Chapter Twenty-Three
Estelle
The drive home was peaceful. Jax had insisted I wear new clothes he’d picked out—soft, expensive fabric that draped over my body in a way that made me feel pretty.
A cream cashmere sweater and high-waisted black trousers that actually fit my hips. Even the sneakers were designer, cream and spotless, nothing like the battered pair I’d worn for years.
I caught my reflection in the window as we drove, and I didn’t recognize myself. I looked… happy. Lighter. Like the weight I’d carried for so long had finally shifted, at least just a little.
Leo was in the back seat, swinging his legs in his brand-new mini designer jeans and dinosaur print shirt, his light-up sneakers so white they practically glowed.
He looked like a kid from another world, not the one I’d spent years clawing to protect.
“Mr. Lion,” Leo piped up, his voice soft but wonderous. "Avery said you have a movie theater in your house. Is that real? "
Jax's eyes found Leo in the rearview mirror, his expression softening. "It is. Next time, you can pick the movie and we can all watch it together.”
“Avery found one. She said it might be scary, but I'm not scared of dinosaurs."
"We'll see what your aunt says," Jax replied, a smile tugging at his lips. "What else did you and Avery do at the sleepover?"
"We built the biggest fort ever, and Elsie made pancakes shaped like dinosaurs. Avery showed me her dad's old comic books..." Leo chattered on, completely at ease, and warmth unfurled in my chest, watching Jax listen with genuine interest.
This was what family felt like. What Leo deserved.
But as we turned onto my block, the world snapped back into dreary focus.
A black SUV was there, idling at the curb across from my building, its windows tinted so dark I couldn’t see inside. My heart stuttered, then dropped, ice flooding my veins.
I knew that car. I knew what it meant.
Years of instinct kicked in—protect Leo, handle it alone, be the shield between him and the world. I straightened in my seat, pulse hammering. "Can you park right in front?" My voice came out tight, controlled.
Jax's head turned toward me, instantly alert. His eyes swept the street, cataloging threats with a predatory edge. "What's going on?
“Nothing,” I lied, already planning. Leave Leo in the car, get the men away before they could see him, before they could hurt him.
I was used to this, used to being the shield who stood between Leo and the world. I scanned the sidewalk and spotted two men in black jackets leaning against my door.
Damon’s men.
My skin crawled. I needed to get them away before Jax saw, before Leo got scared, before any of this poison could bleed into my new, fragile happiness.
Jax pulled up to the curb, engine running. “Estelle—” he started, voice gentle but iron underneath. I saw his hand move to the center console, pressing something.
But I was already moving, muscle memory overriding everything else. I bolted from the car before he could stop me, putting myself between the men and my family.
“Can I help you?” I called, voice steady, shoulders squared. I’d done this a dozen times before. I could do it again.
The taller one gave me a slow, mocking once-over. “Well, well. Look at you. Didn’t know you were into fancy shit.”
The other one laughed, stepping closer. His eyes flicked to the Bentley, then back to me with renewed interest. “Or maybe you’re just working a new job, huh? That your client?”
His gaze was oily and invasive, lingering on the designer labels, the way my clothes hugged my body. “You know, the judge might be real interested to hear about your new… services.”
Heat flooded my face, but I didn’t flinch. “Get away from my door.” I tried to sound braver than I felt, holding back the prickling fear in my spine. “You have no right to be here.”
The taller one grinned, stepping into my space. Too close. “We’re just checking in. Making sure you’re still… suitable.”
His hand brushed the sleeve of my sweater, his fingers lingering. “Wouldn't want the court to think you're bringing strange men around the boy."
I jerked away, fury and humiliation warring in my chest. “Don’t touch me.”
He leaned closer, his breath sour. “Or what? You gonna call your sugar daddy? We know what you are, Estelle. The boy is ours.”
The threat was obvious. I opened my mouth to snap back, but the air changed. It went cold, sharp, and dangerous.
Jax was suddenly there, so fast I barely saw him move. He was all golden hair and expensive clothes, sunglasses reflecting the street, but there was nothing soft about him now. He radiated menace like heat, his posture promising violence .
The charming god had vanished, replaced by the deadly boxer from the ring.
He stood between me and the men, his back to me. My gaze caught on a glint of silver tucked into the back waistband of his trousers.
A gun.
Sleek, silver, and utterly out of place in the sunlight. The sight of it sent an unexpected jolt through me, not just fear, but a strange feeling of being protected.
I’d never seen a real gun up close, had only ever feared them from a distance. But seeing it on Jax’s body, seeing how naturally he handled it, knowing it was there to protect me, it made my pulse race in a way that wasn’t entirely about danger.
“Is there a problem here?” Jax’s voice was ice and steel, smooth but lethal.
The men hesitated, sizing him up. The taller one puffed up, trying to reclaim his authority. “Who the fuck are you?”
“Jax smiled, slow and cold as a blade. I’d never seen that expression on him. “I’m the man you're going to answer to if you ever come near her again."
He stepped closer, crowding the taller man against the wall with his size. His voice dropped to a whisper that somehow carried more threat than any shout. "You want to try something? Go ahead. Give me a reason."
He shifted slightly, and the silver gleam of death at his back caught the light. The man's eyes fixed on it, his face going pale.
"We're just doing our job," he stammered.
Jax's smile widened, predatory and beautiful. "Yeah? Then you won't mind telling me who sent you. You want to try something? Go ahead. Give me a reason.” He twisted slightly, the silver beacon of death gleaming at his back.
When they hesitated, Jax's hand shot out, grabbing the taller man by the throat and slamming him against the brick wall.
My heart was thundering in my chest. Why, why was this hot ?
"Damon," the man gasped. "Damon Cane. He just said to check on her, that's all."
Jax’s grip tightened, his body radiating a violence so cold it made the air feel thin. Then, with a slow, deliberate motion, he reached up and slid his sunglasses off, tucking them into his neckline.
His eyes were arctic blue, the kind of cold that burned. They pinned the man in place with a force that made even me shiver. He didn’t bother with his name; he didn’t need to. The threat was in every line of his chiseled face.
“You listen to me,” Jax said, his voice dropping to a lethal whisper. “You tell Damon if he sends anyone near her again, I’ll make sure he never walks again. You understand me? You so much as look at her, or the kid, and I’ll end you.”
The man’s mouth worked, but no sound came out. He only nodded, eyes wide, sweat breaking out on his forehead.
Jax held his gaze a moment longer, those glacial eyes promising things that made my stomach clench. Then he released him with a shove, sending him tumbling against the pavement, turning just enough that the silver gun’s outline at his back caught the light again.
“Now get the fuck out of here before I decide to make an example out of you.”
They didn’t wait for another word. Both men stumbled back, tripping over themselves as they hurried to the SUV. They didn’t dare look back.
Jax watched them go, his eyes still hard, his body coiled and ready for violence.
I just stared at him. At the way the danger still clung to him, and at the way his eyes softened only when he turned to me. The predator melted away, replaced by gentle concern.
“You okay?” he asked, his voice soft, tender.
I nodded, my knees weak. I’d spent so long being the dam between Leo and the world that I had no idea what it felt like to have someone step in for me. To have someone bigger, stronger, and so completely on my side .
For a second, I thought I’d cry, not from fear, but from the flood of relief sinking into my bones.
Jax pulled me against his chest, his fingers threading through my hair. “You never have to deal with that shit alone again, Estelle. Not as long as I’m here.”
For the first time in years, I let myself rest. I believed him.
He guided me into the apartment, his hand at the small of my back. “Stay inside, princess.”
His eyes scanned the room, predatory and alert, before he stepped in after me. I stared at him, my heart hammering against my ribs, still reeling from the confrontation outside, from the cold, lethal precision with which he'd handled those men.
But my eyes also flicked to the Bentley idling at the curb, my heart pounding in my chest as I moved to push past Jax to get Leo.
“Leo’s locked in the car,” he murmured, his hand catching my hip, fingers splaying possessively. “He's fine. The Bentley's a tank, no one's getting near him. I'll bring him in a second. I just want you safe first.”
I nodded, swallowing hard against the sudden tightness in my throat. I was used to being Leo’s protector. Now Jax was here, an Easton, famous, rich, and terrifying when he wanted to be, putting himself between us and danger without hesitation. It was overwhelming to realize I wasn't alone anymore.
“I’ll put a bullet in anyone who gets too close,” he promised quietly, the casual violence spreading through me.
My breath hitched, and he saw it. He saw the way my gaze dropped to his waistband, where steel gleamed.
“Curious, princess?” He palmed the gun behind him, fluid as a predator, and flexed it over his side. It wasn’t a threat. “You want to know what I’ll do for you? For Leo?”
I probably should’ve stepped back. But I stepped closer, drawn by the silver danger radiating through him. The gun’s cold surface reflected our fractured images—his golden god composure, my unraveling mind .
“You’re not a bodyguard,” I whispered.
“No.” He caged me against the counter, bracing his hands on either side of my body. “I’m the man who’ll carve my name into anyone who breathes near you.” His knee nudged mine apart, heat melting through my jeans. “The man who’ll enjoy it, too.”
Somewhere in my brain, logic screamed this was madness. But his scent, his danger , drowned it out. My fingers found his wrist, tracing the pulse thundering against his skin. It was fast but steady. This lethal god had a heartbeat that raced for me.
“I—”
He silenced me with a press of his thumb to my lips, and I immediately shut my mouth. “Don’t.” The word vibrated with barely leashed hunger. “Don’t pretend you don’t like this.”
His hips pinned mine, the gun forgotten as his mouth hovered a breath from mine. “I’ll kill anyone for you. But tonight?” His teeth grazed my earlobe. “I’m just a man. Your man.”
The possessiveness in his voice, the absolute certainty, made something deep inside me clench with need. He was mine. This dangerous, beautiful man was mine, and he’d do the unthinkable for me.
His eyes lingered on my face, searching, before he released me and headed for the door. "I'll get Leo."
I moved to the window, peeking through the blinds to watch him. My gaze dropped to his waistband again, to the weapon tucked against his spine. In fascination, maybe? A strange, heated curiosity at the idea of Jax carrying something so intimately dangerous, for me.
When he returned with Leo in his arms, the danger melted away again, replaced by gentle strength. Leo's arms were wrapped around Jax's neck, trusting and unafraid.
"Did you see how fast Jax's car is?" Leo asked me excitedly as Jax set him down. "It's like a spaceship!"
"It's pretty cool," I agreed, watching Jax ruffle Leo's hair with such natural affection it made my chest tight .
Jax locked the door behind us, checked the windows with methodical precision, then finally let himself relax. His eyes never strayed far from me, his body positioned between us and any potential threat.
I wasn't alone anymore. Jax was here, all controlled power and deadly intent, and he was ours. We were his.
It felt like finally being able to breathe.