SaraI felt better and relieved being at work. I tied my apron and tried to get back into the groove of things. I would just be working at the diner for now, but that was enough."Sara! You're back!" Lauren exclaimed, moving around quickly to hug me. I winced for a moment when she squeezed too tight around my ribs. The mob doc said they weren't broken anymore, but that they were still bruised and would be sore for a while.... I groaned internally. "Yes, I'm here. Has it been this crazy for a while?" I asked, looking around at the disorder. "Yeah, Mabel hasn't had a chance to hire anyone new since, you know, Ben was… arrested," Lauren answered. She looked truly worried that she was going to upset me. I squeezed her arm with a weak smile. Grabbing the plates from Mark, I moved to carry them to their table. I was going to need a milkshake soon or some sort of caffeine or sugar high. I moved as quickly as I could, rounding the tables and taking orders. I didn't want t
JaxonMy jealousy was only matched by my anger. I let go of Sara's face when the light turned green, but she still hadn't answered me. She was mad that I was uncomfortable with her seeing Mark. I wanted to scream at her, but I kept myself as controlled as possible. I pressed my foot down a bit too hard on the gas pedal. How could she really blame me? My anger was starting to win over my jealousy. Did she not remember all that had happened with Ben?"Is it really that hard? Are you so determined to go against me that you'd continually risk your safety?" I demanded. Sara let out a heavy breath and kept her face away from mine. I drove faster than necessary. I gripped my hands tightly around the steering wheel. "Maybe our ideas of keeping me safe just differ… drastically," she replied, acidly. She crossed her arms over her chest, and her breasts pushed up splendidly. For a moment, I couldn't tear my eyes away, but soon, the anger was stronger, and I was able to avert my ey
SaraI stomped into the house. I wanted to scream and punch Jaxon in the face. I felt so angry and humiliated. I couldn't stand it. How could I truly mean so little to him after everything? I screamed out loud as I stomped my way up the stairs. Before I reached the top, Jaxon's strong hand gripped tight around my arm and whipped me around. His eyes were tight, and his lips were in a thin line. "Let me go," I growled. "No," he replied. His voice was calm, and he kept his eyes on me. He forced me back down a little until my face was closer to his."Damn it, Jaxon, let me go," I screamed again. I tried to pull my arm away, but his grip was so much stronger than mine. If I continued to pull much harder, I'd have another bruise. I narrowed my eyes at him. "You don't get to make such demands of me," he answered, still more calm than necessary. It was strange watching him flip from how he was in the car to this frightening and controlled person. The underworld king was in charge
SaraI stayed still and concentrated on my breathing. I didn't want to focus on all the thoughts that, now that the physical moment had passed, were raging a war in my head. I glanced at Jaxon. His eyes were still closed. I wanted to shake him awake and demand answers. "What are you doing?" I whispered. Jaxon opened his eyes and looked at me but made no motion to speak. "Jaxon...." I pleaded. He turned away from me. "You were clearly only looking at me as a villain who took what he pleased without a care." He still wasn't telling me anything. I needed to know how he really felt about me. But he was right back to being… Jaxon. "Do you want me just to hate you?" I asked. I tried to keep my voice even but the anger slipped out. Jaxon frowned. "It doesn't matter what I want…" he whispered. I couldn't really see his eyes well, but he had a look that was almost sad. I couldn't help but scoff. "You keep reminding me that you own me," I barked. "You must have a reason fo
SaraI moved slowly through the kitchen looking in the cupboards and the fridge. It was stocked full of food, but I couldn't decide what I wanted. It took me a minute to realize what I wanted was a burger and milkshake from work. I felt too drained and consumed to think about anything else. I went through the house and looked for Ron or someone else I recognized who could drive me. I wanted my car; I wanted to drive myself. I wanted to get my food and then drive until I had a solution for everything going on. "Ms. Sara, can I help you?" Ron asked as I rounded the corner and looked into Jaxon's home office. "Can you drive me to Mabel's Diner?" I asked hesitantly. He frowned at me. "I wasn't aware you had a shift today...." Ron looked frustrated and concerned. I shrugged and smiled lightly. "I don't. We don't need to stay long… I was just hoping for a burger and fries, maybe a milkshake. Please, Ron?" I muttered. I half smiled at him. "I think I should call Jaxon firs
SaraMy father stood there in the doorway with his head bowed and his eyes full of shame. He looked trashed. Clearly, his self-care habits hadn't improved in my absence. "I–I just wanted to… apologize again. I wanted to see you, sweetheart. I missed you." "You SOLD me to pay off your debts. You don't get to miss me. What are you really doing here, Dad? Jaxon doesn't want you on his property or in the house," I complained. A small smirk rose in the corner of my Dad's mouth, but his head was still lowered. "I know that but I thought… he probably wasn't home.... and maybe, just maybe, you'd let me in so we could talk…" As if I wasn't already clouded with enough emotions that wouldn't settle, now I had this to deal with. I felt fury and regret for all the times I'd helped him and how quickly he had dismissed me. But I couldn't help but still feel sympathy. He was still my father.... He looked pitiful standing outside begging to be let into the house again, begging to be le
JaxonThe drive felt increasingly longer each day Sara stayed with me. I'd never minded staying late at the office, doing the work that needed to be done. Now it took all I had to last until 5:00 p.m. so that I could race home and see her. I moved as quickly as I could without breaking too many traffic laws–being pulled over was the last thing I needed right now. I pulled up to the driveway feeling more anxious by the minute. I parked in my normal spot in the garage and gathered all my things, then I got out quickly and walked inside. I moved to my office anddropped my belongings, including my jacket before rolling up my sleeves and moving toward the stairs. But thenI heard Sara's laughter in the kitchen, so I stopped instantly and turned to follow the sound of her voice. I walked into the kitchen to see her texting and eating slowly from a bag of chips. "How was your day?" I asked, smiling at her. She looked peaceful, happy, and I loved seeing her like that. Part of me hope
SaraLaying in my bed and staring at the ceiling, I felt numb and chilled. Jaxon said he understood it wasn't my fault and didn't blame me. But now that I'd come upstairs, it was like every single emotion in my body just let loose.I felt like my heart was breaking-no, not just my heart. Everything felt like it was breaking. I felt like my body was shattering. I couldn't handle knowing that my father had f*cking betrayed me–again. I thought I couldn't be any more hurt and furious than I was when he sold me to Jaxon. I thought I was never going to believe him or let him back in. But here he was, back in my broken heart, back in my safe house with Jaxon. Back to messing up everything. I let the tears flow.After a few minutes of emotional release, I staggered up off the bed still shaking and crying wildly and headed toward the shower. I wanted to forget and let go of everything. I turned the water on and brushed my hair while it got warm. I didn't realize what a mess my hair was