Page 17 of Burned By Love

“You have a sprained ankle, and don’t think I haven’t heard that you’re still coughing.You’re not a hundred percent yet, and until you are, I’ll take care of everything.You keep your ass in the chair and don’t go anywhere.”

Jonathan hadn’t been planning to.He’d only worked half a day today.Christy had banded together with Caleb and the others to send him home early, and he hadn’t minded.He hadn’t been hurt badly in the fire, but for some reason, he felt exhausted.He was sleeping a lot, which was a distraction from not being able to work, and it felt good.Jonathan didn’t often have the opportunity to relax like he had these past few days.He always worked, and it felt weird not to have to go anywhere.

“Who are you talking to, anyway?”Caleb asked as he flipped a chicken breast in the pan.“West?”

“Why do you think it’s him?”

“Maybe because you gave him your number the other day at the hospital.My jaw was going to drop to the floor.”

“You make it sound weird.”

“Well, it kind of is.I thought you didn’t like him.”

“I never said I didn’t like him.”

“Not in those words, but he reminded you of Sal.”

Jonathan leaned back in his chair, his phone still in his hand.He texted West back, sending him a raccoon meme, but he knew not to expect West to answer right away.He and his team could be called out at any moment, and West had made sure to warn Jonathan about that.He’d said he didn’t want Jonathan to feel like he didn’t matter, which was ridiculous.Why would Jonathan feel that way?He and West barely knew each other.

West had saved Jonathan’s life.He’d exposed himself, even though he hadn’t been sure how Jonathan would react to his dragon.Jonathan felt close to him, and he didn’t know how to deal with that.Logically, he knew that West had nothing to do with Sal.Emotionally, he was afraid of being hurt again.

“He’s nothing like Sal.”

Caleb nodded.“I agree.He and Austin seem nice.”

“I’m not getting Austin’s phone number for you.”

“Who said I wanted it?”

“The way you were staring at his ass.”

“Like you didn’t stare at West’s ass?Besides, Austin’s is magnificent.Who wouldn’t take the chance to stare at it?”He hesitated.“He’s a dragon shifter, too.I smelled it.”

“Well, we just agreed that West is nothing like Sal.I don’t think Austin is, either.”Jonathan couldn’t imagine West and Austin being friends with someone like his ex.

“So we both agree that West is nothing like that asshole.”Caleb grinned, and Jonathan knew he was in trouble.He realized he was correct at Caleb’s next words.“You should ask him out.”

“I’m not going to do that.”Jonathan didn’t think he could be logical about this after what he’d been through with Sal.

“Why not?You like him, and it’s obvious he likes you.You gave him your phone number.Why did you if you weren’t planning on asking him out?”

“I did it because I knew he’d worry, and I wanted him to be able to call me so he wouldn’t.I feel I owed it to him after he saved me.He cares, you know?Not only about me but about the other people he saved, too.”

“Yeah, okay, that makes sense, but still.Sal’s out of your life.You haven’t seen him in a while now, and I don’t want you to allow him to continue ruining everything you do.You’re allowed to have a boyfriend if you want one.You’re allowed to give cute guys your phone number and get fake engaged to them.”

Jonathan chuckled.“That wasn’t my idea.”

“You know what I mean.Sal is in the past.You should focus on your future.”

Once again, Caleb was right, but part of Jonathan couldn’t believe that Sal really was a thing of the past.He could swear that sometimes, he could feel his ex-boyfriend watching him from afar.He never saw him, and he didn’t think he would.Sal wasn’t there.He wasn’t hunting Jonathan.

Hopefully.Stalking Jonathan was something Sal wouldn’t hesitate to do.Jonathan prayed that Sal had moved on and found someone else to obsess over, but he also felt guilty about wishing Sal on someone else.Sal was an asshole who didn’t deserve anyone’s love, and no one deserved the hell that was dealing with him.

Caleb sighed and squeezed Jonathan’s shoulder.“Please think about it, all right?I’m not going to continue pushing or force you into anything you don’t want or aren’t ready for, but I also don’t want you to miss an opportunity because of what happened.West wants to get to know you.He seems like a good guy, and he saved your life.Maybe ask him out for dinner?It doesn’t have to be anything more than that.”

Jonathan would have to figure this out.He wanted to see West, but he couldn’t ignore the part of him that was wary of him.He also didn’t want to judge West because of what he was and what he could turn into.

Jonathan hated all of this, but he didn’t know how to fix it or how to fix himself.West might be nothing like Sal, but he was a dragon shifter like him, and that was enough for Jonathan to want to run the other way.

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