Page 17 of Fierce-Jax (Fierce Matchmaking #18)

CRUSHING ON YOU

D illion didn’t plan on volunteering so much information tonight, but she took charge and put it out there.

Some men didn’t like knowing where she came from.

They felt threatened by it.

Others wanted a part of it.

She never once felt that Jax was the type who was interested in her because of her profession or the wealth she might have from it. But there was no reason for him not to know who her parents were either.

Since she’d confessed what happened to Alec, it would have looked odd if she hadn’t explained that it was easy for her mother to come stay with her.

Hell, her father had dealerships in Charlotte and he even split his time between there and Durham while she lived there.

“You know how to put a lot on the table in one conversation,” he said.

Thankfully, someone placed their food down, giving her a minute to think about what he said.

But the silence was like rough water before a storm and she finally said, “Too much too soon?”

“No,” he said. “Not even a lot to process. Or it was, but I’m fast on my feet. I normally am. I’m getting better with you now that we are at this stage and me not crushing on you like a teen from a distance.”

She laughed. “Thanks for lightening the load of the conversation there. I don’t know that I meant to say as much as I had, but one thing feeds another.”

“I’m glad you did. I understand. You saw how I felt about Roni’s ex. You wanted me to know that there is no ex to deal with in your life.”

“That’s it,” she said. “I could have said it differently and I’m sure you’ve got a lot of questions.”

“I always have questions,” he said, “but we can save them for another time.”

“Thanks,” she said. “It’s fine.”

“I’m sure it is, but I’ll still save them if it’s okay with you.”

“Did I turn you off?” she asked.

Best to know that now.

Between how she acted on their first date eating her chocolate cake, to now, he probably thought she needed to see a shrink.

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “Not sure that is even possible.”

“If anyone can do it,” she said. “It’s me.”

“Seriously,” he said, laughing. “You do not know what other people see.”

“I know,” she said. “I try to push it off when it’s negative.”

Growing up wealthy with her father on TV and them driving high-end cars everywhere, having one of the nicest biggest houses in her area, and being a spoiled only child in many people’s eyes, she knew exactly what the world saw.

It was why she always walked away rather than put on a show.

It was better that way.

No reason to draw more eyes to her and it was why she raised her daughter the same way.

“I push off the negative too,” he said.

“Jax. Is that you?”

They both turned their heads quickly to see a woman standing by their table. “Yes,” he said. “I’m sorry. I can’t seem to remember you, if you can refresh my memory?”

He was even polite when he was telling someone he didn’t know who the hell she was.

Dillion didn’t know that she ever did that.

She normally played it off as if she remembered and then moved on.

“Bethany Dean. Well, it was Bethany Brown in school. I bet you don’t remember me. I look a lot different.”

“Oh,” he said, standing up. “Hey, no, I didn’t recognize you. You look great. How have you been?”

“Wonderful,” Bethany said, accepting the hug. “Perfect. I just wanted to come over and thank you. I don’t know how many times in my life I wanted to reach out and then stopped myself. Then I saw you sitting here and told my husband I was going to be rude and come over.”

Jax looked around the woman and saw a man sitting at a table nearby lift his hand up and shrug as if he was embarrassed.

“I’m glad you did.”

“I only wanted to say that I’ll never forget you sticking up for me in school.

Kids are rough and I had no friends. But you were always nice to me.

You made me not feel so alone. When I went away to college I made some changes and here I am.

Better than ever in more than one way. I’m a teacher now and I’ll always remember how you were.

I try to teach my students to do the same. ”

“Thanks for sharing that,” he said. “But you did it on your own. You always had the ability.”

“See,” Bethany said. “There you are again. Seeing the best in people.” Bethany looked at Dillion. “He’s a great guy. Any woman would be lucky to be part of his life. I bet he’s only gotten better with age.”

Bethany grinned and returned to her table after that and sat back down.

“Care to fill me in about what caused all those wonderful things said about you?” Dillion asked. “And you’re blushing. It’s adorable.”

He leaned in. “Cute puppy in your bed adorable? I think I need something to restore my manhood here.”

She laughed. “Definitely that,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows.

“That’s something at least,” he said, smirking. “I had no idea who that was until she said her name. She was this girl in class that got picked on for her size.”

“Oh boy,” she said. “And you stuck up for her?”

“I did. The mean girl of the class—Anna, I think—she always had something horrible to say to Bethany. Then when I told Anna to leave Bethany alone, she went off telling everyone that I had a crush on Bethany and was a chubby lover.”

He even lowered his voice in embarrassment now to say those two words. “Yikes,” she said. “Talk about a touchy situation.”

“It could have been if Roni hadn’t told everyone that Anna secretly had a crush on me and that is why she said that. It was out of jealousy.”

“Oh,” she said. “Good for Roni. Though that goes against everything I just lectured Gianna on last night.”

“I’ll have to hear this,” he said. “So I can get the spotlight off of me.”

“It’s about the same as what you went through only these kids are younger.” She told Jax what happened last Thursday after their date and how she handled it. “I felt bad that Gianna cried, but she has to understand right from wrong too. I think they are never too young to learn.”

“Not at all,” he said. “I’m glad to know we think alike.

I was mad at Roni for doing that. I didn’t think embarrassing Anna solved anything.

Months later I found out Anna’s parents were getting divorced.

She didn’t have the best home life. Probably had no control over things there and was trying to exhibit that at school.

It doesn’t justify it, but it goes to show no one knows what another person has going on in their life. ”

“I’m a good example of it,” she said. “Very few would ever feel sorry for me.”

“You wouldn’t want them to,” he said. “No more than I’d ever want someone to feel sorry for me either.”

“Exactly that,” she said, pointing her fork at him. “Are you going to kiss me after this date?”

He coughed on his bite of food. The question came out of left field, but why not?

“Do you want me to?”

“Yep,” she said. “I do. I’m done waiting for other people in my life.

Well, I stopped being done a long time ago.

I’ve waited long enough to date and if the pace of our first date is any indication, I’m not sure I want to wait weeks for our first kiss.

Or are you afraid that there’d be no spark?

I can assure you there is one on my end and the way you look at me tells me you feel the same. ”

There went that cute flush to his handsome face.

He even had a little bit of a five o’clock shadow going.

Wonder how he’d look with some facial hair.

Hot. That’s how he’d look.

“Then I guess you’ve got your answer,” he said.

An hour later, she was walking into her home again, her mother in the kitchen, Gianna nowhere to be found.

“How was your date?” her mother asked.

“What?” she asked, the smile gone from her face.

“Dillion, I know my daughter.” She looked around the house. “Don’t worry, Gianna is in the front room watching a movie. She can’t hear us.”

She sat down on a chair at the island. “How do you know I went on a date?”

Her mother sat next to her. “Do we need coffee for this?”

“Yes,” she said, getting up and making two cups and bringing them back. She needed a few minutes to gather her thoughts.

She’d put it all out there again tonight.

She was too old to play games.

If there was a chance something could work between her and Jax, she wanted to know sooner rather than later. Otherwise, she’d just move on.

“Tell me about your date now that you’ve worked it out in your mind.”

“It’s only been two.” She would not say anything about her being set up. In her mind, she and Jax were already on the slow trolley trying to sightsee.

“How did you meet him?”

“He works in the building,” she said. “He’s an executive director of a large agency three floors up.”

“Sounds older than you,” her mother said.

“Actually, we are the same age. He’s smart and great at his job.”

“You should see the smile on your face,” her mother said. “I can tell you’re happy.”

“I am,” she said.

Even more thrilled with the kiss at the end of the date.

Jax had been so considerate that he didn’t want to do it in the parking lot outside her car where people could see them.

She should have thought of that too.

He held the door open for her to get into her car and she turned and told him to get in the passenger seat.

He got in and she laughed, then told him she was ready for her kiss.

That gave them the privacy they needed.

Boy, was she glad for that.

He had a smooth way about him.

No Mr. Nice Guy when he was kissing her.

Yep, it started slow and a tad bit polite, but the minute she nudged his mouth open and slid her tongue in, his hand went up and into her hair and held her head in place while he treated her like she’d done her chocolate cake last week.

He all but devoured her.

If she wasn’t sitting in her car, she might have slumped to the asphalt.

“I’m happy for you,” her mother said. “It’s about damn time you started living again.”

“I’ve been living, Mom.”

“You’ve been surviving,” her mother said. “After everything Alec put you through, I understand.”

“Don’t go there, Mom.”

“I know you loved him,” her mother said. “In your way.”

“In my way,” she said.

It reminded her of what Jax said about Roni.

She was positive she would have left Alec if the truth came out.

Thankfully, not much of it did.

Not all of it.

She didn’t love him enough to have stood by him. But she valued him enough that she would have made any co-parenting work in the future.

“And now there are no worries. Does this man know about Gianna?”

“Jax,” she said. “His name is Jax Hollister. I know you’ll tell Dad and Dad will look into him. He’s great. His sister is the property manager for the two Fierce buildings. She’s married to an attorney. Jax is an upstanding member of the community.”

Her mother laughed. “You don’t have to sell me on anything or anyone. Despite what you think, your father only cares about a few things. One, that you’re happy and cared for. Two, Gianna is also accepted. Three, that whoever you end up with only wants for you what your father and I do.”

“Then Dad has nothing to worry about,” she said.