More Than a Deal

The days that followed were... strange.

Jax seemed calmer, but Grace could tell it was all an act. He tried to act like nothing was wrong, but his jaw would tense every time his phone buzzed, and she caught him zoning out more than once. He was nervous. Even if he didn't want to admit it, he was scared.

Grace didn't blame him.

She had spent the past few days setting everything up—making sure the money would reach the right place, through the right channels, with as little trace back to them as possible. She wasn't stupid. These people weren't the kind you wanted to provoke. The goal was simple: pay them off, make it clear this was the last time, and hope to God they backed off.

And now, after what felt like an eternity of waiting, it was time.

Grace sat on the couch, laptop open on her lap, Jax pacing behind her. She could feel the tension radiating off him, his steps uneven, restless.

"Are you sure about this?" Jax asked for what had to be the tenth time.

Grace sighed, fingers hovering over the keyboard. "Yes, Jax. We've been over this."

He ran a hand through his black hair, exhaling sharply. "I just... I don't like it."

"You don't have to like it," she said, glancing back at him. "You just have to let me do it."

Jax muttered something under his breath but didn't argue further.

Grace took a deep breath, double-checking everything one last time. The bank account, the amount, the anonymous method she was using to transfer it. It had to be perfect. There was no room for mistakes.

Her cursor hovered over the confirmation button.

"Okay," she said, fingers tightening around the laptop. "This is it."

Jax stopped pacing. "Once you do this... it's done, right?"

"That's the plan."

He swallowed hard. "And if it's not?"

Grace turned to look at him fully, her expression firm. "Then we handle it."

Something flickered in his blue eyes—something like trust.

Grace turned back to the screen.

Clicked the button.

The payment was sent.

Jax was quiet for a moment, still staring at the laptop like it might undo the transaction if he blinked too long. Then, out of nowhere, he let out a short, disbelieving laugh and turned to Grace.

"Wait—hold on," he said, narrowing his eyes. "Does my mom actually pay you this much every week?"

Grace blinked, caught off guard. "Uh..."

Jax raised an eyebrow. "Grace."

She shrugged, suddenly very interested in her nails. "I mean... yeah."

His jaw dropped slightly. "Are you kidding me?"

"What?" she said defensively. "It's a lot of work pretending to like you."

Jax scoffed. "Wow. And here I thought we were friends now."

Grace smirked. "We are. But friends don't have to pretend to date you in front of the entire world."

Jax let out a dramatic sigh and leaned back against the couch, shaking his head. "Unbelievable. I'm the one ruining my life, and you're the one getting rich off it."

Grace nudged him with her foot. "I did just spend a huge chunk of it saving your ass."

Jax pointed at her. "Which, by the way, you didn't have to do."

Grace shrugged. "I wanted to."

His expression shifted slightly—just for a second. Something softer, something almost grateful. But instead of acknowledging it, he rolled his eyes and muttered, "I should've asked for a cut."

Grace laughed, shaking her head. "Too late now."

Jax sighed dramatically. "Man. I should've been the one pretending to date you."

Grace shot him a look. "You? Acting? Please."

Jax smirked. "Hey, I can be very convincing."

She rolled her eyes. "Right. Totally."

But despite the teasing, despite the jokes, the tension from earlier had faded just a little. And for the first time since this whole mess started, Jax looked like he could finally breathe again.

Jax was still grumbling about how unfair it was that Grace was making more money off his personal drama than he was, but there was something lighter in his voice now—something almost playful.

Grace shook her head, a smirk tugging at her lips. "You do realize you're the reason I'm getting paid, right?"

Jax leaned back against the couch, stretching his arms over his head. "Yeah, yeah. Doesn't mean I have to like it." He glanced at her, something mischievous flickering in his eyes. "You sure you're not just using me for the cash?"

Grace snorted. "Oh, totally. I saw you and immediately thought, yep, that's my golden ticket."

Jax smirked. "Knew it."

Grace rolled her eyes, but before she could throw back another sarcastic comment, Jax nudged her knee lightly with his. It was such a small thing—barely even a touch—but it made her breath hitch for half a second.

His voice was quieter when he spoke again. "Seriously though... you didn't have to do this for me."

Grace swallowed, suddenly feeling the weight of his gaze on her. "I know."

Jax's smirk had faded completely now. His blue eyes searched hers, like he was trying to find something he couldn't quite put into words. Then, before she could second-guess herself, she reached for his hand, threading her fingers through his.

Jax tensed for half a second—just long enough for her to think maybe she'd overstepped—but then he relaxed. His grip tightened slightly around hers, warm and solid.

They didn't say anything. They didn't have to.

After everything—the chaos, the danger, the arguments—this moment felt... easy.

Safe.

Jax exhaled slowly, like he was finally letting go of something heavy. "You're kind of impossible, you know that?"

Grace smirked. "So I've been told."

Jax shook his head, a small smile playing at his lips. But he didn't let go of her hand.

And Grace? She didn't want him to.