Page 30 of Alpha Jax

I chuckle softly. “Yeah, I actually do.”

We lie there in silence for a few moments, staring up at the sky. Then I slowly turn my head to look at her, and she turns hers to gaze back at me through the darkness.

“So do you make a habit out of creating your own constellations?” I ask, arching a brow.

Quinn shrugs, glancing skyward again. “It’s something I’ve done since I was a kid. It was a game my mom and I played when I was little and couldn’t sleep.”

She doesn’t have to tell me the significance of that- I know her mom’s gone. She died in a tragic accident when Theo was twelve or something, so Quinn would’ve been even younger at the time. Theo doesn’t talk about it much, but I know he’s still dealing with his demons when it comes to his mom’s sudden death. I think Brooke has helped him with that- it seems that since she’s come along, she’s pulled him out of the darkness. Quinn doesn’t seem to be living her life in the dark, though- she’s all light.

I swallow hard. I’m searching for the right words, but I honestly don’t know what to say.

“You don’t have to say anything,” Quinn adds, like she’s reading my damn mind. “I know it makes people uncomfortable when I bring up my mom.”

“I’m not uncomfortable,” I clarify, studying Quinn’s profile in the moonlight. “You should be able to talk about her. I mean, I think it’s healthy for you to talk about her.”

She turns to look at me, her hazel eyes searching mine. “Yeah,” she whispers. “I think so too. That’s how you keep someone’s memory alive, right? By talking about them?”

“Definitely,” I agree. “If that makes people uncomfortable, fuck em’.”

The corner of Quinn’s mouth tugs up into a half-smile, then she turns her head to gaze skyward again as another silence settles between us.

“You wanna try?” she asks after a minute or two, eyes still transfixed on the stars above.

“Try what?”

“To find your own constellation.”

I blow out a breath, turning my head to look up. “I don’t think I’d be any good at it.”

“You never know unless you try,” Quinn teases, and I can tell she’s smiling from the inflection in her voice.

I stare at the landscape of stars overhead for a few minutes, trying to make out the shapes they form. Trying to see the world through Quinn’s eyes.

“I guess over there, those stars kind of look like a barbell,” I say, pointing.

She bursts into a fit of giggles, her head flopping sideways to look over at me. “Abarbell?”

“Yeah, what’s wrong with a barbell?” I ask defensively.

“Nothing,” she laughs. “Guess I can see where your head’s at, workout junkie.”

“Whatever. I tried, didn’t I?” I roll my eyes at her, then return them to the sky.

She’s still giggling beside me, moving to adjust her position in the grass. As she does, her fingers brush the back of my hand and she immediately quiets, sucking in a breath.

Even out here in the fresh air, it’s like there isn’t enough between us to breathe; it’s thick with tension. Her hand’s resting in the grass right beside mine, and I move mine slightly so that the backs of our hands brush. Touching Quinn always feels like an exchange of energy- like sparks igniting between our skin.

She doesn’t pull away. We just lie there, side by side, staring at the sky with our hands barely touching. I can hear her shallow breathing, and I wonder if she can hear how hard my heart is hammering inside my chest right now. Slowly, I turn my head to gaze over at Quinn, and at the same time, she’s turning to look at me.

We don’t say a thing. What stretches between us has to remain unspoken, but we both know that it’s there and it’s real. Neither of us can deny the magnetic attraction we have for one another, and it seems that the more we fight it, the stronger it’s becoming.

Copper shimmers mingle in the hazel of Quinn’s irises- her wolf peeking through. I feel my own wolf push forward in response, inciting my urge to act on what I’m feeling toward Quinn. It would be so easy to roll over and kiss her right now. To peel off that little grey tank top and touch her body…

Fuck.

I sit up abruptly, blowing out a breath and raking a hand through my hair. I need to get my shit together- this isn’t just any girl I’m getting a hard-on for, it’s Theo’s fucking sister. The one he asked me to look after. The one he specifically asked me not to mess with.

“I’m gonna head back in,” I grumble, getting to my feet.

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