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He lifts my hand and kisses it, tenderness that defies the tone of this night, in his touch. He folds our elbows and turns us to the dock. We begin our travels down the wooden planks to the garden path. Once there, when we would turn toward the front of the castle, Jax leads me in the opposite direction, down another dark, narrow path. Perhaps this should scare me. I wait for that feeling of fear to come to me; I mean, after all, his brother did hang me out over a ledge tonight, but it doesn’t come.
I follow Jax’s lead, and be it a right or wrong answer, I do so willingly.
Jax and I make it almost back to the castle when Savage appears in our path, moonlight illuminating his big frame and the scar down his cheek. “He’s gone,” he announces, and of course, he means Brody.
His eyes land on me. “He won’t be back. I’ve accelerated my team’s arrival, and we’ve taken control of the castle security system. You okay?”
“I’m fine,” I say, seeking a better answer than “he’s gone.” I look between the two men. “Please tell me there were no punches thrown.”
“I didn’t punch the asshole,” Savage says. “Though I’ll go to bed with fantasies of punching him the next time I see him.”
“If anyone is going to punch Brody, it’s me,” Jax says. “And it wouldn’t be the first time, but that’s a story meant for whiskey or wine.” He wraps his arm around me. “I pulled out my ace in the deck, and he left. No blows thrown.”
My brows furrow. “Your ace in the deck?”
“Another story for whiskey or wine,” he says softly, in obvious avoidance mode, but I can guess this stretches back to his boxing days. In other words, my questions are better saved for later.
“My team already hooked up to the security system remotely,” Savage says. “If he comes back, we’ll know, and I’ll be here.”
“Speaking of,” Jax says. “Jill’s working late. I told her you’d be staying before we left San Francisco. She can show you to your room. I’ll let her know you’re coming.”
“I already had the pleasure,” Savage replies. “Her official title in my Jax North file is now ‘Prudish Bitch.’”
I choke out a half-laugh, partly because it’s so fitting and partly because I’m pretty sure I’m in some level of shock right now. “God, what do you say about me?”
“Your title,” Savage replies, “is ‘Jax’s Hot Mama,’ of course.” He winks and adds, “And I think I might approve.”
In my life, I’ve always been my father’s daughter and now it seems Jax’s hot mama. It’s safe to say that despite the Savage-style compliment, which I appreciate, he’s hit a nerve. And he’s not done yet, at least not with Jill. “Speaking of our Prud—”
“You didn’t actually call her that to her face, right?” Jax asks, and I’d laugh at the question as nonsense, but this is Savage. You don’t have to be around him much or long, to know why his name fits.
“So, don’t address her as ‘Prudish Bitch’?” Savage asks.
“Only if you want to make my life hell. And I want you in Hunter’s tower. It’s the only option to keep you on the property, which is where I need you. She used to live there with him.” He releases me and pulls his phone from his pocket and keys in a message. “I just gave her a heads up, but if she gives you a hard time—”
“Spank her?” He wiggles a brow and doesn’t wait for an answer. “I have a thing for taking the prude out of pretty little prudes. I’ll handle her.”
“Good,” Jax says. “Because I’m not in the mood for anyone but Emma, and we’re not going back through the main castle.”
“Good,” Savage says this time. “Because you have lipstick all over your fucking face, man.” He eyes me. “And you have it all over your chin.” He smirks and refocuses on Jax, who doesn’t even bother to reach for his face. “I got this,” Savage says, walking backward and giving a little salute. “And as I’ve stepped up my team’s arrival, the one of me will be three by morning.” He leaves it at that, turning and walking away.
“He wants to spank Jill,” I say and laugh a choked laugh. “I don’t want that image in my head.”
“Amen to that,” Jax says, but the lightness of his tone darkens as he catches my hand again and adds, “Let’s get out of here before someone else finds us.” I nod, and he guides me a few steps until we cut right and down a stone walkway. We’re traveling the side of the castle, and there’s another batch of weeping willows darkening our path. Jax pulls me around a corner and slides his arm around me.
“Sorry, baby. I know it’s dark, and unfortunately, this is the only direct path to my door. There’s an electrical short on this side of the castle that keeps repeating, and none of my contractors seem to be able to fix it.”
The power being out bothers me, much like my encounter with Jill did earlier. I trust Jax, I do, that’s not in question, not beyond a few moments when I was in shock and panicking, but deep in my soul, I believe his brotherwasmurdered. And for the first time, I wonder if that doesn’t mean that Jax, too, is in danger.
Jax lifts my hand and kisses my knuckles. “This path is our best bet on being alone sooner rather than later.” His voice is a soft rasp of heat that warms me from the inside out, his tone low, rough, laden with the same emotions I feel, which translates to too many to name. He’s the warmth that will make the cold of this night heat. We need to be alone. I press deeper into the nook of his body, and we press deeper into the darkness.
Chapter forty-seven
Jax
Icurse the darkness that consumes the walkway to the extended path leading to my tower, but there is no way in hell that I’m going to take Emma through the front of the castle. It’s a small miracle Emma is even still here, but come morning, when the shock wears off, she could easily bolt. Bottom line, we need to be alone. And then I need to deal with my brother, who has clearly lost his fucking mind. She yelps and wobbles when her foot hits a root of a tree. I catch her waist, holding her close. Holy fuck, I can’t hold her close enough after all that went down tonight. One wrong move on that wall, and she would have been dead. My foolish brother might have ended up on the rocks below with her, too. They both could have died, in the same damn night.
Catching Emma’s waist, I hold her close. “Just a little further, baby.”
