Chapter Nineteen
Ariella
The studio was pissed that Harper left for the day and filming was halted, but there wasn’t anything we could do about it.
I headed home, and Jaxson stayed on my tail the entire time.
He planned to pick Izzie up before dinner but was letting her spend a little longer with her friends.
He was right. It was good for Izzie to have others to play with that with her age. She had no siblings, and I wasn’t sure I could go through conceiving a child again. I’d lost my son, and to this day, it still haunted me.
I had worked through the grief, but seeing Ben had brought all those emotions and more, with memories resurfacing.
He hadn’t always been the bad guy. At one time, I had loved him, but it felt like a lifetime ago.
Finally home, I sunk into the mattress, my head against the pillow, eyes closed, naked.
Jaxson’s warmth and weight nestled against my hips, pressed me down further into the bedsheets.
He lathered lotion on his hands, rubbing his palms together to warm up his hands before he caressed my shoulders and down my back.
A soft sigh escaped past my lips.
Jaxson’s hands were strong and firm, his movements lulled me more toward slumber than anything else.
I had expected him to take the opportunity with the two of us alone to seduce me, but he surprised me. His hands massaged down my back in a soft, soothing motion.
My body drifted further toward slumber, relaxed and without a thought or care in the world.
His touch had a healing effect.
Jaxson lifted his hips off mine, and I moaned in protest.
“Do you want me to keep going?” he asked. His breath soft and warm as he leaned closer, planting a kiss on my neck.
“Yes.” It took every amount of measurable strength to answer him.
His lips were warm and soft against my skin. “Sleep, Freckles.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but it took too much energy to answer.
His hands continued massaging over my bare skin as I drifted to sleep.
* * *
I had fallen asleep from the most amazing massage of my life, Jaxson had worked his magic, and it hadn’t been remotely sexual like I had expected.
After dinner, we curled up on the sofa and watched a movie together once Izzie was tucked into bed. Skylar staggered in well past midnight, but neither of us said anything to her. She was a grown adult but it was clear that she’d been out partying.
Jaxson gave me the day off, and Hazel was supposed to drop by in the morning at the house. We planned to grab breakfast together and then head to the spa.
I needed a day away from the world, a chance to unwind and not think about what happened with Ben.
The massage last night had lulled me into a peaceful slumber, free of nightmares.
While awake I constantly glanced over my shoulder, waiting for Ben to reappear.
What I wouldn’t give to feel calm and safe.