Alianna padded out of her room and sat down smiling in the living room. This had become part of her routine, sitting down to watch the sun rise between two high rise buildings. It helped her think and sort out her thoughts before starting the day. The tiles were cold against her skin but she loved it.

"May I join you?"

Jax stood there dressed in a pair of running shorts and a muscle tee. Alianna smiled and scooted over to give him enough room so he could see the sunrise too.

The pair sat there in a peaceful, comfortable silence as the sky became tinged with pink and lit up in a beautiful baby blue hue, a stark contrast to the streams of red lights from the vehicles below. Even though she was dressed in a camisole and short pants, the chill of the apartment didn't bother Alianna as the warmth from Jax's body seeped into her.

"What do you need from me?" Alianna asked as the first rays of sunlight illuminated the rooftops.

 Jax clenched his jaw at the tone she used but understood that she spent most of her life being summoned and still was not used to his companionship.

"I'm going down to the gym to work out these old joints," Jax's smiled at her chuckle at his joke. "Would you like to join me?"

Alianna bit the inside of her cheek as she contemplated her answer. She had not exercised once since she got here and preferred to do so alone but there was something about the idea of training with Jax that intrigued her.

"Give me a couple minutes to change?"

Smiles broke out on their faces and Jax nodded. Alianna scurried off to her room to trade her shorts for some leggings and to put on a proper bra before slipping on a pair of trainers as she didn't have proper gym shoes. When she exited her room, Jax was leaning against the kitchen counter, a banana and a bottle of water next him as he attended to matters on his phone.

"Eat," he said, handing her the banana without looking up from the device.

Alianna took it without protest before feeding her growling stomach. Jax shut off the device once she was done and together they walked to the elevator. Wordlessly their fingers intertwined as both eyes were fixed on the numbers marking the elevator's ascent. The doors opened to reveal Naveen and Scott, Jax's bodyguard. After greeting the men, Alianna rest her head against Jax's shoulder as the elevator made its way to the lobby.

Jax's hand tightened around Alianna's as Naveen and Scott moved through the crowd in the lobby. People rushed about, men and women in business wear, a lot of tourists decked out in their winter finest. Jax was used to it after living various hotels around New York for years but Alianna wasn't, evident from the way her hand gripped onto his.

Alianna breathed an audible sigh of relief as they entered the basement gym. It was empty but filled with the best equipment and she spied a sauna as well. Judging from how well-kept the facilities were, this was a VVIP gym and no doubt Jax was a member.

"I reserved it for an hour," Jax said as he added plates to a machine. "It's just the two of us."

Alianna's eyes lit up as she immediately moved over to the pull up bars. She slipped off her shoes and tried pull herself up bit her fingers could not reach and she wanted to leave the bar at this height. She bent her knees again and eyed the bar to try to mount it again. She jumped, immediately knowing she was not going to make it until a pair of warm hands clasped her hips. She looked down at Jax as he gave her the boost she needed to pull herself up easily, distributing her weight as she hung there.

"Are you okay up there?" he asked. Alianna nodded as Jax turned on the music, surprised at his choice in pop music, she pegged him for a classic guy but she did not complain as she focused on the deep bass as she started.

She started off with simple pull ups but that changed to entire high bar routine. Jax watched her twist and twirl herself around the bar, agile and elegant, as he worked on the leg press machine. If Alianna was not an assassin, she could easily be an Olympic gymnast. He noticed her flexibility and her stamina, something that sparked illicit thoughts in his mind. He shook his head before closing his eyes to concentrate.

Alianna landed a perfect dismount on the soft mat below. Her arms felt like jello but adrenaline rushed through her veins, making her smile. She opened her bottle of water and chugged it as she sat cross legged on the floor. The sound of wood hitting plastic made her look up.

The sight before her made her mouth dry despite the liquid she ingested. Jax landed another hit on the dummy with a bo staff. He had abandoned his jersey as a sheen of sweat emphasised the rippling of his muscles as the staff cut through the air. Alianna watched, appraising and appreciating his technique to distract herself from the tightening deep inside her. She was impressed to say the least as he kicked the dummy away, reminding her of the physical power he possessed.

Jax breathed in deeply as he began his routine again, his thoughts away in Miami rather than here. He was jarred out of his musings when his staff made contact in mid-air. His eyes widen as Alianna stood before him with that wicked smile that he loved on her face and the second bo staff in her hands. He smirked as he moved his back and bowed to her.

Alianna smiled and returned the gesture and tried to go for an easy blow with a horizontal cut She was surprised at Jax's reflexes as he blocked it. Scott opened the door to investigate the source of the noisy grunts and was floored as he watched his Boss go head to head with his girl. Naveen grinned, he had guessed Alianna's capabilities and now was a chance to see her in action.

"Two hundred dollars on Alianna," Naveen murmured as the woman in question went for a vertical cut which Jax blocked.

"I'm a loyal man," Scott accused jokingly, "my money is on Boss." The men grinned as they watched the pair battle.

Jax huffed as he felt sweat trickle down his body. It has been some time since he had a worthy opponent in martial arts. Alianna's technique was flawless as she met him blow for blow. Neither was backing down and they fell into a rigorous rhythm, assessing each other's skills rather than aiming for victory. The pair tangoed around the room, Alianna's hair had fallen out of its ponytail but she managed to look graceful as ever. Alianna smirked as she feinted a vertical cut, making Jax move his stick up but she used the other end of hers to flick it out of his hands.

Jax and Alianna stared each other down, shoulders heaving with heavy breaths as Jax's staff fell to the mat unnoticed. Alianna knew what she did was probably unheard of, to beat a mafia boss at his own game, out of respect she should've lost but it wasn't in her nature to lose. She was not one of Jax's men and the fact she kept pace with him said more than she ever could. Jax looked at her, his dark eyes burning with curiosity and dared her, what was she going to do?

A slow smile spread across Alianna's face as she dropped her bo staff instead of touching Jax with it; Jax heard her message loud and clear; they were equals.

Jax grinned as they sat down together and he offered her some of his water. Alianna declined but lay down next him, slipping off her camisole in an effort to cool off. Jax struggled to keep his eyes from roaming the smooth expanse of her skin. Alianna sighed as she sprawled off under the vents of the air condition unit.

"You're amazing," he murmured to her. Alianna was glad that she had a viable excuse for the sudden goose bumps on her skin from his husky voice.

"I spent six months traveling around Asia taking down a network of drug lords," she replied, "I picked up a couple moves along the way."

Jax chuckled as he heard Scott talking to someone outside. Judging from the three shadows outside the door, their time was up. Alianna watched Jax's retreating back, frowning as she saw a scar running diagonally between his abdomen and tailbone but before she could ask about it, Naveen stuck his head in, telling them that it was time to go.

"We can do that again," Jax hinted looking down at her hopefully.

"I'd like that," she answered, meeting his gaze. He grinned as she pulled on her camisole, their fingers lacing together as they walked out.

~

"Room service will be here in fifteen minutes," Jax said as Alianna kicked off her sneakers as soon as they stepped out into the penthouse. "Naveen will let them in, we can go freshen up."

"Okay," Alianna padded to her room and after pulling out an off the shoulder blouse and short pants, she jumped into the shower.

Standing under the hot water, Alianna's mind replayed their session today. It was the first time she went head-to-head someone without the intent of training or killing them. While it unnerved every fibre in her being, she could get used to it, only if she trained with Jax. She shut off the water and within a couple of minutes she was out of the room again.

Alianna stopped as she watched Jax move around the kitchen, setting their breakfast at the kitchen island. His dress shirt hinted at the muscle she knew lay underneath and his slacks fit him just right. She found herself smiling as she saw the relaxed look in his eyes; this was another thing that she could get used to.

Jax tensed as he felt two arms slide around his waist but relaxed as he felt Alianna's weight press against his back. Her sudden display of affection told him that he made another break through with her. He spun swiftly in her arms, his hands pulling her closer to his chest by her waist. Alianna sighed as the scent of his cologne washed over her and she felt herself relaxing against him, the strain of the sleepless nights obvious.

The pad of his thumb traced the dark circles that were beginning to form under her eyes. "Not sleeping well?" he murmured, rubbing circles into the small of her back.

Alianna bit the inside of her cheek as she contemplated telling him how her usual dosage of sleeping pills was no longer enough and she was hesitant to increase it but did he even know about them in the first place? Rex had packed them when he gone through her apartment but Alianna did not know if he told Jax about it. What would he think?

The buzzing of Jax's phone saved her from answering. Jax let out an annoyed grunt as he answered it. Alianna leaned against him, his cool touch helping her calm her thoughts. She frowned as his hand froze against her back, instinctively pulling her closer. She looked up alarmed to see Jax's eyes ablaze in anger.

Her hand immediately drifted to her gun as Jax reached behind him to pull out one from the kitchen drawer. "What's wrong?" she asked as he inserted the clip.

Jax exhaled sharply, wordlessly expressing his anger and concern for her safety. "We were just attacked by L'iiblis."