Page 9 of Switch

I roll my eyes, but I can’t help the small smirk tugging at my lips.“You jealous?”

Blade shrugs.“A little. You could’ve at least introduced us first before swooping in.”

Rev chuckles but gives me a knowing look.“She seemed shaken up. She okay now?”

“I think so,”I exhale, running a hand over my head.“That guy was a problem. I wasn’t about to let her deal with it alone.”

Blade tilts his head, his grin dimming slightly.“Yeah, well… good thing you were there.”

Rev nods, his expression serious now.“You did the right thing, Jax.”

I nod back, the tension in my chest easing slightly. These guys might give me shit, but when it matters, they get it.

“So,” Blade says, his grin returning, “you going to tell us what happened after you rode off with her?”

I laugh, shaking my head. “Nothing to tell. Got her home safe, made sure she was okay, and came back.”

“Uh-huh,” Blade says, dragging out the word. “And the fact that you’re still smiling like an idiot has nothing to do with her?”

“I’m not smiling like an idiot,” I reply, but I can feel the corners of my mouth twitching.

Rev laughs, clapping me on the shoulder. “Don’t let him get to you, Jax. You did the right thing. Just let us know next time you’re going to play hero so we’re not left wondering where the hell you went.”

“Fair enough,” I say, nodding. “Anything happen while I was gone?”

“A couple of drunks got rowdy near the Ferris wheel, but nothing we couldn’t handle,” Rev says.

Blade leans back against the fence, his smirk softening. “You missed your chance to play cleanup, though. Guess you were busy with other things.”

“Other things, huh?” I say, chuckling. “You mean cleaning up after a drunk idiot and making sure he didn’t ruin someone else’s night? Yeah, I was busy.”

Blade laughs, raising his beer. “Touché.”

As the teasing dies down, I glance around at the carnival crowd, the tension in my shoulders finally easing.

“Still,” Blade says, nudging me with his elbow, “you’re smiling a hell of a lot more than usual for someone who just had to deal with a drunk asshole.”

“Maybe I just like knowing I made sure someone got home safe,” I reply, shrugging.

Rev shakes his head, chuckling softly. “Yeah, and maybe you just met someone who’s got you thinking about more than work for a change.”

I don’t respond, but I can’t stop the smile tugging at my lips as I turn back toward the crowd. Maybe they’re right. Maybe tonight’s about more than just doing the job.

And maybe, just maybe, Bella’s the kind of trouble I wouldn’t mind getting into.

FOUR

BELLA

It’s barely 8 a.m.,and I’m already on my second cup of coffee. The house is quiet, the early sunlight streaming through the windows as I stare at the blank page of my notebook, trying to focus on my to-do list for the day.

Except I can’t.

My mind keeps wandering back to last night. To Jax.

The way he stepped in, calm but commanding, when Mike got out of hand. The way he didn’t hesitate to check on me, walk me to my door, and make sure I felt safe. And that smile… God, that smile. It was so different from what I expected. Gentle, almost. Like it was meant to ease my nerves, and somehow, it worked.

I don’t know much about him, but the thought of him—his presence, the way he seemed to care even though I was practically a stranger—keeps tugging at the edges of my thoughts.

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