Clyde was beyond pissed, in a fit,

Clyde was beyond pissed, in a fit, when Jax filled him in on what had happened. I hadn’t wanted to tell him, but then again, he shouldn’t be left in the dark, either.
“I’m going to kill him,” Clyde all but yelled.
A lot of people were going to kill Mack.
Clyde gave me one of his bear hugs that felt so good and promised that this would be taken care of. He did this with a spatula in one hand.
I loved the guy.
We waited an hour, and even though I felt out of it, I worked the bar during that time, keeping up appearances. Jax had warned, as did Clyde and Nick, that the bar could be watched—that there even could be people inside the bar watching. Not people who belonged to Mack, because everyone swore he was still a low-level wannabe gangsta, but Isaiah’s people, and Isaiah was anything but low level, I would learn later that night.
It was closer to midnight when Jax and I left Mona’s, and I hated leaving that early on a Friday, one of the best nights for tips, but money—unbelievably—was the least of my problems.
We drove to my house, and Jax followed me in, staying close. He wasn’t really talkative as I quickly changed into a fresh pair of jeans and a shirt that didn’t smell like a bar.
“We’re going to meet up with Reece,” was all he’d said before I headed into the bedroom.
I freshened up my makeup out of habit and then we were in Jax’s truck, driving back toward town. My stomach was in knots by the time I recognized the road his townhouse was on.
“We’re going to your house?” I asked.
He nodded, eyes on the road. “Reece will stop by here. If you’re being watched, hopefully they’ll think he’s just coming by to see me. Everyone knows we’re friends.”
My hands curled inward. “Do you think I’m being watched?”
His hand tightened on the steering wheel. “It’s possible.”
“God,” I breathed, shaking my head slowly. All of this . . . it seemed unreal.
We didn’t speak as he pulled into a parking space, hopped out, and jogged around to my side by the time I had the door open. He took my hand, holding it firmly as he walked me toward the door that had 474 in silver numbers on it.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I walked into Jax’s house. I hadn’t been in a lot of guys’ houses, at least not any that didn’t have a girlfriend, so I was expecting the place to be a mess, full of pizza boxes and beer cans.
That’s not what I saw.
Just inside the door were a couple of pairs of sneakers, neatly stacked against the wall. One of the pairs reminded me of basketball shoes, and an image of a young boy with blond hair racing through a house, holding a basketball against his chest, filled my thoughts.
Kevin.
Shaking those thoughts out of my head, I kicked off my flip-flops, but Jax left his shoes on. Straight ahead was a stairwell that led upstairs and downstairs, to what I assumed was the basement level.
I followed him into a very male living room—dark brown couch and recliner positioned around a TV the size of a small car. There were a couple of potted plants in front of the window. Blinds were drawn shut. The dining room had a small dark-colored wood table set, and it led right into a kitchen that looked like it was recently cleaned. With the open floor plan, it was nice and airy.
“I like your place,” I said, and then flushed, because I was pretty sure I sounded like a dork.
He grinned over his shoulder at me as he dropped his keys. “It works for now, but eventually, I want a place with a yard and no neighbors right on top of me. Every once in a while, the couple next door gets into it. Hear everything. Sometimes it’s entertaining. Sometimes not so much.”
For some reason, I felt my stomach topple over. He was only a few years older than me and he already had what he wanted now and knew what he wanted in the future. I didn’t know if I’d like living in an apartment, a townhouse, or a home. I never thought that far in advance and I didn’t know why. It was something I seriously just realized right that moment.
My Three F’s plan really wasn’t much of a plan.
“You okay?”
I blinked slowly, finding Jax watching me curiously from the kitchen. “Yeah, just a lot on my mind.”
“Understandable.” Jax moved to where I stood just inside the dining area. Well, he didn’t move. He stalked forward with the grace of a dancer. Stopping just short of being seriously on me, he placed both his hands on either side of my neck and tilted my head back with his thumbs under my chin. “Everything is going to be okay.”
My heart did a little pitter-patter, and for the life of me, I couldn’t prevent it. I wanted to ask why he was getting this far involved, but words like “I like you” and other stuff he’d said came to the forefront of my mind. And he’d kissed my forehead in front of Nick.
He dipped his head and brushed his lips across my forehead. “Want something to drink? I have soda. Water. Apple juice.”
I didn’t realize that my eyes were closed until I heard his deep chuckle and I opened my eyes. “Water,” I said, clearing my throat. “That’s good.”
One side of his lips tipped up. “Yeah, I’m really looking forward to that date on Sunday.”
What the what? If I recalled correctly, I hadn’t agreed to the date. He let go, his hands sliding off my neck, leaving a trail of shivers in their wake.
Goodness, he’d just kissed my forehead again.
I didn’t know what to do with this or how to respond. My hands were shaking again, but for very different reasons. I hurried into the living room and sat on the couch. I didn’t feel twenty-one right then. Fourteen would’ve been pushing it.
“Actually,” I called out, twisting around. I couldn’t see where he had disappeared to in the kitchen. “Can I have apple juice?”
Another deep, sexy chuckle traveled to where I sat. “Sure thing.”
I bit down on my lip and flipped around. Jax came out, holding a juice box with the straw poked through the top. My gaze shifted from his face to the box and back to his face. I couldn’t help it. A laugh crawled up my throat and burst free. Here he was, this gorgeous guy who had this sexy, rough side to him, and he had juice boxes in his house.
Loved it.
My lips curved up as I took the juice box. “Thank you.”
Jax stared down at me. There was no one-sided grin this time. He smiled, and boy, he gave a great smile. It reached his eyes, turning them into melted chocolate. “You have a great laugh,” he said. “And a gorgeous smile. You should do it more often. Both things. Smile and laugh.”
The juice box almost slipped from my fingers. Again, he struck me speechless. I had no idea what to say, and the only thing I could come up with was “Thank you.”
Did I just thank him for that?
Yep.
My mouth was still blabbering on, because I zoomed right into deflection mode. “But you really do have a beautiful smile. I mean, it’s actually kind of breathtaking, and your laugh? It’s wow. I think it’s your lips—you have great lips . . .”
Did I just say that out loud, seriously? Said he had great lips?
Jax’s smile seemed to have widened, and hell, it was like the only star in the sky it was so bright.
Yep, I’d said that out loud.
Oh my God, I was an idiot.
Luckily, the doorbell rang, saving me from saying more stupid stuff. He reached out, swiping his thumb under my lower lip, absolutely stunning me. Then he turned and headed to the door.
I sucked a huge gulp of my apple juice and had barely recovered by the time Reece stepped inside the house and Jax closed the door.
Reece was in his uniform, and I was so used to seeing him in jeans, I gaped at him with the straw from my juice box resting against my lower lip. Somehow his shoulders looked broader in the dark blue uniform that had been tailored to the extreme, displaying the flat stomach, narrow hips, and strong legs.
“Hey, Calla,” Reece said with a grin.
I snapped my mouth shut. “Hi,” I murmured, taking another slurp.
Reece’s grin went up a notch as he looked to Jax. “Sorry it took so long. I switched out the cruiser and drove my personal car here just in case there were eyes on the road.”
I shuddered at the idea that there could be people watching the bar, the roads, and even Jax’s house.
“Good plan,” Jax said, sitting down beside me on the couch. And he really sat beside me. His entire thigh was pressed against mine. “But what I want to know is how come one of Isaiah’s fucking minions is out running around threatening Calla when you were supposed to warn the fuckers off.”
Oh. Wow.
Reece narrowed his eyes on Jax, and he was no longer some random hot guy who hung out at the bar or just some hot cop dude. His whole stance changed. Shoulders squared, eyes sharpening, and legs spreading as he stood in front of the recliner. “We haven’t been able to track the asshole down. It’s not like he’s easy to reach, but we will get to him.”
“Make it easy,” Jax said in a low voice.
“Jax,” Reece warned.
Oh. Crap.
“Your job is to serve and protect, right?” Jax fired back, jaw hardening. “So fucking serve and protect.”
For a tense moment, I thought they were going to throw down in the living room, but then Reece took a deep breath. “You’re lucky you saved my ass in the desert or I’d be knocking you on yours.”
Jax had saved his ass? I wanted to know more about that.
He smirked at his friend. “You’d try. Key word being try.”
That comment was ignored as Reece sat on the arm of the recliner, his attention on me, and I knew I wasn’t going to find out about saving asses. “I need you tell me everything, Calla.”

Hasil (Bahasa Indonesia) 1:

Clyde luar kesal, cocok, ketika Jax diisi dia pada apa yang telah terjadi. Aku tidak ingin mengatakan padanya, tapi sekali lagi, ia tidak boleh dibiarkan dalam gelap, baik."Aku akan membunuhnya," Clyde semua tapi berteriak.Banyak orang akan membunuh Mack.Clyde memberiku salah satu nya pelukan yang merasa sangat baik dan berjanji bahwa ini akan diambil dari perawatan. Dia melakukan ini dengan spatula di satu tangan.Aku mencintai pria.Kami menunggu satu jam, dan meskipun aku merasa dari itu, saya bekerja bar selama waktu itu, menjaga penampilan. JAX telah memperingatkan, seperti halnya Clyde dan Nick, bar bisa menyaksikan — bahwa bahkan mungkin ada orang-orang di dalam bar menonton. Bukan orang-orang yang milik Mack, karena semua orang bersumpah ia adalah seorang gangster wannabe tingkat rendah, tetapi orang Yesaya, dan Yesaya adalah yang menunjukkan tingkat rendah, saya akan belajar nanti malam.Itu lebih dekat ke tengah malam ketika Jax dan aku meninggalkan Mona's, dan aku benci meninggalkan yang lebih awal pada hari Jumat, satu malam terbaik untuk tips, tetapi uang-luar biasa — ini tidak masalah saya.Kami pergi ke rumah saya, dan Jax mengikuti saya di, tinggal dekat. Dia tidak benar-benar bicara ketika aku dengan cepat berubah menjadi sepasang segar jeans dan kemeja yang tidak berbau seperti sebuah bar."Kita akan bertemu dengan Reece," itu semua dia telah mengatakan sebelum aku menuju ke kamar tidur.Saya disegarkan up makeup saya keluar dari kebiasaan dan kemudian kami berada di Jax's truk, mengemudi kembali menuju kota. Perutku pada knot saat aku mengenali jalan townhouse nya pada."Kita akan ke rumah Anda?" Saya bertanya.Dia mengangguk, mata di jalan. "Reece akan mampir di sini. Jika Anda sedang diawasi, mudah-mudahan mereka akan berpikir dia hanya datang melihat saya. Semua orang tahu we're friends."Tangan saya meringkuk ke dalam. "Apakah Anda pikir saya sedang diawasi?"Tangannya diperketat di roda kemudi. "Itu mungkin.""Tuhan," Aku menarik napas, menggelengkan kepala perlahan-lahan. Semua ini... itu tampak tidak nyata.Kita tidak berbicara seperti ia menarik ke tempat parkir, melompat keluar dan berlari di sekitar ke sisi saya oleh waktu aku punya pintu terbuka. Dia mengambil tangan, memegang erat-erat saat ia berjalan saya menuju pintu yang telah 474 di perak angka di atasnya.Aku tidak yakin apa yang diharapkan ketika aku masuk ke Jax's house. Aku tidak berada di banyak rumah-rumah orang-orang, setidaknya tidak ada yang tidak memiliki pacar, jadi saya mengharapkan tempat untuk menjadi berantakan, penuh dengan pizza kotak dan bir kaleng.Itulah tidak apa yang saya lihat.Hanya di dalam pintu adalah beberapa pasang sepatu kets, rapi ditumpuk terhadap dinding. Salah satu pasangan yang mengingatkan saya pada sepatu basket, dan gambar dari seorang anak muda dengan rambut pirang balap melalui sebuah rumah, memegang bola basket dadanya, memenuhi pikiran saya.Kevin.Gemetar pikiran-pikiran dari kepala saya, saya menendang saya sandal jepit, tetapi Jax meninggalkan sandalnya di. Lurus ke depan adalah sebuah tangga yang mengarah ke atas dan bawah, untuk apa yang saya menganggap adalah basemen.Aku mengikutinya ke dalam ruang sangat laki-laki — gelap coklat sofa dan kursi malas diposisikan di sekitar TV ukuran mobil kecil. Ada beberapa pot tanaman di depan jendela. Tirai yang digambar menutup. Ruang makan memiliki kecil berwarna gelap kayu meja makan set, dan itu menyebabkan tepat ke dapur itu tampak seperti itu baru saja dibersihkan. Dengan rencana lantai terbuka, itu bagus dan lapang."Saya suka tempat Anda," kataku, dan kemudian memerah, karena aku cukup yakin aku terdengar seperti dork.Dia menyeringai atas bahu-nya pada saya ketika dia menjatuhkan kunci nya. "Bekerja untuk sekarang, tapi akhirnya, aku ingin tempat dengan taman dan tetangga tidak tepat di atas saya. Setiap sekali-sekali, pasangan sebelah mendapatkan ke dalamnya. Mendengar segala sesuatu. Kadang-kadang sangat menghibur. Kadang-kadang tidak begitu banyak."Untuk beberapa alasan, saya merasa perutku menggulingkan berakhir. Dia hanya beberapa tahun lebih tua dari saya dan ia sudah memiliki apa yang ia inginkan sekarang dan tahu apa yang ia inginkan di masa depan. Aku tidak tahu jika saya ingin tinggal di sebuah townhouse, rumah atau apartemen. Saya tidak pernah berpikir bahwa jauh di muka dan aku tidak tahu mengapa. Itu adalah sesuatu aku serius baru sadar tepat saat itu.Rencana F tiga saya benar-benar tidak banyak rencana."Anda baik-baik saja?"Aku perlahan-lahan, berkedip menemukan Jax menonton saya anehnya dari dapur. "Ya, hanya banyak di pikiran saya."“Understandable.” Jax moved to where I stood just inside the dining area. Well, he didn’t move. He stalked forward with the grace of a dancer. Stopping just short of being seriously on me, he placed both his hands on either side of my neck and tilted my head back with his thumbs under my chin. “Everything is going to be okay.”My heart did a little pitter-patter, and for the life of me, I couldn’t prevent it. I wanted to ask why he was getting this far involved, but words like “I like you” and other stuff he’d said came to the forefront of my mind. And he’d kissed my forehead in front of Nick.He dipped his head and brushed his lips across my forehead. “Want something to drink? I have soda. Water. Apple juice.”I didn’t realize that my eyes were closed until I heard his deep chuckle and I opened my eyes. “Water,” I said, clearing my throat. “That’s good.”One side of his lips tipped up. “Yeah, I’m really looking forward to that date on Sunday.”What the what? If I recalled correctly, I hadn’t agreed to the date. He let go, his hands sliding off my neck, leaving a trail of shivers in their wake.Goodness, he’d just kissed my forehead again.I didn’t know what to do with this or how to respond. My hands were shaking again, but for very different reasons. I hurried into the living room and sat on the couch. I didn’t feel twenty-one right then. Fourteen would’ve been pushing it."Sebenarnya," aku memanggil, memutar di sekitar. Aku tidak bisa melihat mana ia menghilang untuk di dapur. "Dapatkah saya memiliki jus apel?"Lain tertawa mendalam, seksi bepergian ke tempat aku duduk. "Tentu."Aku menggigit bibirku dan membalik di sekitar. JAX keluar, memegang kotak jus dengan jerami melalui atas. Pandangan saya bergeser dari wajahnya ke kotak dan kembali ke wajahnya. Saya tidak bisa membantu. Tertawa merangkak tenggorokan saya dan meledak gratis. Di sini ia adalah, orang ini cantik yang memiliki sisi ini seksi, kasar kepadanya, dan ia telah jus kotak di rumahnya.Menyukainya.Bibirku melengkung ke atas saat aku mengambil kotak jus. "Terima kasih."JAX menatap aku. Ada tidak ada satu sisi grin saat ini. Dia tersenyum, dan anak laki-laki, ia memberikan senyum besar. Hotel ini dapat dicapai dengan matanya, mengubahnya menjadi cokelat leleh. "Anda memiliki tertawa besar," katanya. "Dan senyum indah. Anda harus melakukannya lebih sering. Hal-hal baik. Tersenyum dan tertawa."Kotak jus hampir tergelincir dari jari-jari saya. Sekali lagi, ia memukul saya terdiam. Aku tidak tahu harus berkata apa, dan satu-satunya hal yang aku bisa datang dengan adalah "Terima kasih."Apakah saya hanya bersyukur kepadanya untuk itu?Yap.Mulut saya masih mengoceh, karena aku diperbesar tepat ke mode defleksi. "Tapi Anda benar-benar memiliki senyum indah. Maksudku, itu adalah benar-benar menakjubkan, dan Anda tertawa? Wow itu. I think it's bibir Anda — Anda memiliki bibir besar... "Aku hanya mengatakan bahwa suara keras, serius? Mengatakan ia memiliki bibir besar?Jax’s smile seemed to have widened, and hell, it was like the only star in the sky it was so bright.Yep, I’d said that out loud.Oh my God, I was an idiot.Luckily, the doorbell rang, saving me from saying more stupid stuff. He reached out, swiping his thumb under my lower lip, absolutely stunning me. Then he turned and headed to the door.I sucked a huge gulp of my apple juice and had barely recovered by the time Reece stepped inside the house and Jax closed the door.Reece was in his uniform, and I was so used to seeing him in jeans, I gaped at him with the straw from my juice box resting against my lower lip. Somehow his shoulders looked broader in the dark blue uniform that had been tailored to the extreme, displaying the flat stomach, narrow hips, and strong legs.“Hey, Calla,” Reece said with a grin.I snapped my mouth shut. “Hi,” I murmured, taking another slurp.Reece’s grin went up a notch as he looked to Jax. “Sorry it took so long. I switched out the cruiser and drove my personal car here just in case there were eyes on the road.”I shuddered at the idea that there could be people watching the bar, the roads, and even Jax’s house.“Good plan,” Jax said, sitting down beside me on the couch. And he really sat beside me. His entire thigh was pressed against mine. “But what I want to know is how come one of Isaiah’s fucking minions is out running around threatening Calla when you were supposed to warn the fuckers off.”Oh. Wow.Reece narrowed his eyes on Jax, and he was no longer some random hot guy who hung out at the bar or just some hot cop dude. His whole stance changed. Shoulders squared, eyes sharpening, and legs spreading as he stood in front of the recliner. “We haven’t been able to track the asshole down. It’s not like he’s easy to reach, but we will get to him.”“Make it easy,” Jax said in a low voice.“Jax,” Reece warned.Oh. Crap.“Your job is to serve and protect, right?” Jax fired back, jaw hardening. “So fucking serve and protect.”For a tense moment, I thought they were going to throw down in the living room, but then Reece took a deep breath. “You’re lucky you saved my ass in the desert or I’d be knocking you on yours.”Jax had saved his ass? I wanted to know more about that.He smirked at his friend. “You’d try. Key word being try.”That comment was ignored as Reece sat on the arm of the recliner, his attention on me, and I knew I wasn’t going to find out about saving asses. “I need you tell me everything, Calla.”