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Chapter Twenty-One – I Think I Like You
"...There is something and it makes me smile
I think I like you
There is something burning in my mind
Yeah, I think I like you..."
– Black Box Revelation
"Take your clothes off." He said.
Rosie stood still. She blinked at him from over the bed.
"Take them off." He repeated firmly, his unmoving eyes zeroed in on her face with such heavy emotion, Rosie's hands seemed to act of their own volition.
She removed Tony's ring and stripped down to her underwear, her bloodless fingers felt cold against her vitality drained flesh but his eyes... his eyes were hot, burning into hers.
Swallowing thickly she nervously traced the high waistline of her well worn underpants, her gaze searching his as she took a breath to speak, but he beat her to it. "Leave those on."
He rested Abel in the centre of the unmade bed, his electric blue stare only leaving hers for those few moments. Slowly he removed each of his rings placing them on the nightstand. The look on his face was one filled with purpose. He took off his socks, his pants and shirt rolling his shoulders once he had finished.
Setting his knees on the mattress he held out his hand to her over Abel's resting form.
Rosie's weary eyes went from his calloused left palm to the baby laying peacefully on the bed and finally to her own pale hands.
There had been no point arguing, he had a set his mind and she knew she didn't have the energy to change it. He had taken her back to where it had all happened. Everyone had left. It was night and so quiet now...
She felt frail and used up. Without the adrenaline rush it had taken more effort then she thought it would to hold herself up both physically and mentally.
So she took his hand. She let him pull her into his bed, draw the covers up and hold her as close as he could with Abel between them. Her arms wound around the resting boy, her cheek was suddenly wet as she pressed it against his wispy blond hair.
"Rosalyn." The voice wrapped around her whispered into her hair and with that she began to shake. Tears streamed down her face, as she sobbed for breath.
"Oh god..." she gasped, clinging to Abel.
"Shhh... It's ok Rosie." He breathed against her hair, "You have our boy and I have you. You're safe."
Rosie's eyes squeezed shut.
She let his words comfort her, even if she knew they weren't true, she couldn't help how badly she needed to believe them.
"MAISE! ABEL!" She woke from her nightmare in a cold sweat.
Her hands groped aimlessly over the bed sheets searching for her babies.
"Rosie."
His voice from the bedroom doorway shocked her out of her panicked state.
"Where are they Jax?" She tried to get out of the bed but was stumbling over the twisted sheets. "Where's..."
"Hey, hey sweetheart," he rushed forward, gently resting his strong cool hands on her tense shoulders. "Abel's all right."
"I want him here."
"He's ok."
"I want him here!" She practically shouted.
"Rosalyn, I swear he's fine." Jax stated firmly, his calm voice seemed to sooth her fear for the moment at least, "He's actually sleeping now, you've been out all day."
Rosie's light brow furrowed, "All day?" Her hazel eyes widened when she looked up in horror at his concern coloured face, "MASIE!" She struggled against his hands in an attempt to get up again.
"It's taken care of darlin'." He grunted out, moving his grip to her arms to try to keep her in place on the bed.
The young mother settled down with confusion written on her face, "What?"
"Your friend, Molly, phoned. Apparently she's your emergency contact person, she must have been driving or somethin' 'cause she missed the hospital's call..." The blond man paused for a moment, his blue eyes filled with a kind of nervousness Rosie couldn't quite place. "I asked her if she could hang out with Maise for a couple more days."
New fear strummed through Rosie, "You told her what happened?"
"No." Jax shook his head with reserved smile.
The brown haired woman's panic subsided enough for her realize how exposed she was and to pull the bed sheet up to her chest. The action caused her to dimly notice an ache in her right shoulder when she did. "Ok. Good, good..." Rosie's gaze grew distracted "... not that I'm really sure what happened..." her hazel eyes searched Jax's stubble covered face for answers.
His blue eyes held hers for a moment. "You saved my son." His voice was so thick with emotion Rosie felt winded by it.
The pause that followed between them was equally heavy.
"I know," The hazel eyed woman shook her head still barely able to comprehend what had happened "...but why did he even need to b..."
"It's a complicated story." Jax's expression darkened. "One I'll tell you if you wanna know," he said, the immense weight of what he meant colouring his speech, before his tone lightened "...but you should probably call your friend first. She could tell something was up and she really didn't mind letting me know how much that bothered her." He had a small approving smirk on his face now, "She only agreed to stay away once I said you'd call her as soon as you could."
"Right." Rosie nodded slowly, "Uhh, where's my phone?" She muttered more to herself than him as her eyes skimmed over her surroundings.
He nodded towards her right. "On the night stand."
Rosie picked up her cellphone once she spotted it on the cluttered table and dialed. As she listened to the ringing her eyes wandered the floor of the room, "Where are my clothes?" She asked Jax just as the ringing stopped.
"Well that sounds promising." Molly's voice blandly said over the line.
Rosie blanched, her gaze moving to the white sheets on the bed before her, "I-I..."
"Uh huh. So your baby daddy wanted me to watch the squirt for you."
"Yeah, I... He's not..." She struggled with what to say to her best friend.
"Here talk to your kid." Molly cut Rosie off before the young mother could even try to bullshit her.
"Mommy!"
"Hey sweetie." Rosie was suddenly filled with the overwhelming need to take a shower. She shuddered at the grime of yesterday's memories.
"Guess what?" Maise queried without a care and quickly answering her own question, "I get to stay with Aunty Molly for longer!"
"Yeah, I heard." She smiled weakly at her enthusiasm, "Molly must really be loving your company sweetheart."
"She is." The little girl replied simply as though it was an obvious fact.
"I miss you though, honey. Like crazy." Rosie felt her eyes grow wet as she pictured her beautiful, innocent little girl.
"Miss you too momma. Promise I'll give you tons of hugs when we get home." Maise said in earnest, causing a genuine smile to spread across Rosie's lips.
"Looking forward to it." The young mother sniffed back her tears, with a smile.
"Is Jackie there?"
Rosie bit her lip, "Um..."
The little girl jumped in before Rosie could respond. "Aunty Molly's saying it's late and I have to go to bed."
"Oh..." Rosie tried to hide the clench of disappointment in her gut "...just... I love you baby. Sweet dreams."
"Sweet dreams mommy. Tell Abel and Jackie too."
A lump formed in Rosie throat. "I will."
"Hey." Molly's voice was back.
"Mols, I..."
"Don't bother Rose. I don't mind watching her, but I wanna know what's going on."
"I..."
"It's late. And from what little he told me, you had a rough day. He's lucky he had the Maise card to play otherwise I'd be there right now. Just rest up and enjoy your time to yourself."
Drawing in a deep breath, Rosie relented, "Thanks Molly. Love you."
"Yeah..." the red head let out a weary sigh "...you're all right too I guess." Rosie could hear the joking tone in her best friend's voice and felt some relief at that. "You'd better take care of yourself. See you Sunday." The phone went silent.
"Here."
Rosie was blindsided by a white ball of cloth tossed in her direction from the dresser by the bed.
She looked up to see Jax wearing a curious expression on his face.
"This isn't mine." She put down the phone to pick up the large t-shirt he'd lobbed at her.
With an apologetic wince he confessed, "I washed your clothes and might have forgotten about them for a while. They're in the dryer now."
"That's perfect." Rosie mumbled.
"Sorry." He winced again, rubbing the back of his neck in what almost looked like embarrassment.
"No." She gave him a tight smile, "It was sweet of you. But..." she pulled the t-shirt over her messy haired head, immediately feeling clean under it's scent and soft warmth. "I can't just walk around in this."
He gaze stuck on her for a moment, the way he was looking at her was making her uncomfortable.
"Well, darlin' all I got sweatpants or boxer briefs." He told her, shrugging as he explained, "Don't really wear pajamas."
Rosie fought the thump in her chest as her mind jumped to what exactly he did or moreover what he did not wear to bed.
"Either way you'd be swimmin' in 'em." Jax went on.
Nodding she replied as coolly as she could, "Sweats work for me. It won't be for long anyway."
Rosie swallowed thickly once he finally turned his back to her to rummage through his dresser again.
She felt a moment of freedom and instead of using it to collect her thoughts she used it to readjust her bra.
The underwire had dug painfully into her side over the course of the night. While she rubbed the indented spot on her skin she dared herself to ask him a question that had been bothering her. Her daring didn't stop uncertainty from enter her voice though, "Um... in the hospital the doctor seemed to think that Abel was my..."
Jax answered abruptly, keeping his focus on the open drawer in front of him. "Yeah. I told them that."
"Oh..."
Moving on to the next of what looked to be very haphazardly organized drawers, Jax clarified further, "Had to tell 'em you were related to Abel somehow... they wouldn't say what was going on with you otherwise."
'Somehow...' Rosie nodded along. "Right..." It made sense she supposed.
The small thud of something falling out of the dresser and on to the carpeted floor by Jax's feet drew her attention. 'Why does that look familiar?' She asked herself as she continued to fiddle with her uncomfortable under garment.
"Here..." his quiet tenor made her skin flush. She hadn't realized he'd stopped searching. She felt anxious for some reason as she slowly brought her eyes up his undeniably striking form. Even in a plain t-shirt and jeans he was something incredibly imposing to behold.
He held a pair of sweatpants out to her, but wasn't stepping close enough for her to reach them. She could see his free hand gripping the top of the dresser as though he needed it's support.
'Is he hurt?' Her eyes ran over his body for any sign of injury that she may have missed from that previous evening.
Before Rosie could think she had already stood up to get a better look. She started to ask, "Are you..."
This time the look on his face made her stop speaking for a different reason. Trying to ignore the feeling of his shirt tickling the skin of her thighs she focused on breathing.
His piercing blue eyes were dark as the seemed to drink the sight before them in.
Rosie bit her lip, suddenly very aware of how hairy her legs were and how long it had been since she had plucked her eyebrows properly. Growing increasingly self conscious, she drew one of her arms across her body.
"Fuck it."
"Wha-" she didn't get to finish her question. His hot mouth was molded against hers in an instant.
Though he was being forceful she could tell that he was asking her to return the gesture, not demanding it.
"Jax..." she sighed despite herself, parting her lips, allowing his tongue to slip inside her mouth. All her thoughts were gone, all she knew was that she was wrapped up in his arms again and she couldn't imagine anything feeling safer than that right now.
He tore off his clothes faster than Rosie could keep up with, his hands pulled up the shirt he had given her at the same speed, making short work of her bra and underwear as well. He only paused to brush a finger over the tender spot on right shoulder. He lay a warm kiss against it, "I'm so sorry."
Rosie opened her mouth to speak but Jax was back at the same frantic pace he had been at before.
The brown-haired woman couldn't stop him. Not when he looked like that... like some cross between a starved animal and a knee-weakening tornado.
"Rosie..." he breathed her name, shredding her sanity. "This is all I see." He lay her back on the bed, his fingers working their familiar magic on her. "I dream about you."
"Jax..." She groaned her eyes falling closed, she could sense his clear blue eyes burning her skin as they watched her face.
"You're all I want." His teeth grazed the skin of her neck now.
Her centre was completely liquid, she wondered how she had managed to resist this long, with him speaking in that low growl and looking at her the way he did. She couldn't bear it any longer, Rosie lift her legs around his waist pulling him closer to her throbbing opening.
As soon as she felt him pulsing and hot at her apex, her eyes popped open. "Condom." She blurted out.
She watched Jax's face, hovering above hers, a smile etched its way across his lips, his wet fingers slid over her swollen stomach. "I know Rosie." She gasped as he sunk his full length into her, his eyes falling closed only to open with fierce depth as he began to move inside her. "I know."
And like that she was gone.
Jackson Teller had completely fucked her... fucked her 'til all she could see were stars.
Short one. Hope it was to your liking though.
Please let me know what you think :)
Happy Holidays! Love you all!