Chapter 19
Jaxon
Ruby doesn’t realize it yet, but I’ve already made my choice.
The moment she fled that meeting, cheeks flushed, pulse racing, eyes wide and shaken, I knew.
She’s the one.
Not because she’s convenient. Not because she’s compliant. She’s neither.
She’s the one because she’s the first person in years who makes me feel anything that isn’t obligation or expectation.
She challenges me. She looks at me like I’m trouble. And she’s right.
I sit at my desk, the city stretching out beneath me, and I flip open the file listing the potential editorial partners for this project.
Ruby Quinn is third on the list.
She should be first.
She will be.
I strike out the other two names. Then circle hers. Twice.
An assistant buzzes in. “Mr. Cole? Are you ready to announce your selection?”
“Yes,” I say, buttoning my jacket. “I am.”
But first, I want to see her.
I want to see her face when she hears it.
When she realizes I’m not going anywhere.
I leave my office.
The floor is buzzing with the usual midday noise, phones ringing, keyboards clicking, whispered gossip humming through the air.
I spot her instantly.
Ruby is walking fast, head down, clutching a stack of folders like a shield.
She’s avoiding me.
Of course she is.
She turns down the side hallway, the quieter one, and I follow.
She senses me before she sees me. Her shoulders stiffen. Her steps quicken.
“Ruby,” I say softly.
She freezes like I’ve touched her spine.
She turns around slowly, eyes wide, like a deer caught between fear and fascination.
“Morning again,” I say, stepping closer.
She takes half a step back.
Not because she’s frightened.
Because she feels it too much.
“Hi,” she says, breath shaky. “I was, um… heading to a meeting.”
“No, you weren’t.”
Her lips part. “I, yes, I was..."
“Ruby,” I say again, and her knees practically buckle.
She hates it.
She loves it.
I move closer, not crowding her, not pinning her, just stepping into her orbit. The air tightens between us instantly.
“You’re avoiding me.”
Her throat works on a swallow. “I’m being professional.”
“That’s not what that is.”
Her eyes flash. “You don’t get to define my professionalism.”
“I’m not trying to,” I say, lowering my voice. “I’m trying to understand why you’re running.”
She looks away. “Because you’re..."
“Intense?” I offer.
She huffs out a breath that might be a laugh. “That’s one word.”
“Try another.”
“Distracting.”
I smile. “Good.”
“NOT good,” she snaps. “I can’t work like this.”
“That’s interesting,” I murmur. “Because you’re about to be working with me directly.”
Her entire body goes still.
“What?” she whispers.
“I reviewed the options,” I say. “And I chose you.”
Her voice cracks. “Jaxon… you can’t do that.”
“I can,” I say. “I did.”
Her breath leaves her lungs in a rush. Her grip tightens on the folders like they’re the only thing holding her upright.
“This could ruin everything,” she says softly.
“No,” I answer, stepping even closer, lowering my voice to a slow, deliberate whisper. “This is the beginning of everything.”
She shakes her head, panicked. “You’re not listening..."
“I’m listening to you,” I say firmly. “Not your fear.”
Her eyes lift to mine, vulnerable, scared, wanting.
“Why me?” she whispers.
I don’t hesitate.
“Because I want you,” I say. “And because you want me too, even if you won’t say it yet.”
Her breath catches.
I lower my tone.
“And because I trust you with this project. I trust your work. I trust your mind.”
Her eyes shine with something she tries hard to hide. Pride. Relief. Longing.
She opens her mouth to argue, but just then,
The intercom crackles to life.
“Attention editorial department,” the admin says brightly. “Mr. Cole has completed his selection for the new executive partnership. Congratulations to..."
Ruby squeezes her eyes shut.
“—Ruby Quinn.”
Her eyes snap open. Wide. Shocked. Wrecked.
I hold her gaze. Steady. Sure.
The hallway erupts with chatter from the other rooms. Cheering. Gasping. Sienna screaming something about manifesting. Trey yelling “SHE’S BEEN CHOSEN LIKE A SACRED brIDE.”
But all I see is her.
“Welcome to the project,” I say softly.
She shakes her head, voice trembling. “Jaxon… I don’t know if I can do this.”
“Yes,” I say gently, firmly, completely certain. “You can.”
She takes a small step back, overwhelmed.
I don’t follow.
I just lower my voice one last time, letting the promise sink into her skin.
“And Ruby?”
She stops.
“Don’t run from me,” I say quietly. “I’ll only follow.”
Her breath shatters.
She turns, and walks away fast, almost stumbling.
Not because she wants distance.
But because she feels too much.
I watch her go.
And for the first time in years…
I look forward to the chase.