Page 73 of Don't Think

That was… incredible. Addictive even.

How thehellam I supposed to have this for the next few weeks and then pretend it never happened?

Chapter Twenty-One

Allie

“You want me to… what?”

The bartender looks at me like I have ten heads, his eyebrows slowly pulling together.

I glance over my shoulder to make sure Ana and Nora aren’t within earshot, then lean in closer.

“Can you give me shots ofwaterinstead of vodka for the rest of the night?” I repeat, this time through gritted teeth and a forced, wide smile.

The poor guy still looks just as confused the second time I say it.

Is it really that weird to want to pretend you’re drunk so you can slip away without drawing any unwanted attention? If the girls saw me not drinking, and I tried to suggest Jax driving me home, that would definitely raise more than a few alarms.

So instead, I need toactlike I’m too drunk to drive, just so Jax can sneak me upstairs like we’ve been doing for the last week.

Does this count as lying? Absolutely.

But I’d be lying if I said sneaking around didn’t feel exciting.

“I… guess so?” the bartender finally says, narrowing his eyes at me skeptically.

To be fair, Ididhave two shots of tequila after walking in, so… yeah. Igetthe confusion.

A sudden poke to my side startles me, sending a jolt of electricity zinging down my spine.

I quickly turn, and warmth floods my chest while a smile tugs at my lips.

Jax is standing directly in front of me, wearing that now-familiar smug look he wears when he’s literally trying to push my buttons.

“Fancy seeing you here,” he says jokingly, eyebrow quirking.

It takes everything in me not to throw my arms around his neck and kiss those soft lips right here, right now.

Justonemore hour. I can hold out for one more hour.

“Long time no see,” I fire back. Although, it’s not really a joke since two days already feels like forever without him there to hold me at night.

It’s been nice—feeling someone else’s body heat at night, and not just from their turned back.

Trevor wasn’t ever a cuddler. To the point when things between us started to fall apart, I didn’t ever really feel the absence of something I never had.

But Jax? He’s thedefinitionof a cuddler. Every time we’re together, he wraps his entire body around mine like he’s trying to fuse us into one person.

And sure, the sex is fantastic, but it’s the partafter. The “being held like he’ll never let go” part.

That’squicklybecoming my favorite.

“There you are!” Ana’s voice cuts through, rushing toward me, eyes flitting between Jax and me.

My heart jumps straight into my throat like we’ve somehow been caught. As if him simply being near me is some kind of dead giveaway.

She walks over and slides into the stool beside me.