The relief in Jax is obvious; the tension goes from his shoulders and he lets out an audible breath. He wraps a protective arm around my waist and says, "I'm taking her home with me tonight."
Again, Remy just nods. "Okay." And in a very uncharacteristic move, she walks over to me and wraps me in a tight hug, expressing more love and affection in this one moment than she ever has before. A warmth spreads through me at the knowledge that all three people in this room went to bat for me tonight without my ever having to ask.
When Remy motions for Tristan to follow her into the bedroom in order to give us some space, Jax gently brings my attention back to him. "Are you staying with me this weekend? Do you want me to pack up some clothes for you?"
I smile up at this man that will do anything to make sure I'm taken care of. "I'll do it, I just need to grab a few things." I straighten so I can kiss him lightly before saying, "I don’t want to move from your side until we both go back to work on Monday morning."
He returns my kiss with one of his own. “That need is mutual, baby girl. Go grab your things so I can take you home.”
I start to look around the room. “In a minute,” I say distractedly. When my eyes land on what I’m looking for, I point at my phone on the couch and ask, “Can you hand me my phone, please?”
Jax grabs my phone and hands it over, his eyebrow quirking in question as he waits for me to do whatever it is I need my phone for.
With a sense of finality, I scroll to Steve’s contact in my list. And when I click theBlock Callerbutton, I feel a weight lift off my shoulders. For the first time in months, I feel like I can finally take a deep breath.
I power my phone off and look back at Jax. “Okay?” he asks gently, brushing his knuckles against my cheek.
I smile, tears of relief shining in my eyes.
“Okay,” I whisper.
22
JAX
I don't let go of her hand from the moment I take the bag from her and lead her out of Remy's apartment—not through the car ride, not as I usher her into the house, and not when I lead her to my bedroom.
I take a seat on my bed and gently pull her to stand between my legs. I take a moment to stare up at her, amazed by her beauty and her strength.
I press a kiss to her stomach, to the sliver of skin exposed between her pants and her shirt. "What do you need, baby girl?" I murmur as I grip her hips and press my forehead to her stomach. "What can I give you?"
She combs one hand through my hair, forever soothing even when she's the one that should be soothed. "I'm not fragile, Jax, you don't need to treat me like I'm going to break."
I pull back so I can look up at her, so she can see the truth in my expression when I say, "You were never in any danger of breaking. You're too strong for that. But that doesn't change the fact that I want to treat you the way you deserve to be treated." I take a deep breath, suddenly overwhelmed by tonight, by our connection—byher. "Tell me what you want. I'll give you anything."
She tilts her head, studying me for a moment. I wonder if she can see the truth, the desperation in my eyes—the need to take care of her. Because at some point tonight something changed, and we became more than just two people who care about each other.
We became…more.
And by the way she looks at me, I realize she can feel it too.
Up until tonight, we've still only been two friends having sex. It's still only been our original bond, except set on fire from our chemistry.
Now, it's so much more than that.
Now, it's like we've gone from two friends having sex to two souls connected.
I swear I can feel the moment the connection slots into place. The moment I realize that what I feel for Hailey is unlike anything I've ever experienced in my life, and something I'll never feel for another human being. It's like she's become a part of me, an extension of me—a piece of my heart beating outside of my body.
My breath catches as I hold her stare, her expression not giving anything away except for the trust I know she feels for me. I can't tell if she's feeling what I am. It might be too early for her after everything she's been through. So even though it feels like I'm drowning in these emotions, I take a shaky breath and remind myself that I still need to take it slow. That she still needs time and space to see if she could feel about me the way I'm realizing I feel about her.
"What do you want, Hailey," I whisper on a broken breath, consumed by my emotions and physically trembling from the force of it all.
She sucks in a startled breath at the raw power in my stare. And then without a word, she reaches down to grab the hem of her shirt and pull it over her head.
It's all I can do right now not to drop to my knees before her, made helpless by my awe of her. Even before tonight, she's shown a strength these past few weeks that many people never find in themselves. They never learn how to get away from the bad in their lives, or how to turn it into good. They never learn how to fight.
Hailey did.