Race the Storm

Chapter 18

"You sure you know what you're doing?" Jax crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at Willa, hoping he looked more confident than he felt. Fake it til you make it?

Not gonna lie, he'd been watching Youtube the whole time Willa was in the shower.

"Don't give me that look, hair is important to women. Unlike you, I'd look ridiculous if all my hair got shaved off. I bet you'd be just fine."

Jax snorted. Not that he was a professional or anything, but he was pretty sure she'd still look beautiful. "I don't even have clippers."

"Yeah well we might have to buy them if you mess up too badly." But she was giggling as she said that, so he knew she wasn't too worried.

"How about I start with a trim and if it looks okay, then we take more off?" That would probably make him feel better too.

"Okay," Willa agreed, straightening up and staring at the mirror hanging over the desk in their hotel room. They'd bought a cheap plastic tarp and put it down under the chair so it'd be easy to collect her hair, and a throw-away towel was around her shoulders.

Jax took a deep breath, avoiding Willa's gaze as he started on the back of her hair where she couldn't see. He tried to do like they did in the videos, lifting her hair, pinching the ends between his fingertips so that it was spread out in a thin layer, and cutting at an angle.

God, he hoped he was doing this right.

"How's it look?"

"Fine," Jax gritted out between clenched teeth. Then he forced himself to relax, realizing he needed to distract Willa. "So what was up with going all Wild Willa on that woman at the bar?" Jax said, unable to suppress the grin that darted across his face. It had momentarily stunned him to hear sweet Willa threaten to introduce a woman's face to the bar.

It had also been kinda hot.

"Wicked WIlla," Willa grumbled, glaring at the desk which she flicked in annoyance as if it had directed the women to bother them at the bar.

"Say what?"

Willa huffed a sigh. "Wicked Willa. That's what I call that side of myself."

Jax had to let go of her hair for a moment as he laughed so hard he had to brace himself on the chair she was sitting in.

"Hey!" Willa's scowl deepened as she glared at him through the mirror. "I went there for you! Per your request!"

Jax forced himself to calm down. "Which I highly appreciate," he managed, smoothing a hand over top of her head soothingly. He squeezed her shoulders. "Wicked Willa is welcome anytime she wants to make an appearance," he said with a wink. His mouth wobbled as a grin threatened to break through again at actually using the phrase 'Wicked Willa,' and he turned away for a second to hide it from her.

"I can tell you're still laughing at me," Willa grumbled, but she'd lost the snap in her voice. Jax figured it was safe to start snipping hair again as she sighed, finally explaining. "They were just so irritating."

"I couldn't agree more," Jax replied.

"I mean, how many times does a person have to say no for it to get through their thick skull?" Willa ranted, punctuating her words with a clenched fist striking her thigh several times.

Jax removed ths scissors from her hair again and leaned over, grasping the fist and encouraging the fingers to uncurl. "More than I would've guessed," he said, "and she's definitely not worth beating yourself up over."

Willa looked down at their hands in surprise–probably hadn't even registered what she was doing. Jax released her hand and she gave him a sheepish smile. "I know," she admitted. "Easier said than done, I guess." She bit her lip and then her gaze brightened. "I'm blaming pregnancy hormones!"