Three days had passed since Jax left for New York- Lola officially met Nash and he dumped the news of her marital secrets. Three days of mind-numbing thoughts and fears confined Lola to her bed- because what could she do until he was back?
She lay awake staring at the ceiling. During these days she hadn't heard from Melissa who was probably busy with Ed and Lola didn't want to bother her with this newest bit of supernatural drama; Melissa deserved a few days off, even if she would hate her for it.
She realized that the conversation she wanted to have with Jax when he returned would most likely not sit well.
Jax had said since day one how important her safety was and she didn't want the first thing they did when he got back to be a fight.
With furrowed brows and a deep wrinkle forming above her nose, she decided to plan something for his arrival.
Lola darted out of bed and looked around the room- she was in the guest room and it wasn't all that romantic but surely there was something she could do to change that.
She went downstairs into the kitchen where she knew that they kept all the candles. The bottom drawer- also the biggest- housed hundreds of candles in the oddest shapes and sizes.
Lola raided the candle drawer and brought them all upstairs. She asked one of the maids to go into town and get some roses, which she was more than happy to do when she saw the infectious joy in Lola's eyes.
She went to her closet and looked at the pieces of lingerie that Melissa had helped her pick out on their shopping spree.
Purple, pink, red and black.
There was one Safire green as well but it looked overly complicated with the clasps and the straps. She got in the shower and began her everything shower, and when she got out she applied some vanilla oil to make her skin sparkle before slipping into the lingerie.
A squeal left her lips when she saw how she looked, the way that her breasts pushed up and pressed together looking plumptious and her ass round and firm between the straps.
She played with her hair in different styles but decided to curl it and leave it messily over her shoulder. The makeup was light and sexy with some glitter and eyeshadow and by the time she was done and pulled the robe around her, the maid returned with the roses.
"Here you go, Luna," she said.
Taken aback for a good minute Lola just stared at the poor woman but then she found her words and she lifted her head proudly.
"Thank you very much,"
Lola hurried into the bedroom. She took the petals of some of the roses and scattered them around the room with a majority of the petals sprinkled on the bed. She put the rest in vases that she displayed on the table and nightstand and then she lit the candles.
After the hardships as of late maybe this would help them get back to each other and start having a more honest openness, on both parts.
She looked around at the candlelit warmth that spread throughout the room. A giddy squeal erupted from her and she pulled the robe tighter around her body. A flutter in her core spread down her legs and up her chest- she drew a deep breath to calm her shaking hands. The sound of cars driving up to the house had her head snap towards the door and she ran across the room.
She raced down the stairs un-caring of the fact that she wore nothing but a robe, nobody could see the lingerie underneath and the robe covered her just above her knees.
She stood and waited outside as the car doors opened. He emerged from the back seat dressed in a new black wool coat that covered his knees. The shoes on his feet were shining from the wax and she could tell right away that he had gotten a haircut.
The cold winter breeze was especially vicious this afternoon and stung against her skin but Lola refused to go inside. She needed to feel him, his closeness, and his warmth.
The sight of him set her body on fire with a heat that protected her from the bone-chilling cold.
He looked up, weekend bags in hand, and he locked eyes with Lola's innocent longing.
His lips pulled up wider with each step before the bags dropped from his hands and he ran the last bit to lift her up and twirl her around in the air. His arms tightened around her waist and he brought her closer while he buried his face in her neck.
"I've missed you much."
He breathed her in and clenched his fingers around her small frame as though he was afraid she would slip away from him.
"I have a surprise for you," she whispered.
She carefully glanced at the many people who stepped out of their cars and stepped around them. Luckily they didn't seem to pay any attention to the new Alpha couple.
Lola grabbed Jax's hand and gently slid it down her leg, she guided his fingers under the robe and up her leg.
Jax smiled- a smile that said more than his words ever could.
A smile that was strained at the edges and pressed in the middle to form a thin line. Mrs. Blackwood smiled like that quite often but it was the first time she'd seen it on him and Lola's heart sunk in her chest.
Jax pulled back and grabbed her shoulders, "I'm sorry but I have work to do."
Lola raised a brow and looked at his hands.
"You just got back from work." She removed his hands and crossed her arms, defending what was left of her pride.
"I know but it's not done yet. I didn't get a chance to meet everyone that I was supposed to so now I have to call around to them,"
"Why didn't you meet them?" She asked. Her voice changed into an accusatory tone and Jax caught on.
"Because I'm busy with other work. I've met with four other pack leaders- taken a look around at the offices in New York and gotten caught up on the quarterly and the expectations for the coming year. It's not like I've been playing around for the past four days, Lola."
She sighed and turned her head.
"I didn't say that, you're being defensive and this," she waved her hand between them, "is exactly how I didn't want this to go."
Jax shrugged and his eyes took on a distant gaze, perhaps he had worn it ever since he stepped out of the car but Lola didn't notice it until now. Now it was clear, that his mind was somewhere else and if there was something he missed about home while being away, it wasn't her.
"I have to go." He walked past her and down the hallway leading to the study.
Don't dare cry.
She looked with glossy eyes to where his back disappeared around the corner. She drew a shaky breath and tried to control the pain that felt as though a hand was holding onto her heart and slowly crushing it, taking its time to inflict as much pain as possible.
She cursed, dragged a hand through her hair, and walked up the stairs- ignoring everyone on the way.
The candles were still burning when she walked into the guest room but that wasn't all that was waiting for her.
"Ash?" She closed the door closed behind her.
He stood in the middle of the room, amidst the candlelight sending a warm light over his face and his bare arms.
She looked at his bulging muscles that made the shirt look too small and followed the veins to his hands and then she looked at her own hand, knowing it would disappear completely in his if he ever held hit. His fingers wrapped around a yellow file case, and she slid her eyes over that next.
"What's that?" She asked.
Ash took three slow steps, he bit his tongue and pressed his brows together
"It's from Nash," he handed it over with a hard glare, "It's from New York, he says it's proof."