“You’ve got a little drool on your chin.” Jax smirks as he reaches over and jokingly swipes it off.
It sets flutters loose in my stomach, but I swat him away. “Stop! I’m just so excited. I can’t believe I’m here. It kind of ticks me off that I pretended to be okay with not coming to one of these sooner.”
“Well, you’re here now, so let’s make the most of it.”
We get out of the truck, grabbing our luggage from the back seat.
“I like the vibes I’m getting already,” I say with a sigh. “This is going to be a good conference. We’re going to have a good time.”
“I’m getting ditched on this trip, aren’t I?”
“You might.”
He gives me an annoyed look, but I can tell from how quickly it wears off that he knows I’m joking.
I open the door to the hotel, telling Jax, “In all honesty, you’re probably going to be the one to ditch me. Look at all these beautiful cowgirls. At least put a sock on the door or something if you’re going to bring one back.”
He stops in his tracks. “I’m not going to do that.”
“Okay, fine. We don’t have to do the sock thing, but you have to give me some sort of warning.”
I glance up at him to find a frown on his face and pain in his eyes. “I’m not going to bring some girl back to my room. I’m here for you.”
My heart sings, but I work to shut it down. Jax is here for me but only like a brother is there for his little sister. That’s all I am to him—someone he needs to protect. He said as much at the bar the other night. No matter what he makes me feel, I can’t forget the things he’s made abundantly clear.
“You don’t need to babysit me, Jax.”
Giving him a curt nod, I march up toward the desk, but he pulls me back by the elbow. “I want to be here.” He drops his hand. “Do you really think I’d come here with you just to pick up girls?”
“No, but I’m still figuring you out.”
He nods then wordlessly dashes off to check-in. When the woman asks about our reservation, I give her my last name, and she types a few things on her keyboard before pulling out an envelope with two keycards in it.
“Here you go. One king bed. You’ll be in room 518.”
“I’m sorry. I think there’s some sort of mistake. We asked for two full beds.”
She furrows her brow and returns to her computer, clacking away again. After a few moments, she shakes her head. “I have one king bed on the reservation. I can put you on a waiting list in case anyone else was switched, but the whole hotel is booked out for the conference. Sorry.”
“Is there at least a pull-out couch or something in the room?”
She shakes her head.
Jax takes the keys from her. “That’s okay. Thank you.”
I follow him in a haze, trying to figure out a way to avoid sharing a bed with my brother’s extremely hot best friend who I shouldnothave a crush on. Just the faintest touch from him is enough to cover me in goosebumps. I can’t imagine being that close to him all night long.
As we get into the elevator, I turn to him. “I’m building a pillow fort between us.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“Nope.”
He shakes his head as he presses the button for the fifth floor. “Don’t be ridiculous. We’re both adults. We can share a bed.” He smirks. “I remember you begging me to share a room with you not that long ago.”
“Exactly. A room, not a bed. Plus, I was?—”
“Drunk? That’s the only way you’ll sleep with me, huh?”
