Page 103 of Triple Power Play 3
Jax spins around, fists raised and poised for a fight. Recognition strikes him, and his harsh façade crumbles. “Ethan? What the fuck?” Horror resonates in his voice, each word becoming more elevated.
This will hurt him as much as me, but I’ll heal. Jax will carry this mental torment far longer.
I cup my chin and draw my tongue along the inside of my bottom lip. By chance, my teeth didn’t completely break through.
The laceration is bleeding profusely, mixing with pooling saliva. The pain in my jaw is bone-deep. My mouth pulsates, likely to swell, but none of my teeth are loose—thank fuck.
“Sorry,” I rasp and roll my stiff neck to assess the damage. It’s not terrible, nothing urgent, but the headache piercing my skull sends waves of nausea through my stomach, and I wince.
Feral green eyes meet mine. “Why?” He clutches his head. “Why would you do that?”
“I…” Why did I sneak up on him? Why did I surprise him in this creepy-ass place? I was seething and acted out of spite. “I wasn’t thinking. I was pissed you were taking off.”
Blood and saliva fill my mouth once again, and I spit, wiping my chin with the back of my hand. It burns like hell, and when I bring my hand away, it’s covered in bright-red blood. Another injury? It’s tough to pinpoint when everything hurts.
His intense gaze fixates on the blood. He clenches his jaw, pulls at his hair, and lets out a stifled scream. His anguish is my own, and my chest constricts.
I step forward, seize his wrists, and guide them around my neck. “Stop.” I wrap him in my arms and weave my fingers through his hair. “Shh. It looks worse than it is.”
He buries his face in the crook of my neck and sucks in shuddering breaths. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.” His heart pounds violently, and I feel the wetness of his tears on my skin.
Jax puts on a tough exterior, but he feels deeply, loves deeply. The torture it must have been to be him in a world of monsters.
I rest my cheek on his head, resisting the impulse to kiss his temple. It’s not like I can without getting blood all over him anyhow. “I’m okay, Jax. This is my fault.”
He pulls back, his lashes glistening. “No, you’re not.” He tips my chin with trembling fingers and grimaces. “I need to take you to the hospital.”
“Reece is on his way. I’ll have him check it out.”
He narrows his eyes and drops his hand. “You calledhim.”
I grasp his wrist. “How else were we getting home? Would you rather it be the twins?”
He scowls. “I wasn’t going home.”
“I know,” I snap, once again irritated. “Why do you think I’m out here and Reece is on his way? You’re not leaving. We'll handle Hugo.”
We glare at each other, neither of us willing to back down. A gust of wind howls through the trees and rustles the leaves, and he shivers. He's only in a T-shirt.
“Where’s your button-up?”
“I was going back in for my riding jacket,Dad.” He twists and jerks his arm.
“Don’t.” I tighten my hold. “I will tackle you to the ground and sit on you.”
The thought makes me smile, and I quickly regret it when pain splinters through my mouth. I glide my tongue over my swollen bottom lip, and the pungent metallic taste of blood churns my stomach.
His gaze traces the movement, and he frowns.
“Is it that bad?” I ask.
“Fucking awful. Aurora is going to flip.”
His eyes well with tears, and I draw him into my chest. I find the hem of his shirt and slip my fingers underneath. He doesn’t push me away. His muscular arms encircle my torso, and his body melts into me. He rarely shows me this much affection, and I find I like it—a lot.
Maybe I’m too attached. Maybe weshouldn’tbe on the same team.
No, fuck that. I can’t imagine Jax playing for anyone else. I’d go mad.
