As Hope and Promise Fade

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Jax found Ariana seated in the kitchen eating some leftover pizza they had picked up earlier. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm sorry." Her smile was sad. "For falling asleep earlier, I would've rather spend the rest of the day with you."

He joined her at the table and plated a kiss over her forehead. "We'll have more time together. No one would blame you for wanting to take a few more days off." He said about her leaving tomorrow for school. He wished she didn't have to go, it was the moment he was dreading for the last week.

She shook her head. "I can't miss anymore classes or I can risk falling behind. The Dean hesitated to give me this week. I'll be fine. So what if my dad is a cold monster."

Jax hated to see her beating herself up over this. "I'm sorry for not telling you when we found out."

She shook her head. "Don't be. I understand why you didn't. You have nothing to be sorry for." Tears swam along her eyes as she ducked her head to hide them.

"Babe." He gripped her hand. "You can tell me anything."

"You're too sweet and I don't deserve you." she gripped her can of soda and finished it off. Before Jax could ask why she was saying at her mouth was over his. "I missed you so much." She said between kisses and cries.

"Ariana." He gripped her shoulders. "You should get some rest and don't let this drive you crazy for something you can't change." His hate for Hal grew stronger as he saw what it was doing to the woman he loved.

"I don't want to rest and be forced to dream of being trapped. I want to be with you." she kissed him again. "Don't push me away."

"I can't even when I try." Jax stood from the chair and lifted her into his arms. In under a minute he had her in his room with the rest of the world locked behind them.

Jax wanted her, always had even when they were fighting, but he didn't allow that lust to cloud the obvious signs something was wrong. Her hands shook as she touched him. He grabbed them and laid them back at her sides. "Relax." He whispered softly as she lay under him.

He kissed her gently across the cheek and down her neck while he unbuttoned her shirt. Her heart was racing uncontrollably as his lips lay right above it. He removed her shirt and jeans, then his own but after that nothing more.

He saw she needed to be cared for and to feel protected. Sex could always wait. He held her close as he lay of his side, her head rested tucked under his chin. "It's ok." He whispered over and over while he rubbed her back.

"No it's not." her tears ran over his shoulder. "There's something I have to tell you."

"Tell me tomorrow. I want you to relax and let me hold you." he tightened the grip he had around her waist.

"I love you so much." She returned the grip and buried her head deeper into his chest.

"I love you too." The last two days had been incredibly long. With her secure in his arms he let himself drift off into the land of dreams and promises.

That next morning Jax wasn't moving. This was the last morning he'd have with Ariana for awhile to come and he wasn't going to rush it. She was still asleep and he decided he'd rather watch her do so then get up and face anything else.

Hal Ellis was a smart son of a bitch, nothing they had been able to connect to him checked out. The hunter was underground and wouldn't come out until he was good and ready.

Jax took a deep breath and let his anger fade away, he wasn't going to waste time thinking about what he could face tomorrow alone instead of today with Ariana.

"You're thinking too hard." Ariana was awake and looking at him.

"How do you know?"

"Your brows come very close together and you purse your lips when you're inside your head." She reached out and ran her thumb across his brows and lips as she explained it.

"And here I thought I had a good poker face."

"Maybe with everyone else." She smiled beautifully, confidant she knew him well.

"I hate that I have to give you back." he grabbed her around the waist and held her back against his chest so that they were spooning.

"Are you regretting getting back together?" she tried to hide her fear of his answer.

"No. Having a week with you was better than nothing." He had been so scared of giving into their desires and suffering worse for it when she was gone but so far he was dealing with it pretty calmly. Yes she was leaving but she'd also be returning.

She gripped his hand where it laid across her thigh. "We still have the whole morning and I don't want to be around anyone but you."

"Good because I wasn't letting you leave this bed." He moved his hand up to her hip, gripping the hem of her panties and tugging downward. "Can I do this?" he wasn't sure how her emotional state was and didn't want to take advantage. She sounded much better from last night but he wasn't sure.

She looked back over her shoulder at him. "I'm never going to tell you no."

Jax leaned in and kissed her, the kiss was frantic with need and uncontrollable lust. He hadn't been inside of her in two days but it felt like a lifetime. He knew there would never come the day where he had his fill of her and could stop acting like a sex crazed maniac. He was hungry for her body and her touch across his.

His wolf sprung to life wanting nothing more than to take her for a wild ride and dominate her all over again.

It was just past noon when Ariana and Jax finally dressed for the day after taking a long shower together. She continued to opt for the more causal and kept on her pair of jeans with another loose fitting top. She was in heaven when she was with Jax but when they were forced to face the real world her mood was down in the dumps.

It made her feel worse she couldn't tell her mother the truth. Not only was her current husband lying to her about who he was so had her ex husband for many years.

Ariana stood outside putting her luggage back in the rental car she'd turn in at the airport. She was waiting for Jax to finish with something inside and then he was coming with her to say goodbye to their parents and Julie.

"Nearly die with a girl and she doesn't even say goodbye."

Every part of Ariana's body tensed at the sound of Marc's voice. It wasn't fear, she had never been scared of Marc and wasn't going to start now, and it wasn't even anger that made her wish she'd never see Marc again. It was the lack of control tugging at her seam of her skin. "Goodbye Marc."

"Ouch." The gravel crunched under his boots as he stepped closer to the trunk of the car where she stood. "We need to talk."

"No we don't." she refused to look at him. "I'm leaving and its better that way."

"You changed your mind about telling Jax?" he was careful not to be overheard by all the ears back in the cabin.

"I can't hurt him like that." She had nearly told him last night but when he told her to leave it for tomorrow she lost all her strength to admit those painful words. She hadn't found it again either. "Are you going to?"

"It's not my place but you and I need to talk. There's pieces of this you still don't know and need to understand."

"No, I know I love Jax and that's all I need. Just please leave me alone." she braced her hands on the car and took several deep breaths as she listened to him walk away. That's what she wanted; for him to leave. So why did it make her feel worse to know she hurt his feelings?

"Hey babe, ready to go?" Jax asked as he jogged down the driveway to meet her.

She forced a bright smile past her lips. "Yup."