Page 40 of Find Me

I wake to the smell of food cooking and coffee brewing. For a few moments, the soft glow of my light and the smell of food are the only things I’m aware of.

A few blissful moments.

That is all I’m given before reality comes rushing back to me.

I groan as I take a deep breath, trying to assess exactly how I’m feeling.

I force myself to sit up, even as my body protests loudly, longing to stay hidden under the warmth of my duvet for as long as possible.

My head aches with a pounding sensation, my lips feel cracked, and my mouth is dry despite the water I had earlier.

I roll up the sleeves of the oversized sweater I’m wearing, inhaling deeply when I notice it smells like Jax, memories of us curled up together fresh in my mind. Warmth spreads through my body as I remember how secure I felt as I drifted off to sleep in his arms, and my heart starts to pound as something like lust grows within me.

I shake my head, trying to push out the feeling that threatens to take hold of me, no matter how good it feels. This is all completely ridiculous. I barely know him. I think to myself.

I don’t even know if we had spent more than a few hours together, and yet here I am, smitten with his very existence.

This. This is why I make stupid decisions so easily—because I fall head over heels for anyone who blinks in my direction.

Another groan escapes my lips as I get out of bed and shuffle to the bathroom, my body slowly adjusting to the movement.

As the shower heats up, I look in the mirror, quickly confirming that it is actually possible to look worse than I feel.

Peeling off my sweater and underwear, I step into the shower. The smell of my lavender soap quickly fills the room as I take my time scrubbing the memories from my skin.

The steam from the hot water is now so thick I can barely see my hands. I want to stay in here forever, but the heat becomes too much, and I realize how desperately I need water. With a sigh, I turn off the faucet and reach for a towel to dry off.

I make quick work of getting dressed, pulling on an old pair of jeans and a black V-neck T-shirt, my long hair now towel-dried and up in a messy bun. I pause as I throw my towel into the laundry basket, noticing one I don’t remember using already in there.

I take a deep breath as I start my descent downstairs to get a drink of water, my tentative steps taking me closer to the noise and smells coming from my kitchen.

I stop when I see Jax looking completely at home behind the stove, more laid back than I’ve ever seen him. Coffee is brewing, and he’s expertly flipping eggs and pancakes in various pans. Music plays quietly in the background, and I can’t place what song it is, but I’m surprised that someone who looks so tough is listening to something so melodic and smooth, the sound of an acoustic guitar filling my apartment.

Jax pauses when he sees me before turning his attention back to the eggs.

“Good to see you’re back from your visit with the dead, love,” he says, and I hear the relief in his voice.

“You’re hilarious,” I respond dryly, gesturing to the clock on my stove. “It’s only 11a.m.”

Jax pauses, smiling. “Yeah, it’s 11a.m.… on Saturday.”

“I slept an entire day?! Mike’s going to kill me… I was supposed to work last night.” Worry rises within me at the thought of being fired, but the smile doesn’t falter from Jax’s face.

“I took the liberty of letting Mike know you’d be off for the rest of the week,” he says, nonchalantly.

I look at him in shock. “What?”

“Seeing as you spent Thursday night walking the line between life and death, I thought the bare minimum was making sure you have a few days to recover, but don’t worry, I’ll make sure you get paid for the shifts you were meant to work.”

I pause.

“How?” I question before remembering, Mike owes him, so he owns Mike.

“Wait. Just because you’re technically my boss, it doesn’t mean you should be doing me any favors…”

“Well, technically I’m your boss’s boss, love.” He winks.

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re absolutely infuriating?”

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