Page 92 of Major Love

“You are so freaking annoying!” I yelp, shoving at his abs as he watches me with amusement.

He gathers me firmly against his side, flicking his eyes back to the show as he plays with my ponytail.

“I’m only teasing,” he murmurs, his chest rising steadily as I look up at him. “We have fire bans most months, although sometimes they’re lifted in the winter. This year, we’re okay to legally light one ’til March – at least, that’s if the snow is still heavy by then. And you don’t need to worry about wolves. With the amount of noise we’re making, they’ll keep their distance.”

And then a cowboy shoot-out suddenly blasts onto the screen and Jason’s body involuntarily tenses, his brow furrowing as he scans the scene.

I instinctively lean toward the laptop, fingers hovering over the curser as I whisper, “Do you want me to skip it?”

His eyes drop to mine and I watch him cautiously to gauge his reaction. But he just shakes his head gently and tugs me back underneath his biceps.

His lifted thigh bounces as the shots echo in the night.

And when the shoot-out is over, he reclines back with a contented grunt.

His striking irises meet mine, sparkling softly in the heater’s glow.

And he can see the question that I want to ask him.Was that scene okay for you?

“That was pretty straightforward,” he rumbles softly, and relief spreads through my chest, knowing that he can see something that’s a little violent and not be completely triggered by the past.

Whatever he sees in my expression makes him shift toward me, his eyes searching.

“It’s life, Sunday,” he says quietly. “Shit happens, but you know I’d never hide from it.”

I bite my lower lip to stop myself from whispering,that makes one of us.

Because I know that Jason would never hide from it – and back when I was seventeen, that was the problem. I was so traumatised by losing my step-dad that the last thing I wanted was to experience more of the real world – hence why I got a one-way ticket to Nashville, straight to the place that was the source of Cash’s happiness and love.

And ironically, Jason needed to do the opposite. Because his way of baring his heart was through being the protector. The unsung hero who would do anything to prevent anything bad from happening again, and therefore he put himself in harm’s way so that it wouldn’t reach anyone else.

So that it wouldn’t reach me.

I look up into his eyes and warmth spreads through my chest.

“Thank you,” I whisper gently, a smile tugging at my lips.

Amusement crinkles at the corners of his eyes and he shakes his head. “What for?”

And as I look up at him, I can’t help but thinkfor everything.

“For this,” I whisper instead. “For letting me stay at your place when I was sick. For taking care of me on freaking Valentine’s Day. For being the most thoughtful guy ever, and doing me this huge favour.”

His eyes lower to my lips. “Wasn’t a favour.”

And then his large palm squeezes around my nape, eliciting a warm shudder through my body.

His eyes flash to mine and my breathing comes a little faster.

“I’m sorry you were sick,” he murmurs, quiet and gruff. “And I’m pissed that we didn’t get to do this on Valentine’s Day.”

“I’m not,” I tell him honestly, my voice light and rasping. “If we did this on Valentine’s Day, then we wouldn’t have been alone. Whereasthisway,” I whisper, “I get to keep you all to myself.”

Jason’s eyes widen with surprise and then his deep laughter rumbles through the night, flashing me his handsome grin as he scrubs roughly at his forehead.

“Okay,” he laughs gently, hauling up his laptop so that he can click onto the next episode, his tan cheekbones flushing with pleasure as he tries to calm the new heaviness of his breathing. Then he drops his laptop back to the sheets and cuddles me closer, wrapping the blankets tighter around us.

“Do you think that it’s too late to head back to Casey’s place tonight?” I ask him hopefully, my desire to stay here all night about as subtle as a spank on the ass.

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