Page 107 of Beneath the Hood

I bat her hand away, laughing, my eyes glancing to the dashboard clock, anxious to say goodbye and head to where I’m needed.

“Yeah, yeah,” Lee says. “I see you starin’ at the clock. I’ll leave. But you gotta answer my phone when I call, okay? And call Becca too, she misses you.”

I nod.

“Promise me, Jax.” She sticks out her pinky finger.

I loop mine with it and swallow. “I promise.”

Opening the door and stepping onto the sidewalk, she looks back, smirking. “Here’s to goodbyes, so we appreciate the hellos.”

“You’re never gonna let me forget I said that are you?” I chuckle.

She shrugs. “It’s a good line.”

“Be safe, sweetheart.”

She smiles and when she closes the door and walks away, it feels like we also closed a chapter. Moved into a new space where I don’t long for her the way I once did—where we can love and support each other the way we were always meant to.

I wait until she’s inside the building before I leave, shifting onto the road and hoping Blakely will be okay until I get to her.

When I pull up to her estate, I see a hunched form curled against the outside of the gates and realize it’s her.

My stomach somersaults, wondering what the hell could have happened from the time I was here until now. It’s only been a few hours. I move to put the car in park and grab her, but her tear-stained face looks right at me and she hops up, running to my car. Black smudges contrast against the pale skin of her face. She throws herself across the center console, wrapping her upper body around me.

“Princess, what happened?”

She sniffles, her body trembling in my arms. Cradling her to my chest tighter, my hand brushes down the back of her head.

“Kayla told Sierra about us,” she whispers. “It was bad.”

My stomach jumps at her words, but hope swells inside of me. I didn’t even realize Kayla knew, so the fact she did tells me that maybe Blakely is more open to going public than I originally thought.

And if Sierra knows... then the only person left to tackle is her father.

But now isn’t the time to focus on that, so I push it to the back of my mind and hold her tight. She falls apart in my arms, like she was waiting for me to show up so she could, and I catch all of her pieces, waiting until she gets through the worst of it to drive home and help put her back together.

When the worst of it has subsided, she moves back into her own seat. I keep her hand locked with mine while I shift gears, letting the nighttime air flow in from the windows, hoping the wind will help calm her thoughts.

Her body still trembles as we walk to my front door and concern snakes up my spine. I grab her before we move inside, drawing her into my chest and bringing my lips to hers for a chaste kiss. She grabs my shirt and wrenches me closer, her tongue diving into my mouth.

I give in, my hands reaching around her and gripping tight, showing her that she can use me for whatever she needs.

“Thank you,” she whispers against me.

Leaning back, I kiss the tip of her nose. “Nothing to thank me for, princess.”

We go inside and I draw a bath in the clawfoot tub, wanting to give her some way to try and relax—quiet her mind.

She slips out of her clothes and submerges her body under the bubbly water as I light the candles I keep on the shelves just for her.

“This is always so nice,” she croons. “Why don’t I ever take baths at home?”

“Never too late to start.” I move to sit next to her, dipping my hand in the water and swirling my fingers around.

“Are you gonna get in with me?” Her eyebrow quirks.

I smile. “I thought you’d never ask.”