Chapter 6
989 Words
Jax muttered under his breath the whole way up the stairs.
Babysitter. Of all the damn assignments. He spent years in vice, dodging bullets in back alleys, building cases that took down empires.
Now he was what? A glorified nanny to a grown man who acted like the world was his playground. It made everything harder.
Sneaking messages to his handler. Planting bugs. Keeping his cover while Nico clung like a second skin. One wrong move and the whole op crumbled.
He reached the double doors to Nico’s room. He paused and knocked once, sharp and professional.
But there was no answer.
Jax pushed the door open anyway. “Nico? You up? Breakfast in ten.”
The room was empty. Bed made, sheets smooth like no one had slept there. Sketchpad closed on the nightstand.
The faint hum of a fan from the attached bathroom, but the door was cracked open.
The was steam gone, light off. No clothes scattered on the floor. No backpack slung over the chair like Nico had mentioned yesterday when he rambled about his online classes.
Jax stepped inside, door clicking shut behind him. “Nico?”
He crossed to the window, pulled the curtain back. Gardens below, empty. Turned to the closet, the doors ajar, rows of hoodies and jeans hanging neat.
His pulse ticked up a notch. Not panic. Just instinct. People didn’t vanish in houses like this without reason.
He headed back toward the door, hand reaching for the knob.
A shadow shifted behind him.
Hands slammed into his shoulders—strong, sudden. Jax’s back hit the wall hard enough to rattle the frame nearby.
Breath knocked out of him for a split second.
It was Nico. Grinning up at him, eyes sparkling with mischief. His body pressed full against Jax’s, one knee wedged between Jax’s legs to keep him pinned.
Hands flat on Jax’s chest now, holding him there with surprising force for someone who looked so soft in the mornings.
“Got you,” Nico said, voice low and breathy. “You’re slow today.”
Jax’s hands came up automatically, gripping Nico’s waist. Not to push away. To steady. “What the hell, Nico?”
Nico laughed softly, the sound vibrating where their chests touched.
“You were leaving without saying hello properly. I heard you coming up the stairs. Hid in the closet. Easy.”
Jax exhaled, adrenaline still buzzing under his skin. Nico’s hair was damp from a shower, smelling like mint and soap.
He was dressed for the day, wearing a loose white shirt, jeans that hugged his hips just right. No shoes yet. His bare feet planted firm on the rug.
“You could’ve just answered the door,” Jax said, trying to sound annoyed. Failing because Nico’s thumbs were tracing slow circles over his collarbones now, slipping under the edge of his shirt.
“Where’s the fun in that?” Nico tilted his head, pout forming.
“I like surprising you. Your face goes all serious and then… soft. Like now.”
Jax’s grip tightened on Nico’s waist without meaning to. “I’m not soft.”
Nico’s smile turned sly. He leaned in closer, nose brushing Jax’s jaw. “Liar. You are with me.”
The words hung there, warm against Jax’s skin. Nico’s hands slid higher, fingers curling at the back of Jax’s neck, pulling him down until their foreheads touched.
“I missed you last night,” Nico whispered. “After you left with Marco. I waited up.”
Jax closed his eyes for a beat. Guilt twisted low in his gut. “You shouldn’t have.”
“Why not?” Nico’s voice dropped lower, breath hot. “You’re the only one who makes the nights quiet in my head.”
Jax opened his eyes. Nico was watching him, wide-eyed but not innocent. There was that sharpness again.
“What do you mean?” Jax asked, voice rougher than he meant.
Nico shrugged one shoulder, but didn’t pull back. “Thoughts get loud sometimes. You make them stop. Like this.”
He pressed his lips to Jax’s throat. Soft at first. Then teeth grazed skin, just enough to sting.
Jax’s breath hitched. His hands slid down to Nico’s hips, holding him there. “Nico. We don’t have time. Breakfast. School.”
Nico hummed against his neck. “School’s online. I can be late. And breakfast can wait.”
One of Nico’s hands slipped under Jax’s shirt, palm flat on his stomach. Fingers traced the line of muscle, slow and deliberate.
Jax caught Nico’s wrist. “Your family’s downstairs.”
Nico looked up, eyes dark now. “They put you on me, didn’t they? Babysitter duty.”
Jax froze. “How do you know that?”
Nico’s smile was small, almost sad. “I hear things. Walls are thin. And Papa talks loud when he thinks I’m asleep.”
Jax’s mind raced. If Nico heard that, what else had he heard? The earpiece? The whispers?
But Nico was already moving again, pressing closer, lips brushing Jax’s ear. “I like it. Means you’re mine all day. Every day.”
Jax turned his head, caught Nico’s mouth in a kiss. Hard. To shut him up. To stop the questions bubbling up.
Nico melted into it, hands fisting Jax’s shirt, body arching against him.
When they broke apart, Nico was breathing fast. “See? Soft.”
Jax rested his forehead against Nico’s. “This is going to get us both in trouble.”
Nico’s fingers tangled in Jax’s hair. “Maybe. But it’s worth it.”
A knock echoed from downstairs. It was someone calling for breakfast.
Nico sighed. “Fine. Let’s go. But later… you stay.”
Jax stepped back. Adjusted his shirt. "No later.”
Nico grabbed his hand again as they headed out and Jax let him.
But the knot in his stomach tightened.
Because Nico wasn’t just clinging.
He was listening.
- Writer
