Jax Read online

  Beast just stared at him.

  “Want to go for a walk?”

  Beast just stared at him.

  “We’re going for a walk.”

  It was a sunny day with a nice breeze and Jax breathed in the fresh mountain air as they walked to the park. He didn’t have a stroller so he just tossed a blanket into the wheelbarrow and put Beast in that.

  “See, I’m not just a pretty face,” Jax said proudly to Beast as he carried him down the sidewalk. “I’m also a genius.”

  They arrived at the park and Jax took the chubby guy in his arms and walked around, wondering what they could do. “Want to try the slide?”

  He placed Beast at the top of the high slide and gave him a pep talk. “Okay,” he said as Beast tried to stick his whole fist into his mouth. “Just land on your feet and you’ll be fine.”

  Beast chuckled as the breeze hit his face, taking a thin strand of his adorable blonde hair up for a ride.

  “Ready?” Jax asked. “Three, two, one…”

  He released the baby and Beast shot down it like a rocket, sailing into the air as he flew off the bottom of the slide.

  “Shit!” Jax shouted as the baby went airborne.

  Without a second of hesitation, he lunged forward and dove after him, catching him like a football before he hit the ground. Jax landed on his chest with an ‘oomph’ but the baby was okay. In fact, he seemed to enjoy it.

  “I don’t think we’ll do that one again,” Jax muttered as he got up with his heart pounding. That had been a little too close.

  “Maybe the swings?” He looked over at the swings, contemplated it for half a second, and then shook his head. “How about we just sit on the grass for a while.”

  They sat on the soft grass under a large maple tree, enjoying the shade and each other’s company. It was a beautiful park with a sweeping view of the Abrasoka mountains in front of them. Colwood really was a picturesque town and Jax couldn’t believe that he had never enjoyed the park before. It was nice with the sounds of excited children playing on the monkey bars and slides, with the soft murmur of the moms chatting with each other. A bike path wound through the trees on the side of the soccer field and Jax watched a couple slowly cycling down it.

  His thoughts drifted to the beautiful woman he had seen earlier. He wanted to know more about her. Her name. What she was like. What had driven her to let go of a kid as amazing as Beast if she was indeed his mother?

  He was thinking of her so much that he hadn’t noticed Beast sitting up on his own for the first time.

  “Look at you!” he exclaimed with a big smile on his face. “All by yourself!”

  Beast was too busy staring at his fingers to respond. “You’re sitting up straight!” Jax said proudly.

  The two women who were chatting on the bench stopped talking as they watched him with smiles on their faces.

  “Look at my man!” Jax shouted to them. “Sitting like a boss!”

  The women laughed as Jax turned and waved to get a grandmother’s attention. He was so proud that he wanted to show everybody. “Look at him,” he said to the elderly lady as she walked over. “He’s sitting up all by himself! I taught him that! Well, not really, but…”

  “I think he needs some help,” the woman said as she slowly walked over.

  Jax whipped his head back and gulped when he saw Beast folded over with his face in the grass. “Oops!” Jax said as he reached forward to help him, but Beast was a beast and didn’t need any help. He rolled over onto his back and giggled as he looked up at the tree branches that were swaying in the breeze.

  “He’s still practicing,” Jax said with a chuckle as the elderly woman admired the kid. “He’ll get it eventually.”

  “You make a wonderful father,” she said, smiling warmly at him. “It’s nice to see.”

  “Huh?” Jax said, shaking his head in confusion. He thought that she was being sarcastic until he saw the warmth in her smile. “Oh… thanks.”

  Me? A good father?

  “What’s his name?” the woman asked.

  Jax huffed out his chest proudly. “Beast.”

  The woman laughed. “You’re a riot,” she said before gushing at the baby boy. “Enjoy your afternoon.”

  Jax’s head was swirling with new thoughts as she shuffled away toward her granddaughter who was playing in the sand. I make a great dad?

  Jax had never thought that he would ever become a father, but for the first time, he could see it as a possibility.

  “Wait a second?” he gasped as he stared at Beast’s chubby face. “Do I like kids now?”

  He looked around the park in shock and didn’t feel the revulsion and disgust that he normally felt when he saw children playing.

  “What have you done to me?” he whispered to Beast. “You broke me. Damn you.”

  But even he had to admit that this new kid-friendly Jax was better than the old one. It felt nice to be attached to someone other than himself.

  He thought about Monday and what would happen when the lady from child services came to pick him up and was surprised to feel a sadness seeping into him. He really didn’t want his time with the little guy to end.

  “You definitely broke me, Beast,” Jax said as he picked him up. “Not cool.”

  Beast fell asleep in Jax’s big arms as they walked home. It was uncomfortable dragging the wheelbarrow behind him, but as long as Beast was comfortable, he didn’t mind.

  When he turned on his street he caught a glimpse of the blue car from earlier parked down one of the alleyways. He gasped, holding his breath as he looked around for the girl.

  His chest fluttered when he saw her standing behind a mailbox, spying on the firehouse that was down the street. She was rocking back and forth, her restless fingers grabbing at the bottom of her shirt as she looked around with quick jerky movements.

  It was Beast’s mother all right. He could tell by the anguish and pain radiating off her. And who else would be spying on the firehouse on a Saturday afternoon? It had to be her.

  He clutched the sleeping baby to his chest a little tighter as he cautiously approached, not making a sound.

  “Looking for something?” he asked when he was right behind her.

  She spun around with a gasp, locking eyes with him as she stared in shock. She was absolutely stunning but looked like a mess. She was sweating and her eyes were red and bloodshot as she looked at him with a pained stare. Her hands began trembling as her eyes fell on the sleeping baby boy in Jax’s arms. Her chin quivered and Jax couldn’t help but notice that it had a sharp resemblance to the way Beast’s chin quivered whenever he was upset.

  Her panicked eyes softened as she stared at the boy. She looked so tired. So beaten down and dispirited like her heart was permanently broken.

  Jax had a strong urge to take her in his arms and protect her, but he fought it back, stepping away from her instead.

  She had abandoned Beast with a stranger and was clearly a threat to the boy. And Jax wasn’t about to let any threat get close to the little guy who he had grown so attached to.

  The woman raised her arm toward the baby, and then caught herself. Her sad eyes filled with tears when she seemed to realize what she was doing.

  “Are you—”

  She ran off before Jax could finish the sentence, sprinting past him in the direction of the blue car.

  Not this time.

  He clutched Beast to his chest and ran after her, arriving at the car as she started the engine. “You’re not going anywhere,” he said as he reached down and grabbed the bottom of the bumper, lifting the back of the car off the ground as she tried to speed away. The spinning tires hit nothing but air as Jax held the car in place with one hand and held Beast with the other.

  “I just want to talk to you,” he called out to her. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

  The tires slowed to a stop and Jax couldn’t help but feel sorry for her as he watched her head drop forward.

  “I can’t,” she s
aid through the open window. “He’ll smell him on me.”

  “Who?” Jax asked but she didn’t answer.

  His chest tightened as the car door opened and she stepped out. He lowered the car back to the ground before she could see him holding it up with only one hand.

  Her terrified eyes were locked on the baby boy who was sleeping through it all. “I just wanted to see him.”

  “You don’t have to go,” Jax said softly, wanting her to stay.

  Her jaw tightened as she glanced back at the car uneasily. “I shouldn’t be here.”

  “You’re his mother, aren’t you?” Jax asked, staring her down.

  Her body tightened. “Yes.”

  “And you left him at the firehouse?”

  She lowered her head, looking like her heart was breaking. “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  Her eyes were brimming with pain and anguish as she looked at her boy as he slept in the crook of Jax’s arm. “I have to go.”

  She darted into her car, but this time, Jax was ready. He shot forward like a bullet, blocking her way as she tried to get into the car.

  “Hey,” he said as she stepped back. “Are you okay?”

  The poor girl looked like she was fearing for her life.

  “I just…”

  She looked into his eyes and a force smashed into Jax like a knockout punch. He stood there frozen and transfixed on her face as the bricks and alleyway behind her faded away in a cloud of black, leaving only her radiant face and stunning body in full, glorious view.

  A flood of heat and warmth and love filled every nerve and cell in his body as his inner lion bonded to the scared helpless girl in front of him.

  When the darkness faded a moment later and she was left looking at him with a confused and frightened look on her face, it struck him.

  Beast’s mom was his mate.

  Chapter 5

  Violet

  Violet didn’t understand what was going on. There were too many emotions swirling around in her head—all competing for her attention—to focus on any one of them. She felt like she was losing her mind.

  The pain of seeing her son up close and not being able to touch him, the sight of seeing him in a stranger’s arms, the fear of having to go back home with Benjamin’s scent on her skin, were all mixing with a strange new feeling.

  A feeling of love.

  Of connection, to this mysterious man who was holding her son.

  “It’s you,” he whispered, staring at her in a way that made goosebumps rise on her skin. “What’s your name?”

  She was too scared to answer. Too freaked out to move.

  Who was this guy and why did he suddenly feel so familiar? Why did she suddenly have an irresistible urge to let him take her in his muscular arms and protect her? What the hell was going on?

  He reached out for her, and instead of pulling away like she knew she should have, she closed her eyes and let his hand run over her cheek.

  Every nerve ending in her body stirred and tingled under that warm touch. Had it been so long since she had last felt a touch of comfort from a man? It had been long before Anton, that was for damn sure.

  When his hand dropped away and she opened her eyes, she realized she had been holding her breath.

  This man had touched her. Anton would surely smell him and Benji on her skin. There would be hell to pay tonight but for some reason, she didn’t feel fear. Not with him in front of her.

  “Speak to me,” he pleaded, stepping toward her. He tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear and looked down at her with the most gorgeous amber eyes. There was something hiding deep within them that was now coming to the surface. A tenderness. A love. A deep need.

  For her?

  It couldn’t be. She had to been reading it all wrong.

  She was worthless. Wretched and good-for-nothing.

  Anton had told her that every day for the past two years and it had started to sink in. But it wasn’t just from Anton. She believed it too.

  What kind of person would abandon their own son? A worthless, wretched, good-for-nothing one.

  Benjamin deserved better than her. This gorgeous stranger in front of her deserved better than her.

  I should leave and never come back. It would be best for Benji that way.

  “I have to go,” she said, giving the man one last look.

  His face twisted up like his heart was lurching in his chest as he watched her getting ready to leave. Violet kissed two fingers and touched it to Benjamin’s beautiful sleeping forehead.

  It killed her to leave him again, but what choice did she have? He was safer with this man who was holding him protectively, than with her and Anton.

  Anton had a furious temper and he hated the sound of crying. One day he would snap and she wouldn’t be able to protect her boy. And then…

  Violet couldn’t think about that. It was better this way. As hard as it was, it was still better this way.

  She took a deep painful breath and pried her eyes away from the two boys who she desperately wanted to stay with, and got in the car to drive to the one man who she desperately wanted to avoid.

  The gorgeous blonde man with the large frame who was holding her child didn’t try to stop her. He just watched in shock as she drove away, feeling like her soul, which was only finally found, was shattering into pieces.

  Chapter 6

  Jax

  Jax had stood in that alleyway for a long time before he shuffled home on devastated feet. He had finally met his mate, and she was gone.

  And he didn’t know if she would ever come back.

  He kissed Beast’s forehead as the little boy woke up in a groggy state. At least I have a piece of her.

  There was no way he was giving the baby to child services now. He would call them back and tell them it had been a drill to test the effectiveness of the system. He was keeping the boy until she returned, and if she didn’t, well, he would raise him as his own.

  Beast shook out of his sleepy haze and looked up at Jax with a playful smile. He laughed as the lion shifter gave him a gentle kiss on the forehead.

  “You didn’t tell me that your mother was such a hottie,” he said, smiling sadly at the boy. “Do you miss her as much as I do?”

  The meeting had truly shaken him to his core. His mate was out there and she was fearing for her life. And there was nothing Jax could do about it.

  His insides felt like they were twisting around as he pictured her returning to the place that she had fled from. Jax would have been on his way there to protect her if only he knew where she was.

  Colwood was a small town but he had never seen her around before. He definitely would have remembered her beautiful face if he had. She was petite with a freckled nose and sweet pink lips that Jax couldn’t stop thinking about. She had the same sparkling blue eyes as her son that looked even brighter next to her shiny black hair.

  Jax was too rattled to return home so he walked into town with the boy, leaving the wheelbarrow in the alley and carrying him instead. He was committed to the boy now more than ever, so he went shopping for some proper gear—a high chair, a stroller, a car seat, and a crib. He tried to give the owner of the shop Tim an extra fifty dollars to deliver everything and set it up for him, but the old man refused. “I’ll bring everything installed for free,” he said happily. “I didn’t forget what you guys did for my brother last year.”

  Jax and the boys had responded to a call the year before when Tim’s brother collapsed in his field after having a heart attack. Draven managed to save his life.

  “Thanks, Tim,” he said with a nod. He was so spent after seeing his mate that he didn’t have the energy to carry it all.

  His thoughts were on the girl as he walked back with Beast.

  “Don’t worry, dude,” he whispered when they arrived back home. “We’ll get her back. Soon. I promise.”

  The cute little guy didn’t look too worried as he rolled around on the carpet. Jax got the phone
and left a message for child services telling them that it was just a scheduled test from the fire department to rate their reaction speed. He told them they got an F.

  “Now what?” he asked, as he plopped down on the chair, watching the baby as he stared at a spot on the carpet.

  You should have held her there. You shouldn’t have let her go.

  Jax let out a deep, bitter sigh.

  She had looked so sad. So scared.

  It killed him to know that she was out there and needed his help, but he was powerless to do anything.

  His inner lion had bonded to her and they were meant to be together, whether she knew it or not. They were mates and had a deep connection that couldn’t be broken.

  If only she had stayed around long enough to find that out…

  Chapter 7

  Violet

  The foolishness of what Violet had done finally hit her when she was in the shower. Anton had ordered her to stay away from Benjamin, and Anton didn’t respond well to his orders being ignored.

  She just wasn’t thinking clearly and had to see him. Even from a distance. She had to know that her little Benji was still alive and that he was in good hands.

  It had been a mistake to go. He would know. She had no idea how, but he would know.

  Anton was good at sniffing out lies. Violet suspected that the vicious animal hiding within him allowed him to smell other scents on her, even just a soft touch, even after a long shower.

  She sunk down to the warm tiles as the hot water washed over her head. There was a shakiness in her exhausted limbs as she covered her face and tried not to focus on what Anton would do when he got home. She tried not to think about the pain she would be in tonight.

  She pushed the evil tiger shifter out of her mind and tried to think about something else. Something happy. There wasn’t a lot of happy thoughts swirling in her weary head, but one managed to pop up.