Jax laughed. She didn’t look at him of course. The doctor had her hidden face moving away from him as quickly as she could ducking into her cabin. But he heard her and he laughed. “See?” He followed, his musical sound of glee entering her cabin. He sat quickly and did as she commanded, unbuttoned his shirt. “I knew you had wit. Can’t be as smart as you and not have the spark.” He pulled his sleeves from his arms and crumped the thing beside him. “But I won’t tell.” He teased slightly. 

“I know you have an image.” He settled and his smiling face faded. “I do too.”

 Jax braced himself for the feel of those doctor fingers. He hoped they stung, flashed with pain of the coldness he knew she wanted to give him. He wanted the frozen hurt to wash away that memory of her head on his shoulder. Take that softness away and freeze any desire he had. Maybe she needed some help. He felt his tongue get thicker as he decided he could do that for her. Jax spoke but looked down at his own chest noting the start of bruised coloring.

“But you keep yours and I’ll hold mine. Mine says, I can go to the Captain and see if he will escort me as you so plainly painted. I’ll tell him it was all your idea. You think he and I are a better couple. If he disagrees, well, then he can make a request of you.” 

Jax looked up at the First Mate, the woman who still will not give him her name, who knows to stay away from him even better than he has managed to keep clear of her. He tried to catch her eyes. “A request from him to you would not be denied I would guess.”