Chapter 1The Title I Promised to Give

I was with Jax for ten years.

But the day he decided to go straight, his crew was already calling someone else "boss lady."

Those hands, which had seen their share of blood and battles, were now gently tying the laces on a young girl's canvas sneakers.

"Sandy," he told me, "she's not like you."

"You can run wild with me, no questions asked, no title needed. She can't."

I didn't look back that day.

What Jax never knew was that my family had been waiting for me to get this out of my system.

They had a good man waiting in the wings the whole time, just waiting for me to give him a title of his own.

* * *

The day Jax decided to wash his hands of the life, he pulled me into bed and the world outside ceased to exist.

I stared at the shredded lingerie on the floor, a tangled mess of black lace.

For a moment, I was speechless.

"Jax," I finally managed, "is it the end of the world?"

The raw, desperate way he'd taken me… it felt like there was no tomorrow.

He was smoking his usual post-sex cigarette, his eyelids heavy, a haze of smoke blurring his features.

"Sandy, if I were to… break it off with you," he started, the cigarette bobbing between his lips. "You wouldn't, like, lose your mind over it, would you?"

He said it like a joke, but a chill ran down my spine.

Ten years with Jax had taught me to read every nuance. He liked his women obedient on the surface, but with a core of rebellion he could play against.

Just like now. I took the half-smoked cigarette from his fingers, pushed down the storm churning inside me, and raised a lazy eyebrow.

"Jax, do you still think I'm eighteen?"

If I were still that eighteen-year-old in canvas shoes, I would have demanded answers. I would have made him pay for leaving me, consequences be damned.

But I'm twenty-eight now…

A lump formed in my throat, and I couldn't finish the thought.

Jax just ruffled my hair and stubbed out the cigarette as it burned down to his knuckles.

"Sandy, let's end it here."

"And stop smoking. For fuck's sake, stop treating your body like it's disposable."

"We're not kids anymore. We can't keep living like this."

In that instant, I froze.

A breakup at twenty-eight.

The first one to cry loses everything. The smeared makeup, the raw vulnerability—it's a complete defeat.

I tried to act casual, reaching for my jacket on the floor, ready to leave.

But Jax's long arm snaked out and pulled me back into his arms. Outside, the clouds were a swirl of dark ink, pregnant with a coming storm.

His lips traced a path down my spine as he expertly adjusted the strap of my dress. He nibbled on my earlobe, just like he always used to.

"Heard me?" he whispered.

I didn't answer. He didn't seem to mind. His tone was that of a man in absolute control, a king speaking to his subject.

"It's about to rain. Stay a little longer, hm?"

Ten years can smooth over any conflict, creating a deceptive calm on the surface.

Jax must have forgotten. My temper… it wasn't just for show.

If we were going to break, it had to be clean.

I straightened my back, pushing his chiseled, handsome face away, and offered a small, cool smile.

"How long is this storm going to last?"

He had someone else in his heart now. How long did he think he could keep me here?

A muscle in his jaw twitched, but he recovered quickly.

When he introduced the other girl, his words were simple, brutal.

"Sandy, you're a smart woman."

"Her name is Ava. She's not like you. You can be in the muck with me, without a title."

"She can't. She's too pure."

I swallowed hard.

The wreckage of our night was all around us. Suddenly, I didn't know what to say.

What did he mean, I could be in the muck with him without a title?

The black silk, the high heels, the slip dresses. For years, Jax had molded me into his perfect woman. Now that I’d finally perfected that sultry, dangerous look, he found it cheap?

For a moment, I wanted to scream at him.

But he put a finger to his lips, silencing me.

It was a phone call. From the girl, Ava.

"Jax? You said you were coming to pick me up…" her voice was a fragile whisper. "I'm all alone, and I'm scared…"