Page 119 of Hide and Seek
“He needs you more than you need to kill them,” Jace says, his words penetrating my rage and slowly dispelling it. “And dead men can’t tell us what the fuck they thought they were doing when they pulled this stunt.”
I give him a quick nod to let him know I got the message and use the mechanism on the knife to sheath the blade again. When the knife is back in my pocket, I stride toward Myles and Killian.
Myles throws himself into my arms, and I hold him tight as the last of my rage leaves in a rush and is replaced by a sense of rightness and coming home.
26
MYLES
The moment Jaxwraps me up in his strong arms is when I finally feel like I can breathe again. It’s done, it’s over, and he’s safe.
Everyone is safe.
Well, the asshats who abducted me aren’t, but everyone who matters is.
I can hear Jace and Killian dispersing whatever crowd has gathered around us, but I ignore everyone as I sink into the comfort of Jax’s hug.
“I love you,” I whisper in his ear.
He stiffens, but I just kiss his neck and hold him tighter.
“I know you can’t say it back, but I don’t care,” I tell him, my voice shaking with emotion under my whispered words. “All I could think while I was hiding from them was that I could die without telling you how I feel, and I refuse to hold it in anymore because not telling you is so much scarier than actually saying it.”
Jax doesn’t say anything, but the way he tightens his hold on me to the point one of my ribs cracks and pulls in a long, deep breath, like he’s breathing me in and trying to memorize myscent, tells me that he heard me, and he understands what I was trying to say.
“You’d better get him out of here,” Xave says as he comes up to us. “We’ll handle the cleanup and get the answers we need.”
Jax slowly lets me go and tucks me against his side, his arm wrapped tightly around my shoulders.
Xave slips a set of keys in Jax’s pocket and gives me a crooked grin. “You did good back there, kid,” he says and holds my knife out to me.
I take the folded blade, a weird flush creeping over my cheeks.
It feels weird to be proud of stabbing someone, but I am. I did what Jax told me, and I’m still standing while that asshole is bleeding on the ground.
My stomach clenches as the reality that I might have killed him hits, but before I can look back to see if he’s still breathing, Jax leads me away from the carnage.
We stop in front of a sleek black and red Bugatti Chiron that’s parked close to where everything went down. Jax brings me to the passenger side and pulls open the butterfly door so it slides up and I can climb in.
The inside of the car is just as impressive as the outside, with big bucket seats and custom leather interior, and I can feel more of the tension leaving me as Jax slides into the driver’s seat and starts the car. The inside lights up with what I’m assuming is a custom light kit, but Jax turns them off with the push of a button.
He doesn’t say anything as he puts the car in gear and pulls away from the curb.
I’m expecting him to turn right and head toward Boone House when we reach the first intersection, but he takes a left toward Hamilton House.
The drive is silent, but not uncomfortable, and I’m actually relaxed when he pulls into the lot behind the dorm.
Once we’re both out of the car, Jax takes my hand and leads me to the back entrance and right to the rear elevator. We don’t say anything as we wait for it but given how Jax is holding my hand so tightly my fingers are starting to go numb, I know his silence doesn’t mean he’s indifferent to what happened.
When we’re finally in his room, Jax hauls me against him and gives me another bone-crushing hug.
I sink into it and soak up the comfort he’s offering me.
“I think I love you too,” he says, and it’s the first time I’ve ever heard him sound unsure of himself. “And if what I’m feeling isn’t love, then it’s the closest to it that Icanfeel.” He blows out a breath and lifts his head so he can look at me. “You’re not just mine, Myles. You’re a part of me. You’re the piece I didn’t know was missing.”
I swallow the lump in my throat and offer him a wobbly smile. “For someone who can’t feel emotions the same way as me, that was the sweetest and most meaningful thing you could have said.”
His kiss is soft and sweet and so full of affection and promise that my knees go weak and my head spins from all the good feels flooding me.
