28 #2
I sink onto the patio lounger, close my eyes, and breathe in the salty night air. Days like these put me in the mood for a stiff whiskey. “I’m getting too old for this shit,” I groan.
Charlie left with a mumbled apology. Reece was too agitated to let Jax talk to Aurora alone, so I convinced my hothead captain to take a break outside.
Nearly every room in the beach house flows into the outdoors.
Some rooms, such as the bedroom suites and the living area, feature retractable glass doors that open to the backyard oasis.
Jax and I are in a private corner of the terrace.
Palm trees and lush greenery surround us, creating the illusion of privacy without compromising the ocean view.
Despite the breathtaking scenery and refreshing breeze, he persists in pacing.
I’ve become desensitized to him. It’s not right, but I’ve grown accustomed to his temper. We’re both rough around the edges. I can deal with his outbursts. Aurora, on the other hand…
With a sigh, I pick my head up. “What do you need, Jax? You can’t come charging in here, screaming and breaking shit. It can’thappen. Not with a baby. I won’t allow it.”
He pauses mid-stride. “She was going to leave.”
“But she didn’t. Reece was here. That’s his job, remember? I’ll talk to her. Right now, I’m talking to you.”
He plops his ass on the foot of the lounger. “He doesn’t have a job here, not while he’s still an agent.”
“Give him one or don’t.” I shrug. “Not if you’ll flip out every time he touches her.”
“I thought they were fucking behind our backs. I thought he screwed with the security to hide what they were doing. Why else would he?” He gestures, palms up. “Unless he wanted her for himself? You would’ve done the same. She was in his room, in his bed.”
Would I have been furious if I’d caught them fucking? Probably. Would I have screamed at Aurora? No. Punished her? Yeah. Gone after Reece? Maybe.
The only thing that’d make me irate is him taking her from us, and Reece knows that. I doubt he’d cross the line and have sex with her, but despite everything Reece has done for Jax, he still doesn’t trust him.
“They’re not fucking. Jesus, come here.” I reach out, grab his T-shirt, and pull him to me.
He obliges, his back pressed against my chest. “Haven’t you hugged me enough for one day?” As cocky as ever.
“Just shut up for once and listen.” I wrap my arms around his shoulders. “You don’t need to yell and break shit to be heard, okay? That’s in the past. I hear you. If you have a problem, tell me, and I’ll fix it.”
We stare at the inky-black sky, the rhythmic crashing of waves filling the silence between us.
Eventually, his taut muscles give way, and he relaxes completely, sinking into me. “Okay,” he exhales.
“You did an amazing job with this house.” I rest my head on his. “It’s perfect. I can’t imagine what I owe you.”
Every detail of this place is meticulous, from the gourmet kitchen to the luxury spa bathroom with a steam shower—which took me fifteen minutes to figure out how to turn on—to the eighteen-foot custom velvet couch in Tiffany blue that Aurora adores.
And you can’t tell me hedidn’t plan Reece’s apartment. He could’ve put him in the pool house but didn’t.
“Whatever,” he says under his breath. “I’m not worried about money; you shouldn’t be either.”
“Still—” I start.
He cuts me off, changing the subject. “Your office is downstairs, not next to the nursery, so you’ll have peace and quiet.”
See? Calculated.
I go along with it. “What’s yours?”
“The gym, the ocean, the giant bed.” There’s a smile in his voice.
“So let’s work this out, okay?” I have a sudden urge to play with his hair, but I resist. “You’re beating your head against a wall with Reece.
Someone has to be with her. He cares about her.
He didn’t let her leave. He stayed with her while she was panicking and talked her down.
She’s obviously attached to him. I know sex has a much deeper meaning for you; if that’s your concern, they’re not having sex. ”
His knee bounces, and I give in to the temptation and weave my fingers through the back of his hair.
“He’s not… us .” His voice softens. “I’m connected to you.”
I swallow hard. “I love you, Jax. There’ll be times when we’re together, and she’ll be here, for whatever reason. He can be with her.”
“I want the three of us.”
“He changes nothing. You have us.”
“No. You don’t want a commitment. If I joke around with you in front of others, you take days away from me. I can’t imagine what you’d do if I touched you outside of here.”
“That’s not true. I’m committed to both of you. I’d never be with anyone?—”
“It’s not a commitment if you have to hide it. A commitment shows the world you’re taken.”
I scoff. “Nobody wants to be with me, and I don’t wanna be with anyone else. Besides, you don’t have anything. Aurora has your ring. What do you have?”
“I have several tattoos. One on my ring finger.” He flashes the tattoo in question. “You want me to get a tat of your name?”
“No—”
“No, because you’re afraid someone will see it.” He tries to sit up. “Right?”
I tighten my arms around him, not ready to let him go. “We can’t . There’s no way to escape it. I’m your coach .”
“Who cares? No one. They can’t say you’re biased toward me or show me favoritism—you’ve sat my ass out more than anyone, and you’d do it again. You give more to the team than anybody else. They won’t fire you.”
Aurora and Jax love to push my limits, and I cave every damn time, especially to him. “You want matching tattoos?”
He whips around to meet my gaze. “Are you serious?”
“Will it help you chill the fuck out?”
He gives me that shit-eating grin and leans back into me. “A little bit.”
“What else?”
“The tat must be on your finger.”
“Inner, like yours. I still need to look semi-professional.”
“Fine,” he grumbles. “We share a room on the road.”
“That’s pushing it.”
“I’m supposed to be your roommate.”
“Then don’t flirt with me in front of the team.”
He doesn’t even attempt to deny it. “People know we’re together.”
“No,” I say stubbornly. “People think we’re both with Aurora.”
“See, there you go again.”
“You can’t flirt with me, brat. It’s unprofessional.”
“Fine, I won’tflirt with you.” He’s threatening me, some hidden agenda in his tone.
I smirk. “Are you better now?”
“No. I need a good fuck,” he says with all seriousness.
I scoff and shake my head. “Well, have fun with that. You scared the shit out of Aurora.” I rake my fingers through my own hair. “What about Reece?”
He bolts upright. “Ew! I am not fucking Reece!”
“What is wrong with you?” I can’t help but laugh at the pure horror on his face. “Not to fuck, you moron. What will help you trust him? Besides the fact that he’s protecting you.”
His answer is immediate. “Quit his job.”
“That’s a stretch and quite controlling.”
“Whatever you wanna call it. You’re the same way, so don’t start.”
He got me there. I did force Aurora to quit her job. “I doubt Reece will go for that.”
I’m not sure he can . I’m positive there are rules or stipulations against quitting the government to live permanently with the person you were supposed to be investigating.
“You want someone in our family who comes and goes? And what about Charlie? Did Reece give him the gate code? You know how many agents Kyle had in his pocket? Now I’ll need to reinstall the entire security system.”
His speech is coming a mile a minute, but before I can dive further into his paranoid musings, the sound of light footsteps draws our attention.
“Hey.” Aurora’s voice is soft and uncertain.
Jax reaches his hands out. “Come here, babe.”
He slides over, creating space for her to fit comfortably between us. Without hesitation, she complies, and they settle in beside me.
I breathe a sigh of relief. My world is complete when they’re in my arms.