Page 112 of His to Burn

I don’t think I ever heard her raise it—but her consternation, her fear, got even Caitlin’s attention.

“Fine. But…”

I shook my head, and Caitlin finally trailed off.

“So what’s next?” Lourdes said.

Every eye in the room turned to me.

TWENTY-FIVE

Asia

The weightof expectation was heavy, but I knew what I had to do.

For some reason these people looked to me.

I wouldn’t fail them.

I met Jack’s gaze. “We should stay here.”

I didn’t whisper it, didn’t hedge.

My knees felt like water, but I spoke the words with complete confidence.

The silence after was heavy, stretched taut between us like a live wire. I was vaguely aware of the others, but I was completely focused on Jack.

Before, when it was just Jack and I, speaking up was easy. The others added a different element and this moment was an inflection point. The fork in the road where things diverged from what was before to what they could be now.

Jack’s gaze was intense enough to set me on fire, and I shivered.

And not just with discomfort.

This wasn’t the time or the place, but I couldn’t help but think about how he looked at me the same way as he held me in his arms.

He looked at me like I was a puzzle he was determined to solve, and I had no doubt that he could.

“I thought we were sticking to the plan,” Jack finally said.

His voice was even, but I didn’t fall for it.

It was a challenge, and if I wasn’t careful, Jack would have me twisted in knots and not sure which way was up.

I broke Jack’s gaze and looked at the others.

Weak, I knew, but I needed a second to gather myself.

Lourdes watched me. Miles did too, from where he hovered near his sister like hershadow. Elliot looked like he wanted to teleport straight through the floor, and Bridget didn’t really seem to be there at all.

Caitlin? She undressed Jack with her eyes, her lust for him impossible to miss.

I understood.

And tried to ignore the irritation crawling at the base of my neck.

I never fought over a man and never fucking would, but God if Caitlin didn’t make me want to change that rule, if only to prove a point.

My annoyance with Caitlin was just the thing I needed to get me back on track and ready to face Jack.