Jax's Little Girl Read online

  Jax’s Little Girl

  By

  Pepper North

  Copyright © 2020 by Stormy Night Publications and Pepper North

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  Published by Stormy Night Publications and Design, LLC.

  www.StormyNightPublications.com

  North, Pepper

  Jax’s Little Girl

  Cover Design by Korey Mae Johnson

  Images by The Killion Group, Shutterstock/Artazum, and Shutterstock/Nadezda Murmakova

  This book is intended for adults only. Spanking and other sexual activities represented in this book are fantasies only, intended for adults.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  More Stormy Night Books by Pepper North

  Pepper North Links

  Chapter One

  The skin on the back of his neck began to crawl, setting off every internal alarm Jax had honed during his Special Forces career. The mosquito landing on his sweaty skin didn’t gain his attention. The experienced sniper had a world of experience ignoring pests while perched in a tree or lying in the mud waiting to take a shot. This was important. On alert, he scanned the surrounding area, assessing any possible threats.

  Only a mother with a double stroller and a young woman leaning over to smell the blooming flowers just off the path were in sight. He tore his eyes away from the rounded bottom so enticingly displayed as his phone rang. Stepping off the path, Jax automatically backed against a large elm tree. “Hey, Texas!” he answered.

  “Rosie and I are having everyone over for barbecue and brew tonight. Can I count on you to bring your famous wings? Rosie says you can’t come if you don’t bring them.”

  In the background, Jax could hear Tex’s little girl protesting that she’d never said that with great affront. He felt his lips curl immediately into an automatic grin. Those two are perfect together.

  “Tell Rosie that I know you’re the wing fanatic and you can count on me. I’ll drop by the grocery store on my way home from the park.”

  “You’re running for fun on our day off? You need to find your Little, Jax. Someone needs to save you from the poor choices you’re making.” Tex’s drawl came strongly through the phone as he lectured his teammate.

  A sudden motion captured his attention, and Jax watched the young woman scurry back from the flowers and immediately crouch on the ground. Even from this distance, he could see her struggling to breathe as she made herself as small as possible. Immediately, he ran toward her.

  “Problem. No danger,” he relayed as he ended the call. The second message would assure Tex that Jax didn’t need assistance. If his guess was correct, the last thing this woman needed was the large soldier arriving as backup.

  When he was about ten feet away from the woman, he spoke to her calmly. “Hi, I’m Jax. Can I help you?”

  Shaking her head desperately, she pressed one hand to her chest. “No... thanks,” she gasped, breathing heavily through her mouth.

  Jax sat down. “I promise I’m not going to hurt you. I’ll just keep you company. Look at the green grass between us and try to slow your breathing,” he suggested gently.

  Immediately, she grasped at his instructions. When her gaze focused on the manicured greenway and several moments passed, he suggested, “Brush your fingers across the tops of the blades. Does it tickle?”

  Hesitantly, she reached out to touch the grass, running a hand over the tips. After long seconds ticked by, she glanced up to meet his gaze for the first time. Some of the wrinkles across her brow had eased a bit. She nodded hard to answer his question.

  “I bet you can still smell the flowers from here,” Jax suggested next. Without looking away, he waved to the woman with the stroller who had stopped on the concrete path to make sure everything was okay. One baby cried, and she resumed walking immediately to calm the child.

  The red-haired woman closed her eyes to concentrate as she inhaled. Two minutes passed. Her shoulders settled down into place. Jax noted with satisfaction that she could breathe through her nose now. The gasping breaths had disappeared.

  “Don’t breathe too deeply. I smell rough,” he warned.

  To his delight, her nose wrinkled. “Eww! I’m glad you’re over there.” She settled onto her bottom to sit cross-legged.

  “Thank goodness the breeze is blowing away,” Jax pointed out, giving her one more bit of sensory distraction. Her face turned to feel the breeze flow over her cheeks. Again, he patiently waited, giving her time.

  “Who are you?” she asked, finally able to focus on him.

  Jax watched her eyes run over his military powerful physique. He was used to women throwing themselves at him. Her interest felt different somehow. “I’m Jax. I think you’re feeling better now?”

  “Hi, Jax. I think it’s over now. Sorry. I’m really not crazy.”

  “I know you’re not crazy. Tell me your name,” he asked, allowing a bit of command to color his request.

  “Ember,” she supplied, pointing to her shiny red hair. She’d styled it in two thick braids.

  “Your parents were either psychic or you were born with a mass of hair,” Jax guessed. He stood and walked closer, sitting a foot away so they could talk privately.

  “By their eighth kid, they’d run out of names,” she answered easily with a shrug. Obviously, she had used this line before.

  “How long have you had panic attacks?” he probed.

  “You recognized that?”

  “My grandmother suffered with them all her life. She raised me when my parents were killed in a sailing accident. I talked her through a lot.”

  “I’m lucky you were here.” Ember shook her head as if imagining what could have happened. “Were you exercising?”

  “Yeah, I run on this path when my team is on base,” Jax confirmed.

  “You’re in the military?”

  “Yes. This is close to home. The path smells a lot better than when I’m training with the other guys in my unit.”

  “Do they smell as bad as you?” she whispered.

  That crinkling nose got him. She was adorable. Laughing, Jax confessed, “Worse. Thanks to Tex calling, I stopped over there and realized something was wrong. Now, I owe the big guy for helping me be here to help. I’m glad we’ve met, Ember.” Jax stood and offered her a hand to stand up. Pulling her easily to her feet, he held on to that hand a bit longer than necessary. “I’d like to take you to a barbecue tonight, Ember. Will you come meet my team and their wives and girlfriends?”

  Inwardly, he berated himself. Having a stranger around might make the little girls uncomfortable. But he just had a hunch she’d fit right in with Cricket, River, Rosie, and Hope.

  “Oh, you don’t have to be ask me out just because I freaked,” Ember rushed to reassure him.

  “First, you didn’t freak, you had a panic attack. Second, you intrigue me, Ember. I want to get to
know you better. Will you come if I promise to shower?” he asked before laughing.

  “You like the people who you work with?” she asked. Her words revealed a lot.

  “I’d protect all of them with my life,” he answered solemnly. “And they’ve kept me alive.” To soften his words, Jax waggled his phone at her. “May I have your phone, Ember?” When she handed it over, Jax quickly entered his phone number and pressed it to ring through to his phone. Immediately, he added her name and number to his contacts.

  With that finished, he looked up to ask, “Now, tell me where I can pick you up? The party starts at six.” Jax didn’t know why he was pushing so hard. There was something about this woman that called to him. He always listened to his intuition. That little voice in the back of his mind had saved him many times.

  When she hesitated, Jax pulled up the base website. Turning it so she could see it, Jax scrolled through the menus to find his captain’s name listed. Pushing the button, he put the phone on speaker.

  “What do you want, Jax? I’m on base pushing to raise our budget,” Mark growled into the phone.

  “Sorry, sir. I’ve got you on speaker,” he warned. “I’m here with Ember. I’d like to bring her to the barbecue. Could you confirm that I’m not a mass murderer?”

  “I didn’t think that,” Ember rushed to correct Jax.

  “He’s the best damn sniper I know. You’re safe with him, little girl.”

  “Thanks, Mark. Good luck.” Jax ended the call.

  “I can’t go to the party with you, Jax. Not now.” Ember looked at him with wide eyes still holding a bit of the tension that had beset her before.

  Her vulnerability made him back down. “I need to get to know you, Ember. If you promise not to ghost me, I won’t insist that you come with me tonight. Will you go out with me tomorrow after work?” Jax persisted. “Just you and me.”

  “If you still want to see me tomorrow, I’ll be glad to meet you somewhere,” she agreed.

  “There isn’t a rat’s chance that I’m going to change my mind.”

  “Okay. I guess I’ll go,” she dared. “I work in a mail room in that office building.” Ember pointed to a nearby building and caught sight of her watch. “Oh, no! I have to get back. I’m late from lunch.”

  Jax placed a hand on her low back and walked with Ember to the edge of the park. When she nervously almost stepped out in traffic, he pulled her back by her jeans pocket. “Whoa! Look both ways, little girl.” When the coast was clear, he sent her across.

  Jax watched until she disappeared into the high-rise. The company’s name was familiar. A retired military officer he’d worked with now headed that company. I wonder if the general knows Ember? Then dismissing that thought when he noted the time, Jax turned back to the park to run down the shortcut to the grocery store. Maybe the next time, he’d get to make Ember his special wings. He had a feeling that she’d like them as much as Tex did.

  * * *

  As she ran down the stairs to the bowels of the building, Ember tried to figure out what had just happened. She always escaped to the park when the weather was great. Her sorting job in the basement was dirty and dusty. Breathing clean air always made her feel better.

  “You’re late!” a gruff woman yelled from a desk facing into the room.

  “Sorry, Traci. I lost track of time. I’ll skip my afternoon break to make up the time.”

  “Next time, Stevens, I’m writing you up. You’re going to lose this easy job if you aren’t careful. The boss always listens to my evaluations,” Traci reminded her.

  “Okay if I start with this stack of boxes?” Ember tried to change the subject from the threat she heard several times a day. Every day.

  “Yeah, that’s fine,” she allowed, but mumbled under her breath, “She always starts with the simple stuff.”

  Ember didn’t acknowledge that she had heard the comment. That would only supercharge the negative atmosphere. Working as quickly as possible, she divided the boxes into the correct departments, loading them on carts for each floor.

  She’d already pointed out that the workers on the dock could have accomplished this quickly instead of carting everything down here and taking it back upstairs to the correct department. But Traci didn’t believe in changing the procedures that had been in force since she’d started working there after high school graduation. Ember wiped the sweat from her brow on her sleeve. This would go so much faster if Traci helped.

  “Got those carts ready to go?” Traci asked when Ember was visibly only halfway through the stack.

  “Sorry. Not yet.”

  “Slow as old people screw,” Traci muttered under her breath as she began checking over a piece of paper. They had already counted everything as it came off the trucks on the dock, but Traci took it upon herself to double-check each list. While she had never found a mistake, Ember’s supervisor had convinced someone over her it was a good idea... and she got to sit on her cushy chair.

  A half hour later, she placed the last box on the correct cart. “Traci, want me to call the floors for you?”

  “Finally done, huh? No, I’ll call,” the older woman rushed to cut off Ember’s attempt to talk directly to the floors.

  Ember dashed to the restroom before starting her next task. Coming back, she rounded the corner to see Traci swap a package from one cart to another. Ember hesitated in the doorway. Now she understood why the floors always reported that they had received incorrect boxes. Traci had documented each as Ember’s incompetence. What should she do?

  Traci glanced up and froze. “I thought I should check since the boxes keep getting mixed up. I’ve found several. You need to be more accurate.” Her critical tone had worked in the past to cow Ember.

  “It looked like you were moving them to the wrong cart,” Ember pointed out carefully.

  “You need glasses.” Traci turned and muttered, “Ignorant bitch,” under her breath.

  Ember had taken enough from her. “Don’t call me names or I’ll file a harassment charge.” Once the words were out of her mouth, Ember regretted them.

  Putting her back to the offensive supervisor, Ember restored the packages to their correct place before carrying a package of letters that needed to be sorted over into the center of the loaded carts. She worked making piles on the carpet until each floor’s representative had picked up their cart to prevent any other mayhem from occurring.

  Traci was curiously quiet at her computer. When she stood and moved boxes at the side of the room, Ember wondered what she was doing. That was outgoing mail and didn’t need sorting.

  “What are you doing?” a strong, masculine voice rebuked her from the doorway. “There are tables where all sorting is supposed to be done. You are not following the required procedure.”

  Looking up, Ember saw the boss over the entire branch of the company standing in the doorway. “I’ll move in there right now, sir. I needed to make sure all the carts were picked up correctly,” she tried to explain.

  “It doesn’t take two people to do one job. I’ve wondered why the mailroom is so inefficient. I think I’ve discovered the reason. Please collect your things. I’ll escort you to the entrance. This will be your last day here.”

  “What? Wait. I was only here because she was switching packages after I’d sorted them...” Ember tried to explain.

  The man simply held up his hand to stop the flow of words. “I know all I need to know. Will you gather your things, or shall I call security?”

  Trying to hold back her tears, Ember forced herself to take deep breaths as she walked over to the corner where she always placed her purse. Traci hadn’t allowed her to stow it in the desk where the employee manual designated they should store all personal items. She could see on his face he’d added another negative mark to his assessment.

  “Good luck in your next job,” Traci encouraged pleasantly with an underlying tone of celebration that Ember recognized clearly.

  “Thank you for emailing an alert, Traci. I’
m sorry you had to put up with so much,” the unyielding man said before stepping out of the doorway to gesture that Ember needed to precede him.

  The elevator ride was deafeningly quiet. Ember kept her eyes on the tiled floor. He wouldn’t listen to anything she said. Forced to walk before him to the front doors, Ember knew all the employees who’d gathered instantly recognized that he’d fired her.

  “When do I come in for my final check?” she asked bravely at the door.

  “If anything is owed to you, it will be mailed to your address on file,” the suited man responded curtly.

  Daringly, she forced herself to say one last thing. “There are cameras in the mailroom.” Seeing his answering sneering expression, she turned and walked out the door.

  Chapter Two

  Knowing that she needed to save all her pennies until she found a new job, Ember began walking. Her thoughts churned in her mind. What would she do?

  When her phone rang several miles later, she answered automatically without looking. “Hi, I can’t talk right now,” She moved to end the call but froze at hearing the male voice that had become etched in her mind. Just the memory of his kindness made tears course down her cheeks.

  “Hey, Ember! I’ve made my special wings. I hope you’re having second thoughts and would like to go to the barbecue?” His tone was light and cheerful.

  She tried not to sob. “Sorry. I can’t go. I can’t talk now. Something came up at work.” Ember was so ashamed of being fired. She didn’t want anyone to know.

  “What’s up? You’re having to work overtime?”

  “Yes. That’s it. I’m afraid I’m here until late,” she answered, trying to keep her tone light. A blaring car horn sounded next to her, making her jump in reaction.

  “You aren’t inside, Ember. What’s going on?” His stern tone was the last straw. She’d let him down, too.

  Sobbing, she confessed everything. “I got fired. I’m walking home. I’m sorry, Jax. I really appreciated your help in the park. It’s happening again. I can’t control it.” She needed to get off the phone. Her breath quickened and she could hear her heartbeat pounding heavily in her ears. Immediately, she backed against the nearest building and made herself as small as possible.