Page 7 of Stuck with my Brother's Firefighter Besties

I wanted this.

Him.

I wanted to forget, even just for a moment, how small and broken I felt. I wanted to pretend I wasn’t the woman who’d been conned and humiliated, the woman who’d lost everything.

I wanted to be someone else… someone bold and confident, someone who took risks and lived for herself instead of always trying to prove her worth to people who didn’t care.

And, dammit, I wanted to feel good.

For once, I wanted to stop punishing myself for being so stupid and just let myself enjoy something.

I hesitated for only a heartbeat before nodding, my pulse pounding as his grin widened.

Jaxon rose smoothly to his feet, tugging me gently with him. He glanced around the cabin, his expression impossibly calm, as though we weren’t about to do something entirely reckless.

“Follow my lead,” he said, and his low, steady voice contrasted dramatically with the chaos running through my veins.

I trailed behind him as he led me down the narrow aisle, the hum of the plane’s engines and the occasional chatter of passengers blending into background noise.

My heart thudded in my chest, with equal parts excitement and nerves as we neared the small restroom.

When he stopped in front of the door, he turned to me, his gaze locking onto mine. His expression softened for a moment, as if silently asking one last time if I was sure.

I nodded again, my breath catching as his hand slid to the small of my back, guiding me inside.

The door clicked shut behind us, and the close quarters only seemed to amplify the heat between us.

“You’re full of surprises, Lila.” Jaxon spoke in a low rumble as he leaned back against the door, his eyes drinking me in.

“You’re one to talk,” I shot back, though my voice wavered slightly.

He chuckled, his grin taking on that familiar wicked edge as he reached for me, pulling me flush against him.

His lips captured mine once more, and all thoughts of the cramped space and the absurdity of what we were doing vanished.

The way he kissed me was electric, every touch, every movement deliberate and charged with intent. His hands roamed, teasing and exploring, leaving a trail of fire in their wake.

The sterile brightness of the airplane restroom felt out of place with the heat building between us, but it didn’t matter. The second the door clicked shut and Jaxon turned the lock, the rest of the world disappeared.

His hands found my waist immediately, pulling me toward him as his lips crashed into mine with unrestrained hunger. My back pressed against the wall, the hard contrast sending a thrill through me as his body pinned me there.

“Lila,” he murmured against my lips, his voice rough and desperate. “You’re driving me insane.”

I tugged at the collar of his shirt, pulling him impossibly closer.

“You’re the one who started this,” I shot back, though my breathlessness undercut my attempt at teasing.

He smirked, his hands sliding down to grip my hips, fingers digging into me just enough to leave me gasping. “And I intend to finish it.”

His mouth moved down my neck, his kisses alternating between soft and demanding, each one leaving a burning trail in its wake.

I tangled my hands in his hair, tugging just enough to earn a low growl from him that sent shivers through me.

“God, you’re trouble,” I whispered, my voice shaking as his hands slid beneath the hem of my shirt, his fingertips grazing my bare skin. The sensation was electric, and I arched into him, silently begging for more.

His lips returned to mine, his kiss deeper this time, more possessive, as if he couldn’t get enough of me.

One of his hands traveled up my side, tracing slow, deliberate lines that made my pulse race. The other anchored me to him, his grip firm and grounding despite the chaos building between us.

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