Page 126 of The Auction
I snuggle into him, leg thrown back over his hip, my cheek pressed to the warm skin of his chest. His heartbeat is steady beneath my ear, his arm heavy and protective around me. For a few blissful minutes, we just breathe together, the world outside this bed feeling so far away.
It’s perfect.
And then my phone rings.
I groan, reaching blindly toward the nightstand, but the second I see the name on the screen, my stomach twists and I sit up.
It’s my brother.
Jaxon glances over, frowning. “Fuck. I forgot to tell you.”
My fingers tremble as I swipe to accept the call. “Hello?”
“Where thefuckare you?” His voice roars through the line, all rage and accusation. Jaxon sits up hearing the tone.
My blood runs cold. “Are you… back?”
“I’m back. And I want you here.Now.”
The call ends before I can reply. My hands feel clammy, my chest tight. My perfect morning crumbles like it was never real.
“Cass?” Jaxon scans my face and knows somethings wrong. “What is it?”
I force a shaky breath, pulling the sheet tighter around me. I shouldn’t have let this go so long. I should have told him.
But I need to do this. Me. Alone.
“It’s… something I have to handle. My brother.”
He studies me, jaw flexing, like he already knows he’s not going to like whatever comes next.
“Cassidy—”
“I can’t tell you. Not yet.” My voice cracks. “Please… just trust me. I’ll tell you everything when I get back. But right now… this is between him and me.”
His breathing is picking up, likes he’s struggling with how much to push.
“Does this have anything to do with why you put yourself up for auction?”
It makes my throat burn and my eyes water. I grit my teeth and nod. Suddenly, not touching him is making it hard to breathe so I climb on his lap. My arms are around his neck, and he buries his face in mine. I love it when he does this. He takes a deep inhale like he can bury my scent into him.
“Hey,” He pulls back cupping my jaw. Concern etched into every dark rivet of his eyes. “You don’t have to do this alone.” He whispers against my lips but doesn’t kiss me.
“I do though.” I kiss him. “Just trust me.”
His eyes are hard, but he nods once. “You come back to me.”
“I will.”Forever.
By the time I reach the house, my pulse is pounding so hard I can hear it in my ears.
“Mom?” “Shanae?”
This will be easier if they’re here in the house. Jonathan acts tough unless someone else is there. Because he’s actually a coward. An insecure asshole who’s trying to be more important than he really is.
“She’s at the doctor.” He comes out of the kitchen wiping his hands and finishing a bite of something.
Shit. I forgot—they had that follow-up doctor’s appointment today.
