The unlikely bond

Chaper nine

Amelia's POV
The soft morning light crept through the cracks of the cabin's wooden shutters, painting streaks of gold on the floor. Amelia lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, her mind replaying the events of the night before over and over. Her body still hummed with the memory of Jax's touch, the warmth of his skin against hers, the intensity of his gaze when he kissed her.

She shifted under the covers, her mind a tangled mess of emotions. What had happened on the beach between them-it wasn't supposed to happen. It was reckless, dangerous. Jax was her captor. The man who had torn her from her life, who had made her question everything she thought she knew. He was supposed to be her enemy. But lying here now, all she could think about was him. His hands, his lips, the way he had looked at her like she was the only thing in the world that mattered.

There was a contradiction swirling inside her, pulling her in opposite directions. She should regret it. She should hate herself for allowing it to happen. But she didn't. Instead, she felt... alive. For the first time since her kidnapping, there was no fear, no anger. Just the memory of him, and the strange, undeniable connection they now shared.

A part of her knew this was insane. She shouldn't want more. She should be plotting her escape, figuring out how to get away from him and back to her life. But instead, all she could think about was the way he made her feel. She wanted to hate him, but every time she closed her eyes, she could still feel the way his lips had moved against hers, the way he had held her like he was afraid to let go.

It didn't make sense, but she wanted more.

Amelia sat up, pulling the blanket around her as if it could somehow shield her from the confusion raging inside. What did this mean? What did any of it mean? She had spent so much time resenting him, blaming him for the chaos that had overtaken her life. But now, after that night on the beach, something had shifted.

She felt drawn to him in a way that defied logic. It wasn't just physical. There was something else, something deeper. Jax was broken, just like she was. And in that brokenness, she had found a strange kind of comfort. They were both trapped by their pasts, both shaped by forces they couldn't control. And somehow, in the midst of all the chaos, they had found each other.

But what now? What would happen next?

Amelia didn't have the answers. But she knew one thing for sure: she didn't regret what had happened between them. Not even a little.

Jax's POV
Jax sat on the edge of the bed, staring out of the cabin window as the first light of day seeped through the trees. His thoughts were a jumbled mess, his body still buzzing with the aftershocks of last night. He had kissed her. He had let himself cross that line-one he'd never intended to cross.

He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated with himself, but unable to shake the memory of her lips against his. He could still feel her warmth, the way she had responded to him, the way she had looked at him with something other than fear in her eyes. He had expected her to resist, to pull away, but she hadn't. Instead, she had kissed him back, and the intensity of that moment had caught him off guard.

Jax knew this was dangerous. He shouldn't have let it happen. Amelia was the daughter of the man who had destroyed his life, the key to his revenge. But the more time he spent with her, the harder it was to see her that way. She wasn't just a pawn in his game anymore. She was something else. Something more.

And that scared the hell out of him.

He had spent years building walls around himself, keeping everyone at arm's length. He didn't need anyone, didn't want anyone. But Amelia had slipped through the cracks, and now he couldn't get her out of his head. He could still see the way she had looked at him on the beach, her eyes full of questions and contradictions, just like his own.