Page 110 of Undisputed Player
Jax guided me to one of the sleek armchairs. “Scotch for me. Estelle will have white.”
It seemed like Jax had developed an uncanny ability to anticipate my preferences, my needs, and my desires before I recognized them myself.
Connor poured the drinks, handing them out before returning to the couch. Sierra rejoined him immediately, settling back onto his huge lap that seemed designed for her. His arm wrapped around her tightly, his fingers tracing small patterns over her arm. The gesture was so intimate that it made me feel like I should look away.
“So,” Adrian said, sprawling dramatically across a blush chair. “Estelle. The woman who tamed the Lion.” He grinned at Jax. “Never thought I'd see the day.”
I felt heat rise to my cheeks. “I wouldn't say…”
“Careful,” Jax snapped to Adrian, his hand settling possessively on my knee. “You're on thin ice already.”
I couldn’t believe Jax was holding me so possessively in front of his friends, like I truly belonged to him.
Adrian just laughed, reaching for his beer. “Worth it. You should'veseen his face when he told us about you, Estelle. Like he'd been hit by a truck.”
The line immediately made me remember his run-in with the car, and I winced at the memory. Adrian shot me a weird wink.
Sierra rolled her eyes fondly. “He means well.” She leaned forward, her expression warm. “Jax said you work at Seaside? I've heard a lot about it.”
The conversation flowed more easily after that. Sierra was surprisingly easy to talk to, passionate about books, with none of the condescension I'd expected from someone who’d ensnared a champion. Connor rarely spoke; his eyes tracked Sierra’s every movement, attuned to her in an intense and tender way.
Adrian kept the mood light, telling outrageous stories that had even Leo giggling once he overcame his shyness. Jax remained close beside me, his hand rarely leaving my body—knee, shoulder, nape of my neck. A constant reminder that I was his.
At some point, Toffee emerged from under the coffee table and stalked across the room with regal indifference. Avery gasped in delight, and Adrian’s massive form immediately dropped to his knees.
“Come here, you magnificent beast,” he cooed, wiggling his tattooed fingers. “Adrian brought you treats.”
The cat gave him almost a quizzical look before deliberately walking over to Sierra, leaping into her lap, and settling down with his bottom to Adrian.
“Wow,” Adrian sighed dramatically. “This is betrayal of the highest order."
I stifled a laugh, finding my cheeks hurting from how much I’d been enjoying myself here.
Connor's lips twitched in what might have been a smile. “He knows a predator when he sees one.”
Adrian gasped loudly, “I am NOT a predator,” he protested. “I am a DELIGHT.”
"You're a menace," Jax corrected, but there was affection in it.
The banter continued, but I found myself observing more thanparticipating. The three men were so different, yet clearly bound by something deeper than friendship. There was a shorthand to their communication, inside jokes, and shared glances that spoke of years of history.
Sierra fit so naturally into this world of wealth and power, yet there was nothing artificial about her. She laughed openly, spoke her mind, and seemed completely comfortable in their presence and Connor's possessive embrace.
I wondered if I could ever belong like that. In Jax's world, in his life. The gun night had changed things between us, I felt like. Deepened us in ways I was still processing. But this inner circle of his was something else entirely.
As if sensing my thoughts, Jax's hand found mine, fingers intertwining. “Princess?” he murmured, his lips close to my ear.
I leaned into him, moved by his concern. “Just taking it all in.”
His smile was soothing. “They like you,” he said confidently. “Even Connor, and he hates everyone.”
“I heard that,” Connor rumbled.
Jax just grinned, unrepentant. “Am I wrong?”
Connor's eyes flicked to me, almost warm, then back to Sierra. “You’re not.”
From Connor, I suspected that was high praise indeed.
