Page 37 of Corrupted Lies

When he was around Alannah he wanted to change.

One thing he knew about his best friend was that she wasn't looking for a man who was hard, gruff, and struggled to trust and let people in. She wanted, perhaps even needed, softness to echo her own.

That was something he could never give her.

As her best friend, it had always been his job to protect her, something he wished he’d done a better job at. She never seemed to mind his harsh edges, always laughing and affectionately calling him grumpy, but deep down, she had to know that he could never offer her anything more.

Was that enough?

It wasn't something he could put a finger on exactly, but things between him and Alannah were changing. As much as he didn't want them to, he couldn’t deny it. Jake was happy with things remaining as they’d always been, the last thing he wanted was to do anything that would jeopardize keeping his sunshine in his life.

What Alannah needed was never going to be something he could give her, and above all else, he wanted her to be happy.

Happiness wasn't something he necessarily saw as part of his future.

Not that he was unhappy now, it was just that he had too much going on to think much about it. For so long, he and the rest of his family had been entirely focused on answers. Now those answers were almost within their grasp, and he didn't know what his future looked like when he wasn't spending every spare second looking for the truth about what happened to his dad and stepmom.

“Jake?”

“Yeah, sunshine?”

“You look like you're thinking really hard. Is something wrong?”

That right there was exactly why he cared about this woman so much. She could read him like a book, and she cared. Even when she was scared and being forced to run for her life because of him and his family’s quest for answers, she still cared about what was going on with him and would try to make it better if she could.

“I'm okay, sunshine.”

“Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?” she asked, obviously seeing right through his lie.

“You're already doing it.”

At his words, she gifted him one of those beautiful bright smiles, and when she snuggled closer and rested her head on his shoulder, his heart swelled until it felt too big for his chest.

What was she doing to him?

Why were things changing?

And how did he stop it before he ruined things and lost the best thing he had in his life?

October 18th

2:24 A.M.

“Mmm,” Alannah gave a content sigh as she rolled over in bed.

Half asleep, she almost expected to find Jake there just as he’d been in her dreams.

In her dreams, he hadn't just been lying in the bed beside her, he’d been kissing her, his large hands roaming her body, teasing her nipples and making them pebble at his ministrations. Those hands of his had been dipping lower, trailing along her stomach. Her body felt like it had beenset alight, the good kind, the kind where every touch felt exemplified, every nerve ending extra sensitive.

She’d been so ready for more that when she rolled over, she absolutely expected Jake to be there.

Wantedhim to be there.

Which was crazy and mixed up, and she didn't even know how to process it. All she knew was that when her hands found the cold sheets beside her, and she blinked open sleepy eyes to find the bed empty, she was disappointed.

With a sigh, she sat up and shoved off the covers. There was no point in just lying there, she’d woken herself up enough that she wasn't going to drift back off to sleep.

May as well go up on deck and check that everything was going smoothly. They’d set down their anchor at dinner time last night, and she hadn't intended to move again until after breakfast. They were on no schedule, had no plans of where they were going, and no set time they had to be back.

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