I close my eyes and focus on the sensation. On his presence next to me. On the steady sound of his breathing.
“Zeff?” I whisper.
“Yeah?”
“Thank you. For everything.”
“You don’t have to thank me.”
“I do though. You didn’t have to do any of this.”
His hand stills in my hair for a moment. Then continues. “It’s no problem.”
I want to ask why three hockey players would turn their lives upside down for a girl they barely knew a month ago.
But exhaustion is finally pulling at me. The combination of his touch and his presence and the safety I feel in this house is too much to fight.
There’s something about him that eases me. Something calm and steady that makes the constant anxiety in my chest loosen just enough to breathe.
My breathing slows. My body relaxes.
And as I drift off, I hope nothing comes to haunt me.
Chapter Forty: Jax
I wake up at five AM like I always do.
The house is still dark. It’s silent except for the hum of the refrigerator and the distant sound of traffic on the highway.
I sit up and run my hand through my hair. I try to shake off the dream I was having—something about the night Tiger got shot, but this time I couldn’t get to her in time.
I need coffee.
I swing my legs out of bed and pad down the hallway in bare feet, pass Zephyr’s room, and pass the guest bedroom. Tiger’s room.
The door is cracked open.
I pause and tell myself I’m just checking on her. I’m making sure she’s okay, that she’s not in any pain.
I push the door open slowly and quietly.
She’s asleep.
Curled on her side with her good arm tucked under the pillow. Hair spread across the pillowcase. Face relaxed in a way I don’t see when she’s awake.
And Zephyr’s next to her.
On top of the covers. Still dressed. But his hand is resting near hers on the pillow. Close enough that their fingers might be touching.
My heart races.
Not anger. Not exactly. More like... possession. Like something primal and territorial that I don’t know what to do with.
She’s here in my house, in a bed that I helped make up for her. I’ve done everything possible to make sure she’s safe.
But Zephyr got to have her last night.
I stand here longer than I should, watching them sleep, and processing the tightness in my chest. Then I back out quietly and close the door until it’s slightly cracked.
