Page 17

Chapter Seventeen

Jax

Jax sat on the bus taking the team to the airport where he prayed that they could get a flight out on January 2. The game had ended at three thirty the previous afternoon, but the city was shut down due to blizzard-like conditions. He’d called Ford and Cade to tell them he wouldn’t be home that night, but he could tell something wasn’t right.

“ Congratulations,” Cade said, the phone on speaker.

Jax laughed. “Chére, I didn’t do a damn thing but offer the team moral support and advice as I could. How are things at home? You guys watch the game?”

“ Yeah, we did. Actually, Miss Winnie, Cleve, and Griff came over with food. We have chicken wings for you in the fridge, along with some baby back ribs and potato salad. The food is incredible,” Ford said.

“Well, I hope you’ll keep me a plate because we can’t get out until tomorrow. Don’t let those damn boys eat all the good stuff.” He laughed, but there was silence on the other end of the line.

After that, Cade and Ford were in a hurry to end the call, making him very suspicious that something awful had happened. Hopefully, it wasn’t an issue with Cade’s case. If they had to move to a country where they didn’t extradite to the US, Jax was up for it. He wouldn’t allow Cade to go to jail for something so fucking stupid as trying to get the boys’ clothes back for them and keeping seven days’ worth of food from going to waste.

After they shuffled through the snow and onto the plane, Jax settled into a front seat, grateful for the extra legroom. He handed his crutches to the flight attendant and settled back in his seat to nap. Being trapped in a hotel banquet room on New Year’s night with a bunch of horny football players had been nerve-wracking, to say the least.

Everyone, including him, wanted to get home. When they found out they weren’t leaving that afternoon, everybody was pissed and proceeded to drink like fish, including Tony O’Brien and Beau Richelieu. They’d all slept until noon, knowing the airport wouldn’t be open until three that afternoon.

When Tony sat down next to him, Jax sighed. He wanted to sleep off a headache. “Jax, I had the club’s lawyers investigate this business with Kenneth Shaw and it seems as if the man’s left the country with all the donations made to fund the shelters. Six of the ten shelters he runs around the city have been closed after being reported to have been brothels instead of shelters. From what the club lawyer found, somebody called Crime Stoppers and left a credible tip. They have no idea who it was so we’re no better off than we were.”

“Shit sakes. Why are people so fucking horrible? I’d like to strangle the bastard, and if I ever see him, I’ll be arrested. You better come bail my ass out,” Jax tried to make a joke to keep his blood pressure from rising to feed his pounding head.

“Speaking of arrests, fight Cade’s as hard as you can. If that asshole has left the country, then the properties are abandoned and forfeited for taxes, or so I’m told. Anyway, everyone who contributed to the program got screwed out of a lot of money.” Tony’s comment was the last thing Jax wanted to hear.

“You think I can get the boys’ clothes back from the cops? I mean, with everything that’s come and gone, they should at least have their clothes, right?” Jax was determined to help in some way.

“Sure. Have Mitch Ross call the team’s lawyer and let the two of them work it out. It’s a damn shame because those places were good for kids who had already been shit on. God only knows what will happen to them if they don’t have a place to stay.” Jax nodded as Tony hopped up and took a seat in the back with Beau.

When Hans Linder boarded, he looked at Jax and pointed to the seat. Jax sighed. “Sit.” The kid’s face lit up before he stowed his computer bag in the overhead compartment and sat.

“Thanks for the support and kick in the ass you gave me yesterday during the game, Jax,” Hans said.

The kid had seemed to be freaking out during the second half, so Jax took him aside, slid off the headphones and mic he was wearing to communicate with the other coaches, and gave Linder a serious “get your head in this fuckin’ game” talk while shaking him by his chest pads. The highlights showed it as they commented on how Jax was still supporting his teammates, but he wished they’d have missed the shot.

“What was going on with you?” Jax asked. “You were fine during the first half and then after halftime, you fucking lost your shit.”

“My, uh, date I told you about the other night, I got a text. It freaked me out. I’m not strong, Jax. I’m not like you. I don’t think I can…” Hans scanned the nearby seats to see who was listening.

“Listen to me, kid, don’t take your damn phone with you to the stadium if you can’t leave it off or in your locker. Your job is to play the fuckin’ game without any influences except for your brothers on the field. Let me check with my guys to see when’s a good night to have you come over for dinner. We’ll send the kids out for pizza, and you, me, Cade, and Ford will talk. They’re much better at love-life advice than me.” Jax patted the kid’s hand that was holding tightly to the arm rest.

Hans stared at Jax with wide eyes. “You have kids?”

Jax laughed. “It’s a long story. I’ll explain it to you when you come over. I’ll be at the stadium to work out in the meantime, and I’ll figure out a day for you to come over. We’ll have a nice meal, okay?”

Jax patted Hans’ hand before slipping in his earbuds and pushing back his seat to close his eyes. He listened to some Kenny Chesney and Blake Shelton as a mellow feeling settled into his bones until the plane finally landed in Chicago.

Glancing out the window, Jax sneered at the sight of as much snow as they’d left in Minneapolis. He was sure the boys were stir-crazy, so he vowed to go online and find some sort of activity they could do indoors—maybe get some additional equipment aside from what they had in the home gym? With some planning, they could probably build an indoor court down there. It could work.

After being helped down the plane stairs by Linder, Jax made it to the Signature terminal lobby, seeing Ford waiting for him with a happy grin. Jax hobbled over to greet him, relieved to be home. “Hey, baby. How y’all handlin’ the snow?”

“We’re lucky in our neighborhood because we pay out the ass for extra services. How about yesterday?” Ford went to retrieve Jax’s bag from the cart.

They made their way, slowly, to the Hummer. Jax laughed because as much as Ford and Cade bitched about the vehicle, it did come in handy on occasion. Before Jax knew it, they headed home, and he wanted to know what he missed. “What did the boys say about the game?”

“Boys? Um, yeah, they loved it. The team pulled it out, but you were there pushing them. I wish it was a home game. Have you thought about the music yet for next weekend? You’re home, right?” Ford’s lighthearted attempt at putting Jax at ease sent up red flags.

“Well, I’m kinda pushin’ that to Denny Walker because I’m going to lobby for him to be the defensive captain next season. I’m not going into free agency. I told Cade about this before, but I just realized that you and I haven’t had the conversation yet. For that, I’m sorry.

“I wasn’t trying to keep it a secret, I swear. I just… Well, I said I’d give my all this season and then I’m out. With the leg, I’m sure that decision has been made for me, but I want to retire from Chicago. I’ll have to show my face at training camp so I can fulfill my contractual obligations. I’ll work out with the guys over the break after I get my cast off, but I’ll start scouting a place for my gym.” Jax glanced through the front windshield to see they were on the block where they lived.

Ford pulled into the driveway and turned to him with a smile. “I’m glad. We miss you when you’re gone, though I’m sure you’re going to travel for as long as the team is in the playoffs, right?”

Jax pulled Ford’s right hand to his mouth to leave a soft kiss. The man smelled incredible, and suddenly, Jax wanted to change the subject. “Yeah, maybe. So, I got the picture of the two of you in the tub on Saturday night. How did it go?”

Ford grinned. “It was as incredible as you described you wanted it to be. You tell me when you want to spend your own time with him, and I’ll make myself scarce after I give you a very detailed description of what I want you to do to him. That was fucking hot, Jackson. Hell, the two of you can go to dinner one night and maybe stop by the club for a nightcap. After, take him home and have fun together. I’ll let Cleve and Griff leave early, and I’ll close.”

Jax laughed. “What about the six teenagers at our house? That makes it a little hard to slip off.”

Ford’s eyes glanced at their clasped hands. “We’ll… Hell. The boys left, okay? The five of them took off on New Year’s morning. There’s a letter with an explanation at home, and Cade and Ash are pretty torn up about it.”

The unease Jax had felt about their call the previous night and now Ford’s evasive answer when Jax mentioned the boys made sense. The news choked him up.

“Cade’s worried about when he’s going to be arrested again, and Cheryl’s waiting for Hudson to be arrested before she brings Ash home. Pretty soon, it’s going to be the three of us again.” Ford’s tender smile was somewhat soothing.

Of course, Jax was upset the boys were gone but the prospect of the three of them being alone together to start their life? There was nothing wrong with that at all. He’d miss the boys, but selfishly? He wanted Ford and Cade to himself. They had a lot of love to make up to each other.

Ford had gone to the club on Wednesday morning to gather some accounting documents or some bullshit, and after he’d left, Cade brought Jax coffee in bed and then proceeded to skin off Jax’s boxer briefs.

“Drink your coffee. I’ll be back.” Cade mysteriously disappeared.

Jax sat up and thought about the boys leaving. It had upset him because he was growing used to having them around, and he was fond of them. The idea, though, of having the day with Cade—uninterrupted—was an unanticipated surprise.

Ashton was spending the day with his mother to sign up for another school because he hated boarding school in Wisconsin. The kid had made it perfectly clear to everyone that he damn well wasn’t going to the school in England as his father had intended.

When Cade came back to bed with a big smile on his face and fresh breath, Jax pushed him away. “Let me go clean up a little, chére.” He reached for the crutch on the floor before rushing to the bathroom. He emptied his bladder and brushed his teeth, proceeding out to the bedroom in all his naked glory.

He was surprised to see Cade on the bed on his back with two fingers in his ass, but the smile on his lovely face let Jax know he was going to have a good time.

Jax climbed onto the bed and licked a stripe from Cade’s balls to the tip of his cock where he gathered a drop of precome, savoring the flavor of one of the men he loved.

“Fuck, Lucky! That feels so good.” Cade quickly slicked a condom on Jax and pushed him onto his back.

Cade climbed aboard before Jax even knew what to think. As he lowered himself onto Jax’s cock, it was too fucking fantastic to complain.

“Oh, yeah, chére! Ride me, baby boy.” Jax was sucking in air as Kincade did just that—rode him hard.

“You feel so damn good inside me, Lucky.” Cade rested his hands on Jax’s chest and bounced on his cock perfectly.

“Oh, fuck no. It’s all you. Yeah, just like that, Cade.” Jax guided Cade’s hips so he could hit the younger man’s prostate. He and Ford played around with fingers bumping each other’s prostate over time. To get his cock involved in the exploration was exactly what Jax craved.

The sounds of sweaty skin slapping together and low groans during sloppy kisses provided the music to their emotionally charged lovemaking that morning. Jax was the one to take Ford to the edge, time and time again, but that morning, Kincade Hayes was giving him a lesson in edging, prolonging the ecstasy as long as possible before Jackson could no longer control himself.

“ Gah ! I love you. Hang on to me so you don’t shoot off.” Jax pulsed inside his younger lover, the condom catching his seed. He smiled as Cade joined him in giggling, orgasmic bliss.

After Cade dabbed at his chest and abs with a handful of tissues, Jax pulled him down, still gently pulsing up into the tight body. It felt tremendous, and he knew he’d never be able to go without that part of their relationship again. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?” Jax whispered against Cade’s lips.

Cade pulled away and grinned at him, “You hurt me like that as much as you want, Lucky. I loved it. Stay here and I’ll get a bag to wrap around your cast. Ford… kiss … got a… kiss … plastic chair… kiss … to put in there… nibble … so you can take a shower.” Cade’s lips against his chest as he kissed and sucked his nipples, starting Jax’s motor all over again.

Suddenly, the bedroom door opened, and they both looked up to see the big grin on Ford’s gorgeous face. “Damn, I’m too late. Next time, I wanna watch! So, it’s a real mess out there on the streets, but I was able to get out in the Hummer. I stopped at the only open bakery I could find and got some warm croissants. I’ll pop them in the oven while you two get cleaned up. Oh, hang on.” Ford hurried into the bathroom as Jackson held onto the condom while Cade climbed off of him.

Ford returned with a plastic bag of some sort. “Here. You wrap this around your leg just above your cast and fasten it with Velcro. The bottom is sealed so your cast stays dry, but you can’t try it without one of the two of us helping you because you’ll need support, so you don’t slip, especially to get the bag off and on.”

He removed the bag after his demonstration and helped Jax into a seated position. “Feel better?” Ford winked.

“Man, you know it. Spoiled now.” Jax watched Cade’s cute, naked bubble butt disappear into the bathroom with the spent condom. He glanced up to see Ford watching too.

“Yeah, it’s easy to do. Anyway, do the two of you feel like doing an honest day’s work? Are you going out to the park today?” Ford directed his second question to Jax.

“I don’t have to if you need me. We know we’re playing Seattle at home on Saturday, and I’ll go to that game for sure. I’d like to run by the stadium to pick up a copy of the game film to review tonight so I can offer some pointers to Denny and the boys. What do you need?” Jax accepted the crutch Ford offered.

Jax wrapped his other arm around Ford’s shoulders and the two of them made their way to the bathroom where Cade had started the shower. “I was hoping maybe the two of you could help with inventory. I need to be done with it by the ninth so I can get it to the accountant for my taxes. I picked up copies of last year’s sheets so you can see what needs to be counted, and it’s a sit-down job, mostly. I’ll get Brady and Tao to do the liquor count next Sunday, but you guys can go through the payable ledger and help with the expenses for trash collection, linen service, additional rentals for special functions, incidentals, things like that. You mind?”

Jax thought about it and smiled. “If you’ll help me figure out this whole gym thing, I’ll help you as much as you need. The business side of it’s going to be over my head, Branford. I’ll need you and Kincade to help me with the details, so I don’t make a mess and lose money.” Jax knew he’d need the help because sports medicine, fitness, and football were his areas of expertise, not running a business.

“Of course, I’ll help, Jax, but you’ve got the perfect partner standing right there in that shower. Remember the wizardry he worked with your contract with Stan? We just gotta keep him out of jail.”

Jax remembered what Tony had said on the plane. “That might not be as hard as we once thought. Seems Kenneth Shaw has left the country with all the donations people contributed to the shelters. Someone’s called the cops and reported each shelter with an anonymous tip. I’m gonna have Mitch Ross call the team lawyers and see what he can find out.”

“Don’t forget to contact Lionel Rawlings. He got Cade out of jail with the help of the mayor in the first place after Katrina got involved,” Ford reminded.

“How come he didn’t call that O’Malley prick?” Jax crutched to the sink to shave.

Ford took a seat on the counter at the end. “Not sure. Kincade, sweetheart, why didn’t you use Liam O’Malley to get you out of jail?”

Cade stuck his head out and wiped the water out of his eyes. “Huh?”

“When you were in jail, why didn’t you immediately contact Liam? Did you call him, and he refused to come because of the holiday?” Ford tilted his head to the ceiling and closed his eyes. Jax could tell he was trying to stave off anger if the man had indeed refused to help Cade.

Cade stepped out and pulled a towel around his waist, standing on the bathmat. “No. He, uh, he hit on me, which I didn’t appreciate, and I don’t plan on using him again. He told me about the job at the shelter because somebody mentioned it to him. I was pretty sure he was going to use it to get me in bed.”

Jax rinsed his razor and wiped his face with a wet cloth. “That was probably Mitch. He helped organize the donations from the team to the shelter. I need to call him about those donations and Shaw. Anyway, fucking O’Malley hit on you?”

Cade’s face flushed red. “Yeah. It was after we broke up, but I told him I wasn’t ready to see anyone yet, and I wasn’t sure if I would be ever again. When I got picked up, I was afraid to call him because I’d decided not to use him again out of fear that he’d hold it over my head. Anyway, why?”

“I’ll explain it in the shower. Can I get a little help?”

His younger lover did as he asked and helped him into the shower boot, securing it tightly, as they got into the large marble space. Jax sat on the plastic chair with Cade’s help, propping his plastic-covered cast on the shower bench, seeing yet another reason for having such a large, luxurious shower. He closed his eyes as Cade washed his hair. In that moment, he was in heaven, broken leg or not.