Page 25 of Sins of Seduction
Raven ignored any protest coming from Grayson and Cruz and rushed for the door. Before she could get her hand on the knob, the door flung open and Jax was on the other side. She looked at him, taking in the way his massive shoulders filled out the door frame. He looked every bit the opposing force blocking her escape, and for a minute there she thought he was here to keep her in this room and subject her to more of Cruz’s shit.
Jax’s gaze shot past her, simmering with a brutal animosity that almost made her take a step back. “That was…” Jax shook his head as he opened his arms for Raven and she didn’t hesitate. She walked right to him, wrapping her arms around his waist, and let the feel of his arms wrap around her body feel like the safe space he was offering.
Raven buried her face into his chest and inhaled his scent, reminding her of pine and cedar. Her body instantly relaxed, and she could feel the weight she’d been carrying slip off her shoulders with ease as she was engulfed farther into Jax’s embrace. The interrogation room disappeared. Cruz’s hatred toward her had vanished, and so did what happened in Lush. There were no rose petals or creepy messages; it was just her and Jax, and while that seemed to settle her, a new fear took root.
Their conversation from this morning and their past relationship had slowly come into focus. Jax was dead serious about giving this another try, and she had initially been reluctant because of how they always ended up because of their differences, but now there was a new reluctance that settled over her heart. Just as her body melted into his, she realized how easy it would be to fall back in love with him. Her body already attuned with his—her heartbeat calming down to match the soft thunder of his. She’d only ever been on the receiving end of a love like this with one other person. Raven couldn’t love them the way they needed, and it killed them.
See me, Raven.
I can’t live without you.
Jax felt his temperature rise as he held on to Raven. He could feel her shaking in his hold, though he could tell she was trying to put on a brave face as Diane went over particulars about Lush and any legal issues that would come up. Jax was half listening, his eyes tracking Cruz’s movements throughout the station. They couldn’t leave yet; Raven needed to sign off on something with her lawyer present.
“Lush should be up and running within the week. My guess is if they haven’t caught the killer by then, you’ll see a slight influx of new members. They’ll be undercovers. If they’re smart, they’ll let you know before they decide.” Diane rattled off more details that Jax barely paid attention to.
Raven’s body melted deeper into Jax’s arms. He could tell Raven was worried about the club and he couldn’t blame her. He remembered when she was first getting it off the ground. It had been an exclusive, private club. One couldn’t get in without a personal invite from Raven herself. That was before some jilted ex of one of the customers outed the club’s location and what went on behind closed doors.
It was during that time the mob had shown up protesting for Lush’s closure. At that time Jax was still a detective and had been privy to the death threats she’d gotten. As much as they fought about Lush and Raven’s sexual appetite, she had been open about her safety and the safety of those that went to Lush. He hated that she didn’t let him or even the cops know about the white roses she’d been receiving for the past year, but he understood her reluctance.
“I also asked that Detective Cruz no longer oversee anything that has to do with you or Lush.” Diane’s tone was sharp, her anger mirroring Jax’s.
“Good,” Jax growled as he watched Cruz walk back into the interrogation room he had Raven in.
He gave Raven’s shoulder a gentle squeeze as he pressed his lips to the side of her head. “I’ll be right back,” he murmured against her skin before he made a beeline for the interrogation room, ignoring Raven’s protests and Grayson’s shouts.
Jax’s unchecked anger simmered inside of him and had him reaching the interrogation room door in two seconds flat. He flung the door open, letting it slam behind him.
“Don’t tell me you’re in here because that little cunt got upset with how I handled things,” Cruz grounded out, and something inside Jax snapped.
He charged for his longtime friend, throwing him into the nearest wall. He put his forearm against his throat, cutting off Cruz’s air supply. Cruz and Jax were similar in height, but Jax outweighed him by eighty pounds. The size of Jax’s forearm was twice the size of Cruz’s and if Jax wanted to, with just a little more pressure, he could snap Cruz’s windpipe.
“You call her anything other than Ms. Wright or Raven again, I will break your fucking jaw, Cruz. I don’t know what your issue is with her, but enough already. This shit has been going for too long and now it’s affecting your ability to handle this case.” Jax put more pressure against Cruz’s neck—a red haze had fallen over his gaze as he stared down at someone he had thought of as a friend.
“All this for some fucking pussy,” Cruz wheezed out, and Jax pulled back and swung, catching Cruz in his jaw. He swung again, but Greyson had come out of nowhere and wrapped himself around Jax, hauling him to the other side of the interrogation room as other cops filled the room.
Jax had been so focused on Cruz he hadn’t heard the door open—hadn’t sensed they were no longer alone. His anger over how Cruz treated Raven had taken away his ability to hear or see anything but Cruz.
“Breathe, Pierce. Cruz is just being his usual dickhead self, and you’re no longer a detective.” Greyson’s annoyingly calm voice in Jax’s ear had Jax gritting his teeth, but he put his hands up, silently letting Greyson know he was cool and wouldn’t bash Cruz’s face in.
Greyson’s hold on Jax loosened, and Jax did his best to calm down his thunderous heartbeat. He flexed his hands and cracked his neck, trying to put his temper back on a leash. This wasn’t the time or the place to address Cruz. He should have checked his friend the first time Cruz had something negative to say about Raven, but he hadn’t. He’d been too caught up in his own shit about Raven to deal with Cruz’s opinion toward her, and now Cruz thought it was okay to address her in any manner he saw fit.
Cruz’s maniacal laughter had Jax narrowing his eyes. There were at least ten cops in between Jax and Cruz, and Jax could feel Greyson breathing down his back, ready to latch on to him should Jax charge Cruz again.
“Easy, Pierce.” Greyson was in his ear with a hand gripping his shoulder.
“You know if I really wanted to, neither you nor these cops would be able to stop me from reaching Cruz,” Jax growled low in his throat as he continued to watch Cruz. Jax felt like a caged animal waiting for his cage to open so he could pounce.
“But you’re not going to,” Raven’s voice was like a summer rain, instantly dousing the fire that coursed through him. She stood in front of him. A small smile teasing her lips as she gripped his shirt and pulled him toward her. “You don’t have to defend my honor, Pierce.” She pressed her lips against his in a quick kiss. “Though I do appreciate it. I’ve been dying to punch him in his face since I met him,” she whispered against his lips and Jax chuckled.
Jax looked past her at Cruz’s stare. “If it happens again, maybe you should.” Jax made sure his voice carried and every head in the small interrogation room turned to face Jax.
Raven stood to stand beside him, and Jax threw his arm over her shoulder. Cruz cursed under his breath but said nothing as the captain walked in. “Did I miss the invite?” Captain Dee Ortega’s voice cracked through the tension building in the interrogation room.
Everyone jumped but hesitated to leave Cruz alone with Jax. Jax could see the unease in the other officers’ faces, and when no one spoke up or moved, Ortega’s voice cracked through the room again. “All of you can’t be solving cases if you’re in here gossiping like school girls.” Her gaze shot between Cruz and Jax and then slid down toward Raven. “Pierce, Ms. Wright.” Her smile wasn’t friendly, it was all feral, which made Jax want to tuck Raven behind him.
Ortega wasn’t the meanest person at the station, but she wasn’t the nicest either. At thirty-five she was the youngest captain they had and her being a female to boot hadn’t made things easy for her. In turn, she didn’t make anything easy for her subordinates. “And here I thought you quit, Pierce. Unless I missed paperwork on my desk, you shouldn’t be here.” She snapped. “I’m going to ignore the fact that Cruz is bleeding all over my floors and the fact that I’ve now asked you all twice….” Her voice echoed around the room, and that got the rest of the cops on their feet and out the door. Only Cruz, Greyson, Jax, and Raven stayed behind.
“Whatever this shit is between you two,” her gaze landed on Raven again, “handle it. I would hate to throw one of the best detectives I’ve had behind bars with an assault charge.” She looked back at Cruz. “Stop being a dipshit and clean this blood up.” She turned on her heels, slamming the interrogation door behind.
