Chapter 27 – Madeline
The cool night air brushed against my skin, a welcome contrast to the kaleidoscope of neon lights and the endless energy buzzing around us.
The Vegas Strip was alive, louder and brighter than I’d imagined. I’d walked it every day, always on my way somewhere, always too busy to stop and really take it all in. But tonight, walking alongside Jax, it felt different — like I was seeing it for the first time.
“This way,” Jax said, his hand brushing lightly against my lower back as he guided me past a group of street performers. His touch was steady, warm, grounding. I glanced up at him, catching the faintest curve of a smile on his face, like he had a plan but wasn’t ready to share it yet.
“You know, this is technically my first date in Vegas,” I said, the words slipping out before I could stop them.
He raised an eyebrow, glancing down at me. “Is that what this is? A date?”
Heat rose to my cheeks, but I managed to hold his gaze. “I mean, unless you’ve got other plans for the night, I’m calling it one.”
His smile widened slightly, and he nodded toward a cluster of bright lights ahead. “Then let me make it a good one.”
We wandered further down the Strip, the chaos around us fading into something more manageable as I let myself take it all in. The Eiffel Tower replica at Paris shimmered against the sky, fountains danced to music outside the Bellagio, and the air smelled faintly of roasted nuts and perfume.
“This place is something else,” I murmured, my eyes catching on a street artist spray-painting a cityscape.
“Yeah,” Jax said, his tone softer now. “It can be a lot. But there’s something about it, you know? It’s alive.”
I glanced at him, surprised at the introspection. “You really like it here, don’t you?”
He nodded, his eyes scanning the horizon like he could see something I couldn’t. “It’s not perfect, but it’s got character. I mean… look around.”
As we walked, he pointed out his favourite spots — a rooftop bar he liked for its view of the city, a tiny diner tucked behind one of the casinos where the pancakes were worth the wait, a hidden bookstore he swore was a treasure trove of odd finds. Each one felt like a glimpse into a part of him I hadn’t seen before, and I found myself leaning closer with every story he shared.
It was late, but on the Strip, late was a relative concept. The neon lights burned just as brightly as they had hours ago, casting their glow across the streets and people who moved through them.
The nightlife culture here wasn’t just alive — it thrived in the hours where other cities slept. As long as you stayed in the well-lit heart of it, the Strip felt as safe as it was electric.
Jaxon and I wandered further, the hum of the crowd thinning out as we reached a turn in the sidewalk. It was quieter here, more intimate, the buzz of voices and distant music softened by the warm glow of string lights draped overhead. I let my gaze drift along the small shops and restaurants, soaking it all in.
“You’ve been here before?” Jaxon asked, his hand brushing lightly against my back as we walked.
I shook my head, glancing at him. “No, I’ve barely seen anything since I got here. It’s just been work, work, and more work.”
“Well, consider this a proper introduction,” he said with a faint smirk.
We stopped at the base of the Ferris wheel that was a main attraction to the tourists, its massive frame looming against the starless Vegas sky. The lights were dim, the platform still — it was clearly closed for the night.
“Uh, I think we missed our chance,” I said, tilting my head up to look at it.
Jaxon just grinned, already pulling his phone out. “Not exactly.”
Before I could ask what he meant, he had the phone to his ear, speaking in low, casual tones. I couldn’t make out the details of the conversation, but the familiarity in his voice was obvious.
“Yeah, just a quick favour,” he said, glancing at me with a smirk. “Appreciate it.”
He hung up, slipping the phone back into his pocket as a soft hum of machinery broke the quiet. The Ferris wheel flickered back to life, the lights glowing faintly as the massive structure began to rotate again, slow and deliberate.
“Jaxon,” I said, my jaw dropping slightly. “What did you just do?”
He shrugged, clearly pleased with himself. “I know a guy.”
“You know a guy,” I repeated, narrowing my eyes at him.
He gestured toward the platform as the Ferris wheel pod doors slid open automatically. “Well, are you coming, or are you just going to stand there?”
I couldn’t help but laugh, shaking my head as I followed him. “This is... completely ridiculous. And probably breaking at least one law.”
“Probably,” he agreed, holding out a hand to help me step into the capsule. “The controls are remote. My guy’s operating it from home, so we’re technically not breaking in... just bending a few closing-time rules.”
I gave him a look as the door slid shut behind us. “You really know how to work the system, don’t you?”
“It’s not what you know,” he said with a faint smirk, “it’s who you know.”
The pod jerked slightly before gliding upward, the soft hum of the Ferris wheel’s machinery the only sound as it carried us into the sky. The city unfolded below us, the Strip stretching out in every direction, glittering like it was dressed for a party that would never end.
I leaned against the glass, my breath catching at the view. “Okay, this is... incredible.”
Jaxon stood beside me, his gaze fixed on the horizon. “Told you I’d make it a good date.”
I turned to him, catching the faint smirk on his face. “You really know how to pull out all the stops, don’t you?”
“Only when it’s worth it,” he said, his voice quieter now.
The warmth in his tone was enough to make my chest tighten, and for a moment, I forgot about the city below us. The world felt smaller, more contained, like it was just us and the hum of the Ferris wheel as it carried us higher.
“Thank you,” I said softly, my voice barely audible over the faint sound of the city below.
“For what?”
“For this. For tonight. For showing me that Vegas isn’t just noise.”
Jaxon looked at me then, really looked at me, his expression unreadable but somehow still warm. “Vegas isn’t the only thing worth looking at,” he said, and his words hung in the air between us, quiet but heavy with meaning.
I leaned back against the glass, the view of the city sprawling out behind me, but my attention was fixed on Jax. The way he stood there, relaxed but commanding, his smirk just enough to send a flicker of heat through me. There was something about him in this moment — something magnetic.
My pulse kicked up a notch, and I suddenly felt hyperaware of everything. The soft hum of the wheel, the gentle yet secure sway of the pod we were in, the faint scent of his cologne that lingered in the air between us. It all felt closer, sharper, as if the rest of the world had slipped away and left us suspended in this bubble of neon-lit sky and tension.
He shifted, turning toward me, and the movement made my breath hitch. His eyes met mine, steady, unreadable, but there was something there — something all-consuming.
God, the way he looked at me... it was like a promise, or maybe a warning. Either way, it sent a delicious shiver racing down my whole body.
“You okay?” he asked, his voice softer now, almost teasing, as he stepped closer.
“Yeah,” I said, though it came out a little breathless. My heart was doing its best impression of a drumline, and I was pretty sure he could tell.
His gaze dropped for just a second, trailing over me before snapping back to my eyes. “Good,” he murmured.
I didn’t move — not because I didn’t want to, but because I wasn’t sure I could. It was like every nerve in my body was on high alert, completely attuned to him, to the heat radiating from the small space that separated us.
My pulse thundered in my ears as his hand came up, brushing a stray strand of hair behind my ear. His fingertips lingered, barely skimming the edge of my jaw, and I swore the air in the capsule grew heavier, thicker.
“Did you like your surprise tonight, Scout?” he asked, his voice low, smooth, and laced with something that made my stomach flip.
The nickname caught me off guard, but not in a bad way. The way he said it — soft, teasing, and just a little possessive — sent a shiver through me that had nothing to do with the cool night air.
Jax was playing with me. It was a side of him I had rarely seen up until we’d given into whatever this was, and it disarmed me completely. The gruff, no-nonsense man I thought I’d known was peeling back layers, revealing flashes of something deeper — something lighter, more playful.
I swallowed hard, my voice barely a whisper. “It’s been... unexpected.”
His smirk deepened, his thumb brushing lightly against my jawline, so faint I almost thought I imagined it. “Unexpected good or unexpected bad?”
“Good,” I admitted, my voice trembling slightly, but I didn’t look away.
Something shifted in his gaze, the smirk softening into something more intense.
He was close — so close I could feel the heat of him, the way his presence seemed to fill the space, making it impossible to think about anything else.
“I wanted to show my woman my city,” he murmured, his tone dropping even lower, like this was a secret meant only for me. “The parts that matter.”
My woman.
The words hit me like a wave, crashing over me and pulling me under before I even had time to process them. My heart skipped, then raced, the way it always seemed to whenever Jaxon said something unexpected.
The way he said it, low and certain, wasn’t just a statement — it was a declaration. Not a question. Not a possibility. A fact. For a moment, I didn’t know how to breathe. No one had ever spoken about me like that, like I belonged somewhere, to someone — not in a way that felt like this.
It should’ve rattled me, but instead, it steadied me. The weight of those words felt like a tether, holding me in place.
I glanced up at him. He wasn’t looking at the lights or the skyline or the Strip. He was looking at me like I was the only thing in the world that mattered. And God, I wanted to believe that.
But there was a little voice in the back of my mind, the one that always crept in when I got too close to something good, whispering that I wasn’t sure if I deserved this. If I deserved him.
Jaxon was strong and sure in ways I wasn’t. I was messy. A hurricane intent on destruction, and he was the calm in the storm I didn’t know I’d been searching for.
His gaze dipped to my lips, lingering there for a heartbeat too long, and when his eyes met mine again, there was something darker, hungrier, simmering just beneath the surface.
“I was so pissed I had to actually do my job tonight rather than spending time with you, baby,” he murmured, his voice low and rough, the kind of tone that wrapped around you like smoke, impossible to escape.
The words sent a bolt of heat through me, sharp and fast, making my breath hitch. My fingers gripped the edge of the seat, as if trying to ground myself would stop the fire building inside me.
“Is that right?” I managed to say, trying for playful, but the words came out softer, shakier, more affected than I intended.
“Damn right,” he said, his smirk turning wicked, like he knew exactly what he was doing to me. His gaze held mine and his next words dripped with promise. “And if you keep looking at me like that, I’m going to make up for every damn second I missed.”
My throat went dry, my cheeks burning as blood rushed to my face.
I bit my bottom lip in an attempt to steady myself. It didn’t help; it only drew his attention.
Jax’s eyes flicked to the movement, his jaw tightening as a flash of heat darkened his expression. The shift in him was almost imperceptible but electric. He leaned in closer, just enough to erase the already-small distance between us, his voice a low, dangerous rumble.
“Keep doing that,” he warned, his tone rough and laced with intent, “and I won’t be able to stop myself, Madeline.”
Something flickered in his expression. Resolute.
His hand lifted. Slowly, he brushed his thumb over my bottom lip, gently pulling it free from my teeth. The touch was barely there, soft and teasing, but it felt like a spark that set everything in me alight.
“Careful,” he murmured, his eyes locked on mine like they could see right through me. His thumb lingered for just a second longer.
I wasn’t sure which of us moved first, but in the next breath, the space between us vanished.
My whole body was on fire, every nerve alive and screaming for more. His hands threaded into my hair, his grip firm, tugging just enough to send a ripple of goosebumps racing across my skin.
Heat radiated through me, igniting every nerve, settling low in my stomach and spreading lower still. My breath hitched as the kiss deepened, the world outside the ferris wheel fading into nothing but him — his touch, his warmth, his intensity.
His lips brushed mine, featherlight, and his voice dropped into a rough, reverent whisper that curled through me like smoke. “What does my beautiful, maddening woman want? Tell me. I’ll give you anything.”
The words ignited something deep in me, the intensity in his tone making it impossible to look away. My heart pounded as my body responded instinctively to the question, the heat pooling in my core spreading like wildfire.
I swallowed hard, my breath shaky as I whispered, “You.”
His eyes darkened, the weight of my answer sinking in. His hand slid to my jaw, tilting my face up to his as he studied me, his gaze burning with purpose.
“Say it again,” he demanded softly.
“You,” I repeated, my voice trembling but sure. “I just want you , Jax.”
A low growl rumbled from his chest as his lips crashed into mine again, claiming me with a fierce hunger. His grip on my hips tightened, pulling me flush against him, and every part of me came alive under his touch.
“Lose the jeans,” he said, his voice low and commanding, his eyes dark with intent.
I blinked, my breath catching as his words sank in. “What?”
“You heard me,” he said, his tone dropping further, rough and unapologetic. “Lose them. Or I’ll rip them off, and then we’ll have a bigger problem walking home.”
Heat surged through me, a mix of shock, desire, and adrenaline that left me trembling. My pulse pounded in my ears as I stared at him, his gaze steady and unyielding, daring me to argue.
“Jax...” I started, but the way he looked at me, the raw hunger in his expression, stole the words from my mouth.
“Your choice, Scout,” he murmured, his lips curving into a dangerous smirk. “You’ve been driving me crazy all night, and I’m done holding back.”
His hands slid to my hips, firm and possessive, and the way his touch burned against my skin made my decision for me. My fingers moved to the button of my jeans, fumbling slightly under the weight of his stare.
“That’s my girl,” he murmured, his voice a low growl of approval.
The jeans hit the floor, and before I could catch my breath, his hands were back on me, gripping my hips. It was like he’d been waiting for this moment as much as I had — like all the tension simmering between us from earlier in the day had finally boiled over. The small spat we’d had that afternoon felt like a distant memory now, irrelevant in the heat of the present.
“Arms up,” he said, another command, his voice low and steady, brooking no argument.
My heart pounded as I obeyed, raising my arms without hesitation. The intensity in his gaze pinned me in place, making me feel stripped bare even before his fingers reached the hem of my shirt.
As the fabric cleared my head and hit the floor next to the jeans, a thought struck me—a quick, panicked flicker through the haze of desire.
God, I hope no one can see this.
The Ferris wheel was high enough to feel private, but the possibility of a stray observer from somewhere on the Strip made heat rush to my face. Yet, that same thought sent a thrill rushing through me, leaving my pulse hammering in my ears. The danger of being seen, of someone catching this raw, unfiltered moment, only made everything feel more intense.
“Jaxon,” I whispered, my voice shaky as the words tumbled out, “what if someone sees?”
The corner of his mouth curved into that maddening smirk, equal parts amusement and assurance. “Tinted windows, Scout,” he said, his voice low, full of promise. “We can see out. No one can see in.”
The air rushed out of my lungs in a shaky exhale, relief mingling with a dangerous thrill. His hands reached for me again.
“Beautiful,” he murmured, almost to himself, the word reverberating through me like a spark.
I swallowed hard, my pulse thundering. This was Jaxon — controlled, disciplined Jaxon — and yet, right now, he looked at me like I’d been the one to undo him.
The fleeting worry about being seen melted away under the force of his words, replaced by a heady rush of confidence. He wasn’t just looking at me — he was devouring me with his gaze, making me feel like the centre of his world.
His lips grazed the side of my neck, hot and deliberate, sending a jolt of heat straight through me. My hands instinctively found his shoulders, gripping him like he was the only thing keeping me steady.
“Let me hear you,” he murmured against my skin, his breath warm and insistent.
I exhaled a shaky groan, my head tilting to give him more access as his mouth trailed lower.
Something guttural had taken over me, raw and instinctive, and before I knew what I was doing, I was on my knees. The pod swayed faintly with the motion, but I barely registered it. All I could focus on was him — Jaxon, towering over me, his breathing uneven, his gaze dark and unrelenting.
The tension between us crackled like a live wire, and I could feel the heat radiating off him as I tilted my head back, meeting his eyes. His jaw was tight, his lips parted slightly as he watched me, the hunger in his expression sending a rush of adrenaline through me.
“Madeline,” he said, my name a low, rough growl that made my stomach tighten.
I didn’t answer, couldn’t answer. Words felt irrelevant in this moment, overwhelmed by the sheer need pulsing through me. My hands moved of their own accord, sliding up his thighs, steadying myself as I leaned closer.
His hand found my hair, threading through it, his grip firm but not demanding.
A small, wicked smile tugged at my lips as I let my fingers trail higher, testing his restraint.
His eyes narrowed slightly, his grip tightening in my hair. “Careful, Scout,” he warned, his voice dangerously low. “You don’t know what you’re starting.”
But I did. And I wasn’t about to stop.