He tore his lips away, and I let my head fall back as he dived for my neck, licking, kissing, and biting a trail up to my ear.

“Holy shit,” I panted.

His hard shoulders flexed under my fingers, and the next thing I knew I was spinning around in his arms and entering the light of the bedroom as his heavy footsteps pounded on the hardwood floors.

“Fuck,” he growled, and dropped me to the bed, falling on top of me.

I moaned, diving for his lips again, so damn hungry for the taste of him. “You’re an asshole,” I breathed out in between kisses.

“I know.” His lips curled, and he reached down between us, unfastening his belt.

I twisted my lips away, and reaching up, I put my hands on both sides of his face, forcing his eyes on me. “Don’t you ever ignore me for five days again,” I gritted out.

He ripped through the button on his pants, tore down the zipper, and freed his cock, seating himself between my legs.

“Never again,” he promised, looking down at me with fire in his eyes as he tore the condom from its wrapper and rolled it on. “You’ve owned me since I was seventeen.” And he slid his greedy hand under my ass, held me tight, and thrust his cock inside me, spearing me.

“Ah,” I sucked in a hard breath, throwing my head back.

“God, baby … I missed you.” He squeezed his eyes shut, and I released my grip on his face, taking his neck instead and bringing him down to my mouth.

“Always wet for you,” I whispered into his mouth.

He thrust hard, fucking me fast and rough. Just the way I wanted it from him. We both moaned loud, not caring that there were probably people downstairs.

He was mine, and I was his, and the next time the little shit threw his temper around or shut down on me, I was going to either push him harder or pull away for good.

Push and pull.

Give and take.

Accelerate. Release.

Jax’s finger traced the lines of my profile, gliding over my nose and brushing down my lips. I let out a blissful sigh.

I loved to be touched. With kindness, that is. And it felt so good that I wanted to close my eyes, but I couldn’t. I’d waited years to just be able to look at him, without fear of him seeing me, and now I couldn’t get enough.

“You’re so beautiful,” he said, lying next to me with his head propped up on an elbow.

I reached up to touch him, too, but halted and jerked my head toward the door, hearing Tate’s squeal from downstairs.

“He’s here!” she shouted, and I grinned, turning back to Jax.

“Guess that means Jared’s home.”

Jax let out a sigh next to me. “Oh, joy.”

I rubbed the tip of my nose on his. “What’s going on with you two?” I asked, concerned.

He kissed me softly on the lips. “Nothing,” he whispered. “He just likes to get on my ass like you.”

I laughed. “Hopefully not just like me,” I joked.

Sitting up, I grabbed my brush off the nightstand and fixed my hair. “Jax?” I licked my lips, my mouth suddenly dry.

“Yeah.” He sat up, dipping his head into my neck.

Tingles spread like a swarm of butterflies under my skin, and I pushed him away, smiling.

“I overheard your call with him the day you gave me driving lessons,” I confessed. “Your father is getting out of jail soon?”

Jax leaned back on his hands, looking down. “Maybe.” He shook his head. “Don’t worry about it.”

I rose off the bed and straightened my skirt.

“I want to, Jax,” I said. “I mean,” I rushed to add, “I don’t want to worry, but I want to know about you. I want you to tell me things.”

“Jax! Get your ass down here!”

We both jumped at Madoc’s bellow, and I let out a nervous laugh. The king of bad timing.

I leaned down, cupping his face.

And once I was staring into those blue eyes, I couldn’t stop. I kissed his forehead, then his nose, and when he closed his eyes, I kissed those, too.

“I like you,” I admitted. A lot. “I want to know you.”

He pulled me down into his lap and wrapped his arms around me as my feet dangled above the floor. I closed my eyes, feeling his light fingers brush my hair over my shoulder and kiss the sore skin on the back of my neck.

He knew I had a tattoo. Fuckin’ Tate.

“All you need to know,” he whispered in my ear, “is that there’s still shit that bleeds when you’re not around.”

My throat tightened.

He continued. “Do what you want with me, Juliet. Just don’t leave. Not yet.”

I narrowed my eyes, the sting at his words causing me to blink.

Not yet?

“Leave?” I repeated. “You piss me off, you make me cry, you make me crazy … but you make me better, Jax.”

“And you make me happier,” he finished, and I got lost in his eyes.

The shadow of the tree’s leaves outside swayed across his face, and I smiled, hearing thunder rumble. The room dimmed with the loss of sunlight.

“Now!” a bellow came from downstairs, and we both shot up, knowing it was Jared this time.

Jax gave me a quick kiss and jetted out the door while I swiped Tate’s comforter off her bed and tossed it in the corner to be washed later, just in case.

Powering down the stairs, I smoothed my blouse, skirt, and hair as I walked into the living room.

“Hey.” Jared was turning and pulling his arms from around Tate to walk to his brother. “Jesus, look at you.” He smiled, grabbing Jax’s neck and looking over his hair and clothes.

“Glad you’re home,” Jax said, and they pulled each other in for a hug.

“I missed you,” I heard Jared say quietly as Madman yelped and circled his feet.

“Yeah, me, too.”

Looking at Jared and Jax together, you would think you could see the brotherly resemblance. You couldn’t. The only thing they shared was charisma. You know? That invisible power some people possess that draws others to them? Both of the Trents had it.

But that was where the similarities ended.

Jared looked like his mother. Chocolate brown hair, now buzzed close to the scalp on the back and sides and cropped short on the top for the military. Deep brown eyes. Coloring similar to my own. He was slightly shorter than Jax, maybe an inch, but his build was just as big. He’d put on a lot of muscle since the last time I saw him.

I’d never seen pictures of their father or Jax’s mother, so I didn’t know who Jax took after, but I did know that Jax was part Native American, which accounted for his darker skin and hair.

And in personality, they were very different. Both were volatile. Both could be angry. But whereas Jared raged, Jax waited. Where Jared charged, Jax assessed. Very different.

I couldn’t help wondering about the man who fathered them both.

Everyone sat or stood in the living room—Tate by the fireplace, Madoc and Fallon curled up on the couch, and Jared and Jax standing in the middle.

And me, trying to melt into the carpet, feeling intimidated all of a sudden.

Jared always treated me somewhat decent, but he also looked at me as if I were the five-year-old at the big kids’ table. Better seen than heard.

And as I stood there, trying to find a comfortable place to rest my eyes and wondering what the hell to do with my hands, I realized that I was not my mother’s daughter anymore. I was not the hair in the soup, the fly in the ointment, or the stain on the sheets. I might not be Jared Trent’s favorite person, but he certainly wasn’t mine, either. It was past time that I stopped wondering if I was good enough for others and started wondering if they were good enough for me.

I dropped my hands and stepped up next to Jax.

He immediately looked down at me, smiled, and put his arm around my shoulder, tucking me in.

Jared stopped talking. As he glanced between Jax and me, his deep brown eyes narrowed, and I saw the wheels start to turn. Jax and I were silent as Jared’s eyes went from confused to sudden realization.

“Trust me,” I shot out before he had a chance to speak. “I’ve got his back. I promise.”

Jared looked stunned, his eyebrows shooting up, and then he finally just shook his head, blinking. “Okay, then.”

And that was it. Jax squeezed me tighter, and Jared went back to Tate, where their hands were all over each other.

“Okay, shower up!” Madoc urged, looking at Jared. “Pizza. I’m hungry.”

But Jared shook his head. “No way.”

“Huh?” Madoc asked.

Jared dropped his arms from Tate and started unbuttoning his camouflage utility jacket. “Look, everyone.” He spoke to all of us. “I love you, but you have to go.”

Everyone just stood or sat there.

“I haven’t seen Tate in weeks. We need alone time. Sorry.” Jared tossed his jacket on the chair, leaving him in his camo pants and T-shirt.

“Jared?” Tate complained, blushing with embarrassment.

But he shot her a warning look. “It’s been weeks, babe.”

She straightened, and I almost laughed as her expression changed. “Yeah, okay.” She clapped her hands, ushering everyone to the front door. “Everyone out. We need to be alone.”

“For how long?” Madoc protested, standing up with Fallon.