Wrecked (Dirty Air Series Book 3)

When Connor made me agree to spend the summer break with Jax’s family in London, I thought it was a perfect setup. It was supposed to give me the opportunity to keep an eye on him while planning a few more activities to restore the public’s faith in him.

In all the craziness of planning fun outings for Caleb, I completely neglected the idea of spending that much time with Jax and his family. I expected it to be similar to us sharing a hotel.

I was wrong. So wrong in many ways.

The real wild card is Jax’s mom. I don’t know how Jax came out the way he did, all rough edges, because his mom is an absolute gem. Vera’s sweet and caring—exactly what I wish I had in my life lately.

“So, I was thinking about going shopping downtown. Do you want to join me?” Vera sips her morning tea. Jax lucked out with inheriting some of his mom’s good looks. She has pale blonde hair that matches her light skin, and gray eyes with a permanent gleam to them.

“I don’t know about that. I’m supposed to meet with Jax and discuss some plans for the break.”

“I think Jax can take care of himself for a day. Zack wants to spend time with him while we have a little fun anyway. Come on, take a day off.” She bats her dirty blonde lashes at me.

“Let me check in with him first.”

“If you must.” She waves me off with a smile.

I make my way up toward Jax’s wing of the house. I wasn’t aware of how well-off his family was until they disclosed how they have enough rooms in their house to name areas after compass directions. Wealth isn’t something I’ve grown up with and being surrounded by it reminds me of how I don’t belong. I’m pretty sure the sheets in my guest room are more expensive than my monthly loan payment.

I knock on Jax’s door. He opens a few seconds later in nothing but a towel around his waist. Water trickles down his face from his wet hair, landing on his chest before dripping down his abs.

I count the ridges of muscle before meeting his eyes.

He leans his head against the door frame. “Morning. Did you knock on my door to stare at me or did you have something else in mind?”

“Uhm.” My eyes flit from his face to his abs. “Your mom asked me to go out with her. I told her I couldn’t agree until I checked in with you. I know we planned on discussing your schedule and going over Caleb’s visit, but she seems pretty set on spending time together.”

His lips press into a thin line. “You can have a day off for fuck’s sake. I’m not going to rat you out to Connor.”

“Well, I didn’t exactly say that…” I rock back on my heels.

“No, but I know you.” His eyes rake over me, taking in my yellow summer dress. “Anything that makes Mum happy is always a good idea.”

Sigh. If only he treated other women in his life with the same respect. “Okay, sounds good. See you later.” I make a move to turn away. Jax’s hand grips mine softly, stopping me. My body instantly reacts to his touch like static sparking.

“Do you mind coming in for a second? I wanted to ask you a question about Caleb’s visit. The kid has been texting me ever since you gave him my number.” Jax opens the door wider for me to enter.

“Sure.” I take a few hesitant steps into his room.

“Let me get dressed.”

I check him out again. By all means, please don’t.

His beaming smile threatens to knock me out. He disappears into his bathroom, ending my perusal of his defined body. The very one covered in tattoos I want to explore in greater detail.

I take the opportunity to check out his childhood bedroom. Band posters cover one of the walls, showing off tour dates for Coldplay, Fleetwood Mac, and Stormzy. He has an old-school turntable with a box of vinyl records on his dresser. I flip through a few of them before pulling out Ed Sheeran’s Multiply album.

Jax comes out of his bathroom in jeans and a T-shirt. I hold back my sigh at the loss of his abs.

“Having you in here is like handing over my diary.” He comes up behind me. His body heats my back, making my skin pebble. His finger toys with the strap of my sundress.

“Didn’t you want to show me something?”

“Right.” His voice comes out rough.

I move to put the vinyl back, but Jax’s hand stops me. He plucks the record from my grasp and pulls it out.

“Big Ed Sheeran fan?” His breath heats my neck.Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

I attempt to suppress a shiver and fail. “The biggest.” I turn around. My chest brushes against his, eliciting the slightest inhale of breath from him.

“Maybe I’ll introduce you two.” Jax looks over my shoulder as he fiddles with the player. Ed Sheeran’s “I’m a Mess” begins playing.

“No way,” I squeal.

“I shouldn’t be jealous of the ginger fucker, but now I am.” His smile should send me running. It’s unusual for him, untroubled and tempting.

I want more of his smiles and more of this side of him, carefree and happy.

He makes a move to pull me in, but I sidestep him, hitting him with a mischievous smile of my own.

“You can’t take back that type of offer because of jealousy.”

“No take backs?” He lets out a low chuckle.

“No take backs,” I repeat as I walk toward the other side of his room where he has trophies and photographs lining the shelves. A picture stands out to me and I grab it. A teenage Jax smiles at the camera, ignoring the tattoo artist behind him while Vera sits next to him and pouts.

“Mum is pretending there. She’s the one who signed the release for me to get my first tattoo before eighteen.”

“Really?”

“Oh, yeah. She even picked out my first tattoo.” Jax tugs the frame from my hands, his fingers brushing against mine. The touch sends a current of energy up my arm.

“No way.”

“Yup. At the time, I thought it was embarrassing, but I love it because it reminds me of her.”

My heart threatens to melt into a puddle at Jax’s feet. “Which one?” I grab onto the same arm from the photograph, searching the countless tattoos he has.

“Bet you can’t guess which one,” he teases.

“You’re on.” I meticulously search the tattoos on his arm. By the end of my investigation, I’m stuck between two options. I go with my gut, stopping my finger on the one I think his mom picked. “This one. Definitely.”

His body shudders as my finger trails across the ink, pulling a smile from me. This tattoo doesn’t fit the grim themes of his other ones. A beautiful flower stands out compared to his other hauntingly beautiful designs, ranging from a grim reaper to a tombstone. Safe to say he’s got creepy covered.

“Too bad you didn’t specify what happens if you chose right.”

“What?” I screech. “I guessed right?” I break out into a victory dance, twirling in a circle, making my dress swirl around me.

Jax grins. “Yeah.” He runs his index finger across a tattoo of a paper rose made out of music sheets. “How’d you know?”

“Honestly, your other tattoos are a bit…”

“Depressing?”

“I wouldn’t say that… You do have a butterfly one after all.”

He laughs to himself. “I choose my tattoos based on my mood.”

“Typical Gemini.”

He knocks his head back and lets out a roar of laughter. When Jax looks as untroubled as he does now, it throws me for a loop. The smiling teen in the photograph is a far cry from the man I’ve gotten to know over the past few months.

“When did you find out about your mom’s diagnosis?” I blurt out.

His eyes dart toward the photo in his hands. “Twenty-one. They knew before, but they held off on telling me until they felt I could handle the news.”

My hand grips his bicep. I rub my thumb in circles, wanting to soothe him. “I’m sorry. I can imagine it’s hard for you, with her being one of the coolest people I’ve ever met.”

“She’s the best. Hands down my favorite person out there.”

I can’t stop my eyes from watering.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” He lifts a brow.

“Because beneath all the tattoos and grumpiness, you’re not a bad guy.”

“Elena…” He sighs, avoiding my gaze.

“Hear me out. You may have made bad decisions. Actually, wait—terrible decisions. But that doesn’t make you a bad person. You can choose to be better. No one’s stopping you.”

“No one but me.”

“Exactly. Which is kind of dumb if you really think about it.”

“You don’t say. Tell me why.” The corner of his mouth lifts into a smirk.

“Yes. You’re a grown man so you’re the only one who can decide to be better. If I were you, I would find it exhausting to keep up such a rough exterior all the time.”

“As opposed to your version of shitting rainbows?”

“At least there’s a pot of gold at the end of it.” I grin at him.

“Don’t start wishing for things that can’t happen.”

He lets out a breath as I run a hand down his chest, letting my finger drag across his muscles.

My sanity has temporarily left the ten-thousand-square-foot mansion. “It’s already happening. You’re changing.”

“Don’t make me prove you wrong.”

I laugh. “If you have to make an effort to be worse, then you’re proving my point.”

“I tried to warn you.”

“Well, you buying me nightlights doesn’t scream wanting to avoid me anymore, now does it?”

His eyes flash with something unreadable. “I didn’t want to wake up to your screaming again.”

“Right.” I roll my eyes. Before I have a chance to consider the consequences, I stand on the tips of my toes, leaving behind the faintest kiss on his lips. “Choose to be better.”

I step back, but Jax tugs me into him. His fingers run through my hair and hold my head in place as he kisses me.

Screw that. Kissing is too simple to describe what he does. Jax devours me, licking and nipping at my lips before his tongue owns me. The trophies rattle above our heads as he pushes me against the wall.

He presses his body into mine. The contact has my head spinning from lust. His tongue fights mine as his hand moves from my head to my thigh, lifting my dress up. I’m committed to making one of the most reckless decisions of my life, but I can’t stop it.

No. More like I don’t want to stop it. Not with my heart pounding in my chest and my clit throbbing to the point of aching. I want Jax, and I can’t help denying myself this small reprieve. He makes my body buzz like never before.

“Shit. I want to kiss you everywhere and check if you taste as good as I think.” He runs his tongue down the column of my neck.

It’s a thrill, kissing him, touching him. Like a shot of adrenaline coursing through me.

My body trembles as his hand traces the inside of my thigh. “This is so wrong.”

“But it feels so damn right.” He shuts me up as his lips return to mine. His fingers tug at my underwear, pulling my thong down.

His fingers run against my slit, eliciting a gasp from me. The palm of his hand pushes against my most sensitive place. The pressure inside of my body builds as he teases me, pushing his thumb against my clit. Jax captures my moan as he pumps one finger into me.

I shouldn’t like his touch as much as I do. If I had any common sense, I’d push him away and end this thing growing between us. Instead, I give in to our attraction, not willing to end it.

How can I when he makes my body feverish from want?

He pumps his finger into me before adding another, filling me up and teasing me. “Look at the way your cheeks flush from my fingers alone. I wonder how red you’ll look with my cock rammed to the hilt inside of you.”

His other hand pulls down the strap of my dress and the cup of my bra in one go, revealing my breast to him. The cold air hits my skin before Jax’s mouth wraps around my nipple.

I groan as his fingers increase their tempo. My head rolls back as his teeth brush against me. I shouldn’t like the bite of pain. Any sane person shouldn’t. But I can’t deny the deranged push inside of me that wants to take anything Jax has to offer.

“Come for me. I know you want to. And fuck, I’ve been delirious wondering how you look as you fall apart for me.”

My legs shake to the point of giving out, but Jax holds me up. With a few more pumps and his fingers brushing against my most sensitive spot, I give in to pleasure, letting it invade my mind and body.

Jax stares at me with heat in his gaze. Once my breathing slows, he pulls his fingers out of me and traces my slit once more, showing me how desperate I am for him. He doesn’t bother going to the bathroom to clean his hands.

No. He continues the show, licking his two tattooed fingers clean. I nearly collapse at the sight of him.

“Jax, have you seen Elena? She told me she needed to ask you something quick, but she never showed up again.” His mom’s voice crackles.

Oh, shit! My body stands straight as fear chases away my lust-induced high. Jax smiles at me and winks, before walking to a wall speaker.

Oh my God. My heart rate fails to slow down. I can’t believe I thought Jax’s mom was in the room.

Jax winks at me as he presses a button. “She left a few minutes ago. Said something about grabbing her bag before going out with you.”

Who is this version of him and how do I keep him?

“All right. I’ll buzz her room then.”

I place a hand against my chest, checking on my poor heart. “Oh God. I thought she was here.”

“Clearly not. They don’t come over to my side of the house. At least not since I was a teen and they caught me jacking off.”

As much as I want to ask a follow-up question to that story, I need to focus. “We can’t do this in your parents’ house.”

“I prefer words of affirmation. Like ‘Oh God, we can do this, especially in your parents’ house.’ Come on, live a little.” Jax laughs.

I move to grab my thong off the floor, but he beats me to it. “Give that back.”

“I’ve grown rather fond of them. Get another pair.”

“What? Who grows attached to underwear?”

“Me. I’ll take it as a white flag of your surrender.”

“To what? Your insanity?”

His wide smile makes my chest tighten. “I love the way you verbally spar with me.” He tugs me into another kiss despite my innate need to escape the room.

“Jax, stop.” I breathlessly protest after he kisses me for another minute.

“You better get going because it looks like Mum wants to give you a day to remember.”

“So, we’re going to act like this never happened?” I point at the scene of our crime.

“Oh, no. It definitely happened. And it’ll happen again. And again.”

“What about fate’s big fuck you?” I tease.

“While fate’s fucking me over, I might as well fuck you.”