10. Jax
Jax
The safe house nestles deep in the Idaho woods like a secret the rest of the world forgot.
Two days have passed since I laid my lips on hers.
Two days of pure torture wrapped in the best kind of hell.
Two days of her soft, bubbly laughter cutting through the heavy silence like sunlight on fresh snow.
Two days of her little comments, turning our escape plans into scenes from one of her beloved library romances.
And that kiss stays front and center in my mind.
When my lips touched hers for the first time her mouth was so warm, so eager and sweet.
It still burns under my skin, steady and insistent, making my blood run hot every time I look at her.
I stand by the kitchen counter, arms crossed tight over my chest, the worn flannel shirt pulling across my shoulders.
My boots plant firm on the hardwood floor as I watch her move around the small living space.
She folds a thick wool blanket with those delicate hands, humming some off-key tune under her breath that sounds like an old pop song mixed with pure sunshine.
Cute as hell. Adorkable in a way that squeezes my chest hard every damn time.
Her oversized t-shirt slips off one shoulder again, revealing smooth skin that makes my fingers itch to touch.
She glances up, catches me staring like a starving man, and her cheeks bloom that pretty pink I want to taste again.
“Everything okay, Marshal Hartman?” she asks, her voice light and teasing even after everything she’s been through.
She tilts her head. “You look like you’re plotting how to bench press the couch if the bad guys show up.
Or maybe just calculating how many cinnamon rolls I could bake in that tiny oven before we have to run for our lives. ”
I grunt, the corner of my mouth twitching despite the tension coiled in my gut. “Something like that. Keep humming like that and I might just let you test the oven theory.”
My satellite phone buzzes sharply on the wooden table, the vibration cutting through the quiet crackle of the wood stove. Mason’s name flashes on the screen. I snatch it up and step toward the window, one eye still locked on Ava as snow swirls lazily outside. “Mason. Talk to me.”
“Hey,” his voice comes through steady and low, edged with that familiar mountain gravel.
“Trial wrapped faster than expected. Hector got life. No parole. It’s done, Jax.
Ava’s clear to move into WITSEC tomorrow night.
Extraction team’s ready at the rendezvous point. Should be smooth sailing from here.”
I grip the phone tighter until the plastic creaks under my fingers.
My jaw flexes hard. Life sentence. It should feel like victory.
The cartel leader locked away for good, the threat finally neutralized.
Ava safe to start fresh with a new name, a new life somewhere far from all this darkness.
Far from me. But relief doesn’t hit. Instead, that heavy weight sinks deeper into my gut, cold and sharp like the Idaho wind.
I remember Riley. Months back, Mason’s witness.
Fed straight to the wolves by our own boss Stevens.
Betrayed from the inside while under protection.
Mason cleaned house after that, took over the office, and I trust him with everything I have.
But what if? What if those bastards who shot at us outside the courthouse track her down anyway?
What if something slips through the cracks again?
“Copy that,” I say, my voice rough as crushed stone. “We’ll be ready. Heading out in a couple hours when it gets dark.”
I end the call and set the phone down with a heavy thud. Ava steps closer right away, clutching a worn paperback to her chest like a shield. Her oversized shirt slips further, and the scent of her chamomile tea and warm skin hits me stronger. Those big eyes search my face, reading me too damn well.
“Bad news?” she asks softly, worry creasing her brow. “You’ve got that growly protector face on. The one that says you’re about to throw me over your shoulder and barricade the door.”
“Not bad,” I tell her, closing the distance in two long strides.
I stop just short of touching her, but close enough to feel the heat rolling off her body in waves.
“Trial’s over. Hector’s going away for life.
You’re safe, Ava. We move tonight to the next safe house, then WITSEC gets you set up with a new start. ”
Her face lights up for a second. Then it dims a little as she reads the tension in my shoulders, and the set of my jaw. “But you’re not happy about it. Why? This should be good news, right? I get to stop looking over my shoulder every five seconds.”
I reach out before I can stop myself, my large hand settling on her hip.
My fingers spread over the soft curve there, feeling the warmth of her through the thin fabric.
I shouldn’t. I know I shouldn’t. But these past few days have been pure torture.
Wanting her every second. Fighting the pull until my muscles ache with it.
That kiss yesterday still lingers on my tongue, sweet and addictive.
“Doesn’t sit right,” I admit, my voice dropping to a husky rumble.
I pull her closer until her chest brushes mine, her breath catching warm against my neck.
“After what happened with Riley… our own people turned on a witness. Fed her to the bad guys. Mason’s solid now, runs the office clean, but I don’t like handing you over to the system.
Not when those shooters are still breathing out there somewhere.
Not when all I can think about is keeping you right here with me. Locked safe in these arms.”
Her breath catches again, that cute flush deepening across her cheeks and down her neck. She tilts her head up, lips parted soft and inviting, and every dominant instinct in me roars to kiss her again. Claim her mouth. Lock the damn doors and tell the world to burn while I bury myself in her heat.
“Jax,” she whispers, her small hand coming up to rest on my chest. Right over my heart that’s pounding like a war drum just for her.
“I… I don’t want to go either. These past few days have been scary, but with you they’ve also been…
more. The way you look at me. The way you kissed me yesterday. I keep thinking about it.”
I lean down, forehead nearly touching hers, breathing her in deep.“We pack now. Load the SUV. I get you to the next spot safe. But Ava… this isn’t over for me. Not by a long shot. I’ve never felt anything this big. This heavy.”
She nods, eyes sparkling with that intoxicating mix of fear and something warmer, something that matches the fire roaring in my blood.
We move together through the small cabin, the floorboards creaking under our boots.
She packs her few things, folding clothes with those delicate hands while I check weapons and supplies, the metallic click of magazines and the rustle of gear filling the warm air.
Every glance between us crackles with heat, charged like the storm outside.
My hands brush hers as we carry the bags out to the black SUV.
The night air bites cold against my skin, but the tension between us burns hotter than any wood stove.
I help Ava into the passenger seat, my palm resting on the small of her back longer than necessary, fingers pressing firm and hungry, soaking in the warmth of her body like it’s the only thing keeping me grounded.
She looks up at me with those wide, trusting eyes, snowflakes catching in her lashes. “Jax… promise you’ll stay close? Even after WITSEC?”
I buckle her in slow, my knuckles grazing her thigh. “I promise. I’d climb every mountain to keep you.”
I climb behind the wheel, the engine rumbling to life with a deep, throaty growl that vibrates through the seats. The road ahead stretches dark and uncertain through the trees, but with Ava beside me, every mile feels like a promise I’m not ready to let go.