His stupid smug smile reminds me of all the times he has given me whiplash lately. I want to make him pay. I want him to be the one to beg. I want to rip off our masks and stop pretending. I want him to know that I know it’s him, that it will always be him. I’m done with all of these charades. Resolve made, I unlatch my hands from around his neck and get off his lap.

Jax’s grin immediately disappears. He opens his mouth then closes it again. I can tell that he’s on the verge of saying something so I give him the biggest smirk in my book. That’s right, he can’t talk. If he does, all of this will drift away.

I have him. He knows it and so do I. I lick my lips and slowly drag my hands up my body and cup my breasts. I’m thankful that there’s enough light in here to see his green eyes darken. He makes a move to stand, but I shake my head. I run my hands through my hair and untie the bow and let the mask meet the same fate as my dress.

Without saying anything, I plead with Jax to do the same. I want this so badly, but I know I won’t be satisfied unless he is here with me, really here. I want Jax, not someone in a mask.

I wait for what seems like hours, but it’s only seconds. After about a minute, our awkward standoff is over. Jax shakes his head before tilting his head down so that I can’t see his face. My mouth drops open. I can’t believe he is so afraid to actually be here with me.

With fake confidence, I pick up my dress, raise an eyebrow at him, and when he doesn’t make a move towards me, I step back into it. I turn my back to him and zip it up. Once my dress is in place, I pluck my mask off the floor and put it back on as if I’m perfectly fine. I take a few calming breaths before turning around to face him again.

I see the anguish in his eyes, but I don’t care. He had his chance. Heck, the jerk had me naked on his lap. Okay, nearly naked, but still, my barely-there panties hardly count. I walk over to him still sitting in the chair, watching every move I make.

I trace his lips with my finger before saying, “Don’t worry, Jax, this wasn’t even good enough to remember, so it definitely isn’t good enough to mention again.”

He sharply inhales like I punched him in the gut. I spin quickly on my heel to flee, but not before I say, “This devil mask suits you better than the other one you arrived in. Have a nice night.” I unlock the door and storm out with my head held high.

I lean on the door to collect all the different emotions racing through me. Ready to throw up, I clutch my stomach. I’ve made a fool of myself. Of course The God wouldn’t truly be with me. I’m so stupid. My body shakes as I try not to pass out. My lungs aren’t working correctly. Slowly, I count backwards from ten like Liv has told me to do when I’m hyperventilating. It seems to work on my third attempt. The sick-to-my-stomach feeling dissipates, replaced by anger.

I can’t believe he just sat there and didn’t do anything. I’m proud of myself for realizing that I couldn’t finish what I started unless he was there with me, even if the moment was beyond wonderful. I give myself a mental shake. No, it wasn’t wonderful, it wasn’t real. It was just more games.

I’m need to head back to the party so I can leave. I don’t want to be here anymore. Then I hear something crash against a wall in the room I just left and a loud, “Fuck.” I turn my head so that my ear is to the door. Absolute silence. This is stupid, I don’t need to stand by a door all night, listening to Jax lose it.

I take a step away, fully intending on leaving the party, when the door swings open. A pissed off Jax, still in his mask, looms in the doorway. He stares at me with his mouth agape. I watch him, waiting to see if he will do anything. I’m not even a little disappointed when nothing happens. Shocker. I march down the hallway, this time not stopping, when I hear him cuss again.

I’ve almost to the crowd when I feel him behind me. An involuntary shudder runs through me when I feel him press against me. He wraps one hand around my waist and pulls me tighter against him so there’s no space between us. I bite my lips hard enough that I taste blood to keep the moan in that is begging to come out. He still wants me, I can feel the evidence pressing against me.

“Come with me,” he whispers into my ear before tracing my earlobe with his tongue. This time the moan escapes. I barely manage a nod before he’s dragging me towards the exit. We leave through a back door. His car waits with his driver holding the door open for us, as if he was expecting us.

“Pretty confident.”

He raises my hand to his mouth and kisses the inside of my palm. “Hopeful,” Jax corrects.

He helps me in and gathers the small train again before closing the door and going to the other side. We sit in silence. My mind races to the point that I can’t focus on anything to say. I have no idea where we’re going, but as long as I’m not going home alone, I won’t complain.

Not wanting to look out the window or at The God besides me, I opt for closing my eyes. I feel him shift closer to me. Everything in me screams for me to open them, but I can’t. I know if I face him, I will see the regret in his eyes because he doesn’t want this, our time has passed. I’m just Logan’s little sister now. He won’t ruin his friendship with my brother for me. Sadly, I can’t even fault him for that. I’m not worthy of him taking a risk on me.

Cupping my face, he turns me towards him. Acting like a stubborn child, I squeeze my eyes tighter, refusing to open them.

“Please look at me, Ads,” Jax pleads.

I almost sigh at the way he whispers his nickname for me, but instead I shake my head.

“Fine.” And without any warning he crushes his lips to mine.

I try not to kiss him back because my emotions are still rattled from earlier. I lose what little self-control I was holding onto when Jax bites my lower lip. It’s an instant turn-on. I kiss him back with everything I have. I want him to know how much he means to me, how much I’ve wanted this. I’m about to straddle his lap when he pulls back abruptly.

I open my eyes to see what the heck just happened, and when I see that stupid smug grin, I want to punch him.

“There’s those beautiful eyes.” He winks at me. He surprises me by untying my mask and throwing it onto the floor. “No more masks.” He then tosses his away too.

“No more masks,” I repeat.

I beam at him before launching myself at him, kissing him hard. He groans loudly as he gathers my dress around my hips. He licks my neck before pressing his mouth back to mine. I moan into his mouth when his tongue meets mine and dig my nails into his shoulders.

Framing my face with his hands, he aims that intense stare that only Jax can manage pulling off. “Stay with me?” he asks.

I nod while saying, “Of course,” right as the car stops.

He smiles so brightly that it reminds me of a child’s smile after Santa has visited. When he gets out of the car, he speaks to his driver before helping me out. Gripping my hand, he kisses the back of my palm, and then leads us into his apartment building.

The elevator seems to take it’s time carrying up to the top floor. Jax quickly tugs me into his penthouse, never letting go of my hand as he leads me into his bedroom. The only noise in is very sterile bedroom is my heels clinking on the hardwood floor. Although his bedroom is impressive with the dark oak bed, matching dressers, and an abstract painting on his far wall, it always reminds me of an expensive hotel. It’s just so clean, everything in perfect order. If I move one thing even slightly, he will know. His panoramic wall, that leads to his private balcony, shows the glistening lights from the city.

My smile drops when I turn around to see Jax holding up one of his cotton T-shirts for me. Um, so not what I was expecting him to grab. I raise an eyebrow at him in question.