come all this way with you just to get left behind in the woods, Jax.” She gripped his arm and fixed him with a sure stare.
He started to speak, but suddenly his shoulders sagged in resignation as he patted her back. “Just be sure to stay close,” he whispered. “Where I can keep an eye on you.” Stealthily slipping through the trees, Jax kept the barrel of his gun aimed at the open air, his eyes shifting every which way as they stepped together.
Lena saw nothing, heard nothing else, and she imagined Eric Stiles lying in wait, ready to injure his stepson or worse. What would happen to her if she fell into his hands? Her uncle barely had a leg to stand on, and without Jax’s protection, she feared that she--- “What was that?”
Lena’s sharp cry lifted towards the branches, and she clung to Jax’s back as his finger tightened around the trigger. She could almost hear the bullet leaving the chamber when Jax pulled the gun back to his side and laughed lightly.
“What’s the matter with you?” she asked.
“Take a look, Lena.”
Peering through the crook of his arm, Lena spied a frightened doe trying to make its way through the glade, its shiny hooves snapping twigs into smaller bits of bark. When the animal saw them staring at her, she seemed unsure of her next move, and Lena lifted her body against Jax’s back and smiled softly. “Here we thought someone was after us,” she said.
“Bet this one thinks it’s the other way around.”
Jax started to step forward when the doe suddenly bolted. Leaping over a fallen tree, the animal scampered off into the distance, and she joined in Jax’s laughter as he turned her around to face him.
“Still out of danger,” he promised.
“I hope you can keep it that way.”
As soon as she saw his smile start to fall into a frown, she reached under his chin and cradled his jaw, pulling him closer for another kiss as she fondled his hair.
“Just watch me, Lena.”
She sighed in delight at the feel of him lifting her off the ground, and as he carried her back to the bike, her body nearly back on the seat, Lena slipped to the ground and kissed his neck.
“Can I ask you for something first?”
“Anything, Lena. Although we really shouldn’t take any more time.”
His fingers trailed up her skirt, and Lena moaned at the feel of hand on her thigh when she reluctantly shook her head over her shoulders. “Not that. Not that I don’t want to.”
“Then what, Lena?” He waited as she licked her lips.
“A drag, Jax?” she asked.
Jax cocked his head to the side as he shifted back from the place where he stood. “Thought you only really liked the smell?” he teased.
“Right now my nerves say otherwise.”
He drew a stick from the pack and lit it fast, inhaling around the embers as he handed her the smoke. “Can’t have that,” he continued. “Let’s hope this calms you down.”
Pulling on the cigarette, she choked at the smoke pouring down her throat and barely stifled a cough when his eyes flashed over a fresh smile.
“Same old Lena,” he said.
“In some ways. But not all.”
Puffing again, she started to hang her head when he lifted her face to his eyes and stroked her cheeks. “You were with me,” he started. “You were only ever with me. The rest of it just doesn’t matter. Not to me.” His soft lips touched her brow, and she let the smoldering cigarette fall to the soil as he breathed into her neck. “Not to us.”
The sound of that felt right, and she kissed his nose as she patted his cheek. “We keep moving?” she asked.
“Glad we’re on the same page.”
The woods continued to race by when more and more of the sky came into view. Despite the asphalt suddenly racing underneath them, Lena saw nothing but open fields and the stars just starting to poke through the sky. Nothing that even suggested the cover they
He started to speak, but suddenly his shoulders sagged in resignation as he patted her back. “Just be sure to stay close,” he whispered. “Where I can keep an eye on you.” Stealthily slipping through the trees, Jax kept the barrel of his gun aimed at the open air, his eyes shifting every which way as they stepped together.
Lena saw nothing, heard nothing else, and she imagined Eric Stiles lying in wait, ready to injure his stepson or worse. What would happen to her if she fell into his hands? Her uncle barely had a leg to stand on, and without Jax’s protection, she feared that she--- “What was that?”
Lena’s sharp cry lifted towards the branches, and she clung to Jax’s back as his finger tightened around the trigger. She could almost hear the bullet leaving the chamber when Jax pulled the gun back to his side and laughed lightly.
“What’s the matter with you?” she asked.
“Take a look, Lena.”
Peering through the crook of his arm, Lena spied a frightened doe trying to make its way through the glade, its shiny hooves snapping twigs into smaller bits of bark. When the animal saw them staring at her, she seemed unsure of her next move, and Lena lifted her body against Jax’s back and smiled softly. “Here we thought someone was after us,” she said.
“Bet this one thinks it’s the other way around.”
Jax started to step forward when the doe suddenly bolted. Leaping over a fallen tree, the animal scampered off into the distance, and she joined in Jax’s laughter as he turned her around to face him.
“Still out of danger,” he promised.
“I hope you can keep it that way.”
As soon as she saw his smile start to fall into a frown, she reached under his chin and cradled his jaw, pulling him closer for another kiss as she fondled his hair.
“Just watch me, Lena.”
She sighed in delight at the feel of him lifting her off the ground, and as he carried her back to the bike, her body nearly back on the seat, Lena slipped to the ground and kissed his neck.
“Can I ask you for something first?”
“Anything, Lena. Although we really shouldn’t take any more time.”
His fingers trailed up her skirt, and Lena moaned at the feel of hand on her thigh when she reluctantly shook her head over her shoulders. “Not that. Not that I don’t want to.”
“Then what, Lena?” He waited as she licked her lips.
“A drag, Jax?” she asked.
Jax cocked his head to the side as he shifted back from the place where he stood. “Thought you only really liked the smell?” he teased.
“Right now my nerves say otherwise.”
He drew a stick from the pack and lit it fast, inhaling around the embers as he handed her the smoke. “Can’t have that,” he continued. “Let’s hope this calms you down.”
Pulling on the cigarette, she choked at the smoke pouring down her throat and barely stifled a cough when his eyes flashed over a fresh smile.
“Same old Lena,” he said.
“In some ways. But not all.”
Puffing again, she started to hang her head when he lifted her face to his eyes and stroked her cheeks. “You were with me,” he started. “You were only ever with me. The rest of it just doesn’t matter. Not to me.” His soft lips touched her brow, and she let the smoldering cigarette fall to the soil as he breathed into her neck. “Not to us.”
The sound of that felt right, and she kissed his nose as she patted his cheek. “We keep moving?” she asked.
“Glad we’re on the same page.”
The woods continued to race by when more and more of the sky came into view. Despite the asphalt suddenly racing underneath them, Lena saw nothing but open fields and the stars just starting to poke through the sky. Nothing that even suggested the cover they
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