Page 32 of Stuck with my Brother's Firefighter Besties

Colt laughed, his deep voice rumbling. “You didn’t.”

“Oh, I did,” Jaxon said, his tone almost lazy, like he was recounting a mundane story. “And I’d do it again.”

My heart hammered in my chest, and I felt a hot wave of embarrassment rush up my neck. The teasing in Jaxon’s voice wasn’t helping, and I could feel my face turning into a furnace.

Why is he doing this?

I glanced around at the others. Ryan had his hand pressed to his forehead, clearly trying to block out the awkwardness, while Colt looked between us with a grin that bordered on devilish.

I swallowed hard, my mouth suddenly dry. Jaxon was making it all too real. He knew exactly what he was doing, and part of me couldn’t help but wonder if he was trying to get us both caught.

“I think I’m… gonna head to bed,” I muttered, breaking the tension as quickly as I could.

I pushed myself out of the chair, clutching my cocoa like it was some kind of shield.

“Yeah? Already?” Colt raised an eyebrow, clearly amused by my hasty exit.

“Yeah.” I managed a smile that I hoped didn’t look as strained as it felt. “It’s been a long day. I’ll just… sleep it off.”

I moved toward the stairs, trying to keep my composure, but the heat in my cheeks was practically unbearable. Jaxon’s voice called after me, his tone oddly soft.

“Night, Lila.”

It almost sounded… sincere? I wasn’t sure.

I didn’t turn around. I just kept walking, though my mind was anything but clear.

I needed to get out of there, away from them, away from Jaxon.

I could hear the guys talking behind me, their voices muted as I reached the top of the stairs.

I pushed open the door to my room and closed it quietly behind me, leaning against the wood for a moment to catch my breath.

The silence in here was a sharp contrast to the chaos downstairs. I sat on the edge of the bed, setting my mug down on the nightstand.

The fire from the living room was barely a whisper up here, but I could still feel its warmth creeping through the walls.

I ran a hand through my hair, shaking my head.

What the hell was he thinking?

My mind kept flashing back to his smirk, the way his eyes had locked onto mine with that mischievous gleam. He was playing a game, and I wasn’t sure if I was even supposed to be part of it.

I sighed, rubbing my temples.Why would he bring that up? Why now?

Was it to test me?

To see if I’d crack under the weight of what had happened between us?

And if that wasn’t enough to leave me questioning everything, there was the strange feeling that maybe he wasn’t trying to get us caught. Maybe it was just me making it worse. Maybe I was reading too much into things.

But in the pit of my stomach, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Jaxon Reed wasn’t the type to do anything without a good reason.

I grabbed a pillow and hugged it to my chest, sinking back into the bed.

“I need sleep,” I muttered to the empty room, though my mind was too tangled to give me peace.

For a moment, it felt like the whole world had shifted, and I was left spinning, unsure if I was falling or floating…

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