Page 85 of Finding His Redemption

She frowned but didn’t push. Instead, she slipped her hand into his, lacing their fingers together. The gesture was so unexpected, so casually intimate, that he nearly stumbled.

“What are you doing?”

“Making a point.” Her chin lifted, defiant and beautiful. “I’m not ashamed to be seen with you.”

Emotion, hot and fierce, bloomed in his chest. Something he couldn’t quite name that felt dangerously close to hope. He tightened his grip on her hand, marveling at how small it felt in his, how delicate and strong all at once.

They continued past the bakery’s front door with its “closed” sign and turned off Main Street onto a quieter side road lined with maple trees. The morning air was cool and clean, carrying the scent of fresh-cut grass and distant pine. For the first time in three days, his lungs expanded fully.

“Oliver’s at school,” Nessie said as they approached the back of her building. “But he’s been asking about you nonstop. Wanted to make you another monster muffin.”

The mention of her son sent a complicated mix of emotions through him. Warmth, because the kid was something special. Fear, because he had no business being around children. Guilt, because he’d dragged them both into his mess.

“I told myself I’d stay away from him.” Jax swallowed hard and looked down at their clasped hands. “From you.”

Nessie stopped at the back door of her bakery and turned to face him fully, still holding his hand. “There you go making decisions for me again.”

His throat tightened. “You don’t know everything about me.”

“I know enough.”

Her words hung in the air between them, full of conviction he didn’t deserve. She was so close now, close enough that he could count the freckles dusting her nose, see the tiny flecks of gold in her brown eyes. Her hand was still in his, warm and steady, anchoring him to this moment when everything else felt like quicksand.

“You don’t,” he said, his voice rough. “The things I’ve done?—”

“I know about California.” She held his gaze, unflinching. “I know about Alexis Summers. I know you were sick, that you weren’t yourself.”

The air left his lungs in a rush. She knew. She’d looked him up, read the articles, seen the monster he truly was…

And she was still here.

Something broke loose inside him then, some tightly coiled restraint he’d been holding onto since the moment he first saw her on that road. Before he could think better of it, he cupped her face in his hands, his calloused fingers brushing gently against her skin.

Her breath caught, those expressive eyes widening, but she didn’t pull away. Instead, she swayed toward him, her lips parting slightly.

“Nessie,” he whispered, the name a prayer and a warning.

“Shut up and kiss me already,” she murmured.

That was all the invitation he needed. He lowered his head and pressed his mouth to hers, soft and hesitant at first, giving her every chance to change her mind. But she made a small sound in the back of her throat and rose on her tiptoes, her arms sliding around his neck as she deepened the kiss.

The taste of her was as sweet as her scent, and had heat rushing through his veins, coalescing in his cock. His hands slid into her hair, cradling her head as he angled his mouth overhers. Her lips were soft, so impossibly soft, and they moved against his with a hunger that matched his own.

This was dangerous. This was reckless. This was everything he’d told himself he couldn’t have.

He backed her against the bakery’s back door, careful not to crush her with his weight but needing to feel her against him. She went willingly, her body arching into his, her fingers threading through his hair. The small, breathy sounds she made drove him wild, made him forget everything but the feel of her in his arms.

Until a black SUV rolled slowly past.

Nessie jerked back, her cheeks flushed, her lips swollen, and stared at the vehicle with wide, horrified eyes.

He glanced from her to the SUV, but it had already continued down the road, and he couldn’t see the driver. He did note the government plates, and dread clamped around his chest.

“What’s wrong?”

She shook her head. “Um, I forgot Oliver is getting out of school early today and I have to go get him.”

It was a flimsy excuse, but he didn’t call her on it. He nodded, already reaching for his phone. “I’ll call Boone. He can pick me up.”