Page 8 of The Hitman

“I know.” His words are full of tender sincerity when he adds, “Being away for so long… It’s damn near killing me.”

I peer up at him with a slew of questions on the tip of my tongue.

What does he mean, it’s killing him? Why is there a gun in the kitchen? What really happened to Isabella?

But I’ve never witnessed Jaxon this unguarded, and maybe I’d like to be the one who holds this space for him a bit longer before reality presses in.

Back in front of the fire, we slow to a gentle sway. Jaxon shuts his eyes, humming along with Frank like he’s been craving this moment of peace all day.

“Jaxon?” I murmur.

Eyes still closed, he says, “Callie.”

I’m afraid of what I really want to ask, not because it’ll change anything, but because I know it already has. “Is this wrong?”

There’s a subtle shift in the way he moves, but he doesn’t let me go. “Probably.”

“You don’t care?” I huff humorlessly. “I mean, it’s okay if you do… I’m just trying to make sense of something here.”

“I should. You’re my nephew’s nanny and my employee.

More than that, you deserve respect from the man I want to be while you’ve been living here…

and yet, you’re the very woman I’ve been struggling to resist.” His gaze finally meets mine, steady, intense, and full of longing.

“It’s been a rough week, Callie. And at least for now, I don’t want to care about anything other than this. ”

The gravity of his words tightens my throat. I search his face, listening to our steady breaths until I find the courage to speak. “Does that mean you’ll try to be around more often? I know Leo would like to spend some time with you.”

I wonder if he hears what I’ve left unspoken. The glaring truth that I’d like to see him more often, too.

The song comes to an end, and I ache when he gently pulls away. “I’ve still got work that needs to be done.”

He takes my hand before reclaiming his whiskey and tugs me toward the couch.

Shadows guard him now as I sit beside him.

I tuck my feet underneath me, asking with caution, “Big project?”

“Yeah.” Even with his stare distant and hollow, he manages a half-grin. “My day would’ve been better with one of your grilled cheese sandwiches, that’s for sure.”

I relax a little, lips curling under my teeth, but there’s no use hiding my smile. “I knew you’d love it.”

“You were right,” he says after a long sip. “About the grilled cheese… about Leo… about everything. It’s been a long time since anyone’s called me out and decided to stay.”

“Spoken like a man who’s had his share of heartbreak.”

“You’d think.” His throat bobs as he takes a long sip. He swipes his lower lip with his thumb, averting his eyes when he adds, “I haven’t had the luxury of meaningful relationships.”

Funny. I’d have bet the opposite.

“You’re not a virgin, are you?” I tease, though it wouldn’t matter either way. I just miss his carefully guarded joy.

Those steel eyes flick to mine, all dark and full of mischief. “Hardly.”

“Well, my granny always said you didn’t need fancy ingredients to make something unforgettable. Just gotta add a little love.” I shift to nudge his hip with my toes. “Same goes for people.”

Jaxon’s warm chuckle floats between us, strumming my heartstrings.

“Corny, I know.”

“It’s not,” he says. “You’ve got a nurturing touch, and I have a feeling your grandmother influenced it more than you know.”

I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Granny was everything to me. She was the only person in my family with a stitch of affection in her blood, and I miss her hugs something fierce.

Afraid I’ll ruin the moment by getting emotional, I stand. “Why don’t I make you one right now?”

His strong hand finds my wrist when I go to move. “No. Please stay.”

I hold his stare, letting his touch warm my skin.

What signal am I sending him if I do? We may have crossed a line tonight, but I can’t help wondering what that means for tomorrow.

“Okay,” I murmur.

“Okay.” He smiles, coaxing me toward him like a spider luring its prey into its beautiful web.

He guides me back to the couch, and just like that day in the fort, awareness sparks between us. But this time, it’s different, bolder in a way that tells me Jaxon might be as starved for connection as I am.

“Are you worried about Isabella?” I ask, changing the subject before I find myself crawling over his lap.

“My sister’s as tough as they come,” he says after a moment. “She’ll get through this, but it’s Leo I’m worried about. I’m not sure what lasting effects this will have on him.”

I nod solemnly, reminded of Leo’s concerns about his mother and the truth he feels his uncle is withholding.

Now’s my chance. I can either stay silent and pretend Jaxon isn’t hiding something, or I can give him an opportunity to tell me the truth.

“Leo said he thinks there’s more to his mom’s accident than you’re letting on.” I hesitate to ask the question that’s been burning in my gut since day one. “Is he right?”

Jaxon’s jaw tightens, his silence confirming my fears, even though he doesn’t speak.

I stand on shaky legs, staring down at him with a confidence I don’t entirely feel. “Listen, if I’m in danger here, you need to tell me now. No bullshit. No lies.”

“Danger?”

I scoff. “This isn’t funny.”

“I’m not laughing.”

I sweep my arm out, losing my patience. “You have a ridiculous amount of security in this place, even for a wealthy man. If that wasn’t suspicious enough, you pulled Leo out of school pretty abruptly after Isabella’s ‘accident,’ you work odd hours for a day trader, and sometimes you leave for work in clothes you don’t come home in. ”

His expression is sharp, cutting through me. I get the sense he doesn’t want to have this conversation, but that’s too damn bad.

“I found a freaking gun in your kitchen earlier, Jaxon.”

He tips his head up when I step closer, but his lips are stubbornly sealed. Firelight flirts with the angles of his face, highlighting one side while hollowing the other, and a shiver skates up my spine.

“Just tell me what’s going on. Please.”

Jaxon sets his glass on the coffee table.

“Fine. The truth is, I think someone attacked Isabella.”

The confession steals the air from my lungs. “What?”

“Isa worked as a financial advisor. I thought it was just boring numbers and client portfolios,” he says. “But about six months ago, she started managing accounts for some dangerous people. One in particular I would’ve kept her away from had I known.”

A chill raises the hair on my arms.

“She thought it was all legitimate, just investment portfolios and whatnot.”

“What was she actually doing?”

He shakes his head once, sharp and controlled, like anything less would break him apart.

“Turns out, she was cleaning money for people who don’t exactly send warning shots. The second she asked too many questions, the second she got curious…” He swallows hard and braces his elbows on his knees. “Well, they wanted to make sure she couldn’t ask anything else.”

The weight of his guilt fills the space between us, thick and suffocating. My heart hammers against my ribs as a wave of unease grips me.

“You’re afraid they’ll come after you and Leo.”

“No,” he says, voice low and lethal. “I’m not afraid.”

“I hardly believe that given your hidden weapons and the precinct level security you have in this place.”

“It’s not my life I was tasked to protect, Callie. If you think it’s too much, then so be it. But I won’t take any chances.” He pauses. “Not with either of you.”

“Are the cops involved? Surely there’s something they can do to help protect you?”

“Since I used to run accounts for Isa’s boss, they’ve allowed me to assist them with the case. But the leads are slim, and they’re spinning their wheels.”

That explains the weird hours, then. The secrecy.

My shoulders soften as my arms lower to my sides. Staying here after what he confessed would be insane… but I believe him.

And for now, that’s enough.

“You could’ve warned me.”

“You’re right. I should’ve, and I’m sorry.” His eyes flick to my mouth, linger, then snap back up. “You’re good for him, you know. Hell, you could be good for me, too, and that’s the real danger here.”

Shocked to my core, I utter a soft, “Why?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I’ve got a soft spot for you, Callie.” Hearing him admit it makes my chest swell. “But getting involved with the nanny, plus this shit with my sister and Leo… It’s messy.”

He’s giving me an out, but I don’t take the bait.

“I like messy.”

“Of course you do.”

His approving smirk nearly buckles my knees.

“Look. Whether we’re involved or not, I take this job seriously.” I point to myself, making a vow. “It’s not just your duty to keep Leo safe. It’s mine, too.”

He mutters a curse under his breath. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”

“Yes, I do. I’m not afraid. Not of this, and especially not of you.”

In the seconds that stretch between us, the energy in the room grows dense, electric. Gradually, he rises from the couch.

“I’m not a good guy,” he says, softer now, with less armor and more ache. “I don’t even know if I can be.”

I move closer, reckless and sure at the same time. A ragged exhale escapes his chest when I press my palm above his heart. “I’m not asking for a good guy.”

Jaxon slowly inhales through his nose.

“Leo’s dad isn’t in the picture,” he admits quietly. “I wanted to be something like a father figure for him, but I’m fucking it all up.”

“You’re not fucking it up. You’re doing the best you can with what you have, and then some.

” I pinch him, aiming for playful, and he half-heartedly nips at me.

“What Leo needs, Jaxon, is for you to be there. To love him, even if you don’t think you’re capable of it—though I know you are.

A blind man could see how much you cherish that little boy. ”

Long fingers wind around my hand, securing it to him like a lifeline. He hangs his head with a gentle sigh and closes his eyes. “You’re right.”

The music softens, drawing us closer together. Jaxon’s eyes blink open, and his stare is tender instead of reserved. Welcoming instead of closed off.

“Callie,” he murmurs, fixating on my lips.

“Yes.”

“I want to taste you.”

I swallow. “You do?”

He nods, then achingly sweet, he asks, “Will you let me?”

I rise on my tiptoes, desperate to feel his mouth against mine. His hand slides to the back of my neck, anchoring me to him like he’s scared I might vanish if he lets go.

“Let’s find out,” I breathe.

A sleepy grumble comes from the far hall, and we freeze, lips parted, breathing each other in.

“Uncle Jax?” Leo emerges from the hallway, half-swallowed by the dark while clutching a blanket.

We hesitate a moment longer before quietly stepping apart.

Jaxon waves his nephew over. “What’s wrong, bud?”

“I had a bad dream,” he mumbles, rubbing his eyes. “About Mom.”

“I’m sorry you had a bad dream about your mom.” Kneeling before him, Jaxon takes the blanket from Leo’s arms and fastens it around his neck like a cape—exactly how he found us the day we built the fort. “But you know what? She’s going to be okay.”

“How do you know?”

Jaxon weighs his answer for a moment. I hold my breath, wondering if he’ll choose the truth or more lies.

“Honestly, I don’t,” he says eventually. “But me and you, we love her so much, right?”

Leo appears smaller than he is when he nods.

“Exactly. And that’s the kind of love that makes miracles happen. Never doubt that.”

“Yes, sir.”

Jaxon briefly presses their foreheads together before he lifts Leo up into his arms. Once he’s standing, he says, “Why don’t I tuck you back in?”

Leo answers by wrapping his arms around his neck, nuzzling his face into his shoulder.

I don’t expect him to turn back to me, but my heart flips when he does. “Want me to help you to your room next?”

The suggestion is subtle enough for Leo not to catch, but I arch a brow anyway. “I think I can find my way back without a chaperone, thank you.”

A spark of mischief lifts the lips I almost kissed. “You sure about that?”

Not really. Sleeping with Jaxon is unbelievably tempting, but things are delicate between the three of us, and I’m not sure having sex with my boss is going to make navigating any of it easier.

“ Goodnight , warden.”

“Goodnight, Callie.”

Later, when I’m tucked into bed, staring out into the dark, my mind lingers on the intimacy Jaxon and I shared tonight. How scarily close I was to throwing logic out the window for a single moment of pleasure, and even more terrifying is how much I don’t regret it.