But he remembers. The horrors of those days… none of us will ever forget.
You don’t say I’m sorry. The best we can do is share our stories and let each other know we’re not alone.
Which is why, before I can stop myself, I lean up against Maverick. He stiffens for a heartbeat before relaxing and wrapping his arm around my shoulder.
I smile sadly to myself. Tonight, at least, we don’t have to be alone.
You like him, Maverick accused me earlier.
And I do. I do like Chase. But, with a little flutter of my heavy heart, I realize that doesn’t mean anything at the end of the world.
It’s too dangerous.
Maverick and his lost wife are proof of that.
Rory.
Nina.
Hallie…
So, yeah. I like Chase.
But that’s not enough.
CHAPTER 22
Iwake up to find Chase hovering over us.
I don’t know how long he’s been standing there. It’s bright out, dawn, but the fire is still burning. With a start, I realize that I fell asleep leaning up against Maverick, his arm wrapped around the small of my back, keeping me there instead of my head dropping down in his lap to use his thigh as a pillow.
You’d think Chase would be glad that I didn’t wake up with my face inches away from another man’s crotch—and if you think that, you haven’t been paying attention. Jealousy has his features going tight as he peers down at me with a pained look in his pretty blue eyes.
“Chase?”
His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows roughly. “It’s morning. I’ll be ready to head out when you are. Just thought you should know.”
Before I can respond, he turns on his heel, striding back to where he left the rumpled blanket and my abandoned sleeping bag.
Honestly? What could I really say? I know what it looks like, but if he’s been traveling with us for this long already and stillthinks there’s something brewing between me and Mav, then nothing I can say will convince Chase to give up on his jealousy.
Especially when he has no reason to be jealous at all.
Still, I glance over at Maverick, wordlessly asking for an explanation. If it’s morning—and the sun overhead tells me that it is—then we should’ve already been up and breaking down the campsite.
He shrugs. “You seemed so peaceful. Chase was snoring up until a few minutes ago. I figured I could let you two rest a little longer. The sun’s only just coming up.”
It was a kindness that would’ve been a whole lot kinder if Maverick had poked me in the side, waking me up before Chase figured out that I spent the night as far away from him as I could.
That pained look is branded in my brain. I can’t let him walk away like that.
I get up, leaving Maverick to tend to the fire while I tentatively approach Chase. He’s bending over, grabbing my sleeping bag, ready to roll it up. The blanket I placed on top of him is already folded neatly and placed by my abandoned pack.
At first, I think he’s just busying himself with getting ready to head out… and that’s when I see him struggling to roll up the sleeping bag. Of course he’s having trouble. I mean, it can’t be easy with the way his hands are trembling so viciously, the handcuff bracelet is knocking against his wrist bone.
Ah, fuck. If those were angry shakes, I could deal. It would be easy to remind Chase that he’s being ridiculous, that he has no reason to be angry.
But they’re not angry shakes, are they?
