6. Jax
Jax
My hand tightened around the stem of my glass until I thought it might actually shatter. Kit’s gaze was practically tracing the silk right off Nova’s skin. The territorial roar in my chest came back with a vengeance.
“Mr. Mylonas,” Kit said, finally breaking his eyes away from Nova to give me a cool, measured look that felt entirely like a challenge. “I see you managed to tag along after all.”
“Jax,” I corrected. “Wouldn’t miss it,” I replied, my voice dropping into a low, hard register. I stepped just half an inch forward, subtly putting myself back into Nova’s personal space. “Gold Standard doesn’t leave money on the table. Or accounts.”
Kit’s mouth twitched with amusement. “Good. Because there’s someone you need to meet.
” He turned slightly, raising his glass toward a silver-haired man standing near the fireplace.
“Stephen Hartman. Head of international compliance for the gaming commission. He’s the gatekeeper for every out-of-state marketing push we do. Stephen, come over here.”
Before I could anchor myself, the older man drifted over, and Kit immediately pulled me into a fast-paced, highly technical conversation about Colorado’s specific regulatory gaming laws.
It was a massive piece of the puzzle—the exact kind of compliance hurdle GSM needed to clear to secure the Onyx contract.
I had to focus. I had to be the professional senior executive my father expected me to be.
But the moment Stephen asked to see our compliance timeline, Kit stepped back.
Out of the corner of my eye, I watched him slide right into the gap I’d left next to Nova.
My attention splintered completely. While I was answering Stephen’s questions, my gaze kept snapping across the amber-lit lounge.
Kit was leaning in close to Nova, his mouth inches from her ear as he said something that made her laugh.
Under the chandeliers, the liquid gold of her dress caught every drop of light, and Kit was drinking it in.
He reached out, his fingers casually brushing against her arm as he gestured toward the ice sculpture.
A hot, toxic spike of jealousy burned through my veins. I stumbled slightly over a question, my brain entirely occupied by the urge to walk over and shove Sterling away from her.
It took me almost an hour to break free from the conversation and get back to Nova’s side. By then, she was two more drinks in, and I could tell she was feeling the effects. I suggested we grab some food, and she happily complied.
From there, I convinced her to down a glass of water and noticed instantly that she snapped back.
By two in the morning, the heavy thump of the jazz trio had faded into a low, ambient hum, and the crowd had thinned down to the last few high-rollers.
The three of us had migrated to a deep, plush velvet booth in the back corner of the VIP wing. Nova was sandwiched right between us—Kit on her left, and me on her right.
The lavender champagne martinis had once again done their damage.
Nova was back to being a little tipsy, her usual sharp, analytical posture softening as the alcohol took hold.
Her head dipped slightly, her shoulder leaning heavily against my arm as she tried to keep her balance.
Every time she leaned into me, a jolt went straight through my chest, but the comfort of it was instantly ruined by the man sitting on her other side.
Kit was moving in, quiet and deliberate.
“You really are a fascinating creature, Nova,” Kit murmured, his voice a low, smooth purr in the quiet booth.
He reached out, his long fingers gently tucking a stray lock of her dark hair behind her ear.
His hand lingered, his thumb casually brushing against the bare, exposed skin of her shoulder where the gold silk dipped low.
It was a small, intimate gesture—the kind of touch that screamed familiarity he hadn’t earned.
My jaw clamped shut so hard it ached. I wanted to rip his hand off her.
But even with her eyes slightly unfocused and her weight leaning into my side, Nova’s brain wouldn’t quit. She was a fighter, entirely obsessed with winning this account.
“The… the structural metrics.” Nova blinked, swallowing hard as she looked up at Kit, completely ignoring his hand on her shoulder as she tried to force her professional voice back.
“If we start to execute the Denver media blitz at least a year before your grand opening, I believe we can spike the out-of-state fly-market numbers. I have the spreadsheets on my tablet…” She actually looked around as if it would magically appear.
“Shh,” Kit interrupted softly, a dark, intensely charming smile spreading across his face as his fingers slid down to tap the side of her neck. “Forget the spreadsheets for tonight. You’ve already won the room with this number.” He winked at her as his finger rubbed the strap of her dress.
Nova let out a tiny, breathless laugh, her head tilting back against my shoulder for support. I looked down at her, then snapped my gaze over to Kit, my eyes cutting through the dim light of the booth like a knife.
He looked back at me over her head, his expression completely unbothered, his fingers still resting dangerously close to the collarbone I’d spent the last four years wanting to touch. He knew exactly what he was doing, and he was daring me to do something about it.
“I…” Nova suddenly said, sitting up as she looked at me.
“I think it’s time we head up,” I finished for her when she didn’t continue.
She nodded a few times, and I helped her stand up.
“Right.” Kit stood up, moving closer to Nova. “If you wish.”
“I got this,” I said, putting my arm around Nova’s waist.
“Yes, he’s got this.” She smiled and held her hand out for Kit. “Good night,”
“Good night, Nova.” Kit raised her hand to his mouth once more and brushed his lips across her knuckles. “Jax.” He nodded toward me.
We made our way, sloppily, toward the doors. Once we were in the elevator, to my surprise, Nova shifted and straightened.
“How was that?” she asked, suddenly completely sober.
“What?” I blinked a few times, then stepped closer and looked her straight in the eye. “You…”
She leaned against the elevator wall and sighed. “Thank god for those two years I spent in drama class.” She chuckled. “I swear, men like him only want one thing.” She narrowed her eyes.
“You…” I was still dumbfounded. “You weren’t really drunk tonight?”
“Oh, no, I was, but thanks to you, I sobered up and realized what Kit’s game was.”
“Which was?” I asked, stupidly.
“Wasn’t that obvious?” she asked, blinking her eyes several times at me.
“Apparently not.” I chuckled and motioned for her to continue.
“To steal me away,” she answered.
“Right,” I said slowly. “From?”
She shifted to stand directly in front of me, the silk of her dress pressing lightly against my pants as she lowered her voice to an almost purr. “You,” she said. Then, to my complete shock, she lifted on her toes and kissed me.
A memory flashed in my head, quick and fast. Something… familiar. Then I disappeared into the kiss and let out everything I’d been holding inside.
The absolute madness of the last few years dissolved the second her lips met mine.
It wasn’t a tentative, questioning kiss.
It was sharp, deliberate, and entirely consuming.
The scent of her—faint lavender mixed with the warm, clean heat of her skin—flooded my senses, wiping out every friend rule, every boundary, and every ounce of restraint I’d forced myself to maintain since the day we’d met.
My hands acted entirely on instinct. I let go of the professional distance I’d been hiding behind.
My palms cupped her jawline, my thumbs traced the sharp angle of her face as I pulled her flush against my chest. The smooth, liquid-gold silk of her dress slid beneath my fingers, impossibly soft, but all I could feel was the electric line of fire burning everywhere our bodies touched.
Nova let out a soft, muffled gasp against my mouth, her fingers tangling tightly into the fabric of my shirt, pulling me closer as if she were trying to anchor herself to the center of the earth.
I deepened the kiss, letting all the possessive, territorial fury that had been building over the last few hours directly into her.
I wanted her to know, past any shadow of a doubt, exactly who she belonged to. Kit Sterling didn’t have a damn chance.
The heavy ding of the penthouse elevator echoed through the small space, shattering the silence.
The doors slid open and the stark reality of the empty bedrooms hit us both at once.
Nova stayed on her toes for a beat longer, her eyes wide and searching mine under the soft lighting of the elevator. Her cheeks were flushed, her breathing shallow, the armor of the friendship melted away.
I kept one hand resting firmly against the small of her back, the heat of her skin radiating through the low cut of the gold dress as I guided her out, down the hallway, and into our suite.
“Well,” Nova whispered, her voice rougher than usual, a tiny, nervous smile playing at the edge of her deep crimson lips as she looked up at me. “That definitely wasn’t what I’d expected.”
I turned and locked eyes with her, my pulse drumming a heavy, erratic rhythm against my ribs. The taste of her was still on my lips and my senses screamed for more as I unlocked our door.
The silence of the penthouse stretched tight between us, thick with the sudden, undeniable shift of the last ten seconds.
“What did you expect?” I asked, my voice scraping low and rough through the quiet room.
I didn’t let go of her waist. My hand stayed anchored against the small of her back. I needed the physical proof that she was right here, that the line we’d spent years avoiding had finally been obliterated.
She swallowed, her gaze dropping to my mouth for a split second before rising back to meet my eyes as she bit the corner of her lip. The sheer confidence she’d wielded like a weapon down in the VIP lounge was gone, replaced by something raw and completely exposed.
“I expected you to keep playing by the rules,” she whispered, her fingers still loosely gripping the fabric of my shirt. “I expected you to keep hiding behind the label of friendship.”
“I was,” I said, stepping half an inch closer, closing the tiny gap between us until the toes of my dress shoes brushed against her high heels. “Until tonight. Until I had to sit there and watch another man put his hands on you while I was supposed to pretend it didn’t tear me apart.”
A soft, breathless exhale escaped her lips. The nervous tension in her shoulders began to give way, her dark eyes softening as she looked up at me. “Jax—”
“Thanks to that kiss, I’m done pretending, Nova,” I cut in, my thumb shifting to trace the soft curve of her hip.
The protective, territorial edge hadn’t left my voice, but the anger was entirely gone, replaced by a heavy, undeniable certainty.
“Kit Sterling can offer you the world, and he can hand us the biggest contract this company has ever seen. But he doesn’t get you. Nobody else gets you.”
Nova’s lips curved into a genuine, beautiful smile. She reached up, her palm resting flat against my chest, right over the furious thudding of my heart.
“Good,” she murmured, her voice laced with that familiar, fierce loyalty. “Because I didn’t buy this dress for him.”
I moved before I thought.
Her mouth was once more against mine, her body plastered against my own. My hands were in her hair, holding, shifting, until she gave me more.
She tugged at my jacket, tossed off her heels, started to unbutton my shirt as we stumbled toward the sofa in the sitting area.
I pulled her into my lap as our lips continued to explore. He legs rested on either side of mine, her hips grinding against my crotch, making me impossibly hard.
My hands slowly slipped under the silk, finding her wet. My fingers dipped inside and her head and back arched, giving me a better path to please her.
Her eyes locked with mine as I slid my fingers in and out of her slowly.
“Jax,” she sighed and leaned against me. I ran my mouth down her neck, playing my thumb over her clit. She was begging, pleading, demanding. Everything I felt, she cried out to me.
When I slid the silk off her skin and it fell away, something primal took over inside me. Low growls emanated from deep in my chest. I knew they wouldn’t stop until I had her.
My mouth covered her exposed nipples. My hands pushed her flesh wide, and I dipped deep inside her while her nails scraped my skin, marking me.
My shirt and pants hit the floor with her dress. I crawled between her legs, licked my way over every inch of her body. All the while, she cried out, begging for more.
When I settled between her legs, our eyes met and I knew there would be no going back from this moment.
“Promise me,” I said, my arms shaking as I held myself above her.
“Anything,” she whispered. Her fingers digging into my shoulders and arms.
“Whatever happens…” I leaned down and laid my forehead against hers. “I can’t lose you.”
“Never,” she said, and urged me forward.