Jaxson's Angel

Jaxson’s Angel

By Serena Pettus

Published by Astraea Press

www.astraeapress.com

This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and events are fictitious in every regard. Any similarities to actual events and persons, living or dead, are purely coincidental. Any trademarks, service marks, product names, or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if any of these terms are used. Except for review purposes, the reproduction of this book in whole or part, electronically or mechanically, constitutes a copyright violation.

JAXSON’S ANGEL

Copyright © 2013 SERENA PETTUS

ISBN 978-1-62135-231-0

Cover Art Designed by FOR THE MUSE DESIGNS

Jaxson's Angel

Another heated argument with the senior editor of the literary agency finally sent Angel White over the edge. As a successful literary agent she'd amassed a good-sized list of authors she represented, fought for, promoted, and franchised, and now she was soon to be starting over.

Unfortunately, it had been a long time coming. There was only so much a woman could take, when it came to unwanted advances, before she either pressed charges or left. Seeing as making a public spectacle of the entire situation would only land her in murky water while searching for another job, she chose to leave. Angel had no problem holding her head high though. She'd warned her disgusting boss, should he try to blackball her in her search for employment, she would make all of his many voicemails and lewd text messages public knowledge. Everyone would then know exactly why she had left. To her relief he immediately backed off and even joined the rest of the staff in wishing her farewell and good luck in her future.

Right now, though, she only wanted to get away, lick her wounds somewhere, and figure out her next move. Perhaps she would use her inheritance to finally open her own agency. The idea of finding and helping to groom budding new talent always made her smile because those same thoughts brought to mind her good friend and client, Colton Sterling.

He'd come to her through an amazing manuscript submission, and her instincts had told her this man's talent would bring him far in the publishing world. And she'd been right. With his paranormal romance novels taking off overnight, they both had been in a frantic rush to get his name established on the web by setting up websites, joining social networks, arranging local book signings, and blog interviews galore.

Colton had been a trooper throughout the whole process. He'd been in contact with her daily, sharing everything from his newest story ideas to the hilarity of the comments some of his posts received. Every day since they'd begun working together he'd wished her a good morning and bid her a good night as well.

She was going to miss that.

She was going to miss
him
.

As Angel finished packing up her belongings from her office she sat down to her computer and sent a mass e-mail to her list of authors explaining that for personal reasons she would be leaving the company, wishing them all good luck with their writing, and promising her continued support in her personal reading of their work. Once she sent that particular message, she immediately opened another.

This one was to Colton because she didn't want to lump him in with the rest of the authors. He was a friend and deserved to hear straight from her that she would no longer be able to help him and guide him as she longed to do. She would miss his messages the most, she was sure. He always had a way of brightening even her worst days.

The screen pinged as a message popped into her in-box about ten minutes later. He must have been online. When she opened the message, she felt tears well up in her eyes. He'd forwarded a copy of his e-mail to the agency, terminating his contract with them, along with his personal cell phone and email, asking her to please call him.

He'd officially left the agency, breaking his contract with them over the fact she was leaving. He explained to them that he just "couldn't see himself clicking with another agent as he had with Angel White." He flat out refused to be represented by anyone else. Colton assured them that allowing her to leave would be the biggest mistake their agency could possibly make, but his loyalty was to her and her alone.

Angel took out her cell and programmed his information in before sending him a text message with her own personal e-mail address attached. Having his support was just the push she needed to cement her decision to open her own agency, but right now she needed to take a much needed vacation.

There were many decisions to be made in regards to her future, and she wanted to relax and contemplate them for a few days.

* * * *

Jaxson was at his wits end. His twin brother, Colton, was absolutely useless when he was like this. Colton's muse had apparently taken a break and, he'd become a major downer because of it. It's not like his writing was changing the world; it simply entertained hordes of lonely women. In Jaxson's opinion, if you want a desperate woman, then head out to a singles bar. Don't waste time writing cheesy novels. He scoffed whenever Colton tried to explain just how much work went into the writing and editing part alone, not to mention having to keep up with blogs, websites, book signings, interviews, blah, blah, blah. Combine all of that with keeping a full-time job, and the thought made Jaxson cringe.

No, Jaxson was a free spirit, and he would not apologize for it. He loved the water every bit as much now as he had as a kid and had therefore started a business that would allow him to remain on the water, having fun and enjoying himself, until he chose to retire. The deep sea fishing charters he and his brother ran were an extremely popular attraction at the marina. They had various trip lengths, from a few hours to the whole day, and would even run friendly competitions with the other charters for the biggest fish and the most caught. All of the tourists seemed to genuinely enjoy the experience. Not to mention that word of mouth had made them one of the top charters in town with reservations typically booked months in advance.

Right now, though, Colton's thoughts revolved around his agent instead of work, and that was irritating Jaxson more and more. Colton just kept harping on about how his agent had just quit the agency and needed to take a vacation and whatnot. For crying out loud, Jaxson was going to need a vacation himself if his brother didn't get his head screwed back on straight, and soon. Well, seeing as he was desperate to get Colton focused on the charter business and
not
on his agent and books, Jaxson threw out an idea.

The beach-house they lived in was just down from one they also owned as a rental property. Next week the house would be vacant, and he quickly suggested Colton invite his agent down for a visit. Once his brother had sent the invitation via e-mail, he
finally
began to perk up a little, and Jaxson was hoping this would get him a little more focused. Maybe he could even talk this agent of his into a fishing trip.

That is, if Jaxson could get Colton to remove the stick he obviously had stuffed up his rear end. He'd forced Jaxson to
promise
to be on his best behavior while his agent was down.
What?
Did his brother consider his outgoing personality an embarrassment? Not that he was particularly interested in spending time with some stuffed shirt who read books for a living, but he didn't want to stress the working relationship his brother seemed to hold so dear either. After all they were twins; causing Colton any kind of pain would only bring Jaxson some hurt as well. Not to mention Colton's agent could possibly mistake him for Colton and end up taking something that was said out of context.

Luckily, he and Colton were planning a trip over to the Blackwater State Park for a run because, boy, did he feel the need to cut loose. Being a werewolf living on the beach really did have its setbacks sometimes. The lack of wooded areas made shifting impossible, so they would travel inland a few times a month to go into the state parks to camp and just run. It was a small price to pay to be free of the restrictions of pack life. For Jaxson and Colton, being free meant they could do what they wanted with their lives, never having to ask permission before getting a job or starting their business. With their business booming and the summer just starting, the tourists were about to arrive in droves. He'd be splitting the days with his brother and would make sure Colton had time to spend with his agent. Who knows, maybe he'd become inspired to write some new romantic crap and then his mood would improve. After all, this agent was the reason why Colton's career had taken off like it had. Surely the woman could offer up some ideas.

He just hoped this would be worth the headache, because Jaxson really didn't think he was going to enjoy spending any amount of time with some big-city stuffed-shirt.

* * * *

Angel climbed into her rental car to leave the Pensacola airport with a big smile on her face. A Florida vacation was the last thing she'd considered when she decided to take a break, but when she received Colton's e-mail she simply couldn't resist.

In her thirty-two years she'd never been to a beach. She'd gone to plenty of rivers and lakes while living in Minnesota, but she'd never been to the ocean. For some reason this just felt like the right thing to do, so here she was ready for white sand, cool water, and relaxation.

As she followed the directions of the GPS and made her way across the final bridge, she noticed the many boats on the sun-dappled water. There were people dangling from parasails attached to speeding boats, jet skis bouncing over the waves, sailboats gliding over the surface, and sparkling blue water as far as she could see. Various shops and restaurants offered everything from fresh seafood to live music, and bathing-suits to boogie boards.

She continued on and made her way down toward the homes lining both sides of the road. They were all so unique. Some were on stilts while others were on the ground and they even varied in shape. The rounded homes were built to deflect the winds from tropical storm systems, she was sure, but there was one home that really caught her eye. It was a square building with what appeared to be a UFO perched on top of it, complete with little stuffed aliens peeking out of the oval shaped windows.

Angel laughed as she continued on to the rental house Colton had sent the keys to. It was a lovely pale pink home on stilts, easily large enough to sleep ten and possibly more if you utilized sofas. She'd felt guilty when Colton wouldn't accept any payment for her staying here. He insisted it was open anyway, and he wanted her to be able to relax and enjoy a break, so she had accepted.

Making her way through the large living room, she deposited her bags in the master suite and began to explore. She found the bedrooms all had doors leading out onto the wraparound porch, but outside the master suite there was a small spiral staircase leading to a cozy little sundeck. It was the perfect spot to relax and work on your tan.

Her phone pinged, telling her a message was waiting, and Angel rushed to her purse. It was from Colton, letting her know he was down at the docks with the charter boats. She quickly tapped in that she was just getting settled and would be there in a bit. After several hours of flying and a long layover in Atlanta, she wanted to freshen up and change her clothes before venturing out in the heat again.

A light yellow sundress and a pair of strappy brown sandals made up her outfit, with her auburn hair secured high on her head in a band. She looked more like a young girl than a successful literary agent. She
felt
like a young girl…and it was a very nice feeling too.

When she arrived at the boats, she was amazed to see all of the various businesses. There were dolphin tours, fishing charters, and even boats offering sailing lessons or water skiing. The one she was looking for was a large white boat with a dark blue stripe and
The Reel Deal
written on the side. It was actually pretty easy to find since there was a very excited group gathered around, taking note of the impressive fish caught on the last trip.

Angel spotted Colton on the boat and waved. She took a moment to enjoy the picture he presented, shirtless, with his tan skin, broad shoulders, chiseled abs, and dark blond hair all wind-blown. Angel knew he had a nice body, but he’d done a fine job of covering it up with sports jackets during signings and such.

She was a little confused by the stunned look on his face, but she figured he just wasn't expecting her so soon.

Intent on thanking him, and getting a much closer look at those amazing abs, she slowly made her way through the crowd toward the boat.

* * * *

Jaxson had no idea who she was, but with the combination of his reaction and that of his wolf, he sure intended to find out. She was a knock-out! The little dress she wore swished about her slender thighs with every step she took, and the way she held herself, looking so self-confident, was a major turn on.