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My brows start to furrow in confusion until a faint memory tickles at my mind. The person who forced the pills down my throat had said something about Zay, Jax, and Hunter.
“I actually think I remember them saying something about you guys and wanting something from you… That that’s why they pushed me off the bridge,” I say. “But they never said why.”
“We’re still trying to figure it out, but we think it might be this game that some of the families kids have started where they basically go to war against each other. But we still need to look into it more.” Guilt reflects in his eyes as he reaches up and cups my face between his hands. “I’m so fucking sorry we brought you into this mess, but I swear to God we won’t let anything happened to you again. We’re going to protect you. Not just from whoever did this but from your uncle… We… Jax, Zay, and I talked about it and we want you to move in with us for a while.”
My eyes widen. “What? No… I can’t do that.”
He frowns. “Why not?”
“Because… I don’t want to be a burden to you,” I say quietly. “Plus, I doubt my aunt and uncle will let me.” Although, I’m not totally positive about that part.
“We’ll figure out a way to convince them… Jax, Zay, and I can be very persuasive when we want to be.” He says it in this dark, ominous tone that makes me question if they’re going to like hurt my uncle or something.
Not that I really care. What that says about me, I’m not sure.
“And you wouldn’t be a burden. You’re our friend and we want—need to protect you from a mess we brought you into.” He skims his thumb along my cheekbone, looking straight into my eyes. “Please let us do that.”
I want to say yes. How could I freaking not want that, however…
“Maybe I could pay rent or something,” I say. “And be like a roommate, so that I’m not just living here for free.”
The corners of his lips quirk. “If that’s what I want.”
Relief washes over me. “It’s what I want.”
He stares at me for a beat then drags the pad of his thumb along my bottom lip, this intensity consuming his expression. “Do you ever get the feeling that perhaps we know each—”
He’s cut off by a knock on the door.
He sighs. “That’s probably Jax wanting to see if you’re all right.” He sweeps his thumb along my bottom lip one more time before lowering his hand. “Just a warning, he might freak out a little bit… What happened to you… With you being in that water like that… He’s kind of experienced something like that before.” I’m about to ask him what happened, when he calls out, “You can come in, man.”
The door opens up and Jax walks in. His eyes instantly find mine and so many emotions flash across his face at once that it’s kind of overwhelming. To be honest, seeing him is stirring emotions inside me.
He saved me. Jumped into that water and didn’t let me drown. I thought no one would care if I died. But he did.
“Are you okay,” he says as he steps into the room, his intense gaze searing into mine.
I nod then stand up, tugging down the hem of the shirt I’m wearing. “I am thanks to you.”
He takes another step toward me. “Don’t thank me. It’s our fault you were ever in that situation.”
“Don’t blame yourself,” I say, wanting to alleviate some of the anguish in his tone.I wonder what he’s been through to cause that kind of sorrow.“Honestly, if I’d known how to swim, the situation probably wouldn’t have ended up that bad. But I hate water so learning how to swim has never really worked for me.”
For some reason, his breathing quickens. I start to worry that something I said might have triggered some sort of panic inside him when he steps all the way to me, his gaze never wavering from mine.”
“Can I hug you?” he asks softly.
That’s not what I was expecting him to say and I’m not used to being hugged, but he looks like he’s desperate for me to say yes, so I do.
“Y-yeah.” I don’t know why I stammer.
“Are you sure?” he double checks.
I nod, telling myself to chill out. That it’s just a hug. But the moment his arms wrap around me, I become aware that it’s more than that. It’s comfort and intensity and weirdly, familiar.
Are all hugs like this?
And why do I keep getting the feeling that I know these guys?
