“To the floor we are on would be my guess.”
I could feel his eyes on me, studying me, and it took everything I had not to turn to him and stare right back. “You want to tell me what all of that was about?” Jax's voice was low, but there was anger in it. More than one person was beginning to turn. A few whispers started as more and more people realised who he was.
“What floor is that?”
“Top I would guess.” He looked around, almost like he had just become aware of the stares aimed in our direction. “Fuck, we need to go.”
I couldn’t agree with him more. There were phones in people’s hands now. Phones which were pointed in our direction. Without missing a beat, Jax's hand closed around my elbow. He led me forward. The two security guys brought up the rear.
“You can take the next one.” He said the moment the elevator doors opened, and he had dragged me into it. It took me a second to realise he wasn’t talking to me.
Chance frowned. “El?”
I smiled. He was worried about me, and that was sweet, but totally unnecessary. Jax had a bee in his bonnet about something, but he wasn’t an actual threat to me. No doubt he just wanted to rant at me for a little bit, and I could do without an audience for that. Especially an audience who would either try to get involved and potentially make things worse, or would go running back to my brother, who would definitely make it worse.
Bikers.
For assholes, they were a protective bunch.
The door swished closed before anyone could say anything, locking me inside with Jax. Neither one of us moved.
“Want me to press the button for you?” I went to reach past him and froze when his hand closed around my wrist. His other hand pressed the door closed button and held it there.
“Want to explain to me what the hell is going on between you and Chance, Elodie?” The venom in his voice was so thick, it was pretty much dripping from him.
“I don’t know what you mean.” Staring up into his dark eyes was dangerous, so I looked away, realising too late how guilty that made me look. Except I didn’t have anything to feel guilty about.
“No?”
He still hadn’t let go of my wrist. “But he calls you El. I’ve not heard anyone else call you El.”
I blinked at him. I hadn’t even thought about it. “Caleb has always called me El.” Too late, I realised my second mistake. I needed to be more careful. I had been too preoccupied that he had picked up on the fact that Chance and the others called me by my old schoolgirl nickname when the rest of the band called me Eli, or in Jax’s case, Elodie.
Jax's eyes flashed.
“Caleb? Are you sleeping with him? Is that why you are as thick as thieves?”
I started to shake my head, and he growled out a warning.
“You call him Caleb, his real name. No one calls him fucking anything but Chance, so tell me the truth, Elodie. Are you sleeping with him? Did he share that little snippet of information as pillow talk? Did he make you think you were special?”
Suddenly, he was in my space. I backed up until my back hit the wall, but still he kept coming. The breath stuck in my lungs.
“Jax,” I breathed out his name, unable to look anywhere but up into his eyes.
“Whatever he has promised you, whatever…” One tattooed hand went to pull the cap from his head and muss up his head.
“Chance is my friend.” God, was he going to kiss me? It looked as if he was. His dark eyes seemed to be glued to my mouth. It felt like he was going to as well. It was almost like we had our own private electrical storm brewing.
“Erik is going to be pissed about your friendship, Elodie.” His head ducked down. “Can’t say I’m too happy about it, either.” Something passed across his face. “You deserve better than to be messed around by…”
Jax’s lips were just inches from mine, and I sighed. A breathy little sound as my lips fell open, and his eyes narrowed in on them again. “I don’t like the thought of him having a special name for you, or the fact that you are obviously close enough to have one. Bikers aren’t—”
“I know.” God, I knew what bikers were. Probably better than he did.
“You do.” The hand that wasn’t holding my wrist slid up to stroke down my cheek; his touch was gentle but possessive. And it took my breath away. “What else do you know, Elodie?”
“That—” I couldn’t finish as his thumb swiped across my bottom lip. I was about to say that I knew he was going to kiss me, and I wanted him to. At that moment I wanted nothing more than for his sinfully full lips to fall onto mine.
