Page 97 of Wrecked (Dirty Air 3)

“At 9 a.m.? Who are you and what have you done with the real Elena?”

“You kept me up most of the night. What do you expect?” She yawns, scrunching her face in a cute way.

“For you to actually stay until morning, for starters.” My voice carries more bite than intended.

“I didn’t want your parents to catch me in your room.”

“They haven’t visited my bedroom since I was a teen, remember? They use the intercom instead.”

She squints. “Oh.”

“Right. Oh. So, your room or mine?”

“What?” She crosses her arms, poorly concealing her hardening nipples. What a shame.

“Time is running out. Decide.”

She opens the door wider, giving me room to enter.

“Good choice.” I lift her up and throw her on the mattress. The squeal she lets out puts a smile on my face.

“What are you doing?” She laughs.

I crawl onto the bed, tucking us both under the covers. “Hush. You kept me up most of the night. I need my beauty sleep.” I pull her body into mine, and she places her head on my chest.

“Jax…”

“Yes.” I wrap her hair around my fist to hold her head in place. The smell of strawberries calms me as I ignore my growing erection at Elena’s closeness.

“What happens now?”

“We try.”

It’s the only answer I can provide her with, but it’s good enough for me.

She needs to ask herself if she can handle something with me. I’m not a selfless fucker. I take and take until there is nothing left to offer.

But with Elena, I’m willing to share. The good, the bad, and the hopeless.

“To what do I owe the pleasure of your phone call?” Connor answers his phone after two rings.

I lay on my bed, staring up at the vaulted ceiling. “Besides wanting to congratulate the man who successfully secured a one-hundred-million-dollar sponsorship yesterday? You’ve been busy this summer break.”

Connor laughs. “While you’ve been busy doing nothing, I’ve been putting in the work.”

“Hey, taking a break every now and then is worth it.”

“I know. You sound better. More relaxed.”

I cough. “Right. I wanted to share something with you.”

“Go ahead.” Some papers rustle in the background.

“So, you didn’t outright say Elena couldn’t be in a relationship with me, but I—”

“You’re dating now?”

“Well, we’re…exploring our options. But I wanted to tell you before a reporter takes a picture of us or something.”