Jax wanted to throw his phone at the wall and watch it shatter, but not only did he not have the money for that, he knew it wouldn’t solve anything. Sammy had been texting him threats since the night before when Jax was with Ashlynn and hadn’t stopped. He’d thought he left all that behind in Atlanta, but he should have known Sammy would never let go.

Jax was well and truly fucked.

Sammy was still in Atlanta, thankfully, but he was hurting for money and threatening to hurt Jessica if Jax didn’t come back to the shop and work. It didn’t make any fucking sense; there were other tattoo artists in the damn city, but no one was stupid enough to work for Sammy anymore, and that meant Jax’s old boss was in deep shit with the mob.

The damn mob.

Jax didn’t know how his life had come to this, but he was done with it. He’d left his old home behind and had thought he’d start a new life out here, but the past kept coming back for him. It had even interrupted his time with Ashlynn, and he hated himself for it. He’d never forget the insecurity he saw on her face when he left. They hadn’t made any real promises to each other, but damn if he didn’t want to make them to her. He liked her, wanted her, and saw himself with her beyond a few short hours in bed.

He just hoped she saw the same in him. Yet with all the things he had going on in his life right now, he wasn’t sure he’d be good for her. He was just a tattoo artist with a crap past, and she was the brilliance behind a multimillion-dollar company with a future so bright it was almost startling.

They weren’t compatible on paper, yet Jax had felt something different when he was with her.

He just hoped she would call.

She had to call, damn it.

“Jax, do you have that other notebook you were using?” Austin asked from his station. “You wanted to show me that dragon, right?” The other man looked tired, but considering he’d had his own kids plus a few of his nieces and nephews over for the night so the rest of the adults could have a night out, Jax didn’t blame the guy for looking like he needed four cups of coffee.

Jax rolled his shoulders and looked down at the stack of books in front of him before cursing. “Must have left it in my car. I’ll go out and get it.” Austin didn’t need to double-check his work, but Jax had wanted the advice anyway since it wasn’t the easiest design.

“You doing okay today?” Sloane asked.

“Yeah, you’ve seemed in your own world this morning,” Derek added from Sloane’s side.

Jax shook his head. “Some shit from my old shop keeps coming back, but I’m ignoring it. Hopefully, it will go away.”

Austin raised a brow. “Think that’ll actually work?”

Jax shrugged. “Not sure what else to do so, yeah, it better work.” He grabbed his keys and lifted his chin towards the other guys. “I’ll be right back with that notebook.” Yeah, he was changing the subject, sue him. He didn’t know what to say anyway.

He’d just made it out of the back door and into the private parking lot for Montgomery Ink employees and family when large hands gripped his shoulders and slammed him into the brick wall of the tattoo shop.

“Shit,” he grunted, trying to fight off his attackers. His keys fell from his hands, and he kicked out, but he was no match for three large men who looked to be bruisers rather than mere muggers. “What the hell?”

“Sammy owes the boss money, asshole, and since he’s not paying, you will,” the biggest one growled. Though biggest was a bit of a misnomer since they were each huge. It wasn’t until Jax saw the glint of a knife in one of the man’s hands that he froze.

Jesus Christ, this couldn’t be happening.

“I don’t work for Sammy anymore,” Jax said calmly—or at least as calmly as he could considering he was being held at knifepoint by three goons.

“He says differently. He tells us that you’re moonlighting and not paying him so we can’t get our cut.”

That goddamn bastard. Jax didn’t say that aloud, but he screamed it in his head. He just prayed that these guys were only focusing on him, though, and not his family. Icy dread snaked down his spine at the thought of his mother or Jessica or Ash getting hurt because of his old boss.

“I don’t work for him anymore. If you want your money, then get it from him. He’s the one who works with y’all.” Jax never had, and never would.

“Maybe we should make an example of you anyway,” one of the guys whispered. “Teach Sammy a lesson.”

Jax swallowed hard, trying to keep cool. “Sammy doesn’t give a shit about me. You won’t be getting your money at all if you hurt me. Find Sammy and get what you’re owed. I’m not that man.” He’d never been, no matter how hard his old life had tried to make him be.

The main goon tilted his head and studied him. “You know…Sammy has been flapping his gums for a while now. Maybe we should pay him another visit.”

Shit.

“Is there a problem out here?” Austin asked from right outside the door, Sloane and Derek right beside him.

The goons dropped Jax quickly, the knife sliding back into whatever pocket it had come out of. One day, the adrenaline might dissipate from his system, but Jax didn’t think that day would be anytime soon.

“We’re just talking to our old friend out here,” the main goon said smoothly.

“Seems like he doesn’t want to be talked to,” Sloane said just as simply. Jax’s three friends didn’t move, but they looked damn intimidating with all their ink and muscle. Things couldn’t escalate, though. Jax couldn’t let it because his friends weren’t armed, but he had a feeling all the guys from Atlanta were.

The main guy held up his hands. “We were just heading out.” He looked over at Jax. “Stay out of trouble.”

Jax gave them a tight nod, his body as tense as ever, but as the guys from his past walked away, he had an odd feeling that they might be leaving for good. They’d threatened him, sure, but they hadn’t actually hurt him like they could have. And, hell, they had to know by now that he didn’t have a damn thing for them. He’d never been part of that business and had made damn sure that everyone knew that. He just hoped that would be enough. As for Sammy? Well, Sammy had made his own mess and would have to deal with the consequences.

Jax was done. He held back a wince as he turned to Sloane, Austin, and Derek. Well, he hoped he wasn’t done completely because he hadn’t meant for anyone to know exactly what he’d gone through before he came to Denver.

“I have a friend I’m going to call to make sure they don’t come back,” Sloane said softly before heading back into the shop, and Jax’s eyes widened.

Austin shrugged. “We have friends in good places sometimes. Now get that damn notebook and come back inside. We’ll talk about what happened later with Maya because if she hears about this from anyone else, there’ll be hell to pay.”

Jax would have laughed, but he didn’t have it in him at the moment. Maya was a force to be reckoned with, and you did not mess with Austin’s sister. That was probably why Jax liked her so much.

“Okay.”

“We’ll stay out here with you,” Derek added. “Just in case.”

Jax blew out a breath. “Okay.” He cleared his throat. “Thank you.”

In answer, Austin raised his chin, and Jax moved quickly to his car, picking up his keys from the gravel on the way. He wasn’t shaking, but he was damned close. He could have died just then, and it wouldn’t have been his fault. Yet, in the end, it wouldn’t have mattered—not when it came to Sammy’s problems.

By the time he made it back inside the shop, he was ready to sit down and find something cool to drink to help his parched tongue. What he hadn’t been expecting to see was anyone in his booth.

He damn sure wasn’t expecting Ashlynn in her sexy-as-hell high heels and stone grey skirt and jacket.

“Ash?”

She turned at the sound of his voice and widened her eyes. “Jax. Are you okay?” She rushed to him and cupped his face. “You have a cut here.” Her other hand hovered over his jaw, and he winced. He hadn’t felt it until she pointed it out and now it stung, but he ignored it since she was here and touching him.

“I’ll be okay,” he whispered, aware that the others were staring at him, but Jax didn’t want to go outside to talk to her privately, not with what had just happened.

She bit her lip, looking unsure. “If you say so.”

“What are you doing here, Ash?” he asked softly. “Not that I don’t love seeing you.”

“I wanted to see you,” she whispered. “I didn’t like how we left things last night. I was a little confused, and heck, I’m still a little confused, but I shouldn’t have been so cold when you said you had to go.”

He cupped her face then, loving the softness of her skin under his touch. “You weren’t cold.” She’d been scared, probably because they were moving so fast, and he’d understood. “I’m glad you’re here.”

She smiled then. “I could have called, but I wanted to see you.” She cleared her throat. “So…want to go get lunch?”

He laughed then. “Lunch I can do.”

“And I want to get to know you more. Not just…you know.” She blushed, and Jax fell a little for her then. He wasn’t ready to fall completely, but with this woman, he knew he eventually could. They needed time together, and then…well, then they’d learn each other even more.

“That sounds like a plan, princess.” He kissed her softly. “You okay with the fact that I’m a tattoo artist with no degree or fancy car?” He winked. “I have a bike that you’d look fucking sexy on, though.”

She rolled her eyes. “You okay that I’m kind of icy sometimes and work long hours?”

“I can work with that,” he whispered before kissing her hard, pulling her so close that he knew his dick pressed into her even through all their layers of clothing. Ashlynn did that to him with a mere glance, and he loved it.

“Awww.”

Jax didn’t know which man had said it or if it was more than one of them, so he just flipped off the room even as he kept his lips on Ash.

Ashlynn pushed away and ducked under his chin. “I forgot we weren’t alone.”

He kissed the top of her head. “I like that you forgot.”

She pulled away and frowned. “You’re going to tell me why you’re cut, though.”

It wasn’t a question, and he didn’t mind. “Tonight. I promise. I’ll tell you everything.”

“Good,” she said with a smile, and he kissed her again.

“I could get used to this,” she murmured against his lips.

“Yeah? Me, too.”

He kissed her once more.

He hadn’t planned on Ashlynn in his life. Hell, he hadn’t intended anything but freedom. But now that he had his woman, his executive in his arms, he knew he didn’t mind the surprise.

Ashlynn was the best shock of his life.

And he couldn’t wait to find out more.