Page 67 of The Vigilante's Lover

We’re no more in the room than Jax falls back on the bed. “I think the poisons are getting more intense,” he says. “Even if they save you, they want you to suffer.”

I can agree about that. I find it amusing that we have this in common, being struck down by the Vigilantes. Well, funny other than the part where we were, in fact, poisoned.

Everything in the room is immaculate, our clothes clean and folded or hanging. I rummage through the suitcases Armond sent to us, looking for something to sleep in. I find a midnight-blue baby-doll negligee and take it out with trepidation.

Jax perks up at this. “Don’t plan to wear that for long.”

I clutch the bit of lace to my chest. “Should I bother?”

He tucks his hands behind his head. “Definitely.”

I toss it at him. “You’re feeling better,” I say.

He lets it hit his face. “Mmmm,” he says. “It smells nice.” He shakes his head and lets it fall. “It will smell better on you.”

This makes me flush. This sort of banter isn’t something I’m used to yet. The vast gap between his experience and mine feels like an ocean.

And then there was my altercation with Jovana. She is his most recent ex-lover, even if it has been a year.

A forced year.

I sit on the bed next to him. “It was a little strange, meeting this Jovana woman,” I admit.

He turns to me, leaning on his elbow. “Did you get a good blow in? To defend my honor?”

I laugh. “If only. But I did kick the hell out of her fancy purse.”

Jax growls and wraps an arm around my waist. “Come here, my sweet little badass.” He drags me down to the bed.

I stare up at him. He seems none the worse for wear for having been poisoned an hour ago. But then, I guess, an hour after I was poisoned, we were in the barn, I was naked, and his hands were…

About where they’re going now.

His fingers slide up my rib cage. I let out a long, slow breath for the first time since Jax stumbled out that back door and crashed into the concrete. I realize that he’s meaning a lot to me. I think back to the last days in my aunt’s house, pining for him. And I had no idea what was to come.

Everything has been even better than I could have imagined. I had no clue.

His blue-gray eyes fix on mine. “Tell me about your fear of guns.”

I go still. I didn’t anticipate this. “I just have this strong reaction to them,” I say.

“Your aunt didn’t have any around?” Even as he asks this, his hand trails along my spine, sending a tingle up my body.

“Not that I knew about.” I hesitate. He probably knows about the ones in the stash. “But I found the case of them under the floor in the pantry.”

“When you destroyed the floor.” His face shows a trace of amusement.

“Once I figured out that the shoes would open the trapdoor.”

“Clever.”

“I wasn’t going to get it open any other way. I tried hacking it.”

“Is that when you found the ring? I was surprised to find you brought it with you when you escaped Klaus.”

“Yes,” I say. “Something about it made me keep it.”

He moves away from me, and I wish I hadn’t asked, my body aching for him to touch me again.

Jax goes to the knapsack that he dropped on a chair when we came in. He pulls out the black oval ring. “It’s an odd thing to have in a safe house.”

“It doesn’t do anything, as far as I can tell,” I say. “I guess you saw it that first night?” I shiver a little, thinking about waking up to Jax at the end of my bed. I knew, even then, that something incredible was happening.

Jax sits on the bed, holding the ring in his palm. “I think it’s just a plain ring. It doesn’t set off any sensors on any equipment. It looks old.”

I take it from him and slide it on my thumb. “I wonder how it ended up in our stash.”

“No telling,” Jax says. “You seem to like it.”

“I do.” I take it off and turn it over. Inside, the initials KHS are engraved. “I wonder whose initials these are,” I say.

“No telling. There are no Vigilantes that match them. I checked.”

“Really? You were that curious?”

His eyes watch me steadily. “I was trying to find out the secrets of your safe house.”

I pick up his hand and slide the ring on his finger. “It’s a good fit for you.”

He holds it out like a woman examining a diamond, and I burst into giggles.

“Does it make my fingers look fat?” he asks.

God, I’m dying. Jax? Playful? It didn’t seem possible any time before.

I snatch up the blue negligee. “I guess I should put this on,” I say.

The air seems to crackle between us. “I’d say definitely, yes,” he agrees.

I pick it up and head into the bathroom.

I close the door and lean against it. My stomach is turning somersaults. I’m so lost. I want him by me all the time.

I’ve totally fallen for this man.

And yet, we’re in so much danger. I don’t see how we can get out of this. The Vigilantes seem at our heels every moment. So many close calls. Poisons. Bombs.

I turn to the giant mirrors surrounded with movie-star bulbs, like I’m in a dressing room at a film studio. I peel off the MMA T-shirt and jeans.

My hair falls in soft waves on my shoulders, probably due to the fancy shampoo and conditioner Armond sent. My life is such a strange seesaw of fairy tale and horror flick.

Probably there is a matching bottom to this filmy top somewhere in the suitcases, but it’s too late to go looking for it now. Thankfully my underwear is also blue, so it works all right with the negligee.

I take off my bra, feeling sort of in awe that Armond nailed the fit on that, and tug the top over my head. It flutters down like a wedding veil, and about as transparent. This outfit hides nothing at all.

I take a deep breath and put my hand on the doorknob. I wonder what Jax is thinking of this time. Ropes? The tickler? Something new? I feel a rush of heat just thinking about it. I don’t know how I fell into the hands of a man like Jax De Luca, but I am so grateful that I did.

I open the door, trying not to feel shy in the outfit.

Jax looks up, his eyes appreciative on my body.

He’s naked on the bed, his skin glowing in the soft light.

And in his lap, he holds a gun.