Page 94 of His Surrender

“And you’re drunk.”

Jay scoffed and flopped backward, throwing his arms over his face.

“Come on, Jay. Sit up.” I patted his thigh. “I need to get your shirt off.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, you do. Take my pants off while you’re at it. And yours.”

I sighed. Though it was a struggle, I managed to take off his shirt before it got too wrinkled, his dress shoes, and his pants, leaving him in his briefs. Jay rolled under the cover and stared at me with sleepy eyes as I removed my clothes and set them on the ottoman beside his.

“Sorry I drank so much,” he mumbled once I was beside him in bed. “I’m an asshole. I shouldn’t drink around you.”

“It’s okay.” I rubbed his forearm as he threw it around my stomach and pulled me closer, burying his face in my hair. “Being around it doesn’t bother me as much as it used to when I first stopped.”

“Still. I shouldn’t tempt you.”

Oh, he tempted me plenty, but not with alcohol.

Jay kissed my nape and wound his arm tighter around me, speaking in Russian.

“What did you say?” I asked.

“That I’m happy you’re here with me right now,” Jay responded. Another kiss to my neck. “Then I cursed my stupid heart for letting you in.” He nuzzled my temple. “You’re warm and caring and so damn incredible. You fix my broken pieces. I think I love you, Remi Barnett.”

He’s drunk, I told myself before I could get carried away. Sober Jay would think differently in the morning.

“Go to sleep,” I said.

When he exhaled, his breath tickled my neck. Quiet snores reached me moments later. I took in a shaky breath, my calm façade slipping away now that he was asleep. Hearing about Andrew had caused an ache in my heart that refused to fade. I loathed the man for hurting Jay.

I woke first in the morning. The open blinds brought in the sun, and I squinted against it as I got out of bed and padded to the bathroom to relieve myself. While in there, I stripped down and took a quick shower. I changed into skinny jeans and a simple blue tee afterward, not bothering to fix my hair yet and leaving it damp.

Jay had rolled to his other side when I came back into the bedroom. I sat beside him and carefully brushed the blond bangs from his brow.

“Dobroe utro,” he said, cracking open his lids.

“Good morning,” I said back to him. “Want some coffee?”

“Please.” He groaned as he scrubbed his hands over his face. “I feel like I’ve been hit by a bus. A big bus. Like a double-decker one.”

I knew the feeling. I’d woken up with countless hangovers in my life.

The room had a small coffeepot, so I put some on to brew. As it did, I went over to Jay and smoothed a hand down his warm back.

“How about a shower?”

“With you?” He smirked.

“I already took one.”

He grumbled before sitting up and rubbing at his sleepy eyes. After giving me a quick peck on the lips, he stood from the bed and walked to the bathroom, closing the door behind him. I stared at the door and put a hand to the center of my chest where it’d started to tighten. We were leaving New Orleans that day, and I didn’t know how things would be once we got back home.

One thing I knew for sure?

This trip had changed us both.

***

“I spy with my gorgeous eyes something that is…” Jay scrunched up his face as he surveyed the area we drove through. “Blue.”