Chapter 3 A DANGEROUS GAME
MAYA'S POV
Jax said nothing. He just stared at me.
His grey eyes were so intense it felt like he was looking right into my soul. A wave of nervousness washed over me, but I refused to back down. I stood my ground, holding his gaze with my own, forcing every ounce of confidence I had to the surface. Beneath my calm expression, though, my stomach was doing violent backflips.
Don't twitch, Maya, my brain screamed at me. If he sees you sweat, he’s going to think you really are a rival spy, and you'll end up like Rick!
The loud music in the background suddenly seemed to fade away. It was like we were having a whole conversation just with our eyes, trying to dig straight into each other's heads.
Bang!
The side door burst open, breaking the spell. Four men walked in, laughing and carrying helmets under their arms. I tore my eyes away from Jax to look at them. They were all handsome in an average, rugged sort of way, but none of them held a candle to Jax. Jax was the kind of man every romance reader dreamed about. Absolute perfection.
One of the newcomers paused when he saw me. "Well, hello. Who is this beautiful lady?"
I flashed a sweet smile. "I'm Maya."
They all smiled back, looking genuinely surprised. "Why do we have a woman in the house? Are the gods about to descend or what?"
The blonde guy on the couch leaned back. "She's here to join the club."
The guy who spoke first chuckled, shaking his head. "Our club? Oh, sorry, beautiful, but we don't accept girls."
I chuckled right back. "I already got accepted."
He blinked. "By who?"
I turned my eyes back to Jax and tilted my head. "Him."
"What the fuck?" all four of them gasped in unison.
Jax finally broke his silence, his deep voice slicing through the room. "Change the engine oil in the Harley Nightster and stop messing around." Without another word, he turned on his heel and disappeared into one of the back rooms.
As soon as Jax was out of sight, the four new guys crowded around me, introducing themselves one by one.
There was Leo, who had a goofy grin and messy brown hair; Marcus, who was tall and heavily tattooed; Brody, who looked like the quiet, muscular type; and Eli, who had a playful spark in his dark eyes.
"Take a seat, Maya," Marcus said, pointing to the couch. They all circled around me, leaning against the backs of the chairs. "Did you know Jax before coming here?"
"Nope," I said truthfully. "Never met him until five minutes ago."
Eli raised an eyebrow, his eyes narrowing with a sharp, suspicious edge. "Then why on earth did he accept you? Strangers don't just walk off the street into our clubhouse. Not unless they're sent."
Okay, tone it down, boys, I am not a spy! I screamed internally, swallowing the hard lump in my throat. I cleared my throat and played it cool. "Maybe because I'm beautiful?"
The guys burst into loud laughter, the tension breaking just a little.
"You are definitely beautiful," Leo said, wiping a tear from his eye. "But Jax never allows girls in here. Not even our girlfriends!"
Perfect! A hero who lets no woman close except the heroine is pure gold! I thought, mentally checking off a classic romance trope box.My writer instincts are hard at work even while facing potential interrogation.
My dear readers', I am making this sacrifice just for y'all!!
"Wait," Brody cut in, looking at the others. "Does this mean we can allow our girlfriends here now?"
Nobody had an answer for that one. They all just exchanged clueless looks.
"So..." I started casually, leaning back and trying to sound as innocent as possible. "What's the deal with... you know, that guy Ricky you mentioned earlier? What happened to him? He really got messed up just for lying?"
Marcus stopped laughing, his face instantly turning serious. "Yeah. He lied about his background when he was actually related to a member of the rival club. Captain hates dishonesty more than anything. You break his trust, you pay for it."
Okay it's all good then right? I'm not related to any biker so…I'm safe right?
"Yeah," Eli added, crossing his arms and watching my reaction closely. "Why does he hate it so much though? I mean everyone lies at a point in their life."
Right? Thank you, Eli.
“I think it has something to do with his past. Anyways, as long as none of us lie, we are safe.”
A cold shudder ran down my spine, making the hairs on my arms stand up. Holy shit. Note to self: do not lie to Captain Jax under any circumstances.
"Anyway," Marcus said, checking his watch. "We need to go check on our bikes. There's a race tonight."
Eli turned to me politely. "Do you need someone to take you back home, Maya?"
"Home?" I raised my eyebrows, forcing my nerves down. "I'm one of you now! So if there's a race tonight, I should go too."
"Right!" Leo grinned. "She's got a point. Just sit tight, Maya. We have to check on the bikes real quick."
"Take your time," I nodded as they all piled out toward the garage bays.
Left alone on the couch, my mind instantly drifted right back to Jax. I leaned my head against the cushions, fantasizing about what was hiding under that tight black shirt. I imagined tracing my fingertips down his broad pecs, feeling the warmth of his skin. I giggled out loud to myself, kicking my legs slightly, completely forgetting for a second that he was a terrifying gang leader who broke people's bones.
After a few minutes, the guys returned. Leo went down the hallway to call Jax, while Marcus, Brody, and Eli started unbuttoning their shirts to change into their racing gear right in front of me.
Halfway through pulling off his shirt, Eli suddenly froze. "Fuck! There's a lady here!"
They all stopped and apologized in unison, looking flustered. "Sorry, Maya!"
"Oh no... don't do that," I purred, leaning forward with a teasing smile, completely leaning into the bold heroine persona. "I enjoy the view." Field research requires total dedication to visual data collection.
Besides, who wouldn't want to look at abs?!
They all laughed, shaking their heads, and finished pulling on their clean black shirts. A moment later, heavy footsteps echoed on the stairs, and Jax walked down into the room.
My heart skipped a beat. Can I ever get used to how perfect this man is?
Jax stopped and looked straight at me, his grey eyes narrowing. "Why are you still here?"
“We're going to the race together," I said simply.
Jax's eyes raked over me in silence, lingering on my outfit. "In that dress?"
I looked down at my floral summer dress. "What's wrong with it?"
"He's right," Marcus chimed in. "You can't ride on the back of a bike in a dress like that, Maya. The wind will blow it right up."
"Oh," I pouted slightly, though my writer brain was already plotting how this could escalate the tension. "What do I do now?"
This should be the point where he offers me his jacket.
Leo's face lit up. "Hey, I just bought some clothes for my girlfriend today. I was going to give them to her tomorrow, but maybe Maya can try them on to see if they fit."
This motherfucker spoiled my plan. I would’ve preferred my Hero’s jacket.
"That would be great, thank you!" I beamed.
Leo ran into one of the side rooms and came back out carrying a black shopping bag, handing it to me.
I took the bag and turned to Jax. "So, Captain... where is your room?"
