took in the other man. He was younger, shorter, and had movie star good looks. They shook hands. Partners —he was surprised, although he wasn’t sure why. It’s not like it was unheard of. Hopefully, the surprise didn’t show on his face. Last thing he needed was to make a bad impression on her father.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Jax said.
“Come on in. Karma will be down in a minute.”
“This is a beautiful house.” Jax looked around. The kitchen was off to the left. It was spacious and everything was white and immaculate, from the tile to the faucet. An ugly pug picked its head up and looked at him and then laid it back down like it couldn’t be bothered to get up.
“Thank you,” Garrett said and led him across the foyer to the living room.
The living room looked like something out of a magazine spread. A large fireplace took center stage, wide plank wood flooring, and just the right amount of artwork on the walls. Photographs lined the fireplace, and Jax had to stop himself from going to get a peek. Karma was probably adorable as a child. Instead, Jax sank into the leather couch and Garrett and Matt sat on either side of him. He felt like he was about to be interrogated.
Garrett cleared his throat. “I appreciate that you didn’t take advantage of my daughter. She doesn’t always think before she acts.”
She told her father? Jax wanted to bolt, but he was stuck there between them. “Um…no problem, sir. She seems like the type of girl that deserves more than a one-night stand.” Jax couldn’t believe he was talking about a girl’s virginity to her father—awkward.
Matt patted his knee. “That she does. It takes a good man to realize that. She’s a great girl.”
What the hell had he gotten himself into?
Just then Karma entered the room carrying a sheet of paper, and everything made sense again. Damn, she took his breath away. She was wearing a pair of jeans that hugged her curves in all the right places and a gray sweater that brought out her unique eyes. She looked down at the ground and then back at him with a smile that nearly stopped his heart. What the hell was wrong with him?
“I hope my dads aren’t giving you a hard time.”
Jax rose from the couch. “No, not at all actually; they have been very welcoming. You look great, Karma.”
A flush of pink rose to her pale skin. “Thanks.”
“I see you got the list.”
“I really don’t want you to see this. It’s kind of embarrassing.” Karma put the papers behind her back. “Anyways, let’s get out of here.”
Jax told the dads he’d have her back at a decent time. The two men followed them to the door. Jax wondered if he met with their approval or not.
As they walked out the door, a breeze whipped Karma’s hair back. Jax was close enough to inhale the clean scent of her shampoo. Vanilla and something else; he wanted to bury his head in her hair. Get it together, man, Jax scolded himself as he opened the passenger door.
Karma grabbed hold of the handle and pulled herself up, making her sweater pull up in the back, revealing flawless pale skin. This was going to be much harder than he expected.
“Let me see the list,” Jax said when he got behind the wheel. He was very curious to see what this beautiful girl had on her list of must do’s before she left the earth. And he needed a distraction.
“Why?” She clutched the papers to her chest.
“Because that’s how we’re going to pick our date. Every time we go out we’re going to cross something off your list.
“Really?” Karma frowned.
“Yes, now let me see the list.”
Karma sighed and handed him the list.
He whistled. “Jesus, Karma, most of these things require traveling.”
Karma shrugged. “There’s a lot I want to see.”
Jax scratched the back of his head. “You want to meet the Dalai Lama?”
“Who doesn’t?” Karma replied.
“Yeah, I guess this is going to be harder than I thought.
Brian Peckford
Robert Wilton
Solitaire
Margaret Brazear
Lisa Hendrix
Tamara Morgan
Kang Kyong-ae
Elena Hunter
Laurence O’Bryan
Krystal Kuehn