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Mary nervously took it, giving it a very weak, limp, shake before drawing back. She did not want to think about how warm his hand was, nor the sensation that curled in her stomach at the innocent touch.
He unscrewed the lid for her and handed her the bottle.
“Here you are,” he said simply. “Do you want to sit outside or…”
“I’m nervous,” she whispered openly, staring at him and trying not to notice those big, brown, puppy dog eyes.
“I know,” he said softly, his voice ever so gentle. “I’m just a friend… and I’m going to go relax around the fire with my buddies. If you’d like to join us, that would be great.”
She hesitated.
“No pressure, Mary… and no expectations,” he continued, his dark eyes watching her. “It’s just nice to put a face to a name, you know?”
“Jax, I…” her throat was closing up on her as she felt fear flutter within her chest, looking at him. That fight-or-flight instinct was almost overwhelming, and her hand was trembling where she was standing there holding the beer. He was blocking the hallway and she was feeling all those swamping sensations of being cornered once again.
“Hey…” he whispered. “It’s okay. I promise.”
As if he understood, he suddenly turned away to walk off, looking at her over his shoulder, and smiled nervously.
“Take your time, breathe, and if you want to talk – I’ll be by the fire. No one is going to push you to do something you aren’t comfortable with. I promise, my friend.”
… And with that?
Jax walked outside, leaving Mary standing there to gather her swamping thoughts and emotions. He literally did as the other man had told him, saying hello, and offering her a beer before retreating.
Joe had never retreated.
Ever.
He would smile, manipulate, push, prod, or aggressively attack… but never retreated or gave her space. No, if he stepped back, it was only to prepare for another round of verbal jabs that would leave her mentally wounded.
Was that what Jax was doing? Did all guys do this?
She took a massive gulp of the disgusting beer, trying to draw strength, and then gagged at the taste as she swallowed it. It was horrifyingly bitter, but she would do anything to relax slightly at this point.
Waiting a few more moments, she heard people outside talking and laughing, smelled the burgers, and realized that she was indeed hungry… and stranded, because Karen had driven this evening.
Even if she wanted to, she couldn’t run away.
Opening the door gingerly, she felt her face flush nervously as she anticipated several people to gawk, stare, or question her, but instead nobody moved or batted an eye. They were all still carrying on, cutting up, and the circle of chairs was crowded quite close together.
She spotted Jax sitting in the distance, not looking in her direction… and then noticed he was holding a plate on his lap – and the chair next to him wasalmostempty.
There was a burger sitting there, untouched, and waiting.
“Ghost got you a burger already,” Harley’s husband, Jackson, volunteered. He leaned towards her from where he was standing a few feet away at the grill. “We were running out and he wanted to make sure you ate something. It’s waiting over there beside him.”
“That’s not someone else’s?”
“Nope.”
She nodded nervously and moved slightly closer, before hesitating again, as if trying to assess whether or not there was a threat or problem to be had.
Jax simply nodded in acknowledgement, looked away, and took a bite of his own burger, before turning to talk to Valkyrie.
She saw Karen wave happily, before talking to Glory. Harley smiled politely and was balancing Samantha on one knee while precariously holding her plate on the other one.
Everyone seemed so happy, so genuinely accepting, that it was a little intimidating to think that this was just ‘how it was’with them. No one was calling her out, pushing, snapping, or prodding to see where she was or questioning her.
