Chapter Five
Jax
I wake before she does. It’s as if my body knows that I want to stare at her sleeping face before she wakes.
Zora is curled against me, her head tucked just under my chin. One hand is resting lightly on my chest like she fell asleep mid-thought and never moved again. Her hair is a mess, soft strands falling across her face, her lips slightly parted as she breathes, slow and steady.
I move her hair off her face, tucking it behind her ear. Then, I don’t move at all. I just watch her. Because two weeks ago, this didn’t exist. None of this did. Not the quiet mornings. Not the soft breathing. Not the weight of someone in my arms that actually means something.
Not her. Not Levi.
Something pulls tight under my ribs. I left home to get away. To think. To breathe without someone telling me what my life should look like. And somehow…I ended up here. With her. With a baby who calms down the second I hold him.
With a life that wasn’t planned, wasn’t expected, but feels righter than anything I’ve ever been pushed toward.
I exhale slowly, my gaze drifting over her face again, taking in every detail like I’m memorizing it. The faint crease between her brows even in sleep. The softness she never lets show when she’s awake. The strength underneath all of it that pulled me in before I even understood what was happening.
“Yeah…” I murmur quietly to myself. “I’m not going anywhere.”
The decision settles in me again, firmer than ever. No company. No expectations. No version of me that isn’t mine. Just them. Zora stirs slightly against me, her fingers shifting against my chest before her eyes blink open slowly, unfocused at first, then landing on me.
There’s a second where she just looks at me. “You’re staring.”
I huff out a quiet laugh. “You noticed.”
“Hard not to.”
Her voice is still soft with sleep, but there’s a hint of amusement there now, something lighter than when we first met.
“Couldn’t help it,” I admit.
She narrows her eyes slightly, but there’s no real bite behind her look. “That’s a little creepy.”
“Or honest.”
“Same thing.”
I grin slightly. “You don’t look like you hate it.”
Her lips twitch, like she’s trying not to smile. “Don’t push it.”
I shift slightly, my hand sliding along her side, and she inhales softly, her body reacting before she can stop it.
“Too early for that?” I murmur.
Her gaze flicks to mine, something warmer settling there now. “It’s never too early.”
That’s all the invitation I need. She doesn’t look away this time.
If anything, she leans in first, her hand sliding up to my shoulder as her lips brush mine.
It’s softer, slower, like she’s still waking up but already knows exactly what she wants.
I respond immediately, my hand tightening slightly at her waist as I pull her closer, closing whatever space is left between us.
“You have to be quiet,” I murmur against her lips before taking them. “We can’t wake Levi.” I capture her lower lip between my teeth, then soothe it with another kiss.
She huffs out a quiet breath that turns into a small laugh. “I can’t promise that, but I’ll try,” she whispers.
“No complaints so far.”
Her fingers curl into my shoulders as she kisses me again, deeper this time, more certain. I shift us slightly without breaking contact, my hand moving along her side. I trace slow, deliberate lines that make her breath catch.
“Daddy…” she whispers, but there’s no warning in it, no hesitation.
“Hmm, I love when you call me that, baby girl,” I rasp, then slide my hand to her ass and spank her hard.
She jerks. Her muted moan sends more blood rushing to my hard cock. “You want more, baby girl?” I ask in a low tone.
“Yes, Daddy,” she answers, already writhing softly.
I turn her until her back is turned to me and oblige her. I spank her ass rhythmically, alternating from one mound to the other, until she’s hot and writhing. Her moans fill the room, and her backside stays arched for more.
I slide my fingers between her legs, parting her slick folds. A loud moan leaves her lips, and all I can do is hold on to my hard-won control. I stroke her clit, sliding my fingers slowly until she’s jerking against them for more.
“D-Daddy,” she says, her voice trembling around the plea.
“What do you want, baby girl?” I growl against her ear, licking it gently.
“I w-want you inside m-me,” she confesses and nudges my cock with her ass.
I didn’t wait. I lift her right leg and thrust deep. A loud keen tears through the room just as her walls clamp tightly around my cock. My control is barely holding. So I clamp her hip and stroke deeper until Zora is bucking widely.
“Oh!” she moans aloud, gripping the sheets tightly and simultaneously clamping hard on my cock as she orgasms.
My control is in shambles now, and I’m focused on one goal.
My movements become erratic. I drive into her deeper, holding her writhing body as she feels the aftershocks of her orgasm.
I should relent. I don’t because I know she can take me—all of me, the part that wants to hold her down and keep her there.
She gets me like no one else. It’s why we fit. Why I can’t even remember what life was without her. I’m gone. I’m all in. The ache building inside me is ready to crest. I thrust deeper, stroking hard. Her walls tighten around me until it feels like a vise, squeezing and taking me over the edge.
“Jax!” she shouts, bucking hard as another orgasm racks her body.
I grunt loudly as I come undone, jerking and filling her with my cum. Time slips. The world narrows. And for a while, it’s just us. When we finally come back to ourselves, I gather Zora’s trembling body close, our uneven breaths mingling.
I can feel our wildly racing hearts, but the world around us is quiet. The kind of quiet that feels earned. Her head is resting against my chest again, our breathing still a little uneven but steadying.
“That…” she murmurs softly, her fingers tracing random patterns against my skin. “Yeah…that was out of this world.”
I let out a low chuckle, my hand brushing lightly along her arm. “I know. But then again, I aim to please.”
She shifts slightly, tilting her head just enough to look at me, her blue eyes clearer now, brighter. “You’re very sure of yourself.”
“Only when I’m right.”
She rolls her eyes at me, but there’s no heat behind it, just amusement and a softness I’ve quietly noticed is reserved for me. I open my mouth to say something about it, but a loud cry cuts through the quiet. We both freeze.
Levi.
“Told you,” I say.
“Shut up.” Zora groans softly, dropping her head back against my chest. “Of course.”
I huff out a quiet laugh, running a hand over my face. “Perfect timing.”
She pushes herself up slightly, already moving to get up, but I catch her wrist gently. “I’ve got him.”
She hesitates. “You don’t have to—”
I’m already sitting up. I give her a look, and she smiles. “Okay.”
“Go get ready for work. I’ll see to our little man,” I say.
Our. I hear it after it’s out of my mouth. She doesn’t correct me.
She nods in response. I lean down, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead before getting up and heading toward the living room. The sound of Levi’s cries gets louder with every step.
“Hey, little man,” I say, scooping him up carefully and settling him against my chest. “What’s going on, huh? We were having a moment.”
His cries soften almost immediately, his small body relaxing slightly against me, and I shake my head with a quiet smile. “Yeah…I figured.”
From the bedroom, I hear Zora moving around.
Drawers opening, the soft rustle of clothes as she gets ready.
And for a second, I just stand there, holding Levi, listening to the normalcy of it.
It’s new. But it feels right. And that thought sticks with me as I calm Levi fully, gently rocking him until he settles.
His small hand grips my shirt like he always does.
“Yeah,” I murmur quietly, glancing toward the bedroom. “We’re not messing this up.”
By the time she steps out, I’ve bathed Levi and dressed him for the day. He is calm again, resting easily against my chest like he belongs there. His small breaths steady, his fingers curled into my shirt. Zora pauses when she sees us, her movements slowing for a second.
Something soft passes through her expression before she looks away like she doesn’t want me to catch it. “You make it look too easy,” she says, grabbing her bag.
I shrug lightly. “He likes me.”
“He tolerates you,” she corrects, but there’s a hint of a smile there.
“Same thing.”
She rolls her eyes, stepping closer to adjust Levi’s blanket, her fingers brushing mine for a brief second. “I have to get to work.”
“I’ll walk you out.”
“You don’t have to—”
“I know,” I cut in, and that earns me a look.
Sometimes, I can tell how she feels about me. And other times, like now, when she refuses my help, I tend to wonder if she’s still holding back.
“Don’t start that.”
I grin slightly. “Too late.”
She shakes her head, but she doesn’t argue again. She grabs her keys and Levi’s stroller and heads for the door, and I follow with Levi still in my arms. The hallway is quiet this time, no noise, just the soft sound of our footsteps as we make our way downstairs.
Outside, the morning air is cooler. A light breeze cuts through the warmth of the sun just starting to rise higher. We stop at the curb, waiting, and for a second, neither of us says anything. It’s comfortable. I shift Levi slightly and reach for her hand without thinking.
My fingers close around hers like it’s the most natural thing in the world. She stills for a second, then her grip tightens just a little.
“You’re getting used to this,” she murmurs.
“Yeah,” I admit.
“Me too. But I’m scared.”
“Why, baby girl.”
She glances up at me, her expression softer now, less guarded than it used to be. “I don’t know what I want.”
I tilt my head slightly. “That’s not true.”
“Okay,” she exhales quietly. “I know what I feel. That’s different.”
“Not really.”
She glances up at me, her expression softer now, less guarded than it used to be. “Everybody who’s ever wanted me around got tired of it.”
“I’m not everybody.”
“That’s what you’d say either way.” She says it lightly. It doesn’t come out lightly.
I shift Levi to my other arm so I can turn her chin up with my knuckle. “Say the real one.”
She holds my eyes for maybe two seconds. Then she looks at the street. “I have to go.”
Before she can pull away, I pull her in gently, closing the small space between us and pressing my lips to hers. It’s a soft, slow kiss, but it lingers, as if neither of us is in a hurry to pull away.
She exhales softly against my lips, pulling back just enough to look at me. “I really have to go.”
“I know.”
She hesitates for a second, then brushes her fingers lightly against Levi’s cheek before taking him. She secures him in the stroller. “We’ll see you later.”
“Yeah,” I nod.
She gives me one last look, then turns and walks away. I watch until she disappears down the street, my hands tucked in my pockets, my mind already somewhere else. On her. On everything I haven’t told her yet.
By the time I get back upstairs, the quiet feels different again. Empty…without her. I run a hand through my hair, exhaling slowly as I pace once, twice, trying to settle the restless feeling building in my chest.
“I should tell her,” I mutter under my breath. “All of it.”
A knock sounds at the door. I frown slightly, moving toward it, not expecting anyone. I open it to see my sister.
“Sienna? What are you doing here?”
“Checking on my very stubborn brother who still thinks disappearing solves things,” she replies, stepping past me without waiting for an invitation.
Her gaze sweeps the apartment, then lands on the crib, then the small things scattered around that definitely don’t belong to me.
Her eyes narrow slightly. “You’ve been busy.”
I shut the door, already bracing myself. “Don’t start.”
“Oh, I’m absolutely starting.” She turns to face me fully now. “Who is she?”
“None of your business.”
“That answers it,” she says immediately. “Besides, you don’t need to hide it. I saw you kissing her downstairs.” She raises an eyebrow.
I exhale sharply. “Sienna—”
“A single mother?” she cuts in, her tone shifting. “Seriously, Jax? Do you have any idea what Mom would say?”
“My life isn’t a board meeting,” I snap.
“And your choices don’t exist in a vacuum!” she fires back. “You’re already racing, which is scandal enough, according to Mom. Now this? Do you want to give her a heart attack?”
“My relationship is not her concern.”
“She’ll make it her concern.”
“Then she can deal with it.”
Sienna stares at me like she’s seeing me for the first time. “Wow. You’re serious.”
“I am.”
“And you barely know her.”
“I do.”
“That’s not how you work,” she says, shaking her head. “You don’t do impulsive. You don’t do messy. You definitely don’t do this.”
“Maybe I should have all along.”
She goes quiet for a second, studying me carefully. “You like her.”
“I love her.”
The words come out before I can stop them. And just like that, everything shifts.
Sienna blinks. “You…what?”
I run a hand through my hair, exhaling slowly. “Yeah.”
Her mouth opens slightly, then closes again, her shock obvious. “That was fast.”
“Doesn’t make it wrong.”
“And the baby?”
“Her brother.”
That stops her completely.
“Her…brother?”
“Yeah.”
She lets out a slow breath, clearly recalibrating everything she thought she knew. “Okay…that’s not what I expected.”
“No,” I mutter. “It’s not.”
Silence settles for a second. “I want to meet her,” Sienna says suddenly.
“No.”
Her brows shoot up. “Excuse me?”
“No,” I repeat. “Not yet.”
“Why not?”
“Because you’ll interrogate her.”
“I will not—”
“You will.”
She crosses her arms. “I’m your sister. I have a right.”
“You have curiosity,” I correct. “Not rights.”
She narrows her eyes at me. “You’re unbelievable.”
“And you’re not meeting her until I say so.”
She opens her mouth to argue again, then pauses, something shifting in her expression. “Wait…you’re serious about all of this.”
“Yes.”
“And the company?”
I hold her gaze. “It’s yours.”
Silence, thick with shock, settles around us.
“Don’t joke about that,” she says slowly.
“I’m not.”
Her eyes widen slightly. “You’re giving it up?”
“I’m done fighting it,” I reply. “You want it. You’re good at it. Take it.”
“And you?”
“I’ve never wanted to be a CEO. You know that.”
She stares at me for a long moment, then, unexpectedly, she smiles. “Well…I didn’t see that coming.”
“Yeah.”
“You’re really not coming back, are you?”
“No.”
Another pause. Then she exhales, shaking her head slightly. “Mom is going to lose her mind.”
“Probably.”
“But…” she glances around again, then back at me, something softer in her expression now. “I think I like this version of you better.”
I flash her a wide smile. “Don’t get used to it.”
“Oh, I am,” she says, already moving toward the door. “And I’m still meeting her.”
“We’ll see.”
She smirks. “We will.”