Page 75 of Together We Burn
Chapter twenty-nine
Jake
Natesprintedintomyapartment as soon as the elevator doors opened and came to a stretching halt as Rocky barked loudly, his tail wagging back and forth when he saw us arrive.
“Woah,” Nate exclaimed as Chris grabbed him by his backpack and tugged him backward.
“Stefy, that isn’t a dog,” she said, eyeing up her sister’s animal. Nate shrugged out of his bag, leaving it in Chris’s hold, then tentatively walked toward Rocky with his hand out. “Nate, be careful.”
“He’s fine, Chris. Rocky wouldn’t hurt anyone,” Stefany said as she walked past everyone and dropped beside her dog. He licked the side of her face, causing her to lose balance and fall to her ass. Nate reached Stefy’s side and looked unsurely at Rocky.
“Scratch right behind his ears; he loves that.”
Stefany demonstrated where Rocky liked to be touched and following his aunt's lead, Nate’s hand was swapped for hers.
“Mom, he’s so soft!”
“How was he in the car?” Chris asked me, watching her sister and son interact with the dog.
“Fine, he’s just excitable.” I laughed, taking her wheeled suitcase from her and pulling it down the hall.
Chris followed as I led her toward one of the guest rooms. The room was bright and spacious, with a king bed in the middle and built-in wardrobes she could use for as long as they needed to stay here. Everything in the guestrooms was new, untouched, and if it helped her feel more comfortable, I wouldn’t mind if she wanted to make the space her own.
“You’ll be in here, and Nate will be next door. I hope this is okay?” I said, sitting her suitcase by the wall.
Smiling, she nodded, then wrangled her hands together. Watching Chris, I could see some of my girl in her. Where Stefany ran her hands through her hair when stressed or upset, Chris worried them together. Circling the room, she let out a deep breath.
“Thank you,” she said.
“It’s nothing. I’d do anything for Stefany.”
“No, I don’t mean for letting us stay here.” She huffed a laugh. “Thanks for that too, but…” She paused, tilting her head and evaluating me before continuing, “Thank you for taking care of my sister. I’m not happy about the whole backstabbing or the rib’s thing, but I know if roles were reversed, Stefy would have done the same.”
“Probably worse,” I muttered.
Chris laughed loudly. “Oh, much worse. Just don’t hurt her again.”
“I won’t. I promise,” I said, holding eye contact. “Stefany has a tough exterior to break through, but I won’t stop trying until she’s let me in completely. I meant what I said outside her house–she is mine, Chris, and I won’t let her go for anything.”
Seemingly happy with that, she smiled and wrapped her tiny arms around my waist. I stilled, shocked Chris offered affection so freely, whereas Stefany recoiled from it. Not as often from me, but there were still times when I felt her tense, then relax in my hold.
Stepping back, she tucked her hair behind her ears and said, “I might not be as strong as Stefy, have the kind of skills she has to make someone hurt. But I will come for you if you break your promise, Jacob Weston.”
This petite little version of Stefany might be right with her comparison to her sister. But she sure as shit was just as scary.
Quirking an eyebrow at the use of my full name, she smiled mischievously. “I might have been quizzing Alex on the way over.”
“Mom, Uncle Alex says after pizza, we can take Rocky to the park,” Nate said, running into the room with Rocky hot on his heels. “Can we? Please?”
Chris eyed the dog warily, but nodded her agreement. He ran back, screaming his excitement, along with Rocky barking happily. We followed her son to the kitchen in time to see Nate leap onto Alex’s back, and he started stomping around as Stefany placed the order at the pizza joint down the road.
“You know,” I said, folding my arms across my chest as Chris tilted her head, then nibbled on her thumb. She flicked her gaze in my direction, a blush building across her cheeks and up her neck. “Stefany suspects something’s going on with you two.”
Chris’s mouth dropped open in surprise, her eyes flipping between her sister, her sister’s best friend, and then back to me.
“Just a suspicion. For now,” I advised, then lowered my voice. While Chris might have tried to warn me about hurting her sister, I wasn’t about to let them do the same by sneaking and keeping secrets from her. “But with Stefany’s vast collection of knives, it may be worth testing the waters if it was something either of you intended to act on.”
“There’s no need to test any waters.” Chris sighed. “Alex is Stefy’s best friend, and I’m just the annoying younger sister who tagged along when we were little. Nothing more.”
