Something Precious Read online

  Copyright © Mary Ting 2015

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locations, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Licensing Notes

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews.

  Chapter 1

  Rachel

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  A year later

  Holding a cream-colored long dress with bright flower designs on it, I asked my sister,“Becky, what do you think about this dress?”

  She examined it with one brow cocked and her lips twisting at the right corner.“I don’t know if I like it. It’s too…flowery.”Her fingers wiggled down the dress.“And it also depends on whether you want to take Jax to bed or keep him at a distance.”She snickered, bending down to her daughter in a stroller.“What do you think, Addison Marie Knight?”

  Taking a good look at the dress, I thought about what she’d said. It would make me look like I was going to a tea party.“You’re right.”I hung it back on the rack and looked down at Addy. She was holding a snack container, shoving Cheerios into her mouth. I couldn’t help but smile when she looked up at me with wide eyes and that cute baby smile.

  “This one.”Becky held up a black dress that would frame the curves of my body. A slit up the side made it daring and sexy. I knew Jax would love that one. He would definitely want to put his hands all over me.

  “That’s perfect.”I took it from her.“Thanks.”

  “Let’s go. I’m starving.”

  While Becky turned the stroller, I looked to my left to tell Jace it was time to go, but he wasn’t there.

  “Becky, where’s Jace?”I panicked, feeling every nerve in my body jump into high alert. My pulse skyrocketed so fast I felt blood rush to my head. “Where’s Jace?”I asked again.“He was here. Didn’t you see him?”

  Becky just stared at me. I shoved the dress at her and looked under the racks of clothes.“Jace! Where are you?”I ran in circles, feeling like my world had been pulled out from under me. Oh God!Jax was going to kill me. As horrible thoughts of Jace being kidnapped raced through my mind, I frantically looked for him. What the hell was wrong with me? I couldn’t even keep an eye on one child. Too busy worrying about a dress, I’d forgotten about Jace. I was going to be a terrible stepmom. I was foolish to think I could do it all. Jace deserved better.

  “Jace! Jace! Jace!”

  When something hit my jaw, I jerked and my mind went peacefully blank. I was floating between reality and somewhere else. Feeling another light punch, I was in a state of waking, but I was unable to open my eyes. Moaning, I slowly came to. My heart was still racing a mile a minute, but it slowly found its steady beat when I realized it had been a dream. Thank God!Feeling relieved, I let out a long deep breath. My head throbbed, my eyes hurt, and my throat felt like I’d swallowed a handful of sand.

  I twitched when something hit my jaw again. Blinking, I tried to open my sleepy eyes, but it was difficult. The thick curtains on our windows blocked out the sun, so I had no indication of time. I hoped it wasn’t early in the morning. I needed more sleep. Finally managing to peel one eye open, I squinted to see a little toe near my face. Knowing it was Jace, I smiled. Little Jax, I would call him at times. He must have come between us in the middle of the night and somehow he had ended up lying in the opposite direction.

  “Don’t hit me,”Jax mumbled, sounding half asleep.

  I turned to see Jace’s other foot on Jax’s jaw, and surprisingly he hadn’t woken up. I smiled at what I was seeing and tickled Jace’s feet. Jace moved the foot on my side, but he slammed the other into Jax’s face. Oh crap!

  “What the f—?”

  Jax sat up, rubbing his eyes and trying to process what had happened. My lusting hormones shot up, seeing Jax shirtless with lazy eyes and his taut biceps flexing while he supported himself on his arms. It sent all sorts of pleasurable tingles through me.

  When he caught my eyes, he gave me that sexy smirk.“Good morning, babe.”His tone was full of love and mischief. Looking down at the culprit, Jax smiled.“When did Jace get into our bed?”

  I snuggled against my pillow, moving closer to Jax. Jax moved Jace’s leg out of his way and got as close to me as possible.

  “I suppose in the middle of the night.”I stared into his warm-brown eyes—those eyes I could lose myself in. Extending my arm, I caressed his dimple.

  “Did he wake you?”Jax asked, brushing my hair away from my face, and then caressing my arm.

  “No.”I closed my eyes to soak in the warmth of his touch. It radiated love, and I didn’t want him to remove his hand. That heat traveled to my very core, and I wasn’t ashamed to admit it…to my sex, completely turning me on.

  “What do you want to do today?”he asked, running his thumb along my lips, sending electrifying shock waves through me, especially when he gave me that“I want you”look.

  Jax moaned when I slipped my hands under the blanket and cupped his dick over his boxers.“I can think of many things, especially when it comes to what I’m touching.”

  Jax closed his eyes and released a soft growl when I rubbed it harder. When I thought we’d had enough, especially with Jace between us, I backed away. My body was yanked back to the same position I was in a second ago. Jax seized me, planted a kiss on my lips, and then let go, just as Jace turned onto his side and almost kicked us both in our faces.

  “We gotta do something about this.”Jax got up, flipped Jace around to the right position between us, and lay back down. “He’s almost five.”

  “Some kids sleep with their parents until they’re five,”I commented with a shrug, like it was no big deal.

  “Like you?”he teased.

  “Maybe.”I giggled, lifting the blanket over my head from embarrassment.

  “What’s going on?”I heard Jace’s sleepy voice.

  When I popped out from under the blanket, Jace released his cute laugh I loved to hear. His small dimples deepened when he smiled.“What are you doing, Rachel? Playing peek-a-boo with Daddy?”He turned to Jax and gave him a hug.“Daddy.”

  “Good morning, buddy.”Jax planted a kiss on Jace’s forehead.

  “You have to kiss my turtle too.”Jace reached below and placed the stuffed turtle in front of Jax. When Jax had kissed it, Jace turned to me and asked the same while giving me a hug.

  Jace used to call me Wachel when he couldn’t pronounce my name correctly. Now, I missed him calling me that. It had been over a year since Jax and I had gotten together, and I’d seen so many changes in Jace. He was growing up too fast.

  I would have never in a million years thought I would soon be a stepmother. Not that it was a bad thing, but it wasn’t something women wished for. But it had happened, and I counted my blessings that it had. I loved Jax and Jace. They were my family, my life, and now, having had a taste of what it was like, I never wanted to know a life without them.

  Jackson

  I never knew what happiness and love were until I met Rachel. It was the kind of love that wrapped around my heart like the warmest blanket, and I didn’t want to let go. What I loved about her most was her kind heart. She took everything I had to offer, even a little boy that wasn’t her own. What person did that? Not many.

  Rachel didn’t mind that Jace would sleep in our bed. Jace’s mom, Chloe, had hated when that happened. She would get mad and force Jace out
of the room. We would get into fights, and I would end up sleeping with Jace on the guest bed. He had been a lot younger then. Maybe he needed a brother or a sister. I wouldn’t have liked being the only child, and certainly wouldn’t want that for Jace.

  When Rachel had looked at me dreamily with lazy bedroom eyes, I wanted to hold her in my arms, especially when I could see the shape of her breast and her hard nipple through her nightshirt. There was nothing sweeter than the scent of my Rachel. Seeing her long eyelashes flutter with a come-hither look, my dick automatically succumbed to her. If Jace wasn’t in our bed, I would have ravished her, making love to her. I would have taken my time to make her feel good, and I would have shown her just how much I loved her.

  “What would you like to do today?”I asked, propping myself up on my elbow. Jace was playing with his stuffed turtle.

  “I want to watch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle,” his cute voice rang in the room as he tossed his stuffed turtle up in the air.

  “Again?”Rachel tickled his tummy.“Let’s eat breakfast and then we can go to the park, or to the beach.”

  Jace sat up with his legs tucked in and placed his fists on his hips. He frowned. “But I want to watch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.” His tone seemed demanding, with him bouncing on the bed with each spoken word.

  “I’m going to count to three, Jace. If you don’t stop it, I’m going to go all Ninja Turtle on you and no birthday party for you. One—”I held up a finger. Jace bounced harder, testing me.“Two—”Holding up two fingers, I prepared myself to get out of bed. I figured he would understand my serious expression, but he kept on smiling and bouncing. He thought I was joking.“I mean it. Three!”I picked him up, tossed him in the air, and let him fall onto the bed.

  “Jax!”Rachel picked him up and cuddled him in her arms like a baby.“He’s not strong like you. You can break him.”

  “I dropped him on the bed, not on the floor,”I explained, suddenly feeling guilty. I didn’t throw him that hard. With Rachel being a first-time mom and not raising him from an infant, she was overly protective of him at times.

  Jace sprung out of Rachel’s arms.“Do it again.”

  I gave Rachel a smile, letting her know I knew what I was doing. There was a difference between moms and dads. Moms were gentle and worriers. Dads were rough and easygoing. At least that was how it was in my family. I picked Jace off the bed and placed him on the ground.“Time for you to brush your teeth and eat breakfast.”

  “I want cereal,”he demanded, peering up at me. His brown eyes sparkled with life and innocence. Rachel and I had been diligent about teaching him manners. I wondered where this rudeness had suddenly come from. It was most likely from daycare. That was the only explanation.

  “No, not‘I want cereal.’May I have cereal, please?” I redirected.

  Jace looked at Rachel, then back at me with a little bit more of a serious expression. “May I have cereal, please?”

  “Yes, you may. Now go.”I guided him with a little shove. When he was out the door, I went to the other side of the bed and lay next to Rachel.

  “I love it when you spoon me.”Her voice came out hot and luring, and her body molding to mine gave off too much heat for me to handle. I was thinking a whole lot of naughty thoughts of what I was going to do to her.

  “I could stay like this all day,”I said, taking in her scent and the warmth of her body.

  “Me too.”

  I snuggled into the side of her neck, giving her soft kisses anywhere my lips could touch, and letting my hands freely and greedily roam her body.

  Rachel’s soft leg rubbed against mine. I was pretty sure my hairy legs felt like sandpaper to her, but she always did it anyway. “I think you should get up.”

  “Oh, I’m already up.”I rubbed my hard cock on her ass.

  Rachel let out a giggle and turned to face me. One hand slid between the pillow and my neck, and the other pressed against my chest.“If we don’t get up, things will happen and Jace will walk in.”

  I sucked her neck like a vampire.“I agree, but let’s lie here and take in the moment. Or we could start making a baby?”

  “Jax, we already talked about that. I’m not ready. I need to get my career in line first.”

  “But Jace will be five soon. We shouldn’t wait too long.”

  “I know,”she said, looking weary. Her palm resting on my arm became a fist.

  Maybe I shouldn’t have said that.

  “Not this year,”Rachel continued,“Let’s get married first. One thing at a time. Okay?” Her tone sounded almost begging.

  I took a moment to study her and soak in her words.“Then as soon as we get married. It does take nine months to have a baby, and there’s a chance you might not get pregnant right away. Okay?”I gave her my pouty face.

  Rachel shoved me. Just as I wondered what I had said to upset her, Jace came through the door. I was sure she had an extra pair of ears just for him somewhere on her head.

  Rachel jumped off the bed.“We’re coming, Jace.”

  As for me, I needed a cold shower.

  Chapter 2

  Rachel

  “It was just a dream, Rachel,”Becky said over the phone.

  After forgetting to call her the night before, I called the first chance I had the next morning. Admiring my kitchen, I took a sip of my coffee. I’d always wanted a big kitchen with dark cabinets, granite countertop, a large stove, stainless-steel appliances, and two ovens, and my wish had come true all because of Jax. He had wanted us to move to a bigger place after he proposed to me. It had taken us about a year to find this perfect home—five bedrooms, four full bathrooms, and a spacious backyard with a pool.

  “I know,”I sighed, reliving the dream in my mind.“But it felt so real. I couldn’t believe I had lost Jace at the mall. I still have this ugly feeling in the pit of my stomach.”I said it softly so Jace couldn’t hear me.

  “Did you tell Jax about your dream?”Becky sounded concerned.

  I poured cereal and milk into a Ninja Turtle bowl.“No, I didn’t. And I’m not going to. Like you said, it was just a dream. I’ll get over it. Just remind me not to take Jace to the mall.”I shook my head. I knew I was overreacting, but being a first-time mom, and especially since I was going to be his stepmom, I felt the need to be extra cautious.

  “You and Jax okay?”

  I placed a bowl of cereal on the table for Jace and went out of the dining area to have a private talk with my sister.“Yes. Everything is great. Things are...you know...busy. It’s difficult to do anything when you have a little one.”

  Becky let out a short laugh.“Yes, I totally understand. I have one, remember?”

  I released a soft chuckle.“Of course I do.”

  “And you can say it—sex can be almost impossible.”

  I didn’t know why my cheeks felt warm. I was talking to my sister after all. Jax and I had been on different schedules these past two weeks. He had been doing night shoots while I was working during the day. Scheduling sex was almost impossible, not that it should be scheduled.

  One time last week, we’d had a quickie, but I didn’t count that as sex, not really. I guessed it was good we were busy like that. Jax bringing up the subject of wanting another child was putting me under a lot of pressure, especially when I had Jace’s birthday party and our wedding to plan. Thank God the wedding plans were done though. I was always ahead of the game. I decided to change the subject,“I spoke to Mom last night. She told me she mailed you something. She sounded excited about it. Do you know what it is? She wouldn’t tell me.”

  “I have no clue.”I knew my sister very well and could tell when she was telling me the truth or faking it. The tone of her voice told me she was trying to hide something. I decided to dismiss it. After all, it was none of my business. So I changed the subject again.“How’s Addy?”

  “She’s eating breakfast.”I heard Becky take a sip of what I assumed was coffee.

  “Do you have any plans today?”I glanced over a
t Jace. He was enjoying his cereal and playing on the table with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtleaction figures I’d bought him a week ago.

  “Actually, Matthew and I are planning to drop the children off at the in-laws, and we’re going to have the whole day to ourselves. It’s been a while since we had a date night. Next time, we should do a couples’night. I’ll invite Jenna and Max, and you can invite Stacey and Hendrix, if they’re in town. Four hot men at one table—I don’t think the waitress would be able to handle that.”Becky snorted.

  “What’s so funny?”

  I felt Jax’s hot breath tingling the side of my neck, and my snort was cut short. Oh God!His hands were all over my body. Jace, or no Jace, I would rip off his clothes if he didn’t stop what he was doing.

  “It’s Becky.”

  I created a distance between us and sat next to Jace at the table. Seeing Jax’s frown and his droolworthy model’s body made me smile. That devilish little-boy look was sending off all sorts of fireworks, even though his hands weren’t on me anymore. Looking at him, I couldn’t believe that delicious hunk was mine. We’d had a rough start in the beginning. He hadn’t known if he could trust me, or if I had it in me to be his child’s mom. I hadn’t been sure if I had it in me either. But when you love someone as much as I loved Jax, it didn’t matter. Like Becky said, no one was ever fully ready to be a parent. You just had to go for it.

  Jax was more than happy to pay off Jace’s mom so he could have full custody of Jace. It was worth every penny not to have her in our lives, though I did wonder if Jace missed her. He would talk to her on the phone now and then. I wasn’t trying to replace his mom, but hopefully he felt enough love so he didn’t miss her...much.

  “Hi, Becky,”Jax said aloud, pouring himself a mug of coffee.

  How did Jax do it? Even seeing him take a sip of his coffee was increasing my lust for him. I looked away.“Becky says hi,”I said, when I heard her tell me to say it.

  “Okay, have a good day, Becky. I’ll talk to you later.”I tried to end the call. I didn’t want to be rude by ignoring Jax, and I didn’t want to give my sister only half of my attention while I was on the phone with her.