Sneak Peek...Jax

I can hardly believe it— we're just days away from Jax hitting the shelves! January 20th is almost here, and I am beyond excited to unleash this rugged, trouble-magnet cowboy on the world. No long-winded intro today—let's get right to the good stuff. Below is a juicy sneak peek at Chapter 2 of Jax, and trust me, it's as fun, steamy, and full of that irresistible charm as you’d hope. If you're ready to fall hard for a mighty fine cowboy who keeps finding (and causing) trouble... while tumbling headfirst into love along the way, why wait? Pre-order Jax today and get set to say yeehaw to the ride of your life!

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Chapter 2—Lily

“Holy smokes! That’s Wolfe.” Zara squealed and clutched Lily’s arm in a vice-like grip.

Lily spun toward the floor-to-ceiling windows. She scanned the forest outside. The late afternoon sun shrouded the tree-filled landscape in its golden light. “Seriously? I’ve never seen one. Where is it?”

Lily stood on her tiptoes. Her heels popping out of her beige ballet flats in hopes of spotting the majestic animal.

“Not an actual wolf, silly. Wolfe, as in the incredibly tall, massively built, and extremely hot defenseman for the Colorado Crush.”

“Right.” Disappointed, Lily turned her gaze from the gorgeous mountain views and spied the crowd filling the home’s enormous great room. Her eyes landed on the person she assumed was Wolfe. A herculean man with blonde hair that flowed down his back. His shoulders spanned so wide, they could have their own time zone.

“I can’t believe you don’t know Wolfe. He’s one of the best defensemen in the game.”

“Well, it’s not a surprise since I don’t know what a defenseman is,” Lily countered, and stuffed her hands in the pockets of her navy dress dotted with pink rosebuds. “I still can’t believe you invited me to a party, let alone one filled with professional athletes. I’m way out of my element, my friend.”

She and her best friend Zara were opposites. Lily’s muted lifestyle from her dress (comfy, thank you very much) to her car (cheers to an older-model Honda) peaked at ho-hum. Zara, with her shock of spiky red hair, wore bold colors and layered her make-up, making her green eyes look ethereal. An emerging artist, her work exploded in popularity on the local scene in the last year. Lily would bet on her favorite coffee mug her friend spent her latest commission on tickets for this event.

“Of course I invited my best friend. You supported my love of hockey growing up.”

“Support is a stretch. I studied and did your homework while you watched the games with your dad,” Lily teased.

Zara’s smile faltered, her brilliant eyes dimming with a shadow of loss. Lily’s chest tightened, regret burning in her throat.

“You did my homework and helped me pass those lame classes so I could spend time with him.” She forced a smile, her red lipstick a stark contrast to her pearly-white teeth.

“Sorry to bring up your pops.” Lily reached for Zara’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“You’re fine. You’d think I’d be used to the fact he’s gone.”  She jammed her eyes shut and gave her head a shake. “All right, let’s go introduce ourselves.”

Panic seized Lily. She began twisting the lace covering the front pocket of her dress. She could deal with a room full of first graders. Learning about the lifecycle of a butterfly and walking through the steps of simple subtraction served as her bread and butter as a teacher.

Unfazed, Zara took their joined hands and tugged her to the circle where Wolfe spoke to a group of people.

“…You’re right, we picked up where we left off last year.” Wolfe’s baritone voice had people hanging on every word. “And with the addition of Jax… it looks like he’s the missing piece we needed for success this season.”

“Wolfe, is it true you listen to the 1812 Overture before every game?” Zara’s excitement fueled the smiles of those standing in the group with the Colorado Crush star.

“It is.” His own megawatt smile lit up the circle of fans. “The tense notes. The canons. It revs me up like nothing else.”

“Which team will be your biggest challenge in the division?” A middle-aged man with a creative comb over and a dad bod asked another rapid-fire question.

“Well, I think—”

“—Drinks, anyone?”

Lily turned toward another deep voice that approached the group and immediately smacked her face against a tray filled with beverages held by an Adonis-looking man with well-styled golden curls.

“Acccck!”

Glasses crashed, malty beer showered Lily. The icy liquid streamed from her bangs, stinging her eyes as she stood frozen in place, drenched.

“Lily, you’re bleeding!” Zara’s eyes widened.

“What?” Lily slid her hand over her face and found a red streak across her palm.

The curly-haired guy tried to contain the tray wobbling in his grip. “Oh, no, not again!” His voice cracked, eyes darting for help.

Lily had no idea what had happened before, but this seemed bad.

“C’mon, Lily. Let’s get you to the bathroom.” Zara sprang into action.

Lily stood paralyzed, overwhelmed at being the center of attention. Beer continued to seep deeper into the material of her cotton dress, pressing against her skin. Not only was she chilled but smelled like a brewery. She needed to get out of the limelight but didn’t want to take her friend away from her chance of interacting with the athletes she loved to support. Besides, she knew Zara paid a lot of money to attend this event.

“No, you stay. I’ve got this.”

“What? No, Lily. Let’s go.”

Lily pinched her nose to try and quell the flow of blood. “Please, Zar. Stay here and help with this.” She gestured to the floor dotted with empty glasses and beer flowing like a river across the tiles on the floor in the kitchen area.

Without another word, Lily turned and fled the scene. She headed toward a hallway where a sign directed guests to the restroom.

Blood threatened to drip onto the plush cream carpet. Lily tilted her head, pinching her nose as she hurried down the hallway. She heard shouting between two men coming from behind one of the doors in the corridor as she worked her way deeper into the passage. She didn’t dare stop. She needed to get to a sink and a box of tissue before she ruined this pristine carpet with drops of her blood.

Deeper into the hallway a door jerked open. And for the second time in minutes, she crashed again. Instead of smacking her face against a metal platter, she found herself pressed against a wall of solid muscle when a man collided with her as he stormed from the room.

Lily let go of her nose and clutched his wide shoulders for dear life.  He simultaneously grabbed her waist and held on to keep them both upright.

“Hold up, sugar,” he purred.

“Jesus, Jax. What the hell did you do now?”

She couldn’t put a face to the other man who yelled at ‘Jax.’ Heck, she couldn’t form words as the man—Jax, she assumed—with a mop of overgrown espresso-colored hair and sapphire blue eyes filled up the space. His intense focus, chiseled jaw and crooked nose made her stomach tumble and her toes curl inside her soggy shoes.

“Looks like your real wet, darlin’. And someone popped your nose good. What happened?”

“What the hell?” The man from the room continued to bellow. “You can’t move five feet and another disaster happens? Let me see.”

The blue-eyed stranger with a rich, southern drawl ignored the barking from the other guy.

‘Jax,’ with his sexy shoulders and broad chest, prevented her from doing anything except focusing on him.

“C’mon, let’s get you fixed up.”

Without another word, he continued his gentle hold and ushered them down the rest of the hallway. Once they entered the oversized bathroom, he lifted her with ease and set her on the counter between two sinks. He snagged a fluffy white towel along the way and brought it to her nose.

“Make sure you pinch it and lean your head forward.”

“I know how to stop a bloody nose,” her muffled voice floated through the soft cotton of the towel pressed against her face.

And she did. She dealt with her fair share of scrapes, bruises and, yes, bloody noses on any given day with her rambunctious students whether on the playground or in the classroom.

“Are you a cut woman for a professional boxer or something?”

“What? No.”

“A nurse like Sadie?”

Lily didn’t know anyone named Sadie.

“No, I’m a teacher.”

“Huh. I can see that.” Before she could respond, her rescuer grabbed another towel. He gently pulled her wet hair through the luxurious material. “I bet you’re an elementary teacher. Am I right?”

She couldn’t think while he stroked her hair. She imagined lazy nights cuddled on a couch, him playing with her hair and sending her to slumberland.

What the heck?

“Uh-huh. How’d you guess?” she refocused and finally responded.

He didn’t reply. Instead, he tenderly wrapped the towel around the back of her neck and tugged their faces closer together. His cologne, something water-based, smelled as fresh as the outdoors after a tender rain.

“Let’s check that cute little nose of yours, darlin’.”

His fingers brushed her hand as he eased the towel from her face. His sapphire gaze traced her features with a heat that stole her breath.

 He had lips women paid good money for in Hollywood. His dark-blue eyes framed by obscenely long eyelashes brought the word ‘pretty’ to mind. But his crooked nose, and scars that slashed across his upper lip and the corner of his right eye told a different story.

This man is trouble with a capital T.

“I think it stopped.” Lily gave a silent cheer after stringing together a few coherent words.

“You’re right.” He pushed a piece of her hair away from her face with a softness that made her feel treasured. Shivers rippled through her system at the touch of his hand. “I’m Jax, by the way.”

“Yeah, I heard that guy say your name back there. I’m Lily.” She cleared her throat instead of acting on her need to climb him like a spider monkey. “How’d you know I’m a teacher?”

“An elementary school teacher, Lily Belle.” He began dabbing the shoulders of her dress with a towel to absorb some of the hoppy-smelling liquid. His denim gaze intensified. “I know this because I fancied myself marrying my third-grade teacher, Miss Hamm. And you’re much prettier than Miss Hamm. So, logic says you’re an elementary school teacher.”

Her brain spun to keep up with his ‘logic.’ Another sensation found her stomach squishy at his words, like the weightless sensation when she zoomed down the vertical drop of a roller coaster.

A knock on the door interrupted her next thought.

“Everything okay in there?” A female’s voice sailed through the paneled wood stained in a honey-color.

“Yup.” Jax continued to dot her arms with the towel. A cheeky smile lit up his face.

“Let us in, Jax.” A second voice added, this one sounding more serious. All business.

He dropped his head and heaved a sigh. “It’s not locked.”

The door opened and two women entered the space. Lily tried to wiggle off the counter, but Jax held her in place. His hand pressed seductively against her waist.

“Hi. I’m Jillian. I hope you’re okay. I am so sorry for the mishap out there. I fired that clumsy blonde server.”

Lily wouldn’t be responsible for someone losing his job because of her.

“Oh, no. It wasn’t his fault! I was the clumsy one. I’m fine. Please don’t fire him.”

‘“I’m glad to hear you’re okay.” The woman in her early twenties pushed her black-framed glasses higher on her face. “The server? Not so much. Believe me, he’s an amazing boyfriend, but he needs to keep his day job. He’s a much better goalie for the Colorado Crush than a server.”

He plays hockey?  Her luck, she would crash against a professional hockey player. Lily felt herself sway but was caught by the strong arms of Jax.

“We wanted to make sure you’re all right,” the other woman offered. She moved in to inspect Lily herself, but Jax wouldn’t budge and stayed glued to her side.

“Lily!” Zara came running and entered the bathroom. Quite a crowd gathered in the space. “Are you okay, sweetie?”

“I’m fine, Zara.”

“Okay. Party’s over,” Jax announced to the room. “Sadie, do you have some clothes Lily can borrow so she can shower and wash away the case of beer the uncoordinated Russian dumped over her head?”

“Oh, no. It’s fine,” Lily rushed out, and tried to once again wriggle from his grasp.

Jax only lifted a scar-slashed eyebrow and continued to press his hands against her waist.

His penetrating stare and delicious touch caused a throng of butterflies to furiously flutter in her stomach.

“I absolutely have some clothes she can change into. I’m Sadie, by the way. This is Dante’s and my home. He plays on the Crush.”

Another Crush player? Could this get any worse?

“Babe, I’ve got towels.” This voice belonged to the man who yelled at Jax earlier. He joined the group in the bathroom which now resembled a clown car with the number of bodies packed inside the space.

“Way to save the day, Dante.” Jax deadpanned. “Got it under control. Sadie’s taking Lily to get cleaned up and Jillian will bring her friend, Zara, I assume, back to the party.”

“That’s me. Zara. I’m her friend, Zara.”

Lily nearly burst out laughing at the breathless sound of her friend’s voice. She could relate. She was surrounded by a hockey player, hockey players’ significant others, and this handsome cowboy with his sexy accent. He seemed the yummiest of all the men at this party.

“Yeah, okay. That sounds like a plan.” Dante offered the towels to his wife and gave her a kiss.

“Ready?” Jax focused his full attention on Lily. She nodded, and he guided her off the counter and ushered her out of the bathroom with his hand nestled at the small of her back.

Her last thought as she entered a massive master bedroom done in creams and tans, was that seeing a wolf would have been far less complicated.