Page 48 of The Fixer

“I thought you were going to hurt me.”

He froze then, hovering over me. His hands slowly released me and he sat back on his feet. “I know. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”

Everything in me wanted to scream at him, to agree that he shouldn’t have said what he did. But then…

Look what I did.

After hours, days, of practicing this exact move, after failing to get free time and time again, all it took was him repeating one of Nathan’s many threats to me and my mind shut down my panic and my body moved on instinct.

“It’s okay,” I told him, voice still shaky. “I forgive you.”

There was a smile in his eyes, even if it wasn’t present on his lips. A smile full of pride that made my heart want to soar. But I could also see the window closing, the way it did every night. No matter how much my muscles screamed for a break, I didn’t want to lose him. I didn’t want him to go.

Not yet.

“I guess.” It was a murmured sound, said just loud enough for him to hear. His head tilted, eyes narrowed as his brow pinched.

“What was that?”

Rising to my knees, I looked him straight in the eyes. “I said, ‘I guess’.”

“You guess?” he questioned, eyeing the smile tipping my lips.

I pushed him then, hands shoving at his shoulders to the sides of his chest. He wasn’t expecting it and was knocked off balance. But as he started to fall, he whipped his hand out and grabbed my arm, pulling me down with him as he landed on the floor.

There was an “Oof” shared between us as we hit. Then we were moving, hands pushing, feet pressing, gripping forearms and necks as we both tried to pin the other. I stood no chance against him, and I knew it. This was his show. The thing he enjoyed most. And I wanted more than anything to keep the kind, playful Jet with me just a little while longer.

It would be wrong to say I didn’t give it a good try. Even still, Jet was so much more skilled than I was, and in under a minute, he had me pinned on my back to the floor. Hands held above my head. Legs caged in by his, hips pinned by his butt sitting on top of me.

Jet’s free hand curled around the back of my neck, and he lifted me off the floor, arching my back. “That wasn’t very nice, Ms. Westbrook,” he murmured, tracing his thumb across my cheek.

Despite his body pinning me down, putting me in the exact position that made my heart race and my stomach lurch, I couldn’t keep the smile from my lips. “But you loved it.”

“Mmm.” Jet titled his head. His thumb traced under my jaw, pressing my head up. And everything inside of me tightened until my heart stopped. “I did.”

He lowered his face toward mine. His tongue slid across his bottom lip before prodding at the corner of his mouth, as if he could wipe away the smile that tugged at his lips. “I love seeing you thrive, Eliza. I love watching your confidence rise. These last few days have been amazing.”

He left a single word hanging between us: But.

It’s been amazing, but…

It’s been nice to have you here, but…

Thanks for all the fun.

“But?”

He thumbed my chin. “But we need a break.” He was off me in an instant, standing over me with his hand extended. I lifted my own, allowing him to help me from the floor. “Let me take you out.”

Pretty sure I gave myself whiplash with how fast I pulled my head up. “What? Why?”

Something tightened around my hand, and it didn’t dawn on me until then that he was still holding onto me.

“To celebrate how far you’ve come,” he told me, ignorant to the swirl of emotions stirred up inside of me. “To get us out of this place, if only for a little bit. It feels like we haven’t been outside of this room in a week.”

When I didn’t respond, Jet tugged at my hand, drawing me closer. His fingers tucked a hair that had fallen loose from my ponytail behind my ear.

“We don’t have to if you don’t want to. We can stay here if you’d like.”