8. Jax
Jax
By the time I shut the front door of my townhouse, I was beyond exhausted. I’d purchased the three-bedroom place in the foothills just outside Golden right after I’d graduated school and Dad had given me the full-time position. Normally, it was my solace. Tonight, it was too quiet, dark, and empty.
It was just past eight in the evening, and I was at the end of my energy limit.
My mind kept drifting back to dinner at my parents’ place a little over an hour ago.
The whole family had gathered around the dining table, trying to maintain some illusion of normalcy.
Mom had made an effort to keep things light, but my focus had remained locked on my dad.
His voice lacked its usual resonance, and the sickly, grayish pallor of his skin set off every alarm bell in my head.
I’d spent the entire meal watching him, terrified by how much ground his body was losing each day.
The only person absent was Chris, who was busy with tests at school.
Rick had rolled in late just as we were finishing up, offering a smooth, unapologetic excuse about client obligations.
I’d caught him in the hallway as I was leaving, stepping into his path before he could slip out.
“You’re putting an awful lot of weight on Clear Creek,” I’d said, keeping my voice low so Mom wouldn’t hear. “Sofia Ferreira is a junior associate, Rick. Handing her the lead on a pitch that Dad claims could decide the agency’s future is risky.”
Rick had just smirked, casually adjusting the cuffs of his tailored jacket. “She’s capable. Besides, I know what I’m doing. Don’t waste your time questioning my judgment. It’s better spent on getting the real golden egg, the Onyx deal, closed.” He’d patted me on the shoulder.
“I’m wondering about the rumors floating around the office,” I’d countered, stepping closer, my jaw tight.
“Word is you’re giving Sofia special treatment.
Look, she’s been a friend for years. She’s Nova’s bestie.
But GSM doesn’t run on personal agendas.
If she slips up because you pushed her into the deep end to play games, that’s on you. ”
“Mind your own accounts,” Rick had shot back, his eyes flashing cold in the usual brotherly competition they had always struggled with. “I’m running the agency now. Focus on making Sterling happy enough to sign on the dotted line.”
My brother really pissed me off sometimes.
The second I stepped into my own space, I threw my keys into the brass dish on the entryway table and kicked off my dress shoes. I knew there were more emails to be sent tonight. Hell, I’d probably pull another all-nighter.
I rubbed both hands over my face, letting out a long, exhausted breath. My stomach gave a sharp, hollow growl—I hadn’t eaten much at my parents’ place, and I’d been living entirely off black coffee and adrenaline for the last seventy-two hours.
Was it possible to have jet lag from a two-hour flight?
I leaned my back against the door, staring up at the vaulted ceiling. Everything was a complete, suffocating mess.
Vegas had been a disaster. When I’d flown back out there on Sunday evening, Kit Sterling had been visibly irritated that I hadn’t brought Nova back with me.
I’d lied straight to his face, telling him that she was tied up overseeing a critical transition, but Kit had barely listened.
Instead, he’d taken me out to an absurdly lavish rooftop bar, acting like a gracious host while surrounded by two high-fashion models who draped themselves over his arms like expensive accessories.
It was all a show. The second the models stepped away to the bar, Kit’s charm turned ice-cold and dangerously deliberate.
He’d talked about Nova as if she were a rare, priceless painting he was determined to acquire for his collection—praising her intellect, her fire, and the way she’d looked in that gold dress—daring me to object.
I’d sat across from him, my jaw clenched so tight my teeth ached.
I’d forced myself to keep my hands flat on the table and play the cool-headed executive while every instinct in my body screamed at me to put him through the glass, like an apex predator was raging inside of me.
I’d wanted to call Nova. Hell, I’d wanted to be with her every single second since we’d gotten off that plane. But the reality waiting for me back home was crushing. Besides, if I hadn’t taken a step away, I doubt I could have kept my hands from her for a second.
My dad’s health was failing faster than anyone wanted to admit.
While Dad had officially handed the title of CEO to Rick so my brother could manage the day-to-day administrative chaos, he’d quietly dumped his entire load of high-stakes legacy clients straight onto my plate.
My workload had tripled overnight. I was drowning in compliance files, emergency board updates, and international ad buys, all while trying to protect Nova from the vultures at the top.
A sharp, firm knock on my front door, which I was still leaning against, echoed through the quiet entryway.
I froze. My pulse spiked instantly. I didn’t need to check the security camera to know who was standing on the front porch. I could feel her presence right through the heavy wood.
I turned the lock, pulled the door open, and there she was. Nova. The woman of my dreams.
She stood under the soft porch light, her coat pulled tight against the light rain. Her dark eyes flashed with a fierce, stubborn determination that told me she had come here ready to tear down every wall I’d put up over the past week.
She opened her mouth, her lips parting to deliver what was undoubtedly a carefully prepared corporate ambush.
Before she could utter a single word, I grabbed her by the lapels of her coat, hauled her over the threshold, and slammed the front door shut behind her.
My mouth found hers in the dark entryway.
I wasn’t gentle, and I wasn’t professional. The kiss was desperate, possessive, and thick with the days of absolute hell that I’d just spent without her. I wrapped my arms tightly around her waist, pulling her flush against my chest, burying my fingers into her wet hair as I drank her in.
She let out a breathless, muffled gasp against my lips, her hands instantly flying up to clasp the back of my neck, clinging to me just as hard.
When I finally pulled back just a fraction, our foreheads rested together, our heavy breathing filling the dark foyer.
“I missed you,” I rasped, my voice low, rough, and completely stripped of any defense. “God, Nova, I missed you.”
“You didn’t have to miss me,” she said, stiffening.
“Later,” I said against her lips. “Now, I just need…” I kissed her and felt her relax against me. “I need you,” I finished. I lifted her up and carried her up the few steps to the hallway that led to my bedroom.
Her legs wrapped around my hips as we fell onto my mattress.
She laughed as she tugged my shirt off my shoulders, running her fingertips over my heated skin. God, I’d missed her. Why had I talked myself into believing I could live without her? I should have known better after tasting her.
Unlike the time in Vegas, tonight we were both fully cognitively aware as we peeled off each other’s clothes.
I had been too into her last time to admire every part of her that I had explored. Trust me, I wasn’t going to make the same error this time.
Now, instead of devouring, I savored. Every heartbeat, every soft sigh that escaped her lips. My fingers trailed over her skin, paused, warming her until she was so heated under my touch that her skin almost burned.
“Jax,” she sighed, pulling me back down to trail kisses along my shoulders. “Don’t make me wait any longer.”
“There’s still so much I want to do for you,” I admitted.
“Later.” She looked up at me. “If you don’t ghost me again that is.” The corner of her lips curved up, and when she bit her bottom lip I lost all the will to fight.
“No,” I promised and returned into her waiting arms. “I’ll make the time.” I kissed her like we had all the time in the world.
When I walked into work the next morning, I had only gotten a few hours of sleep and zero work done, but the smile on my face was impossible to shake.
I rounded the corner into the executive wing and caught sight of Nova in the small break room. She was standing by the counter, leaning over a fresh box of donuts someone had brought in, picking out her choice. Hearing my footsteps, she looked over her shoulder.
Our eyes locked. She gave me a soft, secret little smile, her cheeks flushing warm as she remembered exactly how we’d left things on my doorstep just an hour ago before she’d headed home to shower and change.
I didn’t say a word. I just smiled back and picked a chocolate sprinkle donut, making sure our bodies brushed ever so slightly.
With a quiet, lingering look passing between us, we parted ways without making a scene.
We didn’t want the rumors to start up before we were ready to admit what was going on ourselves.
With my donut and coffee, I headed straight to Rick’s office to handle business. We sat down, and Rick asked for a full update on the Onyx deal. I laid it out flat—the compliance hurdles, the timeline, and the numbers—filling him in on everything Sterling was expecting from us.
Once we wrapped up, I went back to my own office and settled behind my desk to tackle the growing stack of files my father had left me. Two hours in, my line rang. It was Kit Sterling.
He kept the call brief, asking a few sharp, calculated questions about our roll-out strategy. But then his tone shifted into that smooth, predatory purr. He made a direct offer: he wanted to host me and Nova in Vegas again next weekend to “finalize the creative vision” over another private dinner.
The image of Kit leaning over Nova in that velvet booth, touching her shoulder and whispering in her ear, hit me like a physical punch to the gut.
Knowing what Kit really wanted—and knowing I couldn’t trust myself not to break his jaw if he laid a finger on her again—I ended the call with a noncommittal answer.
Friday afternoon, Rick and Sofia were working hard on the Clear Creek Brewery account, and I was curious how it was going.
“Tell me you’ve signed off on the contracts,” I asked, leaning against the doorframe of Rick’s office, a rare, relaxed grin on my face now that the immediate fires were put out.
“Signed, sealed, and sent to legal,” Rick answered, tossing his pen onto the desk and leaning back in his chair. “You’ve been a lifesaver. Seriously. I don’t know why Dad didn’t put you in charge instead of dragging me back here.”
“Yeah, well, you owe me,” I chuckled, tapping the wood frame. “But, hey, since you’re finally caught up, I need a favor. I shifted some pieces around and put Nova on those retail accounts that I’ve been trying to lock down. She’s already tearing through their market data.”
Rick looked up at me, a strange, knowing smirk tugging at his lips. “Nova, huh? Good choice. She knows how to close a deal.”
“She’s the best we have,” I said easily, the genuine respect I had for her coming out without hesitation. “Dad always said she had a better instinct for the heartbeat of this place than any of us. I just want to make sure she has the resources she needs.”
Rick watched me closely, his eyes sharp and analytical, though I didn’t care to unpack whatever game he thought he was playing.
“Well, if anyone can help you lock down those new accounts and show the rest of the board what you’re capable of, it’s her,” Rick said, testing the waters.
“Exactly,” I agreed, ignoring his tone.
“What’s the favor?” he asked.
I took a deep breath, the thought of Kit’s proposition burning in the back of my mind. “I need you to convince her not to go with me on the next Vegas trip.”
Rick’s eyebrows shot up. “Why?”
I rubbed the back of my neck, fighting off the urge to explain Sterling’s creepy fascination with her or the fact that I was fiercely protective of what was finally happening between us. “Just… don’t ask. Just find some reason to keep her here. Do this favor for me?”
Rick nodded slowly, taking in my tension. “Sure.”
“Great. Anyway, I’m heading out to check on the creative team. Don’t work too late. Some of us actually have a weekend to catch up on.”
“Will do.” Rick smiled.
I pushed off the doorframe and walked out, striding down the hallway with determined purpose. I was going to keep Nova safe and keep this company afloat. And this weekend, I was going to make damn sure I kept my promise to her by spending as much personal time with her as I could.