Sea Breeze 01 - Breathe

me and whisper you love me.
    Hold me and tell me there’s no world without you beside me.
    Hold me, I need you to guide me.
    I can’t live without you.
    Hold me and whisper you love me.
    Hold me and tell me there’s no world without you beside me.
    Hold me, I need you to guide me.”
    The song ended, and I stood in Jax’s arms, unable to look away from his steel-blue eyes darkened with emotion.
    “I’ve never understood those words until tonight. I sang them, but I didn’t write them. I didn’t want to record the song, but I lost the battle. Now when I sing those words, I’ll have a face to put behind them.” He paused and traced a line from my ear to my chin. “I just hope I’m able to get through those words when you’re a thousand miles away.”
    I swallowed the lump in my throat. I didn’t want to think about him being a thousand miles away. I laid my head against his chest, and he pulled me closer.

Chapter Twelve
    JAX
    I managed to sneak Sadie out of the party without anyone noticing. Lifting her into my Hummer, I pressed a quick kiss to her lips before closing the door and running around to get in on my side. I hadn’t been kidding about taking her back to my room. Even if we just talked all night, I wanted more time with her. I wasn’t ready to take her home.
    “Do you have to be home at a certain time?” I asked, glancing over at her before cranking up.
    Sadie let out a short laugh. It sounded more sad than anything, and my chest squeezed. “My mother is sound asleep by now, and she won’t check to see if I’m home all night long. She wouldn’t have a clue if I stayed out all night.”
    There was a bitterness in her tone that surprised me. I knew enough about her mother to know she was pregnant and unwed and that Ms. Mary wasn’t a fan. The idea that no one checked on Sadie and made sure she was home safe bothered me. No, it scared the shit out of me. What would happen when I left? Would she be safe?
    “My mom is just very pregnant right now. She’s tired,” Sadie added.
    “Then are you up for going back to my house? We can talk. I don’t expect more. I just don’t want to take you home yet,” I explained.
    Sadie shifted in her seat, then turned to me. The smile on her face was one I hadn’t seen yet. She looked like a naughty little girl with her innocent smile. “I would love to come back to your house . . . and room . . . but I don’t want to just talk.”
    I needed to adjust myself. Sadie going all sexy on me made everything harder. “Are you sure about that?” I asked, wanting her to tell me yes but knowing she really needed to say no. We didn’t need this. I was already addicted to her. I wasn’t sure how I could leave if we got any closer physically.
    “Very. I’ve thought of nothing else every night since.”
    Ah, hell.
I was a goner.
    I drove the short distance back to the private island my summer house was safely tucked away on. Pulling into the driveway, I watched as Kane, who normally followed me everywhere, scowled at me and walked out to the Hummer. I’d snuck away from him tonight. I hadn’t wanted him tagging along once he found out where I was headed. He would really be pissed if he knew I’d just gone to a public party with crazed teenagers.
    I shot a smirk at the angry bodyguard who had been close by for most of my career and put the Hummer in park. Kane was opening Sadie’s door and helping her out before I got around to her. He needed to stop that. “I got this, Kane,” I told him, and reached for Sadie’s hand.
    He only grunted in reply and walked around to the driver’s seat.
    “I’m surprised he didn’t come with us tonight,” Sadie said.
    “Yeah. So is he,” I replied with a grin, and led Sadie up to the stairs and inside the house.
    Luckily, my parents were in bed already. They weren’t big night owls. It wasn’t that I wanted to hide Sadie from my mom . . . No, it
was
that I wanted to hide her from my mom. I would be lying if I said it wasn’t. Only because she might possibly say something to hurt Sadie. My mother didn’t think about others’ feelings when she spoke. Then I’d have to kick her out, and it would cause all kinds of drama I didn’t want to waste my time with.
    Sadie glanced around nervously as we walked over to the stairs. She was wondering about my mother too. She didn’t want to meet up with them either. Smart girl. I put my hands on her hips and walked up the stairs behind her, not even pretending not to