Sea Breeze 01 - Breathe

self-control tonight, and I swear, if I catch one guy ogling you, he’s going to be able to tell the world he got his ass kicked by Jax Stone.”
    I laughed out loud and rolled my eyes. “You’re a little biased.”
    He raised his eyebrows. “Do you have mirrors in your apartment?”
    I nodded.
    “Did you use any of them, or did you manage to become every guy’s fantasy without any visual help?”
    I stepped around him. “You’re overreacting. Now come on, let’s go.”
    His arms slid around my waist from behind me as he pulled me up against his chest. He buried his face in my neck and groaned. “You smell heavenly.”
    I smiled and leaned back against him. “Thank you.”
    He kissed my neck and nibbled on my ear. My knees went weak, and goose bumps broke out on my body.
    “Jax,” I whispered, “if you keep this up, you’re going to have to put me in the Hummer. I’m only so strong.”
    He chuckled against my neck, opened the door, and set me in my seat. He gave me one last smile, which sent shivers through my body, then closed the door. I’d never really felt sexy before, but tonight I did. I knew it was because of him. Just maybe our being together would be believable. But I doubted it seriously.
    We pulled into the driveway, and I immediately spotted Amanda watching for me and my bike.
    I turned to Jax. “When Amanda sees me step out of this vehicle with you, she’s going to flip out. So get prepared.”
    He laughed. “You act like I’m not used to being treated like a celebrity.” He squeezed my hand. “It’s fine. Stop worrying. I’m used to this. I don’t normally live in hiding like I do here. I know how to handle it.”
    I took a deep breath and exhaled. “Let’s go.”
    Jax put his hand on my leg. “I’m getting you out, so stay put.”
    He held my hand as we made our way toward Amanda, who stood frozen in place with her mouth hanging open.
    “Hey, I, um, brought a guest. I hope it’s all right.” It sounded stupid, but I didn’t know what else to say.
    She covered her gaping mouth with a trembling hand. “Yes, it’s fine,” she said through her hand, staring at Jax in disbelief, and I smiled because I completely understood her disbelief.
    “Amanda, this is Jax. Jax, this is Amanda, a friend of mine from school.”
    Jax held out his hand and unleashed his lethal grin on her, and I was afraid she might faint. She shook his hand and gawked at him, but she didn’t seem to be able to speak. “It’s nice to meet you, Amanda.”
    Amanda whimpered.
    Jax finally broke the handshake and stepped back.
    She gathered herself back together. “Okay, great. Um, you guys come this way. Dylan is going to, uh, want to meet you.”
    I turned to Jax, and he smiled to reassure me. We followed Amanda, who kept glancing back at us every few seconds to make sure we hadn’t vanished. The two-story yellow beach-style house seemed nice, but nothing like what Jax lived in. I saw people in every doorway and some windows. We went past the house and toward the sound of live music. In the center of the backyard stood a large stage. People were dancing in front of the stage and all down a bridge connecting the yard to the sandy white beach.
    We followed Amanda into the large party area. A bonfire blazed down on the beach, and more people were out there. I began to notice people staring at us, trying to decide whether or not this was, in fact, Jax Stone. Amanda led us to a group of guys sitting around a hot tub, drinking with a few girls in tiny bikinis. She cleared her throat, and a tall, lanky guy with a shaved head turned toward her.
    “Dylan, this is my friend Sadie I told you about.”
    He looked at me and gave me a slow smile. “Amanda said you were at school last year. How did I miss you?” he asked, his smile turning into a cocky grin.
    Before I could think of anything to say, Amanda cleared her throat again and said, “And this is her date tonight, Jax Stone.”
    Dylan stopped leering at me and shifted his gaze toward Jax, who slipped his arm around my waist. Jax acted so calm and comfortable, almost as though he knew everyone here and wasn’t about to get slammed with crazy fans.
    “Jax Stone.” Dylan stood and stared in disbelief.
    Jax, once again, ever so politely, held out his hand. “I’m sorry about crashing your party.”
    Shaking his head, Dylan recovered a bit and took Jax’s hand. “No way! Hell, you aren’t crashing my party. You’re Jax
fuckin’
Stone. You don’t