Page 6 of Jax & Knox

"She's not a package," I snap.

"Oh, he's defensive." Tessa appears out of nowhere, sliding onto a barstool with a glass of wine in hand. She's got that manic energy she always has after a rescue mission. "This is gonna be fun."

"Tessa," I warn.

"What? I'm just saying." She takes a sip, eyes sparkling with mischief. "You two have been circling that backroom like sharks since we got back."

"We're not circling," Knox mutters.

"You really are," Lucy adds, appearing next to Tessa. She's softer, gentler, but there's a knowing look in her eyes. "She's sweet. And scared. And she needs people who aren't going to push her."

"We're not pushing," I say.

"Yet," Tessa adds with a grin.

I glare at her. She just laughs.

"Look," Lucy says, her voice dropping into that calm, nurse-mode tone she uses when she's trying to talk sense into someone. "She's been through hell. You saw the bruises. You saw the way she flinched when you got too close. Whatever she's running from, it's bad. So if you two are serious about this⁠⁠—"

“We are," Knox says. His voice is flat, final. No room for argument.

Lucy nods. “Then you need to be patient. She's not going to trust you overnight.”

"We know," I say.

"Do you?" Tessa leans forward, her expression sharpening. "Because I've seen you two operate, Jax. You're the smooth talker. You charm your way into a woman's bed and then you're gone by morning. Knox is the quiet one who fucks hard and disappears. So what makes you think you can do it now? She doesn't need two assholes making it worse."

Her words hit harder than I expect. Because she's right. I don't do commitment. I don't do relationships. I do fun. I do easy. I do women who know the score and don't expect more than a good time.

But Ainsley…

The second I saw her gripping that tire iron, something shifted inside me. I don't have a better word for it. My chest tightened. My hands itched to touch her, to pull her close, to tell her she didn't have to be scared anymore.

"I don't know," I admit quietly. "But I'm not walking away."

Knox grunts in agreement.

Tessa studies us for a long moment, then nods. "Good. Because if you hurt her, I'll cut your dicks off and feed them to the dogs."

"Noted," I say dryly.

She points at me with her wine glass. "I'm serious."

"We're not going to hurt her," Knox says.

Tessa takes another sip, then stands. "Come on, Lucy. Let's go check on her."

Lucy follows, and the two of them disappear down the hallway toward the backrooms.

The second they're gone, Steele lets out a low whistle. "Man, you two are in deep."

"Shut up," I mutter.

"Seriously though," Cole says, leaning against the bar. "What's the plan? You gonna share her?"

The question hangs in the air for a second. It's not the first time Knox and I have shared a woman. We've done it before, plenty of times. It's easy. Fun. No strings, no complications.

But this…