8. Thea

Chapter 8

Thea

T hea stiffened against the person behind her, cringing as she turned. "Oh, excuse…"

Bloody hell.

No way was her luck that bad.

"What are you doing here?" She hadn't even noticed Robbie leave, not when the mountain of a man currently glowering down at her sucked all the surrounding oxygen. It was impressive, considering not many men could make her feel small. "Is it Harper? Is she okay?"

Thea didn't stop him when he reached for her wrist, opening her fingers to reveal Robbie's watch, the one she had taken when he'd been startled from his seat. Pulling her arm back, she quickly grabbed everything else she'd stolen from her clutch bag and called the very little magic she had. Using little pockets of space between the realms, she forced the entirety of her bounty back to a special drawer in her bedroom.

She went to step back, only for him to close the gap between them. "Is there a reason you're blocking my way like some kind of neanderthal?"

He tilted his head, and Thea ignored how her heart fluttered – which was ridiculous. She'd only met him once, and that was one too many times. He's been insufferable, a tall wall of stubborn masculinity that had grunted demands at her like a dog. And then he'd become a dog. Or some kind of wolf creature. Either way, their first meeting wasn't a particularly pleasant experience.

"We need to talk," he said in his deep, raspy voice that had featured in one or two of her dirty fantasies. Not that she would ever admit that out loud. No, that was something she'd take to the grave.

"I suppose a ‘hello' is too formal," she said with a roll of her eyes.

"So you remember who I am?"

Thea snorted. "Of course not."

He clearly didn't believe her, but humoured her anyway. "Jax."

"Well Jax. You never answered my question." Thea knew she was being purposely short with him, but he made her nervous. His lips were tight, as was his jaw. There also seemed to be an air of hostility surrounding him – a natural fuck-off vibe.

It made her want to tease, to see whether she could make him crack his uncomfortably calm exterior. It was what he deserved for ruining her mark.

"What exactly do we have to talk about?" she pushed when he didn't reply. "Surely there's a reason you interrupted my date so rudely."

His eyes met hers, such a dark blue they reminded her of frosted sapphires. His expression was stoic, which wasn't much different from what she remembered in her post traumatic haze. She found herself studying his face, trailing the scar a few shades darker than his olive skin tone. It started high on his left forehead, slightly obscured by his dark hair before cutting through his brow, and then his eye. It marked the bridge of his nose, slicing diagonally across to slightly distort his upper lip on the right like some great creature slashed his face from one side to the other.

It should make him look cruel, but somehow it made him striking, handsome.

Stop it, Thea!

"I wouldn't call that a date," he said.

Thea snorted, reaching over to grab the drink Robbie had bought her. She hadn't planned on drinking it, but with Jax, it seemed she needed it. "How would you know? When's the last person you took on a date?"

Jax simply stared, not responding.

"No, seriously. Tell me. You clearly know enough about dating to come ruin mine."

"I don't date," he said, dipping his head and closing their distance. "I fuck."

Thea choked on her drink, the alcohol burning as it went down the wrong hole.

That wasn't what she expected him to say.

"Congratulations," she said between coughs. "You're just like every other fuckboy in existence." She placed her drink back down on the bar, subtly wiping the liquid from her face, as if she hadn't just embarrassed herself. "But you still haven't told me why you're here at this exact moment, bothering me. Look, it's been months. I appreciate you saving me from that guy – "

"Three months, two weeks, six days and a handful of hours since I saved you from that Skull."

"You named the guy with the freaky skeleton face paint ‘Skull'? Wow, how original."

Jax's voice dropped an octave. "Yes, and I know a way for you to thank me properly."

Thank him? The audacity of this man.

Straightening her spine, Thea pressed herself closer, his pupils widening. Her hand reached up to gently drag her fingertips along the stubble along his jaw, and she expected him to move away, but instead he pressed harder into her touch.

"And why exactly should I thank you for doing your job?" She trailed down his neck, tracing along the lines of tattoos there.

"You were a whiney pain in my arse." His skin was warm against her fingertips.

"I'd been shot. I think it's fair I was a little irritable." She had the neat scar to prove it. Her fingers moved down over his hard chest and abs to tease the edge of his belt. He was as solid as a rock, and as of yet, unmoving of her fake advances.

Jax raised a single brow, a note of challenge in his eyes. "You owe me."

"Do I?" Slipping the edge of one finger beneath his jeans, he finally stiffened. Thea barely suppressed her grin. "Poor baby, all this pent up frustration."

She tugged on his jeans, and his eyes darkened.

"Thinking you can come here and demand something from me."

Her nail scratched against the metal zipper.

"Isn't it a shame that I'm not going to fuck you."

Jax's upper lip twitched as he dipped his head closer. "Is that what you think I want?"

"It's not like you stopped me." She stood her ground, not letting him intimidate her. "But that doesn't matter, because it's not happening."

His lips brushed against her ear. "Not a quick fuck against the wall outside? The brick biting at your skin," he whispered, breath hot. "Or I could bend you over the bar, right here, right now, so everyone can watch you take me like a good girl. "

Thea snapped her hand back, purposely ignoring the heat that flooded her veins at the visuals.

Stop it! she scolded herself. He wasn't allowed to tease her .

He moved even closer, backing her up until the wood of the bar pressed into her spine. "I wonder if your tongue will be as good around my cock as it is at talking."

Thea had forgotten how to breathe. She wasn't sure if it was the confidence or the arrogance. But whatever it was, it was working.

"I didn't come here for a quick fuck," he added with a growl, and she couldn't help but clench her thighs. "I want the document you stole from the museum earlier this morning."

It took a second for his words to register, her heart still racing. "I'm offended you're accusing me of stealing anything from a museum," she said, her voice huskier than normal.

Why did her voice sound like that? And how the fuck had he known it was her?

"I'll have you know I was home this morning, alone with my cat."

His eyes narrowed. "This isn't a game."

"His name's Reaper," she continued, trying to regain some sort of control of the conversation. "He's an arsehole, but he's fluffy, so I tolerate him."

"I won't ask again," he warned. "Give me the document."

"You can ask as many times as you want, big guy; the answer will be the same."

"Thea," he growled, her name spoken in such a deep rumble she knew she needed to get away from him before she did something stupid, like seeing whether he kissed as cold as he looked .

She seriously needed to spend some quality time with her favourite vibrating toy, because if she was imagining climbing Jax like a mountain, she must be seriously unwell.

"Well, this has been nice." She awkwardly patted his left pec. It was ridiculously impressive, and she forced herself not to shape it with her palm. "Say hi to Harper for me."

"We're not finished with this conversation."

"Oh, but we are." Thea tilted her head back, holding his gaze as she raised her voice. "Help! This man is harassing me!"

A rumble came from Jax's throat, and Thea smirked at the sound. She knew she probably shouldn't piss off a man who could shift into a strange wolf monster, one who'd cornered her for over an hour before she calmed herself down enough to drift. But she was ninety percent sure he wouldn't hurt her – in public, at least.

"You want to play it like that then?"

She tried to act innocent. "I thought you said this wasn't a game?"

"Excuse me, sir, but you're going to have to leave." The bouncer looked ridiculous compared to Jax, who was several inches taller, as well as wider in the shoulders. The bouncer held more muscle, his arms so thick it was likely he couldn't even cross them without breaking into a sweat. Jax, on the other hand, was naturally fit like an athlete. Just one the size of a small house.

Jax tensed, his irises turning from sapphire to silver. Thea sucked in a breath, mesmerised by the beast that looked out. She still remembered the great creature that he'd turned into, but unlike shifters who were the same regardless of shape, it wasn't Jax when he'd transformed. No, it was something more primal. Something that was absolutely terrifying until she realised he was protecting her. Then he'd become as overbearing and insufferable as the man.

Thea watched Jax as he was escorted to the door, unable to tear her gaze away. She didn't expect to see him ever again, and she wasn't sure how she felt about him suddenly showing up with demands.

She didn't have time in her life for distractions, even one with a sinfully dirty tongue.

Jax turned, knocking the bouncer to the side as if he were half his size. Thea held her ground, and he took his time perusing down the length of her body. He locked eyes again, his face no more expressive than before.

The air seemed to vibrate between them, even with the distance and crowd. The tension thickened the longer they stood at a stalemate. He expected submission, for her to hand over the document, like it didn't mean life or death for her father.

He was going to be sorely disappointed.

So, she blew him a kiss, and when his jaw stiffened, she grinned in victory.