Page 94 of Undisputed Player
Jax held his gaze a moment longer, those glacial eyes promising things that made my stomach clench. Then he released him with a shove, sending him tumbling against the pavement, turning just enough that the silver gun’s outline at his back caught the light again.
“Now get the fuck out of here before I decide to make an example out of you.”
They didn’t wait for another word. Both men stumbled back, tripping over themselves as they hurried to the SUV. They didn’t dare look back.
Jax watched them go, his eyes still hard, his body coiled and ready for violence.
I just stared at him. At the way the danger still clung to him, and at the way his eyes softened only when he turned to me. The predator melted away, replaced by gentle concern.
“You okay?” he asked, his voice soft, tender.
I nodded, my knees weak. I’d spent so long being the dam between Leo and the world that I had no idea what it felt like to have someone step in for me. To have someone bigger, stronger, and so completely on my side.
For a second, I thought I’d cry, not from fear, but from the flood of relief sinking into my bones.
Jax pulled me against his chest, his fingers threading through my hair. “You never have to deal with that shit alone again, Estelle. Not as long as I’m here.”
For the first time in years, I let myself rest. I believed him.
He guided me into the apartment, his hand at the small of my back. “Stay inside, princess.”
His eyes scanned the room, predatory and alert, before he stepped in after me. I stared at him, my heart hammering against my ribs, still reeling from the confrontation outside, from the cold, lethal precision with which he'd handled those men.
But my eyes also flicked to the Bentley idling at the curb, my heart pounding in my chest as I moved to push past Jax to get Leo.
“Leo’s locked in the car,” he murmured, his hand catching my hip, fingers splaying possessively. “He's fine. The Bentley's a tank, no one's getting near him. I'll bring him in a second. I just want you safe first.”
I nodded, swallowing hard against the sudden tightness in my throat. I was used to being Leo’s protector. Now Jax was here, an Easton, famous, rich, and terrifying when he wanted to be, putting himself between us and danger without hesitation. It was overwhelming to realize I wasn't alone anymore.
“I’ll put a bullet in anyone who gets too close,” he promised quietly, the casual violence spreading through me.
My breath hitched, and he saw it. He saw the way my gaze dropped to his waistband, where steel gleamed.
“Curious, princess?” He palmed the gun behind him, fluid as a predator, and flexed it over his side. It wasn’t a threat. “You want to know what I’ll do for you? For Leo?”
I probably should’ve stepped back. But I stepped closer, drawn by the silver danger radiating through him. The gun’s cold surface reflected our fractured images—his golden god composure, my unraveling mind.
“You’re not a bodyguard,” I whispered.
“No.” He caged me against the counter, bracing his hands on either side of my body. “I’m the man who’ll carve my name into anyone who breathes near you.” His knee nudged mine apart, heat melting through my jeans. “The man who’ll enjoy it, too.”
Somewhere in my brain, logic screamed this was madness. But his scent, hisdanger, drowned it out. My fingers found his wrist, tracing the pulse thundering against his skin. It was fast but steady. This lethal god had a heartbeat that raced for me.
“I—”
He silenced me with a press of his thumb to my lips, and I immediately shut my mouth. “Don’t.” The word vibrated with barely leashed hunger. “Don’t pretend you don’t like this.”
His hips pinned mine, the gun forgotten as his mouth hovered a breath from mine. “I’ll kill anyone for you. But tonight?” His teeth grazed my earlobe. “I’m just a man. Your man.”
The possessiveness in his voice, the absolute certainty, made something deep inside me clench with need. He was mine. This dangerous, beautiful man was mine, and he’d do the unthinkable for me.
His eyes lingered on my face, searching, before he released me and headed for the door. "I'll get Leo."
I moved to the window, peeking through the blinds to watch him. My gaze dropped to his waistband again, to the weapon tucked against his spine. In fascination, maybe? A strange, heated curiosity at the idea of Jax carrying something so intimately dangerous, for me.
When he returned with Leo in his arms, the danger melted away again, replaced by gentle strength. Leo's arms were wrapped around Jax's neck, trusting and unafraid.
"Did you see how fast Jax's car is?" Leo asked me excitedly as Jax set him down. "It's like a spaceship!"
