Page 14 of Timeless
I was desperate for the truth about where Lily had been and what, or who, had deeply embedded that look of fear in her eyes. I wanted to interrogate her until she caved and confessed. Though I knew better, and shoved that thought away. We were both trapped under layers of hurt, and I’d willfully brush mine aside because there wasn’t a single thing in this godforsaken world I wouldn’t do for her.
Still, I couldn’t ignore how having her near filled an emptiness within me. For so long, all I had was her memory, lingeringat the edges of my mind like a constant presence I could never quite reach—especially at night, when my thoughts refused to let me rest.
The darkness wasn’t my friend. It was isolating, but last night, holding her close, feeling her warmth as she slept beside me in my clothes . . . it was surreal.
And the sight of her in my SRPD shirt, it was my undoing.
The memory of her swallowed up by my clothes—to describe the possessiveness and hunger that rocked me to the depths of my being would be like an ocean’s tide, relentlessly pulling me under, never giving me a chance to breathe.
She stole my literal breath.
Then and now.
I chastised myself for hardening beneath my shorts as the vision of her long blond hair hanging loose and reckless over her shoulders, her face bare, her skin pale and flawless, appeared behind my eyelids. The longer I drank in her beauty, getting my fill, committing every delicate inch to memory, a soft warmth crept up her neck and flushed her cheeks, betraying her steeled stance. The silence that separated us was louder than words until I saw the exact moment her indecision shifted, and her body tensed as though she was preparing to bolt.
I braced both hands on the tiled wall and hung my head.
The tension between us was tangible. I knew she felt trapped, and yet there was no other place for her to go. No other bed to hide in. When I reached out and wrapped my hand around her wrist, gently turning her to face me, she tried to mask the pain in her eyes, but it was impossible.
The war within her was obvious. She wanted to flee, to escape the heaviness between us, but at the same time, something held her back. It was an inner battle I felt deep in my chest.Then the sheer mention of heading to Arizona’s place was laughable. Her smart mouth fueled my need to keep her close, so when she asked for my handcuffs, every cell in my body lit up. But I quickly pushed that desire down. Understanding her need to feel anchored and the comfort it would bring her acted as a lifeline, and I was all too happy to oblige.
Stripping out of my soggy clothes, I washed my hair and soaped up my body, all the while ignoring the release I desperately needed. While it wouldn’t have taken much effort, everything about it felt wrong. Plus, the urge to check on Lily grew more overwhelming with each passing second.
I turned off the shower, quickly dried myself, and brushed my teeth, then grabbed clean clothes from my closet. By the time I stepped into the kitchen, I found her in an embrace with Arizona near the front door. I didn’t want to intrude, but I also couldn’t find it in myself to move.
“I’ll check in with you later, and Jaxon,” Ari pinned me with a stern glance over Lily’s shoulder, “remember what I said last night.”
I nodded, understanding that patience was the only way forward, no matter how hard it would prove to be.
“What was that about?” Lily turned toward me once Ari left.
“Just bestowing some wisdom upon me.” I scrubbed my hand over my stubbled jaw. “Are you hungry?” I asked.
“Only if you have the ingredients for your famous omelets?”
“Famous, huh?”
My mom taught my brothers and me how to cook, and since Lily and I spent all our time together, I made her my guinea pig whenever I tried new recipes more often than not.
“From what I remember, anyway.”
“Well, you’re in luck then,” I said, pulling all the ingredients I needed from the refrigerator.
“Do you have any coffee?”
I stopped mid-motion and looked over my shoulder with eyes wide in surprise, recalling she had previously said she imagined it was what burnt dirt tasted like.
“Night shifts made me cave.” She shrugged.
I placed everything I needed to make breakfast on the counter before grabbing two mugs from the cupboard. I lifted the lever on the Keurig, popped in a K-Cup, forcing it to hum to life as the water heated and hissed for a beat before brewing the first drip of coffee.
“How do you take it? I don’t have any cream.” Since I drank mine black.
“Milk?”
“That I do have.” I turned toward the fridge again.
“Amazing, thank you.”
