Page 15

Even though it shouldn’t, Jax remembering my name warmsmy chest, my belly, and various other regions lower down. “Mariah,” I correct.

Jax crosses his arms, biceps popping, as he leans against the bar behind him. He gives his head a slow shake. His eyes roam over my body from top to bottom, then back up again. I shouldn’t be flattered—I should be offended. But I’m not. It pisses me off that getting checked out by Jax still turns me on like it did when I was a teen.

“I thought you moved away,” he says finally.

“I did.”

“Here visiting family?”

Not the entire truth, but true enough. I nod, pursing my lips.

“And not happy about it.”

“How’d you figure that?”

He gestures to the drab environment.

I sigh. “Fine, yes, I’m avoiding them.”

He grabs the bottle of gin off the counter and swirls it. “If that’s the case, I’m sure I can provide a suitable distraction.”

I slide my glass toward him. “Is that so?”

“Sinceyou’vealways found a way of distracting me—” His eyes flit to my cleavage momentarily, a smirk upon his face.

I can’t help the blush that rushes to my cheeks, turning my chest pink. So hedoesremember me. My tits, at least. Admittedly, they are quite unforgettable.

“Distracting you? I don’t think we said two words to each other in all of high school.”

“Doesn’t mean I didn’t want to say more.”

His admission stumps me, and for once I don’t have a witty comeback prepared.

Jax swirls the bottle of gin once more, the liquid inside sloshing. “I’d love to hear about where you’ve been, what you’ve been up to. Not all of us have been able to escape Chilliwack as you have. I’m not surprised you did.”

“Is that a fact?”

His eyes bore into mine, searching. “You were always different.”

I drop my gaze to the damp coaster in my hand, which I’ve been absentmindedly tearing into tiny pieces. Despite my best attempts at fitting in, it was apparent even to Jax—who didn’t know me at all—that I didn’t belong.

Jax leans closer. “In case you didn’t know, that’s a compliment.”

I look up at him from under my lashes, surprised by the sentiment. We regard one another, neither moving, as my curiosity piques. “I suppose youcoulddistract me for a while, then.”

He smiles, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “Happy to oblige. Only if you answer a question for me,Mariah.”

The way he pronounces my name, all raspy and throaty like that, does things to me. Warm, melty, tingly things.

Unable to stem my curiosity, I bite my lip. “Fine. What do you want to know?”

Jax leans on the bar, filling the space between us, his dark eyes capturing mine. “If you had to choose between getting your hair pulled or being choked, what would you pick?”

Oh, fuck. He went there.I hoped he might. I lean slowly toward him and watch as fire lights up his eyes. “Can’t a girl have both?”

Something sparks in the space between us, sending a wave of heat down to my belly. I haven’t felt this kind of immediate attraction toward a man in a long, long time, and I can’t help but squeeze my thighs together in response. The way his pupils dilate makes me certain the feeling is mutual. Besides, the kind of man who can ask such a lewd question in broad daylight andknowit will be taken well suggests he is well-versed in saying such things. This should be a warning, but instead his confidence only excites me—possibly because he was so out of my league when we were younger. Maybe all those years of pining are coming to a head now.

I’m not naive; I know this is probably a bad idea. And I know a red flag when I see one.