He let out a long, steady breath. “I want to keep being that person for you.”
“Youare.” I paused for a moment, almost feeling his hesitation. “If you need this to stop, tell me. That’s all it takes.”
His eyebrows furrowed, as if in deep thought. I almost expected him to say yes, that we needed to stop, that he couldn’t handle it. But instead, he shook his head. “No. I don’t want it to stop.”
I leaned in and kissed him again—slow, deep, passionate. It wasn’t about heat or hunger. It was about telling him how much he meant to me.
When we pulled apart, I curled back into his chest, and he wrapped a blanket around us both.
And even though the night had cracked us open in ways neither of us expected…I felt closer to him than I ever had.
12
Hana
Isipped slowly from my mug, the chamomile tasting stale now that it was cold. It was another gray and bleak morning, and the snow was still falling faintly.
Jack sat across from me at the small breakfast table, shirtless and quiet, one hand rubbing the back of his neck the way he always did when something was on his mind.
The light coming through the window made his tattoos look softer, but there was a look in his eyes I recognized. He wasoffsomehow.
“You okay?” I asked, nudging my foot against his under the table.
He looked up at me, his mouth pulling into a crooked half-smile. “I was about to ask you the same thing.”
I smirked back, sitting back in my seat. “I’m good. I mean…last night was a lot. But not in a bad way.”
He nodded slowly, but didn’t respond right away.
“What?” I prompted gently.
He tapped his fingers against the rim of his coffee mug, his wedding ring clinking against it. He looked at me through his lashes. “Elliott seemed weird, right? Like, after?”
I hesitated. “A little,” I admitted. “When Jackie was with you. He looked…tense.”
“Yeah.” Jack leaned forward, bracing his elbows on the table. “I don’t know, sweetheart. I kept thinking he was gonna step in. Or stop it. Or say something. And I get it—this shit’s fucking intense. Especially when you’re not used to seeing someone you love in it.”
I nodded, understanding. “Do you think he was upset withyou?”
Jack shrugged, but his jaw clenched. “Maybe. I mean, it’s not like I was doing anything to her she didn’t want. She wasinto it. You saw that.”
“I did,” I said, reaching across the table for his hand. He took it, squeezing gently. “And I thinkhesaw it too. I just think it’s harder when it’s someone else doing it.”
“I know,” Jack muttered. “But still. It kinda rubbed me wrong. Like he thought I couldn’t be trusted or something. And you know how much I’ve changed. You know I’dnever—”
“Iknow,” I said quickly. “He knows it too. You’ve got nothing to prove.”
He exhaled hard, letting the air out between clenched teeth. “Yeah. I just don’t like the idea that he might think I’d cross that line.”
I squeezed his hand. “Maybe you guys should talk. Clear the air.”
He nodded and shrugged. “Maybe. Later.”
We were quiet for a moment. I watched the way his posture changed, more relaxed, and the way he looked at me tenderly.
“And us?” he asked, a little softer now.
I smiled. “We’re good. I feel closer to you, honestly. Seeing you like that…so into it, so in tune with me and with her…”
