Jax's Little Obsession

Chapter 27

Maya’s Pov

The gymnasium was loud, packed with shouting students and flashing lights. Ava grabbed my arm, dragging me toward the front row of the bleachers.

"Come on, Maya! The game is about to start, and if we don't grab these seats, we'll be stuck behind the band." I laughed, letting her pull me into the noisy crowd. I didn't care much for basketball, but after weeks of stressing over blueprints and Worth family drama, sitting in a crowded gym eating popcorn felt surprisingly good.

Saige spotted us from the court during warm-ups. He bounced his basketball, flashed a quick, bright grin, and gave a small nod. I smiled back, feeling my shoulders finally relax. When the whistle blew and the game started, I actually found myself getting into it. Saige was fast, smart, and played with a fierce energy that kept the crowd on their feet.

Halfway through the second quarter, a strange shift in the air made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. The gym was too loud for anyone to notice small details, but something drew my eyes away from the court. I looked up toward the upper entrance near the VIP doors.

My breath caught in my throat.

Jax was standing there. He was dressed in a dark wool coat, leaning against a concrete pillar with his arms crossed over his chest. He didn't look like a spectator cheering for a school team. He looked like an apex predator watching his territory. The moment our eyes locked across the distance, my stomach flipped. I hadn't told him I was coming here. He had no business being at a university basketball game. Yet, somehow, he had found me.

My heart started hammering against my ribs, not from the game, but from the sheer, suffocating intensity of his stare. I quickly looked back down at the court, trying to pretend I hadn't seen him, but I could feel the weight of his dark gaze burning into the side of my face for the rest of the game.

When the final buzzer sounded, signaling Saige’s team winning by a narrow margin, the crowd erupted into cheers. Ava jumped up and down, clapping wildly. I stood up too, but my eyes immediately drifted back to the pillar. It was empty. Jax was gone.

"That was amazing!" Ava shouted over the noise, tugging on my sleeve. "Let's go say hi to Saige before we head out."

We pushed our way through the excited students down to the court edge. Saige was wiping sweat from his forehead with a towel, breathing heavily, but his face lit up when he saw us.

"Glad you made it," Saige said, looking directly at me with a soft, genuine smile. "Thanks for coming, Maya. It meant a lot."

"Of course," I replied, offering a small smile. "You played a really good game. Though your defensive footwork in the third quarter still needs some work."

Saige laughed, tossing his towel over his shoulder. "I'll make sure to practice that. Let me walk you out."

As we walked across the courtyard toward the parking lot, the crisp night air felt good against my skin. But the relief didn't last long. Parked right near the exit was the unmistakable sleek black car. And leaning against the passenger door, waiting in the shadows, was Jax.

Saige stopped walking, his body going rigid the second he saw him. I felt the tension spike instantly, thick enough to cut with a knife.

"I can walk you the rest of the way," Saige said quietly, his eyes fixed on Jax.

"It's fine, Saige," I whispered, turning to him. "I'll handle this. Thanks for the game tonight."

Saige hesitated, his jaw tight, but he finally nodded. "See you Monday, Maya."

I walked over to the black car, my boots clicking loudly against the pavement. Jax didn't say a word as I approached. He pushed off the door, opened the passenger side for me, and waited until I climbed inside. The moment the door clicked shut and he slid into the driver's seat, the engine roared to life. We drove out of the campus in total silence, the heavy tension filling every inch of the cabin.

I stared out the window at the dark buildings flashing past, my patience finally snapping. "Are you going to stare at the road like a ghost, or are you going to tell me why you stalked me to a basketball game?"

Jax kept his eyes locked on the dark asphalt ahead, his hands gripping the steering wheel so tight his knuckles turned white. "I didn't stalk you."

"You were standing in the shadows watching me," I shot back, turning in my seat to face him. "You look miserable, Jax. What is your problem?"

"My problem," Jax said, his voice dropping into a low, dangerous growl as he pulled the car over to the side of a quiet, empty street and cut the engine, "is watching another man make you smile."

I stared at him, my breath catching in my throat. The raw honesty in his voice hit me harder than any insult could have. "You're jealous."

Jax turned his head slowly, his dark eyes burning into mine with a fierce, possessive intensity that made my pulse race. "Yes," he admitted, without a single second of hesitation. "I am."

A nervous thrill fluttered in my chest, mixed with sheer disbelief. "And what do you intend to do about it?"

Jax held my gaze, his chest rising and falling heavily. A slow, dangerous sort of focus settled over his features.

"I haven't decided yet," he whispered.

Before I could process his words, Jax unbuckled his seatbelt and shifted toward me. The space in the car suddenly felt suffocatingly small. He reached out, his warm fingers wrapping gently around the back of my neck, tilting my face up toward his. Every instinct told me to pull away, to put my defenses back up, to remind him of the rules. But I couldn't move. I was completely frozen under the heat of his gaze.

When his lips met mine, the breath rushed out of my lungs.

This kiss wasn't like the first frantic, confused collision in the study. It was deliberate, confident, and deeply burning. His lips moved against mine with a slow, assured pressure that demanded everything I had. He gave me space—just a fraction of an inch—letting me pull back if I wanted to, leaving the choice entirely in my hands.

My heart hammered wildly against my ribs. I didn't pull away. Instead, my hands reached up, my fingers gripping the lapel of his jacket as I kissed him back, letting all my walls crumble into dust.

The first kiss had been an accident of circumstance. This one proved it was anything but.