Wrecked (Dirty Air Series Book 3)

Everything changed yesterday. I didn’t expect to destroy any last boundaries between Elena and me. But with her sad eyes and traumatizing past, I couldn’t help the desire to make things right between us. To be someone she can count on in a world that took almost everything from her, and to make amends for the shit I’ve done.

Sometime in the middle of the night, she escaped my room, leaving me to wake up in an empty bed smelling of her and us.

Uncertainty takes hold of me, making me anxious to find her. The thought of her holding back again and avoiding me doesn’t sit well with me after what we shared.

And fuck did we share. Addicted doesn’t begin to cover how I feel about her. If last night was any indication about how it can be between us, I want to punch the old me for holding back this long.

I walk to the center of the house where her guest suite is located and knock on the door. “Elena, open up.”

The door opens to a groggy Elena with her wavy hair resembling something out of an eighties’ music video. I stare at her thighs, poorly hidden by her large T-shirt. Purplish bruises peek out, drawing a smile from me. I’d love to turn her around, lift the hem of her shirt, and see if her ass bears my fingerprint marks. I may have been a bit rough, but I couldn’t hold back. After ignoring my attraction to her for months, it was hard to rein in my desire, and her body took the brunt of it.

She rubs at her eyes. “What’s up? I’m napping.”

“At 9 a.m.? Who are you and what have you done with the real Elena?”

“You kept me up most of the night. What do you expect?” She yawns, scrunching her face in a cute way.

“For you to actually stay until morning, for starters.” My voice carries more bite than intended.

“I didn’t want your parents to catch me in your room.”

“They haven’t visited my bedroom since I was a teen, remember? They use the intercom instead.”

She squints. “Oh.”

“Right. Oh. So, your room or mine?”

“What?” She crosses her arms, poorly concealing her hardening nipples. What a shame.

“Time is running out. Decide.”

She opens the door wider, giving me room to enter.

“Good choice.” I lift her up and throw her on the mattress. The squeal she lets out puts a smile on my face.

“What are you doing?” She laughs.

I crawl onto the bed, tucking us both under the covers. “Hush. You kept me up most of the night. I need my beauty sleep.” I pull her body into mine, and she places her head on my chest.

“Jax…”

“Yes.” I wrap her hair around my fist to hold her head in place. The smell of strawberries calms me as I ignore my growing erection at Elena’s closeness.

“What happens now?”

“We try.”

It’s the only answer I can provide her with, but it’s good enough for me.

She needs to ask herself if she can handle something with me. I’m not a selfless fucker. I take and take until there is nothing left to offer.

But with Elena, I’m willing to share. The good, the bad, and the hopeless.

“To what do I owe the pleasure of your phone call?” Connor answers his phone after two rings.

I lay on my bed, staring up at the vaulted ceiling. “Besides wanting to congratulate the man who successfully secured a one-hundred-million-dollar sponsorship yesterday? You’ve been busy this summer break.”

Connor laughs. “While you’ve been busy doing nothing, I’ve been putting in the work.”

“Hey, taking a break every now and then is worth it.”

“I know. You sound better. More relaxed.”

I cough. “Right. I wanted to share something with you.”

“Go ahead.” Some papers rustle in the background.

“So, you didn’t outright say Elena couldn’t be in a relationship with me, but I—”

“You’re dating now?”

“Well, we’re…exploring our options. But I wanted to tell you before a reporter takes a picture of us or something.”

“You don’t need my blessing. But I should warn you to—”

“Not break her heart?”

He scoffs. “No. I’m not that predictable. I was going to warn you to take care of yourself. You’re in a vulnerable place, and I worry you’ll struggle with a relationship after recently finding your footing.”

“I can take care of myself.”

“I’m sorry I don’t entirely believe you. I don’t want you to lose the one person who has been supportive of you throughout this whole process.”

“I’m not going to lose her because I want to try things out with her.”

“Anal isn’t the way to a girl’s heart no matter what they tell you.”

I clench my teeth together to suppress my frustration. “I’m serious. I want to try to be better than I’ve been—for her and for myself. And not because of sex.”

Connor pauses. “Serious relationships take work. You can’t give up at a moment’s notice when things get hard.”

“Gee. You don’t say. I get enough love advice from my mum, mate.”

“If you’re looking for my blessing—”

“I’m not. I want to make sure nothing bad will happen to her if we come out to the public.”

He chuckles. “If you’re asking for me to not fire Elena, I won’t. As long as you both act like professional adults with everything related to McCoy, I will turn a blind eye.”

“And I’ll keep work and play separate.”

“Why do I have a feeling I’ll regret this?” Connor sighs.

You and me both. But damn if the path to hell isn’t paved from the greatest adventures.