Aftermath

Chapter 4

Alianna tried to settle down in the penthouse over the next couple of days but it proved to be an utter fail.

The main reason was that she was not used to sharing space with anyone. Throughout her childhood she was kept away from the other children trainees except when it came to training and she always isolated herself from civilisation to do her job.

So sharing a home with Jax was unchartered waters for her. She had spent time with him in his office but at the end of the day she returned to her solitude. Now she constantly bumped into him while she walked around which she found awkward especially when he was handling business.

Alianna resorted to using her evasion techniques now. She could recognise the low hum of his baritone voice anywhere now as well as the sound of his footsteps. Using that knowledge she started avoiding rooms Jax were in or darting out from it before he came in.

Presently Alianna was on her way to the library with her recently finished novel with the intent to get another. The penthouse was quiet so she assumed she was alone but when she popped her head into the library she was not.

Jax sat there on his chair with a whiskey in one hand and today's papers in the other. Alianna sighed softly, knowing that she could not go back out. She swallowed and slipped into the room, her hair at the back of her neck standing on end as she felt his eyes on her.

"Stop," Jax said sternly as he placed his glass and newspaper down. Alianna obeyed and turned to face him as he walked over to her. 

"You're avoiding me," Jax stated. "Why?"

Alianna shrugged and dropped her gaze, not feeling to rise to the challenge. Jax raised an eyebrow at her silence, whatever it was deeply troubling her.

His arms wrapped around her waist pulling her closer. He tucked her head under his as she did the same to him. "Talk to me Alianna," he murmured. "I can't help you if you don't tell me what's on your mind."

"It's weird," Alianna answered immediately, surprised at her sudden honesty. "This is not me. I have always been distant from people except when it comes to training. Living with someone else is unnatural and the voice in my head is telling me to leave. I am an intruder in your home and I do not belong here."

Jax tilted her chin up, "Alianna, this is my home as much as yours. You're no stranger and more than a guest. Everything is going to take time to adjust but," he smiled at her, "you have got to start and I'll be here for you."

Alianna bit her tongue to stop the burning questions from rolling off her lips. "So...ours?" Her mind toyed with that concept.

Jax could not stop the smile from spreading across his face. "Ours," he echoed, loving how that sounded. Alianna looked up at him as the pad of his thumb brushed the corner of her mouth. The comforting silence was broken as Jax's cell phone rang.

Alianna kept her eyes on Jax as a hard glint slid into place. One thing she had grown accustomed to was the man Jax became when dealing with family matters. She rest her forehead against his shoulder as his fingers rubbed circles into her waist. When his hand stopped, she looked up.