Page 27 of Jax

“Not bad thanks,” she said, her cheeks hot. “You?”

He scratched his chin. “Not bad.” He cleared his throat. “Anyway, I have a surprise for you today.”

Mia raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Oh yeah? What kind of surprise?"

"Pack your bags." Jax grinned, unable to contain his excitement. "We're going on a literary road trip to Bloomington, Indiana!"

"Seriously?" Mia asked, surprised by the sudden suggestion. Her heart raced at the thought of exploring new places together.

"Yep! I've been there before, and I know you'll love it," Jax assured her, his eyes lighting up. "There's this incredible bookstore I want to show you, and I promise to buy you plenty of snacks for the road trip."

"Sounds amazing," Mia admitted, her excitement growing. The image of Jax looking so happy and carefree, combined with the prospect of a road trip adventure, made her pulse quicken.

"Trust me, it will be." Jax moved into the kitchen, his fingers brushing against Mia's shoulder as he passed. She shivered at the contact, keenly aware of their proximity and the lingering tension between them.

"Thank you, Jax," Mia whispered, her voice heavy with emotion.

Jax paused, his gaze intense as it met hers. “I just want to make sure you're taken care of, Mia. And not just in the Daddy Dom sense. I . . . I care about you."

Mia smiled. “Well, snap. I guess I care about you, too.”

Jax looked as though he was about to say something else, but then he nodded, turned, and padded off to the bedroom to get dressed.

Chapter ten

Jax

“Ican’t believe youbought me so many snacks for a one-hour road trip,” said Mia, laughing, as Jax parked the car.

It was so, so good to see her looking so much happier and healthier than when he’d rescued her from the strip club. She already had brighter eyes and a less dull complexion. And as for her body . . . well, she was still skinny, but there was a little more meat on her bones now. He planned to keep helping her with that. It was a shame they couldn’t just go out wherever they pleased and put everything on his credit card. He’d have loved to wine and dine her, taking her out for a nice big steak and a good time.

Still, they were in Bloomington, Indiana, and they were going to visit some old-timey bookstore together, which seemed to be enough to get Mia excited.

When the engine cut out, Jax looked at Mia. “Okay,” he said, “here’s the deal. I still have a wad of cash left, enough for us to buy a few books and have a good time. But we gotta go underthe radar. I don’t know who’s out there looking for you and how powerful they are. So, you stick close to me at all times. You do as I say. Got it?”

Mia’s eyes widened. She stopped munching on her corn nuts and nodded. “Yes, sir.”

Jax softened his expression. “You okay, sweetie?”

“Guess I just haven’t seen the Dom side of you come out much yet,” she said, waggling her eyebrows.

“And I haven’t seen the submissive side you come out much yet, sugar,” Jax replied, giving her arm a playful poke.

“Me?” she asked, fluttering her eyelashes. “I’m as submissive as a tiger in the jungle, just waiting for the right Dom to come along and tame me.”

Jax chuckled, feeling a spark of desire between them. He knew they had to keep things low-key, but he couldn’t help but feel a rush of heat at her teasing words. “You better watch out, or I might just have to show you how this Daddy Dom tames his Little one.”

Mia grinned mischievously. “Bring it on, Daddy.”

With a final glance around the parking lot to ensure they were safe, Jax led Mia out of the car. “First thing’s first,” he said. “We head straight to that thrift store and buy ourselves disguises.”

“Ooh, seriously?” asked Mia. “I always wanted to wear a disguise. Wait, are we Bonnie and Clyde now?”

Jax chuckled. “We’re not robbing any banks or shooting anyone.”

“Aw,” joked Mia, pouting. Goddamn, she looked beautiful, with the sunlight glinting in her gorgeous green eyes. As they crossed the road, Mia looked around. “I like it here. Bloomington seems nice.” She took a deep breath. “You can actually see the sky here. The buildings are so low-down. It feels more . . . relaxed here.”

They headed into the thrift store.

---