The question catches me off guard, and I hesitate. When I first arrived here, we were most certainly not friends. Even a few weeks ago, I never would have said such a thing.
But now?
Now, I think we are.
Now, Iwantus to be.
The only problem is, it’s not the only thing I want.
I want more. So much more.
But I know I can never have it.
So friends will have to do, even though the mere thought of something so simple, so inadequate, existing between us—when all I want is something earthshattering, somethingelevating—makes me want to scream.
I breathe the anger down.
“Yes,” I finally tell him, and without opening his eyes, he reaches up to grab my hand that rests on his face.
He pulls it down and presses it against his chest. I can feel his heart hammering beneath my palm, a wild rhythm that matches my own.
He grabs my other hand and places it there as well, holding both of them over the frantic beat.
Then, his eyes open, and I think I’m falling. His gaze is so intense, so consuming, it makes the ground beneath me disappear. All I can do is lean into him, my body moving of its own accord.
He releases my hands, and somehow, they find their way to the nape of his neck. My fingers thread through his hair, soft and unruly, and he hums, the sound reverberating through me.
“And this…this is how you comfort your friends?” he asks, dipping his head so his forehead is once again resting against mine.
My insides melt.
My throat goes dry, but I force a swallow.
“No…” I manage to say, trying my best to not allow the heat to rush to my cheeks, giving away how foolish I am.
But it’s the truth.
I only have one friend,Char, and although I’ve touched him many times, hugged him after a hard day, I’ve never feltthis. It’s never been likethis.
“Only you.”
He stills. Every muscle, every movement ceasing to exist.
“Say that again,” he demands, his voice rough and raw, filled with something primal.
I don’t remember how to breathe. I don’t want to because all I want is to focus on him, and even breathing feels like an unnecessary distraction.
“Only you, Jax.”
He leans in closer, his lips hovering over mine, and it takes all of my self-control to not close the space between us. To not press my lips to his and take everything I want, everything he’s willing to give.
But I don’t move.
And neither does he.
“There’s something I need to tell you,” he says, and my brain barely registers the words. My mind, my eyes, focused on only one thing.
That divine mouth of his.
