Jax's Little Obsession

Chapter 26

Saige’s Pov

I bounced the basketball against the hardwood gym floor, listening to the loud, rhythmic thud echo through the empty stadium. Practice had ended ten minutes ago, but I couldn't focus on my drills. My mind was entirely stuck on Maya. Ever since she won that engineering showcase, she had been carrying this heavy, invisible weight on her shoulders. I had seen the way she looked when Jax Worth was anywhere near her—trapped, defensive, but completely electrified. It was like watching someone stand right in the middle of a thunderstorm and pretend they weren't getting soaked.

I liked Maya. I liked her sharp attitude, her brilliant mind, and the way she didn't care about anyone’s last name or bank account. But watching her get pulled deeper into the Worth family orbit felt like watching a train wreck happen in slow motion. Jax Worth wasn't a guy who knew how to share. He was a predator wrapped in an expensive suit, and everyone knew that whatever Jax claimed eventually became his property.

Except Maya wasn't property. She was a storm all by herself.

I wiped the sweat from my forehead with my jersey and walked over to the bleachers where my gym bag was resting. Maya was sitting near the bottom row, quietly sketching out a gear mechanism in her notebook while she waited for me to finish. The gym was dim, lit only by the amber emergency lights and the late afternoon sun cutting through the high windows.

"You've been staring at that same gear ratio for twenty minutes," I said, walking over and tossing a bottle of water toward her lap.

Maya blinked, snapping out of her thoughts as she caught the bottle. She offered me a tired, lopsided smile. "Guess my brain is fried. Engineering midterms are kicking my ass."

"Then take a break," I said, leaning against the bleacher railing above her. "There's a university basketball game this Friday night. Big rivalry match against the state tech team. I want you to be there. In the stands. No textbooks, no blueprints, just yelling and eating junk food."

Maya looked up at me, hesitating. She opened her mouth, probably to make up an excuse about being too busy or needing to get back to the estate, but then she stopped. I saw the exhaustion in her eyes—the quiet, bone-deep tiredness that came from dealing with Worth family drama every single day.

"All right," Maya said softly, a genuine smile finally touching her lips. "I'll come. But only if I get to critique your team's defensive footwork afterward."

"Deal," I laughed, feeling a warm rush of satisfaction in my chest.

I didn't have to look very far to know how dangerous that invitation was. Near the double doors at the far end of the gymnasium, standing completely still in the shadows, was Jax.

I didn't look away. I met his hard stare dead-on, holding his gaze for a long beat before slowly wrapping an arm around the railing next to Maya.

Jax’s jaw clenched so hard I thought it might c***k. He took one sharp step forward, his hands balling into fists at his sides, as if he wanted to storm across the court and rip me away from her.

Maya, who had finally noticed the sudden drop in temperature, turned her head toward the exit. "Did you feel that?" she muttered, shivering slightly. "It's suddenly freezing here."

"Just a draft," I lied smoothly, sitting down on the bench beside her. "Must be the air conditioning acting up."

Friday night arrived faster than I expected. The gym was packed to the absolute rafters, screaming students painting their faces in school colors, the band playing loud, obnoxious fight songs. I played hard, leaving everything out on the court, but every time I drove toward the basket, my eyes instinctively scanned the front row of the bleachers.

And there she was. Maya was sitting with Ava, cheering loudly every time our team scored. But what caught my attention even more was the tall, dark-haired figure sitting just two rows back, half-hidden in the shadows of the VIP section. Jax. He hadn't taken his eyes off Maya the entire game. He looked like a silent guardian angel—or a warden guarding a cell, depending on how you looked at it.

When the final buzzer sounded, signaling our win by three points, the crowd erupted into pure chaos. Students rushed the court, patting me on the back, but my eyes stayed locked on the stands. Maya was laughing, pushing her way through the celebrating mob to meet me near the sidelines.

"You actually didn't trip over your own feet!" Maya shouted over the roar of the crowd as she reached me, her face flushed with excitement.

"Hey, I'll have you know I'm our star player," I grinned, handing her my sweaty towel. "Come on, let's get out of here before the noise gives me a headache."

We walked out of the loud gymnasium and into the cool, quiet night air of the campus courtyard. I walked her all the way to the path leading up to her dorm building, slowing my pace so the night wouldn't end too quickly. I stopped walking near the base of the stone steps, turning to face her. Maya stopped too, looking up at me with those sharp, curious dark eyes.

"Thanks for bringing me out tonight, Saige," she said softly, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I really needed to clear my head."

"Always," I murmured, taking a step closer. The air between us shifted, growing warm and electric. I looked down at her, taking in the way the streetlight caught the curve of her cheek. Everything in me screamed to reach out, to pull her close, to tell her that I was falling for her and that she deserved so much better than the games Jax Worth was playing.

My hand rose slightly, hovering in the air between us. But then I stopped.

I saw the faint shadow of doubt in her eyes. I saw the way her mind was still half-hooked on the man who owned the estate downtown. Maya wasn't ready. If I forced a confession right now, I would only be pushing her into a corner, acting just like the guys who thought they could claim her by force.

I dropped my hand back to my side, forcing a reassuring smile to my face. I needed to be patient. I needed to let her figure out what she wanted on her own terms.

"You should get some sleep," I said gently, keeping my voice steady. "Engineering midterms aren't going to pass themselves."

Maya looked at me for a long moment, a flicker of surprise and gratitude crossing her features. She must have known what I was about to say. "Yeah. You're probably right. Goodnight, Saige."

"Night, Maya," I replied.

I watched her turn and walk up the stone steps, disappearing through the heavy glass doors of her building. I stood there in the quiet courtyard for a long time, the cold wind biting at my skin. When I reached the edge of the parking lot, a sleek black car was parked near the exit, its headlights off, blending seamlessly into the dark. I didn't need to see the license plate to know who was inside. I stopped, staring directly at the tinted windshield of the car where Jax was undoubtedly sitting, watching every single move I made.

I raised my chin, offering a cold, silent challenge into the dark glass.

The passenger window of the car rolled down slowly, revealing Jax’s sharp, unforgiving profile illuminated only by the faint glow of the dashboard. His dark eyes bored into mine with a terrifying, absolute promise of war.

"You're playing a very dangerous game, Higgins," Jax's voice cut across the empty lot, low, smooth, and laced with absolute venom.