Page 105 of The Souls We Claim

I chuckle as I break free and sit back up. I must look a hot, sweaty mess, but by the way Jax looks at me, telling me with his eyes that he treasures me, I feel beautiful.

Without thinking, I rock gently back and forth in a move I know will get him hard again in a minute.

Strong fingers dig into my hips. “Can’t get enough of you, Ari.”

“Good. I hope to keep it that way.”

“You might kill me on the way there, but I’ll die a fucking happy man.”

The crackle of the baby monitor makes us both look to the unit on the side table.

“Dadadada,” Lola babbles cheerfully. And so she should. She kept us awake from three until four am. Until she did a massive fart that made us all laugh, then passed out asleep.

“Fuck,” Jax groans. “I wanted to do that again.”

“I’m all yours later. Why don’t you go give her some breakfast while I shower, and then I’ll take her to the store with me while you do whatever you’re meant to be doing today.”

He reaches for the back of my neck and pulls me to him, kissing me firmly. “What I’m meant to be doing is you.”

I lift my hips and let him slide from within me. “What we want and what we need aren’t always the same thing.”

Halo puts an arm behind his head that makes his bicep look incredibly strong. “I want you, and my cock needs you.”

“Stop making excuses and go look after our…” I pause.

“What?” Halo says.

“I nearly said ‘our daughter.’ Is that weird?”

He rolls to the edge of the bed and stands before pulling me into his arms. “When your parents were here, I told her I’m going to be her dad. And I already called you her mom. So, no, I don’t think it’s weird to call her our daughter. I like that.”

Jax kisses the top of my head, then my cheek, then grabs my ass.

“Nooooo,” Lola squeals through the baby monitor.

“For fuck’s sake,” Jax says.

“Good luck with that.” I take the opportunity to escape his grip and head to the shower.

An hour later, I pull into the lot. It’s wildly busy. The store has one of those wild sampler alleys you can walk through before heading in. People are milling around on the side of the lot that is closed off to cars. It takes a hot minute to find a parking space, and both Lola and I are a tad sweaty by the time I find somewhere to park.

“It’s hard to believe it’s September, isn’t it, Lolly?” She’s pulled her sandal off, and I decide to just remove the other. The last thing I need is for her to lose one in the store.

I pop her in a cart and walk her through the sampler alley. We manage to pick up a kid’s fruity yogurt in a tube and a couple of crackers, which I hope will keep Lola occupied while I shop. Otherwise, she gets grabby, pointing at everything she wants.

I reach into my purse to grab the list and realize I left my wallet on the table next to the door.

For a moment, I debate going home to collect it, but parking was such a nightmare.

Instead, I do something I would never have done two months ago. I call Jax.

As it rings, I remember the first time I came to the store, bumped into Gwen. I was terrified at the thought of what Jax might do if I interrupted his day.

“What’s up, kitten?” he asks.

I hear the sound of the water running in the background. “Were you just about to shower?”

“Yeah. But did you need me?”