Page 50 of Coming In Hot
“Tell her, Jax,” I add, trying to steer the conversation back to safer ground. “How many people do you know that can qualify for restricted duties while serving overseas three times? In one year?”
It seemed every time I turned around, I was writing him up for something else.
He doesn't flinch. Instead, he grins like I’ve just told a joke only we get. “I was young and ambitious,” he says with a dramatic sigh. “The world is full of opportunities. Who am I to turn them down?”
My mom’s expression is a mix of amusement and confusion, but I can see that she's trying to understand him in her way. She doesn’t have all the context, and maybe that’s for the best. The less she knows, the easier it is for me to pretend this whole thing with Jax isn’tcomplicated.
Jax gives me a sideways glance, like he can feel the shift in the room, too. But he doesn’t acknowledge it. He’s always been good at pretending, at making everything seem effortless. Maybe that’s what makes himgood—not the saint part, but the fact that he’s always there when it counts.
And maybe that’s why, for all the shit I give him, I can’t help but feel like he’s starting to earn a place in this weird little corner of my life.
CHAPTER18
JAX
I keep glancingat the door like it’s the only thing in the room, hoping that any second now, Pharo will walk through it and break the tension that’s been building all day. The minutes tick by, slow and torturous, each second stretching longer than the last. My leg bounces anxiously, the constant motion almost a subconscious attempt to ground myself.
I curse under my breath and rub my palms over my jeans, hoping it'll settle the buzz in my system. Every damn thing feels loaded now. Every time he looks at me, I feel like he’s asking me to either sink or swim. And I’ve been treading water for far too long.
He wants to be friends.
He wants to fuck.
He wants me to know him and his mother better.
He wants… He wants more than I can give.
The door creaks open, and my heart skips a beat.
Pharo pauses in the doorway, taking in the room with that smirk of his, the one that always leaves me half-impressed, half-annoyed. His eyes scan the space, but I’m not sure if he’s looking at anyone else. All I know is that I’m caught in his orbit, and I hate how much I don’t mind it.
I swallow, forcing my hands to stay calm in my lap, and try to look anywhere but at him. Of course, that’s impossible. The pull is too strong.
Is he going to sit in his usual seat between Mandy and Rhett?
Or is he going to steal the seat beside me?
That would be too obvious. The Bitches know how much we can’t stand each other. What reason would Pharo have for choosing to sit closer to me? He might as well tell everyone we’ve been spending time together.
Sure enough, Pharo hesitates for a moment before doing the absolute last thing I expect. He starts walking straight toward me. My stomach drops as I try not to react, not to let the surprise show on my face.
What the hell is he doing?
He slides into the seat next to me, casual as hell, as if it's the most natural thing in the world. And for a moment, I feel the ground shift under my feet. It’s like he’s planted himself there to make some kind of statement. The usual playfulness in his eyes is replaced by something else—something more serious, maybe even a little challenging.
“They just let anyone in here, huh?” He smiles at his joke, but I’m not smiling.
I freeze. Why would he do this? I can’t let him get away with making it appear like we’re... what, comfortable with each other?
I open my mouth to say something, anything, to break the tension, but my brain’s moving too slow. My pulse is racing, and I can’t stop my gaze from flickering over to him. The inches between us might as well have been a chasm a minute ago, but now—now it feels like a damn line in the sand.
He's too close.
This is all too much.
The Bitches are watching. They’re waiting for me to react. And I can already feel their eyes, like I’m starring in a movie they paid to see.
“Are we doing this?” I say, trying to sound nonchalant, but it’s not working. My voice cracks slightly, and I hate it.
