whispered against his finger. Relief brought a smile to my lips.
His eyes flashed silver a moment. “Don’t forget, you are mine. I have all the time in the world to give you, little gem. I will wait.”
I swallowed a few times, so I could speak around the sudden lump in my throat. “Jax.”
He leaned forward and kissed me. Just the soft press of his lips to mine, and I was weak-kneed. Jax pulled back, and I felt slightly dazed. “Why do you call me ‘little gem?’”
That sexy, slow smile spread across his face. “You really want to know?”
I could only nod. His deep rumble of a voice was so distracting, in the best kind of way.
“Because of the gemstones you stole.”
I was staring at his mouth, watching his lips move, and it took me a second to comprehend his words. Shocked, I lifted my gaze to his eyes. He was serious.
Well, this was awkward.
“You knew about the stones all along? I assumed you thought you’d caught me empty-handed. Why were you following me that night, anyway?”
His answer was matter-of-fact. “You’re my mate. I wasn’t about to let you attempt something so dangerous without protection.”
“So, you’re not going to turn me in?”
His voice remained calm, but I saw a spark of amusement in his eyes. “No, I’m not. Why would I turn my mate in?”
I squirmed. “Because it’s illegal? Because MacLean is investigating me?”
That got a reaction. “You believe I would turn you in to the phoenix?” His voice had deepened and his fists clenched.
I dropped my gaze and shrugged. When he said it like that, it did sound dumb.
“I will never hand you over to him.”
I caught the double meaning in his growl, but it didn’t make me feel better. “I need you to know why I do it.” When he remained silent, I spoke in a rush. “I sell what I take to help pay for medical bills and food and rent. Whatever they need.”
“Who?”
I was uncomfortable with the topic. These stories weren’t necessarily mine to tell. “His victims.”
When he spoke, his voice was soft and careful. “I could put you in contact with many more.”
There was a note of controlled fury in his voice that stopped me cold. “What did he do to you?”
“That is a story for another time. Suffice it to say, I will not notify anyone of your activities. I will keep you safe.”
“Thanks.” I didn’t know what else to say. But I did know I would ask him about his story in the future. “Do you want to see what I made Carys?”
He raised a brow. “See? Yes. Test? No.”
I laughed. I was always asking Jax to smell or test my products. Three weeks into his employment, he had put his foot down and said he would no longer test anything that smelled like “fruity flowers.”
“Just see and smell. You’ve met her, so you might be able to tell me if I did okay.”
He trailed behind me as I walked briskly back to the mixing counter. His athletic shoes were silent on the concrete floor, while my sandals made a soft, slapping sound. I wondered if all gargoyles moved with such stealth. I grabbed the bowl of lotion and held it under his nose.
Jax took a cautious sniff, making sure not to come too close to the cream. The corner of his lip lifted. “I don’t know Carys well, but I think she will like that. You are very talented, gem.”
Pleasure shot through me at his praise, and I smiled back at him. “Are you sure you don’t want to try it? I could put some on your arm,” I teased.
He took a quick step back.
I laughed and turned away, then walked to the shelves which held empty bottles, containers, and packaging. I selected a small antique bottle I’d scavenged from the farmer’s market and began transferring lotion into it. The vintage bottle had turned purple with age and sun exposure, and the light lavender hue was beautiful. They were difficult to find, so I snapped them up whenever I found them. I had a tiny stash I saved for special occasions.
When I was done filling it up, I sealed the bottle and attached my signature Emmaline’s ribbon and tag, then gave it a pat. Lovely.
“Could you grab me a gift bag?” I asked Jax over my shoulder. After I placed both in the bag Jax handed me, I tied more colorful ribbons on the handle.
“Voila! How does it look?” I presented the bag