FALLING: The Negative Ion Series (5 page)

Chapter 5

Make that a double

I
drink half my water then walk home, trying my best to ignore the glare this guy is giving me. When I got to the side of the house, a scowling Jaxen pushed me to the wall and I dropped the bottled water. Damn, I thought. What the hell is his problem?

“So it’s my color? You’re not into Caucasian guys?”

Completely confused, I frown and ask, “What?”

“Sampson,”
Jaxen snarled. “He’s African-American. Is that why you haven’t given me a second look? Please say no because that’s the one thing about myself I cannot change but I promise if that’s what the problem is, I will be angry at my parents for the rest of my life for not being of color!”

Well okay then. He makes me think he’ll risk skin cancer by staying in the sun 24/7 every day for the rest of his life just to get more color. Then I remember this is
Jaxen. I try to push him away but he has me pinned to the wall. Finally I give up and sigh.

“I don’t see color,
Jaxen. I have no preference in a partner except that it’s a male and he treats me right.”

“What makes you think I won’t treat you right? What
does Sampson have that I don’t?”

“Nothing. Everything. I don’t know!”

“You have to know, Itsy. Why won’t you give me a chance with you?”

I blink at him, completely confused
again. “I didn’t know you wanted one, Jaxen.”

“Do I have to buy Alpha-Bits and spell it out for you?
” he screeches. “Go all airport and hold up signs outside your window?”

I sigh and look away. “No,” I murmur. “It’s too late anyway. I’m leaving in July. We would only have four months together.”

“I don’t care. Some time is better than none, Itsy,” Jaxen whispers, caressing my cheek. “I need some of you.”

I inhale deep, disappointed.
“So you just want me for sex?”

“No
!” Jaxen shouts. “I can go damn near anywhere and get sex.
If
we have sex, it will be only when you were ready to. I won’t take your virginity unless you want me to. You can take it to New York with you and we never have to be intimate in that way. Just give me time to be with you. Give me and only me these last 125 days you have left here.”

I look up at him. “You know when I’m leaving?”

Jaxen nods. “Your mother’s birthday is on the 12th of July and you’re leaving the following week. I heard Samantha tell our parents that she’s going too, after she told them about the engagement.”

I nod, my cheeks heating. “I can’t give you those days,
Jaxen.”

“Why,
Itsy? What can I do to change your mind and try with me?”

I look in his eyes. He’s begging me with them, holding my attention. I want to cave but it’s not only
about him. There are others I need to consider.

“I owe my last days
here to my mother. It’s breaking her heart that I’m leaving and I could not just abandon her during the last few days she has me.”

“No, of course not,”
Jaxen says in a rush. “With her, I can share them. Be with me while she’s working. Do things with me.”

I frown.
“Like what?”

“We could go to movies and um… I’ll take you on picnics
…uh…or we can go to museums, the art gallery, parks! Bowling, fairs, carnivals. Something, anything as long as we are together.”

I sigh. I want to do those things.

“If you’re with me, how will you work?”

“I’ll work while you’re with your mother
but I don’t need to, I have my band money. I never spend that, just the money I earn from doing tats and piercings. I don’t mind dipping in it for you.”

A tear falls and
Jaxen sweetly wipes it away. I want this. Him. All I have to do is give him some time with me? Will he let me go so easily after 125 days? Can I let him go? No, I already know I can’t but I’ll have to and something
is
better than nothing.

“Will you take me for rides on your bike?”

“Absolutely.”

“What about other girls?”

“What about them?”

“Will you still get your… satisfaction… from them if you can’t get it from me?”

“Spending time with you will be my satisfaction, Itsy. I don’t need anything else.”

“What about Camille?”

“She’s history, I swear. You’ll be my girl, my only girl, until you leave.”

I look down again and run my finger across a design on his
t-shirt. I feel him shudder. I grip his shirt and pull him closer until he’s pressed tightly to me, then pull his head down, my lips inches from his.

“Does all that mean you’re mine until I leave?”

“It does, Itsy. I’m yours,” he whispers, staring at my mouth.

“Okay,” I whisper. “I’m yours for 12
5 days. I’m begging you not to hurt me or make me regret this decision.”

“Not unless you let Sampson kiss you agai
n. Or any other fucker. For the next 125 days, mine are the only lips you use. Call me, text me, whatever. You find me. Say the word and I’m running straight to wherever you are and kiss you until you’re blue in the face.”

“Okay
. I just found you,” I whisper again and pull his lips to mine.

This kiss is heated, deep. Passionate.
Real. His tongue is everywhere and he gently sucks mine. His hands cup my ass as he grinds against me. I want more. I feel everything inside shake and tremble with need. I want him and I want him bad. Now.

“Sorry,” he murmurs against my mouth then releases me.
He moves his hips back but still pressing his chest into me, his hands flatten on the house while I grip his waist, holding him in place.

Suddenly he stops and pulls back, clearing his throat.

“Too much. Okay, so, uh, I’m gonna go but I’m going to call you as soon as I get home.”

“You don’t have to
, Jaxen. I’ll talk to you tomorrow after my date.”

“Date?”
Jaxen frowns. “Didn’t we just agree--”

I press my finger to his lips a
nd smile. “With my father. We’re having breakfast and then shopping. I’ll call you after I’m done with him.”

Jaxen
immediately relaxes. “Oh, okay but I’m still calling you as soon as I get home. I’m going straight there.”

I smile. “No,
tomorrow. Let me rest tonight.”

Jaxen
gives me a determined expression. “I’m calling you tonight, Itsy.”

I
sigh. “Then just a good night, Jaxen. I need some rest.”

“Will I be able to see you at all tomorrow?”

“I don’t know what Mom’s plans are yet. I’ll let you know when I call you.”

“Okay. I’m going to hurry home now so I can call you,”
Jaxen grinned then briefly kissed me. Then he handed me my dropped bottle of water and winked with a sexy smile. “Good night, girlfriend.”

I giggle. “Good night, boyfriend.”

I heard his bike as I stood against the wall and smiled as he drove away. I still had that smile as I reached the yard and saw that almost everyone was gone and the rest were leaving. I can’t believe it’s almost 2 a.m.

I w
alk over to Parker and Samantha. “I’m turning in, guys.”

“We’re leaving anyway,
Itsy. Samantha’s coming back to mine. Have fun and try not to spend all of my inheritance with Dad tomorrow.”

I
laugh. “It’s mine too and I’d rather spend my share while he can watch me.”

Samantha
and Parker laugh at that, then I embrace them both.

“I cannot believe you got another piercing, Parker!”

“What? Where?” Samantha gasps as she stares at him.

“The tragus,” I murmur.

Samantha snatches Parker’s head around and scowls. “You said no more and now you have the one I want! I’m gonna kill you, Parker!”

Parker laughs loud and shrugs. “You can always get yours done, baby. Come on. L
et’s go home and discuss this in bed.”

“We’re going to get mine done
tomorrow! In the meantime, no nookie for you!”

“Little sister standing here!”
I shout after her as she walks away quickly.

Parker looked back and forth between us for several seconds then quickly kissed my temple. “Love you, sis!
Good night!”

I laughed loud
as Parker took off, hot on Samantha’s heels. I hugged and kissed everyone else goodnight then smiled at the cleaning crew after they assured me Mom had taken care of them.

I yawned as I went inside, locked up behind me and staggered up my stairs. As I passed M
om’s door, I heard her grunt and moan and debated on whether to go in her room and wake her. Sometimes, she has nightmares and she’s very vocal during them in her sleep, frightening so. I listened for a moment but she didn’t make another sound, so I went up to my room, thinking she’d be okay. I guess I’ll call Marvin in the morning and let him know about the nightmare. Mom can be pretty rough at work and at home the morning after having one and he needed a heads up.

I quickly showered and threw
on a gown and laid my tired body down. Only I couldn’t go to sleep. I kept thinking about those kisses I got tonight and the conversations. Jaxen and Roland. Wow. Both handsome, tatted bad boys. Both equally built and wanted me. I feel a little guilty about kissing Roland, though. I wouldn’t want my boyfriend kissing someone, especially a girl he’s been secretly crushing on for years… well, it was secret to me. Guess I was the only one out of the loop with that.

Then there is
Jaxen. Mmm... Jaxen. He melts butter just by walking pass a refrigerator. And that voice. God, his speaking voice is hot so I should have known he could sing. Why isn’t he the lead singer? Why have himself hidden behind the drums? He’s more attractive than Ren, but truthfully, not by much. Every member of
Negative Ion
is handsome and well-built, but to me, for some reason, Jaxen stood out. His eyes were like his mom’s: hazel-brown and searching, but he and Samantha did look a lot alike. Not too much, because Samantha is the ultimate female beauty, her green eyes her most fascinating feature.

I rolled over and saw my cell. I picked it up and sighed when I saw it was dead. I plugged it in and
when it turned on, I frowned at the notifications coming in. I missed 7 calls and had 22 texts.

I opened the text
s. 21 from Jaxen, one from Roland.

Enjoyed that kiss.
Hope to get anotha soon. R.

I smiled at Roland’s text then read
Jaxen’s. He thought I changed my mind about us that fast and was getting frantic.

Im so sry! I swear I cme str8 home. Dad had me do chores. Pls believe me.

I was just about to call him back when the cell started vibrating in my hand. I smiled and answered quickly when I saw it was Jaxen.

“Hey.”

“Ah! Thank God! Baby, I swear I came straight home! I didn’t stop anywhere… well, that’s not true, I got caught by a couple of lights but outside of that, straight here. My dad was waiting up for me and he snatched my phone as soon as I walked in the door and I had to hustle…”

“
Jaxen.”

“…ass to get it back! I swear I was taking out trash and getting the garage in order…”

“Jaxen?”

“… then he made me load the dishwasher! I
believe he was thinking up shit to make me do as he went along! Please don’t end this with us, not yet. We only have 125 days…”

“
JAXEN
!”

“Huh? What?”

“I wasn’t ignoring you,” I giggled. “My phone was dead. I had a shower when I came in and I’ve only just discovered it. I just finished reading your texts and I was about to call you back but you beat me to it.”

I hear a relieved sigh escape him. “It took me forever to finish and when you didn’t answer, I just thought you believed I went somewhere and got laid or something.”

“No, I didn’t think that at all, Jaxen. You said I could trust you and in the 47 minutes we’ve been together, you haven’t done anything to make me question that. Or have you?”

“No, baby, I haven’t. I swear it. I meant it when I said I’m yours.”

“I meant it, too. I’m yours for 125 more days.”

“Good. I’m going to make these the best days of your life, baby. I promise you won’t be disappointed.”

“I don’t think I will, either. And neither will you.”

“You’ve already made my life, just by agreeing to be with me.”

I gasped at that unbelievably sweet sentence. It came from Jaxen and was directed to me.

“
Jaxen…”

“I mean it, baby. You don’t know how long I’
ve wanted you,” Jaxen whispered in my ear. “I only wish I spoke up sooner.”