Page 41 of My End

I shouldn’t havewantedher.

But there I was, out in the garden, trying to convince myself I could do both, get close enough to take Boone and Gibbs down and keep Tilly untouched by the hellfire about to come crashing down.

Spoiler alert: I was failing on both fronts.

“Jake?”

Her voice hit me like a goddamn freight train.

I turned so fast I nearly dropped my cigarette.

Tilly stood at the edge of the garden path as the moonlight caught the pale sweep of her arms and the loose fall of her hair. She wore an oversized sweatshirt that hit her mid-thigh, and her legs were bare beneath it.

Her bare feet made no sound on the stone path.

She looked like a dream. A fever dream I hadn’t earned.

“You okay?” she asked gently.

I blinked. “You scared the shit outta me.”

She smiled. “You looked like you were thinking real hard. I didn’t want to interrupt.”

I flicked the cigarette into a planter and ran a hand down my face. “What are you doing out here?” I asked and tried to keep my voice low. Steady.

“I couldn’t sleep,” she said, and walked closer. “Thought maybe some fresh air would help.”

“You shouldn’t be out here alone.”

She tilted her head. “Are you gonna walk me back to my room?”

I gave a dry laugh. “Smartass.”

She shrugged. “Better than a dumbass.”

I turned back toward the rose bushes. I could feel her behind me, close but not touching.

“I’ve been thinking,” she said, voice softer now. “About what you said.”

My stomach clenched.

“That I should be careful.”

Fuck.

I glanced over my shoulder. Her eyes locked with mine.

“I didn’t mean to freak you out,” I said, forcing calm into my tone. “I just… Boone and Gibbs, they’ve got a lot riding on this campaign. Sometimes people get... tense.”

She crossed her arms. “You said that like a warning.”

I didn’t say anything.

“And then you kissed me like it might be the last time.”

That one hit me square in the chest.

She stepped in front of me now, with her hands loose at her sides. Her sweatshirt lifted just slightly in the breeze, baring more of her thighs.