Secretly His: A forbidden MC Romance

CHAPTER EIGHT - PROTECTION AND SECRETS

Rico stood at the edge of the booth, watching Dani with a focused expression. She was still, her fingers tracing the rim of her empty glass. Her eyes were distant, her face an unreadable mask. She hadn’t said much since Jax had left the booth, and Rico could tell something was off, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

“I’ll be back soon,” Rico said, his voice steady but with a hint of concern.

Dani didn’t look up immediately, but her eyes flicked toward him before she gave him a small, almost dismissive nod. “Yeah, okay.”

Rico hesitated, studying her for a moment, but there was nothing to be done. She wasn’t one to share if she didn’t want to, so he turned and headed toward the backroom.

---

Backroom of the Clubhouse

The backroom was dimly lit, the faint smell of smoke and grease lingering in the air. When Rico entered, he found Jax standing near the table, fiddling with his phone. The moment Rico stepped inside, Jax looked up, locking eyes with him.

“What’s going on?” Jax asked, his tone casual, though there was a tension in his posture.

Rico didn’t waste time on pleasantries. His tone was firm as he stepped further into the room, making his way toward Jax. “Listen, Jax, I don’t care about what’s going on between you and Dani. But what I do care about is that you protect her.” His voice dropped an octave, serious. “She’s been through enough s**t, and if you hurt her, or let anything happen to her, you’ll answer to me. Got it?”

Jax’s jaw tightened, but there was no anger in his eyes—only understanding. He wasn’t someone who took threats lightly, but he wasn’t about to get into a standoff with Rico, either.

“I don’t want to hurt her,” Jax said, his voice low but steady. “I never did.”

Rico studied him carefully, but there was no sign of deceit. Just the quiet intensity that Jax carried with him. Rico didn’t know all the details—didn’t even know why Dani was so withdrawn tonight—but one thing was clear: he wasn’t going to let anyone—least of all Jax—take advantage of her.

“I’m not asking for a promise you can’t keep, Jax,” Rico continued, his voice still serious. “I’m telling you—protect her. Keep her safe. If you ever let her down, if she’s hurt in any way—I'll make sure you regret it.”

Jax looked at him for a long moment, his face unreadable. He was used to danger, used to the pressure, but this felt different. This was personal.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Jax said, his voice quieter now, but there was an undeniable sincerity in his words. “I’ll protect her, Rico. I swear. I won’t let anyone hurt her.”

Rico didn’t say anything for a moment, his gaze still locked on Jax. It wasn’t enough for him to just hear the words. But at least there was something in Jax’s eyes now—something that made him believe, for the first time in a long while, that Jax was serious.

With a sharp nod, Rico finally spoke again, this time with a little less tension in his voice. “Good. Because if you hurt her—if she ends up back in a position where she has to carry the weight of your mistakes—you won’t have to worry about anyone else. You’ll answer to me.”

Jax met his gaze without flinching, his resolve clear. “I’ve got it covered. You have my word.”

Rico didn’t respond. He gave him one final glance, before turning and heading back out of the room. His footsteps echoed in the hallway, his mind still focused on Dani. Something wasn’t right, but he didn’t know exactly what it was yet.

---

Back to the Booth

Dani’s fingers absently traced the edge of her glass, her mind still lost in the chaos of her thoughts. She could still feel Jax’s words from the past ringing in her ears. She could almost hear his voice, as though he was still sitting beside her, whispering things she had wanted to believe.

But the past couldn’t be undone. She was still angry. Still hurt. And yet... there was still a part of her that had never really let go of him, no matter how much she tried to bury it.

The sound of footsteps pulled her from her thoughts. She didn’t need to look up to know who it was. Jax. She could feel his presence in the air before she saw him, like a storm that had been building.

When he slid into the booth across from her, the air between them thickened. He wasn’t saying anything at first, just watching her, waiting for her to say something. Anything.

But Dani kept her gaze fixed on her empty glass, not meeting his eyes. Her heart was pounding in her chest, but she wasn’t about to let him see how much he still affected her. Not now. Not after everything.

Jax’s voice broke the silence, low and steady. “You okay?”

Dani’s fingers tightened around the glass, a bitter laugh escaping her lips. “Really? You show up after five years and ask me if I’m okay?” She met his gaze now, her eyes cold. “Do you even know what you’ve done?”

Jax winced, as though the words physically hurt. “I know I f****d up. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I just want a chance to—”

“To what, Jax?” Dani cut him off, her voice rising despite herself. “To fix things? To make everything better just because you showed up again?” She shook her head, unable to stop the words from spilling out. “You disappeared without a word, Jax. You left me in the dust, and now, what? You think you can just walk back in and make everything okay? That’s not how it works.”

Jax’s jaw clenched, his eyes dark with regret. He wanted to reach for her, to make her see that he hadn’t wanted to hurt her, but he couldn’t. Not yet. She wasn’t ready to hear it.

“I never wanted to hurt you,” he said, his voice rough. “I didn’t leave because I didn’t care. I left because I thought it was the right thing to do. I thought I was doing you a favor by walking away. But that was my mistake. I know that now.”

Dani's chest tightened, and for a brief moment, she was back in the past, feeling the sting of his absence all over again. The words she had never said, the pain she’d never let anyone see—she felt it all now, flooding back in waves. She had spent years trying to convince herself she was better off without him, that she didn’t need him, that she was stronger. But hearing him say he made a mistake… it shattered something inside her.

“I don’t need you to explain yourself, Jax,” she said, her voice low and controlled. “I don’t need you to apologize. I’m not some fragile thing you can just fix.”

Jax’s eyes softened, but he didn’t flinch. “You’re not fragile,” he said quietly. “But I hurt you. I can’t take that back. All I can do is try to make things right.”

Dani looked away, unable to keep staring at him any longer. Her emotions were too raw, too exposed. She didn’t want him to see how much he still affected her, how deeply he had wounded her.

“I don’t know if I can ever trust you again,” she whispered, almost to herself. “You left me when I needed you the most. And now you're here... like nothing happened.”

Jax swallowed hard, guilt eating at him. He knew she was right. He knew he had betrayed her trust in the worst way. “I don’t expect you to just forgive me, Dani,” he said quietly. “But I’m not going anywhere. I’ll prove it to you—if you’ll let me.”

Dani’s heart fluttered at his words, even though she didn’t want it to. She didn’t want to feel anything for him anymore. But she did. She always had.

“I don’t know what you want from me, Jax,” she said, her voice trembling despite her efforts to remain steady. “I can’t just forget.”

Jax leaned forward slightly, his eyes never leaving hers. “I’m not asking you to forget. I’m asking for a chance. A real chance to show you I’m not the same guy who walked out on you.”

Dani looked at him for a long moment, her mind a whirlwind of confusion. She wasn’t ready to let him in again, but a small part of her wanted to. Just a small part. She was angry. She was hurt. But maybe—just maybe—there was something still between them that neither of them could completely walk away from.

“I don’t know what you expect, Jax,” she said, her voice quieter now, tinged with a vulnerability she wasn’t sure she was ready to show. “I don’t know if I can trust you again.”

Jax’s eyes softened, and he leaned in just a little closer. “I’m not asking you to trust me right now. I’m asking you to let me prove it.”

Dani’s gaze flicked to his hand, inches away from hers. She could feel the heat between them, the unspoken tension that neither of them could ignore. Her chest tightened again, and she quickly looked away, trying to focus on anything else.

But no matter how hard she tried, she could still feel the pull between them. The connection that had never really gone away.

“You’ve got a lot to prove, Jax,” she muttered, not meeting his eyes. “And I don’t know if I’m ready for that.”

Jax didn’t say anything at first. He just sat there, watching her, his expression a mixture of determination and regret. Finally, after a long pause, he spoke again, his voice soft but certain.

“Then I’ll wait. However long it takes.”

Dani couldn’t bring herself to look at him again. She didn’t know if she was ready for him to stick around. But deep down, a part of her—just a small part—was starting to wonder if maybe, just maybe, she wasn’t quite as ready to let him go as she had thought.