Jax stands there, clearly warring with himself. This is a bad idea. All my ideas are bad ideas. That is kind of my thing.
He sighs, running a hand through his hair. “Fine. A pillow wall. And you stay on your side.”
“Deal.” I smile as I curl up on my side of the bed.
He grabs pillows and builds a surprisingly impressive barrier down the middle of the bed. Then he lies down on his side, fully clothed, on top of the covers.
“You are being ridiculous. Get under the blanket at least,” I tell him.
“This is fine,” he grumbles.
“Jax.”
“Sloane.”
He finally climbs under the covers, and I feel the bed shift with his weight.
“Goodnight,” he says firmly. “Sleep well.”
“Goodnight, Jax.” I close my eyes, the room spinning slightly. The wine is hitting hard now. Everything feels fuzzy, warm, and safe.
“Jax?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you. For not taking advantage. For being kind. For being ... you.”
He grunts. “Get some sleep, Sloane.”
I drift off with a smile on my face and hopefully no memory of what happened tonight.
5
JAX
Idid not sleep. Could not sleep. Not with Sloane Winters on the other side of a flimsy pillow wall, so close I could hear every breath she took. Not with the memory of her lips on mine still burning through my system. Not with her vanilla scent wrapping around me like a fog I could not escape. Not with my dick reminding me exactly what it wanted and exactly why that was the worst possible idea. I stare at the ceiling in the dark, listening to her soft breathing even out as she falls asleep. She’s passed out almost immediately, the wine finally catching up to her. At least one of us is getting rest. The pillow wall is a joke. A pathetic attempt at maintaining boundaries that had already been crossed the moment she kissed me. And the moment I kissed her back.
Fuck.
What was I thinking? She was drunk. Vulnerable. Running from a cheating ex and drowning her sorrows in wine. She was not thinking clearly. Was not making rational decisions. And I kissed her anyway. I know, like a fucking creep. I did the right thing by stopping it before it went too far. But you still kissed her. I let myself be selfish and taste her for those few secondsbefore my brain overrode my body. Professional, Reid. Real professional. I could lose my job over this. Get reprimanded at a minimum. This was exactly the kind of situation they warned us about in training. Do not get involved with people you are helping. Do not cross those lines. Maintain boundaries. Except Sloane made me want to cross every line. Made me forget every rule I had set for myself.
I shift carefully, trying not to disturb her, and glance over the pillow wall. She’s curled on her side facing me, one hand tucked under her cheek, her dark hair spilled across the pillow. She looks peaceful. Young. Beautiful. Trouble. She looks like trouble. The kind of trouble I want to dive into headfirst despite knowing better. I force myself to look away and check my phone. Three A.M. The storm is still raging outside, snow piling up against the windows. We are not going anywhere tomorrow. Probably not the day after either. More time stuck in this fucking small cabin with her. More time fighting this attraction. More time pretending I don’t want her. Great. Just great.
I must doze off at some point because I wake to a gray morning light filtering through the windows and the distinct feeling of being watched. I open my eyes to find Sloane awake, propped up on one elbow, staring at me over the pillow wall with wide eyes.
“Morning,” I say, my voice rough with sleep.
She immediately looks away, her cheeks flushing pink. “Morning.”
“How are you feeling?” I ask.Translation, do you remember what happened last night?
She winces. “Like I was hit by a truck.” She presses a hand to her forehead. “Made entirely of wine bottles. Why did I drink so much?”
“You were processing some things,” I say lightly.
“Did I ...” She pauses, clearly trying to piece together her memories. “Did I say anything embarrassing?”
Here was my out. I could lie. Could tell her she just went to sleep and nothing happened. Could pretend the kiss never occurred and save us both the awkwardness, but I don’t want to lie to her because it seems like her ex did all the time.
