“I’m trying,” I hiss.
He kisses my temple in full view of the table.
Everyone SCREAMS.
Drinks arrive. Stories fly. Ava shows everyone a Canva infographic she made about my “romance arc.”
Trey rates Jaxon’s hand placement on a scale of 1 to “should we leave and give you two some privacy.”
Sienna announces she’s writing an anonymous article titled:“I Accidentally Walked in on My Coworker’s Billionaire Romance: A Memoir.”
I try to sink into the floor.
Jaxon wraps an arm around me and pulls me close; and any chance of disappearing dies instantly.
His voice drops low so only I can hear:
“You good?”
I nod.
And I mean it.
More than I ever did before.
When the group heads to the bar to take selfies we’ll all regret later, I stay back with Jaxon.
He looks at me with that slow, warm expression that dissolves my spine.
“You look happy,” he says.
“I am.”
He runs his thumb over my knuckles.
“I like seeing you with them.”
“You don’t think they’re too much?”
“They’re perfect for you.”
My chest tightens.
He leans down and kisses me softly; not the hungry kind, it’s not the teasing kind. It’s the kind you give someone you think about all the time.
When he pulls back, he murmurs:
“Ready to go home soon?”
“Yeah,” I breathe. “I’m ready.”
He smiles.
And I feel it in my bones.
The Nasty Nine return with nine drinks I am definitely not allowed to have.
Ava screams, “You two kissed while we were gone didn’t you?!”
