Polaris: Book Five of The Stardust Series Read online

  Polaris

  Book Five of The Stardust Series

  Autumn Reed

  Julia Clarke

  Copyright © 2018 by Autumn Reed and Julia Clarke. All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the authors, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Contents

  1. Delicate

  2. Secrets & Surprises

  3. Peace Offering

  4. Wonderwall

  5. Good Fortune

  6. Friend or Foe

  7. Persuasion

  8. Off the Market

  9. Fleece Navidad

  10. Under My Skin

  11. Blurred Lines

  12. Reputation

  13. Sparring

  14. Faulty Logic

  15. Giving In

  16. The Challenge

  17. Vanishing Act

  18. Spinning

  19. Breaking

  20. Watched

  21. Recognition

  22. Rendezvous

  23. Worst Nightmare

  24. By Invitation Only

  25. Unraveling

  26. Determined

  27. Stitched Together

  28. The Prowl

  29. Acceptance

  30. Perfectly Content

  31. No Regrets

  32. In Your Corner

  33. Lucky Girl

  Epilogue

  A Note from Autumn Reed & Julia Clarke

  About the Authors

  1

  Delicate

  Haley

  I watched Jackson through a glass door and only barely suppressed a laugh at the scowl he sent his physical therapist, Sharon. Since the appointment was coming to a close, I had a feeling his surly expression was due to future therapy instructions. Jackson was convinced he was well enough to stop the appointments, lose his sling, and be cleared to drive. From the way Sharon appeared to be lecturing him, I doubted she agreed.

  After a few more minutes of discussion, Jackson shook his head and started walking toward me, finally noticing me when he stood just on the other side of the glass. Immediately, the grim set of his mouth transformed into a smile I was coming to know and love. It was one reserved for me and lit up my insides every time.

  Things had changed between us in the three weeks since the shooting. It was a subtle change, but it felt monumental all the same. I didn’t know if it had more to do with finally accepting my feelings for Jackson or becoming more comfortable with dating all five of the guys. Either way, I was happy to be in this place with him. It was easy and exciting all at the same time.

  After checking out and rejoining me in the lobby, he bent down to kiss me as if he did so in public every day. “You’re a sight for sore eyes.”

  “Was the appointment that bad?”

  He took my hand in his and headed for the exit. “No, but Sharon said I’m not off the hook yet. Still no driving, and I have to come in two days next week.”

  “Well, that’s good news. Two is better than three.”

  “Yeah, but you’re still stuck chauffeuring my frail ass around.”

  At his words, my thoughts naturally drifted to his incredible body, including his rear end, which was anything but frail. If I didn’t know he’d been shot less than a month ago, I would have never guessed there was a thing wrong with him. He looked whole and healthy, if a little paler than usual. No driving definitely meant no surfing.

  “You know I don’t mind. It’s been nice getting to spend so much time with you.”

  He must have picked up on a trace of hurt in my tone, because he squeezed my hand, then dropped it to put his arm around my waist. “I would happily take another bullet to the shoulder if it meant getting to see you every day.”

  I smacked his stomach with the back of my hand. “Don’t even joke about that.”

  “Hey!” he exclaimed. “No hitting the invalid.”

  Since Jackson insisted on evening appointments—so as to not interrupt his work day—the short drive to Liam’s penthouse only took about ten minutes. He updated me on exactly what Sharon relayed about his progress, patiently answering each of my questions. Despite his irritation with the therapist, he’d been entirely disciplined with his physical therapy these last few weeks. Determined to get back to fighting form as soon as possible, he followed her instructions to the letter. That didn’t stop me from checking up on him almost daily, though. He might have accused me of coddling him once or twice, but I ignored him.

  When Jackson let us into the apartment, a delectably sweet yet spicy scent assaulted us, and he turned to me with a confused look. “Liam knows we already ate dinner, right?”

  “I’m guessing that’s dessert.”

  Liam appeared, as if out of nowhere, and pulled me into his arms. “Yes, but I’m suddenly craving something else.”

  With Jackson standing a foot behind me, Liam kissed me like he hadn’t seen me in weeks. I tensed at first, then allowed myself to relax into his body. Unlike when I was at the loft with Chase, Theo, and Knox, I rarely felt awkward showing affection in front of these two. I was coming to understand that they didn’t mind watching me with the other; in fact, I was pretty sure they enjoyed it.

  When Liam finally pulled back, he grinned at me then Jackson. “How about a hello kiss, Jax?”

  “Only Haley is allowed to touch these lips.”

  My cheeks heated, even though it made no sense. I’d just made out with Liam right in front of him, but hearing Jackson openly talk about our relationship still made me jittery. No matter how open-minded I was trying to be about this whole “sharing Haley” thing, I constantly felt like I was drifting through untested waters.

  “What did you make for dessert?” Yeah, I was not above changing the subject. “It smells delicious.”

  “I tried a new recipe—chocolate-ginger cake with bourbon sauce.”

  Liam dished us each a slice of cake and topped it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I almost moaned when I tried the first bite. The cake was the perfect blend of chocolate and spice, and the texture was dense without feeling too heavy.

  “This recipe is definitely a keeper.”

  “I agree,” Jackson said, savoring his last bite.

  I noticed chocolate sauce in the corner of his mouth, and without thinking, I leaned over and licked it off. Jackson froze, and I sat back, stunned at my rash behavior. It took everything in me not to hide my face in my hands. What had gotten into me?

  When no one said anything, I returned to my dessert and took a hefty bite, like nothing had happened. Liam, who was watching me with a mischievous grin, swiped a finger through the remaining sauce on his plate, then stretched his arm across the table, holding it before my lips.

  “Well?” he asked expectantly.

  One second, then two, passed as he stared into my eyes, daring me. Unwilling to back down now, I drew his finger into my mouth and slowly swirled my tongue around it before lightly sucking. Liam’s gray eyes darkened to steel, and I retreated, feeling way too hot and bothered.

  Jackson cleared his throat and stood. “Okay, who’s up for a movie?”

  I followed him in
to the kitchen, grateful for the reprieve. “I vote for an action movie.” The last thing I needed was to watch any remotely sexual scenes while surrounded by these two.

  While Liam scrolled through an endless online library, looking for a movie to rent, I asked Jackson for an update on the Zenith internal corruption. Although I was still in training and shouldn’t be privy to details, he’d been fairly open with me about the progress of the investigation. Considering I’d ended up hearing much of the story directly from Ethan in the hospital that day, he’d probably decided it wasn’t worth the argument to keep me out of it.

  “My part is almost wrapped up, but Uncle will be stuck dealing with the fallout for quite some time. There are still more interviews to conduct since the directors have decided to speak to every employee who came into contact with The Elites in the last few years. I’m just glad they assigned a new task force to handle it. Otherwise, I’d be pulling my hair out from having to deal with the bureaucracy of it all.”

  “I’m sure you’ll be happy to take back all of your duties.” Between Jackson’s role in the investigation and his recovery, Knox had assumed the day-to-day management of the team. It was a touchy subject for Jackson since letting anyone else, even Knox, direct the team was a serious challenge for him.

  Liam grinned. “You better be careful, Jax. Knox might decide he likes being in charge and try to take over.”

  I snorted, and they both gaped at me. “Sorry, but that’s never going to happen. Have you guys been paying any attention the last few weeks? I’ve never seen Knox so moody or stressed. I swear he’s started muttering to himself.”

  I’d barely gotten the words out when my mind wandered to . . . other things. Merely saying Knox’s name these days caused a myriad of emotions to wash over me. Desire. Anxiety. Guilt. Love.

  Deep down, I knew we had nothing to be ashamed of. He was my boyfriend—if only one of five—and it was totally acceptable to have sex with him. Still, I couldn’t help but feel guilty on the few occasions I’d snuck into his bed late at night. It seemed like I was favoring Knox over the others, which wasn’t true. But the fact that I’d taken that step with him didn’t mean I was ready to jump into bed with the others. I knew each of my relationships needed to arrive there naturally.

  Though Knox assured me he hadn’t told anyone, part of me worried the other guys could tell that our relationship had moved to the next level. I didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings by not choosing them first, or at all, at this point.

  What was a girl to do? A girl with five boyfriends. Sheesh.

  I’d forced myself not to ask any follow-up questions to Knox’s “we want you to choose all of us” statement and was trying to just accept it. It was harder than it sounded, though. Was I ready to accept that I could be with all five of them . . . indefinitely? As happy as the idea made me, it still felt impossible.

  When I was alone in my bed at night—which wasn’t too often anymore—I dreamed about a future with all of them. It was something I hadn’t allowed myself to do before Knox’s revelation. Not even once.

  But there were times I could see it working. The five of them were already so close, I could imagine being that sixth and final piece that completed them in a way Ethan obviously never did. It was totally unrealistic and yet somehow obvious.

  “Haley.”

  My head snapped up at the sound of my name, and I realized Liam and Jackson were watching me. I’d missed something, and I had no idea what.

  “Huh?”

  Liam raised an eyebrow. “You sure you’re up for a movie? You seem kind of out of it.”

  “No, yes, I mean, I’m fine.” Hoping to change the subject, yet again, I asked, “Have you heard anything about Ethan?”

  Jackson studied me, his expression inscrutable. “Maybe.”

  “In other words, you know, but you don’t want to tell me?” Ethan had been on my mind, and not because I missed him—because I was worried about him. I’d had plenty of time to think about his confession and come to understand why he was drawn to The Elites and chose to push Team Jaguar away. He’d messed up, but I didn’t want him to lose his job due to his misguided choices.

  “Oh, I’ll tell you. I hesitated because I want to understand why you’re interested in Ethan. Is this something we need to discuss?”

  Liam paused in his scrolling to watch us, and I suddenly felt trapped by their intense gazes. Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut.

  “No, we don’t need to discuss it. I only asked because I don’t want him to get fired, and no one has mentioned him since Dallas.”

  “He and Chase are talking again,” Liam said.

  “Really?” Why hadn’t Chase told me?

  “Yeah, apparently they’re trying to—slowly—rebuild their friendship. Nothing like a punch in the face to patch things up.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Guys are so weird.”

  Jackson settled his good arm around my shoulder and pulled me into his side. “Yet you surround yourself with them.” Touché. “Anyway, the directors are supposed to vote on Ethan’s future with the company next week. I know Patrick is trying to convince the others to give him a second chance, but it’s an uphill battle. They’re determined to eliminate all remnants of The Elites from Zenith.”

  “Any chance you could sway them?” Jackson may have been relatively young, but I was coming to understand that he was a respected leader within the organization.

  He pushed a wayward strand of hair off my cheek as he considered my question. I could see conflict in his eyes, but he eventually nodded. “Perhaps. I’ll discuss it with Uncle tomorrow.”

  I wanted to express my gratitude but decided to keep it to myself. If I had any doubt that Ethan was still a sore subject for him, he’d confirmed it in the last few minutes. At this point, I wasn’t even sure what he was hanging on to—Ethan’s betrayal, guilt for not stopping him from quitting the team in the first place, or relief that Ethan showed up and essentially saved his life. Knowing Jackson, it was probably all three.

  I turned to Liam. “What movie did you select?”

  When the credits rolled nearly two hours later, I pried myself off the couch, not wanting to leave the cozy spot between the guys. As had become our habit, I followed Liam to his bedroom, leaving Jackson to take the guest room. I brushed my teeth and washed my face, changing into one of Liam’s sumptuous silk nightshirts before sliding beneath the covers of his ridiculously comfortable bed.

  Liam’s steady breathing on my neck was finally lulling me to sleep when the bed dipped in front of me. “Jax?” I whispered into the darkness, suddenly alert. “Are you okay? Did something happen?”

  He slipped under the sheet, and I was inundated with warm skin, his ever-present clean scent, and muscles. Well, more muscles, since Liam’s arms were still securely wrapped around my torso.

  “Shhh, Haley. Nothing is wrong. I’m just tired of sleeping alone when I could be sleeping with you.”

  “But, your shoulder—” Fingers landed on my lips, silencing me.

  “Is fine. Stop worrying so much.” His body inched closer, and I realized he was only wearing boxers and his sling. “Besides, considering how snug the three of us are in this bed, there’s not much chance you’ll be able to move enough to bump it.”

  His statement made me even more aware of the rather delicate position I found myself in. If I was the little spoon to Liam’s big spoon, what did that make Jackson? The fork?

  “You’re really going to sleep in here?”

  “Relax, it’ll be fine.”

  Before I could respond, his mouth landed on mine, ensuring the last thing I could be was relaxed. I expected a quick goodnight kiss, but when he deepened it, I started to panic. He couldn’t make out with me when Liam was sleeping inches away. Could he?

  I pulled back just enough to whisper Liam’s name.

  “Won’t mind,” he said against my lips before continuing the assault.

  My brain was telling me I should be resistant or
scandalized or . . . something, but I didn’t want him to stop. He felt too good, smelled too good, tasted too good.

  Being careful not to jar his injured shoulder, I allowed one hand to roam over his chest, my fingers dipping into the creases between each abdominal muscle. I longed to be closer, to move against him, but I willed myself to stay as still as possible.

  While his tongue warred with mine, I slowly became aware of a new hand on my hip and soft kisses on my shoulder. I stiffened, and my eyes popped open. Since I could barely see Jackson’s face in the dim light, I wasn’t able to make out his expression. He must have sensed the reason for my alarm, though, because he immediately pressed a finger to my lips once again. “It’s okay, Haley.”

  Liam paused long enough to murmur, “Let go, gorgeous. Just for a few minutes.”

  I barely heard the words over the pounding of my own heart. When I didn’t say anything, Jackson’s mouth lowered to mine, and Liam’s pressed against the back of my neck. I let my eyes fall closed and tried to stop thinking and just feel. The sensations were overwhelming, and my breaths turned to pants as fingers threaded through my hair, legs tangled with mine, and hands traveled over my thighs, back, stomach, breasts. I was no longer aware of who was touching me where, and I didn’t even care.

  Seconds that could have been minutes passed before I felt both of them slow and withdraw almost simultaneously. Had they spoken without me noticing?

  Wavering between relief and the desire to continue, I focused on each inhale and exhale, hoping to steady my breathing. It was difficult, since my back was still nestled against Liam’s front, and I was fairly certain Jackson’s hand remained in my hair.