Page 18 of Burly and Possessive

Derek slow claps and rolls his eyes. “Nice performance. Come along with me, and I’ll forget this little scene ever happened.”

“No.”

“Leesa,” Derek says, his voice filled with an anger I’ve never heard.

He steps toward me, but Jax moves between us and raises his hand, pushing against Derek’s chest to stop him.

“She said no,” he growls, his voice cold.

Derek glares at him, his mouth opening like he’s about to argue.

Jax doesn’t give him a chance. “Get lost before you end up at the bottom of a ravine,” he says, his voice filled with cold fury. “I know how to make sure no one would ever find you.”

Derek blinks rapidly at the threat and for the first time, he looks scared. He steps back, glancing between Jax and me, his jaw tightening. “This isn’t over,” he mutters, but his voice lacks the confidence it had before.

“Yes, it is,” Jax says, glowering at him.

Derek turns and walks away, his shoes crunching against the gravel. I watch him get into his car and drive off, my chest tight and my hands trembling. When he’s finally out of sight, I let out a shaky breath, the tension draining from my body all at once.

“You okay?” Jax asks, his voice softer now but no less steady.

I nod, but my knees feel weak, and before I realize it, I’m leaning into him. His arms come around me, and I let myself sink into the warmth of his embrace.

“He’s not coming back,” Jax says, his voice low and certain.

I pull back slightly, enough to look up at him. His blue eyes are steady and focused on mine. For a moment, the world falls still, like it’s just the two of us, and I realize how fast I’ve grown to like being here—with Jax, on King Mountain, as part of the community that has welcomed me with open arms.

For the first time in maybe ever, I realize I don’t have to change who I am to belong. Here, I’m enough.

I’ve fallen in love with Jax.

CHAPTER 10

JAX

Just drive away,” I mutter darkly, watching Derek’s car disappear down the road, the bright afternoon sun reflecting on his rear window. My hands are still clenched. If he’d pushed things, if he’d continued trying to force Leesa to leave with him—he would’ve found out the hard way what happens when someone threatens someone I love.

But he didn’t. He’s gone. And Leesa...

Leesa is still here, her hand gripping mine. Her lips are swollen from our kiss, her cheeks flushed pink in the summer heat. She looks nothing like the lost woman I found on the side of the road two weeks ago, mascara streaked down her face, wearing a wedding dress and standing next to a broken-down car.

She looks like she belongs here. With me.

“Everything okay out here?”

I turn and see Mack and his guys standing outside the garage, one of them with a wrench in their hand.

“Yeah, it’s good. He’s not coming back.”

The sun beats down on us in the parking lot of Rebel Autos, but I barely notice the heat. All I can focus on is her face, the way she’s looking at me like I’m everything she’s ever wanted. She’s changed since that first day—grown stronger, more sure of herself. I’ve watched it happen, watched her bloom like the wildflowers that carpet my mountain in spring.

“I meant what I said.” She meets my gaze. “I’m staying. I choose you.”

I cup her face in my hands, needing to be sure. I stare deep into her green eyes, searching for the truth. “This isn’t about him? About what happened with the wedding?”

“No.” She covers my hands with hers. The simple touch sends lights up every atom of my body. “This is about us. About how I feel when I’m with you. How everything makes sense here.”

My chest tightens. I’ve imagined her saying these words, but hearing them—it’s real and scary. Scary because I’ve never opened up to a woman like I want to with her. Sharing who I am, deep down? That’s not something I do with just anyone.

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