Free Irons (Norfolk #1) by Mj Fields

stayed away. After the other night,” I closed my eyes and shook my head, “I have no idea how that will ever happen. So no, you won’t be sleeping with anyone else. You don’t go to dinner with Ace. You can—”
    “Jax I can’t do this right now. I can’t—”
    I took her hand and walked inside. “You’re tired.”
    “I am. I want to go home and sleep.”
    “Sleep here.” She scowled at the floor. “I’ll make you dinner.”
    She didn’t say no and I walked her to my room. She laid down on my bed and I covered her up.
    *     *     *
    I grilled steak and roasted vegetables, then threw out the takeout I had ordered. When she walked out, she rubbed her eyes and looked at me.
    “You sleep well?”
    She rubbed her arms and yawned.
    “You still like steak?”
    “Yeah.”
    “Have a seat on the couch; I’ll bring dinner to you.”
    I was cutting up the veggies and steak when there was a knock on the door.
    “It’s open,” I yelled.
    “You still held up in here thinking about Little Will?”
    She cleared her throat and Shadows looked into the living room. “Jesus Jax, you could’ve told me.”
    “Hi, Shadows.”
    “Francesca how are you?”
    “Fine, thank you. I’m just gonna use the bathroom,” she said as she started walking down the hall.
    “What’s going on?” Shadows whispered.
    “I’m hopeful that things are moving in the right direction.”
    “Which is?”
    “I want her to be my girl.”
    “Your girl?”
    “Yes, Shadows, mine.”
    She walked out of the bathroom looking at us. I could tell she was a little uncomfortable, but, typical Frankie, she put on a big smile. “Did he invite you to dinner as well?”
    I raised my eyebrows and shook my head.
    “No, he actually didn’t. I just stopped over to let him know we may be getting called out in a few days.”
    “Really?”
    She sounded a little upset.
    “Frankie, when we train for a week straight you can safely assume something’s going on.” Shadows reached over to the platter I had prepared and grabbed a potato. “Alright see you both in the morning.”
    When he left, she walked up and sat on the barstool. “Do you know where you’ll be going?”
    I picked up the platter and two forks, “To the couch. I’m starving.”
    “I saw take out, you can’t be that hungry still.”
    I set the platter on the coffee table and went back to the kitchen, “Didn’t eat it.” I opened the fridge, “Wine or beer, Francesca?”
    “Beer is fine.” She sat on the couch with her legs under her and I handed her a Guinness.
    “Hope you like dark, it’s all I have.”
    “It’s fine.” She took a sip and set it down, then reached for the fork.
    “Uh uh, I wanna feed you.”
    “Jax, I’m perfectly capable.”
    “I know that. But when you were sleeping I thought about you. I thought about what I wanted to do for you.” I held the forkful of potato up to her mouth, “Open.”
    She chewed the potato and I watched. Her eyes rolled back and she moaned a little, “What did you put on these, they’re delicious?”
    “More?”
    “God, yes.” She scooted closer and opened her mouth.
    “You’ve been bullshitting everyone since Will died. Acting like you’re okay, worrying about your parents and it struck me that no one has taken care of you.”
    She held her hand in front of her mouth, shielding it as she talked, “Who’s taken care of you Jax?”
    “I’m not the same as you. You know that, pointed it out, actually.” I held the fork up. “Open.”
    She held her hand up again before speaking with her mouth full, “I was angry.”
    “But not dishonest. It’s true, I do think of me and how things affect me. But now I want to think of,” I stopped ‘cause I was feeling a lot less confident about it than I did while I played out the scenario in my head. “I want to think of us as a unit, a team. Me being the leader, of course.”
    “Because?”
    “I think it’s obvious Frankie. I have some pretty strong feelings