C6 Grieving Touch

Glass crunched under their bodies as Jax pinned Elara to the wooden floor of the Malibu bungalow. Another gunshot splintered the window frame above them. His weight pressed her down, one arm wrapped protectively around her head while the other reached for the gun he had tucked in his waistband. The ocean roared outside, drowning out nothing.

"Stay down," he growled against her ear, breath hot on her skin.

Elara's heart slammed against her ribs. She could feel every inch of him, the hard muscle of his chest, the way his thighs straddled hers. Fear should have been the only thing she felt. Instead, her body registered the solid heat of him, the way his hips shifted as he aimed toward the broken window. Another shot rang out. Jax fired back twice, the sound deafening in the small space.

The attacker shouted something incoherent before tires spun on gravel and the vehicle peeled away. Silence fell, broken only by their ragged breathing and the endless crash of waves.

Jax stayed on top of her for several long seconds, body tense and ready. Finally he rolled off and pulled her up, hands running over her arms and sides checking for injuries. "You okay?"

She nodded, but her hands trembled as she brushed glass from her hair. The safe house no longer felt safe. Jax's eyes scanned the darkness outside, jaw tight with fury.

They boarded up the shattered windows with whatever they could find, old plywood and duct tape from a dusty closet. The work left them both sweaty and exhausted. Elara's borrowed shirt stuck to her skin, riding up her thighs as she moved. Jax kept stealing glances, his gaze dark and lingering.

Once the place was as secure as it could be, they collapsed onto the small couch together. The single bedroom felt too exposed now. Jax pulled her against his side without asking, his arm heavy around her shoulders. She let him. After the adrenaline crash, the grief hit her like a second wave.

Tears came silently at first, then harder. She turned into his chest, fists clutching his shirt as sobs shook her whole body. Her parents' faces flashed behind her closed eyes. The blood. The screams. The way everything had shattered in one night.

Jax did not speak. He simply held her tighter, one hand stroking slowly up and down her back. His fingers slipped under the hem of her shirt, tracing bare skin in what started as comfort. The touch gradually grew heavier, warmer, sliding lower until his palm cupped the curve of her ass.

Elara's breath hitched. She knew she should pull away, but the solid warmth of him felt like the only real thing left in her world.

Night deepened around them. The bungalow creaked with the wind coming off the ocean. Elara drifted in and out of restless sleep, still curled against Jax on the narrow couch. His body heat surrounded her completely. At some point his hand had slipped fully under her shirt, resting possessively on her bare hip.

A nightmare ripped through her again. She woke gasping, clawing at his chest as phantom gunshots echoed in her head. Jax pulled her closer instantly, murmuring rough words against her hair. "I have got you. Breathe."

She pressed her face into the crook of his neck, inhaling his scent. His hand resumed its slow journey, sliding up her thigh this time, fingers brushing the sensitive skin near her center. Elara trembled. She felt him growing hard against her thigh, thick and insistent through his pants. The evidence of his arousal sent a rush of heat through her core.

"Jax," she whispered, voice shaky with tears and something else.

His fingers stilled for a moment, then continued their exploration, tracing the edge of her panties. His breathing grew heavier. He rocked his hips once, pressing his hardness more firmly against her leg, letting her feel exactly what she was doing to him.

Elara's cheeks burned. She pushed weakly at his chest, but there was no real force behind it. Her body betrayed her, arching into his touch instead. Jax groaned low in his throat, the sound vibrating through her. His hand dipped lower, fingers teasing along the damp fabric between her legs.

"So wet already," he murmured, voice dark with hunger. "Even while crying for them."

The words should have disgusted her. Instead they sent another wave of heat flooding through her. She hated herself for it. Hated him more. But when his fingers slipped beneath the fabric and stroked her bare folds, she moaned softly against his neck, hips twitching toward his hand.

Jax cursed and pulled her leg over his hip, grinding against her more deliberately. The thick ridge of his cock pressed right where she needed it, separated only by thin layers of clothing. His fingers continued their slow torture, circling her clit with maddening precision while his mouth hovered near her ear, whispering filthy promises she never expected from him.

For several dizzying minutes they moved together like that, bodies rocking, breaths mingling, the line between grief and desire blurring dangerously.

Elara finally found the strength to push him away, rolling off the couch on shaky legs. Her chest heaved as she stared down at him. Jax lay there, eyes blazing with raw need, his cock straining obviously against his pants. The air between them felt thick enough to choke on.

"We cannot," she whispered, even as her body screamed for more. "This is fucked up, Jax. All of it."

He sat up slowly, running a hand over his face. For once he looked almost guilty. Almost. "Get some real sleep. Floor or couch, your choice."

Elara grabbed a blanket and curled up on the far side of the room, back turned to him. Sleep took forever to come. When her phone finally buzzed quietly near dawn, she reached for it with a heavy heart.

A message from Lila. Her best friend had attached a news article. The headline made Elara's blood run cold: "Stepbrother Jax Rivera Named Person of Interest in Voss Double Murder."

Below it, Lila had written only three words: "Be careful. Please."

Elara glanced across the room at Jax, who was finally asleep on the couch, one arm hanging off the edge. The man who had almost made her come with his fingers tonight was now being hunted by the police. And he still had not told her the full truth about anything.