The Dangerous Curves Series

Chapter 13

Jax sat at the bar drinking a cup of black coffee and scowling around the near-empty room. He was in a foul mood, and he had been ever since he’d dropped Sarah off the morning before. And what made his mood even worse was that he just couldn’t figure out why the hell he was in such a bad mood to begin with.

OK, Sarah had thrown his whole state of existence into a tailspin. That much was clear. He’d hit on her, and she’d turned him down; he’d asked her to stay for coffee, and she’d run out of the crash room; he’d tried to get her number, and she’d shut a door in his face. But that was her right, wasn’t it? If she didn’t find him attractive or whatever, then why was he so irritated about it? Why was he so hung up on this one woman, when he had dozens of others who’d give him what he wanted?

Another question that had been rolling through his brain since the morning before: was this maybe all just about his f*****g monster ego? Did Jax want her because she didn’t want him? Was this all about finally getting her to submit and surrender so that he could screw her, and then forget her? Was this all because she had refused him what he wanted, and he just couldn’t take that?

He sipped his coffee and contemplated that for a while. Then he sighed as he realized the truth: that he actually just liked her, and wanted to spend some more time with her.

At first, he’d thought that time would be best spent in bed – and make no mistake, bed is a big part of what this is all about – but it was more than that. Jax had the sneaking suspicion that if she’d agreed to stay for coffee the day before, or accepted an invitation to dinner, and they’d just gone for a ride on the bike and talked, he’d have been almost as happy.

Goddammit. She’s crawled under your skin. f**k, man. You’re dead in the water. In some ways, it’d be easier if this was just about your raging hard-on and ego.

But what was in that house? Jax had been a lousy student, but he was blessed with brains and a healthy dose of intuition, and everything about Sarah’s behavior the day before screamed that she had a husband. A controlling husband, who had her on some kind of leash and schedule. When he thought of how scared she’d been in that parking lot, trapped without a car and helplessly looking at her watch, Jax’s stomach tensed up. Whatever was waiting in that house, it was bad news, and it had made her panic.

OK, man. You don’t want to get all messed up with a married chick, no matter how f*****g hot her ass is. Just get over it. No need to ever see her again. She’ll never be back here, you never have any reason to go to Lincoln Park. Just call it a day.

“Mister Jax?”

Jax turned now, and saw Gabriela Torres standing next to him. Her black eyes were bright and beautiful, her long, dark hair pulled back to show off those great cheekbones. She was holding a pair of rubber gloves in one hand, in the other she held something shiny.

“I found this in one of the back rooms,” she said. “I thought maybe the woman would be back looking for it?”

She dropped it into his hand, and he looked down at a long gold chain and a circle pendant with a small blue stone in the middle. Sarah’s necklace. He almost groaned.

For f**k's sake. The second I decide to never see her again, this happens. s**t.

“Thanks, Gabriela,” he said. “I’ll put it somewhere safe.”

She smiled at him, a rare sight. Her eyes had dark circles under them, as usual, and Jax knew that the cleaning job at his place was just one of the four that she held down. Despite her almost-chronic exhaustion, Gabriela was his best cleaning woman. She got those crash rooms to immaculate condition every morning, no matter what debauchery had taken place in them the night before. She’d never said one word about anything she’d seen or found while cleaning, and there had been some pretty incriminating stuff, and Jax appreciated her discretion more than anything. He paid her well, and made sure to kick in regular cash bonuses to keep her showing up and happy.

She went back to the crash rooms now, and he saw Aidan watching her closely. Jax had long suspected that his barman had a thing for Gabriela, but he’d never asked about it. He made it a point to never get involved in anyone’s personal life, and he expected them to return the courtesy. Now, though, he felt the overwhelming urge to go all chick and start blathering about his feelings. Aidan would have to do, he supposed, since nobody else was really around.

Jax cleared his throat, and Aidan’s golden eyes jerked away from Gabriela’s shapely ass. “Hey, man?”

“Yeah?” Aidan said. “You ready for some lunch?”

“No, not yet.” Jax paused. “Gabriela found Red’s necklace.”

Aidan glanced down. “Really?”

“Uh-huh.”

Aidan stared at his boss. “And…”

“And I’m just wondering how I can get it back to her.”