Jax's Little Obsession

Chapter 35

Jax’s Pov

The pale morning light filtered through the dusty windows of the workshop's small back office, casting long, quiet shadows across the room. I woke up before Maya, my eyes opening slowly to the sound of her soft, even breathing beside me.

For the first time in my entire life, my first waking thought wasn't a quarterly stock report, a board meeting schedule, or a strategy to acquire a competing firm. My mind was completely quiet, anchored entirely by the weight of her head resting against my shoulder.

I looked down at her, watching the way her dark hair spilled across the blanket and the calm, relaxed expression on her face. The defensive armor she wore around the rest of the world completely vanished when she was asleep. A strange, heavy warmth settled deep inside my chest, pushing away the cold emptiness that had defined my existence for as long as I could remember. I wasn't just obsessed with her anymore. I was genuinely, irreversibly attached to her.

A few minutes later, Maya stirred. She blinked her eyes open, stretching sleepily before freezing as she realized where she was and who she was pressed against. Her cheeks flushed a bright, sudden pink.

"Morning," I murmured, my voice rough from sleep.

"Morning," she muttered back, quickly sitting up and rubbing her eyes. "What time is it?"

"Early enough that we don't care," I replied, a rare, genuine smile pulling at the corners of my mouth.

The morning air felt awkward for a brief second, filled with the newness of waking up together, but it quickly melted away into something sweet and comfortable. I stood up, stretching my stiff muscles, and announced that I was going to make breakfast. Maya stared at me as if I had just announced I was building a rocket ship in the corner.

"You?" she laughed, raising an eyebrow in disbelief as she wrapped a blanket around her shoulders. "Jax Worth, billionaire heir to an empire, is going to cook?"

"How hard can it be?" I muttered, walking into the tiny kitchenette area attached to the back of the workshop.

Ten minutes later, the kitchen smelled faintly of burnt toast and overcooked eggs. I stared down at the smoking skillet in absolute disgust, holding a spatula like it was a dangerous weapon. Maya wandered in, took one look at the blackened pan, and burst out laughing so hard she had to lean against the counter for support.

"Oh, wow," she gasped between giggles, wiping a tear from her eye. "The mighty Calloway heir, defeated by a piece of white bread."

I pointed the spatula right at her, narrowing my eyes. "Keep laughing, mechanic, and I'll fire our estate chef out of pure spite."

Maya laughed louder, shaking her head. "You can't fire the chef for your own terrible cooking skills."

"Watch me," I retorted, though I couldn't keep a straight face. The tension that usually lived in my shoulders was completely gone. The cold, ruthless exterior I wore to face the world felt miles away. In this small, messy kitchen with Maya laughing at my burnt toast, I felt lighter than I ever had in my life.

We ended up eating the salvageable parts of the eggs and drinking black coffee while sitting on the edge of the workbench. The playful teasing slowly faded into a quiet, gentle peace as the morning sun climbed higher into the sky, reminding us that the real world was waiting just outside the metal doors.

We knew we had to head back to campus soon before classes started and our secret double life had to resume. Maya stood up, brushing a few crumbs off her jeans, and walked over to where her jacket was hanging. She slipped it on, but before walking toward the exit, she hesitated. She turned around to face me, her dark eyes searching my face with a quiet, serious intensity.

"Jax?" she asked softly.

"Yeah?" I stepped closer, my hands sliding into my pockets.

"Do you regret it?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "What happened between us last night? Bringing me here, breaking your own rules... do you regret any of it?"

I didn't hesitate for even a single second. The answer had been clear in my mind from the moment I first saw her standing in that hallway.

I crossed the short distance between us, my hands reaching out to gently cup her face, my thumbs brushing against her cheekbones.

"Not for a second," I told her.