Evelyn's dream of securing a scholarship to America's top ballet school shattered when her mother was brutally murdered during her teenage years. Determined to make a difference, she became a detective, ready to take on the world. Assigned to invest...
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The last three days had been a storm that refused to slow down. Evelyn's sharp eyes were, as always, inspecting every corner, every detail, but the atmosphere around her had shifted in ways she could not fully name. Riders and sirens greeted her with more warmth than before. Their protectiveness hung in the air like smoke from an untamed fire, restless and suffocating.
Jax's voice rumbled steadily beside her, his words spilling into the open air, but Evelyn barely caught them. Her mind belonged elsewhere. It belonged to Jeremiah. She ached for their long conversations, the late hours when words became confessions and laughter felt like safety. She missed him, truly missed him and the ache of it terrified her. She had begged for space, and he had granted it, yet the longing in her body had grown like hunger left unfed, gnawing at her.
"Earth to Evelyn! I'm not saying this again." Jax's voice cut through her fog, teasing but edged with irritation. A crooked smirk curled on his lips as his eyes caught the distance in hers. He knew. Everyone knew, about her fight with Jeremiah, about the kiss that had turned whispers into wildfire around the MC. Maddox and Titus had already pocketed their winnings from the bet, and though Jax hated losing, he had still been glad for his biker. But now, he saw trouble brewing where romance was promised.
"Sorry. My mind's... full today," she murmured, forcing a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. The cold air pressed around them, crisp and biting. The sun's rays licked at them, it was still winter but came with promises of a spring soon.
"Maybe it's time you face it," Jax said, his voice slipping into that commanding tone he wore whenever his president mask settled over him. Why he felt the need to use it on her, even he couldn't answer. Evelyn narrowed her eyes at him, suspicion flickering like a flame.
"It's not that simple, Jax." She turned from him, boots crunching against the gravel. Jax let out an sigh and followed, his presence pressing against her back like a shadow she couldn't shake.
"What's the problem, doll? It's not like Jeremiah's a bad guy." He stepped in front of her, blocking her view, his broad frame as immovable as a wall. Evelyn clenched her fists, fighting the urge to shove him aside. She knew it was useless, Jax wouldn't budge unless he allowed it.
"For God's sake, Jax, think. I'm here as a detective. I'm holding an investigation. There are rules about people like me and Jeremiah," she snapped, frustration curling in her voice as she sidestepped him. Again, his boots followed, echoing hers. Always close, always heavy, always reminding her how dramatic and reckless he could be.
"Fuck the police. If you and he make it work, this could be home for you. Permanently." The words hit her like a thrown stone. She spun around, eyes narrowing into sharp blades as she pinned him with her glare. Her chest rose with a sharp breath, and anger flared inside her, hot and alive.
"First of all, I am the police. Second, do you really think I'd throw my life away so easily? Do I look like someone that weak to you?" Her voice was tight, each word carved with fire. She turned from him again, jaw set, eyes lifted to the roofline as if searching for something steadier than the chaos inside her. Jax winced inwardly. He had stepped directly on the detective's raw nerve, and now he scrambled for a way to undo the sting.
