Chapter Ten
Estelle
A fter Leo's breathing evened out into sleep, we returned to the kitchen in comfortable silence. I moved toward the sink automatically, reaching for the dish soap, but Jax's arm snaked around my waist, pulling me back against the solid wall of his chest.
The contact was much too warm—his body hard and warm against my back, his arm like a steel band across my ribs. I could feel every ridge of muscle, could smell that intoxicating blend of cologne and masculine heat that made my knees weak.
"What did I tell you about the dishes?" he murmured into my ear, his breath warm against my skin.
I shivered, hyperaware of every point of contact between us. "They need to be done.”
"They need to wait." His arm tightened fractionally, holding me in place. "You need to learn to let someone else handle things."
Learn. Like this was just the beginning, like there would be other nights, other opportunities for him to take care of us .
"I can’t,” I admitted. "I've been doing everything myself for so long, I can’t depend on someone else."
He turned me in his arms, large hands framing my face. Up close, I could see the fine details of his features, how his light lashes cast shadows on his cheekbones, the way his pupils dilated slightly as he looked at me.
"Then learn," he murmured. "Start with tonight. Start with me."
It wasn’t that simple—I couldn’t just decide to trust this golden god who'd walked into my world and turned everything upside down.
But looking into those blue eyes, feeling the steady strength of his hands, and the way his thumbs stroked my cheekbones, I wanted to try. For the first time in years, I wanted to let someone else be strong.
"Okay," I whispered, the word a surrender and a leap of faith all at once.
His smile was radiant, transforming his face from handsome to breathtaking. "Good girl," he said again, and the praise went straight to my core. "You're already learning."
And then I turned right back to the sink.
I made it exactly three steps before I felt him move.
Jax didn't make a sound as he approached, but I sensed him anyway—the way prey senses a predator.
I reached for the dish soap with trembling fingers, hyperaware of him behind me, close enough that I could feel the warmth radiating from his body like standing near a fire.
I squeezed soap into the warm water, watching it foam and bubble while my heart hammered against my ribs.
Just wash the dishes. Just do what needs to be done. Just?—
His chest pressed against my back. solid and warm, and every thought in my head scattered like dandelion seeds in the wind.
He was so much bigger than me, broad enough that his shoulders bracketed mine completely, tall enough that his chin could rest on the top of my head if he wanted.
He was too close. This was too close.
Large, warm hands settled on either side of my neck, thumbs finding the hollow at the base of my skull. I went rigid, every muscle in my body locking up like someone had pulled an emergency brake on my nervous system.
“Relax, princess," he breathed, his voice a low rumble that seemed to vibrate through his chest and into my spine. “If you want to wash them that badly, I get to do this.”
His fingers found my temples beneath the soft fall of my hair, and the first touch of his fingertips against that tender skin made me gasp audibly. No one had ever touched me like this, especially not a golden god.
He began to massage in slow, deliberate circles, his fingers firm but gentle, working at knots of tension I'd been carrying for so long I'd forgotten they weren't supposed to be there.
His hands were warm, so warm, and calloused from boxing, the contrast of rough skin and tender touch making me dizzy.
"You're so tense," he whispered, his breath ghosting across the shell of my ear and sending shivers down my spine. "When did you last relax, Estelle? When did you last let someone take care of you?"
I tried to speak, tried to form words around the emotion clogging my throat, but all that came out was a soft, broken sound that might have been a sob. …Or moan.
His fingers worked deeper, finding pressure points I didn't know existed, unraveling knots that had been twisted tight for years.
This felt too good. This felt like giving up. This felt…
"Shh," he soothed, sensing my internal struggle even though I hadn't spoken. "You don't have to do anything right now except breathe."
His hands slid lower, following the column of my neck, thumbs tracing the tendons. I could feel him everywhere, his chest against my back, his thighs bracketing mine.
I couldn't pull away.
My body had apparently staged a mutiny against my brain, melting back against his solid warmth despite every logical reason to run.
His fingers worked magic on my neck, finding every knot of stress and tension, every place where worry had taken up residence in my muscles.
"That's it.” His voice was pitched so low it was almost subsonic. "Let it go, princess. Let me carry it for a while."
The words nearly broke me.
His fingers traced the sensitive skin at my nape, where wispy hairs had escaped my ponytail, and I couldn't suppress the small sound of pleasure that escaped my lips.
He paused for just a heartbeat, and I heard his breath hitch, felt something shift in the air between us that was electric and dangerous and absolutely intoxicating.
"So beautiful," he whispered, the words barely audible, like a confession. "So fucking beautiful, and you don't even know it."
His hands continued their gentle torture, working their way along my shoulders now, finding tension I'd been carrying like armor. I could feel myself unwinding despite every instinct screaming at me to stay alert, stay ready, stay strong.
Maybe I could be soft for five minutes. Maybe I could let someone else be strong.
The dish soap had long since stopped bubbling, the warm water cooling around the forgotten plates, but I couldn't bring myself to care.
All that existed was this moment—his hands on my skin, his warmth against my back, the steady rhythm of his breathing that was slowly syncing with mine.
He shifted slightly behind me, not pressing closer but not pulling away either, and I could feel the solid weight of him, the careful control he was exercising to keep this gentle when it could so easily become something else entirely.
Was he holding back? For me? Because he knew I needed gentle right now?
"Better?" he asked softly, his fingers trailing along my collarbone, finding the hollow at the base of my throat.
I nodded, not trusting my voice, and leaned back into him just slightly, the first time in years I voluntarily sought comfort from someone other than Leo.
His arms came around me, careful and warm, creating a cocoon of safety I'd never experienced before. I could feel his heartbeat against my shoulder, steady and strong, and for the first time, I felt truly protected.
This is what it felt like to be cared for?
BEEP BEEP BEEP!
The harsh sound of a car horn shattered the moment completely, followed immediately by the buzz of Jax's phone. I jerked away from him instinctively, the spell broken, reality crashing back.
“Fucking Adrian,” Jax cursed under his breath, pulling his phone from his pocket with obvious reluctance. The screen showed texts from said ‘Adrian’ that made him sigh heavily.
Adrian
GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE
I'm double-parked and there's people looking at the car weird.
MOVE IT!
"My ride is here," Jax said quietly, but he made no move to leave, studying my face instead. "I have to go."
I nodded, stepping back to put some distance between us, trying to rebuild the walls he'd so effortlessly dismantled with nothing but gentle touches and patient hands.
"Thank you," I said formally, my voice small after all the things he just made me feel. "For dinner. For... everything."
He stepped closer again, close enough that I had to tilt my head back to meet his eyes.
“This isn't over, Estelle," he said softly, his voice carrying a promise that made my stomach flutter. "This is just the beginning."
The beginning of what?
Another honk from outside, this one longer and more insistent, made him grimace. "I'll see you tomorrow," he promised, reaching out to gently tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. "Sweet dreams, princess.”
And then he was gone, leaving me standing in my tiny kitchen with tingling skin and a heart that felt too big for my chest, wondering what the hell I'd just gotten myself into.
And wondering why I already couldn't wait to see him again.