Page 86 of Alpha Jax

Brooke nods, her nose twitching. “Why don’t you two go, uh… freshen up?” she suggests, glancing between us. “I’ll let them know you’re staying.”

Guess we aren’t fooling anyone. As Brooke walks away, Quinn’s eyes meet mine and we both crack up like little kids who just got caught with their hands in the cookie jar. We’re both fucking giddy, lighter than air, still laughing as she takes my hand and yanks me toward the staircase. I follow dutifully, because truthfully, I’d follow Quinn anywhere.

Once upstairs, we take Brooke’s advice and freshen up- Quinn shows me to Theo’s old room and I douse myself in cheap body spray that I have a feeling has been there since his high school days. When I meet her in the hallway a few minutes later, she’s changed her clothes and masked her own scent with a light floral perfume- and she immediately wrinkles her nose in distaste at the way I smell.

“What the hell is that?” she teases, grimacing and pinching her nose dramatically.

“Hey, do you want me to stay for dinner or not?” I fire back, grabbing for her waist.

“Maybe not.” Quinn giggles, hopping just out of my reach.

I growl, lunging forward and wrapping both arms around her, picking her up. She squeals as her feet leave the ground, kicking her legs and flailing.

“Quinn, Jax!” Brooke calls from downstairs. “Time to eat!”

I set Quinn back down on her feet, still chuckling as she spins around to face me.

“Be on your best behavior,” she warns, pointing a finger at my chest. “My dad can be a hardass.”

I shrug nonchalantly. “I know your dad, babe, and you’ve got nothing to worry about. I’m great with parents.”

Quinn glances at me warily, but she doesn’t have a witty retort this time- she just grabs my hand, leading me toward the stairs. I half expect her to drop my hand by the time we get to the bottom, but she doesn’t.

“Hey!” Quinn chirps as we round the corner to the open dining room. Anders, Theo, and Brooke have already taken their seats at the large table situated in the center, and it’s all eyes on us. “Dad, you know Jax, right?”

“I do,” Anders answers simply, not even looking up at me. He reaches for a large serving dish instead, scooping what looks like chicken and red sauce onto his plate.

“Nice to see you again, sir,” I say politely, following Quinn to a pair of empty seats at the table. She takes the one beside her father and I sink down next to her. “The food smells great, Quinn tells me you’re an excellent cook.”

Anders grunts, passing the serving dish to Quinn. When it becomes apparent that he’s not going to respond, she speaks up instead. “It’s true. I’ve been missing your cooking.”

“Enough to come back home?” Anders grumbles.

Quinn sighs, dishing some chicken onto her plate before passing the platter to me. “You know I can’t do that. I’m doing important work up at the squad complex…”

Anders’ eyes flicker between me and Quinn. “I can see that.”

She blows out a breath, her head tipping back in annoyance. “C’mon, Dad, don’t be like this. I like working with IT, and I like training with the squad. I finally feel useful, I’m doing a lot more good there than I was slinging beers at the brewery all summer. And I like Jax a lot, so can you at leasttryto be nice to him?”

Anders looks taken aback by Quinn’s blunt honesty; I get the feeling that she doesn’t go toe to toe with him often. It’s not like he can argue with her, though- not with the state of six-pack security at the moment. Given the shadow pack’s movements toward Denver, security is of the utmost importance.

I pass the platter of food to Theo, exchanging glances with him as an awkward silence falls over the dinner table.

“Quinn’s doing great up at the complex, Dad, you should see her in action,” Theo speaks up, scooping chicken onto Brooke’s plate first, then his own. “She’s been impressing everyone in the IT unit and she’s a hell of a fighter, too.” He sets the platter down in the center of the table, his eyes flickering to me. “And as far Jax, he’s gonna do right by Quinn, or he has me to answer to.”

A smirk spreads across Theo’s lips and I can’t help but crack a smile in response. Despite all that’s happened, the guy still has my back. It’s like things with him are already back to normal.

“Then we won’t have any problems,” Anders barks, shoving a forkful of chicken into his mouth.

“No sir,” I agree. I reach for Quinn’s hand under the table and clasp it in my own, giving it a little squeeze as I gaze at her adoringly. “No problems at all.”

Quinn smiles back at me, and Anders doesn’t say anything else about it- so I guess I passed the dad test. We all dig into the chicken cacciatore, and Quinn wasn’t lying, it’s incredible. I barely come up for air between bites, taking down a plateful and going in for seconds. Anders and Theo casually chat about some pack business, most of it revolving around the fact that the pack’s beta is moving into the packhouse with his mate next week. Apparently the prior beta broke tradition and didn’t reside at the packhouse. Then the conversation turns to the upcoming full moon run and I swallow the bite of chicken in my mouth, ready to seize my opening.

“I’d like to join your pack for the run on Monday, if you’ll have me,” I say, turning to Anders.

His brows shoot up in surprise. “Is that so? Don’t you have an obligation to run with your own pack?”

“I do,” I nod. “But I’m sure they wouldn’t miss me for one run. I’ll talk it over with my dad first, of course, to be sure.”

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