“I’m sorry, I don’t,” I say flatly.
“I guess that’s not surprising. She’s just a piece of ass, right?”
“She isn’t a ‘piece of ass’, to me or anyone,” I say, hearing the hypocrisy of my words even as I say them.
Flynn smirks at me. “You keep telling yourself that.”
My jaw clenches, anger flaring through me. “Maybe if you want to know what’s going on with her, you should ask her yourself.”
He turns to me, the wind stirring the gray strands on the top of his head as he frowns, his lips hardening.
“What do you m?—”
The door behind us opens, and Jax walks out, hugging herself against the cold as she looks around. I’ve never brought her up here before, and suddenly I wish I had. Her hair whips behind her as she looks meaningfully at her brother.
“Gray has a meeting, Fly, you need to fuck off.”
“Is that how you talk to all your clients?” he says, as he looks back at me.
“You outstayed whatever welcome you had, and there wasn’t much of that to begin with,” she insists. But even as she says it, her hands reach up and brush gently at his brow. “Your face okay? It’s red.”
“I’ll be alright.”
The affection between them is palpable as he gives her a little hug and walks out with a backward glance at me. She turns to follow him when I encircle her wrist with my fingers.
“Wait a second.”
“Gray, it is minus four up here. I’m freezing.”
As Flynn exits the terrace behind us, I pull her into me, wrapping my coat around her. She is stiff for a moment and then laughs, snuggling into me.
“That’s better,” she says, rubbing against me in a way that feels very deliberate.
“I have a meeting in ten minutes,” I say.
“This was your idea.”
“Uh-huh,” I murmur, resting my chin on her head as her arms go around me. It’s an unconscious movement, but it makes my chest ache.
It’s nice to stand here with her, as if we’re one unit, but I feel uneasy as I think back to what I said to Flynn. I hope I didn’t just make things more difficult for Jax, but I want her to be safe. If she won’t tellmewhat’s going on, Flynn feels like a capable alternative. It’s obvious he cares deeply about her.
I pull back, looking down at her beautiful, upturned face, her hair swirling around her head, bringing out the hazel in her eyes.
“How much money do you owe Monroe?” I ask, keeping my tone as neutral as I can.
The response from Jax is immediate. She flinches, loosening her arms and stepping away from me. The look she shoots me is hard, her eyes narrowing, but she says nothing in response.
“Monroe must want something,” I press. “Is it money? You took this job for a reason, Jax. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that you wouldn’t have done that, especially when you’re already working nights, unless you had to.”
“This isn’t your problem, Gray.”
“Whose problem is it then? Because Nick Monroe doesn’t fight fair. He’s not going to let you off the hook, you know that, right?”
Jax looks out at the view, her arms crossing over her chest more tightly as she bites on her lower lip.
“I’m sorry about my brother. He can be overbearing, but it seems you’ve won him over. Don’t get involved in my family, Gray. You don’t need to worry about it.”
“And if I want to help?”
