Page 34 of Stuck with my Brother's Firefighter Besties

CHAPTERTEN

Jaxon

The cabin was quiet,but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was about to snap.

We’d been here for a night already, and yet it felt like we were still in the eye of a storm. Lila was still here, still within arm’s reach, and the ache in my chest hadn’t gone away.

It had only grown worse.

I had spent the last few hours watching her, every glance, every laugh, each one only deepening the frustration gnawing at me.

Colt was already sprawled on the couch, grinning like an idiot ready to go in his ski gear, while Ryan moved around the kitchen, cleaning up after breakfast with that quiet, steady presence that made my blood boil in a different way.

It was like they were both claiming little pieces of her, and I hated myself for not being able to stop it.

But I knew I couldn’t.

Loyalty to Nate.

That was the only thing that kept me from stepping in and making sure she knew where I stood… knew what I felt.

But that would mean crossing a line I didn’t want to cross, especially with Nate just a cabin away. So, I kept my distance and buried it all beneath a wall of cold professionalism.

The night before had been brutal. I’d tried to sleep on the couch, but it felt like the tension in the room was too much for me to escape.

Every time I closed my eyes, I’d hear her laughter, the way her voice softened when she spoke to Colt or Ryan. I wasn’t sure if she was aware of it, but it hurt.

Watching her slip so easily into this little bubble of friendship with them only made me feel like an outsider.

I shouldn’tbean outsider.

Not with the connection we’d had on that plane.

And damn it, I knew she felt it too.

The sound of the front door opening broke my reverie. I didn’t even need to look up to know who it was. Nate’s heavy boots against the porch steps were unmistakable.

The tension in the room tightened, like a string pulled too taut.

“You guys still sitting around?” Nate’s voice rang out. “It’s time to go, you know?”

“Yeah, yeah, come on.” Colt jumped up. “Let’s get out there before the snow gets slushy!”

I followed Colt’s lead, reluctantly gathering my jacket and gloves. I glanced at Lila again, and her eyes met mine for a brief, heated second. It was like the world stopped.

She was there, and so was I, stuck in the same room with a dozen unspoken words hanging between us.

But this was no time to unravel it.

At the lift, we all grabbed our skis, and I felt the familiar thrill of the slopes begin to take over, pushing aside the chaos in my head. But Lila, standing next to me as we waited for the chairlift, was a different story.

She was nervous, I could tell.

Her hands kept shifting on her poles, and she kept glancing down the slope, as though unsure of herself.

“You good?” I asked, my voice low, knowing it would be lost in the noise of the other skiers if she didn’t hear it.

Lila blinked, startled at my question. Her lips parted for a moment, like she was about to say something, but then she closed them again, nodding quickly.

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