It was her. Just Piper. He loved her even more than he did eight years ago, and he hadn’t thought that was possible.
They walked into the clearing and he saw Seth about to climb into Ian’s truck. Shooting him a grin, Seth called, “Trying out something new for the fight? I like it. That shade of red really suits you.”
Frowning as Seth cackled and got in the truck, he shook his head. Seth was crazy, and said off the wall shit all the time. Turning to Piper, he started to tell her it was time to go when she looked at him and started laughing.
“Oh, shit,” she gasped, wrapping her arms around her waist as she laughed. “I know we need to leave, but you’ve got to check yourself out in a mirror first.”
Frowning harder, he stomped over to his truck and bent to look at his face in the side mirror. “Fuck!” he said, staring at himself.
Piper’s red lipstick obviously wasn’t kiss proof, and a layer of it was coating his lips perfectly, like he applied it on purpose.
“I have to go to the bathroom, try to scrub this off,” he told her as he walked past her to the house.
“But that shade of red works so well with your skin tone,” she called, barely able to get the words out through her laughter.
Turning as he reached the porch, he told
her, voice intense, “Even if I can’t get it off and I have to show up to a fight wearing lipstick, it was worth it. That kiss was worth everything.”
Her laughter died down and she watched him for a moment. As he turned to go inside, his shifter hearing picked up her whispered words.
“Best kiss ever.”
“Can I kiss you?”
Piper whipped her head around in surprise, eyes wide as she looked at Jax. “You want to kiss me?”
Picking up her hand and threading his fingers through hers, he shrugged, trying to look casual. “I mean, yeah. We’ve been waiting until you’re old enough. You’re twelve now. Don’t you think it’s time we kissed?”
“You haven’t said anything about it in like a year. I didn’t think you still wanted to,” she replied shakily.
“Of course I do. More than anything. I was just waiting on you to be ready. Are you ready now?” he asked, trying to sound like it was no big deal. But it was. It was the biggest deal of his life.
Searching his eyes, she swallowed hard and nodded. “Yeah, I’m ready.”
Licking his lips and taking a breath, Jax leaned in closer, cursing when their noses bumped together.
“Ouch!” she said, putting a hand to her nose.
“Crap, I’m so sorry, Pippy,” he rushed out, blushing. He couldn’t blush. Blushes weren’t manly, and at fourteen, he was a man now.
“It’s okay,” she said softly. “Try again?”
“Yeah. Maybe we should angle our heads this time or something.”
She nodded, and he leaned in close again. When their lips were a hairsbreadth apart, he paused, wanting to savor the moment.
Mate, his eagle sighed.
Yes, she is, he agreed, just as he leaned forward and touched his lips to hers.
Neither of them knew what to do next, so they stayed just like that, mouths pressed together and not moving. But it was enough. His body was lit up, energy like he’d never experienced before flowing through his veins.
They finally pulled apart, lips clinging for a moment. Jax exhaled audibly, feeling stunned as he searched her violet eyes. “Whoa.”
“Yeah,” she agreed. “Best kiss ever.”
Piper started to find a spot on the bleachers in the fight barn, but Jax stopped her, putting a hand on her arm. Sucking in a breath as she felt the sensations from that touch streak through her body, she composed herself as she arched an eyebrow at him.