Stolen Identity: Mute Heiress

Mari's heart pounded like a drum. Her eyes were wide and wet as she gazed at Jax, unable to wrap her head around the fact that Jax was the one who had been sending the paintings to her all this while.

She felt her knees weaken. She had to sit again or she might fall.

"You look like you're going to faint. Come sit," Jax said, leading her back to her seat.

Mari followed him wordlessly, and sat down, placing the sketchbook on the island.

She looked back down at the drawings. Her throat tightened, and her lips parted like she wanted to speak but no sound came.

She traced one sketch, the soft lines of her face, her hair falling across her cheek. The way he'd caught her laughter and the mischief in her eyes like he'd captured it in his heart.

Jax took the seat next to her, "I've never seen you this speechless."

A broken laugh escaped her lips. She pressed her palm to her forehead, then her chest, as if trying to hold her racing heart still.

Memories crashed through her—birthdays where she tore open packages with her heart in her throat, staring at paintings that made her feel desired. All the times she'd tried to imagine what the artist must look like. The long nights she whispered to herself, "Who are you?" and hugged the canvas like it was a secret lover.

She lifted her gaze to him, blinking fast. "You…" she whispered, her voice shaky, "…you've really been the one all along?"

Jax's jaw flexed, his eyes steady on her. "Yeah," he whispered.

"Oh my God… all this time, it was you." Her voice cracked. She gave a shaky laugh, covering her mouth again. "You were my secret admirer!" Her cheeks were wet with tears as she gazed at him.

Jax's voice was rough when he spoke. "I'm sorry it took so long to reveal myself to you."

Mari shook her head quickly. "No," she whispered. "No, Jax. I… this is perfect. The mystery and the wait is all worth it."

Her voice broke again, and she laughed through her tears. "Do you know how happy I was every time I got one of your paintings? I thought… I always thought someone out there saw me and captured me so beautifully. It's weird that I never got creeped out by it. I liked the thought that the artist whoever he was loved me thought from a distance. To think it was you the whole time! Do you have any idea how special that makes me feel?"

Her eyes shone as she stared at him like she was seeing him for the first time.

"So, you no longer think I'm a coward?" Jax asked, slightly amused by her reaction.

She let out a small sob, half laugh, half cry, and then she threw herself forward and wrapped her arms tight around his middle.

Jax's arms came around her.

She buried her face into his chest, her tears soaking his shirt. "You're not a coward," she whispered fiercely, her voice muffled. "You're not. You're the bravest person I know."

Jax chuckled as he lowered his chin to rest on her hair, eyes closing as he breathed her in. His arms held her tighter, and in a quiet, rough whisper, he said, "You can't imagine how hard it was to hold back when you first got here."

Mari pulled back to look into his face with a scowl when something occurred to her. "You mean you've been cheating on me for three years?"

"For Christ's sake, Mari…"

Mari giggled. "Okay. We will talk about your infidelity later. Let's focus," Mari said as she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his.

The kiss was soft at first, but the moment Jax responded, the kiss deepened. His mouth moved over hers with a hunger he couldn't hide, yet there was tenderness in every brush of his lips.

He cupped her cheek with one hand, his thumb grazing her damp cheeks, while his other arm circled her waist and pulled her flush against him.

Mari's fingers curled into his shirt, clinging as though letting go might make the moment vanish. She tilted her head, parting her lips, and Jax groaned low in his throat as he tasted her fully. The kiss was slow, deliberate, but it carried a fire that made her toes curl.

She felt the steady thump of his heartbeat against her chest, faster than she'd ever known it but the only thing that mattered to her in that moment was the heat of his lips, and the dizzy rush of knowing this was real.

When they finally broke apart, gasping softly, Mari kept her forehead pressed to his, her eyes fluttering open to meet his stormy blue gaze. Her lips tingled, swollen from his kiss, and her heart raced like wild horses set free.

"I knew it…" she whispered, breathless, a smile tugging at her mouth. "I was the enchanting witch you talked about."

Jax chuckled. "Yeah." His voice was hoarse, still thick with the taste of her. "So, I'm guessing you still have some questions for me, right?"

"Right," she said with a nod.

"Let's go sit in the living room and we can't talk…"

"I have a better idea," Mari said with a wide smile, "why don't we go to your bedroom…"

"No!" Jax said, chuckling. "I know you enough to know you are not suggesting that because you want to talk on my bed."

"We can talk and do other things, can't we?" Mari asked, batting her lashes at him.

"No, we can't. Let's go talk," Jax said, chuckling as he began to gather the carved fruit to put them back into the bowl.

"What are you doing?" Mari asked with a frown.

"Packing this up so we snack on them," he said, and she shook her head.

"No. No one is eating that. Not until I've taken a picture of it. I'll have to show Em and Jam," she said, then put her hand over her lips and screeched loudly, startling Jax.

"What was that for?" Jax asked in confusion.

"Emily and Jamal won't believe it when I tell them I finally found my mystery painter and that he's you. I can imagine how excited Emily is going to be. She's definitely going to want to write about this," Mari said excitedly, and Jax chuckled as he watched her.

"I'm sure you're going to need to hear the whole story to be able to tell it correctly to them. The earlier we talk and be done with it, the earlier you can give your friends a call," Jax said, and she nodded enthusiastically.

"You're right." She quickly rearranged the letters and took out her phone to take a picture and make a video of it.

While she was still busy doing that, her phone buzzed with a call from Emily, and she pursed her lips.

"I'll be quick," she told Jax, since they had a rule of never ignoring calls. They always had to pick up and tell the other they were busy and couldn't talk.

"You can go to talk in the living room while I clear the kitchen quickly," he said, and Mari nodded as she received the call walked away.

Before Mari could say a word Emily began to sing her a happy birthday song and she giggled as she listened to Emily.

"Happy birthday, best girl. I'm sorry I'm not there with you, but I hope you have a blast."

"I'm having a blast already. I can't wait to tell you all about it. You'll be so shocked your mouth will hang open," Mari promised.

"You're not getting married today, are you?" Emily asked, and Mari giggled.

"No. Not at all."

"Good. You better not. Well, I wanted to call you now because I might not be able to do so later. And you might not be able to reach me either. I'm getting ready to go to Ludus."

"Ludus? What's happening there? Has your six months training ended already? Or did you change your mind about going to meet Callan?" Mari asked with a confused frown.

"Mr Harris woke up. He found out about my relationship with Callan and Jamal…" she trailed off when Mari gasped.

"Are you okay? Are you safe?"

Emily rolled her eyes, "Not at all. My arms are tied behind a chair right now and there is a duct tape over my lips. His henchman is only letting me talk to you so I can say happy birthday to my bestie," she said dryly.

Mari giggled. "Okay. That was a stupid question. But you can't blame me. I mean, we are talking about Ryan Harris, here. The monster that stole Abigail's life and…"

"He doesn't look or sound much like a monster, Mari," Emily cut in quietly.

Mari frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I know he's done a lot of terrible things, but he sounded normal when we talked. He even laughed at stuff I said. If I didn't know about Abigail or her parents I wouldn't think of him as someone bad," Emily confessed.

"Even psychopaths look normal, don't they? I mean, it's not like people have their evil or wickedness written on their forehead. Serial killers are loving husbands and fathers too. I'm just saying, it's normal for you to feel this way," Mari said softly.

"I guess so. I spoke with Uncle Hunter. Callan arrived safely and he has been told about everything..."

"How did he take the news? Is he okay?" Mari asked, her voice tinged with concern.

"Well, he didn't take it well and Uncle Hunter said Callan would need me there. More reason I want to go to Ludus. Mr Harris wants to go to Ludus to meet Callan. He believes Abigail and Genevieve would be there and he wants to meet them too…"

"I guess there is going to be a showdown soon seeing as all the major players are arriving at Ludus! I wish I was there too," Mari said with a groan.

"Don't worry, I'll keep you updated on everything that happens…"

"Live update, huh? A video or pictures, please," Mari said, and Emily laughed.

"I can't promise that. But I'll see what I can do. I have to go now. Have a blast, baby. And don't forget to save all the juicy details for me. Love you," Emily said, blowing a kiss into the phone.

"I love you too," Mari said, blowing back a kiss at her before Emily hung up the call.

Done with the call, she returned to the kitchen to meet Jax.