“I know, and I know it just freaked you out. Please don’t run. I’ll take this however slow you need, but those are my intentions. I’m not like him, and I won’t waste your time or play games with your heart. I will tell you how I’m feeling.”
“Okay,” I breathe out, trying to calm my racing heart.
“Okay?” he asks nervously, watching for any signs that I’m going to bolt. I can be brave. I haven’t answered him, and worry settles into his features as his hand presses against the pounding object within my chest.
“Breathe for me,” he whispers, pulling my focus back to the present. I suck in a deep breath and realize that I’ve been holding it due to the edges of my sight becoming less fuzzy.Holy crap.“That’s good. I’ve got you. Lay down with me.”
Jaxon lifts me from his lap, plopping me down next to him. He pulls the covers up over us as we face each other in the dim light. After a few minutes of just breathing together, my heart finally begins to slow as I watch while he slowly draws patterns on my palm between us.
“Much better. Do you have panic attacks often?”
“Only every once in a while. It started toward the end of–” I flick my gaze up to his and he nods in understanding.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“What if you change your mind?” My voice comes out smaller than expected. I feel exposed.
“I don’t think you’re the one who should be nervous about someone changing their mind. I’m not the flight risk. I chase hard.”
“Yeah, you do.”
He chuckles, turning his head to kiss my open palm.
“I’ll chase as hard as you need me to.”
“Don’t give up on me,” I whisper sleepily.
“Not a chance,” I hear him mutter as my eyes close.
???
Jaxon
I lay there for a good hour watching Holly sleep, rehashing our discussion. I didn’t mean to blurt that out and scare her in the bathroom. I just got caught up in her, like I always do. I know it’s moving fast, but damn, my gut just screams for her. It’s like some part of me resonates with all of her at a cellular level and can’t let her go. Even all those months of zero contact when I searched for her. Hell, searched for this whole damn family without even realizing it. I belong here. I belong with her. The pull is undeniable.
Reaching out, I tuck a lock of fallen hair behind her ear, and she murmurs something softly in her sleep as she rolls onto her back. It’s stinking cute. I pull her close to me, tucking myself into her and nuzzling against her neck. She smells like home.
???
BEEP, BEEP-BEEP! BEEP, BEEP-BEEP!
I reach out to smash the button on my alarm but realize it’s not my alarm. It’s coming from the purse across the room. Holly stretches, groaning frustratedly at the sound as she rubs her eyes. I crawl out of bed and walk toward the source. I see her phone lit up, lying on top of her purse, and turn it off. It’s roughly six.
“Gahhhh,” she grounds out groggily. “Isooowish I could just call in.”
I kneel onto the bed, kissing her forehead. She smells of sleep, and woman, and me. I force myself not to crawl back under the covers and tell her to indeed make the call.
“I’ll start the coffee. Go wake up in the shower.”
She pulls her hands from her face and sits up on her elbow, her hair all tousled. Adorable as hell.Walk away now, Reyes.She blows out a sleepy sigh and lifts the covers to stumble toward the bathroom. I shake my head and shuffle to the kitchen. As the coffee’s dripping into the pot, I merely stand there staring out the kitchen window while listening to the ambient sounds filling my small place. This is nice.
Remembering that she takes her coffee as sweet as her, I doctor it up along with mine and carry it into the bathroom just as she’s turning off the shower. I whispershhhto my dick as I watch her towel off behind the glass doors while sipping from my mug.
She turns and smiles softly as she steps out onto the rug, tucking the towel under her arms. I nod to the coffee as she pulls her toiletries from the bag.
“Thank you,” she murmurs, lifting the mug to take a tentative sip.
“I hope I did okay.”
