Stolen Identity: Mute Heiress

"Jeez, Jam, your timing couldn't have been worse. Do you realize you just interrupted a very steamy moment? I'm never going to forgive you for this," Mari promised the moment she received Jamal's call.

Jamal, who had a little frown on his face as he waited for the call to connect, laughed unexpectedly. "What steamy moment?"

"I just got my first real kiss! Christ! I felt it all the way down to my toe and my body felt like jelly. I'm never doubting these romance novel authors anymore. Was that how it felt when you first kissed Abigail? By the way, now that I have a phone how about you send her number to me so I say hello to her?" Mari asked as she walked into her bedroom.

Jamal chuckled, not the least bit surprised by her ability to switch subjects and talk about so many things at the same time.

"So, you kissed him," Jamal said, focusing on the interesting part of the conversation.

Mari giggled as she sat on the edge of her bed. "No. He kissed me. I kissed him first though. Just something light. But then he kissed me. Oh, my god, Jamal, my heart is still racing and I feel like I'm pregnant."

Jamal frowned at that. "Pregnant? Did you both have sex already?"

Mari giggled. "No. Not yet. But I sure can't wait to do that and find out for real how it feels. I think it's going to be earth shattering if a kiss felt this way. My tummy feels like there was an alien invasion inside. I don't have butterflies, I have aliens in my tummy."

Jamal laughed. "Well, that must be something. I guess I should leave you to get back to it then."

"No! Wait. I said the timing was wrong, that doesn't mean I don't want to talk to you. I have all the time in the world to do that. Let's talk. How are you doing? Is everything okay over there? What's the plan? Has the family decided on how to extract you guys from there?" Mari asked, the playfulness gone from her voice.

"A lot is going on, Mari. So much has happened in such a short time. I'm worried," Jamal confessed.

Mari's brows pulled together. "What's wrong? Talk to me."

Jamal quickly brought her up to speed with all that was going on, and when he was done, she sighed deeply.

"Wow."

"Yeah," Jamal murmured.

Mari was hardly the type to ever get speechless but seeing how she was speechless now, Jamal could tell she understood how he was feeling.

"Everything seems so complicated now. Stefan and Genevieve, Genevieve being possibly related to Callan. The car key being bugged. It's all crazy and scary. This was supposed to be fun," Mari muttered.

"Right now it's not. We try to make the best of it, but trust me, it's not fun. I'm worried. I can't remember the last time I got a good night rest. I try my best not to let it show, but I'm out of my mind with worry."

"I wish I could hug you right now," Mari said, feeling sorry for him.

"Right now I'm torn. Should I tell Callan that Karen was shot? Or should I wait for Tom to make up his mind? What if she dies?" Jamal turned when the elevator door down the hallway opened, and he saw one of the team members heading for the office.

"I have to go now. Let's talk later. And make sure if you ever have sex with him you're protected," Jamal advised before hanging up.

Mari rolled her eyes as she returned to join Jax in the living room. Eager to pick up the conversation from where they had left off.

Jax, who was still seated in the spot where she left him, stared at the football game showing on the Tv screen blankly. He was still stunned by the fact that he had given Mari her first kiss.

He looked up when she walked into the living room and his pulse jumped as he met her gaze.

"I thought you'd have disappeared as usual by the time I got back," Mari said with a grin as she went to sit beside him.

It wasn't her usual mischievous smile. This smile was softer. Almost shy.

Jax chuckled. "As usual like a coward?" He asked, reminding her of what she had said to him the previous day when she thought he was Chad.

She giggled. "Well, I wouldn't have been surprised if I didn't find you here."

"I thought you'd be too shy to face me again today and you'd hide in your room for the rest of the day," he retorted with a grin, and she laughed softly.

"Why should I be shy over a kiss? You were the one who was shy after I spent a night on your bed, remember?"

Jax shook his head, amused as he watched her. "Earlier, you seemed pretty shy to me, though."

"Maybe a little. Only a little. Not because of the kiss. Because of the effect I guess," she admitted, grinning at him.

Seeing her smile, his pulse quickened as he held her gaze. "Why was this your first kiss, Maribel? How could this possibly be your first kiss?"

Something about the way he looked at her made her feel warm all over. "I don't know. I guess you're the first guy I've felt so intensely attracted to."

Jax sighed softly. "I see."

Mari was silent for a moment, and then she raised a brow. "So, about what we were talking about before the call came in. You admit now that you want me, and you promise you won't withdraw into your shell again, right?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

Mari smiled, glad to hear that. "So, are we going to be like friends with benefits? Or what? You said you didn't want to be my fuckbuddy."

Jax adjusted in his seat so that his whole attention would be on her. "What do you want us to be, Maribel?"

"Before I say what I want, what about the girl you talked about? The one you're in love with?" Mari asked, her voice soft like she was almost scared to hear the answer.

Jax looked away from her face and rubbed the back of his neck. "What about her?"

"Do you have plans of ever telling her how you feel? I understand that this thing between us is purely physical right now. I mean the whole chemistry and attraction. I just want to be fully aware of what I'm getting into."

He took a slow breath before he spoke. "How about I tell you all about her on your birthday?"

Mari's brows pulled together. "My birthday? What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, you'd know then. Until then, can you not talk about her or about Diva? I'd like to just talk about you. Tell me what you want, Mari. If no one else was in the picture and it was just the two of us, what would you have wanted?" He asked, holding her gaze.

She felt her stomach twist in a funny way. She pressed her hand over her heart and wondered why it was beating so hard. "I want you."

"You want me?" He echoed, like he needed to hear it again.

Mari's breath felt shaky in her chest."Yes."

Jax reached out and took her hand. "Just sex?"

"I'm sexually attracted to you, Jax. I believe I've made that clear from the moment I set my eyes on you. I'd like to get to know you better if you'd let me. But right now, it's purely physical for me."

Jax took a breath. "Do you think you could ever fall in love with me?"

Mari blinked. For a long second, she didn't say anything. "Are you asking because you want me to?"

Jax nodded slowly, his heart racing. "Yeah." He wasn't sure why he said that right now, but he wanted her to be clear on what he wanted.

They stared at each other. Mari felt something flutter in her tummy. She squeezed his hand, then let go and leaned back on the couch. She needed air. Her heart was doing a funny dance.

She tried to smile but it came out a little crooked. "Why?" she whispered.

Jax took a deep breath. "I don't want just sex from you. If we're going to do this, I want more. Not just a body thing. I want to know you. I want you to know me. Even if it's not love yet. We can slowly get there."

Mari looked like she was thinking very hard, and then she smiled— a real happy smile that made her eyes light up. "I can do that. As long as you keep in mind that I don't share. I won't share. No crazy bitch should turn up in your bed when you're asleep."

Jax let out a quiet laugh. "I'll keep that in mind."

Mari's smile grew even bigger. "Okay."

Jax reached over and touched her cheek. His thumb brushed her skin, and her breath caught in her throat.

"You're so pretty," he murmured.

Mari's cheeks turned pink. "Don't say stuff like that," she said, but she was smiling.

"Why not?" he asked. His voice was low and warm.

"Because it makes me feel all…fluttery," she confessed. "And it's sort of weird coming from you."

Jax chuckled softly. "Get used to it."

"So, are you like my boyfriend now?" She asked, grinning at him.

"Hmm. You'll decide on your birthday," he said, and she giggled.

"I always knew you were going to end up falling for me, anyway. It was only a matter of time," she said with a giggle as she tucked her legs under her and leaned her head on his shoulder.

Jax rested his chin on her hair, thinking about how to present the gift to her on her birthday and tell her how he truly felt about her.