Page 32 of For the Promise (The Raider Brothers #2)

“I never want to see a ball of paint again.” ~ Jaxon

Jaxon

“A re you ready?” I ask when Blossom opens her door.

Her smile stretches from ear to ear. “Ready to kick some Raider ass.”

“Except mine, I hope.”

“If you’re on the opposite team, I make no promises.”

I haul her near and kiss the smile off of her face. By the time I’m done exploring her mouth, her eyes are glazed over and her lips are swollen.

“Still going to kick my ass?”

“Sounds kinky but okay.”

I grin as I lead her to my car. I never thought I’d enjoy having a sassy woman, but I enjoy all of Blossom’s traits – sassy or otherwise.

“Have you been to the Glowin’ Galleon before?” I ask as I start driving out of Smuggler’s Rest toward the paintball arena.

“I wish. Dakota refuses to go with me. Apparently, I’m too ‘ competitive’.”

I grin at her use of air quotes. “Maybe because you threatened to sell your horse to the glue factory if he didn’t hurry up when you were at Sirens & Saddles.”

She gasps and clutches her chest. “You lie!” I raise an eyebrow at her and she huffs. “I said, ‘don’t make me threaten you’. It’s not the same as actually threatening.”

“Sure, it’s not.”

“Who will be there today?” she asks and I cringe. “What’s wrong? Why are you cringing? Is your ex-girlfriend coming? Annoying, but I can hardly complain since you accompanied me to the wedding of my ex.”

I reach across the console and squeeze her thigh. “No ex is coming, but you should probably know this is a family day.”

She rolls her eyes. “Because you’re losing the prank war. I get it.”

“We’re going to Glowin’ Galleon because I’m losing the prank war, but me losing is not the reason we’re getting together today.”

“Spit it out. What’s going on? Are Eli and Paisley getting married? I am so jealous. I want to get married on a pirate ship.”

“I thought you wanted to get married on the beach.”

“I didn’t realize a pirate ship was an option.”

“A pirate ship with people running around shooting each other with paint is your idea of an ideal wedding location?”

Her nose wrinkles. “I didn’t consider the paintball. It would ruin a wedding dress.”

“And running around chasing people with a paintball gun without shoes on would be rough. ”

“I guess this means Eli and Paisley aren’t getting married.”

“No. It’s my birthday.”

“What?” Blossom screeches. “It’s your birthday and you didn’t tell me? We’re dating, Jaxon. This is information you share with the woman you’re dating.” She slaps my shoulder. “I can’t believe you. I haven’t had the chance to buy you a present. I’m showing up at your birthday party without a gift.”

I capture her hand and squeeze. “You don’t need to give me a present. Your presence is all I need.”

It’s true. Blossom is all I need. She’s the woman I’m falling for. The woman I want to spend all my time with. I’ve never been distracted at work before – I have excellent skills of concentration – but I find myself staring into space, wondering what she’s doing at random times during the day.

She lifts our hands to kiss my knuckles. “Good save, nerd boy. Good save.”

I pull into the Glowin’ Galleon , and Blossom leans forward to gawk at the full-scale neon pirate ship replica with LED rigging and neon painted sails. The place is loud and obnoxious and completely over the top.

“This is awesome,” she mutters.

“You don’t find it too much?”

“It’s…” She stops gawking to meet my gaze. “Is it too much for you? Too many people?” A spark lights her brown eyes. “Let’s sneak out. Everyone will wonder where we’ve gone.”

I point to the group gathered at the entrance. “Except my family is already here.” Mom waves. “And they’ve spotted us.”

“And?” She shrugs. “We can still do a runner.”

“I thought you wanted to be here?”

“Nerd boy, I want to be with you. Whether I’m kicking ass at paintball or putting together an elaborate prank, I just want to be with you.”

My stomach dips at her words. She’s serious. This gorgeous, outgoing creature wants to be with me.

I yank on her hand and she yelps as she falls over the console toward me. She’s laughing when I capture her lips. I swoop my tongue inside and her laughter changes to a moan. She threads her hands through my hair and tugs as I deepen the kiss until—

Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Are you done making out?” Miles shouts. “We have a start time in fifteen minutes and we need to get kitted out.”

I release Blossom’s lips and lean my forehead against hers. “Your idea of doing a runner is becoming more attractive.”

The door behind me flies open and I’m dragged from my seat out of the car by Miles. “Happy birthday!”

The rest of the Raider brothers pile on top of me until they’re suffocating me. Blossom shoves them away.

“Your brothers are assholes,” she mutters.

“This is not new information.”

I dust off my clothes, and we walk hand in hand to the entrance where Mom and Stuart are waiting.

“How are you doing, daughter?” Mom asks as she engulfs Blossom in a hug.

“This marriage isn’t real,” Blossom says.

I frown. She was quick to point out our marriage is fake. Was I wrong about her? Does she not want to be with me? Does she not want me the way I want her? Am I merely a temporary fling to her?

“Sure, it isn’t.” Mom winks and Blossom blushes.

“Where are Dakota and Paisley?” Blossom asks.

“Paisley is not playing paintball when she’s pregnant,” Eli says.

“And Dakota is keeping Paisley company,” Rhett adds.

Blossom snorts. “In other words, she’s afraid to lose.”

Kai rubs his hands together. “Them’s fighting words.”

“I bet I can win against you.”

Kai extends his hand. “You’re on. What do I get when I win?”

“I thought you preferred not to discuss hypotheticals that will never happen,” Blossom says and Kai narrows his eyes on me.

“What have you been telling your girlfriend about me?”

I wrap an arm around Blossom. “Wife.”

Blossom flashes her ring at my brother and the tension in my shoulders releases. Maybe she won’t leave me after this marriage is annulled after all.

Mom sighs. “I’m loving this. Three of my boys are settled. Three more to go.”

Stuart shakes his head. “Miles, Zane, and Kai aren’t going to be as easy to settle as the others were.”

“Easy?” Rhett mutters. “There was nothing easy about convincing Dakota to take a chance on me. ”

“Tell me about it.” Blossom rolls her eyes. “I had to promise this one all kinds of sexual favors before he’d go out on a date with me.”

“Sexual favors?” Mom asks and Blossom’s eyes widen before she slaps a hand over her mouth.

“Shit. I didn’t. Damn. I swore.” She feigns zipping her lips. “No more talking from me.”

I chuckle at how adorably embarrassed she is with her bright red cheeks.

I kiss her hair. “I’m still waiting on some of those sexual favors.”

She slaps my shoulder. “You’re supposed to pretend I didn’t say anything embarrassing. Your research on how to woo a woman is a complete failure.”

“As much fun as this is.” Miles herds us toward the entrance. “I don’t want to miss our time slot.”

“In other words, he has a date later and is on a time schedule,” Zane whisper-shouts to the rest of us.

“Time schedule?” Kai’s nose wrinkles. “Why would you want to be on a time schedule?”

I moan. “Birthday rule. No complaining about time today.”

Kai sticks his tongue out at me. “Fine. But I’ll be thinking it.”

“This is convenient,” Blossom says as we enter the ship. “You can make up a rule for your birthday and it has to be followed?”

“Yep. And I have a few ideas for later.”

Her eyes flare. “Tell me more.”

“I’ll tell you more.” She leans close to me. “Tonight. ”

“Tease.”

“This is not new information.”

“We’re in the Kraken’s Hold arena,” Miles announces and we follow him through the pirate ship to the changing room next to the arena where we don protective gear.

I’m happy for the protective gear when I stumble into the changing room thirty minutes later covered from head to toe in paint.

“I’m never celebrating my birthday with my brothers again,” I grumble.

Blossom giggles when I pull my goggles up. I glance in the mirror. My entire face – except for where the goggles were – is covered in paint.

“Don’t you start.”

She holds up her hands. “You can’t get mad at me. I defended you.”

“Defended me? You barely got hit at all.”

“But I never shot at you.”

“Drinks are on Jaxon,” Kai declares.

“Because he’s the loser,” Miles adds.

“Don’t worry.” Eli slaps my back as he passes me by. “I’m buying. I need to get Paisley. I’ll meet you at the restaurant.”

Blossom places a hand on her stomach. “I’m starving.”

“Hurry up and change, sis,” Zane says. “And we can eat.”

Her smile lights up her face at the term ‘sis’. “I love your family. ”

I nearly say I love her in return. But I don’t. I can’t possibly love her. It’s too fast. Too soon. Except I’ve never felt this way about a woman before. Not even close.

My stomach knots like it’s bracing for a hit. There’s no universe where someone like Blossom – so warm, so alive – looks at someone like me and sees forever. I’ve been the odd one out my entire life. She’s the kind of person who makes friends in line at the grocery store.

I need to be smart. Careful. Protect myself before I do something stupid.

I think of Dad at Eli’s sixteenth birthday – smiling like nothing was wrong, playing Frisbee on the beach, making jokes. And then gone. No warning. No goodbye.

That’s what love can do. Make you believe something that isn’t real.

And Blossom… she still calls this marriage fake. Says it with a laugh, like it’s all a game.

Maybe I need some space. Just enough to get my head on straight. To stop this thing from spiraling out of control.

Except – just the thought of staying away from her makes my chest ache. What if she doesn’t notice I’m gone? What if it’s easy for her?

That thought answers everything.

We’re moving too fast. And I need to slow down. Before I forget, this was never supposed to be real in the first place.