Page 18

Jax

I ’ve never been the jealous type before. Especially when it comes to Mason and Ty. But envy reared its ugly head when I saw Emma and Mason. They’d clearly hooked up while we were worrying about them and the thought that Emma may be choosing Mason hurt me more than I care to admit. I suppose it’s foolish of me to believe that Emma would want to be with all three of us, that we could have some sort of relationship. But if I’m being honest, that’s exactly what part of me has been hoping would happen. I can’t deny my feelings for Emma, I’d rather share her with my best friends than not be with her at all. Because I’ve realized I want to be with her. It feels crazy that I want to when we barely know each other, but I do. So the notion that my best friend doesn’t feel the same, or that Emma prefers him, stings.

I’ve been trying to focus on the conversation. We’re all trying to devise a plan, slowly realizing the hopelessness of the situation while getting steadily drunker. But my eyes keep wandering back to Mason and Emma trying to read their body language. Mason knows me well enough to know something’s up, so he’s resolutely ignoring me, further frustrating me.

“I say we kill him,” Ty suggests for the fifth time that evening.

“Ty, we can’t murder someone, no matter how horrible he is. I really think I should just go to the police,” Emma suggests, not for the first time either.

“The police will be useless, and then if we need to take him out their first line of inquiry is going to be to look into us,” Mason reasons.

“I still think moving you and changing your identity is the best solution, he’ll have to find you all over again, that at least buys us time,” Bess suggests.

Emma shakes her head. “No. I’m not uprooting Max’s life again. This is our home,” she says firmly.

The relief I feel is palpable. Although she’d be safe, the thought of never seeing her again, of not even knowing where she is or who she becomes, is torture.

“Why don’t I just speak to Kane? Try to reason with him. Perhaps I could even pay him the money, just to be rid of him. I might have to borrow it from Jacob, but I think he’d help me out,” Emma says with a small sigh of defeat.

“It’s too risky,” I argue. “He could hurt you, or worse. Besides, you can’t just go and speak to a man like Victor Kane.”

“But we could try,” Bess says, mulling the idea over. “I’ll make some calls in the morning.”

“Thank you, for everything,” Emma says with a wan smile.

Bess smiles back, stifling a yawn. “Right guys, I’m gonna hit the hay. You should all stay the night, we’ve all had far too much to drink to be driving anywhere. Emma, you can take the spare room, if you come upstairs with me now, I’ll show you where it is,” Emma nods and gets up, ready to follow Bess. “Guys, you can fight over the couches,” Bess adds with a wink at us before they head upstairs.

The second they’re out of earshot Mason rounds on me. “Alright out with it, what’s pissed you off?”

“Who says I’m pissed off?” I retort snarkily.

“You didn’t need to say a thing, your grumpy ass attitude and looking like a jealous teenager made it perfectly clear something’s up,” Mason snaps back.

“Maybe I don’t appreciate my best friend fucking the woman he specifically told us was off limits the second he got her alone,” I snap.

Mason has the grace to look guilty though I can tell he’s considering denying it.

“Don’t even try to pretend you didn’t hook up.”

Mason sighs. “Fine, yes, we did. But it wasn’t like I planned to.”

“What the fuck, dude? What were you thinking? You specifically told us that Emma was off limits and the moment our backs are turned you put your dick in her while we’re worrying about you. Not to mention the fact you’ve started a fucking war between us and the Hell Riders. I’ve half a mind to tell J-Bird, you’re lucky I’m not a snitch,” I snarl, curling my hands into fists and squaring up to him.

“I know, man. I wasn’t thinking.”

“So what, you just told us we couldn’t get with Emma so there was no competition, and you could have her to yourself? Is that what this is?” I demand.

“You know I don’t need to resort to dirty tactics to get a woman. Emma’s a grown-ass woman, she’s the one who gets to decide who she wants to be with. It’s not my fault if I’m the one she wants. You’re just jealous she didn’t choose you,” Mason replies angrily into my face, clenching his own fists.

“Only because you resorted to dirty tactics.”

“Alright guys, cool it, there’s no need to come to blows over this,” Ty tries to reason.

“Thank you, Ty,” Emma’s voice says from behind us.

We snap our attention to where she’s standing, arms folded, looking thoroughly pissed off.

“You two are behaving like children. Mason’s right, I’m a grown woman and I decide who I want to be with, not you,” Emma states.

Mason smiles at me smugly.

“Don’t look so pleased with yourself, Mason,” she snips. “I didn’t say I wanted you.”

Mason looks wounded and I feel a complex mix of emotions, sadness for my friend but also hope that maybe Emma wants me as much as I want her after all.

“Look. I know we barely know each other, and I’m not saying what we’ve done is conventional or that any of this makes sense, but I want to continue to get to know all three of you. I have feelings and attraction toward each of you, and we know that sex together works, or at least it did for me. So, right now here’s what I’m going to suggest, what I want. I want to be with all of you, to see how this works, even if it’s just us having some fun and it doesn’t last. I don’t want to overanalyze it. It’s complicated and confusing, but there it is. I totally get it if you don’t want that. But that’s how I feel. Obviously, this only works if you guys can handle it and don’t get jealous or argue among yourselves,” Emma reasons earnestly.

“I can handle that. I’m not usually jealous at all, but not when it comes to the guys anyway. I just thought Mason was being underhand,” I say looking at Mason.

My heart is soaring with the knowledge that Emma wants me, too. My anger and jealousy are immediately forgotten, and I feel stupid for my reaction.

Mason shakes his head. “I wouldn’t do that to you guys. You’re my brothers.”

“I know man, I just lost my head for a moment there,” I reply, shaking his hand and clapping him on the back with a smile, he grins back at me, our disagreement already forgiven and forgotten.

Mason turns his attention back to Emma. “Emma, if that’s what you want, I’m in. There’s no point pretending that there isn’t something here. We’ll just have to suffer the consequences with J-Bird.”

“Well, he doesn’t need to know does it, it can be our little secret,” Emma says playfully, and I immediately go from being pissed off to turned on.

The power this woman has over me is insane.

“Ty?” Emma says, looking at our stoic friend who’s quietly watching the events unfold as always.

“I’m in.”