Page 67 of Trip Through Your Wires

Now that I’m here I can see something is wrong. The fatigue in her eyes is not from lack of sleep. She’s carrying some kind of weight and it’s not about what happened between us. It’s something more.

I don’t care what happened between us. Jenica is important to me, sex be damned, and I am not leaving until I know that she is okay.

“You are always with me,” I reach for her chin and turn her head to me slowly. “No matter where you are. That’s how I know something is wrong. I can feel it. So tell me what it is, please.”

She takes a breath, shoulders rising then falling, then does something I don’t expect. She doesn’t tell me to go home again or go to hell. She turns and throws her arms around me and buries her head in my chest.

Without hesitation I wrap one arm around her waist and place my other hand on the back of her head, holding her close. Her breathing is ragged and she feels frail. The strong, fierce girl who can level the world with her tongue is holding onto me like she’s been running a marathon and hasn’t been able to stop until this very second.

We stand that way for what feels like forever, and then she looks up at me and my chest cracks. “What are you doing here, really?” she asks, eyes glistening.

Brushing a finger against her cheek, I swallow over the boulder size lump in my throat. “Ellery was worried about you.”

“You came because Ellery was worried?”

“Oh, yeah,” I grin. “I’m her errand boy, didn’t you know?”

Her lip hitches and the hint of a smile stirs warmth in my chest. It’s the first time I’ve seen it in weeks and it’s like the sun after a storm. “She sent you down here?”

“Sure did,” I nod. “Got me out of bed in the middle of the night.”

“God that girl.” She swipes a finger under one eye and then the other.

“She loves you,” I shrug. “Can’t blame her.”

She looks at me, shaking her head again. “I can’t believe you’re here.”

“Believe it.”

“You drove?”

“I flew, then drove.”

She looks over my shoulder and when she sees the Camaro, flicks her eyes back to me. “What time did you leave?”

“Last night.”

“Last night?” Her brows shoot up. “Are you serious?”

“Got to the airport around midnight to take a red eye, and when that was cancelled, I caught the first flight out this morning.”

“It’s nearly three,” she shakes her head. “You must be exhausted.”

“It’s been a long morning,” I admit.

We stand there, looking at one another. There is so much I want to say, but don’t. Right now, I just want to stay in this moment as long as I can.

“Come on,” she steps back, every cell in my body reaching for hers as she pulls away. “Let’s get you some tea.”

“Will that be with lemons or sugar?” I can’t help but ask.

She looks over her shoulder and smiles. “Mint.”

“Mint?” I arch a brow. “Now that’s different.”

“It is,” she agrees. “Did you expect otherwise?”

“Not at all,” I can’t help but smile. “Different has always been my favorite.”

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