Summary: Lydia sneaks out of the guest suite, and she and Jax share some moments.
Lydia sneaks out of Adrian’s guest suite on her fourth night there. The suite is beautiful, but she’s going stir-crazy being stuck in the same building almost all day. She knows it’s probably not the smartest decision, or the safest, but she can’t stand sitting there any longer.
Lydia slips out a back entrance, sighing with relief when she’s finally outside. The noises of the city echo around her, the exterior of the building cool against her back as she leans against it and closes her eyes.
Just a minute, she thinks to herself. I just need a minute away.
“I’d say I admire your skills at sneaking out, but I don’t think I should be encouraging this habit.”
Jax’s voice makes Lydia jumps, and she curses quietly as her head gently thumps the wall.
“Ow,” she says, pointedly giving him a look.
He leans against the wall next to her. His stance is casual, but she can tell he’s watchful and on alert.
“I was going crazy being stuck in that building,” she explains, then immediately regrets it.
Jax is stuck in safehouses and forced to sneak around. Spending her days and nights in a luxurious high rise is hardly punishment compared to that.
“Sorry,” she says. “I didn’t mean…”
Jax shrugs. “I get it. No one really wants to feel trapped anywhere.”
They lapse into a comfortable silence, listening to the sounds of the city.
“Hey,” Jax says after a few minutes. “If you want to get away for a while, I know a place.”
Lydia smirks. “You know a place?”
He grins. “Yes. I used to go there, before. It’s safe enough.”
Getting away, even just for a few minutes, sounds like exactly what she needs.
“Okay,” she agrees.
She follows him down a few streets, through some alleys she’d probably never venture down if he wasn’t with her, and up to an unassuming, run-down apartment building. Jax pulls open a noisy side door and leads her up a few sets of stairs, until they get to a door leading to the roof.
“Are we supposed to be up here?” Lydia asks as they emerge.
Jax smirks. “What do you think?”
“I’m thinking no,” she laughs, but follows him towards the edge anyway.
She can see why he liked coming here. It’s dark, the apartment building mostly quiet at this time of night. It’s almost…peaceful.
“How’d you find this place?” Lydia.
Jax turns from where he’s looking down at the street and the rows of buildings. His expression is open and honest.
“I lived not far from here,” he answers, and something inside her sinks.
“Oh,” she says softly.
“I haven’t been back since…” Jax shakes his head. “Anyway. I had family who lived here. It was somewhere I could be alone for a few minutes.”
Lydia steps closer, leaning against him a little. She feels him tense, just for a second, then relax against her again.
“Tell me,” she murmurs.
“Tell you what?”
“Anything.”
After a minute, Jax sighs. “It feels like it was a long time ago that I was here, Lydia.”
She tilts her head up, suddenly aware of how close they are. Jax glances down, blinking slowly. Finally, he says, “I lived down there”, and points down the street.
His voice is relaxing, soothing as he speaks, telling her about his friends and family, his life before he was turned. Lydia likes that he’s opening up to her, getting the feeling that it’s not something he does easily. But it also makes her ache for him, knowing his life can’t go back to the way it was.
It makes her want to reassure him, to say that she cares about him and isn’t going anywhere, but she doesn’t want to interrupt him. Instead, she shifts closer, resting her head on his shoulder, trying to offer him…comfort? Support?
“I haven’t talked to anyone like this in a long time,” Jax admits.
“How come?” Lydia asks quietly.
“It’s just easier, sometimes. To not think about it.”
Lydia frowns a little, lifting her head and turning to face him but staying close. “You can talk to me,” she says.
Jax offers her a half-smile. “I know.”
She’s struck by how much she wants to kiss him as they stand there. She can’t remember ever wanting to kiss someone this badly before. There’s desire between them, a tension she can feel that she knows she’s not imagining. But it’s not just that.
As attracted to him as she is, she also really does care about him. She wants to be there for him. She likes talking to him and being with him.
Lydia lifts her arms, bringing them around his neck. Jax stays still, his eyes locked on hers, then wraps his own arms loosely around her waist. Lydia tilts her head up, resting her forehead against his as he tilts his head down. She sighs contentedly as he tightens his grip on her.
“I mean it,” she murmurs. “I’m here. Whenever you need. Whatever you need.”
He squeezes his arms once, acknowledging her words. Slowly, she tilts her head back. Her lips nearly touch his. She says his name, almost a whisper, and swallows hard when he lifts one of his hands up to cup her cheek.
He’s close, so close, but he’s waiting, she realizes. Waiting for her to make that move, to be sure. Lydia presses closer, groaning softly when their lips come together. His fingers thread in her hair, his other arm wrapping around her.
They kiss again and again, soft but sure, then deeper when they briefly part and she sucks in a breath before they come back together.
“Mm,” she whimpers when he suddenly spins them, pressing her against the rough wall next to the roof access door.
She tangles her hands in his hair, feeling her heart pounding, her breathing coming faster when he pulls back and slowly kisses down her neck.
“Jax,” she moans. “Don’t stop.”
He murmurs something against her neck, the vibration tickling her and sending a jolt straight to her belly. Her fingers tighten in his hair, and she groans when he gently nips at her skin. She’s lost in this moment with him, never wanting it to end. But eventually, Jax slows his movements, pressing kisses across her jawline and up to her ear.
“We need to get you back,” he murmurs. “Before anyone notices you’re gone.”
Lydia whines faintly in protest when he leans back. “Tease.”
Jax chuckles. “I’m not, I promise.”
“Uh-huh,” Lydia says. “What was that then?”
Jax raises his eyebrows. “You kissed me first.”
“You kissed me back,” she counters.
“I did,” he agrees. “But this-“ he gestures at the roof. “-is not the place. And I need to get back to the safehouse. The volunteers will be there soon.”
Lydia nudges him. “You do remember I’m a human, right?”
Jax laughs. “I didn’t forget. Trust me.”
He sneaks his arm back around her waist, leading her down the stairs, laughing at her quiet grumble and the playful grin she shoots him. When they get back to the Raines Corp. building, Jax waits until she sneaks in the back entrance.
“You’re gonna kiss me again, right?” Lydia asks before he walks off.
Jax’s eyes darken, and his expression makes her want to drag him back to that rooftop.
“I really hope so,” he says, then smiles and vanishes around the corner.