Page 48 of Kiss Marry Kill
The moment was immediately broken from a loud zip noise and her rod bowing forward. “Oh my god!” She gripped the rod and motioned to him. “Here. Take it.”
“No,” he yelled over the noise from her screeching and the sound of the rod. “Hold on to it as tight as you can. You can do this, Meg,” he said, standing close to her—ready to help her if she needed it, but giving her the space to do it herself. “Reel it in a little and pull the rod back. Use your body, not just your arms.”
She was trying to spin the reel but her bicep trembled and it wasn’t budging. “I can’t, Jax. It’s too heavy.” The rod was now bent so far it looked like it would snap in half. Whatever was on the line, it was big. If the rod hadn’t been clipped into the chair, it probably would’ve flown out of her grip by now. He scooted in behind her, planting his ass on the chair and her ass on his groin, holding on to the rod together with her, effectively caging her in. “Jax!” She continued to yelp and laugh. She wanted to relish the fact she was cocooned in Jax’s arms, but the pulling of the rod didn’t allow for any thought but gripping the damn pole.
“Don’t let go! Reel it in and I’ll pull.” They continued working in unison, using both of their bodies to reel in the fish. Kenneth, the captain, and Lefty, the crewman, ran down and stood close by watching. Splashes in the water signaled that they were close. “A blue marlin,” the captain yelled. “Nice catch, honey. That beauty’s about 250 pounds.” He opened the side door in order to assist in getting the huge fish on board.
“Holy shit, sweetheart,” Jax said breathlessly, trying to help pick up the slack. Her arms burned and the fish was fighting back, splashing and jumping in the water. “Hold on,” he instructed her, and he let out some of the line and began to pull it in again. It took another twenty minutes, but finally the beautiful marlin was flapping around on the deck.
Kenneth and Lefty helped Jax unhook the fish while Megan took a hundred photos on her cell from the other end of the boat. “You’re going to put it back in the water, right?” she yelled, looking at the way Jax’s biceps and forearms worked while unhooking the heavy, thrashing fish. God, he was gorgeous. It didn’t get old watching him. Would her heart ever stop skipping a beat every time he walked into a room or said something to her?
“C’mere,” he said with a big grin, motioning to her. From this angle she could faintly see a dimple behind the bushy beard. How had she missed that dimple? She took a tentative foot forward and he grabbed her wrist and pulled her down by the fish, causing her to yelp. And right there, in the middle of the ocean in the Bahamas, Jackson took her phone from her hand and snapped his first-ever selfie—Megan, Jax, and a 250-pound blue marlin.
And Megan wanted to get on her knees and thank God for bringing Jackson Irons back into her life again.
* * *
God, she was beautiful. It was all Jax could think about as she rubbed her bicep and opened and closed her fingers. “That was intense,” she said.
They’d just tossed the marlin back into the water and they were still trying to catch their breaths from all the energy they’d spent pulling it in. His throat tightened as he stared at her. It wasn’t the first time he’d been unable to look away from her in the last week, but it felt significant this time. She’d been beautiful before, but now it was a different kind of beauty and he couldn’t stop staring.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
He stood and kissed the top of her head. “Thank you for bringing me here, Megan.”
“You’re welcome, Jax.”
She’d done this for him. Not because she wanted to fish. Not because she was in the mood for a quick trip to the Bahamas. Because he had been stressed and she wanted to do something for him. It had been a long time since anyone had cared enough about him to want to see him happy. On more than one occasion, Joey had slapped him upside the head, handed him a beer and said: “Get your shit together, Irons.” One particularly depressing time, he’d bought him a case of beer and they sat on his couch watching movies until they passed out. Words hadn’t been spoken but once the hangover had subsided the next day he’d felt a little better.
But this was different. So different.
“Be right back,” he said, jogging up to speak with the captain, wanting to do something nice for her too.
When he returned he handed her another beer.
“What’s happening?” she asked, looking around as the boat began to move.
“You’ll see.”
Forty-five minutes later, with Freeport a mere dot to their south, the boat stopped and the captain dropped anchor while Lefty handed them fins and masks supplies.
“Snorkeling? What about fishing? That’s why we’re here.”
“Aren’t you tired of fishing?”
“I’m fine, Jax and so are you. Let’s fish some more.”
“Nah, I’m good. How can I possibly compete with that marlin, anyway?”
Her face softened and she looked around at the transparent water, colorful fish, and reef that surrounded them. “This is beautiful.” She reached for the strap of her top to adjust it and winced. Gah, I’m burning up,” she said, looking at her sunburned arms. Reaching for the sunblock she squirted lotion into her hands and began to rub it on her chest and neck.
“Turn around, I’ll get your back.”
Quickly complying, she moved her hair out of the way as he slathered lotion all over her back and shoulders. Obviously, it wasn’t altruistic—this was the perfect excuse to get his calloused palms on her smooth skin. He slowly rubbed up and down, his fingers moving underneath the straps of her bikini. God, how he wanted to slide those straps down and cup her tits with his hands, pinch her nipples. . . .
His lips were by her neck and she erupted in goose bumps when he exhaled.
But they weren’t alone.
