Jax's Little Obsession

Chapter 32

Maya’s Pov

The air in the garage was warm, smelling of motor oil and hot coffee. Jax stood beside me by the workbench, leaning against the edge with a quiet, intense look in his eyes. He had been acting strange all evening, pacing back and forth and running his hands through his dark hair like he was trying to find the courage to say something difficult. 

I stopped tightening the bolt on the engine block and looked up at him, wiping my greasy hands on a rag.

"Alright, spit it out," I said, offering a small, teasing smile. "You look like you're about to confess to a crime."

Jax let out a short, breathy laugh, shifting his weight. He opened his mouth, the words clearly sitting right on the tip of his tongue. He was about to tell me that he wanted us to stop hiding, that he wanted our secret relationship to become real, to mean something permanent. I could see the sincerity written all over his face.

Before he could speak, the heavy metal door of the workshop creaked open, breaking the quiet.

"Well, well, well," a smooth, arrogant voice echoed off the concrete walls.

I spun around to see Dakota walking into the garage, his hands buried deep in his jacket pockets, wearing that annoying, mocking smirk he always wore. My stomach instantly dropped. What was he doing here?

Jax’s entire body went rigid. The softness in his expression vanished in a millisecond, replaced by a dark, lethal fury. He pushed off the workbench so fast the metal screech against the floor.

"Get out," Jax said, his voice dropping into a low, dangerous growl that made the hair on my arms stand up.

Dakota didn't look scared at all. He just chuckled, strolling further into the garage as if he owned the place. He glanced at me, then back at Jax, his eyes full of malicious amusement.

"Relax, Worth," Dakota said smoothly, waving a hand dismissively. "I just came to check on our little engineering star. Though I have to wonder, Maya, do you actually know what you're getting into? Has he told you his track record? Jax doesn't do serious. He never has. You're just another shiny new toy he'll get bored of and throw away by next month."

The words hit the room like a physical blow. Before I could even process the insult, Jax lunged forward.

He crossed the distance between them in a single stride, grabbing Dakota by the collar of his jacket and slamming him hard against the metal shelves. Tools rattled and crashed to the floor around them. Dakota’s smirk vanished instantly, replaced by wide-eyed panic as Jax’s fist pulled back, ready to shatter his face.

"Jax, stop!" I shouted, dropping my rag and rushing over. I grabbed Jax’s arm with both hands, pulling back with all my strength. "Don't do it! He's not worth it!"

Jax froze, his chest heaving heavily as he glared down at Dakota. The dark fury in his eyes was terrifying. For a second, I thought he was going to hit him anyway. But slowly, hearing my voice pleading with him, the tension in his muscles eased just a fraction. He let go of Dakota’s jacket, shoving him back with a look of pure disgust.

"Get out of my sight before I forget myself," Jax hissed.

Dakota stumbled back, coughing and straightening his jacket with trembling fingers. He shot one last venomous look at both of us before turning around and hurrying out the door, letting it slam shut behind him.

The garage fell completely silent again, save for the heavy sound of Jax breathing. He stood there with his fists balled tightly at his sides, his jaw clenched so hard a muscle jumped in his cheek.

"I shouldn't have let him walk out," Jax muttered, his voice shaking with suppressed rage.

"You did the right thing," I said softly, stepping closer and resting a hand on his arm. "Don't let him get inside your head, Jax."

Jax turned his head slowly to look at me, the anger in his eyes slowly melting away into something vulnerable and raw. He looked exhausted. He reached up, his fingers gently brushing against my cheek, his touch hesitant.

"Did what he said... did it change anything?" Jax asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "Do you think I'm just playing games with you?"

I looked deep into his dark eyes, shaking my head slowly. "No. I know you're not playing, Jax. But what he said... it's still terrifying."

"Why?" he asked, stepping closer.

"Because I'm scared," I admitted, the confession slipping out before I could stop it. My voice shook slightly. "I'm scared of becoming completely dependent on you. I've spent my whole life relying only on myself. If I let myself lean on you like this, and you leave... I won't survive it."

Jax stared down at me, his expression softening completely. He didn't offer a arrogant smirk or tell me to toughen up. He just looked at me like I was the only thing that mattered in the entire world.

"You don't have to depend on me, Maya," Jax whispered, his thumb softly stroking my skin. "You can simply choose me."

The words echoed in my mind, wrapping around my heart like a warm blanket. He wasn't demanding me. He wasn't claiming me as property or trying to trap me in his wealthy world. He was giving me a choice. Every single day, he was letting me decide if I wanted to stay.

I swallowed hard, feeling a lump rise in my throat as the emotional weight of what he said settled over us. I didn't say anything out loud, but as I looked up into his face, I knew my answer.

Jax leaned in slowly, his lips brushing against my forehead, holding me close in the quiet garage as the night wrapped around us. We stayed like that for a long time, neither of us speaking, letting the heavy tension fade into something quiet and real.

When it was finally time to leave, Jax drove me back to my dorm in silence. The city lights blurred past us outside the window, casting long, sliding shadows across the dashboard. He pulled up to the curb near the entrance of my building and cut the engine.

I reached for the door handle, but before I could push it open, Jax’s hand covered mine, stopping me completely.

I turned to look at him, my heart doing a familiar, nervous flip in my chest.

"Maya," Jax said, his voice low, steady, and entirely serious as he looked straight into my eyes. "Tomorrow night, come to the estate. We're done hiding in the shadows."