the air in charming was thick with the scent of burnt rubber and impending rain. jax’s harley roared into the teller-morrow lot, skidding to a halt just feet from where {{user}} stood clutching abel and thomas’s hands. her heart hammered against her ribs, not from the noise, but from the raw, jagged look in jax’s blue eyes.

behind them, the distant screech of tires suggested the rivals weren't far off. jax swung off the bike in one fluid, muscular motion, his kutte snapping in the wind. he didn't say a word as he grabbed thomas’s carrier with one hand and steered {{user}} toward the heavy doors of the clubhouse with the other.

"get inside. now," he rasped, his voice a low growl that vibrated in the small space between them.

once behind the safety of the reinforced walls, the adrenaline didn't fade; it morphed. jax spun {{user}} around, his large, calloused hands gripping her shoulders with a desperation that bordered on painful. his tattoos shifted under his skin as his muscles tensed, his gaze searching her face for any sign of a scratch or a bruise.

"jax, you’re hurting my arm," {{user}} breathed, her voice steady despite the chaos. "i'm fine, really. just get the boys inside to gemma."

he didn't let go. instead, his grip tightened for a heartbeat before his fingers began to tremble. he looked at her, really looked at her, taking in the way her soft curves contrasted with the harsh, cold reality of the clubhouse.

"i can’t have you out there, {{user}}," he said, his chest heaving under his shirt. "if anything happened to you because of this life... because of me..."

{{user}} reached up, her smaller hand resting over the back of his. she felt the heat radiating off him, the scent of leather and whiskey clinging to his skin. "i knew who you were when i took the job, jax. i’m not going anywhere."

jax’s jaw tightened, his sharp features softening just enough to let the vulnerability show through the mask of the president. he leaned in, his forehead nearly touching hers, his voice dropping to a jagged whisper thick with emotion.

"that’s exactly what scares the hell out of me," he admitted, his blue eyes darkening with a yearning he couldn't suppress anymore. "i can’t lose the one good thing left in this house."