. But how could I ever trust her again after what she’s done?" I was asking myself more than I was asking him. I tried to picture it–I tried to imagine having a future with my mom and how things might be better, but I couldn’t erase the doubt in my mind. "I honestly don’t know but I have to believe it’s possible. I hate to see you lose more people," he repl
Jaxon Nobody could say I hadn’t tried to warn her. I told Cynthia, over and over, that she was playing with fire. She never fucking listened. I turned over what I had on her to the Board yesterday. Carmine, Board President, came to my office this morning and apologized in person for any trouble I might have gone through. Yeah, any trouble. His fucking bullshit apology didn't cover the crap I’d been dealing with lately, but it was a nice gesture. And I couldn't really complain since he also said he was fully supporting Cynthia’s removal from every aspect of the business. The vote was about to happen, so I told him I appreciated the support, and I did. I had to pick my battles lately. All I could say was, "Ding-dong, the witch is dead." She just didn't know it yet. But she would. I was really looking forward to this meeting. I couldn't wait to wipe that smug grin off of her face once and for all. She didn’t believe it when I told her it was all over. To be fair, there was a t
Sara I held King on my lap for comfort while I listened to the nonsense Cynthia and my mother tried to spin. I was so upset and disgusted that I didn’t know what else to do. In the time I’d gotten to know her, I had come to expect pretty much anything from Cynthia. She was, as my husband liked to put it, a real “piece of work.” But my own mother trying to seduce my husband, that was the last straw. “Don’t you have anything to add, Sara?” my mother asked me, with a note of hostility in her voice. “I thought you of all people should know how much I care about you. How I was only trying to protect you. I want the best for you, honey, and I’m just not sure that this marriage is it.” I couldn't believe she would dare to speak to me that way. She hasn't shown up for years, and she had me believe that she was dead while I spent my time fighting off lowlifes and working off my father’s debt. Then she came back when my life got good, and she tried to mess it all up for me. And I saw he
Jaxon Well, this week had been pretty fucking interesting. Two people made a move against me, and they were both family members. Well, sort of family. Sloan was by marriage and Cynthia was by law, but that was my own stupidity. I had no one to blame but myself for the latter. If I had never laid eyes on that woman again I would have been the happiest man on earth.I was hoping I could still make that possible. Not in the usual way. This wouldn't require a clean-up crew. I was hoping that she could be persuaded to go away on her own. I'd been told I could be very persuasive. I had a way about me. “So what’s the plan,” Sara asked me, her luscious lips begging me to kiss them. “How are you going to do this?” “I got a few ideas,” I told her, kissing her quickly at the light to avoid crashing the Rolls on my way to the meet. “Just follow my lead.” Leon had been looking into the situation for me, and he found out a few things. Cynthia had not been behaving herself. That frie
SaraI hummed to myself happily as I walked into our closet and kicked my heels off, putting my purse down on the ottoman. My life was finally on the up-and-up, and I was enjoying every amazing second of it.I wasn't sure if people at the office had stopped gossiping or if I'd just stopped caring enough to tune in. Either way, I hadn't been hearing annoying little rumors every time I went to work, and it was a welcome relief.Knowing that Jayne was on our side, and having an apology from her, made it that much better. Absolutely nothing could bring me down. On top of that, we had King now! The bulldog puppy greeted me at the door, and I spent some time playing with him and making sure that he had everything he needed.Then, I walked out of the bedroom and wandered toward Jaxon's office. He'd spent most of his time today attending meetings, and I had sorely missed him. I wanted to make him dinner, catch up about the day and then end the night with a bang.My libido had been ou