Chapter 10

A small motion was enough to wake Jairus out of his deep slumber which caused him to immediately push himself upward as the sheet pooled around his midsection, old habits die hard. Clearing the mist of disorientation, Jairus was seconds away from plopping right back down to get at least five more minutes' worth of sleep but the small body curled beside him, delayed his plans.

There was no going back after this for sure. He hadn't planned on ever seeing Olivia again after their last encounter but he couldn't stop himself last night. For once he didn't give in to the logic of their age differences, or circumstances surrounding them.

He wanted Olivia the moment she had walked through the club doors with her tight skirt and exposing stomach and seeing the brunette beauty awaken his desire for her. It also provoked him at the fact that every guy including his men had their eyes on the little spitfire the entire time. Dominic's declaration of getting Olivia at the end of the night was the last straw. It had taken every ounce of self-control not to bash his face which led Jairus in her direction.

Jairus recalled Olivia's group of companions referring to her as Olivia Fraser and he had every intention of asking her about it once there was a moment. Accepting how stubborn she can be, Jairus didn’t doubt for a minute she would want to know the status of their relationship after last night.

Staring at the woman who managed to stand up to him calling him out on his bullshit except for his sister, Jairus started to stroke Olivia's skin and now had numerous purple bruising of hickeys along with handprints on her hands and hip. I may have been a little too rough. Jairus thought as he carefully untangled himself from the sleeping beauty, then covered up her naked body with the sheet; not once did she stir.

Glancing at the clock on the bedside table, Jairus groaned at how late he was for his usual Saturday morning support meeting for souls such as himself who generally struggle to fit into society again after coming home from a mission or prison. Slipping out of bed completely, he retrieved the phone from his discarded jeans, sure enough, he had several missed calls from Hugo, his sponsor.

“Jairus, are you okay?” Hugo asked without even answering his phone in a proper greeting. “Did you relapse? Jairus, talk to me goddammit!” The worried man on the other line demanded and he couldn't be blamed for his distress either. After all, Jairus did in fact relapse nearly two years ago when he almost killed someone who touched him unexpectedly at the gas station.

Letting Hugo ramble on, Jairus picked up his and Olivia's discarded clothes around the bedroom dumping them into the hamper as he turned on the shower faucet. “Hugo, calm down. I overslept, that's all. I'll be there in half an hour,” he explained himself.

“Alright, see you there,” Hugo replied and Jairus could hear how relieved the man was though his voice still sounded a bit suspicious.

Hanging up, Jairus quickly sliced through his morning routine, throwing on a pair of faded jeans, a flannel shirt, and his boots after a quick shower. Tucking a piece of strand hair behind Olivia's ear, he placed a chastised kiss on her parted lips before leaving her alone in his home with a small note sticking to one of the moon lamps beside the bed.

*+*

The two military men sat across from each other just staring and waiting for the other to crack. “Explain yourself, soldier,” Hugo, the one to ultimately break his silence. “You've been acting strangely for the past few months Jairus, but not once have you ever been late or missed a meeting since the gas station incident. What's going on?” He asked.

Sighing, Jaruis braced himself in his chair contemplating if he should tell his sponsor about one of the best night's sleep he had ever had in years. “I had sex with someone last night,” Jairus mumbled sipping on the black coffee as his mind wandered to the naked brunette he left in bed.

“This someone means something to you, doesn't she?” Hugo responded with uncertainty lacing his voice, he wasn't sure what to make of Jairus's declaration. “What is she to you?” He further pried because it was the first time the man had ever said anything remotely this personal about himself.

That was the million-dollar question. What does Olivia mean to him? Jairus pondered to himself. She was like no other woman who was determined to change him into a better man, or force him to be more open, what a joke! “She's someone I wouldn't mind taking it one step at a time with,” Jairus confessed truthfully.

As a sponsor and motivator, Jarius was Hugo's most challenging case yet. A man who had to overcome so much since a juvenile, his protective wall of defense was hard to crack down. He was assigned specially to him on the recommendation of General Marshall Forbes, who was now a retired Senator. Normally, a case was assigned to a sponsor through the veterans' organization and Hugo had found it odd that someone of such status made it his business as to what happens to a disgraced soldier.

With time Hugo eventually saw what Marshall did, Jarius was a rare and good soul. Humanity and the justice system have failed him, yet the man held no grudge against either, just one man. Thomas Cohen, and even after all these years of sessions, he knew Jairus didn’t tell him the entire truth about his loathing for the man.

“Wow, this is progress. Who's this woman I need to thank?” Hugo joked as he took a sip of his coffee.

“Olivia, I'll introduce you two another time,” Jairus replied as a small smile carved itself on his face. “Speaking of which, I gotta go, sorry for worrying you.” He said before apologizing to Hugo.

“Meh, that's alright. Next week?” Hugo asked and Jairus nodded his head up and down in a yes motion. “See ya then, and take care,” he says before paying for their coffees and bidding Jairus goodbye.

Jairus watched as Hugo's vast frame expertly maneuvered through the cafe's doorway. Still seated, he took a moment on how best to explain his feelings to Olivia in a way she'll understand him and hope he doesn't come off as the asshole she was used to. Olivia is nothing like her father or brother, she shouldn't be punished for their sins. With that newfound momentum, Jairus pushed out of his chair to order breakfast for two hoping Oli was still there at his apartment.

*+*

As the morning glory of the sun peeked to its potential at 10 am, Olivia Cohen started to stir wide awake from her sleep. Flickering eyes wide open, Olivia almost freaked out at her unfamiliar surroundings until that slight burn between her legs reminded her exactly where she was; in Jairus' bed. Laying flat on her back with a grin that threatened to split her face open, Olivia enjoyed the tingle between her legs and the pain in her hips and wrist.

Recalling every detail of last night, Olivia giggled out loud. After leaving the club with Jairus, they were at his place in no time. She was barely through the door when Jairus kissed her senselessly as they blindly undressed each other, she had wanted to savor the moment but Jairus had other ideas when he tore her panty off clean in frustration before throwing her on the bed.

The more she reminisced on her night with Jairus, Olivia's smile turned into a frown. The sex, even though exceptionally good it was also rough and short despise having to catch her breath once she climaxed. Olivia couldn't help but reckon it meant nothing to Jairus which made tears blur her vision. Scrambling out of the bed, she made her way into the shower to wash her shame away.

Jingling the keys from his pocket, Jairus unlocked the front door, closing it behind him as he sauntered his way into the kitchen. He didn't bother buying breakfast for two like he originally planned since he wasn't aware of Olivia's likes and dislikes besides being lied to. So, instead of breakfast from the cafe, he settled for purchases of groceries instead. Once he was done packing away each item in its respective place, Jairus made his way upstairs to the bedroom.

The messy, empty, bed would've been of concern for Jairus if he didn't hear the sound of the shower running along with mumbled sniffles to which he sighed heavily. Cleaning up the room and making the bed with fresh sheets, Jairus went back downstairs to start on a late breakfast to give his little brunette time to calm down from whatever scenario her brain made up.

Refreshed from her shower and feeling slightly better, Olivia gasped in alarm at the clean bedroom. Calming down her nerves, she recalled Jairus being trigger-happy and relaxed at the thought of someone breaking into the apartment. Without a change of clothes, Olivia made do with one of Jairus's shirts and boxer briefs. There was no sign of her purse and Olivia figured she must have dropped it downstairs and that was where she was heading to get the hell out of Jairus's building and do her first walk of shame.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs Olivia's steps flattered at the sight of Jairus in the kitchen, the man she was desperately hoping to avoid. “Morning, how're you feeling?” He just had to ask her still stirring the scrambled eggs.

“Sore, but good,” Olivia replied blushing like crazy.

“We need to talk about last night and what this means for the both of us,” Jairus said as he motioned for Olivia to take a seat on one of the four stools that surrounded the sleek steel kitchen island.

Taking a deep breath, Olivia plop down on the stool as she watched Jairus turn off the stove a minute or so later before sharing a generous amount of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, a few slices of ham, along with french toast in two plates. Handing her one of the dishes, Jairus poured her a cup of coffee with a glass of orange juice.

“I want you to know that last night meant more than meaningless sex,” Jairus declared gaining Olivia's full attention. Taking a hold of her soft hands, he intertwined them together. “What I'm trying to say is, fucked up I am, and I can't exactly promise you fairytales and sunshine," the Frenchman explained, his accent coming out; a testament to his nervousness.

Grinning, Olivia flung herself onto Jairus causing the both of them to tumble over on the floor, Jairus landing with an 'oomph'. “I love the feel of the rain just as much as I love the warmth and heat of the sunshine,” Olivia responded as she gently pecked Jairus on the lips.

Deepening the kiss as some form of sealing a deal, Jairus and Olivia got off the floor. Eating their breakfast together. They both paid close attention to each other. Olivia figured Jairus loved pork at the rate he gobbled up the bacon and ham slices while he realized that Olivia loved her coffee heavy with cream and a dash of cinnamon and he was looking forward to learning more about her with their newfound relationship.

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