Page 90 of Saved By Two

“No, little one, I’m good. Are you sure you’re okay to make it?”

She gives a firm nod, and I lean down and give her a slow kiss. I feel her tense, but just as quickly, she relaxes and kisses me back before pulling away, her cheeks heating.

Elliot clears his throat, and I sit on the opposite sofa. His eyes dart to Jessica’s retreating form before coming back to meet mine.

“It’s new, and before you start, we haven’t taken advantage of her if that’s what you’re thinking.”

He holds up his hands. “I never said you did.” Tilting his head, he studies me for a beat.

“You care about her, don’t you?”

I’m unsure if it’s rhetorical or if he’s looking for a response, but I find myself giving him one anyway.

“Of course, I do. I don’t make a habit of public displays of affection with someone I don’t.”

His smile is a little lopsided, endearing. “I can see that. You look at her the same way you look at Noah.”

With that, I raise an eyebrow. “Which is?”

“Like you would burn the world to the ground and anyone who gets in your way to protect her.”

My heart skips a beat because, yeah, he’s not wrong.

“It’s what we do for the ones we love, right?”

His focus returns to his laptop. “It sure is.”

I sense Noah before I see him rounding the banister of the stairs, the other guys on his heels. He walks over to me and squeezes my shoulder. I peer up as he lowers his face to mine, giving me a quick kiss before straightening and focusing on Elliot.

River moves to the empty seat beside him, their thighs touching as he looks at the laptop.

Jessica walks back in and pauses when she sees everyone back in the living room. Her shoulders pull inwards, and I fucking hate it.

She clears her throat. “Do you take sugar in your coffee and tea?” she asks, her eyes darting to the guys.

They all shake their head, say no thank you, and then she hurries back into the kitchen.

“She looks spooked,” Jax comments, taking one of the free armchairs. “Not that I can blame her.”

“It’s why I plan on taking the cunt out,” I say, moving to my feet and pacing.

Noah grabs my wrist. “Don’t you think I want to kill the bastard, too? But what about Jessica? Have you thought of how it will affect her—"

“How willwhataffect me?” she asks, returning on the tail end of the conversation with a tray in her hands, the cups clinking as her arms tremble, probably still from the adrenaline of everything that’s happened.

Noah is in front of her in three long strides where he takes the tray from her hands and puts it on the small coffee table.

She rolls her eyes and moves past him to hand out the mugs.

Pride fills me. That’s our girl.

Noah takes his coffee and kisses her temple as she wraps her hands around her mug, and I hold out my hand for her to come to me. She moves without missing a beat, and I pull her onto my thigh. She leans into me. Noah stands on her other side. The need to protect her and guard her is our sole priority. The fact he was in our home while I let my guard down fills me with guilt and shame.

“You didn’t answer me,” she says, eyes rimmed red.

I let out a sigh and run my fingers through my hair.

“That I want to take the bastard out.”

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