Page 98 of Stick It
I gesture toward my door. “I have a lock.”
He scoffs. “Not enough.”
“So what, you’re going to sneak into my room every night?” I argue, incredulous.
“Until he’s out of here or I can convince you to move into my place, yes.”
I shake my head. “Griffin, that’s not practical.”
“And yet, it’s what’s happening. So move over. We have practice in the morning.”
I know how immovable Griffin is when he sets his mind to something, so instead of wasting more time arguing, I simply slide over, giving him space to climb in beside me.
Turning my back to him, I move all the way to the edge of the bed, making it clear that I don’t agree with this arrangement and that nothing other than sleep is going to happen.
He chuckles, showing a complete lack for personal boundaries as he follows me across the bed until his heat envelops my back and his body is wrapped around mine. His arm tightens around my waist, pulling me flush against him, his breath hot in my ear as he whispers, “Sweet dreams, Hurricane.”
Perhaps it’s Griffin’s presence beside me or knowing I’m not alone, after everything that has happened, but I sleep like a baby that night.
29
DYLAN
The momentI step out of class and see Jax leaning against the opposite wall, arms crossed and an easy smirk playing at his lips, I roll my eyes.
“This is stupid,” I tell him, adjusting the strap of my bag over my shoulder. “Surely you have something better to be doing than waiting for me?” It’s only been a couple of days and I’m already over having the guys wait on me. It can’t be fun for them, and not having a moment to myself throughout the day is grating on my nerves.
He shrugs, pushing off the wall and falling into step beside me as we leave the building and move out into the crisp autumn day. It’s early afternoon, and I stare up at the trees whose leaves have turned a vibrant red and orange as I pull up the zipper of my jacket to combat the cold chill in the air.
“Can’t think of anything better I could be doing than making sure you’re safe,” Jax says easily. I know he doesn’t mean anything by it, but his words sting nonetheless. Like this is just an obligation, another shift in the babysitting rotation. Which is the crux of the problem, because it niggles at me that the only reason any of them are spending time with me isbecause they feel obligated to. Because Ethan hastoldthem to.
My stomach knots, a frown slipping over my face before I hurriedly wipe it blank. “I don’t need you guys hanging around because you think you have to. If you don’t want to be here, then don’t.” I flick my fingers over our surroundings in ago, be freemotion.
Instead of accepting my dismissal, Jax stops in his tracks, uncaring that we are in the middle of a busy path and he is forcing students to divert around us.
He snatches my wrist, forcing me to stop and face him. His brown eyes darken, any trace of amusement vanishing. “You think I’m here because I have to be?” That gaze holds mine, rich and intense, his hand coming to rest possessively on the side of my throat as he brings his face close to mine. “Dylan, I’m here because I want to be. Because I need to be. Because your safety matters to me.Youmatter to me.”
My breath catches. Everything about Jax is deep, raw…all or nothing. He’s not the kind of guy to do something half-assed. When he sets his sights on something, he’s all in.
I don’t know how to respond, so I don’t. I just hold his gaze, my pulse hammering beneath his touch.
His fingers squeeze against my skin, a reflex, a need.
“You’re important to me, Menace. More important than you can even imagine. More important thanIeven realized until you walked into the house the other night, battered and bruised and barely conscious, scaring the absolute shit out of me.” His fingers stroke across my skin, soft and coaxing. Comforting. “I don’t give a shit what you’ve got going on with Griffin. Or with the others. All I want is you. Nothing is going to change that.”
He doesn’t give me the chance to process his words, never mind respond, before he leans in and kisses me. Right there, in the middle of campus, for anyone to see. It’s not soft or tentative—it’s a public claiming. A declaration. His lips move against mine with a confidence that leaves me dizzy, and for a moment, I forget everything. Forget the people walking past, forget the bruises that still mark my skin, forget the mess of emotions tangling inside me.
Jax pulls back, his breath warm against my lips. “So, what now?” I murmur, my voice unsteady.
His smirk returns, this time edged with something wicked. “How long until your next class?”
“I’ve got a couple of hours.”
“That should be enough time.”
Sliding his fingers between mine, he tugs me along the path behind him. “Enough time for what?” I call after him, lengthening my stride to keep up with his long legs.
Turning to meet my gaze, he winks. “You’ll see.”
