Page 63 of Broken Bonds
“Todd?”
I look over at Jax’s tone and find him staring at me, eyebrow arched.
“Yeah?”
“Let’s not talk to him about this yet, okay?” Jax says. “I don’t want him feeling more pressure. Keeping him here might not even be possible. But feel free to play with him.”
“Yeah,” I quietly say.
“Todd, he might not even want to stay when I bring all this to him. He might opt to leave without doing anything else.”
“You don’t have to let him leave.”
His jaw drops. “Since when have we ever held someone against their will? That’s the kind of shit he just escaped from. And you can’t force him to stay, either.”
“I can if I tighten the straps on the frame enough,” I mutter, only half joking.
Jax glares at me. “Do I need to switch into pack Alpha mode about this?”
I blow out a long breath. “Jax, this kid’s…sweet. He’s a good kid. He just needs a stable foundation under him to support him. Like our pack.”
“Only if he wants one,” Jax says. “And that brings me back to we can’t force him to stay.”
“How long am I supposed to keep this from him?” I ask. “Won’t someone spill the beans?”
“Everyone I’ve spoken with today was sworn to secrecy.”
“I still volunteer to be the one to do it,” I say. “Yes, if he wants to.”
Jax drains his beer, glances at his phone, and mumbles in a disgruntled way. “I need to go,” he says, standing.
I stand with him and take the empty bottle from him. “Any timeframe?”
He shakes his head. “Everything’s in flux. If nothing is decided sooner, I want to hear back from my friend about the phone.”
“What will that prove?”
“If someone immediately shows up looking for Mal based on the phone being powered up and accounts accessed, that tells me we’re up against a timeline that we need to quickly take control of.”
“And if no one shows up?” I ask.
“Hopefully, it means we have a little wiggle room to deal with one thing at a time.” He departs and I return inside, finishing my beer and dropping the bottles in the recycling bin.
Yeah, I stroked one out this morning—unlike me on a work morning—thinking about my cock down Mal’s throat.
About staring into those sweet grey eyes of his, holding his face in my hands.
Except I know Jax is right. I can’t let myself fall in love with the kid. Not right now, anyway.
I mean, not more than I already have.
If that’s even possible.
Because let’s face it—I already have.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Shawn
