Relentless (Relentless #1) Read Online Free Page A

stung. “Why you are holding back? You’ve never done that before, Vi.”
    “I don’t know,” I whispered. “It’s not like I mean to, but after everything with Aaron and Scott, I’m just not ready to let anyone in yet. With Jax, everything feels natural, but I don’t know if I trust my instincts anymore.”
    “Things with Scott were off from the beginning, but you insisted in trying to make it work. I’m not sure why you didn’t cut your losses sooner with him, and you never should have married Aaron. I know your mom blackmailed you into that unholy union.” He stared at me before continuing. “Vi, you can’t spend the rest of your life being scared of relationships.”
    “I’m not scared. I’m just…cautious.”
    “That’s a lie. I’ve never met someone as relentless as you are. You don’t take missteps. It’s really damn annoying to watch. Well, except for the marriage to Aaron, that was one big ass mistake, but we can blame that on you being young and dumb.” I stuck my tongue out at him and he continued. “I’m serious. Whether you want to admit it or not, you are falling for Jaxon Garrett.”
    “Stephen, I’m not some desperate girl who chases a man, or a relationship. If I was, I would have tried to save my marriage,” I snapped. “Do you think I wanted to be divorced at twenty-three?”
    My fingers clenched into fists at my side. Stephen noticed and tugged me into his chest.
    “Hey, calm down. I wasn’t trying to upset you. I just wanted you to know I’m here for you. We’ve always talked about this stuff.”
    “I’m not ready to talk about Jax yet. I admit it, I’m scared. And with good reason, every relationship I’ve been in has gone horribly, horribly wrong. Two guys cheated on me in awful, humiliating ways. So just let me be. When I’m ready, I’ll talk. Okay?”
    His brown eyes pinned me with a look that spoke volumes. He didn’t think I would actually talk about Jax, and he was probably right.
    “Okay,” he slowly agreed. “Just don’t push him away, or he might not be there for you when you are ready.”
    Stephen kissed the top of my head and I tried not to sigh in relief. This man was my rock. My partner in crime. My whole life he had been there for me no matter what I needed. I could talk to him about anything, and he always knew when I needed a push. It was one of his most annoying and endearing qualities.
    “Thank you,” I whispered.
    Stephen reached over and grabbed his iced coffee off the table next to us and handed it over. It was his peace offering for pissing me off. He wouldn’t push anymore today, but I was not disillusioned. If he thought I needed to talk about it again, Stephen would make me talk.
     
     
    Table reads turned into filming as the days and weeks passed. Jax and I became closer each passing second, and I tried harder not to push him away and open up more. Amanda joked that the sexual tension was so thick you could taste it. My nerves ratcheted up every time she said it. Jaxon and I hadn’t had sex yet, on or off screen, but there was no doubt in my mind that both would happen soon.
    I wanted Jaxon, but I wasn’t going to rush anything. I hadn’t slept with anyone since my divorce and the idea both scared and excited me. Sure I had dated guys since I had left Aaron, but I had always cut things off before it got to that point. My colossal fails at relationships had put me off men in general for a long time. It amazed me that Jax had even broken through any of that damage. He was slowly convincing me that not all men were complete jackasses.
    We still kept our relationship quiet from the public, but I enjoyed spending time with him and I was opening up to him more. He was sweet, attentive, and funny. No matter how much I tried to guard my heart, I was falling for him hard. The distance I placed between us because of my irrational fears seemed to disappear any time we were around one another.
    Between takes, the cast and crew all joked