Laikyn rushed toward me, stopping seconds before she would’ve bowled me over.
“Are you okay?” Her cool fingers touched my cheek, her concern emanating from her.
I nodded because it was mostly true. I would be okay. Provided we could fix this. If I lost either of them, then it would be a lie.
Her fingers glided over my chin as she took another step closer. She smiled as she brushed my lower lip. “You can talk.”
I gestured to my mouth and shook my head.
“You can,” she said softly. “You just need to realize you don’t have to. Once you stop pressuring yourself, maybe it will come.”
Yeah. Maybe. I wasn’t going to hold my breath.
Laikyn stepped back and glanced over at Rule. He was watching us, and when our eyes met, I felt his tension.
With a short glance at Laikyn, I walked over to him. I reached for my phone only to realize I’d left it in my room. With no other way to communicate, I did the only thing I knew to do. I stepped up to him until we were so close a breath wouldn’t slide between us. I put my hand on the back of his neck and urged him forward, pressing my forehead to his.
“I heard you,” Rule whispered. “I never thought I would.”
Even if I had a phone, what was I supposed to say to that?
“I want to hear you again.” He tilted his chin and angled his head, his breath fanning my mouth. “And the next time, I want you to say my name.”
Never in my life did I expect Rule to tell me how he felt about me. I wasn’t even sure he realized how much he’d revealed in that single sentence.
I kissed him. Softly, gently. It was the first time in all the time I’d known him that our kiss wasn’t a prelude to sex. He hesitated only briefly, but then he kissed me back. And in true Rule fashion, he took control, his hand curling behind my head, holding me to him as he adjusted the angle and slid his tongue into my mouth. I’d only ever felt so much intensity from a kiss once before. And that was the night I made love to Laikyn. We’d been completely vulnerable to one another that night, which was the only way to describe Rule at this moment in time. He was stripped bare.
I kissed him back, keeping the urgency at bay so I could savor him for those few precious seconds. It wouldn’t last. Rule didn’t allow himself to be unguarded, so this was a rarity. There was a good chance it would never happen again, but for as long as I lived, I would never forget it.
When I pressed my hand to his chest, Rule covered my hand and held it over his heart.
“I don’t like this feeling, Jinx,” he said, his words a mere breath between us. “It feels too raw. I’m too exposed.”
Yeah, well, that was the nature of life. Even when we do our best to protect ourselves from everything that might hurt us, there are times when we can’t. This was one of those times.
But I wasn’t going to push him. We had a long way to go before Rule accepted that he wasn’t in this alone. He’d spent his entire life anticipating the moment when someone else would leave him. I’d proven my loyalty by being there every day, and I would continue to do so. Deep down, he knew that was true. Now, he needed to accept it.
I could feel Laikyn watching us, and when I pulled back and looked toward the house, she was still standing there, her heart in her eyes and a smile on her face. It gave me hope. Gave me something to look forward to.
It wasn’t over. We hadn’t lost her. Not yet, anyway. There was still time to prove to her that, despite the circumstances, this was exactly where she was supposed to be. Where we were all supposed to be.
27
Rule
I needed some time to get mybearings, so I left Laikyn and Jinx at the house with the assurance that I would come back. I sensed that Jinx didn’t believe me, but I was determined to prove to him that I wasn’t the same man I’d been two and a half months ago.
I drove around aimlessly for an hour before I went to the beach. The same one I’d taken Laikyn to on our first date. I walked, and I kept walking until the sun was low in the sky. I replayed everything that had happened since the night Laikyn called me with Monica’s request for help.
That was when it started. This shift. The one that I would’ve said was impossible before then. That brief call, her fear-filled voice, had triggered something. I couldn’t explain it, but even if I could, it wouldn’t matter. It wasn’t like I could change it now. It happened when I wasn’t paying attention. I’d fallen in love with Laikyn, and my love for her had cast a spotlight on my feelings for Jinx. My love for him wasn’t new, but I’d never acknowledged it. At the same time, I’d never denied it either. I simply hadn’t recognized it for what it was.
Now I needed to figure out what I was supposed to do about it. Was I supposed to cut open a vein and prove to her that everything I’d done up to this point had been for her? Would she even believe me if I did? I’d dumped a lot on her already. It couldn’t be easy to learn that your own mother had spent two years attempting to stage your kidnapping, and when she finally succeeded, it had gone awry. Laikyn was good at pretending her mother’s betrayal didn’t hurt her, but deep down, she was.
As I drove back to the house, I pulled out my phone and dialed a familiar number.
“Hey, brother. How are you?” Creed answered on the first ring.
“I need to talk,” I blurted before I could think better of it.
