“Jealous.”
I step closer. “You want me jealous.” It’s not a question; my reaction to her with Caleb is getting her off.
Her eyes flare with the heat of hunger. “I do.”
“Why?”
“Because now you know how it feels.”
“You’re jealous?”
Her confidence slips a fraction, and she flashes a smile that borders on embarrassed. “I have to watch girls throw themselves at you all the time.”
“But . . . you’ve been watching me?”
The whites of her eyes show around their sandy irises and her lips part. She nods, two quick bounces of her head.
“How long?”
“A while.”
Fuck if this little piece of crazy should send me running, but instead it pulls me closer to her like a magnet of instability that anchors us together.
I reach out and slide another long strand of her hair through my fingers, watching the natural waves straighten against my draw and bounce back. “You ready for our date?”
“Yes.” The sound is all breath, and I have to wonder if she’s feeling the same thing I am.
“Let’s get the fuck out of here.” I grab her hand and drag her down the hallway, the sound of her laughter speeding my steps.
The more I get to know about this girl, the more I feel connected to her in some way. Our nightmares, panic in small spaces, no family, and now the crazy.
She’s not all that different from me. Maybe I don’t have to hide who I am when we’re together.
It makes me wonder what else I’ll learn if I dig a little deeper.
Ten
Let myself fall
There’s so much to gain.
Let myself fall
Past the fear and the pain.
Let myself fall
It’s out of my hands.
Beyond my control
I don’t care if I land.
--Ataxia
Mac
Rex is dragging me through the expanse of Jonah and Raven Slade’s enormous house, and I’m giggling like a damn teenager. Having him touch me, show interest in me at all, is something I never dreamed would happen. I don’t remember the last time I felt this kind of happiness. No, not happiness—joy.
We move through to the kitchen where Raven is perched on the counter and Layla’s on a barstool and they’re diving into a plate full of nachos.
“Ladies, thanks for the hospitality, but I’m taking Mac out.” He’s smiling one of those smiles that I’ve seen him aim at his friends.
Layla coughs as if she choked on the cheekful of whatever she was eating. Once she catches her breath, her eyes find mine. “No problem. She’d probably have more fun with you anyway. We aren’t getting much done here beyond stuffing ourselves into a food coma.” In the brief moment that Rex turns his head, she winks at me.
When I first met Layla, she’d assumed I had feelings for Rex. At the time, I wasn’t sure if she was interested in him or not, so I did what I do to every girl in the bar who asks me about him. I told her he was taken. It wasn’t completely a lie. I mean he’s not exactly free with all the shit he has to deal with on a daily basis. At least, that’s how I justify it.
“Where are you guys going?” Raven’s gaze moves back and forth between us with concern. She cares about Rex.
This is the closest thing to family he has. I understand their desire to protect him. More than anyone, I understand.
What started as a need to alleviate the guilt turned into an obsession to be near him and, now, an undeniable, unconditional, all-consuming love for him.
My heart leaps in my chest. I’ve always loved Rex. But ever since the night he woke me up from a nightmare, I felt a shift. Like sliding a lock into place, we bonded in that moment. Forever.
“Mac?” Rex’s voice is close to my ear. “Did you hear Layla?”
I look at Layla, whose smile falls when I face her head on. “What?”
She narrows her eyes. “Nothing important. Just . . . call me tomorrow.”
Rex turns to say goodbye to Jonah as he walks into the room, and Layla mouths, “Are you okay?”
A quivering excitement builds in my stomach. I nod and smile so big my teeth get cold.
She points at me hard and mouths, “I knew it.”
We stifle our giggles, and I look over to see Raven smiling, having probably caught on to our semi-silent conversation.
I grab my jacket while Rex makes a quick stop off at the bathroom. After a few more goodbyes and a very put-off look from Caleb, we head out to Rex’s truck. He opens the door for me just as he did the first night. He prowls around the front of the truck to the driver’s side, and I keep my eyes on him as he climbs in.
“Where to?” He fires up the truck and looks at me.
His bright blue eyes stand out in contrast to his dark hair, and his skin is the perfect color as if he’s just spent a few days at the beach. Pretty. And just like that the memory of what Rex being so pretty meant for him as a child comes rushing back.
“Mac, baby, you okay?”
“Huh?” He’s called me baby before, and just like the first time, I’m struck stupid.