Page 291 of Assassin

Only, Alyona was playing by some other rules, and Jax needed them both on the same damn page.

If they were going to get married, and have a life, at some point, they needed to lean on each other—not play hide-and-seek.

Honestly, he didn’t have time for this shit.

Period.

What he wanted to be doing was enjoying a nice family night at The Estate where Emma fed them delicious food, and they were calm.

Instead, he was tracking and chasing a hot, dark-haired beauty across Massachusetts.

If he didn’t know how damaged Alyona was from their time in New Orleans, he’d take this personally. That was the only reason he wasn’t freaking out. Loving someone who had trauma in their life wasn’t always easy, but it was rewarding if she was the woman meant to be his heart.

And she was.

“Yeah, I mean, I like your dark hair much better, but you’re still beautiful.”

Alyona stood there, and she wasn’t sure what was going to happen. Honestly, her luck with alleys wasn’t the best. She seemed to get her ass kicked in them more than not.

Oh, and she knew he was irritated.

When Ajax was not happy, the muscle in his cheek twitched, giving it away.

He was definitely stirred up.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

Well, Jax had a few choices, and he knew that going head-to-head with a stubborn Russian was NEVER a good plan of action.

Ever.

The normal outcome was that they dug in, and then, they fought hard. The last thing he wanted was a fight. Honestly, he was emotionally drained after the last battle for their lives.

It was time to switch it up.

“I was thinking that maybe we could get dinner. You know, food.”

That wasn’t what she was expecting.

She blinked.

What was this?

No yelling?

No arguing?

No fight?

“What?” she asked.

Ajax kept it light and cool. Somehow, he managed not to let that fear, anger, and temper show.

Kudos for him.

“I’m starving. I didn’t get to grab lunch, and I was hoping we could get something to eat. Up for dinner?” he asked.

Alyona wasn’t sure if this was a trap or not. She ran again, and he’d already told her before he was tired of chasing. She honestly believed he’d stay back in Boston and wait for her to come back.

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