Chapter 2

The kiss ended. I stepped back, my heart pounding.

Jax just stared at me, his lips slightly parted, his eyes wide with an emotion I couldn't name. He was a man who was never surprised, but I had just shattered his composure.

Before he could speak, a loud, insistent banging echoed from the penthouse door.

"Devereaux! Open this damn door! You stole my property!"

The voice was slick, cultured, and filled with a cold rage that made my blood run cold.

Julian Croft.

My body started to shake, an involuntary tremor I couldn't control. The memories, sharp and brutal, flooded back. The pain, the humiliation, the diamond choker tightening around my throat.

Jax' s eyes snapped from my face to the door, and then back to me. He saw the terror. His expression hardened instantly, the shock replaced by a dangerous calm.

He didn't say a word. He simply walked to the door and pulled it open.

Julian stood there, flanked by two large bodyguards. He was handsome in a cruel, predatory way, with eyes that looked at people like they were insects. His gaze flickered past Jax and landed on me. A possessive, triumphant smile spread across his face.

"There she is. My little prize. I had the winning bid, Devereaux. She's mine."

"She's not an object, Croft," Jax said, his voice low and menacing. He didn't raise it, but the threat was clear. He physically blocked the doorway, a solid wall between me and the monster from my past.

"She accepted my bid," Jax stated, his tone leaving no room for argument. "The deal is done. Get off my property."

Julian' s smile tightened. "This isn't over. I always get what I want."

He looked at me one last time, his eyes promising a future of pain. Then, he turned and left.

The moment the door closed, the strength left my legs. I stumbled, and Jax was there in an instant, catching me.

"Hey," he said, his voice rough. "He's gone."

He led me to the couch, his arm still around me. I was still shaking.

"What did he do to you?" Jax asked, his voice softer now.

I couldn't tell him. Not yet. The words were trapped in my throat. I just shook my head, tears blurring my vision.

He sighed, a sound of deep frustration. "Fine. Don't talk."

He disappeared into another room and came back with a glass of water and a blanket. He wrapped the blanket around my shoulders, his movements surprisingly gentle.

He sat on the coffee table in front of me, watching me.

That's when I noticed it. The diamond choker. In the chaos of leaving the auction, it had remained clasped around my neck.

Jax's eyes followed my gaze. He reached out, his fingers brushing my skin as he unclasped the necklace. The cold weight vanished from my throat.

He held it in his palm, the diamonds glittering under the penthouse lights. A symbol of my torture and death.

Then he did something I never expected. He wrapped the choker around his own wrist, fastening the clasp. It was tight, the diamonds digging into his skin.

He had taken my collar. He was wearing my shame.

He caught me staring. "What? It's a million-dollar piece of jewelry. I'm not just going to throw it away."

But his eyes told a different story. It was a promise. A shield. He was taking my burden onto himself.

That night, I slept in his guest room. But sleep didn't come easy. The nightmares did. I woke up screaming, Julian's face vivid in my mind.

The door flew open and Jax was there, looking wild-eyed and panicked.

He saw I was okay, and the panic shifted to his usual scowl. "What the hell are you screaming about?"

"A bad dream," I whispered, my voice hoarse.

He hesitated, then walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. He didn't touch me, but his presence was a comfort. We sat in silence for a long time, the city lights twinkling below.

"You're safe here, Scarlett," he finally said, not looking at me. "No one is going to hurt you."

It was the first time he had ever said something genuinely kind to me without a layer of sarcasm.

And I believed him.