“Don’t let it go to your ego.” I try to make it sound playful, but it comes out thin as I sniffle.
“It’s too late for that.” He smirks softly.
“I’m still mad,” I say.
“You’re always mad.”
I jerk back and straighten, my voice rising. “No, I’m not. I’m—”
“Can you two shut up?” Nix groans. “We’re watching something.”
I spin around. “As if you haven’t seen that movie a hundred times.”
“Caleb hasn’t!”
At the mention of Caleb, Jax steps beside me, arm wrapping around my waist. With newfound shame, I try to fall back. I completely blocked him from his brother.
“You good?” Jax asks, squinting in the dark.
“Yeah.” Caleb clears his throat and sits up. “Yeah, all good.”
“Go get ice.”
“I’m fine.”
Jax blows out a breath. “He’s in his office. You can go down.”
“It’s nothing.”
“I’ll go,” Nix says and starts to scoot off the bed.
My chest tightens. I don’t want her anywhere in this house alone. “But…” I try.
“She’ll be fine,” Jax says. “Arnold left, and James sleeps in his office.”
“And where exactly is his office?” Nix’s eyes flare in dramatics as she pulls out a pocketknife and waves it around. “You know, just curious.”
I open my mouth to scold her, but Jax is faster. He snatches the knife out of her hand so cleanly it barely looks like movement. “Don’t bring a knife to a gun fight,” he growls.
“Hey,” Nix snaps, lunging to take it back. “I was just kidding.”
“Too bad,” I say, puppeteering Jax’s arm, lifting it into the air so the knife is far above his head.
With a roll of her eyes, she falls back on her heels. “Whatever. It’s not like I can’t just get a cleaver from the kitchen.” And then she saunters past us and down the hall.
Sighing, I rub my temple. She’s joking, but God, she’s exhausting.
Chapter Forty-Three
Kira
Once Nix returns with a towel and a bowl of ice, I let Jax guide me back to my room so we won’t continue to interrupt their movie. The halls are dark and cold, and I may lean into Jax more than necessary. His hand stays on my lower back as if I’m a skittish animal about to bolt. I want to be annoyed by it because I’ve never been anything close to skittish, but his handisthe only thing keeping me going.
I breathe a little easier when he closes the bedroom door, and with the push of a button, he flips on the fireplace in the corner of the room. A soft electric hum follows, and flames spring up, licking at the imitation logs with a cozy, warm flicker.
“Better?” He turns, hopeful.
But I can’t even muster a weak smile in appreciation. “Jax…” I eye the flames and the heat they’re supposed to fill me with. “I don’t want to be here. I know I come off as some tough girl,” I grimace when he chuckles, “but your father is out of my league. And as much as Nix thinks she’s invincible, I don’t want her here either. Honestly, I don’t want you or Caleb to be either.”
