Page 58 of Triple the Danger

Jax brought his gaze back up to hers. “You can do that,” he agreed. “But I’ll be at your place every damn night, unless I’m out on a run or needed here for something.”

She stared at him. “Jax…”

“Saylor,” he mimicked. “If you’re going to be here, then I’m going to spend my free time with you. And since I only have this room, that means we’re going to be spending that time at whatever apartment you decide on. Or, if we’re here for a club party, we’ll spend the night here and go back to your place in the morning.”

“Jax, I need space and privacy too,” she told him as patiently as she could. “I have to work, and there are going to be times that I don’t want to spend every waking minute with you. If we spend too much time together, we’ll get sick of each other.”

“Fine, I’ll come to the clubhouse when you need space, but I’ll be back in time for us to go to sleep,” he suggested. “I’m serious, Saylor, we can do anything else as slow as you like, but I won’t budge on this. I’m not spending the night away from you, and I want it clear that we’re together. We’ll be out of each other’s hair during the day when we’re both working; that’s plenty of time for you to be away from me.”

“And how are you going to manage when I’m messy and leave shit everywhere?” she asked him. “Jax, it’s going to be a huge adjustment for the two of us. Here, this is your space, and I’ll always be respectful of that. I’ll keep it clean just the way you need it, but in my own space, I don’t know that I could give that to you right away. Which is exactly why I want to take things slow. Ease us both into it and make sure that we’re going to work out before we take such a huge step.”

“You moving here isn’t already a huge step? As for the rest of it, I know I need to work on that, so this can be the start. I’m not saying it’s not going to bother me, and I’m going to probably be an asshole in the beginning, but if you’re willing to be patient with me, I know we can get through it. We have to compromise. But we can’t do that if we’re not together.”

She wanted to argue more, but instead, she said, “I just need you to go slow with me, Jax. I’m giving up a lot and putting a lot of trust in the idea of us. And while I have somewhere to go back to if shit goes south, you could break my heart, and I don’t like knowing that.”

Jax sobered. “I don’t want to break your heart, Saylor. I want you to give it to me and know it’s safe. Just like I want to give you mine.”

“Is that your way of saying you love me?” she asked him.

He paused, and she could see the wheels turning in his head. Finally, he answered, “I think I’m on my way. To me, it feels like I’m sliding down a slippery slope, but I haven’t hit the bottom yet. And part of that is just that this is so new. But I definitely feel something for you. Before you, I would have talked you into my bed, left you with a smile on your face, and then walked away. But with you, the idea of leaving you makes me feel like I’m losing my mind. It’s fucking scary shit, but at the same time, I can’t get enough.”

She stared at him. She hadn’t expected that, but since he was honest, she supposed she should be too. “I’m feeling the same way. And it’s scaring the shit out of me, too. I’ve never felt this connected to anyone in my past, and it’s weird as hell. So if I’m going to be patient with you, then you need to be just as patient with me. I will probably panic and try to push you away a few times. That’s my MO. Just promise to stick it out with me, okay?”

“I promise,” he said, reaching to cup her face in his hands. “We’re going to do this, Saylor, and the two of us are going to be stronger once we get our shit sorted, okay? We talk, we figure out our shit, and we make it work. Eventually, I want you wearing my patch; I want everyone to know that you’re mine. And I want us to build a house on the grounds and live our lives happy and surrounded by the club and our family.”

Saylor smiled softly. “With the amount of people around here, that’s going to be one big family,” she quipped. Jax chuckled. “But, yeah, it doesn’t sound as scary as it probably should. So. One day at a time?”

“One day at a time,” he agreed, leaning forward to give her a soft kiss. Then he pulled away and asked, “So who was that you were talking to on the phone? You sounded close.”

She smiled. “That was Mater. He runs the gym back home, and he’s taken me under his wing, so to speak. He’s been a father figure to me, but the kind where he doesn’t know what to do with a girl. Especially one that likes to hit back. He’s going to help me get packed up. I’m hoping that once I get settled, he come out here and visit me. I think you’ll like him.”

“If he’s important to you, then I’m sure I will,” Jax said with a smile. But then he frowned. “Wait, you said he’s going to help? You’re going back?”

Saylor arched a brow. “What, did you think I was going to abandon all my stuff and start all over? Do I look like I’m made of money?”

“I could?—”

“Nope,” she interrupted. “That is a hard no, Jax. I’m not taking your money. What you’re going to do is fix my car -well, technically Mater’s car -and then I’m going to drive back to return it to him. From there, I’m going to alert my local clients I’m moving, then pack up my stuff. Mater is going to help me get it transported here. I’ll probably be gone two, maybe three weeks, and then I’ll be back.”

Jax looked away and then finally back at her. “What if you get there and you change your mind?” he asked carefully.

Saylor paused. Would she? She supposed it was a possibility, but right now, it didn’t seem like one. “Anything could happen, Jax,” she said after a moment. “While I’m away, you could realize that you’d rather go back to bachelor life. Either way, I need to go back. We either let the time and distance pull us apart, or we use it to make sure we don’t.”

He sighed. “Maybe I should go with you.”

She shook her head. “No. You’re needed here, and I need the time to get my life in order without distraction. Now that no one is after me, I can head back knowing I’m safe, and you don’t have to worry about me.”

“I’ll always worry about you,” he huffed. “I’m not happy about it, but I know you’re right.”

She grinned at him. “Just remember that phrase, and I have a feeling we’ll get along just fine,” she told him.

His expression morphed into amusement, and he said, “Something tells me I’ll be saying that a lot.”

She chuckled, and leaned forward to kiss him. “You’d be right. And just remember, when you get too bossy, there are quite a few ladies around that will help me bury your body.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

SAYLOR

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